| Issue ID | 787637 |
| Internal NHTSA # | 10328346 |
| Manufacurer | TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION |
| Brand | TOYOTA |
| Model | SIENNA |
| Model Year | 2004 |
| File date | 03/01/10 |
| Component | SEATS |
| Product type code | VEHICLE |
| Description of the problem | Toyota (2004 sienna) seat heater burned a hole through the leather on drivers seat. Toyota (judy faul) interviewed me/my case and submitted to terrence chu (regulatory affairs). He wrote me a letter 3 months later and said toyota was not at fault because i had a towel (8"x8" baby burp cloth) adjacent to my leg (left outer thigh) and the owners manual states "not to use an insulating object" with the seat heater operating. He never contacted me for clarification on the incident. I have been denied access to anyone at toyota. The dealer (peoria, il) said they will repair for $1337, but will not support me to repair the damage the faulty heater created. I can see their logic if sitting on a stack of towles, but not a rag, of which the consistency is less than the ski pants worn (with the heater operating) or my wife sweater dresses in the same manner. Personal friends (torry olsen) had the same year van and the same problem. Toyota repaired theirs as it was under warranty. The heater element is still hooked up (and dangerous) and toyota will not service unless we pay. |
| Vehicle Mileage at Failure | 95000 |
| Number of Occurences | 1 |
| Source of the issue | NHTSA WEB SITE |
| City and State | PEORIA, IL |
| VIN pattern | 5TDZA22C54SXXXXXX |
| Was vehicle invloved in a crash? | N |
| Was vehicle involved in a fire? | Y |
| Was incedent reported to police? | N |
| Was medical attention required? | |
| Was part original equipment? | |
| No. of injured persons | |
| No. of fatalities | |
| Date of purchase | 07/08/26 |
| Was original owner? | N |
| Anti-lock brakes | N |
| Cruise control | N |
| Number of cylinders | |
| Drive train type | |
| Transmission type | |
| Vehicle speed | 0 |
| DoT tire identifier | |
| Tire size | |
| Location of tire code | |
| Type of tire failure code | |
| Was defective tire repaired? | |
| Date of manufacture | |
| Type of child seat code | |
| Type of restraint | |
| Dealer's name | |
| Dealer's telephone number | |
| Dealer's city | |
| Dealer's state code | |
| Dealer's ZIP code |