Reader-submitted: L’toeles Harabim, I want to make readers aware of what happened to me this past Friday afternoon.
Like many other families, I own a Toyota Sienna. My car was off, and the keys were on the front passenger seat while I was loading my car.
My five-year-old daughter sat in the front seat and somehow shifted the gear (keys not in ignition, car OFF!) from park into reverse.
My car banged into a parked car. Though nobody was hurt B”H, and the damage was minimal, this malfunction of having the gears able to shift when the car is off, can happen to anyone driving this model car.
Editor’s note: The woman stated it was a 2006 model.
A video online shows a 2008 Sienna shifting into reverse without a key.
(TLS welcomes your letters by submitting them to [email protected])
Take the car to a Toyota Dealer! I doubt the car was manufactured this way!!
Please note that Toyota has a recall out for this problem – it’s called the shift lock solenoid. It’s very important that you register your car with the the local Toyota dealership (or any other manufacturer of a car you own) so that you receive notices of recalls when they come out. If the recall does not apply to your car, but it still comes our of “park” without a key, you can get that part from your local mechanic.
Thank you for the post, this is a real problem, what did Toyota say about it?
they should make a re-call
There is a recall on it!
Next time don’t throw out the recall notice from Toyota
https://techinfo.toyota.com/techInfoPortal/staticcontent/en/techinfo/html/prelogin/docs/cp/d1rtofaq.pdf
Sam thanks for the link, if you open it the recall was for Siena from year 2004-2005 & 2007-2009. Conspicuously absent is 2006, the model involved in the accident.
Has no one mentioned the obvious-to-me fact that Lakewood children should not play in drivers seats of cars hello!