Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES | |||
| 05/01/2010 | 114000 | ||
| 1998 toyota sienna cannot lock and unlock both rear sliding doors electronically from the lock-and-unlock buttons of the front drive and passenger car doors. | |||
| 05/01/2010 | 114000 | ||
| The push-button on the inside of the sliding side-doors fails to release. in the case the door is unlocked, this prevents to door from closing. if the door is locked, the button does not release, keeping the door from being unlocked and thus the door cannot be opened. | |||
| 05/01/2010 | 114000 | ||
| 1998 toyota sienna cannot lock and unlock both rear sliding doors electronically from the lock-and-unlock buttons of the front drive and passenger car doors. | |||
| 05/01/2010 | 114000 | ||
| The push-button on the inside of the sliding side-doors fails to release. in the case the door is unlocked, this prevents to door from closing. if the door is locked, the button does not release, keeping the door from being unlocked and thus the door cannot be opened. | |||
| 05/01/2010 | 114000 | ||
| 1998 toyota sienna cannot lock and unlock both rear sliding doors electronically from the lock-and-unlock buttons of the front drive and passenger car doors. | |||
| 05/01/2010 | 114000 | ||
| The push-button on the inside of the sliding side-doors fails to release. in the case the door is unlocked, this prevents to door from closing. if the door is locked, the button does not release, keeping the door from being unlocked and thus the door cannot be opened. | |||
| 05/01/2010 | 114000 | ||
| 1998 toyota sienna cannot lock and unlock both rear sliding doors electronically from the lock-and-unlock buttons of the front drive and passenger car doors. | |||
| 05/01/2010 | 114000 | ||
| The push-button on the inside of the sliding side-doors fails to release. in the case the door is unlocked, this prevents to door from closing. if the door is locked, the button does not release, keeping the door from being unlocked and thus the door cannot be opened. | |||
| 01/01/1999 | |||
| The push-button on the inside of the sliding side-doors fails to release. in the case the door is unlocked, this prevents to door from closing. if the door is locked, the button does not release, keeping the door from being unlocked and thus the door cannot be opened. this can be remedied by sliding a flat blade under the button to release it. this affects the 1998 toyota sienna. | |||
| 08/04/2009 | 156100 | 1 | |
| My 98 sienna xle has had intermittent problems with the (manual) sliding doors not opening without and adult pulling outside. then mysteriously the problem goes away. today my wife and kids were about town and couldn't get the driver's side sliding door to close. the locking mechanism is locked in the closed position. she had to drive home in traffic holding a bungee cord to keep the door mostly closed while the kids were in the very back seat. i worked on it for a while when i got home but there isn't a way to get the mechanism to open. it will rotate further back (downward, away from the latch loop), but nothing more. *tr | |||
| 07/26/2008 | 1 | ||
| 1998 toyota sienna van - rear passenger sliding door handle broke off when attempting to open the door (the door stuck). this is the second handle that has broken on this van. the rear door hatch handle broke about two years ago. this appears to be a design flaw and is a potential safety hazard. there are numerous complaints posted on bulletin boards about this problem. toyota has not addressed this concern through a general recall and appears to be blaming the owners. i have had my van serviced by a toyota dealer on a regular basis, so this problem is not a maintenance issue. *tr | |||
| LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES - DOORS - LATCH | |||
| 03/13/2007 | 5000 | 50 | 10/30/1998 |
| On numerous occasions since purchasing this vehicle (and most recently, today), the sliding door handle/latch/lock has failed. usually, the failure is such that the door cannot be opened from the inside or outside. sometimes, the door can only be opened from the inside and sometimes the door can only be opened from the outside. on at least one occasion, an inoperable door spontaneously opened itself when nobody was near it. the dealership has looked at this problem numerous times, to no avail, and significant pieces of the mechanism have been replaced at the cost of several hundred dollars, but the problem persists. a different, but possibly related, problem is that the front passenger door lock (the electronic lock) has also failed repeatedly over the life of the car. *jb | |||
| 06/15/2002 | 4 | 08/25/2000 | |
| Driver's side door handle, both sliding door handles, and rear hatch handle have broke or are still broken. driver's handle and one side door handle have been super glued to make operational. *jb | |||
| 11/10/2005 | 124000 | 1 | 04/20/1998 |
| The exterior handle of the front driver's door was broken while i was opening the door. the exterior handle consists of a metal holder and a thin plastic plate. the plastic plate broke in more than two places. *jb | |||
| 08/28/2005 | 1 | 03/01/1998 | |
