2007 Toyota Sienna

ON 11/12/15, THE RADIATOR BODY AROUND THE LOWER TRANSMISSION OIL LINE FITTING ON THE RADIATOR CRACKED, ALLOWING THE FITTING TO BREAK AWAY FROM THE RADIATOR. THIS CAUSED ALMOST ALL OF THE TRANSMISSION OIL TO BE PUMPED INTO THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. THE VEHICLE WAS BEING DRIVEN IN HEAVY RAIN ON RAIN SOAKED ROADS AT 55MPH ON SECONDARY ROADS WHEN SMOKE WAS OBSERVED. WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS STOPPED HEAVY SMOKE WAS COMING FROM UNDER THE HOOD AND BOTTOM OF VEHICLE, BUT NO FIRE STARTED. NO OIL LEAK WAS OBSERVED BEFORE THE INCIDENT (NO OIL ON GARAGE FLOOR). LEAK HAPPENED SUDDENLY AFTER APPROXIMATELY 3 MILES OF DRIVING. THE VEHICLE ODOMETER READING WAS 95,510.

OUR SIENNA IS A WELL MAINTAINED, LOW MILEAGE (JUST OVER 66,000 MILES) VEHICLE. AS OF AUGUST 30 OF THIS YEAR, THE TRANSMISSION PLANETARY GEARS HAVE TOTALLY FAILED, LEAVING THE VEHICLE AND US STRANDED OVER 100 MILES FROM HOME. THE ESTIMATE FOR A COMPLETE TRANSMISSION REBUILD FROM A REPUTABLE TRANSMISSION SPECIALTY SHOP IS $4500, WHICH IS MUCH LOWER THAN THE ESTIMATE OF $6500 THAT OUR TOYOTA DEALER GAVE US TO INSTALL A REMANUFACTURED TRANSMISSION. BASED ON THE NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS I HAVE READ ABOUT ON THE INTERNET, THIS PARTICULAR TRANSMISSION SEEMS TO HAVE HAD SIGNIFICANT PROBLEMS WITH EARLY FAILURES AROUND THE 65,000 MILE MARK. THIS REPAIR IS ON TOP OF A $1000 REPAIR JUST A MONTH AGO TO REPLACE BOTH OF THE REAR COIL SPRINGS. BOTH SPRINGS FAILED AT THE SAME TIME, WITH THE BOTTOM COIL RUSTING THROUGH AND FAILING AT THE BOTTOM SPRING SUPPORT. AS A MATERIALS ENGINEER MYSELF, I BELIEVE THIS IS A DESIGN OR PRODUCTION ISSUE WITH THESE SPRINGS, FOR BOTH TO FAIL IN THE EXACT SAME SPOT ON THE SAME COIL AT THE EXACT SAME TIME. (AND IT IS WORTH POINTING OUT THAT THIS VEHICLE HAS SPENT ITS LIFE IN NORTHERN VIRGINIA, A PLACE THAT DOES NOT HAVE MUCH SNOW, OR EXTENSIVE USE OF ROAD SALT.) ALSO, JUST ABOUT A YEAR AGO, WE HAD TO HAVE THE STEERING RACK REPLACED AT THE DEALER'S RECOMMENDATION, WHICH WAS ANOTHER $1000 REPAIR. SO IN A PERIOD OF JUST OVER A MONTH, THIS VEHICLE IS GOING TO HAVE ALMOST $6000 OF REPAIRS TO IT (NOT INCLUDING THE STEERING RACK REPAIR.) THIS IS COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE FOR A LOW MILEAGE VEHICLE, ESPECIALLY FOR A TOYOTA, WHICH ARE NORMALLY HIGHLY RELIABLE. THIS VEHICLE HAS BEEN MAINTAINED BY A REPUTABLE LOCAL TOYOTA DEALER, SO ALL OF THE RECORDS ARE AVAILABLE TO YOU.

