2009 TOYOTA SIENNA Complaints

USUALLY IN COLD TEMPERATURES, WHENEVER THE REAR AUTOMATIC HATCH IS OPENED FROM THE EITHER THE FOB OR THE VAN'S CONTROL PANEL, THE REAR HATCH DOOR BEGINS TO CLOSE BACK WITHOUT WARNING/NOTICE. THIS HAS HAPPENED AT LEAST 20 TIMES SINCE WE PURCHASED OUR 2009 TOYOTA SIENNA IN DECEMBER OF 2008 AND IS INCREASING IN FREQUENCY. THE APPROXIMATE ONSET DATE IS RECORDED BELOW ON THIS FORM. WHEN IT BEGINS TO CLOSE, ADULTS AND CHILDREN HAVE BEEN TRAPPED BETWEEN THE HATCH AND THE VEHICLE, RESULTING IN PINNING AND CUTS TO THE HEAD. ONLY WITH STRONG MANUAL FORCE DOES THE HATCH STOP CLOSING. AS OF TODAY, 2/9/10, THERE HAVE BEEN NO NOTIFICATIONS OF A RECALL OR EFFORT TO CORRECT OR REPAIR THE PROBLEM. BECAUSE THE PROBLEM WAS INFREQUENT AT FIRST AND CORRECTED ITSELF WHEN THE TEMPERATURES GOT WARMER, WE THOUGHT IT WAS JUST A TEMPORARY GLITCH, BUT THEN THE PROBLEM REAPPEARED ONCE TEMPERATURES BEGAN TO GET COLD AGAIN IN THE FALL OF 2009. *TR

IN NOVEMBER 2009 WHILE PARKING MY CAR IN STORE PARKING, MY FOOT WAS ON BRAKE MY CAR ACCELERATED, SUDDENLY JUMPED ON THE 1 FOOT HIGH FOOTPATH AND CRASHED INTO THE STORE INJURING FEW PEOPLE. NOTHING WORKED EVEN BRAKES JAMMED. I CONTACTED THE TOYOTA AND THEY SENT ME LETTER AFTER 30 DAYS THAT THEY HAVE FOUND NOTHING AND TOYOTA DEALER WAS NOT READY TO TAKE ANY PART IN RESOLVING THE PROBLEM. THEY REFUSED TO GIVE ME RENTAL VEHICLE AND I HAD TO PAY ONE MONTH OF RENTAL CAR AS WELL. I AM SCARED TO DRIVE THIS VEHICLE NOW. I WOULD LIKE TO FILE A COMPLAIN TO TAKE IMMEDIATE ACTION IN THIS REGARDS. THANK YOU *TR

IN APRIL 2009 THE ACCELERATOR STUCK ON MY 2009 TOYOTA SIENNA VAN. THE DEALER FAILED TO REPLICATE THE PROBLEM AND NEITHER THE DEALER NOR TOYOTA HAS MADE ANY PROGRESS TO RESOLVING. NOW I SEE WHERE A VAST NUMBER OF OTHER TOYOTA VEHICLES ARE SIMILARLY PLAGUED AND MY CONFIDENCE IN THE SIENNA IS FURTHER ERODED. PLEASE HELP! TW*

I'VE SEEN THAT TOYOTA IS RECALLING MANY VEHICLES BECAUSE OF LOOSE DRIVER'S SIDE FLOORMATS, BUT NOT THE SIENNA MINIVAN. AFTER I HEARD ABOUT THE PROBLEM I NOTICED THAT BOTH CLIPS HOLDING THE DRIVER'S FLOOR MAT BACK HAD COME LOOSE AND THE MAT HAD SLID SEVERAL INCHES TOWARD THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE. I THINK I JUST NEVER THOUGHT MUCH ABOUT IT UNTIL I SAW THIS RECALL AND WHAT HAPPENED TO THAT POOR FAMILY. I HAD TO SNAP THE PLASTIC RETENTION CLIPS BACK INTO THE GROMMET HOLES, BUT I WONDER IF THIS IS HAPPENING ON OTHER CARS AS WELL, AND IF SO, WHY WASN'T SIENNA INVOLVED IN THE RECALL? *TR

