Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | |||||
| 01205 | 11/01/2005 | 10018279 | Repair manual supplement: laser cruise control beam axis adjustment. *ak | 12/20/2005 | |
| 00604 | 05/21/2004 | 10007646 | Personal light operation. *tt | 07/07/2004 | |
| 00104 | 03/23/2004 | 10006553 | Malfunction indicator lamp (mil) on diagnostic trouble code (dtc) p0748, p0798, p0985 or p0986. *tt | 05/05/2004 | |
| EL01103 | 06/26/2003 | 10003365 | Power sliding door drive cable routing. *tt | 10/16/2003 | |
| 00203 | 03/07/2003 | 00203 | 10003250 | Service maintenance reminder light reset procedure. *tt | 10/14/2003 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - WIRING | |||||
| 0301 | 07/22/2004 | 10004712 | There may be a red power wire for power lumbar support that is not tied securely away from parking brake mechanism. *tt | 01/02/2004 | |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | |||
| 03/06/2013 | 122000 | ||
| Once opened, the vehicle door would not close. i had to use excessive force to get it to close & the only way it did so was after the power sliding door cable had snapped. had this happened while away from home, i may have had to drive home with the door open. | |||
| 01/01/2013 | 1 | ||
| 2004 toyota sienna le minivan. consumer writes in regards to defective rear electrical sliding door. *smd | |||
| 01/10/2013 | 56107 | 1 | |
| Passenger side power door cable snapped and the door wouldn't close nor open. tried to open it manually, no luck unless you use enormous amount of power which might do damage to some other parts of the vehicle. even if door managed to get open it won't close, which is a safety issue. *tr | |||
| 01/01/2013 | 1 | ||
| 2004 toyota sienna le minivan. consumer writes in regards to defective rear electrical sliding door. *smd | |||
| 01/10/2013 | 56107 | 1 | |
| Passenger side power door cable snapped and the door wouldn't close nor open. tried to open it manually, no luck unless you use enormous amount of power which might do damage to some other parts of the vehicle. even if door managed to get open it won't close, which is a safety issue. *tr | |||
| 01/01/2013 | 1 | ||
| 2004 toyota sienna le minivan. consumer writes in regards to defective rear electrical sliding door. *smd | |||
| 01/10/2013 | 56107 | ||
| Passanger side power door cable snapped and the door wouldn't close nor open. tried to open it manualy, no luck unless you use enormous amount of power which might do damage to some other parts of the vehicle. even if door managed to get open it won't close, which is a safety issue. | |||
| 11/15/2012 | 135000 | 1 | |
| Toyota sienna's equipped with power sliding doors use a plastic coated steel wire to operate the door via a wheel and motor. this plastic deteriorates over time and the steel wire corrodes and fails leading to the inoperable ability of the door in the power mode. in power mode: the door will remain closed if attempted to be opened while the vehicle is in a motion gear. it also allows the controlled open and closure of the door with an automatic reversal if the door detects obstruction. disengaging this power mode allows the door to be opened when in motion. it also allows the door to slam closed if vehicle is parked on an incline and could injure a person not expecting the closure or opening. toyota has offered a service extension, not a recall, for a part that is integral for the safe operation of the sliding doors. this extension will only cover a small percentage of vehicles in their allotted time frame. the actual failed part is not available for replacement and a whole door actuator must be purchased and installed at $1100 per door. *tr | |||
| 01/01/2013 | 1 | ||
| 2004 toyota sienna le minivan. consumer writes in regards to defective rear electrical sliding door. *smd | |||
| 01/10/2013 | 56107 | ||
| Passanger side power door cable snapped and the door wouldn't close nor open. tried to open it manualy, no luck unless you use enormous amount of power which might do damage to some other parts of the vehicle. even if door managed to get open it won't close, which is a safety issue. | |||
| 11/15/2012 | 135000 | ||
| Toyota sienna's equipped with power sliding doors use a plastic coated steel wire to operate the door via a wheel and motor. this plastic deteriorates over time and the steel wire corrodes and fails leading to the inoperable ability of the door in the power mode. in power mode: the door will remain closed if attempted to be opened while the vehicle is in a motion gear. it also allows the controlled open and closure of the door with an automatic reversal if the door detects obstruction. disengaging this power mode allows the door to be opened when in motion. it also allows the door to slam closed if vehicle is parked on an incline and could injure a person not expecting the closure or opening. toyota has offered a service extension, not a recall, for a part that is integral for the safe operation of the sliding doors. this extension will only cover a small percentage of vehicles in their allotted time frame. the actual failed part is not available for replacement and a whole door actuator must be purchased and installed at $1100 per door. | |||
