2008 Toyota Sienna

WHILE PUTTING ON THE BRAKES TO STOP FOR A TRAFFIC LIGHT THE ENGINE SUDDENLY REVVED UP TO 6000 RPM AND TRIED TO TAKE OFF BY ITSELF. I PUSHED THE GEAR SHIFT INTO NEUTRAL AND PUT MY LEFT FOOT ON THE BRAKE TO KEEP THE CAR FROM MOVING. I KICKED THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL SEVERAL TIMES UNTIL IT DISENGAGED. THIS IS THE 4TH TIME THIS HAS HAPPENED. THERE WAS NOT A FLOOR MAT INVOLVED AS THERE WAS NOT ONE IN THE CAR AT THIS TIME. THE LAST TIME I TALKED TO A TOYOTA DEALER ABOUT THIS THEY SAID THIS COULD NOT HAPPEN AND I WAS WRONG ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED. THE DEALER DID NOT DOCUMENT ANY OF THIS AND WANTED NOTHING FURTHER TO DO WITH ME. THIS IS DANGEROUS AND HAPPENS WITH NO WARNING WHEN YOU PUSH THE BRAKE PEDAL TO STOP FOR A TRAFFIC SIGNAL OR TO PULL INTO A PARKING SPACE. MY WIFE WAS ALSO IN THE CAR TWO OF THE TIMES AND SAW WHAT HAPPENED. SHE WAS NOT IN THE CAR FOR THE LATEST EPISODE.

THAT WAS AROUND 2012 NEW YEAR TIME WHEN I , MY WIFE AND MY KID VISITED OUR FRIEND AT ATLANTA, GA. WE DROVE OUR VAN ON INTERSTATE HIGHWAY I-75, IN THE MIDDLE OF OUR TRIP, OUR VAN STARTED SHAKING VIGOROUSLY. I FELT THAT WAS FROM ENGINE, IT FORCED ME TO STOP ON THE SIDE OF I-75. AFTER A WHILE WE RESTARTED OUR VAN, WE COULD ONLY DRIVE FOR < 65 MILES/HOUR. ANY ACCELERATION RESULTED IN VIGOROUS SHAKING. AFTER WE CAME HOME I DROVE MY VAN TO AN AUTO SERVICE CENTER, AND WAS CHECKED. IT TURNED OUT THAT 3 IGNITION COILS, SPARK PLUGS, AND MANIFOLD GASKET HAD TO BE REPLACED. YESTERDAY (9/10/2015) THE SAME PROBLEM HAPPENED AGAIN.

UPON EXITING THE INTERSTATE, WE BEGAN TO SMELL A BURNING SMELL AND THE LIGHT FOR THE A/C STARTED FLASHING AND WOULDN'T TURN BACK ON. WE DROVE ABOUT A MILE THINKING THAT THE SMELL WAS ROADWORK, BUT THEN WE DECIDED TO STOP AND CHECK IT UNDER THE HOOD. ONCE WE OPENED THE HOOD, WE WERE HIT WITH A PLUME OF SMOKE, AND REALIZED THERE WAS A POOL OF OIL UNDER THE VAN. WE BEGAN TO LOOK ON THE INTERNET FOR CAUSES, WHERE WE CAME ACROSS SEVERAL INSTANCES OF THE OIL HOSE BLOWING AND THE VEHICLE CATCHING FIRE. WE CALLED THE DEALERSHIP THE NEXT DAY TO SEE IF THERE WAS A RECALL. THEY DIDN'T KNOW OF ONE, BUT STATED THAT THEY'D FIXED SEVERAL VEHICLES FOR THE SAME ISSUE. THIS IS VERY ALARMING SINCE THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT, OIL LIGHT, ETC DIDN'T EVEN TURN ON. HAD WE DRIVEN ANOTHER MILE, WOULD THE VAN HAVE CAUGHT FIRE? WE HAVE A VAN FULL OF CHILDREN, AND IT'S FRIGHTENING TO THINK THAT THIS COULD HAVE ENDED MUCH WORSE.

MY WIFE WAS DRIVING THE MINIVAN WITH BOTH KIDS IN THE CAR AFTER GROCERY SHOPPING AND PICKING THEM UP FROM THE PRESCHOOL. WHILE SHE WAS DRIVING INTO THE GARAGE SHE SMELLED AND SAW OIL FUME COMING OUT OF THE HOOD. SHE THOUGHT THE CAR WAS GOING TO CATCH FIRE AND GRABBED THE KIDS AND GOT OUT OF THE VAN AS QUICKLY AS SHE CAN. I GOT HER CALL AND RUSHED HOME FROM WORK. IT TURNED OUT THERE WAS A SUDDEN FAILURE OF A OIL COOLING PIPE ON THE ENGINE. ALL OF THE ENGINE OIL HAD ALMOST LEAKED OUT (THERE WAS MAYBE ABOUT QUARTER OF INCH SHOWING ON THE DIP STICK). AFTER WE TOWED THE CAR TO THE DEALER, WE FOUND OUT THE OIL HAD LEAKED FROM AN ENGINE COOLER PIPE WHICH WAS POORLY DESIGNED AND OVER TIME IT COULD DEVELOP A SLOW SEEP LEAK OR IN OUR CASE FAILED IN A SUDDEN BURST AND CAUSED THE OIL TO LEAK OUT LIKE A RUNNING FAUCET. WE WERE EXTREMELY FORTUNATE BECAUSE IT OCCURRED JUST WHILE SHE WAS DRIVING THE VAN IN OUR SUBDIVISION. TOYOTA HAD AN EXTENDED WARRANTY FOR THIS ISSUE LAST SUMMER BUT DIDN'T HAVE A RECALL FOR THIS. IF IT HAPPENED WHILE WE WERE DRIVING ON HIGHWAY AND WE DIDN'T PAY ATTENTION TO THE ENGINE LIGHT, THE ENGINE MAY BURN OR WORSE IT COULD SEIZE AND CAUSE ACCIDENT. AFTER A LITTLE RESEARCH ON THE WEB, I FOUND OUT THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE HAD THIS SAME ISSUE. TOYOTA ACTUALLY HAD A RECALL OTHER MODELS OF CARS FOR THE SAME ISSUE SEVERAL YEARS AGO. I WONDER WHY THEY DIDN'T RECALL THE 2008 SIENNA AND THEY SHOULD HAVE. I WANT TO REPORT THIS AND HOPEFULLY FORCE TOYOTA TO START RECALL ON THIS ISSUE FOR ALL IMPACTED MODELS SO OTHERS WON'T HAVE TO EXPERIENCE THIS AND AVOID POTENTIAL ACCIDENTS. THANKS. *TR