OUR AUTOMATIC SLIDING DOOR WAS OPENED BUT WOULD NOT CLOSE. NO AMOUNT OF TUGGING, FINESSING, OR CURSING WOULD MAKE IT SHUT. CHILDREN WERE STRANDED IN PHOENIX HEAT IN AUGUST BECAUSE THE VEHICLE WAS UNSAFE TO DRIVE WITH A DOOR THAT COULD NOT BE CLOSED. THERE ARE MANY MENTIONS OF THIS EXACT PROBLEM ON VARIOUS BLOGS AND ALL REPORT DIFFICULTY IN GETTING TOYOTA TO OFFER A SOLUTION THAT DIDN'T COST $1-2K. ALMOST ALL OWNERS REPORTED THE "FIXED" DOORS TO HAVE FAILED IN SOME WAY AGAIN WITH DEALERS REFUSING TO COVER THE COST OF THE SECOND (OR THIRD) FIX. THE FAILURE HAD TO DO WITH THE ACTUATOR THAT UNLOCKS THE "U" SHAPED STRIKER ASSEMBLY. IT SEEMS EVIDENT THAT THE CABLE IS EITHER BREAKING, STRETCHING, OR THAT SOME SOLENOID IS NOT DOING ITS JOB. THE OUTSOME OF OUR PROBLEM WAS THAT A SECOND VEHICLE HAD TO BE OBTAINED, CHILDREN AND THEIR SEATS MOVED TO THE NEW VEHICLE AND THE VAN DRIVEN IN AN UNSAFE CONDITION BACK TO OUR HOUSE 10 MILES AWAY BECAUSE THE DEALERSHIP WAS CLOSED. TO COMPLICATE THIS, THE SIENNA WAS DOWN TO NO GASOLINE AND IT WAS THE DRIVERSIDE DOOR THAT WAS STUCK IN OPEN POSITION WHICH MADE IT IMPOSSIBLE TO PUT FUEL IN THE VEHICLE. WHAT IF THIS SAME SCENARIO HAPPENED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DESSERT HERE AT A REST STOP IN 120-DEGREE HEAT WITH NO TOW TRUCK IN 100 MILES AND NO WAY TO DRIVE THE VAN WITH CHILDREN INSIDE? THIS IS NOT ONLY POSSIBLE, BUT LIKELY. OUR VAN HAS TWO (2) AUTOMATIC DOORS AND THIS PROBLEM HAS BEEN REPORTED BY MANY PEOPLE. LASTLY, NO ONE WHO REPORTED THE PROBLEM, REPORTED THE PROBLEM PERMANENTLY FIXED BY ANYTHING THE DEALERSHIPS WERE ABLE TO DO. FOR US, THIS FIRST INCIDENT IS PROBABLY COVERED BY WARRANTY, BUT HOW ABOUT FUTURE PROBLEMS? THE ACTUATOR ISSUE IS A DESIGN FLAW. THE FUEL DOOR BEHIND SLIDING DOOR MAKES IT AN INCONVENIENT DESIGN FLAW. THAT THIS IS ON A VEHICLE THAT TRANSPORTS CHILDREN, MAKES THE DESIGN FLAW A SERIOUS SAFETY CONCERN. AND THAT TOYOTA IS NOT ADDRESSING THE PROBLEM IN ANY SUBSTANTIAL WAY JUST PLAIN SUCKS! *TR

ATTEMPTED TO ACCELERATE TO PASS A LARGE TRUCK AND VEHICLE STARTED ACCELERATING OUT OF CONTROL. TRIED TO BRAKE AND THAT DIDN'T WORK. APPLIED FOOT BRAKE AND THAT DIDN'T WORK. SPEED MAY HAVE INCREASED TO APPROX 70-80 MPH. SPEEDOMETER SHOW APPROX 45 MPH. UNABLE TO STEER VEHICLE. IT WAS AS IF THE MOTOR HAD STOPPED AND I HAD NO POWER STEERING. AFTER HITTING 2-3 VEHICLES AND THEN THE RIGHT LANE BRIDGE WALL THE FRONT TIRE AND STEERING ASSEMBLY BENT INWARD ND THAT CAUSED THE VAN TO STOP. THAT GOD THAT NOONE WAS INJURED BUT SOMETHING IS SERIOUSLY WRONG. I'VE SEEN SEVERAL COMPLAINTS OF SUDDEN ACCELERATION IN SIENNA VANS AND THIS NEED MUCH ATTENTION. *TR

