hoping someone could help...

[a1sauce]

Hey guys, I'm a father of 6(2 at driving age), I want to keep my family safe and maybe have fun along the way.
I'm shopping for a minivan now and in doing my research, I see that many places recommend the Sienna as a top choice.
I also see hundreds, maybe thousands of serious complaints.

sudden acceleration, door check weld failures, lift-gate supports, sliding door cables, steering column failure...

Is there any reliable way to check for the major issues before they happen?
issue prediction?
Should I just skip the Sienna?

As I read I see owners who love their Siennas and others who can't wait to get out of them.
are there bad batches?
maybe they're identified with the VIN somehow?

btw, In the last few days I've collected a few bookmarks that some of you might find helpful.
thanks in advance to anyone kind enough to read all this. (some people don't like more than three sentences)
extra thanks to anyone who can help shed light on this situation

[a1sauce]

2008 nissan quest 12,5
in the lead so far

[soniclos]

I can say I have not had any serious issues with my '10 Sienna. We have had a few stupid issues, like fold flat seat was installed at factory skewed so once it was folded (by the sales person) it wouldn't un-lock. The adjustable captains chairs are a bit of a pain too, but once figured out easy enough to use. The hinge pins on the drivers and passengar armrest storage bins vibrated out (nothing but friction holds them in place), Toyota ordered whole new door panels to fix. Had the infamous floormat recall, no big deal never seemed like it could happen to us. Had the pedal recall, never noticed any play in the pedal. Had the spare tire cable recall, live in Arizona van has never seen salt (yet). I think there may have been another recall that I'm forgeting about off the top of my head. Each problem or recall was dealt with quickly by our local Dealer.

We bought our Sienna LE in June of '09, about 30K miles on it now. Been in one accident that was repaired and still drives like new. Had to do new tires at 25K (but we drive a little faster than most), brakes at about 50% wear (visual inspection when the tires were done). After the new tires the ride is back to as good if not slightly better than off the showroom floor.

We have had multiple Honda's (Accords, Civics, CRV, Integras), Toyota's (RAV4, Camary, Corollas, Tercels), even the occasional Subaru (Imprezas, Outbacks). For a large family vehicle (seating for 6 or more (right now with 4 carseats limit is 6) the Sienna won out over the Odyssey mainly because the sales staff at the local Honda dealer were jerks (tried to play the keep the keys game after looking at our trade-in). While we have not had any major problems with our Toyotas and our current car and van are Toyota, we are more for the Honda (didn't feel like giving them money after our experience) and Subaru (no Van).

So after allot of rambling, I'm not sure I have helped you out at all on your quest, but I have my two cents online.

[NoHeat]

Examine the hinges for the two front doors. Make sure there's no strange noises as the door comes fully open. If that's okay, then just buy it and avoid the let-her-swing behavior with the front doors.

If it is all wheel drive, expect to spend extra on tires. Or do as many do, and just get regular tires and count on fix-a-flat or AAA and towtrucks.

The door cable thing hasn't happened to me. I'm not sure if there's a particular behavior that exacerbates it, like pushing the close-open buttons repeatedly. In any case, I think the worst-case scenario is that you cut the cable and you have a manual door.

Don't worry about unintended acceleration. Just make sure you know the difference between the two pedals.