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SHORT POST: Two days after buying our 2011 Toyota Sienna XLE, we started experiencing steering/braking problems.

Two weeks after buying it, the trunk door stopped operating. It now opens and closes at will and is completely misaligned.

The trunk door's remote controlled electronics are screwed up and we have to manually force it down to close shut and stay shut.

On top of that, the dealership claims WE "bent" it (there are no dents or dings anywhere btw, and we are lost as to how it got "bent"... maybe we took a sledgehammer to the door joints??).

What next... the passenger seats start sliding at will and the seatbelts start popping out?

This car is a danger.

Toyota is right - with a Sienna, ANYTHING could happen. How magical is that?

Of course, Toyota refuses to fix the problem... on a brand new less than 14 day old car (with additional 7 year extended warranty above and beyond the regular warranty).

What's the point of paying close to 40 grand? You get to be the biggest fool you'll ever know.

You also get to think each and every moment how much you are playing around with your children's safety by having this car in your garage.

At any time, the mechanically-astute passenger side door might decide it would like to open up right in the middle of traffic, and lo and behold, your kid is thrown out like bathwater. Or the wonderful sliding "captain: seats might just like to slip and slide around on their own while you're driving. Or maybe your sunroof will come crashing down and end your Sienn-ic misery. It's definitely a very... "Mommy" feeling.

Trust Toyota - never again.

Note: (This car was purchased in July 2010 from a dealership in MD. The owner lives in NJ and her local area NJ dealership has refused to even consider that the car's mechanism is faulty. Drive back to MD and face another rejection there? Sure Toyota, after stiffing us for 40 large, we've got nothing else to do but kowtow to you. Nice.)

_____________________________________________________________________

LONG POST: We bought our first minivan - a Toyota Sienna XLE 2011- barely two weeks ago. We live in central NJ and drove about 4 hours to Toyota/Carmax of Laurel MD to buy the car because they do not haggle at Carmax . We had bought our previous two Toyotas, both Camrys, there, and had positive experience with the dealership as well as the cars. Within two days, the Sienna's steering started to creak when turning. It was very slight at first, we thought it was "new car settling in pains"... since we had driven it straight home 3 hours from the Laurel dealership, and it had barely 11 miles on it when we started driving, we thought it was "settling in". There had never been this kind of problem with the two Camrys, both new, one a 2006 and the other a 2009. We had driven them home with no complaints, and they worked (and still work) beautifully. The 2009 Camry did show some acceleration problems in the first months - after four months I started to notice it, but no one believed me, including our local NJ dealership DCH Toyota on Route 1. Since it was not a regular problem - just maybe once a few months - I didn't think too much of it until the Toyota recall for the pedals happened. I could have been one of those who had been in a bad accident, but thankfully I was not, and while my 2009 Camry was part of the recall, and we did go to the local NJ DCH TOYOTA dealership on Route 1 to get it checked put, that was all there was to that car, and it works just fine. So, overall our experience with Toyota had been just fine and we were very excited to get out first minivan, the Toyota Sienna, of course from the same Laurel, MD Carmax/Toyota dealership, and from the same dealer who we trusted. We got the car we wanted, in the color we wanted, with the things we wanted, at the price that was just right, with no need to haggle or bargain like at other dealerships, one set price take it or leave it, and we got the extended warranty plus free two years of maintenance from Toyota because it was being offered, and we were beginning to be very happy about our purchase.

Now, two days later the creaking in the steering wheel started, and it got a tiny bit more and more every day, so after a week we decided to get the minivan checked out the following weekend (maybe it was just us, new minivan owners with their "silly scares" which maybe turn out to be nothing)at the DCH Toyota in NJ. My husband didn't hear the creaks frankly, but I did, and with the whole pedals situation that had happened with my 2009 Camry (with no one listening to me), my husband decided he would go show it to the local dealership just for a quick once-over just in case, to satisfy me.

However, just before we could do that, the Sunday before (remember - we were planning to take the car in on the next weekend, call DCH and get an appointment and go on the next Saturday when time allowed) suddenly- lo and behold - our trunk door stopped working. This is how it happened.

We went to the park with our kids. We took stuff out of the truck โ€“ kiddie bike, scooters, etc. Light kiddie stuff for little kids. We never needed to sit in or close the last passenger seats to fit stuff in, it's an eight seater, remember, and we never even had a chance to sit in the back seats yet, they were still up and just the way they were when we left the dealership. So, the trunk space as it is was just enough for us so far.

