There are 8 stored owner reports matching the powertrain & transmission leading-label group for the 1996 Toyota RAV4 in our NHTSA-sourced dataset. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
This group counts stored reports whose component label starts with one of this site's matching prefixes, ignoring case. Each matching report counts once within the group. Components mentioned later in the label or only in the narrative are not searched. How component counts work
Loaded 8 of 8 matching reports.
Open the full vehicle complaint log (all categories)WHEN I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY, MY FRIEND (WHO WAS SITTING IN THE PASSENGER SEAT AND LIKES TO SIT WITH HIS KNEES UP) ACCIDENTALLY BUMPED THE GEAR SHIFT INTO NEUTRAL. I WAS IN THE PASSING LANE ON A BUSY HIGHWAY AND FOUND THAT ALL OF THE SUDDEN I HAD NO POWER TO THE WHEELS. IT WAS VERY FRIGHTENING. I PULLED OVER AS SOON AS I COULD. I FEARED THAT IF I PUT THE GEAR SHIFTER BACK INTO DRIVE, THE CAR WOULD DRASTICALLY LURCH (FASTER OR SLOWER). AFTER THIS HAPPENED, I NOTICED THAT THE GEAR SHIFT IS ACTUALLY LOCATED CLOSER TO THE PASSENGER SIDE THAN THE DRIVER SIDE AND EASILY BUMPED INTO NEUTRAL. I CALLED A LOCAL TOYOTA DEALER AND ASKED THAT THEY FIX THE PROBLEM. I WAS TOLD THAT ALL CARS ARE DESIGNED TO BE ABLE TO SWITCH INTO NEUTRAL SHOULD YOU BE SLIDING ON A SLIPPERY ROAD. AND THAT THEY THEREFORE COULD AND WOULD DO NOTHING ABOUT THIS PROBLEM. I HAVE READ ONLY GREAT THINGS ABOUT TOYOTAS BUT AFTER THIS EXPERIENCE, I PLAN TO SELL THIS CAR AND NEVER GET ANOTHER TOYOTA. THIS, I THINK, IS A VERY, VERY SERIOUS SAFETY DESIGN FLAW. PEOPLE WITH KIDS IN THE PASSENGER SEAT MUST HAVE THIS HAPPEN TO THEM ALL THE TIME. I THINK THESE CARS SHOULD BE RECALLED. NO AUTOMATIC GEAR SHIFT SHOULD BE EASILY ACCIDENTLY TAPPED INTO NEUTRAL WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY.*AK
WHILE DRIVING ON HIGHWAY WITH ANY PUMP OR TAP TO GEAR SHIFT IT WILL GO INTO NEUTRAL, LOSING ALL POWER, ALMOST CAUSED AN ACCIDENT.CONTACTED DEALER.*AK
WHENEVER THE BRAKES ARE APPLIEDTHE TRANSMISSION WOULD SHIFT INTO NEUTRAL ON ITS OWN. TOOK TO DEALER SEVERAL TIMES & HAD VEHICLE TEST DRIVEN. BRAKES WERE TAPPED LIGHTLY & TRANSMISSION SHIFTED INTO NEUTRAL. MECHANIC COULD NOT FIND CAUSE OF PROBLEM. *AK
VEHICLE PARKED ON SLIGHT HILL LOCKED IN REVERSE, ROLLED FORWARD DOWN HILL AND HIT ANOTHER CAR. CAUSE OF THIS HAS NOT BEEN DETERMINED. *AK
SPEEDOMETER REPLACED.
TRANSMISSION SOLENOID FAILED.
TRANSMISSION SOLENOID FAILED.
WHILE DRIVING 55 MPH, THE OWNER HEARD A LOUD BANG. THE VEHICLE SWERVED ALL OVER THE HIGHWAY. THE VEHICLE WOULD NO LONGER GO INTO 5TH GEAR. THE 4TH GEAR ALSO BEGAN SHOWING SYMPTOMS OF FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER EVENTUALLY REPLACED THE TRANSMISSION. AFTER 40,000 MILES THE EXACT SAME FAILURE RECURRED WITH THE 5TH GEAR FAILING. THEY ARE NOT CLAIMING ANY RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE REPAIR. *JB
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
NHTSA source checks for this vehicle year
Checks are recorded separately for each dataset, not for the whole page. Dates use UTC. A missing check date does not mean no records exist.
Vehicle import recorded: May 4, 2026. This is the stored import date, not confirmation that every source was successfully refreshed.