general problems of the 2011 Toyota Sienna

Tailgate sensor and locking mechanism alarm and lighting goes on and off intermittently indicating tailgate latch insecure while vehicle is in motion distracting driver. Tailgate door latch insecure placing driver, passengers and contents at risk in the event of movement of the vehicle as well as to other vehicles on the road in the event of a collision.

The contact owns a 2011 Toyota Sienna. The contact stated that the interior lighting illuminated upon making a turn. The lights dimmed after the turn was completed. The contact was uncertain if the vehicle would be repaired by a dealer or an independent mechanic. The dealer was notified of the failure. The manufacturer advised the contact to take the vehicle to a dealer to schedule an appointment. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 100,000.

Failure of driver's cabin lamp override switch to extinguish cabin reading lights obscured driver's vision at night during high-speed merge maneuver: I was attempting a high-speed highway merge, at night, entering route 29 from the left side of the highway, when my three-year-old son discovered that he was now tall enough to operate his overhead personal reading light. My vision of merging traffic to the right was suddenly obscured by the unexpected operation of the cabin reading lamp, and the situation was compounded by my inability to quickly override the lamp from the driver's position, in the manner as directed on page 526 of the owner's manual. The reading light above my son's head stayed on. According to the Sienna 2011 owner's manual on page 526, the door light button, above the driver's head, also serves as an override for all the personal cabin reading lights when the "door" function is disabled: page 526: "rear on/off: rear personal/interior lights turn on [upon activation of the illustrated individual reading lamp buttons at each seating position] when the personal/interior main switch is in door position. " the dual functionality of the door light button is confirmed; on page 525 of the manual, the other well-known purpose of the door button is separately and independently described to activate automatic cabin illumination when entering/exiting the vehicle: page 525: "door position: the personal/interior lights and rear interior light come on when a door is opened. They turn off when the doors are closed. " therefore, the reference to the door button on page 526 is for the separate override feature. Thank you for your consideration. I recommend Toyota recall the affected vehicles, to correct the functioning of the cabin lamp override switch as this is an essential safety feature of the vehicle for nighttime driving with passengers.

5 month old Toyota Sienna 2011 stalled after the lights inside the dashboard (control panel) started blinking and then would not start again. It was towed to the dealer on 12/22/2010. Dealer initially (on 12/27/2010) said it is due to water damage and engine has to be replaced. Dealer was not able to find any evidence of Sienna being submerged in water (as it did not go into any big puddle or deep waters). I opened a case with Toyota on 12/28/2010. I was in touch with Toyota dealer but case manager at Toyota informed that they were unable to reach/speak to the dealer for 2 days even though they are both in California. She informed me that their policy is to concur with dealer without even looking at the report or talking to them and they would neither investigate nor inspect. My insurance company (aaa) performed visual inspection and found too many metal pieces inside the engine. Insurance company also followed up with dealer and informed there are other cases where they had seen similar issue with Toyota Sienna 2011 and this does not seem to be a water damage. There has been neither an explanation nor a follow-up from Toyota as to what the cause was. Dealer reported back on 01/04/2011 and informed me that it might be a mechanical failure and Toyota will fix it. I am now concerned about the safety of my family and anyone who drives Sienna. What if stalls in the middle of freeway ? what if this happens again ? worried and tensed owner of Toyota Sienna 2011.