2006 TOYOTA SIENNA Complaints

ISSUE: MY 2006 TOYOTA SIENNA'S VENTILATION SYSTEM HEATS UP EVEN IF SETTING AT COLD LEVEL. IT CAUSED THE INTERIOR OF THE VAN TO HEAT UP UNCONTROLLABLY AND COULD CAUSE HEAT EXHAUSTION DURING HOT SUMMER DAYS. THE UNWANTED HEAT WAS TRACED FROM HEAT AT THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT ENTER THE PASSENGER CABIN THROUGH THE VENTILATION SYSTEM. DUE TO INSUFFICIENT INSULATED AREA AT THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT TO THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT. IT IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS FOR YOUNG CHILDREN IN THE VEHICLE DURING HOT SUMMER TIME. WE NOTICED THE ISSUE DURING ONE OF OUR SUMMER VACATION IN 2007. WE WERE STUCK IN HEAVY TRAFFIC FOR MORE THAN 15 MINUTES. OUTSIDE TEMPERATURE WAS AT A COMFORTABLE 75 DEGREE, BUT THE INTERIOR OF VEHICLE FEELS LIKE 90 DEGREE. THE AIR COMING FROM THE AIR VENT IS HOT. I DID SOME RESEARCH ON THIS ISSUE, IT TURNS OUT THAT TOYOTA FIXED THIS ISSUE ON 2008 AND LATER VEHICLES BY ADDING INSULATION PAD BETWEEN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT AND VENTILATION SYSTEM. HOWEVER, THE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP REFUSE TO PROVIDE THE FIX TO MY VAN. *TR

1. CRUISE CONTROL DEVICE ON MY 1996 TOYOTA SIENNA HAS BEEN BEHAVING ERRATICALLY SINCE ABOUT 2 MONTHS. IT HAS OVER 45000 MILES ON THE ODOMETER AND IS THUS OUT OF WARRANTY. 2. MECHANICALLY THERE DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE ANY DEFECT. HOWEVER THE FOLLOWING ANOMALIES ARE BEING OBSERVED DURING THE PAST 2 MONTHS. A: 90% OF THE TIME IN SPEEDS IN EXCESS OF 50 MPH, WHEN I TRY TO SET THE CRUISING SPEED BY PRESSING THE CCL (CRUISE CONTROL LEVER) DOWNWARDS, NOTHING HAPPENS. IN MORE THAN 50% OF THESE TIMES, IF I LIFT THE CCL UPWARDS (NORMALLY THE METHOD TO RE-SET CRUISING SPEED AFTER BRAKING/SLOWING DOWN) THE CRUISING SPEED GETS SET. B. UNDER CONDITIONS AS IN 'A' ABOVE MANY OF THE OPERATIONS OF THE CCL APPEARS TO HAPPEN IN AN INVERTED MANNER, LIKE SETTING INSTEAD OF RE-SETTING, RE-SETTING INSTEAD OF SETTING, ETC. 3. IT APPEARS THERE IS SOMETHING DEFINITELY WRONG WITH THE ELECTRONICS OF THE CRUISE CONTROL SYSTEM, AND WHILE THIS HAS NOT HAPPENED SO FAR, MAY IN FACT, CAUSE UNWARRANTED DE-CELERATION/ACCELERATION, AND COULD CAUSE ACCIDENTS. 4. IT IS EMPHASIZED THAT THESE ANOMALIES HAVE *** NOT *** CAUSED ANY ACCIDENT YET. THIS VEHICLE IS *** NOT *** INCLUDED IN ANY UNEXPECTED ACCELERATION-RELATED RECALLS. BUT THIS BEHAVIOR OF THE CRUISE CONTROL MAY HAVE SOMETHING TO DO WITH UNUSUAL ACCELERATIONS. *TR

THE ELECTRIC OUTLET DOES NOT WORK AND IF YOU TRY TO CHARGE YOUR PHONE IT BLOWS THE FUSE . I HAVE HAD 2 CASES OPENED UP WITH TOYOTA AND 3 DEALERS TELL ME THAT THEY KNOW ABOUT THE PROBLEM BUT THERE IS NO FIX. PROBLEM HAS BEEN ON GOING SINCE 6 MONTHS AFTER I BOUGHT IT NEW. *TR

THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION ON MY 2006 TOYOTA SIENNA CAUSES THE ENGINE TO RACE WHEN TRYING TO SHIFT TO A LOWER GEAR AT SLOW SPEEDS. *TR

WHEN USING CRUISE CONTROL OUR TOYOTA SIENNA 2006 VAN WILL INCREASE IN SPEED WITHOUT ANY CHANGES. WE HAVE STOP USING CRUISE CONTROL TO PREVENT ANY INCREASE IN SPEED. *TR