| Sienna van back door latch failure to open. latch components include a piece of plastic that can apparently break rendering the back door latch unusable. occupants of vehicle would not be able to use the back to escape in case of an accident or allow emergency crews access. considering a door handle (latch) to be a critical component for safety reasons, i was surprised to find this part made out of plastic. in calling toyota service i was told that its not uncommon for this piece of plastic to break on the vehicles after ~7 years. this is when they expect the failures to occur and the service personal indicated they had just repaired one last week too. at a cost of over $300 to repair this piece of plastic and allow the trunk to open and close again, i personally consider this a safety defect. the trunk latch is not used on a daily basis as the doors are but is an integral part of the vehicle access and failure to design and use parts that can stand up for the life of the vehicle is a safety hazard. the failure came with no prior indication. went to open trunk and piece of plastic under latch handle broke rendering it useless. i don't know if there are any other failures related to the passenger or driver doors with the latches or if they are made of the same material. something for nhtsa to review. *jb | |||
| 07/30/2005 | 1 | ||
| I have a 1998 toyota sienna. the passenger-side siding door handle broke off in my hand! this is our family car and we take good care of it. the handles have not been jerked or otherwise roughly treated. now, until we can get this defect repaired, the door cannot be opened from the outside. i am upset because this appears to be common problem with this model.*jb | |||
| 01/01/2000 | 15000 | 10 | 10/16/1998 |
| Rear sliding doors on both sides of van at times cannot be unlocked and/or opened from inside or outside. sometimes cannot close and latch the sliding door. this all happens when the inside push button door release becomes stuck in the depressed position in the door handle. occurred first on passenger side in cold weather (jan 2000). dealer followed mfg's tsb to help reduce problem. but now (july 2005, hot weather) driver's side sliding door has same problem. | |||
| 02/08/1998 | 20000 | 60 | 12/27/1997 |
| Since our purchase of our 1998 toyota sienna van we have experienced sparatic problems with both slider doors of the van. i have taken it to several toyota dealerships where they tell me that the rubber stripping has to remain clean. i followed their suggestion and to this day it is still happening. this poses a problem when both doors will not open and everyone has to climb through the front doors.*ak | |||
| 04/15/2004 | 25000 | 9 | 03/30/1998 |
| Sliding doors stick and/or jam. right side door handle has fallen off causing no entry/exit capabilities from right side of vehicle. left door still jams/stick causing exiting from drivers door or back hatch.*ak | |||
| 04/15/2004 | 75000 | 1000 | |
| Sliding door handles stick and them sometimes prohibit opening the doors all together. door handle on right side actually came off in my hand after hundreds of times of sticking, now door can't be opened at all causing a safety hazard. *jb | |||
| 04/07/2004 | 10000 | 50 | 01/01/1999 |
| Passenger sliding door handle/button (interior) jam 6 out of 10 times, making it impossible for passengers to exit car. i have reported this to dealer several times, only to be told it's a billable repair, despite there being a known problem with this vehicle/handle. many occasions my kids have had to climb out through the front seats or tailgate, making this a legitimate safety hazard. 1998 toyota sienna le vid4t3gf13cwu068998.*ak | |||
| 08/09/1999 | 10/12/1998 | ||
| Side sliding doors of toyota sienna mini-van do not unlock / lock or release for open. door button is stuck in a pushed-in position and will not release on either side door. this prevents passenger from opening door. passenger is locked in and cannot exit the van. passenger must exit the van by climbing into the front seat and out the front door of the van. the button on the slide door eventually unsticks and pops out, allowing the door to open. | |||
| 07/30/2003 | 4 | 12/01/1998 | |
| The rear passenger sliding door lock sticks, causing door not to open. vehicle has been taken to the dealer for repairs four times. this has also happened on the rear driver side sliding door. most recent incident was on 7/30/2003. *ak | |||
| 07/21/2003 | 1 | ||
| Consumer states that sliding door latch failed. door will not latch when closed. consumer has to tie door to hold it closed.*ak | |||
| 07/28/2003 | 60000 | 1000 | 10/01/2000 |
| Power locking system behaves randomly. doors lock and unlock while driving with key in ignition and while parked without key in ignition. dealer has been unable to repair.*ak | |||
| 01/01/2003 | 55000 | 02/09/1998 | |
| The latch holding the side sliding door failed, dealer replaced it. the replacement part has also failed, allowing the door to slide closed on a hand, body, or child. | |||
| 04/08/1998 | 2639 | 02/09/1998 | |
| The latch designed to hold the side sliding door in an open position failed, so that the door would not stay open, allowing it to slide shut on a hand, body etc. the part was replaced by the dealer, but the replacement part also failed(see second complaint) | |||
| 6 | 06/01/2098 | ||
| Right sliding door has had multiple failures over a four year period. right sliding door latch failed, the door would not remain open causing a safety hazard for passengers attempting to get in or out. cable for door failed, resulting in door being unable to be opened at all from inside or outside. inside door push button would not work intermitently, door could not be opened. exterior door handle would not work intermittently, unable to open door. interior door lock assembly would migrate into door handle, unable to unlock door except with button on drivers door. exterior door handle broke into two pieces. all problems have been corrected so far, although some were out of warranty and were paid for out of pocket. am waiting for response from toyato motor corp regarding reimbursement for repairs to defective door. *ak | |||
