2008 Toyota Sienna

WE HAVE A 2008 TOYOTA SIENNA. THE VEHICLE HAS 174,000 MILES ON IT. THE VSC ICON COMES ON ALONG WITH THE ALARM WHEN DRIVING ON DRY ROADS AND WHEN TURNING WHETHER ON FLAT OR DOWNHILL TRAVEL WITH THE BRAKES GRABBING AND RELEASING. THE SITUATION IS UNPREDICTABLE. PROBLEM STARTED AT APPROXIMATELY 173,000. THE SLIP INDICATOR LIGHT STARTED COMING ON INTERMITTENTLY WHILE TURNING ON HIGHWAYS ETC. PLEASE MAKE THIS SERIOUS RECALL FOR TOYOTA. YOU NEED TO FORCE TOYOTA TO TAKE THIS SERIOUSLY BEFORE SOMEONE LOSES A LIFE. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 TOYOTA SIENNA. WHILE DRIVING ABOVE 55 MPH ON AN INCLINING OR DESCENDING SURFACE, THE STABILITY CONTROL WOULD SUDDENLY ACTIVATE AND THE SPEED WOULD SUDDENLY DECREASE. THERE WAS NO RESPONSE WHEN THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED. THE CONTACT INDICATED THAT THE FAILURE ALSO FREQUENTLY OCCURRED WHEN SWITCHING LANES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO WAS UNABLE TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURES. THE MANUFACTURER AND LOCAL DEALER WERE NOT NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 130,000.

PULLED INTO PARKING LOT AT ABOUT 15 MPH. WITH MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE, I SLOWED DOWN TO ABOUT 5 TO 10 MPH TO PULL INTO THE PARKING SPOT. ALL OF A SUDDEN, THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED AS IF SOMEONE HAD PUSHED THE ACCELERATOR ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR. MY VEHICLE WENT UP OVER THE SIDEWALK AND INTO THE SIDE OF A BUILDING CAUSING EXTENSIVE DAMAGE TO THE BUILDING. MY CAR WAS NOT DAMAGED TOO BADLY ONLY ABOUT $1,300 AS ESTIMATED BY THE APPRAISER. *TR

MY WIFE WAS PARKING OUR 2008 TOYOTA SIENNA WITH OUR 3 YOUNG BOYS IN THE AUTOMOBILE. SHE SLOWLY BROUGHT THE VEHICLE TO A COMPLETE STOP; NEVER USING GAS, JUST COVERING AND TAPPING LIGHTLY ON THE BRAKE. ONCE THE AUTOMOBILE CAME TO A STOP MY WIFE PRESSED THE BRAKE A LITTLE MORE IN ORDER TO PUT THE VEHICLE IN PARK. AT THAT MOMENT THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED INCREDIBLE FAST, JUMPED OVER AN 8 INCH CONCRETE PARKING LOT DIVIDER AND CRASHED INTO A TREE ABOUT 10 - 15 FEET FROM THE CONCRETE DIVIDER. WE ARE CERTAIN THAT THIS WAS A "SUDDEN UNINTENDED ACCELERATION" INCIDENT CAUSED BY SOME MECHANICAL, ELECTRICAL, PROGRAMMING OR OTHER DEFECT IN THE '08 SIENNA. THIS WAS NOT "DRIVER ERROR"! MY WIFE DID NOT CONFUSE THE GAS PEDAL AND THE BRAKE. THIS WAS NOT CAUSED BY A FLOOR MAT OBSTRUCTING THE GAS PEDAL. THIS WAS CAUSED BY SOME TYPE OF A DESIGN OR COMPONENT DEFECT. HOW CAN W BE SO CERTAIN? MY WIFE AND I HAVE PARKED IN THIS PARKING SPOT (LOCATED IN OUR APARTMENT COMPLEX) HUNDREDS OF TIMES. TO PARK IN THIS PARKING SPOT YOU FIRST HAVE TO MAKE A LEFT HAND TURN AT A STOP SIGN. THIS STOP SIGN IS ABOUT 30 - 40 FEET FROM THE PARKING SPOT, WHICH REQUIRES THAT YOU MAKE A SHARP RIGHT TURN. ONCE YOU PRESS THE ACCELERATOR SLIGHTLY TO MAKE THE LEFT AT THE STOP SIGN, YOU DO NOT USE THE GAS AGAIN. YOU SIMPLY TAP AND COVER YOUR BRAKE UNTIL YOU MAKE THE RIGHT INTO THE PARKING SPOT. OUR VEHICLE CAME TO A STOP. IN FACT, UPON "STOPPING" ONE OF OUR 3 BOYS REMOVED HIS SEAT BELT IMMEDIATELY BEFORE THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED OUT OF CONTROL. I'M ASKING FOR ASSISTANCE FROM SOMEONE WITHIN TOYOTA OR THE NHTSA WITH KNOWLEDGE OF THIS FLAW. MY WIFE AND KIDS WERE "FORTUNATE". BUT THIS IS A "FATAL FLAW" AND SOMETHING MUST BE DONE. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 TOYOTA SIENNA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 1 MPH, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED AND CAUSED THE CONTACT TO CRASH INTO A TREE WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE BRAKES WERE DEPRESSED BUT FAILED TO STOP THE VEHICLE. ALSO, THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT THE FAILURE RECURRED ON TWO OTHER OCCASIONS. THE CONTACT WAS NOT TAKEN TO A HOSPITAL AND THERE WERE NO INJURIES REPORTED. A POLICE REPORT WAS NOT FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A PRIVATE MECHANIC BUT THERE WAS NO DIAGNOSTIC PERFORMED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 146,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

