Dear Toyota,

On March 3, 2024, our family (4 kids and 3 adults) were driving home in our 2018 Toyota Sienna LE when the airbag warning light came on. Yesterday (March 6, 2024), I took the minivan to Ourisman Toyota Fairfax to get a diagnose. They found out that the electrical wires inside the passenger door were melting, which caused the airbag sensor light to turn on.

The auto mechanic showed me the melting wires and I took a photo of them. He also told me that he had never seen this issue before. I was shock as well because we never had any work done on that door. I bought the car brand new right out of Priority Toyota Springfield in August 2018.

Clearly this is a manufacturing malfunction—thank goodness our family was safe without proper airbag system—but the dealership estimated $1,688.60 to fix the issue. I declined the repair because the cost was too expensive and the cause was from the original manufacturer. They wouldn’t let me take my car back and negotiated the price down to about $1,300, which was still too much for me. I had no choice.

Since this is a safety issue that was from the original manufacturer, would you cover the cost to fix it? My family owns two Toyota Siennas and have always trusted the Toyota brand for its quality and safety. Please take this serious issue into consideration.

Thank you,
Donny Truong

Update: On March 8, 2034, a Toyota Brand Engagement Advocate responded.

In May 2021, I took my 2018 Toyota Sienna to Ourisman Toyota Collision Center to repair after being rear ended. Replacing the bumper and the liftgate took damn near three weeks. The liftgate was still having issues such as a pop noise when it was closing or the gate would slam hard to shut. I ignored the issues simply because I didn’t want to bother bringing them back to the shop.

Gradually the issues got worse. A few weeks ago, I noticed a piece of metal sticking out of the panel every time the gate closed. Almost three years had passed, I didn’t think the Collision Center would warranty it. I took the long shot.

Last Wednesday, I brought my minivan back to them and explained the issues. Of course they denied any wrongdoing on their part. It was so long ago anyway, I was not faulting them. When the rep took the panel off, the metal part that was sticking out had no screw to hold it in place, which caused the popping sound. I suspected when they installed the piece, they forgot to put the screw back on.

The rep told me that he would have the technician take a look. If it was not their fault, they would still fix it and I would pay for the parts. I agreed. I left the car there. Later that Wednesday evening I called them back to check on the progress. The rep told me that they had ordered the parts and they would take care of everything with no further charges. I was so grateful that they would do that. They didn’t have to.

Thursday evening, I called back and the parts didn’t come. Friday evening, I called back and the parts still didn’t come. I needed to pick the car up for the weekend. I dropped the car back again this morning hoping the parts would arrive. Thankfully it did.

I hope this will be permanently fixed. The Ourisman Toyota Collision Center took responsibility for their work, which I really appreciated, but the wait was just so long.

Yesterday, my wife notified me that our Samsung washing machine displayed a UE error message, which meant unbalanced load. I powered it off and tried to spin it. It spinned for a bit and then added more water. Of course I looked up YouTube and came across this video. I didn’t do the second part. I only opened up the bottom and tightened up the screw, which was already tightened. In the process, I cleaned up all the nasty gunks that had been collected over the years. I hope this will fix the issue. I didn’t run the machine because I broke the cap when I pried it open with a flat-head screwdriver.

I can’t recall if we had replaced the battery for our 2018 Toyota Sienna or not. This must be the first time since we bought the vehicle. The battery lasted 5 years, which was not bad. It was dead this morning when my wife took the kids to school. She picked up a new battery from Costco and I replaced it.

• Battery: $120.
• A can of CRC Battery Cleaner: $9

While Mr. Điệp fixing our HVAC unit, I sought out his advice on setting the thermostat before leaving for vacation. He recommended setting the temperature to about 67 degrees. Then he also gave me some tips on preventing a water disaster.

Steps to Shut Off the Water

1. Turn off the the water heater power
2. Shut off the main water valve
3. Turn on the furthest sink faucets (both hot and cold until all the water drained out then turn them off

Steps to Turn the Water Back On

1. Turn on the furthest faucets (both hot and cold pipes)
2. Flush all the toilets
3. Turn on the main valve half way slowly
4. Turn the water heater valve and power back on

If the HVAC unit broke down while we were away, we wouldn’t come back to a swimming pool. When return, we can prevent the disaster even if the pipes busted by shutting off the main valve again. I’ll definitely take his advice whenever we go out of town.

Since we came back from New York City on Sunday, the temperatures had plummeted. Then we noticed that our heating system struggled to reach 67°F even with the auxiliary heat kicked in. The thermostat could only get up to 64°F. With my mother-in-law and the kids in the house, I worried and couldn’t sleep for the past two nights.

Today we reached out to a friend who is in the construction business and asked for a recommendation on an HVAC service. He referred us to T&J Service. Mr. Điệp Trần and his protégé Việt arrived around 6 pm to diagnose the system. It turned out that the outside unit stopped working. They worked in the cold to replace the fuse, tested the compressor, and made sure the system worked properly.

Knowing that we have proper heating again, I can go to sleep peacefully. Now I know who to call if we run into HVAC issue again. I am thinking of contracting them to replace the whole system in the summer since it is almost 15 years old.

Paid: $100

Yesterday I took our 2018 Toyota Sienna to Firestone to get a lifetime wheel alignment as well. Firestone seemed to do a good job with our 2011 Sienna. As the winter approaching, I need to make sure our 2018 Sienna in good condition so we can travel to Stowe in peace. I hope it will be a good season. I am ready to ski and snowboard.

A few weeks ago, I replaced 4 brand new tires for our 2011 Toyota Sienna at Costco. They recommended wheel alignment. I was told about the lifetime wheel alignment service at Firestone.

Basically you get free wheel alignment until the end of the vehicle’s lifetime. You just have to pay $200. The deal sounded too good to be true. They must try to sell you other services as well.

I went for it today. I had never done any business at Firestone before. I didn’t make an appointment; therefore, it took about 3 hours. I was fine with that since I could do my work in the waiting area. There was no Wi-Fi, but I could hotspot through my iPhone.

They gave me a list of recommendations, but they did not try to sell me on them. I am cool with that. If this is truly a good deal, I will take my other car for the lifetime wheel alignment as well.

At this time, you can get $20 off for the lifetime wheel alignment. I am not affiliated with Firestone. I just think this is a good deal. So do your research.

The right (passenger) rear tired had 4 punctures. It was irrepairable. Since the tread reading for the tires was at 5/32, I went ahead and replace all four. The last time I replaced them was in December 2019. Thanks to this blog, I could pull up the information immediately. The tires were over 3 years; therefore, they needed to be replaced anyway. I ordered 4 new all-season Michelin Defenders at Costco. I needed new tires so I can go to the ski resorts this coming winter.

Tires, tax, and installation cost $880. I am going to need to an alignment as well. The cost of having a car.

The largest heating surface element on our Whirlpool’s stove burnt out. I followed this YouTube video to replace a new one. The process took about five minutes. The cleanup took almost an hour to get all the grease out of the entire exterior of the stove. The new heating element cost $110. The entire stove looks new again. The wife is happy; therefore, the life is also happy.