1995 Toyota Previa

I WENT TO VENTURA TOYOTA TO SEEK REPAIRS ON MY SEATBELT FOR MY RECENTLY PURCHASED 1995 PREVIA BASED UPON THE 1997 IIHSA CRASH TESTS WHICH DETERMINED THAT THE ENERGY MANAGEMENT LOOP IN THE BELT WAS A DANGEROUS DEFECT. I WAS TOLD THAT THERE WAS AN UPDATED PART FOR THE VEHICLE, SO I ORDERED IT AND HAD IT INSTALLED ON 8/4/16. AFTER GETTING THE VEHICLE BACK I REALIZED THAT THE "UPDATED" PART WAS NOT AN UPDATED PART BUT WAS INSTEAD AN OLDER 1993 PART WHICH ALSO HAD THE SAME DEFECT. I RETURNED TO VENTURA TOYOTA AND THEY ACKNOWLEDGED THAT IT WAS NOT AN UPDATED PART AS THEY HAD REPRESENTED. HOWEVER, THEY ARE UNABLE TO MAKE FURTHER REPAIRS BECAUSE THERE IS NO UPDATED PART. THEY HAVE ALSO REFUSED MY REQUEST TO REMOVE THE PART WHICH IS NOT AS WAS REPRESENTED OR TO REFUND MY MONEY. TOYOTA HAS MISREPRESENTED THE NATURE AND TYPE OF PART THEY WERE INSTALLING ON MY CAR AND HAS KNOWINGLY INSTALLED A DEFECTIVE PART ON MY VEHICLE WHICH CONTAINS THE SAME DEFECT AND IS OLDER THE ONE I SPECIFICALLY REQUESTED BE REMOVED.

PROBLEM OF UNINTENDED ACCELERATION. WE HAVE A 1995 PREVIA. ABOUT 3 YRS BACK THE VAN WOULD ACCELERATE ON ITS OWN. LUCKILY WE DID NOT HAVE ANY ACCIDENTS. FIRST MY WIFE NOTICED IT. THEN I STARTED DRIVING THE VAN AND NOTICED IT TOO. SCARED US. REALLY SCARY. I HAD TO PRESS ON BRAKE PEDAL FORCEFULLY TO SLOW DOWN AND STOP. TOOK IT TO LANSING TOYOTA DEALER, THE HEAD ENGINEER THOUGHT IT WAS ONE KIND OF SENSOR WHICH WAS ABOUT $350.00. ONCE IT WAS REPLACED, IF IT STILL DID THE SAME, HE WOULD REPLACE ANOTHER SENSOR THAT WOULD COST $600.00. WE FIRST REPLACED THE FIRST SENSOR AND STILL IT WOULD ACCELERATE ON ITS OWN. SO WE ENDED UP REPLACING THE OTHER SENSOR AND THAT SOLVED THE PROBLEM. WE HAVE NOT HAD ANY UNINTENDED ACCELERATION PROBLEM SINCE THEN. WE NEVER REPORTED IT 3 YRS AGO (THOUGH WE WERE TOLD TO) AS WE THOUGHT WITH AGING OF THE VEHICLE IT COULD CAUSE THESE KIND OF PROBLEMS AND NOT BE NECESSARILY DUE TO MANUFACTURING DEFECTS. BUT READING ABOUT OTHER TOYOTA CUSTOMERS PROBLEMS WE DECIDED TO REPORT IT NOW AS IT MAY HELP OTHER CUSTOMERS/KEEP THEM SAFE. WE HAVE MOST OF THE RECORDS RELATED TO ABOVE REPAIRS AT SPARTAN LANSING TOYOTA. IF YOU NEED MORE INFORMATION PLEASE LET US KNOW. *TR

