2011 TOYOTA SIENNA Complaints

OIL COOLER HOSE: FROM MY EXPERIENCE, AND FROM WHAT I'VE READ FROM OTHERS, THIS IS A CONSIDERABLE SAFETY ISSUE. A RECALL WOULD BE VERY APPROPRIATE FOR BOTH ROAD SAFETY AND FOR CONSUMER PROTECTION. A SUSPECTED BLOWN COOLER LINE JUST HAPPENED TO ME LAST NIGHT, AND I WAS VERY DISTRACTED WHEN I REALIZED MY 2011 TOYOTA SIENNA (ABOUT 125K MILES) WENT FROM PROVIDING NORMAL RESPONSIVENESS TO GIVING INCOMPREHENSIBLE FEEDBACK WITHIN SECONDS. A "LOW OIL" MESSAGE FLASHED ONCE ON THE CENTER CONSOLE AS I WAS PULLING OUT OF A GAS STATION INTO TRAFFIC. THIS LIGHT DID NOT RETURN. NO OTHER LIGHTS LIT UP AT ANY TIME. IMMEDIATELY, HOWEVER, I NOTICED HESITATION WHEN TRYING TO ACCELERATE. I THOUGHT THAT IT WAS AN ELECTRICAL PROBLEM AT THAT POINT, PERHAPS IT WAS AFFECTING THE FUEL INJECTORS. THEN I NOTICED A CLICKING NOISE COMING FROM THE ENGINE. AT THAT POINT, I PULLED OVER AT THE NEXT SAFEST OPPORTUNITY AND TURNED OFF THE VEHICLE. I POPPED THE HOOD AND NOTICED OIL EVERYWHERE TOWARD THE BOTTOM OF THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT/UNDERSIDE OF THE VEHICLE. THE DIP STICK WAS DRY. THIS ALL HAPPENED WITHIN 0.75 MILES ON A TWO LANE STATE HIGHWAY (ONE LANE IN EACH DIRECTION) WITH A 55 MPH SPEED LIMIT. I CERTAINLY WASN'T DRIVING DEFENSIVELY DURING THIS TIME, AND I HAD VERY MINIMAL AWARENESS OF ANY VEHICLES AROUND ME. THE ACCELERATION ISSUE COULD HAVE BEEN CATASTROPHIC IF I HAD TRIED TO BEAT TRAFFIC THAT WAS FAR ENOUGH AWAY TO PROCEED, YET CLOSE ENOUGH TO THINK TWICE. FORTUNATELY, I'M NOT AN AGGRESSIVE DRIVER, AND I WAITED. THE WHOLE EXPERIENCE HAS BAFFLED ME AS I'VE NEVER EXPERIENCED SUCH A COMPLETE AND SUDDEN FAILURE WHILE DRIVING A VEHICLE. PLEASE CONSIDER THIS REPORT AND REVIEW THE NUMEROUS ONLINE REPORTS FROM DRIVERS WHO ALSO EXPERIENCED A SUDDEN, MASSIVE OIL LEAK WHILE DRIVING THEIR 2007-2011 TOYOTA SIENNAS. TOYOTA IS WELL AWARE OF THIS RECURRING ISSUE. A SAFETY RECALL WOULD SEEM APPROPRIATE.

WHIRRING NOISE FROM THE REAR DIFFERENTIAL WHILE THE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION. THE PITCH OF THE WHIR GETS HIGHER AS THE VEHICLE ACCELERATES. CAUSE IS A FAULTY BEARING IN THE ELECTROMAGNETIC COUPLER ASSEMBLY.

MY DRIVER SIDE SLIDING DOOR WILL NOT OPEN BY EITHER PRESSING THE BUTTONS OR TRYING TO MANUALLY OPEN IT.

FOR YEARS, MY TOYOTA SIENNA HAS HAD A BEEPING NOISE WHEN I WENT OVER A BUMP, OR WHEN IT WAS HOT OUT AND I HAD THE WINDOWS DOWN OR WHEN I PUT ON MY BRAKES. IT GOES OFF AGAIN WHEN I BEGIN TO DRIVE. IT SAID IT WAS THE REAR LIFT GATE WAS AJAR. WHEN I GOOGLE IT, THERE ARE SO MANY PEOPLE WITH THE SAME ISSUE. SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH THE SENSOR, IT'S A BAD MESSAGE THAT COMES THROUGH. TOYOTA SHOULD OFFER TO REPAIR IT. IT IS SO ANNOYING. I'VE HAD MANY MECHANICS LOOK AT IT, AND TOYOTA WANTED TO CHARGE ME $1500 FOR A NEW LIFT GATE SENSOR. WHAT A RIPOFF. ON THE INTERNET MOST JUST DISCONNECT THE WIRE. THIS IS A TOYOTA PROBLEM THAT SHOULD BE RECALLED. IT IS CONSTANT NOW.

CABLE ON THE PASSENGER SIDE SLIDING DOOR BROKE. DOOR CANNOT BE USED AUTOMATICALLY. HAD DEALER DISCONNECT THE CABLE FOR $50 INSTEAD OF PAYING APPROXIMATELY $400 FOR NEW CABLE.