I HAVE A 2004 TOYOTA SIENNA (10000 ML.)IN A VERY GOOD CONDITION, LAST MONTH PASSENGER SIDE POWER SLIDING DOOR STOPPED WORKING. DEALER WANTED OVER $1500 TO FIX IT. THIS AFTER GOING THOUGHT FRONT DRIVER SIDE DOOR RECALL ( TOYOTA DEALER FIXED IT 3 TIMES)AND BACK TRUNK DOOR STRUTS RECALL IT SEEMS THAT THIS VAN HAS SOME SERIOUS DOOR PROBLEMS. AFTER USING SOME ONLINE BLOGS I DISCOVERED THAT THERE IS A LOT OF SIENNA OWNERS WITH THE VERY SAME PROBLEM, BESIDE THE FACT I AM DRIVING TWO 5 YEAR OLD KIDS IN THIS VAN EVERY DAY AND THIS CLEARLY CREATES A VERY DANGEROUS SAFETY CONCERN. *TR

ON AN EARLY SATURDAY APRIL 18, 2009 TRIP TO THE AIRPORT THE CRUISE CONTROL STUCK WHILE ACCELERATING AND WOULD NOT DISENGAGE BY PRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL OR BY PULLING THE CRUISE CONTROL LEVER (LOCATED ON THE STEERING COLUMN) TOWARDS THE DRIVER. I HAD JUST GONE THROUGH AN AUTOMATIC TOLLGATE IN THE FAR LEFT LANE AND BEGAN ACCELERATING (AND PROBABLY HIT THE 'RESUME' FEATURE OF THE CRUISE CONTROL LEVER) IN ORDER TO GET IMMEDIATELY OVER TO THE FAR RIGHT LANE TO EXIT. WITHIN SECONDS I WAS UP TO AN ADEQUATE SPEED AND TOUCHED THE BRAKE. THE CAR CONTINUED ACCELERATING. I PRESSED THE BRAKE MORE FIRMLY AND PULLED THE CRUISE CONTROL LEVER TOWARDS ME. NEITHER ACTION DISENGAGED THE CRUISE CONTROL. I WAS ABLE TO AVOID TRAFFIC AND POINT THE CAR TOWARDS THE RIGHT SHOULDER. I THEN PUSHED THE GEAR SHIFT INTO NEUTRAL AND THE CAR ENGINE SLOWED DOWN, THE CAR STOPPED ACCELERATING, AND THE CRUISE CONTROL DISENGAGED. ON MY RETURN TRIP I TRIED TO DUPLICATE THE ACTIONS WHICH PRECEDED THE PROBLEM BUT WAS NOT SUCCESSFUL. (I HAVE DRIVEN THE CAR ABOUT 5600 MILES AND THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME THIS PROBLEM HAS OCCURRED.) THE SAME DAY I TOOK THE CAR TO A LARGE TOYOTA DEALER. THEY DROVE THE CAR SEVERAL MILES AND DID NOT HAVE THE PROBLEM OCCUR. SO THEY WERE NOT ABLE TO FIND A PROBLEM. THEY SAID THEY COULD ONLY FIX A PROBLEM IF THEY COULD EXPERIENCE IT. AND, THEY SUGGESTED I TAKE THE CAR TO THE TOYOTA DEALER THAT SOLD IT TO ME. LATER THE SAME DAY I DID RETURN THE CAR TO THE TOYOTA DEALER THAT SOLD IT TO ME. THEY WERE GOOD LISTENERS AND KEPT THE CAR FOR SEVERAL DAYS OF DRIVING, DIAGNOSTICS, AND PHONE CALLS TO TOYOTA. BUT, IN THE END THEY TOO, COULD NOT LOCATE A PROBLEM AND RETURNED THE CAR TO ME UNCHANGED. MY CONFIDENCE IN THIS VEHICLE IS GREATLY DIMINISHED. WHILE I WAS SUCCESSFUL IN DISENGAGING THE ACCELERATING CRUISE CONTROL BY PUTTING THE CAR INTO NEUTRAL I DO NOT WANT TO HAVE TO DEPEND ON THAT ESPECIALLY IN A HEAVY TRAFFIC SITUATION. *TR

2009 TOYOTA SIENNA WITH LESS THAN 700 MILES HAD THE AUTOMATIC SLIDING DOOR BREAK. SHOULD BE COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. *TR