I WAS NORTHBOUND ON INTERSTATE 15 IN UTAH AND NOTICED SMOKE COMING OUT FROM UNDERNEATH MY CAR. I PULLED INTO A FIRESTONE SERVICE CENTER WHERE THEY DIAGNOSED THE ISSUE TO BE A FAULTY OIL COOLER HOSE ASSEMBLY ON MY 2007 TOYOTA SIENNA MINI-VAN. I CONTACTED TOYOTA DEALER WHO SAID THAT THE PART HAD BEEN UPGRADED FROM A RUBBER HOSE TO A METAL HOSE THAT WOULD NOT BURST LIKE MINE HAD. I WAS NOT INFORMED OF THE OPTION TO UPGRADE PRIOR TO THIS INCIDENT AND IN FACT HAD HAD MY CAR INTO THE DEALER FOR AN OIL CHANGE THE WEEK BEFORE THIS INCIDENT. FIRESTONE SAID I WAS DOWN TO TWO QUARTS OF OIL REMAINING IN THE OIL PAN. I FEEL LUCKY THAT I DID NOT BURN UP MY ENGINE BY STOPPING BEFORE THE OIL PAN RAN DRY. ALSO, I AM LUCKY THAT I WAS DRIVING AND NOT MY WIFE WITH A CAR FULL OF KIDS AS THERE SEEMED TO BE A RISK OF A CAR FIRE BASED ON THE SMOKE. I AM WONDERING NOW JUST HOW SAFE AND RELIABLE MY CAR IS AND WHAT OTHER PROBLEMS TOYOTA IS AWARE OF THAT THEY HAVE NOT YET TOLD ME ABOUT ON MY YEAR MAKE AND MODEL. BY THE WAY IT KIND OF RUINED THE FAMILY VACATION WE WERE JUST STARTING.

UPON SLOWING DOWN TO TURN A STREET CORNER THE TRANSMISSION SLIPPED BEFORE IT WOULD GO AGAIN. IT SEEMED THAT IT WAS BETWEEN THE SLOWING DOWN AND RE-ACCELERATING AFTER THE TURN. THIS PROBLEM IS WELL DOCUMENTED ON GOOGLE BY MANY DRIVERS. THE DEALERS REPROGRAM SOME COMPUTER AND THEN DECLARE IT TO BE FIXED WHEN THE SAME PROBLEM OCCURS AGAIN. TOYOTA REFUSES TO FIX THE PROBLEM WHICH COSTS ONE ABOUT $3,000 TO ACTUALLY FIX IT BY REPLACING THE TRANSMISSION. I BOUGHT THE VAN AS USED. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 TOYOTA SIENNA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE TRANSMISSION FAILED. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER 13V429000 (POWER TRAIN) REPAIR WAS PERFORMED; HOWEVER, THE REPAIR DID NOT CORRECT THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT THE GEAR SHIFT WAS IN DRIVE HOWEVER, THE VEHICLE FAILED TO ACCELERATE. THE DRIVER ATTEMPTED TO SHIFT FROM REVERSE TO DRIVE AND WAS UNABLE TO RELEASE THE GEAR SHIFT. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER, WHO PERFORMED A DIAGNOSTIC TEST THAT CONFIRMED THAT THE TRANSMISSION FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 127,000.

I AM THE SECOND OWNER OF THE VEHICLE. I WAS DRIVING ON INTERSTATE 5 AT 65 MILES PER HOURS FROM SACRAMENTO TO LOS ANGELES. THE TIME WAS 1600 ON 13 APRIL 2014. I DID NOT NOTICE ANY CRACK OR NOISE FROM ROAD DEBRIS DAMAGE WHILE I AM DIVING. THE RED LOW OIL WARNING LIGHT ON THE DASHBOARD DID NOT TURN ON AT THE TIME WHEN THE INCIDENT HAPPENED. I WAS PULLED OVER A REST STOP TO USE RESTROOM; I ALSO WALK AROUND THE VEHICLE TO CONDUCT A VISUAL CHECK AND FLUID CHECK AT THE SAME TIME. I WAS DISCOVERED ENGINE OIL WAS ALL OVER THE ENGINE BAY, UNDERCARRIAGE AND THE BACK LIFT DOOR DURING THE VISUAL CHECK. WHEN I CHECKED THE ENGINE OIL, THE DIP STICK SHOWED NO ENGINE OIL. AGAIN, THE RED LOW OIL WARNING LIGHT DID NOT TURN ON WHICH INDICATE LOW ENGINE OIL AT THAT TIME EVEN THE ENGINE HAD NO ENGINE OIL. VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO TOYOTA DEALERSHIP AND DISCOVERED AN OIL COOLER HOSE WHICH MAKE OUT OF RUBBER WAS RUPTURED. EVEN THE OIL COOLER HOSE WAS REPLACED WITH A METAL OIL HOSE; THE ENGINE WAS DAMAGED BY OPERATED WITHOUT ENGINE OIL FOR A SIGNIFICANT PERIOD. PRIOR TO THE TRIP, I PURCHASED THE ALL METAL VVT-I HOSE FROM A LOCAL DEALERSHIP, AGAIN NO WARNING FROM THE DEALERSHIP. I USED A LOCAL REPAIR SHOP TO REPLACE THE VVT-I HOSE LOCATE AT THE PASSAGE SIDE OF THE ENGINE TO AN ALL METAL PIPE SINCE I HAVE KNOWLEDGE ON THE RUBBER VVT-I HOSE HAVE THE SAME RUPTURE ISSUE. HOWEVER, I HAVE NO KNOWLEDGE ON THE T-SB-0201-11 WHICH IS THE TOYOTA TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN TITLE OIL COOLER PIPE SEEP. THERE IS RECALL REGARDING SHIFT LOCK SOLENOID AND SEVERE CORROSION OF THE SPARE TIRE CARRIER CABLE ON THE 2007 SIENNA, HOWEVER, THERE IS NO RECALL ON POSSIBLE RUPTURE ON VVT-I HOSE OR OIL COOLER HOSE. IF THE RECALL WAS ISSUED OR AT LEAST WARNED BY DEALERSHIP, I WILL FIX THE OIL COOLER HOSE AT THE DEALER OR A LOCAL REPAIR SHOP AND AVOID THE ENGINE DAMAGE WHICH LEADED TO ENGINE REPLACEMENT. *TT

