Why is the transmission in your 2001 Rav 4 shifting up and down so crazy?

Toyota has a defective part which they refuse to perform a recall on; the ECM which controls the transmission is faulty and causes "harsh shifting" or "hard shifting". If left unrepaired it can damage the actual transmission, which Toyota may then have the audacity to also make you pay to replace. This is a known issue for all RAV 4 models from 2001 through 2003; I received a notice after the damage was already done to my RAV. Toyota refused to reimburse me because my car was "beyond the warranty", even though they admitted in their letter that the part was known to be faulty. For more Horror stories, google the key Words "Toyota RAV4 harsh shift" and look at the hundreds (if not thousands) of complaints that come back. Good luck to you.