NHTSA Complaint #10523666 — 2004 TOYOTA SIENNA

MY WIFE AND I PURCHASED A 2004 TOYOTA SIENNA WITH 25,000 MI. IT WAS A USED VEHICLE WHEN WE PURCHASED IT. WHEN WE PURCHASED THE VEHICLE WE ALSO PURCHASED A 7 YEAR, 100,000 MILE BUMPER TO BUMPER EXTENDED WARRANTY THAT HAS CURRENTLY EXPIRED. APPROXIMATELY THREE MONTHS AGO WE NOTICES THAT WHEN COMING TO A STOP THERE WAS A THUMP BELOW THE VEHICLE WHICH WE ORIGINALLY THOUGHT WAS THE TRANSMISSION. MY WIFE AND I BROUGHT IT TO A LOCAL SHOP AND EXPLAINED THAT WHEN THE VEHICLE HITS APPROXIMATELY 15 MPH WE FEEL A THUMP BELOW THE VEHICLE TOWARDS THE CENTER. REGARDLESS OF BREAKING, ACCELERATING OR COASTING WE FELT A THUMP. WE HAD PROBLEMS WITH THE TRANSMISSION WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS UNDER WARRANTY. WE BROUGHT IT TO TOYOTA FOR REPAIR. TOYOTA REPLACED THE TRANSMISSION ?UNDER WARRANTY? AT APPROXIMATELY 95,000 MILES WITH A BRAND NEW TRANSMISSION. WE CURRENTLY HAVE THE VEHICLE AT A LOCAL REPAIR SHOP. THEY HAVE INFORMED US THAT THE WAY THAT THE TOYOTA TRANSMISSION WORKS IS THAT THEY HAVE A PIPE THAT RUNS THROUGH THE RADIATOR. THAT ALLOWS FOR COOLING FOR THE TRANSMISSION FLUID. WE WERE INFORMED THAT DUE TO AGE, THE PIPE SIMPLY CORRODED AND CRACKED CAUSING COOLANT TO LEAK INTO THE TRANSMISSION AND TRANSMISSION FLUID TO LEAK INTO THE RADIATOR. WE REQUESTED THE SIMPLEST SOLUTIONS AND WE WERE TOLD TO REPLACE THE RADIATOR AND FLUSH THE TRANNY AND HOPE FOR THE BEST. THE REPAIR SHOP HAS HAD THE VEHICLE FOR APPROXIMATELY A MONTH BECAUSE THE ORDERED AN AFTERMARKET RADIATOR IN AN EFFORT TO SAVE US MONEY. THE AFTER MARKER RADIATOR DID NOT FIT. I WAS INFORMED THIS PAST WEEKEND THAT AFTER SPEAKING WITH TOYOTA, TOYOTA HAS RECOGNIZED THIS ISSUE AND HAS DISCONTINUED THE STANDARD RADIATORS AND A NEW MODEL WITH MOUNTS NOW NEEDS TO BE ORDERED. OUR FEELING IS THAT THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AS WELL AS A DESIGN FLAW. WHAT CAN BE DONE? *TR