Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| SERVICE BRAKES | |||
| 10/22/2012 | 81307 | 1 | |
| 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 | |||
| 10/22/2012 | 81307 | ||
| 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 surburban 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 #1210241679 and #1210230097. | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, ELECTRIC | |||
| 01/10/2008 | -1 | 1 | |
| I was parked on a hill. when i tapped the accelerator, the car took off at a rapid acceleration. i tried to brake to slow the car down...my brakes wouldn't work...my steering wheel started to lock. i finally forced the car into park put on the er brake and steered the car up a hill. the car jumped a curb and was headed for a house when it came to a stop. i was only a few feet from the front door. my car is a toyota sienna. the company and our local dealership told me that my car was not involved in the recall. my husband's toyota avalon was and the gas pedal was adjusted. he had to wait a few weeks for the replacement...and was not given a loaner car. *tr | |||
| 03/01/2010 | 29500 | 1 | |
| Toyota sienna 2007 having brake problems in 2008 i have brake problems so i take it to dealer they changed all brake parts now i have same problem pls help me in this. *tr | |||
| 02/22/2010 | 55000 | 1 | |
| I was parked in the parking lot of my children's school. the car next to me needed to back out so i was moving my car forward a little to get out of their way. when i put the car in drive it started accelerating but my foot was on the brake. i turned the wheel to miss the block wall in front of me. the car had jumped the curb and was up in the landscape area. it was continuing to accelerate and i was pumping the brake and trying to not hit anything. i was trying to put it in neutral so that it would stop but by then the car was down in the other side of the parking lot and headed toward a three foot cliff. my youngest son was in the car and not buckled into his seat so i was panicking trying to get it to stop. i put it into park and it make a weird rattle noise and then stopped very suddenly. i looked down at my feet immediately to make sure that i was not accidentally pressing the gas but my foot was still on the brake. i was late to pick my children up from school thankfully, because 10 minutes earlier the parking lot would have been full of children. i towed my car into toyota and they are looking at it but said that my vehicle is not part of the recall. *tr | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC | |||
| 08/12/2011 | |||
| My wife was pulling into a parking spot and went to hit the brakes and the vehicle and the brakes did not respond. she said that she attempted to hit the brakes again and they did not respond. the vehicle collided with a tree. contacted toyota and had the vehicle inspected. they said it was fine and there was nothing they could do. i told them that this failure had left my wife with zero confidence in the vehicle and asked for help or suggestions with what to do with the vehicle. they said they had no suggestion. a passed inspection is all they needed to wash their hands of the situation. i sold the car to a local dealer. i wish there was a safer alternative. written word cannot convey the anger i felt with toyata, nor the remorse with the thought that a family may have the same issue with the vehicle in the future. bad situation all around. | |||
| 02/01/2011 | 85000 | ||
| Noticed a vibration starting on a 2007 toyota sienna xle. initially thought it to be tire related. upon investigation noticed the left rear wheel was too hot to touch. revealed that the brake assembly had siezed and was causing the brakes to overheat (blue dick and cylinder). toyota claims they have seen this on many sienna's and they regularily lube the slides that mount the wheel cyinder. mine had not seen lube. brake pads on the remainder of the car were ~ 50%. i believe had i not found this, there would have been a fire (it was that hot). now i'm stuck on my $ to pay almost $1000 for new brakes (opted to overhaul the other three to eliminat the same problem elsewhere). | |||
| 02/18/2009 | 12000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2007 toyota sienna which was modified for disabled persons. while driving at an unknown speed, the driver applied the brakes and the vehicle suddenly accelerated and crashed into another vehicle. there were no injuries. a police report was filed. the driver was able to safely drive the vehicle home without the failure reoccurring. the contact stated that the brakes on the vehicle had always needed heavy pressure to brake properly. the manufacturer advised the contact to have the vehicle towed to an authorized dealership. the brakes were repaired but the sudden acceleration problem was not addressed. the failure has not occurred since the vehicle was returned to the contact. the failure mileage was approximately 12,000. the current mileage was approximately 20,000. the vin was unavailable. | |||
| 01/19/2009 | 2093 | 1 | |
| On january 19, 2009 my 2007 toyota sienna front rotors & brake pads failed round- trip from san francisco to orange county. mileage read: 20,939; & again on 01-12-2010 when mileage was 30,128. there were no warning lights, or notification by mechanic or service providers at regular maintenance checkups about wear or compromised rotors & pads. in advance of each incident. maintenance had been regularly scheduled. on january 19, 2009 , brake rotors failed showing deeply scratches and were fused with the pads. on january 12, 2010 rotors required resurfacing but pads were ok. i contacted power toyota dealership in irvine,ca. about these concerns; their response indicated a design flaw as the pads are of made pf harder material than rotors thus wearing rotors before pads and fusing the two metals together. i had several return calls from their specialist ,a mechanical engineer formerly with gm. no solutions were offered and no followup received after i inquired if the dealer would replace the manufacturer's pads with softer ones(aftermarket) as a test. it was made clear even if after-market pads were installed, they might not last more than 5-6 thousand miles. i have concerns that the brakes will fail again and cause potential injury and damage to me or passengers or to others; certainly damage also means replacement of the rotors even if the pads do not show wear. i am reporting this as a flaw in mechanical/product design and manufacture of the 2007 sienna; intentional oversight or not,it is a lack of mitigation for the brake system that poses a potentially hazard. i believe the sienna van, intended for family and light loads, poses a brake risk while driving and additional expense and worry about rotor/brake failure . it is contrary to the experience i had with my earlier 300k toyota van (1985); my satisfaction with it led me to purchase the 2007 sienna which i now regret. i am asking toyota to replace the brake system or provide a new model van. *tr | |||
