NHTSA Complaint #10428870 — 2006 TOYOTA SIENNA

THE TOYOTA SIENNA 2006 AUTOMATED SLIDING SIDE DOOR BEGAN TO STICK AND CLOSE MORE SLOWLY ABOUT A MONTH BEFORE IT BECAME PERMANENTLY STUCK. ONCE IT BECAME STUCK, THE DOOR WOULD NOT CLOSE, REQUIRING ME TO DRIVE WITH A HALF-OPEN DOOR TO THE DEALERSHIP OR HAVE THE CAR TOWED. WHEN I TOOK IT TO THE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP THEY INFORMED ME I COULD PAY $1600 TO REPLACE THE DOOR MOTOR AND FIX THE CABLE. TOYOTA DID NOT INFORM ME THAT WE COULD CUT THE CABLE AS A WAY TO MAKE THE DOOR AT LEAST FUNCTION. I REQUESTED THEY CUT THE CABLE, PERMANENTLY CONVERTING THE SLIDING SIDE DOOR TO A MANUALLY OPERATED SLIDING DOOR. THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL ON THIS DOOR MALFUNCTION, WHICH PLACES CHILDREN SITTING IN THE BACK AREA OF THE SIENNA AT RISK WHEN THE SLIDING DOOR UNEXPECTEDLY FAILS. *TR