NHTSA Complaint #10482553 — 2004 TOYOTA SIENNA

THE CABLE ON MY LEFT POWER SLIDING DOOR "POPPED" OUT EARLIER THIS YEAR (2012), THUS RENDERING THE POWER-SLIDING FUNCTION USELESS. THE FAILURE IS THE SAME AS DESCRIBED BY MANY DISGRUNTLED CUSTOMERS ON VARIOUS WEBSITES. ASIDE FROM THE OBVIOUS INCONVENIENCE, THERE IS AN INTRINSIC DANGER INASMUCH AS THE DOOR CAN ROLL FORWARD AND CAUSE PHYSICAL INJURY, ESPECIALLY TO CHILDREN. SURPRISINGLY, I FOUND OUT THROUGH A LOCAL AUTO BODY PAINT SHOP (ON 10/20/2012) THAT A WARRANTY EXTENSION NOTIFICATION HAD SUPPOSEDLY GONE OUT TO CUSTOMERS OF SIENNA'S FROM 2004 ON. TO THIS DAY (10/29/12) I HAVEN'T RECEIVED IT. WHEN I CONTACTED TOYOTA, THEY INDICATED THAT MY UNIT WOULD NOT BE COVERED BECAUSE THERE IS A 9 YEAR/120,000 MILE LIMITATION. SINCE I PURCHASED MY UNIT IN MARCH OF 2003, I'M TECHNICALLY 7 MONTHS PAST THE EXTENDED WARRANTY COVERAGE. HENCE, EVEN THOUGH THE MECHANICAL FAILURE IS APPLICABLE TO AND NECESSARY FOR MY 2004 UNIT, THE "BENEFIT" OF THE EXTENDED WARRANTY REPAIR HAS BECOME ACADEMIC. I BELIEVE TOYOTA'S DETERMINATION IS UNFAIR BECAUSE THE 9-YR. COVERAGE DOESN'T CONTEMPLATE THE 2004 UNITS THAT WERE PURCHASED IN EARLY 2003. MOREOVER, IT SEEMS THAT TOYOTA PURPOSELY RUN OUT THE CALENDAR TO PROFIT FROM THE EXCLUSION OF UNITS. IN ADDITION TO THE ECONOMIC LOSS THAT THIS FAILURE REPRESENTS, I FEAR FOR THE SAFETY OF MY CHILDREN, WHO MAY POTENTIALLY SUFFER SEVERE PHYSICAL HARM FROM THIS MECHANICAL DEFECT, PREVALENT IN TOYOTA SIENNA'S. *TR