JUST NOTIFIED OF SUDDEN ACCELERATION. HINDSIGHT - STARTING FALL 2012 REMOTE STARTER DIED,NO WARMUP,MY BOYFRIEND AND I EXPERIENCED ENGINE RACING WHEN VAN WAS COLD MULTIPLE TIMES,ONLY WAY TO STOP IT WAS HAND CONTROL BRAKE,FOOT BRAKE WAS NOT ENOUGH. PLANNED TO HAVE CHECKED BUT DEC.1 2012 AT THE TANGER OUTLET MALL IN CANONSBURG PA. I AM PARAPLEGIC,MY MINIVAN IS MODIFIED WITH FOLDOUT RAMP- PASSENGER SIDE SLIDING DOOR FOR WHEELCHAIR AND THEN I TRANSFER INTO THE DRIVERS SEAT. ALL THE VAN HANDICAPPED PARKING SPACES WERE FILLED BUT IT WAS EARLY SO I PARKED IN A REGULAR SPACE WITH AN EMPTY SPACE NEXT TO IT SO I COULD GET OUT. FEW VAN ACCESSIBLE HANDICAPPED SPACES IS COMMON SO I USED REGULAR SPOTS BEFORE AS LONG AS SOMEONE WAS WITH ME WHO COULD BACK THE VAN UP FAR ENOUGH FOR THE RAMP TO DEPLOY. WHEN MY MOTHER,MY SISTER-IN-LAW,MY FRIEND,AND I RETURNED TO THE VEHICLE A PICKUP TRUCK WAS PARKED NEXT TO US. MY SISTER-IN-LAW GOT IN THE VEHICLE TO BACK IT UP SO THE RAMP HAD ROOM TO COME OUT AS SHE HAD DONE OFTEN. WE STOOD BEHIND THE PICKUP TRUCK WAITING FOR HER TO BACK UP. ALL OF A SUDDEN THE VEHICLE FLEW BACKWARD SO FAST THAT BEFORE WE COULD YELL STOP MY VEHICLE HAD SLAMMED INTO THE SUV PARKED ACROSS THE AISLE SO HARD THAT IT PUSHED THE SUV INTO THE CAR PARKED IN FRONT OF IT IN THE NEXT ROW. MY SISTER-IN-LAW WAS COMPLETELY SHOCKED AS WERE WE, IT WAS SO FAST IT WAS ALMOST LIKE WATCHING A CARTOON. MY SISTER-IN-LAW KEPT SAYING "I DON'T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED", SHE THOUGHT ALL SHE DID WAS PUT HER FOOT ON THE BRAKE AND PUT IT IN GEAR. NOT KNOWING ABOUT SUDDEN ACCELERATION IN SIENNA'S ALL ANY OF US COULD THINK WAS HER FOOT HAD SLIPPED EVEN THOUGH SHE HAS BEEN DRIVING FOR 25 YEARS WITHOUT A SIMILAR INCIDENT SHE COULDN'T UNDERSTAND HOW IT COULD HAPPEN, WAS SURE IT DIDN'T. THE POLICE WERE CALLED AND A REPORT FILED. BECAUSE ONE OF THE WELDS FROM MODIFICATION WAS BROKEN MY VEHICLE WAS TOTALED. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 TOYOTA SIENNA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE TRAVELING APPROXIMATELY 6 MPH, THE CONTACT EXPERIENCED ERRONEOUS ACCELERATION DUE TO SIMULTANEOUSLY DEPRESSING THE BRAKE AND ACCELERATOR PEDALS. THE CONTACT CRASHED INTO A CURB BEFORE THE VEHICLE WAS BROUGHT TO A STOP. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO STATED THAT THE PEDALS COULD NOT BE ADJUSTED. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED ABOUT THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 85,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 TOYOTA SIENNA. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 10 MPH AND MAKING A TURN HE DEPRESSED THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL BUT THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO HESITATE AND IT DID NOT RESPOND. THE FAILURE OCCURRED WHILE MAKING A LEFT OR A RIGHT TURN. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE TECHNICIAN WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WA 50,000.