WE WERE VISITING NIAGARA FALLS THIS WEEK AND WHEN WE GOT OFF THE EXIT MY WIFE HAD NO BRAKES. SO WE HAD IT TOWED TO A TRIPLE A REPAIR SHOP AND WAS TOLD OUR BRAKE LINE FAILED BECAUSE IT WAS CORRODED AND WAS A CHEAP NON OEM BRAKE LINE. WE HAD TO STAY AN EXTRA NIGHT AT OUR HOTEL. WE BOUGHT IT ALMOST A YEAR AGO WITH 36000 MILES AND NOW HAS 43000 ON IT, I FEEL THAT BRAUNABILITY WHICH DID THE HANDICAP CONVERSION SHOULD HAVE USED A OEM BRAKE LINE WHEN THE REPLACED IT. I HAVE ALS BUT MY WIFE'S NUMBER IS (XXXXX) OR EMAIL ME BACK. WE HAVE A PIECE OF THE DEFECTIVE BRAKE LINE THANKS (XXXXX) PARTS OF THIS DOCUMENT HAVE BEEN REDACTED TO PROTECT PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

THIS VEHICLE HAS ALL WHEEL DRIVE AND USES AN ELECTROMECHANICAL COUPLER ON THE REAR DIFFERENTIAL. IT IS VERY SIMILAR CONFIGURATION TO THE TOYOTA RAV4 THAT USES A VISCOUS COUPLER IN THE SAME LOCATION. MY COUPLER HAS FAILED DUE TO THE FRONT BEARING FAILING. THE VEHICLE IS 8 YEARS OLD AND HAS ABOUT 95000 MILES ON IT. TOYOTA HAS ISSUED A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN AND PROVIDED EXTENDED WARRANTY COVERAGE FOR THE BEARING FAILURE PROBLEM ON THE RAV4. SO FAR, THEY HAVE REFUSED TO PROVIDE SIMILAR COVERAGE FOR REPAIRS ON THE AWD SIENNA, EVEN THOUGH THE FAILURE MODE IS IDENTICAL. WE FIRST NOTICED THE PROBLEM WHEN THE VEHICLE STARTED MAKING LOUD GRINDING NOISE FROM THE REAR AXLE WHILE DRIVING. IT WASN'T CLEAR WHAT THE SOURCE OF NOISE WAS, BUT AFTER FINDING THE SERVICE BULLETIN FOR THE PROBLEM ON THE RAV4, IT BECAME CLEAR THIS SAME BEARING FAILURE WAS HAPPENING ON THE AWD SIENNA'S, SO IT WAS REPAIRED. IT WAS REPAIRED BEFORE IT FAILED CATASTROPHICALLY. IT IS HARD TO KNOW WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED IF THE SOUND WAS IGNORED. WOULD THE DRIVE SHAFT SIEZE UP? ENGINE STALL? TRANSMISSION FAIL? TOYOTA DOES NOT SELL THIS BEARING FOR THE SIENNA, THEY REQUIRE THE ENTIRE COUPLING TO BE REPLACED, WITH A LIST PRICE OVER $1700, PLUS LABOR. THIS DEFECTIVE PART SHOULD BE SUBJECT OF A RECALL AND THE REPAIR PERFORMED ON ALL AWD SIENNA WITH THE DEFECTIVE BEARING CONFIGURATION.

TOOK IN FOR RECALL. GOT VAN BACK AND DRIVER SIDE SLIDING DOOR NO LONGER OPENS WITH DOOR HANDLE. ALSO LARGE WIRE RAN IN 2ND ROW BEHIND DRIVER SEATS AND JUST LEFT THERE. ALSO JUMPER FUSE RAN UNDER STEERING WHEEL. ELECTRICAL NIGHTMARE. HORRIBLE MAINTENANCE. UNACCEPTABLE. CREATED MORE SAFETY HAZARDS.

TOOK IN FOR RECALL. GOT VAN BACK AND DRIVER SIDE SLIDING DOOR NO LONGER OPENS WITH DOOR HANDLE. ALSO LARGE WIRE RAN IN 2ND ROW BEHIND DRIVER SEATS AND JUST LEFT THERE. ALSO JUMPER FUSE RAN UNDER STEERING WHEEL. ELECTRICAL NIGHTMARE. HORRIBLE MAINTENANCE. UNACCEPTABLE. CREATED MORE SAFETY HAZARDS.

TOOK IN FOR RECALL. GOT VAN BACK AND DRIVER SIDE SLIDING DOOR NO LONGER OPENS WITH DOOR HANDLE. ALSO LARGE WIRE RAN IN 2ND ROW BEHIND DRIVER SEATS AND JUST LEFT THERE. ALSO JUMPER FUSE RAN UNDER STEERING WHEEL. ELECTRICAL NIGHTMARE. HORRIBLE MAINTENANCE. UNACCEPTABLE. CREATED MORE SAFETY HAZARDS.