Toyota Sienna Recall Issued After Reports Minivans May Roll Away
Following reports of Toyota minivans rolling away, a recall has been issued for roughly 614,722 Sienna vehicles due to concerns that they may shift out of park without having the brake pedal applied, increasing the risk of an accident or injury for drivers, passengers, and bystanders.
The Toyota Sienna recall (PDF) was announced by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) on September 26, after the manufacturer investigated a number of incidents involving the vehicles coming out of gear without the brake being applied. Reports indicate that the problem has led to 21 incidents, including at least two injuries.
The investigation found that the vehicles may experience a problem in the shift lock solenoid that causes the shift lever to move out of the park position without depressing the brake pedal. The defect may be caused by either a manufacturing variation in the dimensions of the stopper or the existence of a burr on the slider.
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Learn MoreIf the shift lever moves out of park, it will either engage the drive or neutral gear, allowing the Toyota Sienna minivan to unintentionally move freely, posing a crash hazard.
The recall includes 2004 through 2005 Toyota Sienna vehicles manufactured between January 10, 2003 and August 10, 2005, and all 2007 through 2009 Toyota Sienna models manufactured between February 20, 2007 and December 12, 2008.
The affected vehicles were manufactured by Toyota Motor Manufacturing Indiana, Inc., of Princeton, Indiana and were supplied with the defective shift lever assembly by TRAM, Inc., of Plymouth, Michigan.
Owners and dealers will be notified by letter in the mail of the recall in late October and will be notified again when the parts to repair the problem become available. Toyota announced it will replace the shift lock solenoid free of charge. Owners with questions may contact Toyota at 1-800-331-4331.
Photo Courtesy of: http://www.flickr.com/photos/danielctw/ / CC BY 2.0
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3 Comments
SaulMarch 19, 2016 at 10:34 pm
my toyota sienna 2005 went out of gear with engine off my wife and my daughter were in she park the van in front of starbucks coffee the van start goin away my wife saw its going straight to the glass wall she turn the wheel drive to her right crashing to the poll they both got very scar.it happen march / 15 / 2016 in the city of lake forest ca.
SteveJune 9, 2015 at 7:36 pm
My wife got out of her Sienna in the driveway, and the car rolled backwards, knocked her down, and ran over her, causing a major bruise that required emergency room attention and permanent disfigurement. I caught the car and got it stopped before it could hit anything else.
DamionJuly 8, 2014 at 4:45 pm
My 2005 sienna came out of gear with my three year old twins and five year old in the car with the key out of the ignition on Father's Day very scary. The side door was also open when they rolled across a very busy road on a blind hill. I thought a car was going to drive in the open door. This is a very serious problem. After this happened I got on the computer and found the car has a recall becau[Show More]My 2005 sienna came out of gear with my three year old twins and five year old in the car with the key out of the ignition on Father's Day very scary. The side door was also open when they rolled across a very busy road on a blind hill. I thought a car was going to drive in the open door. This is a very serious problem. After this happened I got on the computer and found the car has a recall because of this problem.