NHTSA Complaint #10493652 — 2005 TOYOTA SIENNA

I WAS DRIVING THE CAR AND NOTICED IT WAS A BIT SLUGGISH. THE NEXT THING I KNOW, THE BRAKE PEDAL IS ON THE FLOOR EVEN THOUGH I AM NOT PRESSING IT, AND THE CAR IS STILL MOVING. I HAD MY THREE CHILDREN IN THE CAR, SO I DROVE CAREFULLY TO A SAFE STOPPING PLACE, USED THE EMERGENCY BRAKE, AND EXITED THE CAR. I THEN NOTICED THAT ALL FOUR BRAKES OR TIRES WERE SMOKING AND THERE WAS A VERY STRONG BURNING SMELL. IF THERE HAD BEEN A NEED FOR ME TO STOP SUDDENLY WHILE I WAS STILL MOVING, MY BRAKES WOULD NOT HAVE WORKED! AFTER GETTING THE CAR TOWED AND REPLACING BOTH THE ABS ACTUATOR AND THE MASTER CYLINDER, MY MECHANIC DIAGNOSED THE SOURCE OF THE PROBLEM: THE BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH AND BRACKET HAD BEEN KNOCKED OUT OF ALIGNMENT AND WERE CAUSING BRAKE APPLICATION EVEN WHEN THE PEDAL WAS NOT DEPRESSED BY THE DRIVER. THIS CAUSED ABS AND VEHICLE STABILITY CONTROL FAILURES WHEN THE BRAKES OVERHEATED. I SEARCHED TOYOTA'S RECALLS AND FOUND A RECALL FOR THIS EXACT PROBLEM WAS ISSUED FOR 2011 SIENNAS ONLY, BUT I HAD EXPERIENCED PRECISELY THE SAME PROBLEM IN A 2005 SIENNA. I CALLED TOYOTA AND GOT NOWHERE; BECAUSE NO RECALL HAD BEEN ISSUED FOR MY MODEL YEAR, THEY WOULD NOT HELP ME AT ALL WITH COVERING THE TREMENDOUS COST I HAD INCURRED. *TR