2008 Toyota Sienna

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 TOYOTA SIENNA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE TRAVELING 25 MPH, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME VERY DIFFICULT TO CONTROL AND HAD TO BE TOWED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND DIAGNOSED THAT THE ENGINE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VIN WAS NOT PROVIDED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WERE 80,000.

THE RUBBER PORTION OF THE OIL SUPPLY HOSE FOR THE WT-1 ACTUATOR FAILED RESULTING IN A SUDDEN LOSS OF SEVERAL QUARTS OF OIL. THIS OIL WAS CARRIED ALONG THE UNDERCARRIAGE AND SPRAYED A FINE MIST OF OIL ON THE WINDSHIELDS OF THE CARS BEHIND THE VAN. LUCKILY THIS OCCURRED CLOSE TO HOME AT A LOW SPEED. IF THIS WAS ON THE HIGHWAY IT COULD HAVE CAUSED SUDDEN REDUCED VISIBILITY FOR THE DRIVERS BEHIND THE VEHICLE AND COULD HAVE LED TO AN ACCIDENT. I AM SORRY BUT USING A RUBBER HOSE ON AN OIL LINE IS ONE OF THE DUMBEST THINGS I HAVE HEARD OF. FORTUNATELY FOR US, NO ONE WAS HURT AND NO DAMAGE WAS DONE TO THE VEHICLE. I DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW THIS HAS NOT TURNED INTO A RECALL. THIS WAS A BIG MISTAKE ON TOYOTA'S PART. *TR

DURING A RECENT TRIP TO ALABAMA FROM VIRGINIA, OUR 2008 TOYOTA SIENNA SUDDENLY ACCELERATED WHILE PRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL INSTEAD OF BRAKING. BOTH TIMES, WE WERE APPROACHING MODERATELY HEAVY TRAFFIC. MY WIFE WENT TO APPLY THE BRAKES TO SLOW THE VAN. INSTEAD OF BRAKING AND SLOWING THE VEHICLE, THE VAN WENT INTO FULL ACCELERATION MODE. THE TRANSMISSION DOWNSHIFTED AND STARTED APPLYING FULL THROTTLE. THE FIRST TIME WE THOUGHT WE WERE GOING CRAZY. THE SECOND TIME, BOTH MY WIFE AND I WATCHED AS HER FOOT APPLIED THE BRAKES AND TO OUR AMAZEMENT, THE VAN STARTED ACCELERATING AGAIN! LUCKILY BOTH TIMES, MY WIFE TOOK HER FOOT OFF THE BRAKE PEDAL AND REAPPLIED ONCE THE VAN STOPPED ACCELERATING AND THE BRAKES WORKED THEN. I HAVEN'T HAD TIME TO TAKE THIS INTO THE TOYOTA DEALER YET. WE ARE STILL UNDER A 30 DAY WARRANTY WITH CARMAX, SO I HAVE COMMUNICATION OUT TO THEM TO SEE HOW WE SHOULD HANDLE THIS SITUATION. I THOUGHT THIS TOYOTA SUDDEN ACCELERATION STORY WAS EXAGGERATED. NOW I'VE EXPERIENCED IT MYSELF. *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

WHILE DRIVING MY VEHICLE IT BEGAN TO MAKE A STRANGE KNOCKING SOUND AS I ACCELERATED. I HAD BEEN DRIVING AROUND TOWN FOR SEVERAL HOURS THAT MORNING. I PULLED OVER TO INSPECT THE ENGINE, AND SAW SOME TYPE OF FLUID ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE ENGINE AND WALL. I PULLED THE OIL DIPSTICK OUT AND THERE WAS NO OIL ON IT AT ALL. COMPLETELY DRY! I HAD SOMEONE BRING ME SOME OIL AND I DROVE MY CAR UP TO THE REPAIR SHOP JUST A SHORT DISTANCE AWAY. THEY DISCOVERED THAT THE OIL PRESSURE LINE -VALVE COVER VARIABLE TIMING-ON TOP OF MOTOR TO RIGHT ON PASSENGER SIDE HAD BURST. PART OF THE LINE IS RUBBER AND THAT PART HAD RUPTURED AND ALL THE OIL HAD BLOWN OUT OF THE ENGINE. MY OIL LIGHT DID NOT COME ON AT ANY TIME NOR DID MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT. EVEN AFTER I STOPPED IT DID NOT COME ON. *TR