| 01/10/2013 | 56107 | ||
| Passanger side power door cable snapped and the door wouldn't close nor open. tried to open it manualy, no luck unless you use enormous amount of power which might do damage to some other parts of the vehicle. even if door managed to get open it won't close, which is a safety issue. | |||
| 11/15/2012 | 135000 | ||
| Toyota sienna's equipped with power sliding doors use a plastic coated steel wire to operate the door via a wheel and motor. this plastic deteriorates over time and the steel wire corrodes and fails leading to the inoperable ability of the door in the power mode. in power mode: the door will remain closed if attempted to be opened while the vehicle is in a motion gear. it also allows the controlled open and closure of the door with an automatic reversal if the door detects obstruction. disengaging this power mode allows the door to be opened when in motion. it also allows the door to slam closed if vehicle is parked on an incline and could injure a person not expecting the closure or opening. toyota has offered a service extension, not a recall, for a part that is integral for the safe operation of the sliding doors. this extension will only cover a small percentage of vehicles in their allotted time frame. the actual failed part is not available for replacement and a whole door actuator must be purchased and installed at $1100 per door. | |||
| 11/08/2011 | 96000 | 1 | |
| I have 2004 toyota sienna minivan le model. 2 years ago trying to get out of drivers seat, as i tried to open the door i heard a motorized clicking sound and the door wouldn't open from inside. i took to a mechanic and he found that the metal wire that connects to the latch had broken. i called toyota and they said it will cost $250 for the assembly that controls the latch to open the door. last year my power sliding door (passenger side) started acting up. sometimes the door would open and sometimes it won't when i press the power door button located on the ceiling close to driver's side. then it would only open from outside if i pull the latch from outside. then one day when i pulled the door latch from outside to open it, i heard a loud noise and the metal cable that the door slides on snapped! i received anenhancement recall letter from toyota just after the warranty expired. i searched the web and saw complaints that toyota does this on purpose last minute expecting that customers won't see it in time. i called the scion dealership in palatine, il and they said that it will cost me $120 to inspect what's wrong with the power door and there are 4 to 5 parts where 1 or more could have gone bad. some parts are covered and others are not covered by the warran ty. this should be safety recall and could kill a small kid. a class action suit must be filed against toyota for ripping off customers. they should be fixing it for free since its a design flaw. i would expect an engine to fail at 96000 miles but not the 2 doors (front manual door and power sliding door). big companies like toyota needs to cut off bonus form ceo and board of director's paycheck and use the money to correct their design flaws. i paid $32,000 and expect toyota to return the cost of repair which is $1800+tax or fix it for free and thank me that i did not file a suit against them. *tr | |||
| 11/08/2011 | 96000 | ||
| I have 2004 toyota sienna minivan le model. 2 years ago trying to get out of drivers seat, as i tried to open the door i heard a motorized clicking sound and the door wouldn't open from inside. i took to a mechanic and he found that the metal wire that connects to the latch had broken. i called toyota and they said it will cost $250 for the assembly that controls the latch to open the door. last year my power sliding door (passenger side) started acting up. sometimes the door would open and sometimes it won't when i press the power door button located on the ceiling close to driver's side. then it would only open from outside if i pull the latch from outside. then one day when i pulled the door latch from outside to open it, i heard a loud noise and the metal cable that the door slides on snapped! i received anenhancement recall letter from toyota just after the warranty expired. i searched the web and saw complaints that toyota does this on purpose last minute expecting that customers won't see it in time. i called the scion dealership in palatine, il and they said that it will cost me $120 to inspect what's wrong with the power door and there are 4 to 5 parts where 1 or more could have gone bad. some parts are covered and others are not covered by the warran ty. this should be safety recall and could kill a small kid. a class action suit must be filed against toyota for ripping off customers. they should be fixing it for free since its a design flaw. i would expect an engine to fail at 96000 miles but not the 2 doors (front manual door and power sliding door). big companies like toyota needs to cut off bonus form ceo and board of director's paycheck and use the money to correc their desing flaws. i paid $32,000 and expect toyota to return the cost of repair which is $1800+tax or fix it for free and thank me that i did not file a suit against them. | |||