Anyway, we got what we needed and then closed the trunk as usual with the remote key fob (that remote thingy that had the buttons and ignition key with it on the tacky Carmax keychain).

Anyway, we went in and were enjoying the park. A little while later, I came to the car to get something to drink, opened my driver-side door, took a drink out, closed my driver door, opened the left passenger door (with the remote fob again) to something else out from that side, closed that door, and then went to the park again. This happened a few times, as is usual with families, then my husband and I both needed to get something out of the trunk, so we did - I opened the remotely, we got the things we needed out, and put other stuff back in, and then I pressed the remote to close the trunk. Weird clicking sound. Hmm, guess that's something new. Anywayโ€ฆ trunk door starts to close, we move away to go into the park again, stop to notice door gets to the closing point and opens up again. Automatically. So we figure, oh well, guess I didn't press the close door button hard enough.

Soโ€ฆ press remote key fob again to close trunk, trunk goes all the way till the closing point, then opens up again. What the ***. This happens a few more times. We then put the key in the ignition to start the car up and see if it's something messed up with the "timing" or "starting" or whatever. Nope, trunk just won't close, no matter how many keys are pressed from the inside, outside or trunk of the minivan. And this thing is fully automatic. It DOES NOT close easily by pressing it shut - which eventually we are forced to do just so we can go home. People were watching. They probably thoughtโ€ฆ idiots can't even get their brand new car's trunk to close. It felt justโ€ฆ ***.

Next day, we take it to DCH Toyota on Route 1 to figure out what's wrong. We think it's just something we're doing wrong - incorrect button or whatever. We leave it at the body shop at 8am. The service person does not bother to return our calls until 4:30pm, and within 20 minutes he calls back again to say the door is bent, take it back to wherever you bought it from and ask them to fix it. Drive 3.4 hours to MD again??!! ***, no!! Why doesn't DCH Toyota fix it?? It's supposed to be covered under warranty after all, and it's brand new isn't it??

Then the realization sinks in... The trunk door is bent. THE TRUNK DOOR IS BENT!!! It's a TEN DAY OLD BRAND NEW LEATHER-TRIMMED XLE and IT'S GOT A BENT DOOR!!! How the heck did that happen??? If someone banged into it, where's the dent?? This thing was fine the day we bought it. The second day, it starts to creak. Now it's shuddering and bent!! And the best part is - DCH TOYOTA REFUSES TO FIX IT!!! OUR LAUREL TOYOTA DEALER CAR WON'T FIX IT (not to mention - it's 3.5 hours drive away!!)!! NO ONE IN TOYOTA WILL FIX IT!!! They say WE bent it!! Excuse me?? And how did WE do that exactly??? By pressing a REMOTE KEY CHAIN BUTTON??? SHOW US HOW WE DENTED IT โ€“ IF THAT'S WHAT TOYOTA THINKS HAPPENED!! They don't even have an answer for that!! WHAT IS GOING ON??!!

I have KIDS. I drive KIDS and their KIDDIE friends all over the world to their activities and things. I CANNOT DRIVE A CAR THAT IS BRAND NEW AND BROKEN DOWN THROUGH NO FAULT OF MY OWN!!

There is only one thing I can think of that makes any sense - this Sienna was built shoddily. That's all I can think of. If the thing is creaking on Day 2, and bending out of shape on Day 10, what next? The passenger side doors will start opening in the middle of traffic? The seatbelts will start popping out?? ZERO QUALITY. TOTALLY UNSAFE. AND TOYOTA REFUSES TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY. How can a BRAND NEW Minivan Just Go and BREAK DOWN (electronics stop working, whatever) without ever being in so much as a bubble-blowing-accident??? WHAT IS GOING ON??? HOW MANY PEOPLE NEED TO BUY THIS UNSAFE CAR AND DISCOVER ITS PROBLEMS BEFORE TOYOTA FINALLY OWNS UP TO ITS MISTAKES???

I have been a customer with DCH Toyota for FIVE years - and they are refusing to fix the trunk door!! This, after the car has a paid-for-in-cash seven year extended warranty IN ADDITION to its regular 36,000 mile/3 yr warranty. DCH Toyota says we need to talk to our insurance company to pay for the "damages"... excuse me??? WHAT DAMAGES??? The trunk door is IMMACULATE. It's a beautiful Predawn Mica with grey leather interior and it's... beautiful. But beauty only goes skin deep.

