1998 Toyota Sienna

THE SEAT BELTS IN OUR 1998 TOYOTA SIENNA HAVE BEEN FAILING. THEY WILL NOT RETRACT. WE HAVE HAD TWO REPLACED AT OUR COST, NOW TWO MORE HAVE FAILED. I HAVE THE PARTS FROM THE SECOND BELT THAT FAILED. IT IS NOT TWISTED AND THERE IS NO FOREIGN MATERIAL IN THE BELT OR IT'S PATH. PRIOR TO THE FAILURE OF OUR SEAT BELTS, I TALKED OUR FRIENDS (THE MILLER FAMILY) INTO BUYING A VAN JUST LIKE OURS. THEY WERE HIT BY A RED LIGHT RUNNER MAY 29, 2005. THE SEAT BELT HOLDING THEIR THREE-YEAR-OLD SON, KYLE, FAILED AND HE WAS EJECTED FROM THE VEHICLE. HE WAS KILLED INSTANTLY. THE REST OF THE FAMILY WALKED AWAY FROM THE CRASH. TOYOTA HAS REFUSED TO ACKNOWLEDGE ANY RESPONSIBILITY IN THE FAILURE OF OUR SEAT BELTS. I HAVE READ OF SIMILAR PROBLEMS FROM OTHER OWNERS (ON THE INTERNET). PLEASE HELP TO HOLD TOYOTA RESPONSIBLE. AT THE VERY LEAST, THEY SHOULD REPLACE THE BELTS AT THEIR COST. *TR

REAR WINDSHIELD SPONTANEOUSLY SHATTERED WHILE DRIVING ON AN OPEN COUNTRY ROAD , NO OVERHANGING TREES OR OVERPASSES), WITH OTHER TRAFFIC PRESENT. NO SIGN OF ANY IMPACT. SOUNDED LIKE A THUMP", THEN LOOKED BACK TO SEE THE WINDSHIELD SHATTERED. PULLED OVER AS MY DAUGHTER AND SON WHO WAS IN THE BACK ROW OF SEATS BEGAN SCRERAMING. *AK

ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS SINCE PURCHASING THIS VEHICLE (AND MOST RECENTLY, TODAY), THE SLIDING DOOR HANDLE/LATCH/LOCK HAS FAILED. USUALLY, THE FAILURE IS SUCH THAT THE DOOR CANNOT BE OPENED FROM THE INSIDE OR OUTSIDE. SOMETIMES, THE DOOR CAN ONLY BE OPENED FROM THE INSIDE AND SOMETIMES THE DOOR CAN ONLY BE OPENED FROM THE OUTSIDE. ON AT LEAST ONE OCCASION, AN INOPERABLE DOOR SPONTANEOUSLY OPENED ITSELF WHEN NOBODY WAS NEAR IT. THE DEALERSHIP HAS LOOKED AT THIS PROBLEM NUMEROUS TIMES, TO NO AVAIL, AND SIGNIFICANT PIECES OF THE MECHANISM HAVE BEEN REPLACED AT THE COST OF SEVERAL HUNDRED DOLLARS, BUT THE PROBLEM PERSISTS. A DIFFERENT, BUT POSSIBLY RELATED, PROBLEM IS THAT THE FRONT PASSENGER DOOR LOCK (THE ELECTRONIC LOCK) HAS ALSO FAILED REPEATEDLY OVER THE LIFE OF THE CAR. *JB

I PURCHASED 2 COOPER LIFELINER TOURING SLE SIZE 215/ 65R-15. THEY COMPLETE UNRAVELED WITHIN ONE WEEK OF EACH OTHER. ONE WAS REPLACED AS MY DAUGHTER WAS HEADED ON A 350 MILE TRIP BACK TO HER COLLEGE TOWN, AND THE OTHER I STILL HAVE DISINTERGRATED ON HER WAY HOME FROM COLLEGE. SHE COULD HAVE BEEN SERIOUSLY INJURED IF THEY WERE ON THE FRONT INSTEAD OF THE BACK. I COULD NOT BELIEVE IT IT CAME APART RIGHT DOWN TO THE STEEL BELT. *JB

