Toyota recalls 615,000 Sienna minivans to fix roll-away problem

Toyota said Thursday it will recall 615,000 Sienna minivans to fix a problem with the gearshift lever that could cause the vehicle to roll away when it is parked.

Toyota said the recall affects vehicles from the 2004-2005 and 2007-2009 model years.

There is a problem with the shift lever assembly that creates the possibility that it will move out of the “P,” or park, position without the driver depressing the brake pedal, Toyota said.

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“We know of 21 [related] accidents, mostly minor property damage, and there are two reports of minor injuries,” said Cindy Knight, a Toyota spokesperson.

Toyota said it will attempt to contact owners of the vehicles by mail, and ask them to bring their minivans to a Toyota dealer for replacement of the shift lock solenoid.

The company said that drivers who might have purchased a used Sienna and want to see if their vehicle is on the recall list can go to www.toyota.com/recall and type their 17-digit vehicle identification number into a form to look it up.

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