2002 Toyota Sienna Transmission Problems

While your Sienna was parked on a small incline with the engine off and emergency brake engaged, the vehicle suddenly rolled backward and hit a fence post. A child was in the vehicle at the time, though no one was injured. The dealer found that the transmission had a mechanical failure, but couldn't determine the exact cause. The fix will likely require transmission inspection and repair or replacement to restore proper holding power.

When you shifted from reverse to drive and accelerated, your engine didn't respond normally at first. After pressing the gas pedal harder, the engine suddenly began revving excessively and continued revving even when you pressed the brake pedal—the car kept moving forward. Putting the car in neutral didn't stop the revving, and your floor mat and foot position weren't obstructing the pedals. The issue resolved after you briefly tapped the gas pedal again and released it. This suggests a problem with the fuel system's throttle response or idle control that caused unintended engine acceleration.

ON AUGUST 15, 2010 WITH THE 2002 TOYOTA SIENNA IN PARK AND WITH NO KEY IN THE STEERING WHEEL A TWO YEAR OLD WAS ABLE TO REMOVE THE GEAR SHIFT FROM PARK ALLOWING THE VEHICLE TO BEGIN TO MOVE BACKWARDS. SEVERAL PEOPLE WERE CLOSE BY AND WERE ABLE TO STOP THE VEHICLE WHICH WAS BACKING UP. ADULTS THEN CHECKED THE VEHICLE AND IN FACT WERE ABLE TO MOVE THE SHIFTER FROM PARK INTO GEAR (WITHOUT THE KEY IN ITS IGNITION). ON AUGUST 16 THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO CONFIRMED -"CUSTOMER STATES THE SHIFTER COMES OUT OF PARK WITHOUT THE KEY IN THE IGNITION. CONFIRMED CUSTOMER CONCERN. FOUND SHIFTER CABLE WORN AND IN NEED OF ADJUSTMENT." *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 TOYOTA SIENNA. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING IN REVERSE AT UNKNOWN SPEEDS, THE SHIFTER LEVER BROKE. THE CONTACT APPLIED THE EMERGENCY BRAKE TO COMPLETELY STOP THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT WAS ONLY ABLE TO DRIVE TO HIS RESIDENCE WHILE IN REVERSE. THE CONTACT THEN REMOVED THE STEERING COLUMN IN ORDER TO MOVE THE SHIFTER TO NEUTRAL. THE MANUFACTURER WOULD NOT PROVIDE ANY ASSISTANCE. THE CONTACT WAS CONCERNED WITH THE POSSIBILITY OF THE FAILURE OCCURRING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 78,000.

THE AUTOMATIC DOOR ON OUR 2002 TOYOTA SIENNA DOES NOT WORK. THE CABLE BROKE WHILE MY DAUGHTER WAS GETTING IN THE CAR. LUCKILY, SHE WAS NOT INJURED. *TR

I HOPE YOU WILL BE ABLE TO HELP ME OUT. MY SIENNA HAS 61022 MILEAGES ON IT AND WE BABY THIS CAR TO THE 'T'. ON FEBRUARY 11, 2008, I HAD JUST STARTED THE VEHICLE AND WAS ABOUT TO CHANGE FROM 'P' TO 'D' WHEN THE GEAR SHIFT LEVER BROKE. NO FORCE WAS USED AND WE ALWAYS PULL BACK THE SHIFTER AND CHANGE GEARS WITH MINIMAL FORCE. I HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO THE DEALER AND THE TECHNICIAN SHOWED ME WHERE THE ALUMINUM BRACKETS BROKE IN THREE PLACES. I WAS IN SHOCK THAT THE DESIGN AND MATERIAL WAS NOT MADE ENGINEERED TO LAST. THE TECHNICIAN SAID THAT THE MATERIAL IS MADE OF ALUMINUM AND HE JUST REPLACED ONE A COUPLE OF DAYS AGO. I DID SOME RESEARCH ON THE INTERNET AND FOUND OUT THIS IS NOT A SINGLE CASE. THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO HAD THIS SAME PROBLEM ON THEIR SIENNA WORLDWIDE? NORMALLY, THE PART SHOULD LAST THE LIFE OF THE VEHICLE. I START TO WONDER IF THIS IS A DEFECT BECAUSE IT IS HAPPENING ON LOTS OF SIENNAS. ALSO THIS REPAIR IS EXTREMELY EXPENSIVE. IT COST ME $834.69.00 US DOLLAR. (PARTS $166.16, LABOR $655.65) PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF THIS IS COMMON AND IF TOYOTA SHOULD HAVE TAKE A FULL RESPONSIBILITY IN THIS KIND OF MATTER AND CONSIDER THIS AS A DEFECT. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION IN THIS ISSUE. *TR

