Problems with 2004 Toyota Sienna VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

I had a sudden acceleration experience in a 2004 toyota sienna van. i am filing this complaint because i am concerned that the recently announced toyota recalls do not include the sienna model. the incident occurred while i was parking my roommate's sienna van. i pulled into a parking spot. unhappy with the angle in which i was parked, i put the vehicle into reverse, backed up slowly then put the vehicle into drive and started to ease into the parking spot while straightening the wheel. as the vehicle moved forward, the engine suddenly made a loud roaring noise and leapt forward out of control, jumping a parking curb and up over the sidewalk in front of the restaurant. i placed both feet immediately on the brake but couldn't stop the vehicle. what stopped the vehicle was the brick wall of the restaurant. after the incident, we had the vehicle examined by a toyota dealer who did diagnostic testing and could not determine a cause for the sudden acceleration. this event occurred prior to news reports of a possible problem with toyota vehicles. when the toyota problem became public last fall, i contacted toyota and officially "registered" my experience with the sienna van (toyota reference #0911107062). i also called my toyota dealer in my town (macomb il) who admitted there was another sienna van brought to him that also experienced a sudden acceleration after the one i was driving. my state farm insurance agent is also aware of that other sienna experience. i am not seeking reimbursement but i am concerned that the sienna model should also be considered for the pedal assembly recall. at the time, this sienna had approximately 78,000 miles on it. just for the record, i am a 2007 toyota camry owner and have not had any issues with sudden acceleration in this vehicle (approximately 22,000 miles), thank you. *tr

I drove a 2004 toyota sienna. my car is not part of the recall. however, i had an incident similar to the gas acceleration. this incident happened last year, where i was in mcdonald parking lot. i took my foot off the gas pedal to slow down in order to park, suddenly the car accelerated (about 20 mph) and i had to step on the brake but the car did not slow down. i had to step on the brake the second time for the car to stop. this incident last only a few seconds. i did not have any more incident after that one. *tr

The vsc has activated multiple times on my van for no apparent reason. while driving at any speed and usually in a turn, the vsc light will flash, the warning beep will beep, and the abs brakes will automatically be applied and the engine will quickly decelerate. i have almost been rear-ended several times because the van will suddenly decide to decelerate. i have no control over when this happens and no control of the van when it does! *tr

1. toyota sienna ce driver's door welded part (inside door) snap off causing loud thud sound when opening & closing the door. i found out in the internet that before there was a lot of complaints about it but toyota did not order a recall & now they want me fix it in a shop at my own expense. 2. sudden acceleration from idling during traffic cruising. *tr

I have a 2004 toyota sienna, it is not recalled. my toyota van would struggle to get moving especially going up a small incline i would have to push the gas pedal to the floor(the cars rpms would race) in order for it to move, it was like gasping for air. i brought it to toyota and they ran the tests and said nothing was wrong, in the end they claimed it was the floor mat preventing the gas peddle from operating properly. not possible the floor mat was not out of place because of stains on the floor. the floor mat is heavy and does not slide around. now i am frustrated so brought it to cottmans automotive and they ran the computer on it and said nothing came up on the computer as not working, if it keeps doing it bring it back. well now i know whether it comes out or not this is a computer problem. it does not show up on the computer tests they run and you can not duplicate the problem on demand. with all the troubles occurring with toyota, they are trying to blame it all on floor mats, a computer problem would be much more costly to repair sometimes computers can take control. i find it very interesting my problem and now the problem with acceleration is all blamed on floor mats? my sienna is still having the same problem not able to accelerate and jerks when it does get going. this is our 4th toyota and we have never had any trouble. in all my years as l loyal toyota customer i find this very sad. thank you *tr

