2001 Toyota Sienna

THE DRIVER'S SIDE REAR SLIDING DOOR HAS SEVERAL TIMES NOW REFUSED TO LATCH, AND WHEN IN EMERGENCY SITUATION I HAVE LOCKED IT AND FORCED IT TO SHUT THEN IT WILL NOT UNLOCK AND IT HAS TO BE TAKEN APART TO BE OPENED AND THE WHOLE LATCH AND LOCK MECHANISM REWORKED BY THE MECHANIC, AND IN THE MEANTIME THE DOOR IS UNABLE TO BE OPENED WHICH IS EXTREMELY UNSAFE WHEN I HAVE CHILDREN IN THE MIDDLE AND BACK ROWS OF THE VAN. THIS IS THE THIRD TIME IN THE PAST 3 YEARS THAT THIS PROBLEM HAS OCCURRED, SO IT IS DEFINITELY AN ACTUAL PROBLEM WITH THE HARDWARE OF THE DOOR LATCH MECHANISM ITSELF AND NOT SIMPLY A GLITCH THAT OCCURRED ONCE OR SOMETHING.

MY 9 YEAR OLD SON AND I WERE ON OUR WAY HOME FROM WORK LAST NIGHT AND I HEARD SOMETHING SNAP ON MY 2001 TOYOTA SIENNA. I THEN HEARD SOMETHING DRAGGING SO I IMMEDIATELY PULLED OVER TO CHECK AND REALIZED THE FUEL TANK WAS DRAGGING AND THE BACK STRAPS HOLDING THE GAS TANK UP HAD BROKEN LOOSE CAUSING THE BACK SECTION OF THE TANK TO DRAG ON THE ROAD. I HAD TO CALL A TOW TRUCK TO TOW VEHICLE TO THE MECHANICS. SINCE I WORK 18 MILES AWAY I FIND GETTING TO WORK DIFFICULT.

I HAD JUST DROPPED MY YOUNGEST DAUGHTER OFF AT SCHOOL AND AS I WAS LEAVING I HAD TO STOP BECAUSE SOME CHILDREN WITH THEIR PARENTS NEEDED TO CROSS IN FRONT OF ME I APPLIED MY BRAKES AS NORMAL AND I HAD NO ISSUES IN STOPPING BUT THEN IT FEELS LIKE A "GHOST" PUSHES THE GAS PEDAL DOWN BECAUSE I CAN FEEL IT MOVE AND SEE MY RPM GAUGE GO UP AND I HEAR MY ENGINE "VRRRROOOMMMM" I PUSHED MY BRAKES HARDER AND STILL NOTHING, THE END RESULTS ME HAVING TO PUT MY CAR INTO PARK TO KEEP IT FROM MOVING INTO THE CROSSWALK ONTO THE PEOPLE. WHEN I GET HOME IT DOES THE SAME THING AND I ALMOST CRASH INTO MY GARAGE BECAUSE THE CAR IS ACCELERATING ON ITS OWN AND AGAIN. IT WOULD ALWAYS HAPPEN AT RANDOM, AFTER I WOULD LET GO OF THE BRAKES ITS ALREADY MOVING FAST AS IF MY FOOT IS ON THE GAS, I SAY TO MY PASSENGER WHICH IS MY WIFE "LOOK THE VAN IS GOING ON IT'S OWN, I'M NOT EVEN PUSHING THE GAS" THE VAN WAS MOVING PRETTY FAST, BUT FAST ENOUGH FOR THE FLOW OF TRAFFIC FROM A STOP AND GO MOVEMENT. I NO LONGER DRIVE THE VAN BECAUSE I AM SCARED THAT I AM GOING TO GET INTO AN ACCIDENT AND I DON'T WANT THAT TO HAPPEN. NO CHECK ENGINE LIGHT IS ON I EVEN HAD THE VAN CHECKED FOR CODES AND NOTHING CAME UP.

THE HORN ON THE SIENNA WORKS INTERMITTENTLY. THIS IS A VERY UNSAFE SITUATION WHEN DRIVING AS A HORN COULD POSSIBLY PREVENT AN ACCIDENT WITH A CAR OR PEDESTRIAN. FIRST HAD THE PROBLEM IN 2014, BUT WHEN WE BROUGHT IT TO TOYOTA, IT WOULD WORK, SO THEY COULDN'T CHECK IT OUT. IN APRIL 2015, THEY FINALLY THOUGHT IT WAS A DEFECTIVE SPIRAL CABLE, SO THEY REPLACED IT, TO THE TUNE OF $400+. THREE DAYS LATER, WE HAD THE PROBLEM AGAIN. WEREN'T ABLE TO BRING IT BACK UNTIL RECENTLY. REPLACED SPIRAL CABLE AGAIN. PROBLEM RETURNED BEFORE THE CAR MADE IT HOME. VEHICLE IS BACK IN SHOP. I BELIEVE THEY SAID THEY ARE REPLACING THE HORN PAD ASSEMBLY, WHICH WILL COST ANOTHER $150 FOR THE PART. THEY ARE NOT CHARGING FOR LABOR AS IT IS UNDER A 1 YEAR SERVICE WARRANTY. FOUND OUT TODAY A COWORKER HAS A SIMILAR PROBLEM WITH A 2005 SIENNA. I GOOGLED, "PROBLEMS WITH SIENNA HORN" AND FOUND MANY PEOPLE WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. WHY HAS THERE NOT BEEN A RECALL AS THIS IS CLEARLY A SAFETY ISSUE. I FEEL THAT MAYBE THERE HAS NOT BEEN ANY SERIOUS ACCIDENTS ATTRIBUTED TO THIS PROBLEM AND SO IT'S "FLOWN UNDER THE RADAR", SO TO SPEAK.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 TOYOTA SIENNA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH, THE HOOD WAS SHAKING VIOLENTLY AND UNLATCHED FROM THE VEHICLE CAUSING THE WINDSHIELD TO CRACK. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE THE FAILURE WAS UNDETERMINED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 120,000.

I WAS ENTERING THE PARKING AREA OF A SHOPPING CENTER. IMMEDIATELY AFTER TURNING IN THE CAR ACCELERATED QUICKLY. I BRAKED TO NO AVAIL. THEN I PUT ON THE FOOT EMERGENCY BRAKE, WHICH SLOWED BUT DID NOT STOP THE CAR. A PASSENGER THEN TURNED OFF THE KEY AND WE LURCHED TO AN ABRUPT STOP, SHORT OF A TYPICAL PARKING LOT LIGHT POLE. AFTER A BRIEF TIME I TURNED ON THE KEY AND WAS MET WITH A VERY LOUD GROWL FROM THE HOOD. AAA HAULED ME TO JOSEPH AIRPORT TOYOTA IN VANDALIA, OH. ON TUES, AUG 11, I CALLED TO SEE WHAT THEY HAD FOUND. THEY TOLD ME THAT THEY HAD FOUND NOTHING WRONG WITH THE CAR AFTER TESTING AND DRIVING THE CAR. I ASKED TO TALK WITH THE MECHANIC, WHO TOLD ME HE HAD TESTED EVERYTHING THOROUGHLY AND COULD NOT REPLICATE WHAT I HAD EXPERIENCED.