I HAVE OWNED MY 1995 CAR FOR 5 YEARS. JUST RECENTLY I WAS UNABLE TO START THE CAR WHEN THE ALARM WENT OF. I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW I HAD AN ALARM IN THIS CAR.THE ALARM WOULD NOT ALLOW ME TO START MY CAR. I FINALLY TOOK OFF THE NEGATIVE BATTERY CABLE AND PUT IT BACK ON AND SOMETIMES THE CAR WOULD START, BUT IT WOULD DRIVE ROUGH AND STALL OUT. I KNEW IT HAD SOMETHING TO DO WITH THE ACR ALARM, SO I CONTACTED THE COMPANY THAT MADE IT. THEY WERE STANDOFFISH AND TOLD ME IT HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THE ALARM.I LOOKED ON THE NET AND FOUND MANY POST AND EVEN A VIDEO ABOUT THIS ALARM CAUSING PROBLEMS AND EVEN STALLING CARS IN TRAFFIC. AGAIN I CONTACTED THE COMPANY TO GET WRITTEN INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO REMOVE THE DEVICE, THEY BLAMED MY CAR AND THEN TOLD ME THEY HAD NO INFO FOR THE DEVICES SERIAL NUMBER THAT I GAVE THEM. I EMAILED THEM PHOTOS OF THE DEVICE AND HAVE NOT HEARD BACK FROM THEM. I ENDED UP TAKING THE CAR TO MY MECHANIC AND HE REMOVED THE ALARM AND NOW THE CAR RUNS FINE. I AM VERY CONCERNED THAT THERE ARE MANY PEOPLE OUT THERE THAT ARE IN DANGER BECAUSE OF THIS ALARM. LIKE I SAID I HAVE OWNED THIS USED CAR FOR SEVERAL YEARS AND DIDN'T EVEN KNOW IT HAD A ALARM, AND ONE THAT COULD BE POTENTIAL HAZARDOUS. THE COMPANY IS EITHER NOT AWARE OF THIS OR THEY ARE PURPOSELY GIVING ME THE RUN-AROUND. *TR

ON AT LEAST FOUR OCCASIONS WHILE DRIVING A HIGHWAY SPEEDS THE VEHICLE COMPLETELY SHUTS OFF. I MANAGED TO SAFELY STEER THE VEHICLE TO A SAFE AREA. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER AND THEY REPLACED THE FUEL PUMP RESISTOR ASSEMBLE(PART $# 23080-76010). SINCE OWNING THIS VEHICLE I HAVE PAID FOR THIS REPAIR, ALONG WITH THE TOWING CHARGES, AT LEAST THREE TIMES. THIS IS INDEED A SAFETY ISSUE AND I HAVE NOT BEEN CONTACTED BY TOYOTA SO THEY CAN ADDRESS THIS SAFETY ISSUE. THE FIRST TIME THIS ENGINE SHUT OFF OCCURRED IN 2000. IT HAPPENED AGAIN IN 2003; AGAIN IN 2005 (I PARKED THE VEHICLE FOR A YEAR BECAUSE OF FRUSTRATION); HAD VEHICLE REPAIRED THE SUMMER OF 2006; THE RESISTOR BURNED OUT AGAIN DECEMBER 2007; I JUST REPLACE THE RESISTER AGAIN. PLEASE NOTE THE FIRST TIME THIS OCCURRED WAS IN 2000 AND IT HAS OCCURRED SEVERAL TIMES SINCE THEN. IT IS AN ONGOING SAFETY ISSUE. THE DATE OF PURCHASE IS APPROXIMATE. THE DEFECTIVE PART IS THE FUEL PUMP RESISTOR THAT SHUTS OFF THE FUEL PUMP WHEN IT BURNS OUT/OPENS. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1995 TOYOTA PREVIA. THE CONTACT SMELLED SOMETHING BURNING AFTER SHE PARKED THE VEHICLE. SHE ATTEMPTED TO SHUT OFF THE VEHICLE BUT WAS UNSUCCESSFUL. SMOKE BEGAN TO RISE FROM UNDERNEATH THE HOOD. WHEN THE SMOKE CLEARED, THE VEHICLE'S ENGINE FAILED TO RESTART. THE ENGINE SIZE WAS UNKNOWN. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 140,000.

VEHICLE'S PASSENGER REAR TIRE BLEW OUT.*MR WHILE CHANGING LANES THE VEHICLE PASSENGER SIDE REAR TIRE BLEWOUT. THE DRIVER LOST CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE WENT OFF THE ROADWAY AND STRUCK THE CONCRETE DIVIDER WALL. THE VEHICLE SUSTAINED DAMAGE TO THE FRONT END, FRONT QUARTER PANEL, RIGHT REAR SIDE WINDOWS, LEFT FRONT QUARTER PANEL, REAR BUMPER, RIGHT REAR TAILLIGHT COVER AND REAR WINDOW (OHIO TRAFFIC CRASH REPORT). *NM

