My sienna recently started to not downshift when I take it out for a spin cold (i.e. in the morning, or otherwise later in the day/night as long as it's been sitting awhile and it's cold -- and by cold I mean as cool as 50 degrees F). After a couple minutes of "warming up", it seems to work fine. But I took it in since my power train warranty is about up and the toyota dealer said (after running a bunch of tests, lol) that this was normal behavior.
This hesitation occurs with city driving, which is nearly all I do. Hesitates with acceleration from stopped position, or when trying to overtake another vehicle. When down shifting, it will lurch forward.
The hesitation in shifting at low speeds when accelerating after slowing down to turn a corner occurs intermittently but is quite noticeable. I've been back to the dealer several times, have been in touch with Toyota Canada - had the quality control person drive the vehicle and still tell me that this was "a characteristic" of the vehicle (my last contact with Toyota Canada was in May 2009 and I'm STILL waiting for a call back - it's October!!). There is a culture of denial around this problem that is unbelievably arrogant. I'm very disappointed with the lack of commitment to customer satisfaction. My advice to anyone looking at the Sienna is ... buy a Honda Odyssey. I sure wish I had! I'll never buy another Toyota or recommend one to anyone!
- sarniasienna,
Sarnia, ON, Canada
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My sienna recently started to not downshift when I take it out for a spin cold (i.e. in the morning, or otherwise later in the day/night as long as it's been sitting awhile and it's cold -- and by cold I mean as cool as 50 degrees F). After a couple minutes of "warming up", it seems to work fine. But I took it in since my power train warranty is about up and the toyota dealer said (after running a bunch of tests, lol) that this was normal behavior.
- Mike S., Simi Valley, CA, US