NHTSA Complaint #10366105 — 2000 TOYOTA SIENNA

I HAVE OWNED THIS VEHICLE SINCE 2003 AND HAVE NEVER HAD ANY MAJOR PROBLEMS WITH IT. IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN VERY RELIABLE. HOWEVER, ON SEPTEMBER 21 WHILE DRIVING EAST ON I20 IN THE DALLAS AREA, I ACCELERATED THE VEHICLE WHILE ON A SLIGHTLY STEEP HILL. THE ENGINE SUDDENLY QUIT FOR A FEW SECONDS WHILE I WAS DRIVING AND ALL THE EQUIPMENT LIGHTS CAME ON. IT THEN MYSTERIOUSLY STARTED BACK AGAIN AND I KEPT DRIVING. THIS HAPPENED A COUPLE MORE TIMES WHILE DRIVING EAST ON ILLINOIS AVENUE IN DALLAS AND IT FINALLY DIED COMPLETELY ON THE SAME STREET . THE ENGINE WOULD NOT START AND EVEN THE LIGHTS WOULD NOT COME ON. I WAS ABLE TO PULL INTO THE CITY OF DALLAS'S PARKING LOT BEFORE THE VEHICLE STOPPED COMPLETELY. I HAD THE VAN TOWED TO ONE OF THE TOYOTA DEALERS IN DALLAS. THEY CHECKED IT OUT AND COULD NOT FIND ANY PROBLEMS WITH IT. THEN ON MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 25 THE VEHICLE WAS COMPLETELY DEAD IN OUR GARAGE AT HOME. I JUMP STARTED THE VEHICLE AND DROVE IT AGAIN TO METROPLEX TOYOTA ON TUESDAY, OCTOBER 5. THE ONLY THING THEY FOUND WAS THE INTAKE HOSE CLAMP AT T-BODY WAS VERY LOOSE AND THE POWER DOOR LIGHT WAS COMING ON. THEY TIGHTENED THE HOSE CLAMP AND RE-INITIALIZED THE POWER DOOR. AGAIN, ON NOVEMBER 11, I WAS DRIVING EAST ON I 30 WHEN THE VAN COMPLETELY DIED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE HIGHWAY. EVEN THE HAZARD LIGHTS WOULD NOT COME ON. I WAS STUCK IN THE MIDDLE OF A BUSY FREEWAY. FORTUNATELY, I 30 WAS BACKED UP AND NO ONE PLOWED INTO THE REAR BECAUSE MOST VEHICLES DRIVE AT 60-70 MPH ON THAT FREEWAY. I HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO METROPLEX TOYOTA AGAIN. THIS TIME THE ONLY THING THEY COULD FIND WRONG WAS THAT THE BATTERY WAS NOT HELD DOWN TIGHTLY. HOWEVER, WHILE I WAS GOING TO DRIVE AWAY IN THE VAN, I NOTICED THAT THE POWER DOOR LIGHT WAS ON AGAIN AND THE DOOR WOULD NOT CLOSE PROPERLY. WE FINALLY DECIDED TO LEAVE THE VEHICLE WITH THE DEALER FOR SOME TIME SO IT COULD BE CHECKED OUT.