NHTSA Complaint #10314003 — 2004 TOYOTA SIENNA

AT ANY SPEED THE TRACTION CONTROL/ABS SYSTEM WARNING LIGHT ACTIVATED CAUSING THE ANTILOCK BREAKS TO START PUMPING AND MAKING IT DIFFICULT TO STEER. THIS OCCURRED THREE TIMES DURING OUR TRIP, EVEN AT HIGH SPEEDS SUCH AS 55 MPH, WHICH COULD HAVE EASILY CAUSED A COLLISION IF SOMEONE WAS DRIVING BEHIND US. IT ALSO FELT AS IF IT WAS DIFFICULT TO STEER THE VEHICLE. WE BROUGHT THE MINIVAN TO PERUZZI TOYOTA IN HATFIELD PA AND EXPLAINED THE PROBLEM ADDING WE HAD PAID FOR AN EXTENDED WARRANTY, THEY SAID IT WAS NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. IT WAS CAUSED BY BATTERY DRAINAGE AND THAT A SENSOR BETWEEN THE STEERING WHEEL AND THE COLUMN HAD TO BE RECALIBRATED AND WE HAD TO PURCHASE A NEW BATTERY. I FIND IT SUSPICIOUS AND ALARMING THAT THIS SAFETY CONCERN COULD HAPPEN TO A VEHICLE DUE TO LOW BATTERY - ESPECIALLY SINCE THERE WAS NO INDICATION OF LOW BATTERY. THERE WERE NO WARNING LIGHTS AND ALL OTHER VEHICLE OPERATIONS FUNCTIONED PROPERLY. ALSO, NO DOORS WERE LEFT OPEN AND NO LIGHTS WERE LEFT ON, ETC... IN ORDER TO DRAIN THE BATTERY. EVEN IF THE PRIMARY CAUSE WAS THE BATTERY, THE BREAKS SHOULD NOT BECOME ACTIVATED AND THE STEERING DIFFICULT WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD AT 50 MPH WITH MY FAMILY IN THE CARE. CONSIDERING THE RECENT RECALL OF TOYOTA VEHICLES, I'M CONCERNED PERUZZI TOYOTA MIGHT HAVE GIVEN US FALSE INFORMATION. *TR