Failure of the adaptive cruise control module on a 2004 toyota sienna xle limited. the adaptive cruise control module, located under the front bumper on the passenger side, fails completely and continuously resulting in complete failure of the cruise control system. the module is not sealed properly thereby allowing moisture inside resulting in corrosion and failure of the part. when actuated, the part is designed to automatically slow the vehicle while approaching slower traffic from behind. failure of this part while driving could result in an accident if the module does not automatically slow the vehicle properly. the vehicle in question has only 85,000 miles on it. the vehicle has 88,000 miles on it know. the vehicle was taken to kelso toyota in appleton, wi where i was told that the unit need to be replaced. i disassembled the unit and found the corrosion. i believe the deal would simply replace the unit with new and then discard the old unit not knowing why it failed. i believe the wrong oring material was used. i believe in cold weather the oring shrinks allowing water into the modules cabinet resulting in the failure. *tr

After changing the front brake pads on our 2004 toyota sienna sometime early 2009 and while it was propped up on metal ramp, my daughter placed the transmission in reverse applied some gas, it instantly took off at a high speed in reverse. the car traveled approx 40 feet backing into a ditch which at that time it stopped possibly because of the sudden abrupt ditch. i her father was watching and asked "what did you do" she stated "nothing it just took off" this was a year before i heard of the toyota problems so i just shrugged it off as a weird incident. now hearing other incidences i suddenly remembered my incident. i only report it now because it may help with any investigation as to what the problem is. i have not yet heard of the accelerating problem happening in reverse like it happened to me. *tr

I suspect the cruise control of my 2004 minivan toyota sienna ce has similar issue found in recent prius reports. 1. when cruise control is used on uphill road conditions 2. the speed can be accelerated to over 5 miles/hr more than the cruise control setting. for example, when i set the speed to 70 miles/hr, at a little longer uphill road, the speed will drop first (like 67miles/hr) and then accelerate in order to get back to 70miles/hr speed target. but the cruise control system continue accelerating after passing 70 miles/hr and could be as high as 75miles/hr. 3. nothing had been done, just be cautious by myself. after reading similar complaints on prius of toyota, i feel this may be the same issue. *tw

I have 2004 awd sienna. a week ago, when i started the car in a freezing morning and drove in subdivision road, the slippery light and beep came on and the brake acted here and there on the wheels. at the very beginning, i thought the road was slippery. but it was not the case. there was no way my van was skidding all the time. i was only driving at 10 mph. then i realized the vsc was wrongly activated. whenever i get to more than 10mph, vsc got activated and broke the speed down to 5 mph. i could only drive at 5mph without getting vsc activated. then i realized i could not drive this van on the road. i parked it back in garage. the next day, my wife drove it out of the garage and got the same symptom. we put the van back to garage for another 3 days before i was about to call a tow truck to tow it to a dealer for examination. i tried it again. miraculously, the problem went away. i went to the dealer and talked to the service adviser, he said he knew nothing about the problem (recall etc.) and asked me to bring the van back for service once the problem happens again. my van appears to be working correctly now, but i dare not drive it far away from home. i know the problem is not gone. it will come back at the most inconvenient time. i do not want to be stranded in a snow storm at -30 degrees f that i can only drive at 5mph (that is what the weather is like here in chicago at this time of the year). i do not want to be thousand miles away from home when the problem happens again. it would be nightmare if vsc wrongly comes on at high way speed. *tr

Sudden acceleration bank drive through after completing business transaction. after stepping on the accelerator car leaped forward suddenly going over a bermans crashing into two vehiclesd amaging both my vehicle was totalled*cw

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 toyota sienna. while driving less than 30 mph in the right lane, the vehicle veered to the right. the vehicle almost crashed into the median. the contact steered to the left and the vehicle suddenly began to accelerate unexpectedly. he attempted to avoid oncoming traffic, but was unable to slow the vehicle down or come to a complete stop. the contact pulled into a parking lot and the vehicle crashed into a car wash. the crash occurred while the brake pedal was depressed. the vehicle is currently at a salvage yard provided by the insurance company. the driver sustained a fractured sternum and the front passenger needed 12 stitches in her right hand. the two rear passengers were uninjured. a police report was filed. the contact conducted online research, but found no recalls for the vehicle. he did, however, find an investigation pertaining to this failure, but it had been closed without any recalls issued. the current and failure mileages were 30,000. updated 10/16/08 *bf updated 10/20/08. *jb

