NHTSA Complaint #10498073 — 2007 TOYOTA SIENNA

I HAVE HAD THIS VAN SINCE NEW. AIR CONDITIONING STOPPED WORKING AFTER 4 YEARS WITH LESS THAN 60000 MILES. FIRST TRANSMISSION PROBLEM STARTED AT 68000 MILES. THE TRANSMISSION PROBLEM FIRST REARED ITS UGLY HEAD WHEN I WAS BACKING OUT OF A PARKING SPOT ONE EARLY MORNING IN NOVEMBER 2011. IT SOUNDED AS THOUGH I HAD RUN OVER SOMETHING. AFTER GETTING OUT OF THE VAN AND LOOKING AROUND IT APPEARED AS THOUGH EVERYTHING LOOKED GOOD. I GOT BACK IN THE VAN AND STARTED TO DRIVE AND COULD HEAR A RUBBING SOUND COMING FROM THE FRONT OF THE VAN AND NOTICED IT WOULD SLOW DOWN QUICKER WHEN TAKING MY FOOT OFF OF THE ACCELERATOR, SO MUCH SO THAT YOUR BODY WOULD LEAN FORWARD. ALSO, I NOTICED THE VAN WOULD NOW SLOW DOWN INSTEAD OF PICKING UP SPEED WHEN COASTING DOWN A HILL WHICH IS SOMETHING IT HAD NEVER DONE BEFORE. I BROUGHT THE VAN INTO MY LOCAL TOYOTA DEALERSHIP THAT WEEK TO HAVE IT LOOKED AT BUT THEY SAID THAT WAS THE WAY IT WAS SUPPOSED TO RUN. I TOLD THEM 68 000 MILES OF DRIVING EXPERIENCE SINCE IT WAS NEW HAS TOLD ME OTHERWISE. THEY PERSISTED WITH THEIR "EVERYTHING WAS AS IT SHOULD BE" STORY AND THAT IT COULD BE THE BRAKES STICKING OCCASIONALLY. I EVEN TOLD THEM THAT THE RUBBING SOUND GOES AWAY WHEN SHIFTED INTO NEUTRAL WHICH WOULD ELIMINATE THE BRAKES AS THE CAUSE. THE VANS TRANSMISSION FINALLY FAILED IN FEBRUARY OF 2013 AT 82 000 MILES AFTER I HAD BROUGHT THE ISSUE UP 4 TIMES WITH MY TOYOTA DEALERSHIP WHILE GETTING OTHER SERVICE COMPLETED, AND YES THEY DID CHANGE THE TRANSMISSION FLUID BEFORE ALL OF THIS HAPPENED. THE TRANSMISSION DIAGNOSIS AND SUBSEQUENT REPAIR/REBUILD QUOTED BY THE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP WAS $4000. MR. TRANSMISSION CHARGED ME $3100. LIKE ME, YOU HAVE EITHER ALREADY PURCHASED A TOYOTA PRODUCT OR ARE CONSIDERING THE PURCHASE. ALL I CAN SAY IS GOOGLE TRANSMISSION AND PROBLEMS AND YOU'LL FIND LOTS TO READ. GOOD LUCK. *TR