2008 Toyota Sienna

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 TOYOTA SIENNA. WHILE DRIVING 35 MPF WITH THE CRUISE CONTROL ENGAGED, THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO REDUCE SPEED WHEN THE SENOR RECOGNIZED ANOTHER VEHICLE APPROACHING. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHENEVER A VEHICLE IN FRONT OF HIM CHANGED LANES, THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED TO THE SET SPEED. THE CONTACT IS CONCERNED ABOUT THE SAFETY RISK INVOLVED. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER WHO WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT WOULD LIKE FOR THE MANUFACTURER TO HAVE THE LASER SENSOR REMOVED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 1,000. UPDATED 03/17/10. *LJ

ON APRIL 1, 2008, AT ABOUT 9:30 P.M., MY TWO SONS, 19 AND 16, AND MY YOUNGEST SON'S FRIEND DROVE SOUTH ON INTERSTATE 35 OUT OF DOWNTOWN MINNEAPOLIS UPON CONCLUSION OF A TWINS GAME. ABOUT THREE BLOCKS NORTH OF CROSSTOWN HIGHWAY 62, GOING 60 MPH I PASSED A CAR BY PUTTING THE ACCELERATOR ON THE FLOOR. TRAFFIC IS SOMEWHAT HEAVY OF COURSE. THE CAR CONTINUED ACCELERATING DESPITE THE FACT THAT I TOOK MY FOOT OFF OF THE ACCELERATOR. I CALMLY TOLD MY 19 YEAR OLD SON SITTING NEXT TO ME THAT THE ACCELERATOR WAS STUCK. HE SHIFTED THE CAR INTO NEUTRAL, AND THEN INTO PARK AND REVERSE WHEN THE SHIFT INTO NEUTRAL DIDN'T SEEM TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM. HE THEN SHIFTED THE CAR BACK INTO NEUTRAL, MY FOOT WAS ON THE BRAKE, AND I WAS ABLE TO SLOW THE CAR DOWN ON THE 80 DEGREE TURN ONTO THE CROSSTOWN 62 FROM I35. I SLOWED THE CAR DOWN TO ABOUT 45 MPH AND, LUCKILY, WAS ABLE TO GET TO THE SHOULDER. I TOOK THE CAR IN TO MY LOCAL MAINTENANCE SHOP THE NEXT DAY. THE OWNER OF THE SHOP SUGGESTED THAT I ASK THE DEALER I PURCHASED THE MINIVAN FROM, BLOOMINGTON TOYOTA, TO CHECK AT LEAST THE FOLLOWING THREE ITEMS: THROTTLE POSITION SENSOR, ENGINE CONTROL MODULE, AND IDLE CONTROL MOTOR. ON MAY 15, 2008, I BROUGHT THE MINIVAN INTO BLOOMINGTON TOYOTA AND TOLD THEM WHAT MY LOCAL SHOP OWNER SUGGESTED. AFTER TESTING THE VEHICLE, THE SERVICE MANAGER TOLD ME THAT THEY FOUND NOTHING WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE AND THAT IF THE ACCELERATOR HAD MALFUNCTIONED, THEIR COMPUTER TESTING DEVICES WOULD HAVE DETECTED IT AND HAD DETECTED NOTHING. *TR

I APPROACHED THE INTERSECTION OF CORTZ RD. AND 34 ST. IN BRADENTON, FL IN HEAVY TRAFFIC. THE TRAFFIC LIGHT CHANGED FROM RED TO GREEN, THE LINE OF TRAFFIC STARTED TO MOVE FORWARD. I APPLIED ACCELERATOR AND BRAKE AS NEEDED WITH TRAFFIC, THEN THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME STOPPED SUDDENLY ,I LET UP ON THE ACCELERATOR AND PRESSED THE BRAKE AND THEY DID NOT RESPOND AS THEY SHOULD HITTING THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME. THIS ALL RESULTED IN A 5 CAR CHAIN REACTION CRASH. IT SEEMED AS MY CAR WANTED TO KEEP ON GOING AS IF I HAD NOT DONE ANYTHING TO STOP. THIS IS THE SECOND TIME I HAVE HAD TROUBLE WITH ACCELERATION AND BRAKE CONTROL WITH THIS CAR IN JUST OVER 30 DAYS. THE CAR IS STILL IN THE REPAIR SHOP. I DO NOT HAVE ANY CONFIDENCE IN THIS CAR TO OPERATE CORRECTLY OR IN SAFE MANNER. TOYOTA HAS DONE NOTHING FOR ME TO FIX THIS PROBLEM. I HAVE TRIED TO CONTACT TOYOTA BY PHONE AND COMPUTER WITHOUT SUCCESS. I HAVE BEEN TO A TOYOTA DEALER TWICE AND THEY REFER ME TO TOYOTA CUSTOMER SERVICE PHONE NO. BECAUSE THE SIENNA MODEL IS NOT PART OF THE RECALL. HOWEVER WHEN I GO TO THE NHTSA.DOT.GOV WEB SITE THERE ARE SEVERAL CASES LISTED OF ACCELERATION PROBLEMS WITH THE SIENNA. PLEASE HELP. *TR

