Crankshaft Pulley Recall

[vera]

'Certain' 2004 and 2005 Sienna's being recalled for Crankshaft Pulley Recall
http://pressroom.toyota.com/releases...+Pulley+Recall

[Narboza]

The safety recall notice as of 11/11/11. Note that you can now search TIS by VIN to see if a specific VIN will be part of the recall.

Safety Recall B0M (Interim B1M) – Preliminary Notice
Certain 2004 and 2005 Model Year Camry, Camry Solara, Highlander, Sienna, certain 2004 Model Year
Avalon, and certain 2006 Model Year Highlander HV Vehicles
1MZ-FE/3MZ-FE V6 Engine Crankshaft Pulley
******URGENT******

On November 9, 2011, Toyota filed a Defect Information Report (DIR) with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) informing the agency of our intent to conduct a voluntary Safety Recall on certain 2004 and 2005 Model Year Camry, Camry Solara, Highlander, Sienna, certain 2004 Model Year Avalon, and certain 2006 Model Year Highlander HV Vehicles.

Toyota is currently working on obtaining sufficient quantities of replacement parts. We will notify dealerships again at the time of the remedy phase, prior to the owner notification starting.

Condition

In certain 2004 and 2005 MY Camry, Camry Solara, Highlander, Sienna, certain 2004 MY Avalon, and certain 2006 MY Highlander HV vehicles equipped with a 1MZ-FE or 3MZ-FE V6 engine, the amount of adhesive agent applied between the outer ring and the torsional rubber damper (inner ring) in the crankshaft pulley may be inadequate. If the adhesive is insufficient, there is a possibility that the outer ring may become misaligned and it may not properly rotate with the inner ring, causing noise and/or illumination of the discharge warning light. In some cases, the belt for the power steering pump may become detached from the pulley. The driver may notice a sudden increase in steering effort. A sudden increase in steering effort could increase the risk of a crash.

Covered Vehicles

• Certain 2004 and 2005 Model Year Camry, Camry Solara, Highlander, Sienna, certain 2004 model year Avalon, and certain 2006 Model Year Highlander HV vehicles are covered by this Safety Recall in the U.S. This represents approximately 283,200 vehicles.

Production Period: Early June 2004 through late March 2005

Status

• B0M (“B1M” until the remedy is launched) Preliminary Notification documents will be posted on TIS starting the morning of Wednesday, November 9, 2011. For reference purposes only, VINs covered by this Safety Recall will be searchable on TIS starting Wednesday morning, November 9, 2011 (Pacific Time).
• Toyota will perform an inspection and, if necessary replace the Engine Crankshaft Pulley and Accessory VBelts at NO CHARGE to the vehicle owner. Toyota is currently preparing the remedy parts. We anticipate that sufficient remedy parts will become available in late December, 2011.
• Dealers will receive a Safety Recall Dealer Package in mid-to-late December, 2011 which will include the technical instructions and reimbursement procedures.
• We anticipate the Owner notification letters will be sent by first class mail beginning in late December, 2011 or early January, 2012.

Emphasis is in the original.

[Old Crows]

Received a notice today. I'll contact the Toy store next week. Anyone have this fix completed yet?

[scribe]

What kind of noise? My 2005 Sienna's engine makes a ticking sound which sounds abnormal to me, but the dealer takes the car into their service bay (closed to the public), then comes out and says they had two techs listen to the engine, and it sounds normal to them.

[Old Crows]

What kind of noise? My 2005 Sienna's engine makes a ticking sound which sounds abnormal to me, but the dealer takes the car into their service bay (closed to the public), then comes out and says they had two techs listen to the engine, and it sounds normal to them.

No noise at this time. Injectors sound like a sewing machine .... Always have!

[sgarcia1212]

Got the letter yesterday. I'm taking my sienna to the dealer this Friday.

[Old Crows]

Got the letter yesterday. I'm taking my sienna to the dealer this Friday.

Same here, My Friend. We're going to drop her off and go shopping while it gets checked and fixed. (Honestly.... I thought I heard a weak 'chirp' from the alternator or A/C drive belt when I started it the other day. One of the signals that things may not be well with the pulley. I've not been driving it every day until I get it to the Toy Store. And, I've been keeping the revs under 2500 and the A/C off when possible so as to ease any strain on things. ) Good luck!!!

