Table 1 shows one common structure related problems of the 1996 Toyota Sienna.
| Problem Category | Number of Problems |
|---|---|
| Door problems |
The electric sliding door on this minivan is incredibly dangerous for two reasons. The first is that it takes a great deal of resistance before the door will reverse when it encounters an object. That object, on several occasions, has been a child getting in or out of the car. This has caused several bruises, but the real concern is that a smaller child would be crushed, or the neck or limb of a larger child would be easily broken. I am an emergency physician and can attest to this fact. The second danger point is that the door operates from a keychain remote. If the remote is bumped, dropped, or lightly pressed (as when in a pocket), the door will either open or close. This often occurs when children or other passengers are in the doorway, and has already resulted in several crush injuries. This is a deadly combination of design flaws (I. E. A hair-trigger on a guillotine) that most assuredly will cause a disaster. I have spoken with the Toyota dealer and with their national office, and they both told me that "they haven't had another complaint so I must be worrying about nothing. " the dealer, however, was surprised when I demonstrated how much force was required to reverse the door. This problem must be investigated. In the meantime, we have deactivated this dangerous hazard.