I OWN AND DRIVE A 2008 TOYOTA SIENNA. I PULLED OUT OF CAR WASH AND DROVE OVER TO A CAR VACUUM CENTER AT LESS THAN 5MPH. AS I APPROACHED THE VACUUM AREA I TOUCHED THE BRAKE AND THE CAR ACCELERATED FAST, RAN INTO A METAL POST ,METAL FENCE AND OVER A CURB ALMOST HITTING INDIVIDUALS IN THE AREA. THIS OCCURRED IN PALMETTO, FLORIDA. THIS CAR SEEMED TO HAVE A MIND OF ITS OWN. THERE DID NOT SEAM TO BE ANY REASON FOR THE ACCELERATION AT LEAST NOT FROM MY OPERATION. I HAVE TO DRIVE BACK TO FORT WAYNE, IN AND I'M CONCERNED ABOUT THE SAFETY OF THIS AUTO FOR ME AND MY WIFE AND ALL OTHER ON THE HIGHWAY. *TR

I OWN A 2008 SIENNA. THERE IS AN ACCELERATION PROBLEM THAT I CAN REPLICATE. IT OCCURS WHEN STOPPING AT THE BOTTOM OF AN INCLINE. ALTHOUGH SIENNA IS NOT ON THE RECALL LIST, IT SHOULD BE. IT OCCURS OFTEN, THE MAJORITY OF TIMES WHEN GOING DOWN A HILL. MY CONCERN IS THAT IT WILL OCCUR UNEXPECTEDLY. NO RESPONSE FROM TOYOTA ON THIS COMPLAINT. *TR

THIS IS A FOLLOW UP TO MY 2/4/2010 REPORT (ODI #10305864) ABOUT MY 2008 TOYOTA SIENNA. EVER SINCE I BOUGHT IT NEW IN FALL 2008, THERE IS NOTICEABLE MOMENTARY UNINTENDED ACCELERATION BRIEFLY WHENEVER I PRESS THE BRAKE PEDAL AT SPEEDS OF ABOUT 30-40 MPH. THEN THE BRAKE TAKES HOLD. I HAD NOT GIVEN MY VIN #. THIS TIME I WILL DO THAT. (THIS IS AN ONGOING PROBLEM THAT TOYOTA SERVICE SAYS IS NORMAL, DUE TO THE NATURE OF SIENNA'S TRANSMISSION) *TW *TR

WE DROVE FROM PEMBROKE TO NORTH CAROLINA, TAKING A FEW BREAKS IN BETWEEN TWO WEEKS AGO. WE PULLED INTO A SERVICE STATION TO USE THE REST ROOMS AND PURCHASE COLD DRINKS, IN ROANKE SPRINGS, NC. MY WIFE PULLED INTO A HANDICAPPED PARKING SPOT IN FRONT OF THE STORE. SHE WAS ONLY 10 FEET FROM STOPPING THE VEHICLE WHEN THE CAR ACCELERATED FORWARD AND FORTUNATELY CRASHED INTO A CONCRETE PILLAR OTHERWISE WE WOULD HAVE GONE DIRECTLY INTO THE STORE. THE SURGE OF THE CAR ACCELERATING PUSHED ME BACK INTO MY SEAT, PASSENGER. OUR VEHICLE TOYOTA SIENNA STRUCK THE CONCRETE PILLAR DIRECTLY IN THE MIDDLE OF THE FRONT END. I THEN REACHED DOWN AND TURNED THE CAR OFF. WE WERE TRAVELING WITH ANOTHER COUPLE, THEY HAD PARKED THEIR CAR AND HEARD THE SQUEAL OF THE BRAKES BEING APPLIED AND THEN THE CRASH OF OUR VEHICLE INTO THE CONCRETE PILLAR. THE CAR IS BEING REPAIRED IN ROANKE SPRINGS, NC AT THE BONES TOYOTA DEALER. WE THEN RENTED A VEHICLE AND CONTINUED OUR TRIP TO FLORIDA. *TR

ON JAN 29, 2010 MY 11 YRS. DAUGHTER AND I WERE TRAVELING IN OUR 2008 TOYOTA SIENNA SOUTH ON HWY 51/I39. THE ROADS AND WEATHER WERE BASICALLY DRY. I HAD JUST SET THE CRUISE ON 71MPH WHEN THE VEHICLE SURGED AHEAD, THE SPEEDOMETER SAID 80, AND WITHIN A MINUTE HAD REDUCED TO THE 71MPH I HAD SET. IT WAS VERY SUDDEN AND VERY SCARY TO BOTH OF US. THERE WAS NO FOOT ON THE ACCELERATOR AND NO FLOOR MAT WAS THE PROBLEM. I FEEL THIS IS A WARNING OF WHAT COULD HAPPEN AND THERE ARE DOCUMENTED C/O SINCE 2006 FOR SIENNAS THAT HAVE THIS SAME PROBLEM. *TR