| 04/22/2012 | 108000 | 1 | |
| I tool my car last april to get my recall done on my lift gate and ever since that my lift gate is not working.. i have called them several times and have filed a complaint with toyota as well but it seems no one is listening to me. please help. *tr | |||
| 04/22/2012 | 108000 | ||
| I tool my car last april to get my recall done on on my lift gate and ever since that my lift gate is not working.. i have called them several times and have filed a complaint with toyota as well but it seems no one is listening to me. please help. | |||
| 11/08/2012 | 135914 | 1 | |
| Manufacturer design flaw leads to jammed sliding doors, possibly locking passengers inside. numerous complaints online. toyota apparently acknowledges the problem as it has extended warranty on those parts to 9 yrs or 120k miles. mailing letters earlier this year. i received notice from them when my car had 7 yrs / 130k miles. i think they are not being proactive enough with an issue that rendered one of my doors inoperational. it is not that i can't use the electric door opening mechanism, the defect also impedes the door from opening at all. i think it becomes a safety hazard and should be covered no matter when. it is not my fault it took them several years to acknowledge the problem - my car would be covered had them mailed the letter one year before. *tr | |||
| 11/08/2012 | 135914 | ||
| Manufacturer design flaw leads to jammed sliding doors, possibly locking passengers inside. numerous complaints online. toyota apparently acknowledges the problem as it has extended warranty on those parts to 9 yrs or 120k miles. mailing letters ealier this year. i received notice from them when my car had 7 yrs / 130k miles. i think they are not being proactive enough with an issue that rendered one of my doors inoperational. it is not that i can't use the electric door opening mechanism, the defect also impedes the door from opening at all. i think it becomes a safety hazard and should be covered no matter when. it is not my fault it took them several years to acknowledge the problem - my car would be covered had them mailed the letter one year before. | |||
| 09/30/2010 | 82000 | 1 | |
| Rear passenger side power sliding door stops working once in a while. it won't open or close when the power door button is pressed. *tr | |||
| 09/30/2010 | 82000 | ||
| Rear passenger side power sliding door stops working once in a while. it won't open or close when the power door button is pressed. | |||
| 09/03/2012 | 97124 | 1 | |
| I am having trouble with the side power sliding door. *tr | |||
| 09/03/2012 | 97124 | ||
| I am having trouble with the side pwer sliding door. | |||
| 05/15/2011 | 60000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2004 toyota sienna. while parked, the contact noticed a fracture on the driver's side of the dashboard. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a complaint was filed. additionally, the contact heard a grinding noise coming from the air conditioning unit. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. the technician advised the contact that the air conditioning compressor would have to be replaced. also, the contact stated there was rust on the rear driver and passenger side sliding doors. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where the hinge was replaced. the sliding door failure recurred. the vehicle was not further repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 60,000. kmj | |||
| 07/22/2012 | 91400 | 1 | |
| Power sliding door cable broke. confirmed with toyota dealer that breaking cable caused power door motor to fail. toyota has warranty enhancement to cover cable, but will not cover motor. *tr | |||
| 07/22/2012 | 91400 | ||
| Power sliding door cable broke. confirmed with toyota dealer that breaking cable caused power door motor to fail. toyota has warranty enhancement to cover cable, but will not cover motor. | |||
| 03/30/2011 | 126000 | ||
| Sienna 2004 has had a defective door from about 40-45,000miles. it was intermittent for years until on 3/30/11 it totally quit working. i could never diagnose the reason why it would only work sometimes. was it related to heat, moisture.... there was no correlation. it quit working. there needs to be a recall not an extended warrenty campaign but a recall. also my hatch rear struts that hold up the rear hatch have failed. hit me in the head failed. i did get those fixed and again there was an extended warrenty campaign which means select vans are repaired but not all of them. if you look throught the complaints that have come in (and can you imagine all that have not even been documented?) then you will see that those sienna 2004s that have the vin # that begins: 5tdza23c... have numerous complaints on the same issues that being the electric door assembly and/or the rear struts on the hatch. now instead of an extended warrently campaign toyota needs to recall and open up the repair to all vehicles. i was told that i should get a new vehicle because they didn't want to repair my old one or deal with the van. my van lies outside of the warrenty by 11,000 miles that is it. even though i have documentation that the door was not working at 126,000 miles they will not repair because it is over 120,000 miles. today my van has 131,000 and they will not consider unless it is a recall. please review and catogorize these complaints. if you need me to analyze them i will. contact me. toyota has unsafe vehicles . | |||
