Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (accelerator pedal, throttle, sudden acceleration, cruise control).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2002 Toyota RAV4 owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
My car engine light goes on and off due to transmission fault. It continuously has a hard time shifting gears in between 2500-3000 rpm and gives a jerky stop before continuing to speed up/accelerate despite when I have not let go of my foot from the pedal. After taking it to the auto shop, I was told this is the same problem other Toyota RAV 4 between 2001-2003 experiences and the mechanics told me that there was a lot of recall for the same code my car is giving (2 codes that the computer diagnosed were p0775 and p0161). While Toyota extended the warranty to 10years/150,000k and my car is 1-2 years past the warranty, it's only been barely 80,000mi and it should not be causing this problem. …
Faulty ECU computers causeing variations in speed and problems with hard shifting, damageing transmissons, causeing vehicles to fail while driving while in motion vehicle will not shift correctly. My vehicle stopped in an intersection and I was nearly hit by another vehicle while attempting to accelerate the vehicle would not shift into gear while turning left. I felt I could have been killed by on comming traffic with no ability to control my vehicle. Toyota dealer and mechanic told me this is a well know defect and problem know to Toyota with rav 4 2001-2003. Also, 02 sessors go bad early leading to hazardous emissions to public and this burns out catalitic converters which can also cause harmful emissions. …
Tl contact owns a 2002 Toyota RAV4. While driving 25 MPH on a local road the vehicle suddenly accelerated from 25 MPH to 85 MPH. She quickly made a left turn to avoid a collision and crashed into an island and a cement retaining wall. The insurance company didn't give her a report on what could have caused the failure to occur. The vehicle was destroyed. She broke her right ankle, and her lower back was injured. One of the passengers sustained a broken left hand and injuries to the neck. The other passenger received injuries to the neck. The police report information was not available. The VIN was unavailable. The failure and the current mileages were 60,000.
I was driving my RAV4 down my road when I suddenly lost control of the accelerator with my foot on the brake not touching the gas pedal at all my vehicle continued speeding up. I had my emergency brake locked which slowed me down but couldn't stop me. I placed the vehicle in neutral and the car came to a stop but the rpms went up to 9000rpm's immediately so I turned the car off in hopes something would reset. When I turned the car back on the problem continued until I was able to stop in my driveway. Both my kids were in the car and I nearly crashed into an intersection which is why I am reporting this. I have always liked and maintained my car otherwise.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 Toyota RAV4. While driving approximately 25 MPH, the vehicle independently shifted into second gear and lunged forward. The vehicle came to a complete stop on the side of the road. The vehicle was driven home. The following day, the vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the electronic control module failed; however the class action settlement ended in 2012. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 53,612. Updated 04/25/17 lj
Tl contact owns a 2002 Toyota RAV4. While driving 2 MPH in reverse and with the brake pedal depressed, the vehicle accelerated. The contact applied more pressure to the brake pedal, but the vehicle did not stop. The vehicle crashed into a parked vehicle and was then towed to the dealer. A police report was filed. The vehicle was destroyed. The road conditions were dry. The current and failure mileages were 70,000. Updated 3/5/08
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 Toyota RAV4. The contact stated that while driving at 55 MPH and depressing the brake pedal, the vehicle accelerated independently. The failure recurred numerous times. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 150,000.
2002 Toyota rav 4 engine control module/transmission failed on 82,264 miles, erratic driving, very dangerous to drive. Toyota is aware of this problem but not doing any thing to resolve. Spent almost $1000 to replace the ECU alone, May need complete transmission replacement.
Original owner of 2002 Toyota RAV4 AWD. Was driving home from a friend's house and stopped off near my home for an errand. Left the store, (car was running, family inside) and proceed to drive towards my house. The engine was running but the car was barely moving. The tach was at 4,000 and I was barely going 5 MPH. Suddenly and without warning the car raced forward at a high rate of speed. I slammed on the brakes to avoid a rear-end collision. After it was safe to move, I stepped on the gas again and the car sluggishly moved at about 5mph again. The whole ride home (less than 5 minutes) the car was either slow or fast without much pressure on the accelerator. Upon arriving at home and trying to parallel park the car, I noticed that the transmission was sluggish and made loud noise when shifted into reverse. This wasn't normal and it troubled me. …
I purchased my 2002 Toyota RAV4 SUV in August of 2002. Ever since I bought the RAV4 something has been wrong with it. The first 3-months that I had the RAV4 the drive belt was chewed up and almost caused me to wreck. The transmission started making funny noises like a grinding sound and the transmission would not shift. Sometimes I would just have to pull off of the road because the RAV4 transmission would not shift. I called and talked with the dealership and they said that nothing was wrong with my RAV4. I finally just parked it because my wife would not drive it and I would not drive it. Toyota would not fix my vehicle nor would the dealership. My brother-in-law said that he would try to find a used transmission and put it in my new RAV4 SUV. …
Acceleration complaints in other RAV4 years
Frequently asked questions
How common are acceleration problems on the 2002 Toyota RAV4?
NHTSA has 36 complaints about the speed control & acceleration of the 2002 Toyota RAV4, 7% of the model year's 527 complaints. The component named most often is accelerator pedal (2 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2002 Toyota RAV4 acceleration problems?
No. NHTSA lists no speed control & acceleration recall for the 2002 Toyota RAV4. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2002 Toyota RAV4 acceleration problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 88,000 miles, and 10% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 6 crashes, 0 fires and 5 injuries to speed control & acceleration problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.