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We purchased a brand new 2014 Rav4 on 8/2/2014 from Caldwell. The salesman was very funny, relaxed & patient with all our questions. We had a trade in and added some additional money (a birthday gift from my husband) to make the monthly payments lower. All said & done, we had a very good sales experience.

The Rav4 had a small dent in the back due to the landscaper kicking up rocks. I was told I would get a call to have this fixed and be set up with a loaner car. I have yet to be contacted by the dealership to fix this. It could be due to the following problem.

I drove the car off the lot with 7 miles. On Wednesday 8/6/14, less than a week later and with only 211 miles on the car, I was driving home from work and the engine was reving up to 6-7000 when I was only doing about 35-40. The car jerked forward and the check engine, ABS and torque control lights all came on. I pulled over & called Toyota Roadside Assistance. I waited over an hour and a half for a tow.

During this time, I called my salesman at Caldwell. He insisted I have the car towed there since it was in range. I asked if there was a courtesy/loaner car available but was told there is nothing they can do since that department was closed. I decided to stick with the dealership closest to my home, Crestmont Toyota, not just for the distance but because they were able to provide me a loaner car. Once they heard about my situation, they kept that department open so I could secure a vehicle.

I got a call the next day from Crestmont service. My transmission had failed. I donโ€™t understand how that could happen on a brand new car. Even the service manager was dumbfounded. He ordered the required parts & promised to go over the car to make sure this did not cause further damage. They are really wonderful at Crestmont and I would recommend them to anyone.

I called my salesman at Caldwell to let him know what happened. He didnโ€™t answer & didnโ€™t return my call so I e-mailed him. Still no response.

I filed a case with Toyota Corporate. It was sent to both Crestmont and Caldwell. Crestmont replied right away. Still waiting on a response from Caldwell.

I sent another e-mail to my salesman to advise I filed this claim & what my requests are. He replied that thereโ€™s nothing he can do, it would have to come from Toyota Corporate. Except, anyone I have spoken to at Toyota Corporate has said my requests would need to be made from the dealership. I asked for the case to be expedited to a supervisor but have received no reply from Caldwell.

I am being given the run around & extremely frustrated and disappointed in Toyotaโ€™s customer service. I know Toyota stands behind their brand but how about their customer service and how to handle something when things go wrong?

Anyone who I have spoken to has said I should demand a new car, demand my money back, etc. When I filed my case with corporate, all I asked for was the top extended warranty, if this happened at 211 miles, what else could happen? I also asked for free XM for the life of the car, for the sheer frustration of this whole thing.

I have had no further response from Toyota

Reason of review: Poor customer service.

Preferred solution: Let the company propose a solution.

Location: Clifton, New Jersey

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Guest

I am having issues with the transmission for my 2014 RAV4. Very disappointing given my prior experience owning Toyota has been good.

It sounds like the only option is to replace the transmission. According to the dealer, the torque converter will not help with this problem.

Interested to hear if others have experienced problems I doubt Toyota will step to the plate given the warranty has run out. Probably never buy a Toyota again

Guest

I also have a 2014 Rav4 that had similar symptoms at 27,000 miles. It is now at the dealer getting the transmission replaced. they did give me a loaner car though.

Guest

Hi guys. Yours rav4 vin# start from J or 2?

Guest
reply icon Replying to comment of Guest-1001566

What dhey if it starts with a J or the number 2?

Guest

it's completely unreasonable to think they would give you thousands of dollars worth of anything just because your vehicle had a problem and was fixed under warranty at no cost to you. you would probably *** your pants if you found out how many cars get transmissions replaced when they are brand new.

mistakes happen whether something is built by hand or by machine, and some components are faulty.

some people can have a RAV4 with 200,000 miles and barely a hiccup. others have a transmission or two go bad within a year!

Guest
reply icon Replying to comment of Guest-927391

We need better quality control and a better mindset than "oh well, things happen". Yes, things happen, but we need to take proper care of the customer.

Guest

I had a similar problem with my 2014 RAV4 XLE. The local Toyota dealership would not replace the vehicle with a similar model but they could do appraisal for trade-in and the purchaser must pay the difference.

They consider the 200 miles (2 weeks old) 2014 RAV4 XLE a used car.

The difference is approx $5000 (five thousand) for similar model of 2014 RAV4 XLE.

Toyota Corporation would not replace or buy back the vehicle unless you file a claim through their informal dispute program administered by the National Center for Dispute Settlement (NCDS).

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