NHTSA Complaint #10875945 — 2005 TOYOTA SIENNA

THE SLIDING DOORS CONTINUE TO MALFUNCTION WHERE YOU CAN'T OPEN AND GET OUT OF THE VEHICLE, CAUSING THE POTENTIAL FOR PEOPLE (E.G. KIDS, DISABLED FOLKS, OLDER PEOPLE) TO BE UNABLE TO GET OUT. THIS HAS HAPPENED MULTIPLE TIMES NOW ON THE PASSENGER SIDE WHERE THE AUTOMATIC DOOR WILL NOT OPEN AND THE MANUAL OVERRIDE DOES NOT WORK. ONCE DUE TO AN ACTUATOR, SEVERAL TIMES CAUSED BY A CRAPPY CABLE MECHANISM, AND NOW A FORTH TIME DUE TO WHO KNOWS WHAT. THE DEALER THIS TIME TOLD US IT WOULD COST $275 TO TAKE THE DOOR APART BEFORE HE COULD DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM. WE HAVE ALREADY SPENT $3,000 FOR THE PAST TIMES THE DOOR WOULD NOT OPEN. MY DISABLED SISTER GOT STUCK IN THE [XXX] CAR AND HAD TO BE MOVED OUT THE OTHER SIDE WHICH WAS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT. WHAT IF THERE IS AN ACCIDENT AND A PERSON CAN'T GET OUT? I SEE HUNDREDS OF THE SAME COMPLAINT ON WEBSITES, AND LOOKING AT ONLY THREE ADD UP OVER 1000 COMPLAINTS, ALL ON THE SAME DOOR ISSUE. MULTIPLE TIMES WE WERE TRAVELING WITH SMALL CHILDREN AND THE PASSENGER SLIDING DOOR WOULD NOT TOTALLY CLOSE. WHAT WERE WE TO DO? ONCE THE CABLE ASSEMBLY SNAPPED AND WE COULD NOT CLOSE IT. TOYOTA HAS TO BE AWARE OF THIS ISSUE AND SHOULD BE MADE TO REPLACE THE DOOR WITH A DIFFERENT DESIGN OR JUST WITH A MANUAL ONE THAT PEOPLE CAN OPEN AND CLOSE. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR