I have 1998 Toyota Sienna. When opening the rear door the handle broke off in my hand! in looking for the replacement part on the web I see that many owners have this problem. It looks like a serious design flaw, and dangerous because in an accident the rear door can't be opened at all! what can be done about this?

- Norfolk, VA, USA

Driver's side door handle, both sliding door handles, and rear hatch handle have broke or are still broken. Driver's handle and one side door handle have been super glued to make operational.

- Acworth, GA, USA

Rear door handle on 1998 Toyota Sienna van broke off during normal use. Door can not be opened from interior or exterior now. This presents a significant danger to passengers in the event of fire and or accident as egress from this door is unavailable.

- Indianapolis, IN, USA

Rear door latch on 98 Sienna broke when being opened normally. No excessive force was used. Rear hatch is now unable to be opened from inside or out in an emergency.

- Wappingers Falls, NY, USA

Outside handle for rear liftgate broke when I attempted to open. The liftgate was then locked and remained that way till fixed because there is no inside release. This created safety issue. Dealer installed new handle unit at cost of $250 saying "normal wear and tear".

- Villa Hills, KY, USA

Outside latch release on rear liftgate broke when I attempted to open liftgate. This caused us to note (as we had never before) that there is no inside release for the liftgate, which could be a major safety hazard in case of a crash where the rear liftgate might be the only way out of the van. We feel strongly that Toyota should have to correct this safety design flaw in all 1998 Sienna vans, and that it should have to pay for our repairs in this case.

- Chapel Hill, NC, USA