I HAVE A 2006 SIENNA AND HAVE A FEW COMPLAINTS. AS I HAVE LEARNED FROM READING SOME OTHER COMPLAINTS I KNOW I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE WHO HAS EXPERIENCED A HESITATION UPON ACCELERATION WITH THE CAR FROM DAY 1 (JANUARY 2006 WHEN THE CAR WAS PURCHASED). I HAVE BEEN TOLD BY THE TOYOTA DEALER NOTHING IS WRONG. RECENTLY, ON A VERY COLD DAY I NOTICED THE STEERING WHEEL WAS EXTREMELY STIFF AND HARD TO MOVE- ALMOST LIKE NOT HAVING POWERING STEERING. THE MOST IMPORTANT REASON WHY I AM FILING THIS IS BECAUSE I TOO HAVE STARTED TO HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THE RIGHT SIDE PASSENGER SLIDING DOOR. IT STARTED TO MALFUNCTION IN JANUARY OF THIS YEAR (2010)- ONE MONTH AGO. FIRST THE DOOR WOULDN'T OPEN. IT WOULD POP TO RELEASE BUT NOT REALLY OPEN . YOU COULD NOT MOVE THE DOOR TO FULLY OPEN IT OR THEN CLOSE IT. AFTER A WHILE YOU COULD THEN MANUALLY OPEN THE DOOR. THIS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES BUT WOULD SPORADICALLY WORK. TOYOTA REPLACED THE MOTOR- WE HAVE PLATINUM WARRANTY. THEN A FEW WEEKS LATER IT STARTED TO MALFUNCTION AGAIN. I TOOK IT BACK AND THEY ADJUSTED THE DOOR. ALMOST IMMEDIATELY STARTED TO MALFUNCTION AGAIN AND IS WORSE THAN BEFORE-INOPERABLE MOST OF THE TIME. I'VE BEEN TOLD THAT THE WHOLE DOOR IS OUT OF ALIGNMENT AND THE BODY SHOP HAS TO ADJUST THE DOOR I DON'T KNOW HOW THIS COULD HAPPEN AND TOYOTA DOESN'T SEEM TO HAVE AN ANSWER. DOOR IS STILL NOT FIXED- I HAVE TO BRING IT BACK, BUT ANOTHER PERSON I THINK IS ON THE RIGHT TRACK WITH THE HINGE FAILING AND THAT IS PROBABLY WHY THE DOOR IS NOT ALIGNED. ASIDE FROM THE INCONVENIENCE A DOOR FAILURE IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE THAT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED ASAP! *TR

MY 2006 TOYOTA SIENNA IS MAKING THIS UNINTENDED ACCELERATION EVEN AFTER I MAKE A COMPLETE TURN, OR DRIVING IN A SCHOOL ZONE. THIS IS STARTING TO GET ME WORRIED SINCE I AM USING THIS TO TRANSPORT MY 5-YEAR OLD DAUGHTER. *TR

COUPLE THINGS HAPPENED- RIGHT AFTER WE BOTH SIENNA, ABOUT 1 MONTH LATER THE BRAKE LIGHT WENT ON. IT WAS LATE SUNDAY NIGHT, SO THE DEALERSHIP WAS CLOSED. WE WENT THERE THE FOLLOWING WEEK. THEY COULDN'T FIND A PROBLEM, CAUSE THE LIGHT WENT OFF. WHEN I LEFT THE DEALER, THE LIGHT WENT BACK ON SO I LEFT MY CAR THEREAND TOLD THEM I'M NOT GOING TO DRIVE UNTIL THEY FIND A PROBLEM. I HAVE 2 SMALL KIDS AND THEIR SAFETY IS FIRST. THEY FIX IT AND SAID THAT SOME SENSOR UNFORTUNATELY WAS DAMAGED DURING THE DELIVERY AND THEY REPLACE IT. THEN I GOT PROBLEM WITH MY POWER SIDE DOOR- WILL STILL BE CLOSING EVEN IF YOU TRY TO STOP IT. SOLUTION FROM THE DEALER- LUBRICATE AND THAT'S IT- IT STILL HAPPEN FROM TIME TO TIME. NEXT- FRONT PASSENGER AND SECOND ROW SEAT BELTS- LOCK DURING THE TRIP. DEALER SOLUTION- THEY DON'T SEE THE PROBLEM. NOW ABOUT 2 MONTHS AGO MY ACCELERATOR GOT SUCK WHILE DRIVING FOR ABOUT 15 SECONDS. I DID NOT MADE A BIG DEAL OUT OF IT, BECAUSE I WAS SURE IT SUPPOSE TO HAPPEN, BUT NW AFTER HEARING WHAT GOING ON WITH OTHER TOYOTA MODELS, I'M JUST NOT SURE. THE GAS PEDAL DID NOT GOT STUCK TO THE CARPET FOR SURE- I WOULD SEE IT, IT WAS LIKE IT GOT STUCK AT 70MPH... I LOVE MY SIENNA AND HUSBAND DRIVES COROLLA TOO AND WE BOTH LOVE TOYOTAS. I JUST THINK NOW IT'S NOT ABOUT LOVE FOR THE ENGINE, IT'S ABOUT SAFETY OF OUR CHILDREN. IF NECESSARY I HAVE DOCUMENTS REGARDING THE BRAKE SENSOR REPLACEMENT, SEAT BELTS COMPLAINS, ETC. I SPOKE WITH THE DEALER ABOUT THE GAS PEDAL AND SAID TO ME THAT MY MODEL ITS NOT IN THE RECALL AND IT COULD BE SOMETHING ELSE, BUT DID NOT OFFER TO CHECK WHAT COULD IT BE... *TR

