NHTSA Complaint #10648751 — 2008 TOYOTA SIENNA

THE DRIVER SIDE PASSENGER SLIDING DOOR WOULD NOT LOCK OPEN. I WAS ON A SLIGHT DECLINE. MY DAUGHTER WAS GETTING OUT OF THE CAR AND THE SLIDING DOOR WAS PUSHED OPEN BUT DID NOT LOCK AND SLID BACK AND SLAMMED INTO MY DAUGHTERS HAND. WHEN TRYING TO RE-OPEN THE SLIDING DOOR, IT WOULD NOT LOCK OPEN, IT WOULD CONTINUE TO SLIDE FORWARD. SINCE THAT DAY, THE PROBLEM HAS PERSISTED SPORADICALLY. THE VEHICLE CAN BE ON A FLAT SURFACE, INCLINE, DECLINE ETC, IT DOES NOT SEEM TO MATTER. EACH TIME WHEN THE DOOR IS SLID OPEN IT, THE LOCKING MECHANISM IS NOT WORKING. THE DOOR WILL NOT STAY OPEN. THE VEHICLE WAS BROUGHT TO THE DEALERSHIP IN JULY 2011 AND I WAS TOLD THEY COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM, SO IT WAS NOT FIXED. THE PROBLEM CONTINUED. IN 2013 I RECEIVED A VOLUNTARY RECALL NOTICE ON THE NON-POWER SLIDING DOORS WERE NOT LOCKING SHUT AND COULD OPEN DURING OPERATION (WHICH WAS ALSO HAPPENING WITH MY VEHICLE) SO I BROUGHT THE VEHICLE TO ANOTHER DEALERSHIP IN OCTOBER 2013 AND ASKED FOR THEM TO FIX THE DOOR SINCE I WAS HAVING BOTH THE RECALL PROBLEM AND THE OTHER PROBLEM. THAT DEALERSHIP STATED THEY COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM AND THEY "GREASED" THE MECHANISM. THAT DID NOT RESOLVE THE ISSUE AND IT WAS INCREASINGLY HAPPENING. IN SEPTEMBER 2014 I BROUGHT THE VEHICLE BACK TO THE ORIGINAL DEALERSHIP AND ASKED FOR THE VEHICLE TO BE REPAIRED OR THE MECHANISM REPLACED. I STATED I WAS CONCERNED FOR THE SAFETY OF MY 3 YEAR OLD SON WHO GOES IN AND OUT OF THE DOOR AND I DID NOT WANT THE DOOR TO SLAM INTO HIS HAND OR HEAD AND CAUSE SERIOUS INJURY. I HAD TAKEN VIDEO DURING ONE OF THE TIMES THAT THE DOOR WAS MALFUNCTIONING. I SHOWED IT TO THE SERVICE REP HOPING IT WOULD HELP WITH THE PROBLEM. AGAIN, THEY STATED THEY COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM AND IT WENT UNREPAIRED. THE PROBLEM HAS CONTINUED AND IT WILL ONLY BE A MATTER OF TIME THAT IT WILL CAUSE SERIOUS INJURY. *TR