I had heard of Toyota cars having problems with unintended acceleration over the past several years but I'd never heard of problems or recalls with the Sienna minivan. I am now a firm believer in this problem after what happened to me while driving our 2005 Sienna last week. I am also 100% sure the sudden, unintended acceleration was not due to floor mats or driver error, as Toyota likes to blame this problem on!
I was following a slower vehicle on a country, two lane road with occasional curves and hills. I travel this road several times a week and I'm very familiar with the area, thank goodness!
When we approached a straightway in the road and I knew it was safe and legal to pass, I pressed on the gas and pulled out around to pass the car which was only doing 40 mph at the time. As soon as I pressed the accelerator I knew immediately something was wrong. It felt like an invisible force had taken over the accelerator as it was pressed to the floor. I stepped on the brakes to try and slow the van but nothing happened. The van continued to go faster and faster as I panicked, trying to figure out what the heck was going on and how to get it to slow down! I knew there was another sharp curve coming up in the road in a few miles and I knew I had to do something fast! I continued to press as hard as I could on the brake with both feet but nothing was working! I shifted it into neutral all the while trying to keep the van on the road and avoid hitting anyone or anything! With time running out, I had made up my mind I was going to have to put the van in the ditch before I got to the curves in the road. I was somehow able to steer the van into a farm field and get off the road. At this point the van was still going without any sign of slowing down and I remember taking off my seatbelt, starting to open the door and getting ready to bail out! That little voice in my head told me to stay in the van! The thoughts running through my mind were driven by panic and adrenalin! I remember hearing the engine revving really high, smelling the brakes and starting to do donuts in the field just to try to get the van stopped. At a complete loss to explain how the van stopped, it finally did! I sat there shaking uncontrollably, shocked at what had just happened. I dialed 911 and waited for someone to come. As I gathered my thoughts, I also knew I would never drive that van again so the next call was to AAA to come tow it to the dealership where we bought it and have had it serviced for the past 9 years! A week later, it's still sitting in their parking lot waiting to be inspected. The service manager informed me when I talked to him that "they weren't touching it until someone from Toyota was sent from corporate to inspect it." After reading so many complaints and horror stories of Toyota vehicles having this same problem, I'm prepared to have them tell me there's absolutely nothing wrong with my van and it must've been my fault or the floor mats! No one will convince me of either of those excuses, ever! I love that van and had no intention of having to purchase a new vehicle at this point. It has never given us any problems and I always felt safe driving it, until last week! Either Toyota will buy it back from us or it'll get towed to a salvage yard because I will never drive it off their lot again.
Car take off as soon as you start it. If you apply brakes the raves pick up. Car engine tries to race up. Keep applying brakes to correct the raves & slow engine.
- jaffer,
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
I had heard of Toyota cars having problems with unintended acceleration over the past several years but I'd never heard of problems or recalls with the Sienna minivan. I am now a firm believer in this problem after what happened to me while driving our 2005 Sienna last week. I am also 100% sure the sudden, unintended acceleration was not due to floor mats or driver error, as Toyota likes to blame this problem on!
I was following a slower vehicle on a country, two lane road with occasional curves and hills. I travel this road several times a week and I'm very familiar with the area, thank goodness!
When we approached a straightway in the road and I knew it was safe and legal to pass, I pressed on the gas and pulled out around to pass the car which was only doing 40 mph at the time. As soon as I pressed the accelerator I knew immediately something was wrong. It felt like an invisible force had taken over the accelerator as it was pressed to the floor. I stepped on the brakes to try and slow the van but nothing happened. The van continued to go faster and faster as I panicked, trying to figure out what the heck was going on and how to get it to slow down! I knew there was another sharp curve coming up in the road in a few miles and I knew I had to do something fast! I continued to press as hard as I could on the brake with both feet but nothing was working! I shifted it into neutral all the while trying to keep the van on the road and avoid hitting anyone or anything! With time running out, I had made up my mind I was going to have to put the van in the ditch before I got to the curves in the road. I was somehow able to steer the van into a farm field and get off the road. At this point the van was still going without any sign of slowing down and I remember taking off my seatbelt, starting to open the door and getting ready to bail out! That little voice in my head told me to stay in the van! The thoughts running through my mind were driven by panic and adrenalin! I remember hearing the engine revving really high, smelling the brakes and starting to do donuts in the field just to try to get the van stopped. At a complete loss to explain how the van stopped, it finally did! I sat there shaking uncontrollably, shocked at what had just happened. I dialed 911 and waited for someone to come. As I gathered my thoughts, I also knew I would never drive that van again so the next call was to AAA to come tow it to the dealership where we bought it and have had it serviced for the past 9 years! A week later, it's still sitting in their parking lot waiting to be inspected. The service manager informed me when I talked to him that "they weren't touching it until someone from Toyota was sent from corporate to inspect it." After reading so many complaints and horror stories of Toyota vehicles having this same problem, I'm prepared to have them tell me there's absolutely nothing wrong with my van and it must've been my fault or the floor mats! No one will convince me of either of those excuses, ever! I love that van and had no intention of having to purchase a new vehicle at this point. It has never given us any problems and I always felt safe driving it, until last week! Either Toyota will buy it back from us or it'll get towed to a salvage yard because I will never drive it off their lot again.
- skline, West Salem, OH, US