I AM ASSUMING YOU HAVE SEEN THE ARTICLE ABOUT STEVE WOZNIAK COMPLAINING ABOUT HIS CRUISE CONTROL ON HIS TOYOTA PRIUS. IT IS AN ISSUE OF USING CRUISE CONTROL WITH THE SONAR ACTIVATED TO SLOW THE CAR DOWN TO MAINTAIN A SAFE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE CAR IN FRONT OF YOU. WHEN THE CAR IN FRONT MOVED OUT OF YOUR LANE, YOUR CAR TAKES OFF LIKE A ROCKET TO REGAIN THE PROGRAMMED SPEED. I HAVE A TOYOTA SIENNA MINI VAN THAT DOES THE SAME THING HE DESCRIBED. WHEN I COMPLAIN TO THE DEALER THEY TELL ME IT WORKS AS DESIGNED. I ASK THEM IF THEY WANT TO DRIVE THEIR KIDS AROUND ON THE INTERSTATES USING THE CRUISE CONTROL WITH THE SONAR ACTIVATED OR PAY MY SPEEDING TICKET WHEN I GET PULLED OVER WHEN IT DOES THIS. AFTER ACCELERATING AT SUCH A HIGH SPEED THE BRAKING MECHANISM KICKS IN TO SLOW THE CAR DOWN. SO YOU KNOW YOU HAVE GONE ABOVE THE SPEED YOU SET THE CRUISE CONTROL. A CAR SHOULDN'T TAKE OFF LIKE A ROCKET AND CAUSE YOU TO SPEED WHEN THE CAR IN FRONT OF YOU MOVES OUT OF YOUR LANE. IT ALSO DOES THIS WITH THE SONAR OFF AND HITTING THE "RESUME SPEED" SWITCH ON THE CRUISE. I HAVE NOT HAD AN ACCIDENT WITH THIS ISSUE, BUT IT SURE IS SCARY WHEN IT DOES THIS. AS A RESULT, I DON'T USE MY CRUISE CONTROL VERY OFTEN AND IF I DO, USUALLY KICK IT OFF BY TAPPING THE BRAKE WHEN THE SONAR SLOWS THE CAR DOWN SO IT DOESN'T TAKE OFF LIKE A ROCKET. I AM SURE IT IS A PROGRAMMING ISSUE BUT IT SURE ISN'T SAFE OR COMFORTING THE WAY IT CURRENTLY WORKS. *TR

DESCRIPTION OF PROBLEM: 2006 TOYOTA SIENNA SLIDING DOOR ON DRIVER'S SIDE WON'T CLOSE. EVENTS LEADING UP TO PROBLEM: DROVE VEHICLE ABOUT 25 MILES FROM HOME, OPENED SLIDING DOOR FOR CHILD TO EXIT VEHICLE, DOOR WOULD NOT CLOSE AFTER THAT. FRONT LATCH CAN BE SECURED WITH GREAT FORCE, HOWEVER THE REAR LATCH WILL NOT ENGAGE. DOOR REMAINS OPEN AND IS A VERY SERIOUS SAFETY RISK AS THE FRONT LATCH SECURITY/RELIABILITY IS INSUFFICIENT. SLIDING DOOR COULD OPEN WITHOUT WARNING WHILE DRIVING 70 MPH. LIGHTS IN VAN STAY ON, PRESENTING ANOTHER RISK AT NIGHT BECAUSE VISION IS INHIBITED GREATLY BY INTERIOR LIGHTING. HAD TO DRIVE HOME WITHOUT DOOR FULLY CLOSED AT NIGHT. THIS LACK OF VISIBILITY NEARLY RESULTED IN SEVERAL ACCIDENTS. PROBLEM STEMS FROM THE MECHANISM THAT GRABS THE METAL LOOP THAT IS CONNECTED TO THE REAR DOOR FRAME. THE C SHAPED LATCH IS COVERED WITH A PLASTIC COATING WHICH WHEN WORN OR DAMAGED ALLOWS MOISTURE IN AND THE METAL CLAMP SWELLS UP AND BINDS THE LATCH. NO AMOUNT OF LUBRICATION WILL HELP. TOYOTA MADE A BIG MISTAKE BY PLASTIC COATING A METAL THAT WOULD RUST AND SWELL UP THE OUTER COATING FROM THE INSIDE MAKING THE LATCH NOT FUNCTION PROPERLY. THIS IS A SERIOUS DESIGN DEFECT. THERE MAY BE OTHER DESIGN FLAWS CONTRIBUTING TO THE MALFUNCTION OF THIS CRITICAL MECHANISM. *TR