Bulletins


BulletinBulletin dateReplacement BulletinItem no.SummaryAdded
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
EL0130309/26/2003EL0130310005238Charging improvement at idle. revised. *tt02/17/2004
EL0130309/26/200310003964Charging improvement at idle. *tt11/07/2003

Consumer Complaints


Fail datemilesoccurencesPurchase date
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
10/29/201172000
 The left and right rear passenger doors failed to open due to breakage of the cable. i am uncertain of whether the child safety locks were engaged, however, the doors will not open wider than approx. 6. rear passengers had to crawl out of the van via the driver's or front passenger door. i am elated that the failure of the doors did not occur during a hazardous condition, since this would have placed the rear occupants in extreme danger. if toyota and nhtsa was aware that there is a failure in the cables and the manual release of the rear doors, there should have been a safety alert and/or recall of the vehicles for repair of the vans. the failure of the doors is not simply a matter of cosmetic issues, it is potentially hazardous and life threatening. at a minimum, the doors should have allowed for manual opening and closing, if the cables should break. the breaking of the cable, along with the inability to open the door is a defect in workmanship, since the door did not open to allow the passengers to exit the vehicle. i am requesting, along with all of the other owners who have registered complaints, that the agency investigate this matter. at a minimum, the doors shoud default to manual mode.
09/09/201196000
 Power sliding door stuck.
10/05/200987000
 Tl*the contact owns a 2001 toyota sienna. while the contact was driving approximately 40 mph, the horn was engaged and failed to function. the failure occurred fifteen minutes after the vehicle was in operation. the vehicle was inspected by two independent mechanics. the contact was informed that the electrical components under the air bag required replacement. the failure continued to occur. the vehicle had not been repaired when the complaint was filed. the failure mileage was 87,000. the current mileage was 93,000.
08/15/2002110001
 2001 sienna bought new from dealer. driver side passenger power slide door had problems with 'switch' and ecu 8/2002, 11/2003, 1/2004, 7/2004, 7/2006 4/2007. those are just the times i brought it in. other times i just let it go for a while. toyota fixed part until warranty was up. now they want me to pay to replace the parts -- parts that continue to fail. sliding door either does not open via power button, or will not close all the way. safety issue when can not get door to close all the way. now the other power slider door is also not working. i wrote to toyota 5/2007, they never even acknowledged my letter. *tr
03/22/200625000407/01/2001
 2001 toyota sienna le, purchased new, started having problems. check engine light came on when vehicle had approximately 25,000 plus/minus miles. under warranty, toyota dealership replaced the oxygen sensor without a charge. however, during this process, the beep signal you hear when locking-unlocking the vehicle with remote key was disappeared. this is also fixed under warranty. the check engine light came on again when the vehicle had about 35,000 miles. toyota dealership said it is due to a dirty vacuum hose, they cleaned it with a charge little over $100.00. the next day the check engine light came on again, this time the toyota dealership said they need to replace the charcoal canister (parts free, but we have to pay labor--about $100.00). this thing causes extreme mental distress, time, money, security etc.*jb
01/01/1901430001
 Complaint regarding the 2001 toyota sienna driver's side door continuously opens and closes.*mr the only way to stop the door was to disengage the power and close it manually. the dealer determined that the motor that operates the power door and the ecu needed to be replaced at a cost of $1939. the manufacturer has agreed to assist with the cost of the repair, however the consumer's portion is still quit costly. *nm
06/15/200456000208/03/2001
 Vsc and engine check light came on. when i brought to dealer. they told me gas cap was not on tight. i thought that was an incorrect diagnosis since the cap was on and i had been filling my gas for more than 3 years. *ak they reset the vsc light and gave me car back after charging me $98. light came back on one week later.
03/05/2002150511/01/2001
 1. electric sliding door opens while driving. interior lights won't shut off while driving. check engine light stays on. 2. driver distraction. 3. toyota resets the brain but it is just a matter of time before it fails again. *ak
12/22/20011
 Vehicle skid control computer broke and needed to be replaced ($2000). *ak
05/15/200327000
 Our 2001 toyota sienna has problem with the entire electrical system. the lights, interior and exterior, as well as all electrical outlets pulsate. they continuously fluxuate from dim to bright. there are even times when i have it on cruise and press on the brake that the radio goes off temporarily. toyota has attempted to fix it but now they tell us that this is common with the siennas and avolans that have automatic climate control. they tell us that this is not a safety issue that i just need to drive it as is. we certainly disagree. since this effects the entire electircal system, we are concerned that we may have a complete power failure while traveling. we also, are concerned since this is an electrical malfunction, we do not want to ever experience an electrical fire. finally, we are concerned about driving at night with lights that rapidly fluxuate between dim and normal. i posted the date as may because this is when we first realisted this was happening. we bought the car in march.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - BATTERY
12/25/2001
 Vehicle shut off without prior warning. battery/ alarm system/ key, and starter were checked. *ak
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - IGNITION
06/28/200560000209/01/2001
 Dt: the contact owns a 2001 toyota sienna. the fuel air sensor failed. also, fuel sensor failed in contact's son's 2001 toyota highlander which had the same mileage. called toyota, and they said there were no recalls . had both parts replaced, $282.00 each. now the ignition has failed. *ak *nm
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - STARTER ASSEMBLY
07/26/2005111/20/2001
 We own a 2001 toyota sienna van, we purchased it in 2001 but it was used with 18,000 miles on it. since purchasing the vehicle, several things have gone wrong. #1- passenger side power window had a defective motor and would not go back up. took it to the dealer who said it was not covered under warranty, so we had to pay out of pocket for that repair. #2- driver's side sliding door would not latch shut. the button got stuck from the inside which prevented the door from latching shut. this had happened many times before but we were able to get the button popped out and the door would shut. but on one occasion the button popped out and the door still would not shut. we had to drive home holding the door shut the entire way! of course, this is a huge safety issue with our 2 young children in the car. the problem was fixed at the dealer (again not under warranty), but the door still can not be opened from the inside, or the button gets stuck in. #3- check engine light came on and a diagnostic test revealed the following problems- idle air control, bank 1 sensor (most likely oxygen sensor), leaky charcoal canister. we fixed the idle air control since that was causing the van to not start and stall. this repair was almost $700, and not covered under warranty because we had gone over 36,000 miles. we did not fix the other two problems last month due to cost. the van overheats and can not be driven. we wrote a letter to toyota and talked to them via phone. they told us there is nothing they can do because our van is not a legal us van- it is was built in canada. we bought it at a toyota dealer in rochester, ny and were never told it was canadian. we were also told that no warranty would ever be covered in the us because it is canadian. carfax.com says it was built in the united states however. we tried to go the route of the lemon law, but could not. *nm
12/25/2001
 Vehicle shut off without prior warning. battery/ alarm system/ key, and starter were checked. *ak
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - WIRING
07/05/200339000103/01/2001
 Electrical system containing fuel injector relay failed. fuel injector stopped working and car lost power on highway. replacing relay and fuse by dealership did not fix problem, ended up failing again after being returned from dealership. *ak