AT INTERSTATE SPEED I HAD A FEW SECOND DRAG AND THEN COMPLETE TRANSMISSION DISENGAGEMENT. MANAGED TO GET IT OFF THE INTERSTATE BY LETTING IT SET A FEW MINUTES AND BEING ABLE TO DRIVE A 1/4 MILE OR SO AT A TIME. I HAVE ALWAYS TAKEN VERY GOOD CARE OF THE VAN INCLUDING FLUID CHANGES. IT ONLY HAS 77,000 MILES BUT TOYOTA REFUSES TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT EVEN THOUGH THEY ARE AWARE OF THE DEFECT( BECAUSE THERE WARRANTY EXTENSION IS ONLY FOR 8 YEARS 100,000 AND I AM OVER THE 8 YEARS. *JB

ON OCT 14TH 2006 AT ABOUT 4:45 PM I WAS DRIVING IN A PARKING LOT AT SLOW SPEED. I CAME TO A STOP AND THEN TRIED TO MAKE A RIGHT TURN. AS I TURNED THE WHEEL AND APPLIED THE GAS THE STEERING COLUMN MADE A NOISE LIKE BREAKING PLASTIC AND THE CAR MOVED IN A STRAIGHT LINE DESPITE THE WHEEL BEEING TURNED. I INCREASED THE TURNING MOTION UNTIL IT WAS CLEAR STEERING HAD FAILED. SINCE THE LOT WAS EMPTY I BROUGHT THE CAR TO A STOP WITHOUT INCIDENT. I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO SANDY SPRINGS TOYOTA AND WAS TOLD THAT THE STEERING SHAFT HAD BROKEN AT THE "KNUCKLE" WHERE THE COLUMN CONNECTS TO THE SHAFT. IN ADDITION I WAS TOLD THAT THE SPIRAL CABLE TO THE AIRBAG HAD BEEN DAMAGED IN THE INCIDENT. MY CONCERNS ARE THAT HAD THIS OCCURED AT HIGH SPEED OR WHILE ALREADY IN A TURN OR IN TRAFFIC THE RESULTS WOULD HAVE BEEN CATASTROPHIC. IN ADDITION THE FAILURE OF THE AIR BAG MEANT THAT HAD I IN FACT HAD A COLLISION I WOULD NOT HAVE HAD THE PROTECTION OF THE AIRBAG. I DRIVE THIS CAR DAILY AND I DID NOT DETECT AND CHANGE IN STEERING OR HANDLING THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN A WARNING. THE CAR WAS REPAIRED AND HAS DRIVEN NROMALLY SINCE. I DO NOT KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO ANY REPLACEMENT PARTS. *NM

WE HAVE A 1998 TOYOTA SIENNA LE WITH ABOUT 88,000 MILES ON IT. WE DO NOT DRIVE THE CAR TOO MUCH AND MOST OF THE TIME IT SITS IN OUR GARAGE. ON THE WAY UP TO NH FROM NJ AT JUNE 17 2006, THE TRANSMISSION STARTED TO HAVE PROBLEMS, WHICH THE TRANSMISSION WAS SOMETIMES UNABLE TO ENGAGE. WE FINALLY MADE IT HOME AND SENT THE CAR TO THE TOYOTA DEALER. THE DEALER TOLD US "THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE." THAT ARE KNOWN FOR TRANSMISSION FAILURES. WE UNDERSTAND THAT THE EXTENDED WARRANTY COVERED UP TO 100,000 MILES AND 8 YEARS. BUT OUR CAR JUST PASSED IT BY 5-6 WEEKS AND IS WELL UNDER 100,000 MILES. DEALER TOLD US TO CONTACT TOYOTA AS IT JUST PAST THE DEADLINE AND HAS LOW MILEAGE. TOYOTA HAS GIVEN US A VERY HARD TIME. THEY INSISTED THAT IT IS OUR PROBLEM NOW BECAUSE WE DIDN'T DISCOVER IT BEFORE THE 8 YEARS DEADLINE. HERE IS WHAT IS LISTED ABOUT IN THE NHTSA.GOV WEBSITE THAT LISTS TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETINS: *NM MAKE: TOYOTA MODEL: SIENNA YEAR: 1998 TYPE: PASSENGER CAR SERVICE BULLETIN NUMBER: TC03014 NHTSA ITEM NUMBER: 10003372 SUMMARY DESCRIPTION: EXTENDED WARRANTY COVERAGE REGARDING A NO MOVEMENT OR A SLIPPING CONDITION OF THE AUTOMATIC TRANSAXLE. *TT