1999 TOYOTA SIENNA Complaints

DIAGNOSED AS SLUDGE IN THE ENGINE DUE TO "OWNER NEGLIGENCE"; OWNER HAS PROOF OF REGULAR OIL CHANGES AND MAINTENANCE; OWNER ACCUSED OF "NEVER CHANGING THE OIL"--NOT TRUE; TOYOTA IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM IN THEIR SIENNAS AND AVALONS, SAYS WE ARE INELIGIBLE FOR "ASSISTANCE" BECAUSE WE ARE OUTSIDE OF THE 60000 DRIVE TRAIN WARRANTY; PROPERLY MAINTAINED ENGINES DON'T SEIZE UP AT 64K MILES!! WE ARE OUTRAGED!!*AK

I HAD A FLAT TIRE AND REPLACED THE FLAT WITH A DIFFERENT MANUFACTURER THAN THE OTHER 3 TIRES. BECAUSE THERE IS 1/16TH" DIFFERENCE IN THE TIRE DEPTH THE WARNING LIGHT WILL NOT STAY OUT EVEN AFTER RESETTING IT. TOYOTA SAYS THAT AS LONG AS THE TIRES ARE DIFFERENT THE LIGHT WILL NOT STAY OUT. I SAY I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE TO EVER HAVE A FLAT TIRE AND REPLACE IT WITH A DIFFERENT MANUFACTURER'S TIRE AND THERE NEEDS TO BE AN ADJUSTMENT MADE IN THE SENSOR. I DIDN'T ASK FOR THIS FEATURE; IT CAME WITH THE CAR. IF THEY'RE GOING TO PUT SOMETHING LIKE THIS ON THEIR CARS (AND THEY ARE PLANNING ON PUTTING IT ON ALL THEIR NEW MODELS) THEY NEED TO HAVE A WAY TO ADJUST IT. IT ALSO STARTLES ME WHEN THE LIGHT COMES ON BECAUSE I THINK THERE'S SOMETHING WRONG WITH THE CAR.*AK

VEHICLE WAS GIVEN NEW VIN: NY60536. CONSUMER'S VEHICLE WAS AT A STOP AND WHEN ACCELERATING IT JUST SHOOK, BUT DID NOT MOVE FORWARD. VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO DEALER, FRONT AXLE SHAFT HAD BROKEN.*AK

DRIVING TO PHOENIX, ENGINE WENT IN OGDEN UTAH, SAID SLUDGE IN ENGINE, ALTHOUGH HAVE OIL CHANGE RECEIPTS, TOYOTA UNINTERESTED. CLAIMS IMPROPER MAINTENANCE SO NO WARRANTY COVERAGE. *AK

PULLING TO ONE SIDE CONSTANT. TIRES CROSS-ROTATED AND PULL CHANGES TO OPPOSITE SIDE. TIRES REPLACED, PROBLEM RECURS. TIRES HAVE BEEN REPLACED TWO TIMES WITHOUT PERMANENT FIX. TIRES HAVE GOTTEN ONLY 15,000 MILES AND 5,000 MILES RESPECTIVELY. UNSAFE DRIVING CONDITIONS WITH PULL AND POTENTIAL FOR TIRE BLOWOUT DUE TO PREMATURE WEAR.U. *AK

TITAN CHECKUP ENGINE ANALYSIS OIL SAMPLE RESULTS REVEALED EXCESSIVE FUEL IN THE ENGINE'S OIL AFTER 6700 MILES OF DRIVING. OIL NOTED TO BE TOO THIN AND SOME LEAD FROM BEARING SCUFFING NOTED. SILICON ALSO PRESENT IN TWO OIL ANALYSIS SAMPLES TO DATE. POSSIBLE FIRE HAZARD WITH REDUCED FLASH POINT. FULL INVESTIGATION NEEDED ON 1998-2001 MODEL SIENNAS IN CONJUNCTION WITH CURRENT ENGINE FIRE INVESTIGATION ON THE 2002 MODEL. *AIK

TOTAL BRAKE FAILURE IN LIGHT, POWDERY SNOW CONDITIONS. SKIDDED THROUGH A FOUR-WAY STOP WHEN THE BRAKES WOULD NOT ENGAGE. LONGER BRAKING DISTANCES NOTED AT TIMES.*AK

THE ENGINES IN 1999 SIENNA VANS ARE POSSIBLY HAVING EARLY FAILURE OF THE CRANKECASE VENTILATION SYSTEM THAT CAUSES OIL TO SLUDGE UP AND THE ENGINE BEGINS TO BURN OIL AT A VERY EARLY AGE. I RECENTLY DE-SLUDGED MY VAN'S ENGINE AND NOTED THAT THE CRANKECASE VENT BAFFLES ARE VERY NARROW AND HAD LIKLEY BEEN STOPPED UP FOR A LONG TIME. FROM THE AMOUNT OF POSTINGS ON THE INTERNET ABOUT THIS PROBLEM THIS IS NOT AN ISOLATED PROBLEM WITH THIS MODEL. *AK

IN EARLY 2001, THIS VEHICLE HAD BINDING IN STEERING, RETURNING TO CENTER FROM LEFT TURNS. DEALER REPAIRED WITH KIT FROM A SERVICE BULLETIN, AT NO CHARGE, UNDER WARRANTY. AT SOME POINT LATER IN 2001, VEHICLE OCCASIONALLY LOST POWER ASSIST TURNING LEFT. INCIDENTS ARE BECOMING MORE FREQUENT. BOTH PROBLEMS LIMIT STEERING CONTROL, USUALLY AT LOW SPEEDS, REQUIRING FAST DRIVER CORRECTIONS TO AVOID COLLISIONS. ARRANGEMENT IS BEING MADE TO DIAGNOSE AND CORRECT THE LATEST PROBLEM. BOTH FAULTS SEEM CONNECTED AND SHOULD BE STUDIED, AS THEY ARE SAFETY HAZARDS, AND THERE WAS A SERVICE BULLETIN ON THE EARLIER PROBLEM THAT DOES NOT SHOW UP IN THE NHTSA DATA BASE.

CAR USING OIL SINCE 20000MI. 9/01 DEALER FOUND SLUDGE IN ENGINE AND CLAIMED IT WAS MY FAULT AND WOULD NOT REPAIR UNDER WARRANTY. *AK