I HAD A OIL HOSE IN MY VAN GET A HOLE. WHEN IT HAPPENED IT SPILLED OIL ALL OVER AND IN MY OPINION COULD HAVE STARTED A FIRE.THE HOSE IS CONNECTED TO A PIPE AND THE HOSE CANNOT BE REPLACED. THE WHOLE PIPE HAS TO BE REPLACED AND I REPLACED MINE. MY RESEARCH REVEALED THIS IS A FAIRLY COMMON PROBLEM AND THAT THERE IS A TOYOTA SERVICE BULLETIN FOR THIS PROBLEM BUT IN THE BULLETIN THEY CLAIM IT'S FOR SEEPAGE OF OIL. OBVIOUSLY TOYOTA KNOWS THIS IS A PROBLEM AS THE NEW PART I ORDERED IS COMPLETE PIPE WITH NO HOSES. THE PART NUMBER FOR THE PIPE IS 15767. IS THIS SOMETHING THAT CAN BE FURTHER LOOKED INTO AS TO WHY THIS IS NOT A RECALL THAT TOYOTA SHOULD PROPERLY FIX? *TR

VAN SPONTANEOUSLY BEGAN LEAKING OIL. I BROUGHT IT INTO THE DEALER AND WAS TOLD THAT IT WAS THE VVT1 ACTUATOR HOSE. APPARENTLY THIS WAS PART OF A VOLUNTARY RECALL THAT TOYOTA STARTED IN 2010 AND I WAS NEVER NOTIFIED! I CALLED TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION AND WAS TOLD THAT THIS WAS IN FACT A DEFECTIVE HOSE BUT BECAUSE IT WAS NOT REPAIRED PRIOR TO THE 3/31/13 DEADLINE THAT TOYOTA WOULD NOT PAY FOR THIS DEFECTIVE HOSE TO BE REPLACED. I AM CERTAIN THAT I WAS NEVER NOTIFIED OF THIS VOLUNTARY AND WORRY THAT MANY OTHER 2008 SIENNA OWNERS ARE UNAWARE OF THIS DEFECTIVE PART AND HENCE WILL NOT HAVE THIS REPAIRED. THIS HOSE IS UNDER PRESSURE AND IF IT GOES COMPLETELY CAR WILL SPEW OIL EVERYWHERE AND SEIZE UP! THIS IS A POTENTIAL FIRE AND SAFELY HAZARD!!! TOYOTA IS VERY AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM! IN THE END MY DEALER AGREED TO COVER THE COST OF REPLACEMENT, BUT I AM FOREVER DISMAYED AT TOYOTA'S LACK OF CONCERN FOR THEIR CUSTOMERS! THIS WAS PART OF CAMPAIGN RECALL 90K-2GR-FE V6 ENGINE OIL HOSE. *TR

AFTER DRIVING VEHICLE FOR APPX. 15 MINUTES THEN PARKING, THEN COMING BACK TO VEHICLE 5 MINUTES LATER I FOUND A POOL OF OIL UNDER THE HOOD OF VAN AND CALLED FOR TOW TO THE DEALERSHIP. ROB FROM THE TOYOTA REPAIR SERVICE, CLAIMS I HAD BAD LUCK REGARDING THE OIL COOLER LINE RUPTURING. IT WILL COST ME $442.00 TO REPAIR/REPLACE AND CLEAN THE VEHICLE. AFTER HEARING THIS I CHECKED ONLINE AND OTHER VEHICLE OWNERS ARE HAVING SIMILAR PROBLEMS WITH SIMILAR VEHICLES THAT HAVE A V6 ENGINE WITH TOWING PACKAGE FROM TOYOTA. THE SERVICE PERSON CLAIMS ITS NOT COVERED UNDER MY WARRANTY. HE ALSO CLAIMS THAT IT WASN'T DAMAGED ACCIDENTALLY NEITHER.