There's nothing the heck wrong with it except ELECTRONICS or MISALIGNMENT OF THE DOOR (? I guess that's why the door doesn't close - just a guess, I donno WHAT those body shop people did to it after we left it there - who knows, maybe THEY bent it or dinged it or something and waited the whole day to cover up for it and called us right at the end of the day to come pick it up... who knows WHAT goes on inside a body shop...and now, especially a TOYOTA body shop...!!)

IT'S SIMPLY BAD MANUFACTURING. I am not an electrical engineer. I am a housewife. I did NOT make this machine. I have no idea what to do with it except DRIVE it. TOYOTA ENGINEERS made this mess. TOYOTA COST-CUTTING and TOYOTA MANAGEMENT is making DCH Toyota and the Laurel Toyota MAKE US - the CONSUMER - PAY FOR TOYOTA'S MISTAKES... after paying 35K of my husband's hard-earned money for the car, apparently that wasn't enough for Toyota. And my husband and I or our INSURANCE company is supposed to pay for fixing the door?? WHATEVER FOR????

In all likelihood, the minivan was damaged goods even BEFORE it got to the Laurel MD dealership lot, even BEFORE we bought it - IT WAS BAD QUALITY, THOROUGHLY UNCHECKED, COMPLETELY UNTESTED - SLOPPILY BUILT - JUST MADE AND SOLD. And we got suckered into buying itโ€ฆ out of brand loyalty. WHAT LOYALTY does TOYOTA have for its customers??? If anything happens to my kids or anyone else's kids in that UNSAFE TOYOTA SIENNA XLE 2011 - who will be responsible???

Toyota Engineers, Toyota Management, the Laurel Toyota dealership, the New Jersey DCH Toyota dealership, Mr. Toyoda the Head of Toyota Motor Corp., or us, the "***"sumers who have unwittingly paid hard-earned money for something DANGEROUS ON THE ROAD? Who will be responsible?

I PAID 35 THOUSAND US DOLLARS FOR A PIECE OF JUNK. Others may find that amount a pittance and may think a Toyota Sienna is worth it or whatever. Our experience says otherwise. It was a LOT of money for us. We do NOT go out buying a new car everyday. Some people do and may. We need a RELIABLE and SAFE transportation method, besides public. Is it FAIR to CHEAT an ordinary human being out of his/her sweat and toil? How does Toyota show face to its employees โ€“ isn't it cheating its own workers by having them cheaply manufacture shoddy minivans in which families are unsafe, and then refuse to fix or replace those minivans when they are found to be defective through no fault of the consumer? Why is Toyota BENT on cheating everyone so very much? And WHO is going to FIX (OR REPLACE) MY MINIVAN???

Monetary Loss: $40.

Location: Annandale, New Jersey

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Dannette Byh

GM and Toyota are cut from the same cloth! Bob Hilliard along with Trudy Baltazar and others were instrumental in freeing imprisoned Koua Fong Lee, Toyota owner whose Camry suddenly accelerated and crashed, killing several members of one family.

Koua Fong Lee served four years of his eight year sentence after he was wrongfully convicted. He missed the birth of one of his children. He is so honest that he refused to cut a deal by admitting fault.

Toyota did NOTHING.

Unfortunately, Koua Fong Lee is far from alone. An embedded software expert. Michael Barr, has found the ECTS-i in Toyota and Lexus vehicles has poorly designed software and glitches can lead to an ELECTRONIC sudden unintended acceleration with an ineffective fail-safe. Translation: a runaway Toyota with ineffective brakes.

Problem? Mr. Barr's 300-page report is court-sealed. It was a big part of the Oklahoma Bookout vs.

Toyota SUA case won by the 2005 Toyota Camry owner.

Toyota and Lexus vehicles continue to violently accelerate from parking lots and stopped positions and crash into storefronts, buildings, and homes where deaths have resulted. Jail time has been served. Lives have been forever changed.

Vehicle owners continue to complain to Toyota but Toyota says the vehicles are fine...no traceable problem found. BUT...does Toyota know the truth and is it keeping it secret?

No public corporate response has been given to Toyota whistleblower and translator, Betsy Benjaminson's publicly-disclosed Toyota internal documents which show evidence that Toyota knows what's happening. However, Toyota is currently attempting to stop Betsy's actions behind-the-scenes via legal motions. Is Toyota more customer-responsive as promised or more public information-suppressive as historically-demonstrated?

It seems that Mary Barra may follow in Toyota CEO, James Lentz's footsteps. Denial is so much easier. Blaming the vehicle owners is more lucrative and less damaging to the self-lauded public image, after all. What the public doesn't know can't hurt it...or can it?