THE VEHICLE CAME TO A STOP AT A STOP LIGHT AND THE ODOUR OF SOMETHING BURNING ENTERED THE CABIN. NO LIGHTS ON THE DASH APPEARED AND DROVE TO THE NEXT PARKING LOT TO FIND A TRAIL OF OIL BEHIND THE VEHICLE AND A POOL OF OIL UNDER THE ENGINE. I HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED DIRECTLY TO THE DEALER TO FIND OUT A 'PIN HOLE' WAS FOUND IN THE OIL COOLER HOSE. THIS IS NOT THE SAME HOSE AS THE VVTI THAT HAS BEEN RECALLED ALREADY. THE DEALER INFORMED ME IT'S LIKE THE TWO OTHER RUBBER HOSES CARRYING OIL ON THE ENGINE BUT HAS NOT BEEN RECALLED. THE COST TO HAVE IT REPLACED WITH A STEEL LINE IS $429 CDN. THIS VAN WAS PURCHASED NEW IN 2009 AND BROUGHT INTO MANITOBA, CANADA FROM THE US. *TR

UPON EXITING FREEWAY IN BUTTE, MT, AND SLOWING DONE FOR RED LIGHT AT BOTTOM OF RAMP, HEARD TAPPING NOISE COMING FROM ENGINE. DROVE ONE BLOCK TO GAS STATION, AND WHILE PUMPING GAS, NOTICED LARGE QUANTITY OF ENGINE OIL PUDDLING UNDER THE ENGINE. HAD VEHICLE TOWED TO TOYOTA DEALER, WHO DETERMINED THAT OIL COOLER HOSE HAD RUPTURED. FORTUNATELY, NO APPARENT ENGINE DAMAGE. AFTER SOME RESEARCH ON SIENNA OWNERS' FORUM, LEARNED THAT THIS WAS A RECURRING PROBLEM ON CERTAIN TOYOTA MODELS IN CERTAIN YEARS, INCLUDING THE 2008 SIENNA WITH TOW PACKAGE LIKE OURS, AND THAT TOYOTA HAD PUT OUT A TSB ON THIS, BUT APPARENTLY HAD NEVER INFORMED OWNERS. IT TOOK 4 DAYS FOR THE REPLACEMENT HOSE TO ARRIVE, AND THE REPAIR COST $520. THIS INCIDENT OCCURRED WHILE MY FAMILY WAS FAR FROM HOME (SILVER SPRING, MD) ON A CROSS-COUNTRY TRIP AND THUS FORCED THEM TO CANCEL PART OF VACATION AND SPEND EXTRA $$ ON HOTELS AND A RENTAL CAR. BUT IT COULD HAVE BEEN MUCH WORSE - THE OIL COULD HAVE DRAINED WHILE AT SPEED ON THE HIGHWAY, RUINING THE ENGINE, STRANDING MY FAMILY IN AN ISOLATED AREA OR CAUSING AN ACCIDENT OR ENGINE FIRE AND POSSIBLE INJURIES. GIVEN THAT TOYOTA WAS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM, IT COULD HAVE INFORMED US SO WE COULD HAVE HAD THE HOSE REPLACED BEFORE IT FAILED. *TR

VVT-I HOSE BROKEN, RAPID OIL LOSS AND ALMOST NO OIL LEFT IN ENGINE WHEN PROBLEM WAS SPOTTED. OIL SPILLED TO THE BELTS AROUND THE VVT-I HOSE. WHEN TURN STEERING WHEEL, NOISE HEARD. THIS IS THE SAME ISSUE TO THE OTHER RECALLS BUT NOT APPLICABLE TO TOYOTA SIENNA. HTTP://TOYOTANEWS.PRESSROOM.TOYOTA.COM/ARTICLE_DISPLAY.CFM?ARTICLE_ID=1906 I WAS TOLD MAY CAUSE PROBLEM TURNING THE STEERING WHEEL, OR ACCIDENT. I WAS INSTRUCTED TO FILE THE CLAIM TO YOUR OFFICE. THANKS. *TR