| 03/10/2011 | 102085 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2004 toyota sienna. the contact stated that when depressing the button to activate the sliding door, there was an abnormal noise but the door would not open. the door could only be opened manually. the vehicle was taken to the dealer and the contact was told that the door lock actuator needed to be replaced. the failure mileage was 102,085 and the current mileage was 122,055. kmj | |||
| 03/10/2011 | 102085 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2004 toyota sienna. the contact stated that when you press the button to open the sliding door there is a noise, but the door will not open, the contact stated the button also will not close the door if it is already open. the door can only be opened manually. the vehicle was taken to the dealer and was told the door lock actuator needed to be replaced. the failure mileage was 102,085 and the current mileage was 122,055.rl | |||
| 04/18/2012 | 55000 | ||
| The right side headlight assembly is accumulating moisture and condensation inside which causes the headlight to fail. | |||
| 09/15/2011 | 113000 | ||
| I have a 2004 toyota sienna xle. late last year, both of my power sliding doors broke within a week of each other. the cable that operates the doors frayed and snapped apart. i was able to force the doors closed but have not been able to open them since. my kids have had to climb thru the front seats until we could figure out how to fix them. i talked to my local toyota dealership and was told to fix them the cost of the parts only would be $1200 a door. this cost included a new motor and cable because toyota does not replace just the cable. i believe this cable issue should of been upgraded to a recall many years ago and is very discomforting to us who are loyal toyota drivers. we as drivers have paid $30k+ for our vehicles and believe that we should not have to deal with this type of problem on a feature that we paid for as an upgrade to the original package. this is a wide spread problem nationwide from what i have read on several websites and blogs and includes several different year models from what i understand. thank you for allowing me to share my story and i look forward to hearing about this issue in the near future. | |||
| 10/01/2010 | 70000 | ||
| The doors on our 2004 sienna frequently freeze shut and we are unable to open them automatically or manually. this happens routinely when the temperatures are at or below freezing and are not resolved with turning off the power, doors, lubricating the tracks or warming up the car. the doors spontaneously unlock when we have been driving the car for 15min-1hour. the unlocking occurs while driving and bells sound, dash lights come on. we've taken it to the dealer, but they are not able to replicate the problem, because the issue is intermittent and temperature and time dependent. this is a tremendous inconvenience as we have a newborn, toddler and two school children and a serious safety issue. | |||
| 09/17/2008 | 72890 | ||
| The left power sliding door on my sienna failed. while out on errand with a friend's child, i could not shut the power sliding door. had to drive to my home with the child strapped into their carseat in the back and the door open. took it to dealership and they said the motor failed and it would cost $1900+ to fix the power or $300 to turn in into manual door. husband looked on internet, found instructions to take door apart and fixed himself as this was a very, very common problem. sure enough, the problem was not the motor, you can hear it run to this day, and it was the cable used to slide the door - there was stripped plastic shielding bunched up on the cable which kept the door from running on the cable. this is very dangerous as the door did not respond to the power button and would trap a child in it. second issue is the weld on the driver's side door making popping sounds. my husband looked and the weld was coming off and the metal underneath the weld had actually torn!! he took the welded piece off so that the door would be operational. once again, the door can close unexpectedly on a small child without warning without door being replaced. third issue is the sonar which comes and goes without warning. i try to leave my sonar on all the time, but in process of backing up, will realize the sonar has turned itself off. it comes and goes-sometimes will just beep on and off and on and off while driving down the street without anyone else around the car. fourth issue is when the car is cold, the back hatch door will rise and then immediately come down forcefully on your head (it runs with a motor). all of these issues are listed all over the internet as problems with this car and everyone is told by toyota that is you don't have a current warranty, they will not fix it for free. these are design flaws and safety issues!!!! | |||