MY SUPERCHARGED 1995 TOYOTA PREVIA MINIVAN LOSES POWER WHEN TURNING CORNERS AND CLIMBING HILLS. IT HAS NOT YET COME TO A FULL STOP BUT SLOWS DOWN ALMOST TO A STOP. OUR INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM WHEN IT FIRST OCCURRED IN 1998 AT 53,000 MILES BUT SUGGESTED THAT WE TRY USING PREMIUM GAS. THAT APPEARED TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM BUT UNBEKNOWNST TO US IT WAS JUST MASKING IT. THE TOYOTA DEALERS SERVICE REP WHO FINALLY DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM AT 88,000 MILES IN NOVEMBER 2000, SAID THAT THE PROBLEM IS AN ENGINE DEFECT (HIS WORD). ACCORDING TO HIM, THE MATERIAL WHICH TOYOTA USED FOR THE ENGINE BLOCK IN THE SUPERCHARGED PREVIAS WAS TOO SOFT SO THE ENGINE DEVELOPED SECONDARY AND TERTIARY RIDGE RINGS. AS I UNDERSTAND IT, THESE EXTRA RIDGE RINGS CAUSE THE ANTI-KNOCK SENSOR TO CUT POWER TO THE ENGINE UNDER CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES. IT IS MASKED WHEN USING PREMIUM GAS BECAUSE PREMIUM BURNS HOTTER BUT HE SAID THAT AS THE RIDGE RINGS BECOME MORE PRONOUNCED, THE PREMIUM GAS WILL CEASE TO COMPENSATE AND WE COULD LOSE ALL POWER ABRUPTLY. HE STATED THAT TOYOTA HAD ISSUED A TSB ABOUT THE PROBLEM, WHICH HAS BEEN SUBSEQUENTLY DENIED BY THE NATIONAL CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVES. THE DEALER HAS REPLACED THE DEFECTIVE ENGINE BLOCK FOR OTHER PREVIA S/C OWNERS WHOSE VEHICLES ARE STILL UNDER WARRANTY BUT REFUSES TO REPLACE OURS SINCE THE WARRANTY HAS EXPIRED. THE REP SUGGESTED THAT I SHOULD TAKE THE VEHICLE TO A DIFFERENT TOYOTA DEALER WHO WOULDNT KNOW THE HISTORY OF THE CAR AND TRADE IT IN FOR A NEW VEHICLE. SINCE THAT DIAGNOSIS WE HAVE NOT DARED TO DRIVE THE CAR BEYOND OUR COMMUNITY BECAUSE WE DONT KNOW WHEN WE WILL SUDDENLY LOSE POWER. I FILED AN NHTSA COMPLAINT ON 11.19.01 BUT NEVER RECEIVED A CONFIRMATION # OR SIGNATURE FORM. TODAY I TALKED TO YOUR HOTLINE REP WHO SAID THAT THE COMPLAINT MUST NOT HAVE GONE THROUGH SO I SHOULD FILE IT AGAIN. *AK

CAR LOSES POWER WHEN TURNING CORNERS AND CLIMBING HILLS. PROBLEM CURRENTLY DOESN'T OCCUR WHEN USING PREMIUM GAS, AS SUGGESTED BY OUR INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM WHEN IT FIRST OCCURRED IN 1998. DEALER SERVICE REP, WHO DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM IN NOVEMBER 2000, SAYS THAT THE MATERIAL WHICH TOYOTA USED FOR THE ENGINE BLOCK IN THE SUPERCHARGED PREVIAS WAS TOO SOFT SO THE ENGINE DEVELOPED SECONDARY AND TERTIARY RIDGE RINGS WHICH, AS I UNDERSTAND IT, CAUSE THE ANTI-KNOCK SENSOR TO CUT POWER TO THE ENGINE UNDER CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES. IT IS MASKED WHEN USING PREMIUM GAS WHICH BURNS HOTTER BUT HE SAID THAT AS THE RIDGE RINGS BECOME MORE PRONOUNCED, THE PREMIUM WILL CEASE TO COMPENSATE AND WE COULD LOSE ALL POWER ABRUPTLY. THE DEALER HAS REPLACED THE ENGINE BLOCK FOR OTHER PREVIA S/C OWNERS WHOSE VEHICLES ARE STILL UNDER WARRANTY BUT REFUSES TO REPLACE OURS SINCE THE WARRANTY HAS EXPIRED.*AK