1999 Toyota Sienna

I WANT TO REPORT A SCARY INCIDENT OCCURRED YESTERDAY WITH MY MINIVAN. ON 2/11/2011, AT ABOUT 7 AM, I STARTED BY TOYOTA SIENNA TO SEND MY SON TO HIS HIGH SCHOOL, I HEARD STRANGE NOISE. IT SOUNDS LIKE NOT ALL THE CYLINDERS WERE RUNNUNG. THE CAR WAS NOT POWERFUL AS USUAL. I TRIED TO TURN OFF MY VAN, BY TURNING THE KEY TO STOP AND TAKING KEY OUT. THE CAN DID NOT STOP. I INSERTED THE KEY TO START AGAIN, IT STILL HAD THE NOISE. I DROVE MY SON TO HIS HIGH SCHOOL ANY, WHICH IS LESS THAN A MILE AWAY. AFTER DROPPING HIM OFF AT THE SCHOOL, I DROVE BACK TO HOME. WHEN I WAS CLOSE TO MY I SAW THE TEMPERATURE METER WAS MIDWAY. WHEN I GOT TO HOME, I STOPPED MY CAR IN FRONT OF MY HOUSE, TOOK THE KEY OUT. THE ENGINE WAS STILL RUNNING. I OPENED THE HOOD, SAW SMOKE CAME OUT FROM THE ENGINE AREA. ALTHOUGH NO FLAME WAS STARTED, I USED MY HOUSE FIRE DISTINGUISHED TO PUT OUT THE SMOKE. THEN THE ENGINE STOPPED. THE CAR DIED IN FRONT OF MY HOUSE ON MY DRIVE WAY. I REPORTED THIS INCIDENT TO TOYOTA TODAY. *TR

I AM REPORTING ANOTHER TOYOTA STICKY ACCELERATOR PEDAL. OUR 1999 SIENNA MINIVAN HAS HAD 3 INCIDENTS OF STUCK ACCELERATOR, THE MOST RECENT WAS JAN. 21, 2010. I BELIEVE IT HAS BECOME "STUCK" BETWEEN 40 AND 45MPH. OTHER INCIDENTS WERE IN SUMMER (CANNOT REMEMBER DATE) AND OCTOBER 2009. THE 1ST INCIDENT WAS BRIEF AND CORRECTED QUICKLY BY PUSHING DOWN ON THE PEDAL TO "FREE IT", THE 2ND INCIDENT REQUIRED BRAKING AND PUTTING THE CAR IN NEUTRAL AND SHOVING THE PEDAL WITH MY FOOT TO THE LEFT AND RIGHT TO FREE IT UP. I WAS ABLE TO DRIVE THE CAR TO THE SHOULDER, TURNED THE CAR OFF AND THEN THE PEDAL SEEMED TO WORK OK, ALTHOUGH A BIT SLUGGISH RESPONSE. OUR MECHANIC FIXED THE THROTTLE BODY AND THE CAR HAS NOT HAD ANOTHER INCIDENT UNTIL LAST WEEK. THE MOST RECENT INCIDENT WAS MORE HARROWING IN THAT THERE WAS NOT MUCH ROOM TO MANEUVER THE CAR SINCE WE WERE HEADED FOR LOTS OF CARS STOPPED AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT. I TRIED TO SLOW THE CAR BY BRAKING HARD WITH THE LEFT FOOT AND SHOVING THE ACCELERATOR. PEDAL DOWN AND SIDE TO SIDE WHILE IN NEUTRAL BUT THIS DID NOT WORK QUICKLY LIKE THE OCTOBER INCIDENT. I WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER TO A SHOULDER BEFORE CRASHING BUT IT TOOK MUCH LONGER FOR THE CAR TO STOP THIS TIME, AND I ACTUALLY THREW THE CAR IN PARK TO STOP THE CAR! I TURNED OFF THE CAR AND AFTER A FEW MINUTES, WAS COMPOSED ENOUGH TO DRIVE IT. OUR DEALER WILL CHECK THE CAR JAN 29. THE FLOOR MAT DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE INVOLVED JAMMING INTO THE PEDAL, SO IT IS PROBABLY A MECHANICAL "CATCH" THAT IS GETTING HUNG UP WHEN THE PEDAL IS DOWN A CERTAIN DISTANCE. WE THOUGHT THE SAFETY GURUS WOULD WANT TO KNOW. LUCKILY NO CRASHES HAVE OCCURRED YET! *TW