I had slowed my car to allow a group to pass and was making a left hand turn into a parking spot. my car lurched forward and sped forward nearly striking a group of teenagers. i plowed through three cement pillars and a flower pot and finally came to rest. my engine was revving and my foot was on the brake. *tr updated 12/02/09 *bf updated 12/03/09 the consumer also stated the air bags did not deploy. updated 12/03/09

In may of 2008, i was attempting to pull my 2004 toyota sienna into the garage. i was idling when suddenly the vehicle took off. i was standing with both feet on the brake and could not stop. i crashed through the rear of the garage and hit a tree which ripped the right tire and axle from the drive shaft. at that point, i can to a stop however the engine continued to race until i turned off the vehicle. my 2 year old daughter had been right outside the back door of the garage when i crashed through. she was somehow pushed off to the side. the back portion of the wall and the back door went about 30 feet into the backyard. the tree i hit was about 45 feet behind the garage. i traveled for another 50 feet after hitting the tree and losing my right front tire. when we had the vehicle looked at by the toyota dealership in sioux city, ia, they said nothing was wrong with the vehicle. since it has been repaired, the electronic speed control will quit working at times and there are error lights that show up on the dashboard. i believe it is an esc light and the check engine light that show up when the speed control quits working. once these lights go away, the speed control will continue working again. *tr

Sudden acceleration in 2004 toyota sienna van: at 0830am pst, april 29th 2008 i was driving to work at my school where i work as a teacher. while making a slow u-turn, with my foot lightly on the brake pedal, my 2004 toyota sienna le van suddenly took off and accelerated uncontrollably like a rocket at maximum velocity. the accelerator pedal was never pressed during this incident. i had just a split second to remove my foot completely off the brake pedal to look down at the floor board to ensure nothing was pinning the pedal downward, nothing was there and the van was still accelerating looked up in horror as vehicle was continuing to accelerate at an extremely high rate of speed and continuing to accelerate. i quickly steered the vehicle and dodged a screened chain-link fence to avoid an area where children usually stand waiting for parents. with vehicle still accelerating at full power i quickly passed the fence area, applied the brakes with great force, but they felt unresponsive to the acceleration forces. with vehicle moving at a very high rate of speed and still accelerating, i saw a parked vehicle right in front of me and could no longer control the vehicle, i braced for impact. the van violently smashed into an unattended ford expedition vehicle, engine briefly revved high and then finally shut down. had there not been a parked vehicle there i would have gone directly into the residential house about 50 feet away. it only took about 3 or 4 seconds for the van to travel the 22 yards from where the accelerator malfunction started to the impact area of the other vehicle. there is no doubt that this situation will occur again to someone else. lives will be lost and drivers will be falsely held accountable. i strongly recommend that the nhsta investigate this serious issue. i am so concerned about this issue that i am sending a complete dissertation to all tv networks (20/20, etc) hoping that some agency will expose this to a high level of public awareness. *tr

I have a 2004 toyota sienna. i was only driving at 10 mph out of a parking lot when i realized the vsc was activated even though the vehicle was not in a skid situation or on a slippery pavement. whenever i reached more than 6mph, vsc activated and broke the speed down to 5 mph. i could only drive at 5mph without getting vsc activated. had to get a fairfax city police escort to the nearest toyota dealer. this is definitely a safety hazard and with all the occurrences of reports found on the internet, toyota should be requested to issue a recall for repair. i understand this has been a problem with other toyota vehicles. see http://rav4faq.kerkerinck.de/xa2/tsb/files/cp4010_0_1_vsc_stoerung.pdf. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 toyota sienna. while driving with the cruise control engaged and the vehicle accelerated beyond the set speed. when the vehicle will decreased in speed the sensors detected another vehicle approaching. the contact switched lanes and the vehicle would start to accelerate up to 10 mph beyond the set speed. after the vehicle has passed the approaching vehicle, the vehicle will decrease back to the set speed. the contact has not contacted the manufacturer. the failure mileage was 25,000.