| 01/02/2010 | 58976 | 1 | |
| 2007 toyota sienna van was in nate wade subaru..one of our stock units. we were servicing this vehicle for sale. we replaced brakes front and rear. the brakes had been bled. i started the vehicle put my foot on the brake to shift into reverse. when vehicle hit reverse the engine idle idled up higher than a normal high idle. the brake pedal became ineffective..i was pumping the pedal to try to get a pedal and the idle stayed up high. i had an accident in the dealership with vehicle due to the high idle. it backed across our shop and slammed into a hoist in the shop. it caused major damage to both the vehicle and to the shop. it cost me $500.00 towards a deductible and it cost the dealership $6500.00 to repair the vehicle and $1700.00 to repair the damage to the hoist. i realize that this vehicle is not on the list of affected vehicles, however it exhibited the same condition as those models be recalled. *tr | |||
| 01/15/2010 | 37000 | 1 | |
| I have a 2007 toyota sienna with about 37,000 miles on it. we are the original owners of this van. i had the front brakes replaced last january 2009 at toyota and when i took it in for routine service in january 2010 i was told that i needed front brakes by toyota again. i talked to the toyota manager and he stated that it is typical for toyota siennas to need front brakes every 10-15 thousand miles. i've owned four different sized cars and trucks all different sizes and never had to change brakes this often. i took the van to another dealer to see if i needed new brakes and they showed me the pads and the left brake pad (driver side) is worn to needing a new pad while the right brake pad (passenger) still has about 10,000 miles on it. i'm having a hard time understanding why i need to replace front brakes every 10-15,000 miles when i bought this vehicle new. had i known that i was going to have to replace front brakes every year i wouldn't have purchased this van. i'm concerned that this is a safety issue and also don't understand why the left side brake would wear so much more than the right side. if this is normal and acceptable toyota owes it to sienna buyers to let them know prior to purchasing. *tr | |||
| 02/19/2010 | 24000 | 4 | |
| My brake master cylinder has had to be replaced 4 times in the last 2.5 years. i was terrified when my brakes would not my brake pedal went all the way down to the floor. since i am a disabled driver who cannot transfer in and out of my wheelchair on my own made it extremely worse! the first time the van had 5000 mi on it. the second time with within 25 mi and a day after i picked it up from the dealership! the dealership cover it under my warranty for the first 2 times in may of '08. now that it happened again. i was told that it was not covered under my warranty because my van was modified, but it ha 24,000 mi and 2.5 year old. the brake master cylinder was not tampered with during the conversion process and is a toyota part. there was an investigation done to find out who was at fault. it was determined that toyota's part was defective but the dealership still refuse to warranty it! the dealerships are unwilling to even help us find a solution. now i'm forced pay 1000.00+ to fix it when it should be cover under warranty. i am forced to fix it because it's my only means of transportation! my family and i are extremely upset with the service and difficulties we are receiving. i would think that if the problem is not toyota's fault, then should go the extra mile to help resolve it instead of leaving their customers out in the cold! terrible way to do business! *tr | |||
| 02/20/2010 | 39000 | 1 | |
| I am not happy with the brakes on my 2007 toyota sienna at all. on a dry surface, absolutely no problems. but on snowy roads or wet surfaces, they are not functioning properly and at couple of occasions i was scared to death when the vehicle was not stopping. if i am coming from a dry road and try to stop at an intersection (even at 30-40 miles/hr), where the surface is wet, i think the abs comes into action. then it makes some loud, rattling noise(the noise is similar to when a big truck tire rolls over a sheet of rock, the rock breaking into multiple pieces) and the car won't stop immediately. it takes a couple of seconds more to stop. on one occasion, i almost ran into the car infront of me. on another occasion, i was driving on a snowy road and was going at 30 mph in a 45mph zone and the traffic light turned yellow. i tried to stop but the car didn't stop until it went to the middle of the intersection. things i noticed is when i am going at 65 mph, i don't see any problems during normal braking. also the workaround is as soon as you realize you have to stop, pumping the break repeatedly works. *tr | |||
| 09/09/2008 | 18000 | 1 | |
| My 2007 toyota sienna's brakes makes noise and at times it takes a few more seconds before it fully responses to me. both when the car comes to a stop position the brakes makes noise and when from stop position goes to drive position; the brakes make noise. at times it is very irresponsive to when i brake. also the car accelerates on turns and when backing up. i have taken my car to a toyota dealership several times before the recalls and they have said they are not sure where the noise comes from. they have replaced couple of parts but i still hear the noise. *tr | |||
| 07/30/2008 | 20900 | 1 | |
| Rear brakes wore out at 21k miles even though front brakes were fine. dealer blamed it on corrosion even though the vehicle was only 15mos old and spent all winter in florida. the front brakes show no sign of wear or corrosion!. dealer charged for pads and rotors which did not fix the problem. eventually replaced calipers which did fix the problem. i feel that the wearing out of only the rear brake pads is very unusual and was due to original manufacturer calipers. the end result (brake failure) was unanticipated and could have resulted in handling problems and an accident. *tr | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - PEDALS AND LINKAGES | |||
| 09/10/2007 | 75 | 1 | 09/10/2007 |
| Tl* contact has a 2007 toyota sienna. the contact stated the pedal is too small to place your foot on the brake properly and causes the vehicle to slip forward. the contact feels this is a safety issue. the failure mileage was 75 and the current mileage was vehicle 50000. updated 4/7/2010 *cn the consumer stated when at a stop, the brake pedal would travel to the floor. the consumer stated the brake pedal seemed to be smaller. updated 06/14/10 | |||