I HAVE HAD THIS VAN SINCE NEW. AIR CONDITIONING STOPPED WORKING AFTER 4 YEARS WITH LESS THAN 60000 MILES. FIRST TRANSMISSION PROBLEM STARTED AT 68000 MILES. THE TRANSMISSION PROBLEM FIRST REARED ITS UGLY HEAD WHEN I WAS BACKING OUT OF A PARKING SPOT ONE EARLY MORNING IN NOVEMBER 2011. IT SOUNDED AS THOUGH I HAD RUN OVER SOMETHING. AFTER GETTING OUT OF THE VAN AND LOOKING AROUND IT APPEARED AS THOUGH EVERYTHING LOOKED GOOD. I GOT BACK IN THE VAN AND STARTED TO DRIVE AND COULD HEAR A RUBBING SOUND COMING FROM THE FRONT OF THE VAN AND NOTICED IT WOULD SLOW DOWN QUICKER WHEN TAKING MY FOOT OFF OF THE ACCELERATOR, SO MUCH SO THAT YOUR BODY WOULD LEAN FORWARD. ALSO, I NOTICED THE VAN WOULD NOW SLOW DOWN INSTEAD OF PICKING UP SPEED WHEN COASTING DOWN A HILL WHICH IS SOMETHING IT HAD NEVER DONE BEFORE. I BROUGHT THE VAN INTO MY LOCAL TOYOTA DEALERSHIP THAT WEEK TO HAVE IT LOOKED AT BUT THEY SAID THAT WAS THE WAY IT WAS SUPPOSED TO RUN. I TOLD THEM 68 000 MILES OF DRIVING EXPERIENCE SINCE IT WAS NEW HAS TOLD ME OTHERWISE. THEY PERSISTED WITH THEIR "EVERYTHING WAS AS IT SHOULD BE" STORY AND THAT IT COULD BE THE BRAKES STICKING OCCASIONALLY. I EVEN TOLD THEM THAT THE RUBBING SOUND GOES AWAY WHEN SHIFTED INTO NEUTRAL WHICH WOULD ELIMINATE THE BRAKES AS THE CAUSE. THE VANS TRANSMISSION FINALLY FAILED IN FEBRUARY OF 2013 AT 82 000 MILES AFTER I HAD BROUGHT THE ISSUE UP 4 TIMES WITH MY TOYOTA DEALERSHIP WHILE GETTING OTHER SERVICE COMPLETED, AND YES THEY DID CHANGE THE TRANSMISSION FLUID BEFORE ALL OF THIS HAPPENED. THE TRANSMISSION DIAGNOSIS AND SUBSEQUENT REPAIR/REBUILD QUOTED BY THE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP WAS $4000. MR. TRANSMISSION CHARGED ME $3100. LIKE ME, YOU HAVE EITHER ALREADY PURCHASED A TOYOTA PRODUCT OR ARE CONSIDERING THE PURCHASE. ALL I CAN SAY IS GOOGLE TRANSMISSION AND PROBLEMS AND YOU'LL FIND LOTS TO READ. GOOD LUCK. *TR