Tl*the driver owned a 2004 toyota sienna. while driving 60 mph, the driver crashed into a semi-automatic truck. the driver and a passenger in the front seat were killed as a result of the crash. the contact stated that there were no indications that the brake was applied and that the vehicle may have accelerated forward. the current and failure mileages were not available. updated 04/22/10 *bf updated 06/14/10.*jb updated 9/29/11*cw

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 toyota sienna. the contact was driving approximately 35 mph on normal road conditions. there was pressure applied to the accelerator pedal, followed by an unexpected acceleration and surge. the driver applied excessive force to the brake pedal and the vehicle slowed down. the vehicle was able to continue operation with caution. the failures occurred intermittently. the vehicle has not been repaired for the malfunctions. the failure mileage was 47,000. the vin was unavailable.

Tl*- the contact owns a 2004 toyota sienna mini van. while driving at 15 mph the contact experienced the following failure: intermittent vsc activation after starting the engine and driving straight from a stop position. this failure was always accompanied by the instrument panel vsc light and an audible warning buzzer. the current and failure mileage were 47,000. *ak the consumer sated the abs would activate. the consumer sold the vehicle. updated 03/30/07. *jb

Van was put in reverse and it accelerated on its own and hit car behind, quickly put it on drive and w/out pressing accelerator, it surged forward. luckily there were boxes between the van and the wall. brought it to toyota, said they found nothing wrong with the van and that the warranty wont cover. *nm

Toyota 2004 le sienna. driving on straight, dry, road about 30-40 mph. vsc suddenly light turned on unexpectedly, followed by loud beeping noise. van appeared to hesitate. can't go more than 40 mph. i was glad that there was no car behide me otherwise there would have been an accident. van was brought into dealer (toyota of palo alto, ca). they found no error code. *nm

I was pulling slowly into a parking space and my 2004 sienna van uncontrollably accelerated and smashed into a building. *jb

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 toyota sienna ce. the contact was driving approximately 40 mph. when releasing the foot from the accelerator pedal, the vehicle momentarily continued to accelerate. the dealer and manufacturer were not notified of the failure. the contact was under the impression the failure was due to driver error. the failure and current mileages were approximately 30,000.

Dt*: the contact stated intermittently while applying brake pressure, the pedal will go to the floor. in addition, the vehicle accelerated without warning causing an accident. one person sustained minor injuries and there was a crash and property damage. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where the problem could not be duplicated and the contact was informed that the vehicle is functioning normally.

I was driving into a parking space at approx 10 mph when the vehicle accelerated while i was parking it. thank god a tree was in front of the space or i would have hit a person or vehicle. it happened on 9/27/2005 and i was told i must have hit the gas. since my husband works for a toyota dealership i let it go. i now realize i should report it to you as my husband knows of other accidents since then. the vehicle was a 2004 toyota sienna which was not included in the recall. *tr

Vehicle hestitates upon acceleration. *ak

Referring to our 2004 toyota sienna purchased in aug, 2004, three times, when using the cruise control and engaging the "resume" function, the vehicle accelerated at full throttle and continued doing so past the set speed until stepping on the brake to disengage the cruise control. this resulted in the speed increasing to 5 to 10 miles over the set speed. this is very dangerous and could result in a crash if another vehicle suddenly pulled out in front of my vehicle. *nm

