2001 Toyota Sienna

ON OCTOBER 28,2006, MY SON AND I RETURNED TO THE SITE OF THE ACCIDENT, THE NC STATE HIGHWAY PATROL DRIVING TRACK. ONCE THROUGH REGISTRATION, WE RE-ENTERED THE 2001 TOYOTA SIENNA MINIVAN. UNFORTUNATELY, WE DID NOT USE THE SEAT BELTS, SINCE WE COULD SEE THE SPOT WE HAD BEEN ASSIGNED. SOMETIME DURING THIS MOVE, I MUST HAVE HAD A SEIZURE, SINCE THE ONLY THING I REMEMBER IS SOMEONE HELPING ME OUT OF THE DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR. ONCE AT THE HOSPITAL, I LAPSED INTO A COMA, WHICH WAS TO LAST FOR THE NEXT 18 DAYS. ONCE I WOKE UP, I WAS TOLD THAT MY SON HAD DIED, AND WAS BURIED. IT WAS STATED TO ME THAT WE WEREN'T WEARING OUR SEAT BELTS. I SAID, "WHAT ABOUT THE AIRBAGS?" THEY HADN'T DEPLOYED, IT TURNED OUT. I REALIZE THAT WE WOULD HAVE BEEN MORE SAFE IF WE HAD BEEN WEARING OUR SEAT BELTS. BUT I ALSO KNOW THAT THE AIRBAGS SHOULD HAVE DEPLOYED, SINCE THE ESTIMATED SPEED AT TIME OF IMPACT WAS 50 MPH. SINCE WE HAD GONE THROUGH A CREEK, AND SLAMMED INTO THE OPPOSITE CREEK BANK IN A BASIC HEAD ON COLLISION. I ALSO KNOW THAT THINGS WOULD HAVE BEEN CONSIDERABLY DIFFERENT IF THE AIRBAGS HAD DEPLOYED, SINCE BOTH MY SON AND I SUSTAINED TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURIES (TBI'S) . ONCE I WAS ABLE TO USE A COMPUTER, I RESEARCHED AIRBAG FAILURES IN TOYOTA VEHICLES, AND FOUND NUMEROUS INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES OF OTHER PEOPLES'S EXPERIENCE WITH THE SAME PROBLEM - FAILURE OF THE AIRBAGS TO DEPLOY, WHEN IT WAS CLEARLY OBVIOUS THAT THEY WERE NEEDED. I ALSO WONDERED ABOUT THE COMMONALITY OF THE PROBLEM, AND BEGAN TO SUSPECT A COMPANY-WIDE POLICY TO MAKE IT VERY HARD FOR THE AIRBAGS TO DEPLOY, SINCE IT WAS A HOT TOPIC THEN TO TALK ABOUT AIRBAGS AS AN ENEMY, SINCE SOME REPORTS WERE NOTING ACCIDENTS AND INJURIES ATTRIBUTED TO THE AIRBAGS' MIS-DEPLOYMENT. I AM NOT AT PEACE WITH THE TOYOTA COMPANY'S USUAL DENIAL OF ANYTHING NOT WORKING PERFECTLY AND PROPERLY AND THAT THERE WAS A SAFETY ISSUE INVOLVING THEIR AIRBAGS.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS 2001 TOYOTA SIENNA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT BOTH REAR SLIDING DOORS HANDLES FAILED. THE EXTERIOR HANDLE ON THE REAR LIFT GATE ALSO FAILED. AS A RESULT, THE POWER MOTOR ON BOTH SLIDING DOORS WAS REMOVED. DUE TO THE REMOVAL OF THE POWER MOTORS, THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE DOOR HANDLES WERE TOO THIN TO SUCCESSFULLY OPEN AND CLOSE THE DOORS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURES, BUT OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE AND ADVISED THE CONTACT TO REPLACE THE DOOR HANDLES. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 57,000.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 TOYOTA SIENNA. THE CONTACTS REAR SEAT BELT WAS PULLED OUT OF THE HOUSING. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A LOCAL MECHANIC TO HAVE THE SEAT BELT REPAIRED. THE MECHANIC ADVISED THE CONTACT THAT THE FAILURE WAS CAUSED FROM EXTENSIVE USE OVER TIME. THE CONTACT STATED THE SEAT BELT SHOULD NEVER COME OUT OF THE HOUSING AND IF THE VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN A CRASH SOMEONE COULD GET INJURED DUE TO THE SEAT BELT MALFUNCTIONING. THE CONTACT HAD NOT CALLED THE MANUFACTURER. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 155,000.