[vnathan]

I took my 2004 Sienna to the Dealer. He replaced the pulley. It took about 1.5 hours. I did have a steering issue for sometime but I had been thinking that t was due to air pressure going below 30 psi. I was also thinking of flushing the power steering fluid. However I did not do it. Meanwhile, I got the letter 2 days ago and took it to the dealer.

[Old Crows]

All recalls completed. It's probably my imagination but the engine seems a bit smoother and quieter. Then rear hatch struts look a bit beefier and are stronger than the old ones which were getting pretty slow opening the hatch. I'm happy!

Feb 26th..... update...... Its been a week and the Sienna is running great. I swear that the engine has lost a slight vibration that was in the gas pedal. Yeh... I know it FBW ... but there was a slight resonance as it passed through a certain rpm band.

On the other hand... be advised!!! If the hatch struts are replaced the hatch is going to jump open.... I nearly knocked my self silly when I opened it manually and had to duck aside or get creamed between the hatch and the garage door. Auto-opening it seems to work as always.

[jon]

I'm sure my van has this issue. 2004. The belts squeal upon startup, and i do get a clunking noise occasionally from the PS front end. The PS belt has the slightest bit of play, and can be manually moved in and out ever so slightly. Is this all related. I spoke to my dealer about this issue, but they never heard of it. I don't trust them, i think they are retarded.

[rwvuletic]

I took my 2005 Sienna LE in for this recall. The dealer replaced the pulley. I don't notice any difference afterwards. (Wasn't expecting any difference.) Good safety measure I guess.

[dtroy66]

I had to have the crankshaft pulley replaced on my '05 LE back in August 2011. It slid out a couple of inches and all of the belts came off. Fortunately, my wife was only backing out of the driveway at the time. Yes - there was an odd noise in the engine for several months before this happened. The service manager said he had never seen anything like that in his 10+ years with Toyota. When i saw the recall in the news, I figured I could be reimbursed. The letter never came so i decided to call Toyota last week. After reviewing my VIN, I was told that my van did not have the defective part because it came from another factory. Apparently, two factories make the same part but only one is considered defective. The customer service rep. agreed that it seemed to be a highly unlikely coincidence but there was nothing they could do but put my complaint on file and if Toyota changed their mind about including my part in the recall, they would get back to me. It was suggested that a certain number of complaints would have to be received otherwise I am out of luck (and out of $600). Needless to say I am VERY unhappy. Many of you had no problems and were able to get the part replaced free of charge "just in case." Meanwhile, I had the problem and loss of steering but cannot get it paid for. This makes no sense!!!!!!!!!

Any ideas as to where to go from here? The dealer said there is nothing they can do until they here from Toyota. Help!

DTROY

[TonyVir]

Any ideas as to where to go from here? The dealer said there is nothing they can do until they here from Toyota. Help!

DTROY

I would try contacting the Better Business Bureau. http://www.bbb.org/

[dtroy66]

I just tried using the BBB online complaint system but a window came up that said the system is unavailable because "Toyota does not subscribe to this service." Should I want to file a complaint, I have to fill out a paper form and bring it to my local office. Okay - I'm angry enough maybe I'll do it taking away some time from my job and fitting it into my schedule. It's $600! But wait a minute, the BBB says they can't help resolve the issue by arbitration because Toyota is NOT a member of the BBB!!!!! All the BBB can do is the same thing I have done - file a complaint in my name and tell Toyota it would be good business practice to address my complaint. Somehow, I think Toyota could care less. Anyone know the home address of the president of Toyota Motor Sales - USA?

I have been a loyal Toyota customer for 15 years and I will be ready to replace my old Camry sometime in the near future. Needless to say, I am off to the manufacturer with the "10 year limited powertrain warranty." After all of the bad press Toyota has received the last couple of years, you would think they would do their best to keep loyal customers happy.

[TonyVir]

I never used the BBB for an automobile issue but I recently had a service issue with a Snow-blower which was under warranty. I was shocked at how fast my issue was resolved to my 100% satisfaction.

It seems a little suspect that Toyota does not participate in the “BBB AUTO LINE program” and I would file the papers in person. However the statement “The BBB will not be able to offer arbitration to resolve disputes not settled between you and the company” probably means you’ll not get any satisfaction anyway.