As i was driving on a dry road at about 30 mph the vehicle speed control (vsc ) indicator light went off, followed by a continuous beeping from the dashboard, by a vibration of the vehicle (more the left side) and by an automatic intermittent application of the brakes on selected tires as if the minivan was trying to regain control and pulling towards the left. the minivan immediately slowed its speed to less than 5 mph and when tried to reapply for acceleration, as soon as exceeded 5 mph the beeping restarted, the light went off again and the pulling to the left and the automatic breaks were applied. the vehicle had to be towed to the dealership where is still under repair. apparently they indicate there is a tsb related to this matter. *ak

Driving approximate 45 mph on straight, dry and clear residential road when vsc indicator illuminated and rapid beeping occurred. abs proceeded to kick in causing vehicle to lurch while moving. the brakes will apply themselves while driving at a particular speed. which then enalbe you from driving at all. this is the third time this has happened. the first two times the dealer could not reproduce the problem ,and there was no error code on the onboard computer so no fix could be made. the final time we cited tsb br08-04 (after much searching on the web) and they agreed to replace the steering angle sensor.*ak

Vsc activates while vehicle is traveling straight. this can and has caused the vehiscle to shift lanes and stop short. it has happened a dozen times and the dealer is not able to diagnose this.*ak

Laser cruise control sensor lens is road level mounted and a small stone chipped the plastic lens causing system shut down in daylight. system wil not function except in darkness. repair cost is estimated to be $2000.00. *ak

When attempting to accelerate after braking/slowing down there is a period of several seconds with no response from the throttle and then suddenly the vehicle jerks hard and accelerates. when merging into traffic this can pose a serious safety issue. the toyota dealer advises this is a normal condition as the vehicle "drives by wire" and has no mechanical throttle linkage. this vehicle didn't have this issue when we purchased it. this problem developed after we had driven it for a while and has progressivly gotten worse. other manufacturers also use the drive by wire components and do not have this problem i find it hard to believe that toyota considers this a normal condition.*ak

Cruise control will not work manually if the laser system is not functioning . laser system cruise control is broke. you can not turn on the manual cruise control unless you stop the van and turn it off and set the control to noral. the laser was broke from car wash or road haz.ard. *ak

2004 toyota sienna xle limited- uncontrolled cruise control acceleration/deceleration. the problem has continuously occurred since purchase in september 2004. dealership denies problems. dynamic cruise controlsystem causes my car to dangerously accelerate and decelerate. when laser detects nearby vehicle, the car will brake abruptly. likewise, once the nearby car is no longer in laser range, the car will accelerate abruptly to return to the set cruise control speed. i have almost been hit from behind multiple times on freeways because of the abrupt deceleration. i have been caught off guard several times by the acceleration and nearly lost control of the vehicle. the only way to stop the rapid acceleration and deceleration is to press the brake in order to disengage the cruise control system. i have never driven a car with such a dangerous cruise control system. i no longer use my cruise control system because i fear that i'll be unable to disengage the system and lose control of the vehicle. *tr

There is a distinct delay in the acceleration of my 2004 toyota sienna van when the accelerator pedal is depressed quickly. this delay is not noticeable unless the driver is already moving and the accelerator is depressed in situations such as passing or some other activity that requires quick acceleration. i was trying to speed up while driving in the right hand lane of a highway because the left lane was already occupied and a vehicle was attempting to merge onto the roadway. my van did not speed up until it was too late and the vehicle attempting to merge onto the highway drove off of the road to avoid an accident. during another occasion requiring quick acceleration a truck locked up its' brakes to avoid hitting me from behind when i merged into his lane as i depressed the accelerator only to have the van fail to speed up for two seconds. toyota personnel from the dealership where i purchased the van (world toyota of chamblee, ga) informed me that they have received similar complaints but they are unable to correct the problem because it is the result of a design flaw in the vehicle in that toyota installed a laser control on the accelerator in lieu of an accelerator cable that could be adjusted. *nm

On two separate occasions vehicle hesitated when applying the accelerator pedal from a stop position. vehicle taken to the dealer on two separate occasions, and they were unable to duplicate the problem. *ak

Accelerator fails to respond for 1-2 seconds in an emergency acceleration situation. when entering a road from a stop sign, i hesitated thinking there was no room. a vehicle let me in. when i hit the accelerator to make it safely, the vehicle failed to respond for 1-2 seconds. the car letting me slowed down to let me in, but not enough to allow for this delay and he nearly rear-ended me. it was scary to not have the car respond. i have seen many other complaints filed about this and the dealer response always seems to be that this is how the electronic throttle control performs. i believe this needs to be recalled so that toyota can make this electronic device respond immediately as opposed to taking 1-2 seconds.*ak

Radiator ruptured and the engine overheated; hose replaced in steering column recall; rust protective tape recall; dvd screen replaced and the entire dvd player replaced(screen still not easily visible in middle row); passenger seat belt replaced; middle passenger seat belt failing; gasoline smell inside of car with ac on recirculation; driver's window fell inside door in snow storm and was not considered a safety issue to get a loaner vehicle even though the vehicle could not be locked; tires completely bald and leaking under 30,000 miles, dvd player must be at a high db volume and when returned to radio/cd will almost deafen you; interior lights have to be manually over ridden or will drain battery; car hesitates 1-2 seconds when trying to quickly accelerate and then lurches forward alarmingly; cruise control is not functioning; waiting to have fuel mixture sensor replaced. i was not informed of first 2 recalls until i my engine overheated. i did get the rust recall and a sticker on my sliding door informing user of danger of having middle windows open while opening the middle door could catch a head or other extremity. toyota dealer service manager says mine is the only 04 sienna experiencing any problems except for the recalls on the radiator; the steering hose; the rust tape; and the middle seat belt. not so according to all i have read here. most of the problems have occurred between 22,000 and 34,000 miles; the dvd screen always failed to lock into a good position for the middle row viewers. *nm

While parking, accelerating no more than 5 mph vehicle surged forward. although i was applying the brake, the car would not stop until it ran into a tree trunk. i will be making an appointment with oakbrook toyota in westmont, il to replace the broken foglight that occurred during the collison as well as research the problem and hopefully apply a fix.*ak

I noticed an article recently about a probe into toyota's (camry and lexus) that surge. my 2004 toyota sienna surges forward when braking and though it does not do this consistently, it happens every so often and could potentially cause an accident. i have reported this to the dealer and they have examined the vehicle and said that there is nothing wrong. my personal experience with the electronic throttle control is that not only does it surge when braking, there is also a delay in the signal when accelerating that either causes an unsafe delay in entering into traffic and can also cause the vehicle to "peel out" from a stopped position. i basically feel unsafe in this vehicle, yet my concerns voiced to the dealer have been dismissed. this defect needs to be seriously monitored in siennas as well as other toyotas with the electronic throttle control.*ak

Vehicle hesitates/fails to move forward in the following mode: after braking, when the vehicle is still moving between 5 to 15 mph, the van does not respond to accelerator pedal input; vehicle hesitates with no movement forward, then shifts hard into first gear and lurches forward. we have had 2 close calls, waiting for the vehicle to respond to accelerator pedal input. also, accelerator pedal has a dead spot. the first half inch of pedal causes no response from vehicle). this "dead spot" along with the hesitation noted above can result in a 2 second response failure from the vehicle. this situation has put my family in harms way on numerous occasions.*ak

2004 toyota sienna exhibits poor low speed drivability when accelerating from slow speed. throttle does not respond to pedal action which results in unpredictable acceleration time and amount. poor, or no, engine response is followed by lurch forward as throttle (over) reacts and transmission searches for the proper gear. many 'near misses' in traffic merging situations. the primary driver, my wife, will no longer use this vehicle. several dealers have reviewed this issue and state that toyota classifies this performance as a 'characteristic' of the 3.3l platform. this performance is not acceptable to me and vehicle will be replaced if not repaired soon.*ak

I ran into a big problem with my 4 month old 2004 toyota sienna xle. i was turning onto a hill and wanted to see how it would accelerate up the hill so i floored it. the car accelerated well and i took my foot off the gas pedal at about 35 mph. the problem was that the car kept going at full acceleration. there was no one in front of me so i started trying to figure out how to stop it instead of just turning off the car (i needed to get to the top of the hill and i could coast to where i was going). i put it into neutral but all it did was rev to 6000 rpm, i checked to make sure i somehow hadn't gotten the cruise control on and i hadn't, i downshifted into 3rd and kept pressing on and letting off the brake pedal since i didn't want ruin my breaks (i was able to keep the speed between 40 and 50). as i neared the top of the hill (it is about 1/3 of a mile long) i figured i would turn the car off at the top. just as i was about to crest the hill, the van stopped accelerating as the car leveled out and then ran normal. there is an initial level portion going to the top of the hill and the van did not stop accelerating at the level spot. it wasn't until the second level spot that it stopped accelerating.. *ak

Distances between the gas and brake pedals were designed poorly. the pedal pad was 2x4 inches. when transferring feet from one pedal to another consumer's foot would get stuck between the pedals. *ak

Engine idles very fast in cold weather first few minutes. while driving a block to the first stop sign has to apply the brakes very forcefully to get the car to stop. this causes some loss of control , especially on a slight down hill slope during snowy/icy weather. appears to be combination idle, and the automatic transmission.*ak

While parking, the vehicle surged forward. as a result the vehicle collided into a fence. the dealer stated they were unable to duplicate the problem. please provide additional information. *jb

2004, toyota sienna xle limited. very sluggish throttle response when cruising, apparently due to very sluggish automatic transmission down shift. no problem when accelerating from a stop. problem is bad enough to cause an accident when the driver expects reasonable throttle response to avoid a collision , such as crossing an intersection. *ak

Our family purchased a brand new 2004 toyota sienna awd and had countless issues with it . the most serious issue was - random unpredictable acceleration responses. we contacted toyota canada & japan in 2003. there is absolutely 100% no doubt in my mind, or my wife's mind, that the toyota product line has something wrong electronically in their accelerator pedal or transmission sensors - or the software that interfaces with them. we did not have sticky gas pedals or floor mat issues - we had a vehicle that didn't operate the way we were asking it to. the vehicle never consistently responded to the actual pressure being placed on the accelerator pedal. a light press in parking lot driving would sometimes result in what felt like full throttle acceleration and when trying to turn across traffic at an intersection, or during merging - the vehicle would hesitate and then move the vehicle when it was no longer safe to do so.. toyota said " they did not consider this behavior a safety issue " it was only " a nuisance problem " . first our dealership ignored the problem. then they said " my wife didn't teach the vehicle to drive properly - it had a smart learning transmission you know " . they finally admitted there was a problem after we continued to voice our concern over several near miss incidents with the vehicle . in one incidence , while on the highway using cruise control - the vehicle unexpectedly accelerated full throttle into a corner at over 140 kph forcing us onto the shoulder and almost off the road . it was a nerve shattering experience. our toyota dealer finally admitted a similar acceleration problem existed in the camry / corolla lines and that it was transmission software related . after several months of the run around from toyota with no fix in sight - being told by the owner of the dealership to drive the vehicle in 3rd gear to minimize the surges until a software fix was created - we walked away from the vehicle. *tr

Recurring drivability problem with 2004 sienna xle 3.3l. after decelerating then reapplying throttle, surge varies from annoying to dangerous. on occasion, is severe enough to squeal tires. from a dead stop, throttle response is better but from a rolling stop, dangerous and inconsistent.*ak

2004 toyota sienna lurches upon acceleration after braking. after breaking for a turn or any other reason the car will not respond to acceleration and then lurch or accelerate quickly. i was told by toyota that this was a electronic function of the car and it is normal. this is not normal and will lead to transmission repairs or an accident. this occurs all the time and has not been repaired. *tr