ONE WEEK AGO I WAS RUNNING ERRANDS WITH THE TOYOTA SEQUOIA, BUT THE CAR REFUSED TO START ONCE I COMPLETED MY ERRANDS. EVENTUALLY, THE CAR HAD TO BE TOWED AND THE REPAIR SHOP REPORTED THAT THE GEAR SHIFT BRACKET AND LEVER WERE BROKEN AND THEREFORE PREVENTED THE GEAR FROM PROPERLY GOING INTO PARK. THE REPAIR SHOP REPORTED SEEING SEVERAL SUCH CASES RECENTLY BUT STATED THAT TOYOTA HAS INFORMED HIM THAT THE PROBLEM RESULTED FROM IMPROPER HANDLING OF THE GEAR SHIFT. I HAD THECAR FOR MORE THAN 5 YEARS AND HAVE ALWAYS FOLLOWED THE PROPER PROCEDURE. PERHAPS THIS NEEDED FURTHER INVESTIGATION. *AK

OBSERVED SLIPPING DURING FULL STOPS, ENGINE DIED SEVERAL OCCASIONS BEFORE THE ACTUAL TOTAL FAILURE OF PARTS INVOLVED, LOSS OF FORWARD MOTION OR SPEED PICK-UP, TRANSMISSION FLUID LEAKED (TOYOTA ISSUED AN AUTOMATIC TRANSAXLE WARRANTY ENHANCEMENT NOTICE INVOLVING 1998-2000 SIENNAS BUT APPARENTLY THE COMPANY ALREADY HAVE KNOWLEDGE OF THIS PROBLEM TO OCCUR). *NM

TOYOTA 2002 MR2 SPYDER: SEQUENTIAL MANUAL TRANSMISSION (SMT) CREEPING WHILE IN FORWARD OR REVERSE GEAR. THIS HAPPEN TO THE CAR IN DEC OF 2004 BUT WENT AWAY BY ITSELF AFTER A WEEK. I REPORTED TO FREMONT TOYOTA DEALERSHIP IN CA BUT THEY SAID IT WAS NORMAL. AGAIN ON APRIL 15TH 2005, THE SMT CREEPING RECURRED. I BROUGHT THE CAR BACK TO THE SAME DEALERSHIP, THEY REPLACED THE ECU BUT CREEP IS STILL EXIST. AGAIN, THE DEALER PERSISTS THAT THIS IS NORMAL. ACCORDING THE MANUAL BOOK, IT STATES THAT UNLIKE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION, SMT DOES NOT CREEP. PLEASE HELP. *NM

ONCE YOU COME TO A STOP DURING NORMAL BREAKING, AND TAKE YOUR FOOT OFF THE BREAK PEDAL TO START MOVING FORWARD, THERE IS A ?THUMP? AS IF YOU ARE BEING HIT FROM THE REAR. THIS IS SIMILAR AS BEING REPORTED IN ODI?S 10089480 AND 10092834. DEALER STATES THIS IS NORMAL IN TRUCKS, THAT IT IS THE NATURAL SPACING IN THE DRIVE SHAFT WITH REAR WHEEL DRIVE.THE ONLY WAY FOR THE PROBLEM NOT TO OCCUR, IT TO GLIDE TO A SMOOTH STOP.*AK

A 3 YEAR OLD MOVED THE GEAR SHIFT LEVER ON THE STEERING COLUMN. THE CHILD EASILY MOVED FROM DRIVE TO NEUTRAL WITHOUT DEPRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL AND THE GEAR SHIFT BUTTON. AS A RESULT, THE VEHICLE ROLLED FORWARD. DEALER NOTIFIED. *LA

WHILE STOPPED IN "DRIVE" WITH FOOT ON THE BRAKES, THE VEHICLE OCCATIONALLY ATTEMPTS TO SURGE FORWARD.

I HAD BOUGHT MY VAN MAY 2,2003 WITH ABOUT 19,000 MILES. ON OCTOBER 7, WHILE DRIVING ABOUT 30 MPH, THE VEHICLE STARTED SMOKING. WHEN I PULLED INTO A PARKING STALL, PASSERBYERS WERE YELLING THAT MY CAR WAS ON FIRE. FIRE DEPARTMENT EXTINGUISHED THE FLAMES. AN INDEPENDENT ARSON INVESTIGATOR SAID HE FOUND TRANSMISSION FLUID IN THE ENGINE, AND THAT IT HAD PROBABLY BEEN LEAKING SINCE I PURCHASED MY VAN. *LA

THE VEHICLE DID NOT MOVE OUT OF GEAR, AND IF IT DID MOVE OUT OF GEAR, IT ABRUPTLY DOWN SHIFTED TO SECOND GEAR WHILE DRIVING.*AK 2002 TOYOTA SPYDER) *JB