| 07/14/1999 | |||
| Locking mechanism and the door handles on sliding doors on both sides of vehicle fail to operate properly. consumer has difficulty opening both side doors, and latch fails to catch properly, allowing doors to open during operation of vehicle. dealership has examined vehicle numerous times, and failed to effectively remedy the problem. please provide any additional information/attachments.*ak | |||
| 04/01/2000 | 1 | 12/01/1997 | |
| I previously contacted you about the right door, i am currently under legal advice for the amputation to my daughters finger. while going through legal process left door failed, started out where every now and then it wouldnt stay open then it wont stay open all the time ,then the door knob broke off now the door is locked completly shut and we cant open it. under our attorneys advice were told to not get it fixed while going through the lawsuit, tried to get attorney to let us get if fixed several times, he says we can not even get a replacement, the doors arent the only defects on this mini van, we have problems with the van swaying to one side while driving, tires getting bad to fast, emergency lights coming on for no apparent reasons, windshield whipers not working, seats not staying in correctly, seatbelts sticking, car shaking etc, etc.....please help us we need it. *ak | |||
| 03/03/2000 | 12/01/1997 | ||
| Sliding door doesn't lock in place when opened. it moves back & forth while trying to hold open to let passengers in & out. consumer's child finger was amputated. this is one of many problems with this vehicle, owner is seeking full reimbursement for purchase. dealer is checking into problem. *ak *ml | |||
| The sliding door shuts and will not open from the inside nor outside. has happened 3 times and dlr can't fix it.*ak | |||
| 09/01/1998 | 2 | 08/01/1998 | |
| Door locking inconsistent--sliding door. | |||
| 12/01/1997 | 2 | 12/01/1997 | |
| Door locks on sliding doors failed. mjs | |||
| 4 | 02/01/1998 | ||
| Side door latches continue to jam and rattle. when jammed doors will not latch or lock causing severe safety hazard. as of yet dealer unable to solve this problem | |||
| 1 | 02/01/1998 | ||
| The design of the inside sliding door lock release is very difficult to operate, excessive force required to activate, unable to remedy. | |||
| 03/01/1998 | 2 | 02/01/1998 | |
| Passenger side sliding door latch failed. the door will not remain in the open position. | |||
| 1 | 11/01/1997 | ||
| Sliding door does not latch in cold weather. | |||
| LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES - HATCHBACK/LIFTGATE - LOCK | |||
| 08/08/2004 | 1500 | 10 | |
| 1998 toyota sienna sliding door on left and right get stuck and will not open. in case of accident or fire my grandchildren would not be able to get out. rear door handle broke off in my hand which would create the same hazard of not being able to exit. i've had this problem since i bought the car, and they have never been able to fix it even though they have tried. there are many complaints about thiis very problem from sienna owners. this will definitely cost someone's life. | |||
| 1 | 03/14/1998 | ||
| Rear door to van does not shut tightly. | |||
| LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES - TAILGATE - LATCH | |||
| 06/24/2006 | 1 | ||
| I have 1998 toyota sienna. when opening the rear door the handle broke off in my hand! in looking for the replacement part on the web i see that many owners have this problem. it looks like a serious design flaw, and dangerous because in an accident the rear door can't be opened at all! what can be done about this? *nm | |||
| 06/15/2002 | 4 | 08/25/2000 | |
| Driver's side door handle, both sliding door handles, and rear hatch handle have broke or are still broken. driver's handle and one side door handle have been super glued to make operational. *jb | |||
| 07/07/2004 | 69963 | 1 | 02/07/2002 |
| Rear door handle on 1998 toyota sienna van broke off during normal use. door can not be opened from interior or exterior now. this presents a significant danger to passengers in the event of fire and or accident as egress from this door is unavailable.*ak | |||
| 06/15/2004 | 62000 | 1 | 06/08/1998 |
| Rear door latch on 98 sienna broke when being opened normally. no excessive force was used. rear hatch is now unable to be opened from inside or out in an emergency. *jb | |||
| 04/15/2003 | 11/20/1997 | ||
| Outside handle for rear liftgate broke when i attempted to open. the liftgate was then locked and remained that way till fixed because there is no inside release. this created safety issue. dealer installed new handle unit at cost of $250.00 saying normal wear and tear. *nlm | |||
| 04/07/2002 | 1 | 06/01/2098 | |
| Outside latch release on rear liftgate broke when i attempted to open liftgate. this caused us to note (as we had never before) that there is no inside release for the liftgate, which could be a major safety hazard in case of a crash where the rear liftgate might be the only way out of the van. we feel strongly that toyota should have to correct this safety design flaw in all 1998 sienna vans, and that it should have to pay for our repairs in this case. *ak | |||