AFTER A SHORT TRIP, 5 MILES, I WAS BACKING INTO MY DRIVEWAY WHEN I NOTICED SOME FLUIDS ON THE CEMENT. I CHECKED THE LIQUID AND WAS NOT SURE IF IT WAS COOLANT OR TRANSMISSION FLUIDS SO I CALLED MY MECHANIC AND HE RECOMMENDED THAT I SHOULD HAVE IT TOWED IN .IT TURNS OUT THAT THE PROBLEM WAS THAT A CONNECTOR AT THE BOTTOM OF THE RADIATOR CRACKED AND WAS MIXING THE COOLANT WITH THE TRANSMISSION FLUID ,IT APPEARS THAT A DEFECTIVE FITTING WAS THE PROBLEM. IT COST ME $977.3 TO REPLACE THE RADIATOR AND FLUSH THE TRANSMISSION. MY MECHANIC SAID IF I WOULD HAVE CONTINUED DRIVING WITH THESE 2 FLUIDS MIXING I WOULD HAVE DAMAGED THE TRANSMISSION BEYOND REPAIR FOR A BILL OF $3,000. MORE IF THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM ON THESE CARS PEOPLE SHOULD AT LEAST BE NOTIFIED WHAT TO WATCH FOR OR BETTER YET REPAIRED BY THE COMPANY. *TR

ON MON 10/22/2012 AT 11:15 AM I EXPERIENCED SUDDEN UNCONTROLLED ACCELERATION DRIVING MY VAN. I WAS TRAVELING ON I-696E IN DETROIT AT A CONSTANT 70MPH, THEN SLOWED TO 45MPH DUE TO CONSTRUCTION. AS TRAFFIC CLEARED THE CONSTRUCTION, I PUSHED THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL TO PASS A SEMI-TRUCK. I FELT THE ACCELERATOR CONTINUE TO DEPRESS, I COMPLETELY PULLED MY FOOT OFF BUT THE PEDAL DID NOT COME BACK NOR DID THE VEHICLE SLOW DOWN. RATHER, IT DID JUST THE OPPOSITE AND CONTINUED TO ACCELERATE. I ATTEMPTED TO BRAKE HARD WITH NO RESPONSE--THE VEHICLE DID NOT SLOW DOWN. THEN I PUT THE VAN IN NEUTRAL TO SLOW DOWN THE ENGINE WITH NO RESULTS, THE VAN CONTINUED INCREASING 60+MPH WITH NO FOOT ON ACCELERATOR. THIS IS WHEN I BECAME EXTREMELY FRIGHTENED. THE VEHICLE WAS PULLING FROM SIDE TO SIDE. I LOOKED DOWN TO SEE IF THERE WAS ANY INTERFERENCE FROM THE FLOOR MAT AND NONE WAS SEEN. I TAPPED GAS PEDAL - NO RESPONSE. NEXT I PUT VAN BACK IN DRIVE AND BRAKED --NO RESPONSE AGAIN. THEN I DOWNSHIFTED TO 4TH, THE ENGINE DID NOT SLOW, AND FURTHER DOWNSHIFTED TO 3RD GEAR. FINALLY, THE ENGINE RESPONDED AND SLOWED. I USED THE GAS PEDAL CAUTIOUSLY AS I THEN SHIFTED TO 4TH SO THAT I COULD EXIT THE FREEWAY. I PARKED AT MY OFFICE & IMMEDIATELY CALLED MY HUSBAND FIRST AND EXPLAINED WHAT HAPPENED AND I THEN IMMEDIATELY CALLED THE OUR TOYOTA SUBURBAN DEALER. THEY TOLD ME TO BRING IT IN FOR INSPECTION. I WAS STILL SHAKING WHEN I BROUGHT THE VEHICLE IN AND EXTREMELY UPSET. AFTER TWO INSPECTIONS, THEY STATED SUDDEN ACCELERATION WAS CAUSED BY THE FLOOR MAT. ALTHOUGH THIS SEEMS REASONABLE, IT DOES NOT EXPLAIN WHY BRAKES FAILED TO OVERCOME THE ENGINE, AND SHIFTING TO NEUTRAL FAILED TO DISENGAGE THE TRANSMISSION. THE VEHICLE SCARES ME TO DEATH. I DO NOT KNOW WHAT TO DO NEXT. I CONSIDER MYSELF A SERIOUS WITNESS AS A REGISTERED NURSE (RN/BSN) WITH 20 YR MANUAL DRIVING. REF TOYOTA CASE #[XXX] AND #[XXX]. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR