← NHTSA complaints

2004 TOYOTA SIENNA — STRUCTURE:BODY:HATCHBACK/LIFTGATE:SUPPORT DEVICE/STRUT

5 injured · 609828 · 2007-01-16

Vehicle

Make
TOYOTA
Model
SIENNA
Year
2004
Manufacturer
Toyota Motor Corporation
Component
STRUCTURE:BODY:HATCHBACK/LIFTGATE:SUPPORT DEVICE/STRUT
Miles at failure
37,000

Severity

Deaths
0
Injured
5
Fire
No
Crash
No
Police report
No
Medical attention
No
Vehicle towed
No

Narrative

I OWN A 2004 TOYOTA SIENNA, PURCHASED NEW, FROM THE PALMER'S AIRPORT TOYOTA IN MOBILE, AL. IN LATE 05, THE BACK HATCH LIFT STRUTS STARTED FAILING. FIRST IT OPENED SLUGGISHLY, AND PROCEEDED TO SHUT SPONTANEOUSLY. THESE FOLLOWING ARE THE 5 INCIDENTS OCCURRING BETWEEN DEC. 05 - JAN. 07: HATCH CAME DOWN ON HUSBAND'S HEAD; HATCH COMPLETELY CLOSED ON MY 9 YEAR OLD SON'S HAND; HATCH STRUCK ME IN THE BACK OF HEAD AND NECK; CAME DOWN ON MY FATHER'S HEAD; AND STRUCK MY BROTHER ACROSS BROW. MY HUSBAND HAS NOTIFIED THE DEALERSHIP OF THE PROBLEM. HUSBAND FILED REPORT WITH TOYOTA US HQ. HOWEVER, WE DON'T FEEL TOYOTA HAS TAKEN THIS SERIOUSLY. WE FOLLOWED UP W/TOYOTA ON GETTING THE PARTS REPLACED AS THEY HAVE DECIDED THIS ISN'T "IMPORTANT" ENOUGH TO ISSUE A RECALL. (WE RESEARCHED MANY SIMILAR CASES ON THE INTERNET). WE WERE TOLD THESE PARTS WERE SO "NEW" NO ONE WOULD HAVE THEM BUT TOYOTA. THE COST WILL BE $400+ FOR PARTS. AS A FAMILY WITH AN AUTISTIC CHILD, WE ARE FORCED TO TAKE MONEY DESIGNATED FOR HIS NECESSARY MEDICAL BILLS TO PAY FOR THIS REPAIR TO PREVENT SERIOUS INJURY! THE LIFTS FAILURE HAS MADE IT DIFFICULT FOR ANYONE TO OPEN. THE DOOR IS UNPREDICTABLE, SO AS A PRECAUTION, I HAVE TO GET MY AUTISTIC SON TO STAND IN THE OPENING WHILE I LOAD MY GROCERIES! I HAVE TO DO IT QUICKLY, BECAUSE THE DOOR IS SO HEAVY HIS ARMS GET TIRED. IF HE IS NOT WITH ME THAN I HAVE TO USE A 5 FT. WOODEN POLE, THAT I CARRY WITH ME FOR THIS ISSUE, TO PROP OPEN THE DOOR. SOON, I WILL HAVE TO LOA

Source

Authoritative
NHTSA ODI Flat-File Downloads
ODI Number
10178873
Machine
JSON-LD · Markdown