NHTSA Complaint #10429237 — 2011 TOYOTA SIENNA

PURCHASED OUR NEW 2011 SIENNA XLE AWD IN JULY 2010, FROM KOONS TOYOTA IN WESTMINSTER, MD. IN EARLY SEPTEMBER 2011, MY WIFE COMPLAINED OF A BAD ODOR IN THE VAN. ON 09/10/11 I COMBED THROUGH THE VAN, THINKING THAT ONE OF OUR CHILDREN HAD SPILLED OR DROPPED SOMETHING THAT WAS CAUSING THE SMELL. INSTEAD, I FOUND THAT THE FLOOR OF THE VAN, UNDER THE CARPETS, WAS SOAKED THROUGHOUT. I IMMEDIATELY CALLED THE DEALER, AND THEY PICKED UP THE VAN ON 09/12/2011. THE FOLLOWING DAY I RECEIVED A CALL FROM THE DEALER'S SERVICE ADVISOR, WHO INFORMED ME THAT THE PROBLEM WAS WORSE HAD BEEN IMMEDIATELY APPARENT: WATER WAS ACTUALLY POOLING UNDER THE CARPETS. HE ALSO SAID THEIR MECHANICS HAD SPEND ALL DAY ON THE PROBLEM AND HAD NOT BEEN ABLE TO DETERMINE HOW THE WATER HAD SEEPED INTO THE CAR, AND THAT THE NEXT STEP WAS FOR A TOYOTA REGIONAL SPECIALIST TO LOOK AT THE VAN, THAT WEEK. A FEW DAYS LATER, THAT HAPPENED, BUT THAT TECHNICIAN, TOO, WAS UNABLE TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM. AS A RESULT, THE DEALER ESSENTIALLY SAID IT WAS MY PROBLEM. I THEN CALLED TOYOTA USA HQ AND, TOO, MY INSURANCE COMPANY (USAA); WITH THE FORMER, I INITIATED A CASE/COMPLAINT, WITH THE LATTER, A COMPREHENSIVE CLAIM. ON SEPTEMBER 22, I SENT TOYOTA HQ A CERTIFIED LETTER WHICH, 1) REQUESTED THAT THE COMPANY REPLACE OR BUY BACK OUR VAN, AND 2) GAVE NOTICE THAT I WAS FILING A LEMON LAW COMPLAINT WITH THE MARYLAND ATTORNEY GENERAL'S CONSUMER PROTECTION AFFAIRS OFFICE. IN THE MEANTIME, MY COMPREHENSIVE INSURANCE COVERED THE WATER REMEDIATION EFFORT OF CARPET AND MATERIALS REPLACEMENT, NOTWITHSTANDING THE FACT THAT THE SOURCE OF THE WATER INTRUSION WAS NEVER DIAGNOSED. ON 10/07/2011, I RECEIVED NOTICE FROM THE DEALER THAT THE "REPAIRS" (I.E., CARPETS, SOUND-DEADENER REPLACED, CAR "OXINATED" (SP?), AND DETAILED), BUT THAT THE SMELL WAS STILL THERE. AFTER ONE MONTH NO ANSWER TO WHY A NEW $40K VAN IS SOAKED INSIDE. *TR