As we've seen with both GM and Toyota, the vehicle owners and their families have to become vocal and organize in order to be heard by the automaker. Even then, the automakers dance around the issues and choose words carefully in order to escape full responsibility. What's wrong with this picture? Why isn't NHTSA protecting the vehicle owners instead of the automakers?

The system is severely broken and needs repair. It will take public outrage about the lack of safety standards in vehicles before change is impacted. Unfortunately, the public is in the dark thanks to the automakers and the beholden media. Couple this with an in-the-back-pocket government regulatory agency and you've got a runaway train, right?

Add Reputation Management Companies and on-line suppression of vehicle owner complaints and dialogue and you've got criminal culpability, don't you?

Until the fix is in effect, vehicle owners are the "test pilots." Driving these vehicles with unsafe parts and poorly designed software is like playing Russian roulette, isn't it? Charlene Blake

Dannette Byh

Singer/songwriter, Kris Kitko did an AWESOME job on her YouTube video directed at Toyota regarding her own real world experience with Toyota SUA, sudden unintended acceleration. With her satirical approach, she completely destroyed the Toyota and NHTSA myth about SUA, namely โ€œpedal misapplicationโ€ by drivers.

Unfortunately, Kris Kitkoโ€™s YouTube video is no longer available for viewing online.

In the wake of the NHTSA/DOJ $1.2 BILLION settlement following a CRIMINAL investigation, Kris should be encouraged to use her finely-honed musical skills to do a sequel to her first Toyota SUA YouTube video. The U.S. Federal Government allowed Toyota โ€œdeferred prosecutionโ€ in this settlement provided it follow the steps outlined in the terms of the agreement. No oneโ€ฆnot one single Toyota executiveโ€ฆis going to serve any prison time for knowingly withholding evidence that could have saved many lives and ensured public safety on the roads.Toyota ADMITTED that it LIED to both the Toyota customers and the government.

Michael Barr, renowned embedded systems expert, after studying Toyotaโ€™s ETCS-I far longer than NASA did, found the existence of faults in the software which could lead to a real-world, potentially-catastrophic SUA event with a number of potentially ineffective failsafes.

Imagine flying down the road in a Toyota with no functioning brake override to exit a software task-death! Isnโ€™t that a bit like being on a high-speed roller coaster and having the track fail to keep you on? And want to know the most SHOCKING part? Toyota reportedly didn't have a copy of the code in their OWN monitor chip!

Michael Barr and company had to SHOW them! Can we just say, โ€œScary!โ€

Toyota cites that there is no electronic cause for SUA in its vehicles based on the short-duration investigations by NHTSA and NASA. Michael Barr and other experts have shown these studies to be scientifically seriously flawed. First, the ETCS-I software investigation was extremely limited.

Only a SMALL FRACTION of the embedded software was tested by NASA.

Secondly, Toyota misrepresented the presence of EDAC RAM (error detection and correction random access memory) while indications of this issue were apparently redacted in the original NHTSA report. This misled NASA into NOT LOOKING INTO a number of potential sources of failure โ€“ which they may otherwise might have.

According to NASA expert, Dr. Henning Leidecker, some Toyota's can grow "tin whiskers" within certain electronic components. This can result in short circuits which can lead to yet another type of electronically-induced SUA event.

Dr. Leidecker and associates actually DID FIND and study a case of "tin whiskers" found within the accelerator pedal assembly; rendering a Toyota vehicle UNDRIVEABLE. Dr. Leidecker suggests driving the affected Toyota vehicles is "a game of Russian roulette." Dr.

Leidecker is most concerned about 2002-**** Toyota Camrys with their potential to grow "tin whiskers." He indicates the risk of this condition increases over time. Meanwhile, whistleblower Betsy Benjaminson remains scared for Toyota drivers. She is convinced Toyota's own internal documents strongly indicate SOMETHING IS WRONG with their ETCS-i ELECTRONICS . She says "ghosts" indicate glitches can cause a runaway car.

Betsy now blogs on a Blogger website where she continues to EXPOSE key documents that she says open the company's PR KIMONO. Betsy's goal is to reveal the true inside story of Toyota's SUA problem and to demonstrate and expose the differences between the company walk and company talk. How did Betsy turn whistleblower? As a Japanese-to-English translator, Betsy was hired by Toyota's legal team to translate documents for the criminal investigation of Toyota.

Just like the DOJ, Betsy SMELLED A RAT. After checking with top experts, she came forward to alert the public to the major safety issues involved. Toyota owner, turned consumer activist-blogger, Parris Boyd has been blogging about what he calls โ€œThe Recall Kingโ€ (a.k.a. Toyota) for years.

