2000 Toyota Sienna

3 OUT OF 5 LUGS ON ONE WHEEL SHEARED OFF WHEN REPLACING TIRE. MECHANIC CLAIMS TO HAVE USED TORQUE WRENCH SET WELL BELOW FACTORY SPECS. NOT CLEAR WHETHER LUGS ARE DEFECTIVE OR MECHANIC OVER-TORQUED. LUG NUTS ARE DESIGNED FOR MAG WHEELS BUT SPARE IS NOT A MAG. APPEARS POSSIBLE THAT USING THESE NUTS ON A STANDARD WHEEL RESULTS IN NUTS BEING SWAGED ONTO THE LUGS SUCH THAT THEY SUBSEQUENTLY FAIL. MEACHANIC REPORTS THAT THIS HAPPENS ABOUT ONCE A MONTH ON THIS VEHICLE AND MUCH MORE FREQUENTLY ON SIMILARLY DESIGNED ISUZU LUG NUT.*AK

ON THE MORNING OF OCT. 27, MY WIFE DROVE THE CAR TO MID TOWN, MANHATTON. SHE DROVE THE CAR FROM A CAR PARK AT 43 STREET. SUDDENLY SHE HEARD A SLIGHT SOUND AND THE CAR LOST GEAR AND SLIDED TO THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET AND DEAD OFF. SHE PRESSED THE GAS PEDAL, NO REACTION. SHE USED BRA AND STEERING SUDDENLY STOPPED WORKING. THAT IS A BUSY STREET, A CAR ALMOST HIT HER. SHE PUT THE CAR BACK TO PARKING AND RESTARTED THE CAR AND DROVE AWAY. SHE THOUGHT THAT HAPPENED BECAUSE SHE FORGOT TO START. ( SHE FORGOT SHE DROVE 10 FEET FROM THE CAR PARK). THAT WAS A BUSY DAY, SHE FORGOT TELLING ME. ON THE AFTERNOON OF THE SAME DAY. I DROVE THE CAR TO BOSTON TO SEE AN CUSTOMER. ON THE WAY BACK, I FOUND THERE WAS A STRANGE SOUND WHENEVER I PRESSED THE GAS PEDAL IT SOUNDS LIKE AN OLD SHABBY CAR DRIVEN OVER 10 YEARS. I STOPPED ON THE SHOUDER AND CHECKED THE TIRES AND I COULD NOT FOUND ANYTHING. I DROVE BACK TO THE HIGH WAY I-91 SOUTH AGAIN, SUDDENLY, I HEARD AND STRANGE SOUND, THE CAR LOST GEAR AGAIN, IT BECAME SLOWLY AND SLOWLY. I PRESSED THE GAS PEDDLE HARDLY AND THAT WAS NO USE. I PRESSED THE EMMERGENCY LIGHTS AND CHANGE TO THE SLOW LANE. A TRUCK BEHIND ME REACHED ME FAST. MY CAR FORCED HIS TRUCK PASSED ME OVER THE SHOULDER BECAUSE THERE HAPPENED TO BE A CAR IN THE MIDDLE LANE. I WAS SHOCKED TO DEATH. WITHOUT THE TRUCK DRIVER'S ALERT AND SKILLFUL CHANGING LANE, I WOULD DEFINATELY A DEAD MAN. I STOPPED ON THE SHOULDER AND TRIED ALL DEARS, NONE OF THEM WAS WORKING. I RESTARTED THE ENGINEAND NO USE. I CALLED THE AAA TOW TRUCK AND I WAS TOWED BACK TO FORT LEE NEW JERSEY AT 2:30 IN THE MORNING. BEFORE THIS INCIDENCE, THE LEFT REAR STRUT WAS LEAKING, THEY CHANGED THE LEFT REAR SHOCK AND WE DID A TUNE UP AND ROTATE AND BALANCE 10/01/2000. BOTH ME AND MY WIFE RISKED OUR LIVES FOR TOYOTA'S DEFFECTS CARS. I WOULD NOT WANT TO RISK MY FAMILY LIVES TO THIS CAR AGAIN. I STRONGLY REQUIRE TOYOTA RECALLS THIS CAR. I WOULD RATHER BUY AN AMERICAN CAR. IF THEY DO NOT ALLOW US TO RETURN, CHANGE A NEW CAR.

WITH LESS THAN 15,000 MILES ON MY VAN, THICK GREY SMOKE BEGAN POURING OUT OF THE BACK AT STARTUP. I TOOK IT IN TO HAVE THE OIL CHANGED (NOT THE DEALER). IT WAS SUGGESTED THAT I TAKE THE CAR TO THE DEALER, ESPECIALLY IF IT LOST OIL (WHICH IT DID). THE DEALER FOUND EXCESSIVE SLUDGE BUILD UP. THEY SAID THEY HAD TO CLEAN SLUDGE FROM THE CYLINDER HEADS AND CAMSHAFTS, AND REPLACE THE VALVE COVERS, STEM SEALS AND RELATED GASKETS AND THE R&R ENGINE OIL PAN. THEY ALSO SAID THEY CLEANED THE SLUDGE FROM THE PAN OIL PUMP AND PICK UP SCREEN, AND THE CAM CAPS WERE SCORED DUE TO LACK OF OIL LUBRICATION. THE ONSITE SERVICE MANAGER (WHO SUPPOSEDLY SPOKE TO THE REGIONAL SERVICE MANAGER) SAID THE SLUDGE BUILD UP WAS OUR FAULT AND REFUSED TO HONOR THE WARRANTY. WE PAID $2670.82 FOR THE REPAIRS. I'VE HAD THE CAR BACK LESS THAN A WEEK, BUT SO FAR NO MORE PROBLEMS. I FEEL THAT A CAR WITH LESS THAN 15,000 MILES ON IT SHOULD NOT HAVE HAD THIS KIND OF PROBLEM, AND SHOULD HAVE BEEN COVERED BY THE WARRANTY. I'VE TALKED TO SEVERAL OTHER OWNERS OF TOYOTAS WHO HAVE HAD SIMILAR PROBLEMS. EVEN THE TOYOTA PEOPLE IMPLIED THEY'VE SEEN THIS TYPE OF PROBLEM OFTEN.