| 02/08/2011 | 89600 | ||
| The electrical doors fail due to cable issues. the repair estimates exceed $1500. we fixed one door oly to have the second door fail and jam close completely. now we only have one sliding door that can open which seems very unsafe. after looking on line to see more than 900 complaints for this item, thought i would report. customers are frustrated with the lack of help from dealers and toyota. | |||
| 01/10/2006 | 40000 | ||
| The electric door (passenger side) intermittantly worked for years, sometimes it worked, sometimes it did not. finally it quit working. the rear fan goes on and off at will. there is an electrical short. my rear tail light on driver's side is always out, even after replacing it multiple times. the trunk door lost all its hydraulic lift and actually hit me in the head. it has no hydraulics left now and is very hard to lift. the lighted buttons by the front windshield where you operate the garage door, electric door - burnt out at probably 37,000 miles and were ridiculous to replace. the door locks are all screwed up. hard to unlock the driver's door manually with a key, have to unlock from passenger side. the door clicker does not work. batteries have been replaced multiple times and the clicker quit working shortly after, again an electrical short of some sort??? so no clicker, no electric door, no trunk lift, no dome lighting, no tail light, not to mention all the recalls that van had (extra tire, seatbelts, door issues). i had to replace my radiator?? cause it was leaking. van currently has 126,000 miles on it. it is by far the worst quality vehicle i have ever owned. i have owned an 80s toyota corolla which was fine, saturn, acura integra, ford explorer, also mazdas, 2001 chrysler 300m (horrible also), there is no doubt that after reading all the posts on the edmunds site about this 2004 sienna van, it should be recalled for electric door problems and all door problems, | |||
| 02/08/2011 | 89600 | ||
| The electrical doors fail due to cable issues. the repair estimates exceed $1500. we fixed one door oly to have the second door fail and jam close completely. now we only have one sliding door that can open which seems very unsafe. after looking on line to see more than 900 complaints for this item, thought i would report. customers are frustrated with the lack of help from dealers and toyota. | |||
| 01/10/2006 | 40000 | ||
| The electric door (passenger side) intermittantly worked for years, sometimes it worked, sometimes it did not. finally it quit working. the rear fan goes on and off at will. there is an electrical short. my rear tail light on driver's side is always out, even after replacing it multiple times. the trunk door lost all its hydraulic lift and actually hit me in the head. it has no hydraulics left now and is very hard to lift. the lighted buttons by the front windshield where you operate the garage door, electric door - burnt out at probably 37,000 miles and were ridiculous to replace. the door locks are all screwed up. hard to unlock the driver's door manually with a key, have to unlock from passenger side. the door clicker does not work. batteries have been replaced multiple times and the clicker quit working shortly after, again an electrical short of some sort??? so no clicker, no electric door, no trunk lift, no dome lighting, no tail light, not to mention all the recalls that van had (extra tire, seatbelts, door issues). i had to replace my radiator?? cause it was leaking. van currently has 126,000 miles on it. it is by far the worst quality vehicle i have ever owned. i have owned an 80s toyota corolla which was fine, saturn, acura integra, ford explorer, also mazdas, 2001 chrysler 300m (horrible also), there is no doubt that after reading all the posts on the edmunds site about this 2004 sienna van, it should be recalled for electric door problems and all door problems, | |||
| 02/08/2011 | 89600 | ||
| The electrical doors fail due to cable issues. the repair estimates exceed $1500. we fixed one door oly to have the second door fail and jam close completely. now we only have one sliding door that can open which seems very unsafe. after looking on line to see more than 900 complaints for this item, thought i would report. customers are frustrated with the lack of help from dealers and toyota. | |||
| 01/10/2006 | 40000 | ||
