2002 Toyota Sienna Transmission and drivetrain Problems

“I backed out of my driveway onto the road. I shifted from reverse to drive. I put my foot on the gas pedal and did not experience typical acceleration. I took my foot off the gas pedal completely. Then I put my foot back on the gas pedal and pushed down harder than normal to see if I got a response. At this point the engine began to rev. Then I had to put my foot on the brake to prevent the car from moving forward. Even with my foot on the brake the engine continue to rev and the car was still moving forward. …”

“My wife was backing out of a parking space on a slight incline. When she stopped and tried to put the car into drive, the gearshift broke. We had the van towed to the Toyota dealer and they determined that the metal parts into which the gear shaft inserts had broken clean in half. Neither the customer service rep nor the mechanic had ever seen that happen before they claimed. Nevertheless, Toyota did not deem this to be a defect and we had to pay close to $800 to have it fixed. …”

“I had bought my van may 2,2003 with about 19,000 miles. On october 7, while driving about 30 MPH, the vehicle started smoking. When I pulled into a parking stall, passerbyers were yelling that my car was on fire. Fire department extinguished the flames. An independent arson investigator said he found transmission fluid in the engine, and that it had probably been leaking since I purchased my van.”

“I hope you will be able to help me out. My Sienna has 61022 mileages on it and we baby this car to the 't'. On february 11, 2008, I had just started the vehicle and was about to change from 'p' to 'd' when the gear shift lever broke. No force was used and we always pull back the shifter and change gears with minimal force. I had the vehicle towed to the dealer and the technician showed me where the aluminum brackets broke in three places. I was in shock that the design and material was not made engineered to last. …”

“Observed slipping during full stops, engine died several occasions before the actual total failure of parts involved, loss of forward motion or speed pick-up, transmission fluid leaked (Toyota issued an automatic transaxle warranty enhancement notice involving 1998-2000 siennas but apparently the company already have knowledge of this problem to occur).”