AFTER STOPPING FOR REGISTRATION, MY SON AND I GOT BACK INTO OUR 2001 TOYOTA SIENNA MINIVAN TO CONTINUE ON TO OUR PREVIOUSLY REGISTERED SITE AT A CUB SCOUTS "JAMBOREE". I THINK THAT I HAD A SEIZURE (I DON'T REMEMBER ANYTHING AT THIS TIME). NEITHER I NOR MY CHILD WAS BUCKLED IN, AND WE TRAVELED ACROSS A FIELD AND ACROSS A SMALL CREEK, WITH THE END RESULT THE HEAD-ON COLLISION INTO THE FAR SIDE OF THE CREEK. I WAS BADLY INJURED, AND MY SON WAS DECLARED "BRAIN DEAD" 5 DAYS LATER. NO AIR BAGS DEPLOYED, AND I AM NOW REPORTING IT BECAUSE IF THEY HAD, WE MAY HAVE HAD AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT RESULT. AFTER RESEARCHING THIS PARTICULAR PROBLEM, I DISCOVERED THAT THE FAILURE TO DEPLOY AIR BAGS WAS CITED BY A PREVIOUS AUTHOR. I AM INTRIGUED, TO SAY THE LEAST.... *TR

{MUCH OF THIS CONTENT IS COPIED FROM ANOTHER COMPLAINT, BUT WE ARE EXPERIENCING THE SAME PROBLEMS} SLIDING DOOR LATCHES GET STUCK SOMETIMES IN THE OPEN AND SOMETIMES IN THE CLOSED POSITION. WHEN DOORS ARE CLOSED WE ARE UNABLE TO PUSH THE BUTTON INSIDE OR USE THE OUTSIDE HANDLE TO RELEASE THE LATCH AND OPEN THE DOOR. IF THE DOOR IS OPEN WHEN THIS HAPPENS WE ARE THEN UNABLE TO CLOSE THE DOOR AS IT WILL NOT LATCH. WHEN THE DOOR REMAINS OPEN THIS IS AN OBVIOUS SAFETY ISSUE AND THE VAN IS UNDRIVEABLE AS DOING SO WOULD PUT THE PASSENGERS AT RISK. WHEN THE DOOR IS STUCK IN A CLOSE POSITION IT MAKES EXITING THE VEHICLE DIFFICULT WHICH WOULD BE A SAFETY ISSUE IF THERE WERE AN EMERGENCY AND A QUICK EXIT WERE NECESSARY. THE BACK HATCH LATCH HAS ALSO BROKEN. WE HAVE REMOVED THE COVER FROM THE BACK HATCH AND WITH A GREAT DEAL OF MANIPULATION WE CAN USUALLY MAKE THIS DOOR WORK. THE POWER SLIDING DOOR IS NOW STUCK OPEN AND WILL NOT CLOSE. THE OUTSIDE HANDLE HAS COMPLETELY BROKEN OFF. THE HANDLE ON THE MANUAL SLIDING DOOR IS GOING TO BREAK OFF SOON. PLEASE NOTE THE VEHICLE IS IN GOOD SHAPE OTHERWISE AND HAS NEVER BEEN IN AN ACCIDENT. 2001 TOYOTA SIENNA LE/XLE. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 TOYOTA SIENNA. WHILE APPLYING PRESSURE TO THE BRAKES, THE CONTACT HEARD A LOUD GRINDING NOISE COMING FROM THE ABS MOTOR. THE BRAKES DID NOT ENGAGE AND THE CONTACT CRASHED INTO ANOTHER VEHICLE. THE CONTACT DID NOT INFORM THE DEALER OR MANUFACTURER OF THE FAILURE NOR WAS THE VEHICLE REPAIRED. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 120,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS 2001 TOYOTA SIENNA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE RUNNING BOARD ON THE DRIVER SIDE FRACTURED AND COLLAPSED AFTER HE STEPPED ONTO IT TO ENTER THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO STATED THAT THE RUNNING BOARD WAS RUSTED UNDERNEATH AND WOULD NEED REPLACING. IN ADDITION, THE DEALER ADVISED THAT THE RUNNING BOARDS WERE NO LONGER BEING MANUFACTURED BY THE ORIGINAL MANUFACTURER. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED AND THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 101,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS 2001 TOYOTA SIENNA. THE CONTACT STATED THE DOOR LATCHES WERE FRACTURED ON THE FRONT DRIVER, PASSENGER AND REAR PASSENGER SLIDING DOOR. THE DRIVER SIDE SLIDING DOOR FAILED AND WAS UNABLE TO BE OPENED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE ONLY WAY TO ENTER THE VEHICLE WAS FROM THE REAR HATCH. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED BUT PROVIDED NO ASSISTANCE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 115,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 118,000.