WHEN I NOTICED THAT THE HORN DID NOT WORK, I WENT TO MY NEAREST TOYOTA SERVICE AGENCY. HOWEVER, THEY TOLD ME THAT THE HORN WAS FUNCTIONAL AND THAT THE PROBLEM WAS A WEAR IN THE SYSTEM. THIS WORN OUT PART IS SUPPOSEDLY BETWEEN THE ROD OF THE WHEEL AND THE HORN, WHICH NO LONGER MAKES THE PROPER CONNECTION. AND YET, THIS CONNECTION IS SUITABLY RENDERED FROM THIS WORN OUT PART WHEN THE STEERING WHEEL IS COMPLETELY TURNED TO EITHER SIDE. THEY ESTIMATED A $1000 CHARGE TO FIX THIS MATTER. THEIR CONCLUSION WAS BASED ON THE FACT THAT THIS ISSUE COULD NOT BE SIMPLY REPLACED. THEY MENTIONED THAT THE ONLY REMEDY WAS TO CHANGE THE WHOLE SYSTEM. PERSONALLY, I CANNOT BELIEVE THAT IT''S SO EXPENSIVE TO FIX THIS DEFICIENCY. SOMETHING AS MINISCULE AS A BAD CONNECTOR SHOULD NOT IMPACT THE WHOLE SYSTEM UNLESS IT''S A MANUFACTURING DEFECT. BECAUSE OF THE SIMPLE FACT THAT MY HORN IS ONLY USED RARELY AND THE WAY THE MECHANICS REACTED TO THE PROBLEM, I FIND THAT THIS IS MOSTLY ''A SIENNA PROBLEM''.

ALL THE ABOVE DATA IS AN ESTIMATE BECUASE WE ARE WAITING FOR COPIES OF ALL MAINTENANCE AND REPAIR RECORDS FROM TOYOTA - - BUT WE HAVE HAD MULTIPLE PROBLEMS WITH THIS VEHICLE INCLUDING SCREECHING BRAKES, LEFT VEER WHEN DRIVING, BAD TRANSMISSION (REPLACED TWICE),SMOG CHECK FAILURE DUE TO OXYGEN SENSOR AND/OR ENGINE PROBLEMS, CLUNKING NOISES IN ENGINE, A SHUDDERING OF VEHICLE WHEN DRIVING OR BRAKING. THE CAR HAS BEEN AT DEALERS FOR AS LONG AS 3 WEEKS; DEALER ADMITS NOT KNOWING WHAT IS WRONG. FAILED

INDICATOR WHICH CONTOLS MANY OTHER COMPONENTS INCLUDING ABS DOES NOT WORK UNLESS ALL FOUR TIRES ARE EXACTLY THE SAME. THIS INDICATOR CONTROLS THE TIRE SIZE AND NOT THE PRESSURE AS INDICATED IN THE SALES BROCHURE. THE PROBLEM IS THAT IF YOU REPLACE JUST ONE TIRE WHEN YOU HAVE A FAILURE YOU HAVE TO REPLACE ALL FOUR NO MATTER WHAT THE WEAR ON THE OTHER THREE ARE. OTHERWISE THE INDICATOR LIGHT WILL CONTINUE TO CYCLE ON AND OFF. I DID NOT STOP WHEN I REALLY HAD A FLAT TIRE AND THUS WAS PUT IN A STRANDED SITUATION WITH 2 INFANTS IN 103 DEGREE WEATHER. TOYOTA SAYS THEY ARE AWARE OF THE PROBLEM BUT REFUSE TO CORRECT IT. THE SYSTEM WILL ULTIMATELY OVER CORRECT ITSELF AND INTERFERE WITH OTHER CRITICAL COMPONENTS UNLESS EVERY TIME YOU CHANGE ONE TIRE YOU REPLACE ALL FOUR. WHAT A MAINTENANCE NIGHTMARE !( DOT NUMBER: )