| The electric door (passenger side) intermittantly worked for years, sometimes it worked, sometimes it did not. finally it quit working. the rear fan goes on and off at will. there is an electrical short. my rear tail light on driver's side is always out, even after replacing it multiple times. the trunk door lost all its hydraulic lift and actually hit me in the head. it has no hydraulics left now and is very hard to lift. the lighted buttons by the front windshield where you operate the garage door, electric door - burnt out at probably 37,000 miles and were ridiculous to replace. the door locks are all screwed up. hard to unlock the driver's door manually with a key, have to unlock from passenger side. the door clicker does not work. batteries have been replaced multiple times and the clicker quit working shortly after, again an electrical short of some sort??? so no clicker, no electric door, no trunk lift, no dome lighting, no tail light, not to mention all the recalls that van had (extra tire, seatbelts, door issues). i had to replace my radiator?? cause it was leaking. van currently has 126,000 miles on it. it is by far the worst quality vehicle i have ever owned. i have owned an 80s toyota corolla which was fine, saturn, acura integra, ford explorer, also mazdas, 2001 chrysler 300m (horrible also), there is no doubt that after reading all the posts on the edmunds site about this 2004 sienna van, it should be recalled for electric door problems and all door problems, | |||
| 04/01/2011 | 100000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2004 toyota sienna. the contact stated that the dashboard was defective. the dashboard was cracked near the air bag area and the contact was concerned that the failure could cause a disruption in air bag deployment in the event of a crash. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 100,000 and the current mileage was 114,000. kmj | |||
| 04/01/2011 | 100000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2004 toyota sienna. the contact stated the vehicle dashboard was defected. the dash board cracked in the air bag area, and might cause the air bag not to properly deploy. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 100,000 and the current mileage was 114,000. li | |||
| 11/18/2009 | |||
| The sliding doors will not open when outside temperature is below freezing. if you need to enter and exit the vehicle you must crawl through the front seat. the automatic door will sometimes open without being manually activated. the air in the rear will automatically come on and shut off after a few seconds without being manually activated. | |||
| 05/23/2009 | 69033 | ||
| Tire pressure monitoring system is not working and toyota has made up various excuses as to why the light does not go off during a flat or blow out or that it is working properly. recently i was extremely nervous during driving and found after pulling off and stopping at a honda dealership that i had an undriveable tire. honda was not sure why the light did not go on but said it was unsafe to drive and would not hold air so i could not get to toyota. beside the 9 tires i have replaced the latest tire cost me a rim also. i am assuming that this was due to the flat that i did not know that i had. something needs to be done about the run flats and especially the tire pressure monitoring system before someone is killed or severely injured. please do something about this very serious problem. | |||
| 09/28/2011 | 130000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2004 toyota sienna. the contact stated that the instrument panel was cracked across the front. the dealer was notified and of the failure who referred her to the manufacturer. the manufacturer was contacted and a complaint was filed. no other assistance was offered. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 130,000. kmj | |||
| 05/23/2009 | 69033 | ||
| Tire pressure monitoring system is not working and toyota has made up various excuses as to why the light does not go off during a flat or blow out or that it is working properly. recently i was extremely nervous during driving and found after pulling off and stopping at a honda dealership that i had an undriveable tire. honda was not sure why the light did not go on but said it was unsafe to drive and would not hold air so i could not get to toyota. beside the 9 tires i have replaced the latest tire cost me a rim also. i am assuming that this was due to the flat that i did not know that i had. something needs to be done about the run flats and especially the tire pressure monitoring system before someone is killed or severely injured. please do something about this very serious problem. | |||
| 09/28/2011 | 130000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2004 toyota sienna. the contact stated that the instrument panel was cracked across the front. the dealer was notified and of the failure who referred her to the manufacturer. the manufacturer was contacted and a complaint was filed. no other assistance was offered. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 130,000. kmj | |||
| 09/28/2011 | 130000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns 2004 toyota sienna. the contact stated the instrument panel was cracking all across the front. the dealer was notified and reffered her to the manufacturer. the manufacturer was notified and a complaint was file. no other assistance was offered. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 130,000. mw | |||