His blog, โ€œBeware of Toyota. Their next victim may be YOUโ€ฆโ€ was initially an outlet for his frustration with Toyota, after his MR2 Spyderโ€™s engine disintegrated at low mileage. Parris went for assistance. What he faced was an unresponsive, stonewalling company in a state of denial.

During the height of Toyotaโ€™s engine oil SLUDGE debacle, Parris created his blog with the goal of using his free speech to help other similarly-affected Toyota owners. He also wanted the public to know just how Toyota and its dealerships treated their โ€œvalued customers.โ€ Parrisโ€™s Blogger website currently receives over 100 views a day! So, WHY is Toyota trying so hard to CONVINCE its own customers and the public that its vehicles suffer from SUA caused only by 1) improperly placed or type of floor mats (huh?); 2) sticky accelerator pedals (like those pesky sticky Sienna minivan sliding doors?); or 3) pedal misapplication (oh...the little old lady theory?). Why does it IGNORE the recent findings of the electronic experts?

WHY isnโ€™t it currently LISTENING to its own customers?

Well, YOU be the judge. The FACTS are before you.

Dannette Byh

GM and Toyota are cut from the same cloth! Bob Hilliard along with Trudy Baltazar and others were instrumental in freeing imprisoned Koua Fong Lee, Toyota owner whose Camry suddenly accelerated and crashed, killing several members of one family.

Koua Fong Lee served four years of his eight year sentence after he was wrongfully convicted. He missed the birth of one of his children. He is so honest that he refused to cut a deal by admitting fault.

Toyota did NOTHING.

Unfortunately, Koua Fong Lee is far from alone. An embedded software expert. Michael Barr, has found the ECTS-i in Toyota and Lexus vehicles has poorly designed software and glitches can lead to an ELECTRONIC sudden unintended acceleration with an ineffective fail-safe. Translation: a runaway Toyota with ineffective brakes.

Problem? Mr. Barr's 300-page report is court-sealed. It was a big part of the Oklahoma Bookout vs.

Toyota SUA case won by the 2005 Toyota Camry owner.

Toyota and Lexus vehicles continue to violently accelerate from parking lots and stopped positions and crash into storefronts, buildings, and homes where deaths have resulted. Jail time has been served. Lives have been forever changed.

Vehicle owners continue to complain to Toyota but Toyota says the vehicles are fine...no traceable problem found. BUT...does Toyota know the truth and is it keeping it secret?

No public corporate response has been given to Toyota whistleblower and translator, Betsy Benjaminson's publicly-disclosed Toyota internal documents which show evidence that Toyota knows what's happening. However, Toyota is currently attempting to stop Betsy's actions behind-the-scenes via legal motions. Is Toyota more customer-responsive as promised or more public information-suppressive as historically-demonstrated?

It seems that Mary Barra may follow in Toyota CEO, James Lentz's footsteps. Denial is so much easier. Blaming the vehicle owners is more lucrative and less damaging to the self-lauded public image, after all. What the public doesn't know can't hurt it...or can it?

As we've seen with both GM and Toyota, the vehicle owners and their families have to become vocal and organize in order to be heard by the automaker. Even then, the automakers dance around the issues and choose words carefully in order to escape full responsibility. What's wrong with this picture? Why isn't NHTSA protecting the vehicle owners instead of the automakers?

The system is severely broken and needs repair. It will take public outrage about the lack of safety standards in vehicles before change is impacted. Unfortunately, the public is in the dark thanks to the automakers and the beholden media. Couple this with an in-the-back-pocket government regulatory agency and you've got a runaway train, right?

Add Reputation Management Companies and on-line suppression of vehicle owner complaints and dialogue and you've got criminal culpability, don't you?

Until the fix is in effect, vehicle owners are the "test pilots." Driving these vehicles with unsafe parts and poorly designed software is like playing Russian roulette, isn't it? Charlene Blake

Guest

Stay American? Right.

Maybe before you post comments like that, you should know what you're talking about. The Toyota Sienna is 100% American. Designed in Detroit.

Built in Illinois.

If there is any lesson here, it is to stay Japanese.

Guest

Dont get me started on Toyota! All they do is point the finger at someone else and cant accept responsibility!

Moral of the story stay AMERICAN.

I learned the hard way! :(

Guest

We have the 2011 Sienna XLE and the trunk door is misaligned. The local Toyota dealership says that it is operator error and they can't fix it under warranty. I took it to 2 body shops who don't know how to fix it!

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