| 03/03/2011 | 71000 | ||
| Power sliding door of toyota sienna le 2004 fails to open. happened when car battery ran out of power. after battery was charged by an aaa mechanic with jumper cables, power door could open and close again. after driving the van for a few miles, power door started opening and closing by itself. very, very dangerous as van was being driven on a busy highway. after i pulled up on the side road, power door kept opening and closing, but not getting successfully closed by itself. i helped the door close successfully by pushing it fully to closed position. door is stuck in closed position since. electronic controls and manual knobs don't manage to open the door. | |||
| 09/29/2011 | 142000 | ||
| Electric sliding van door has failed on passenger side, will not open or close. manual sliding side door on driver side is very difficult to open and close. very dangerous in event of crash or fire. dealership estimates over $1000 to fix. there are over six hundred similar complaints at http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/direct/view/.f0eb3fd/600 please help. thank you. | |||
| 09/14/2011 | 105000 | ||
| Power sliding door locks and wont open. its a simple power door lock, when malfunction, no one can open the door, and its serious risk hazard. toyota dealer charges $700 to repair a door because they say the warranty over after 30k miles. | |||
| 09/29/2011 | 142000 | ||
| Electric sliding van door has failed on passenger side, will not open or close. manual sliding side door on driver side is very difficult to open and close. very dangerous in event of crash or fire. dealership estimates over $1000 to fix. there are over six hundred similar complaints at http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/direct/view/.f0eb3fd/600 please help. thank you. | |||
| 09/14/2011 | 105000 | ||
| Power sliding door locks and wont open. its a simple power door lock, when malfunction, no one can open the door, and its serious risk hazard. toyota dealer charges $700 to repair a door because they say the warranty over after 30k miles. | |||
| 09/08/2011 | 109000 | ||
| Power slidding door cable broke due to the fact it is exposed to the elements of the rain and snow and ice causing the cable to rust and break door will not open this is a safty issue toyota needs to address this issue if there was an accident the could be deadly for my family if they can't get out!!!!!! | |||
| 06/08/2011 | 88000 | ||
| Passenger side automatic sliding door failed to open when using remote as well as when it was manually attempted to open. good thing we have one manual sliding door...though this door is automatically locked when gas tank door is open. | |||
| 06/15/2011 | 82000 | ||
| Most recently, passenger side automatic door stopped mid-way, i closed it manually, drove a couple of feet and turned off the car. then the car would not start. door is not working automatically only manually. started easiy with jumper cables but continues to not start on its own most of the time, usually when engine is cold it won't start on its won. this happened about 8 months ago and dealer said it needed a starter even though i showed printout from tow truck showing it wasn't the starter. this also happened some time before that and dealer said i needed a new battery and that seemed to fix the problem temporarily. this has been a problem since i first purchased the car and the dealer did not fix the problem. | |||
| 08/24/2010 | 78500 | ||
| We had used the automatic overhead button to open the rear driver's sliding door. after our children got in the car, we tried to use the button again to close the door, however the door stopped midway because the cable came off it's track. we were not able to close the door while the cable was off the track, so we had to cut the cable and remove it in order to shut the door. we can only use the door manually now, however, it is extremely difficult to open and close, especially on the slightest incline. this is a safety issue for whoever is sitting in the rear seats, typically my children, for if there is an accident, it would be extremely difficult for them to get out. apparently this has been an ongoing problem for years with the toyota sienna's and toyota will not fix the problem. | |||
| 12/15/2009 | 50000 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2004 toyota sienna. while the vehicle was parked during inclement weather the contact stated the rear driver and passenger side automatic power sliding doors would not open automatically or manually. the seals on the door were frozen shut. while the vehicle was parked on an incline the doors would automatically close on their own while exiting the vehicle. the contact noticed a cable on the automatic sliding doors snapped on the rear drivers side. the passengers in the rear seat had to enter and exit the vehicle from the lift gate. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where the motor was disconnected and the wires were removed. the automatic feature was also disconnected and the doors were opened manually. the vehicle was repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 50,000. | |||
| 12/15/2009 | 50000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2004 toyota sienna. while parked during cold weather the contact stated the rear driver and passenger side automatic power sliding doors would not open automatically or manually because the seals cause the doors to be frozen shut. also, while parked on an incline the doors would automatically close on there own while exiting the vehicle. the contact noticed a cable snapped on the rear driver and passenger side automatic power sliding doors . the contact stated the passengers seated in the back seat would have to enter and exit the vehicle from the lift gate. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where the motor was disconnected and the wires were removed. the automatic feature was disconnected and the doors are opened manually. the vehicle was repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 50,000. ds | |||
| 04/25/2011 | 82000 | ||
| Passenger sliding door failure. cable compromised due to design flaw that stripped it of its insulation. despite being garaged, this caused the cable to fray and then rust, making the door inoperable. this includes manually, as the cable catches on a roller at the door hinge in the sliding track. additional fear is that consequent motor strain may cause additional failure/expense/fire. the cable failure causes it to bind on the hinge roller and prevents the door from both opening *and* closing. in an accident, you will not be able to exit the vehicle from that side if necessary. door did open partially and then would not close without great exertion. thankfully, my wife was able to force it closed before having to take the highway with our children inside and an open door. once the part fails, the door can not be made operable without major repair. toyota has tsb el004-004 on this issue that covers our particular vin, but will not cover the repair out of warranty. cost of repair is approximately $2,000 and the fear is that many, like us, will not have the part repaired due to this cost (and anger over *acknowledged* design flaw). | |||
| 04/01/2005 | 8000 | ||
| Item 1-- this is an awd model with run flats and no space for a spare tire. the low pressure warning for the tires is revolution based, and therefore doesn't activate due to the stiff wall run flat tires. i have had numerous occasions where the tires were very low with no warning, and two occasions where the tires had zero air and were ruined with no warning, and the first indication was a roar and sudden very bumpy ride. these 2 events happened at city speeds, but i fear this event at interstate speeds. the later models were equipped with pressure sensing devices (not revolution sensing). the vehicle has only 38k miles, perfect condition, and i just renewed my extended warranty for 6 more years, so would like a recall retrofit to pressure sensing for safety and peace of mind. i had thought toyota would develop a fix, but to no avail. i have this documented on toyota service invoices and the factory rep has reported there is nothing toyota can do. item 2--- when pulling out from behind a vehicle to pass and flooring the accelerator, there is a full second of hesitation before the down shifting/acceleration begins. this has caused two near misses. this is documented with toyota, but all i've been told is that it is caused by drive-by-wire (?), which i assume is an electrical signal as opposed to a mechanical throttle cable, but again, toyota says there is nothing they can do. | |||
| 02/10/2011 | 80000 | ||
| The 2004 toyota sienna xle van that we own has two power sliding doors. the cable to the passenger door snapped preventing the door from functioning as it should. the motor on the door is still in working order, but you cannot replace just the cable, you must replace the entire unit including the motor at $1200. we converted the door to a manual door and that worked for about 2 weeks. the door stopped functioning entirely and we are no longer able to open the passenger sliding door on our vehicle. this is a potential safety risk to us as we haul our 3 children in the back of the van. for example, when fueling the vehicle, the driver side sliding door is inoperable and in the event of a fire, the children would be trapped in the back of the vehicle. we have had very little luck in finding a used part and will hopefully be getting a new part to fix the problem in the near future. | |||
| 01/10/2011 | 50000 | ||
| In early january 2011, the heater for the passenger car seat in my toyota sienna burned through the leather, through my 12 year old daughter's dress and superficially burned her leg. i believe the seat is defective as a fuse or other safety feature should have prevented such an injury/event. | |||
| 09/30/2010 | 97563 | ||
| The rear passenger power sliding door failed. the cable that opens and closes the door snapped and then bound up jamming the door open about 3 inches. my children could not exit the vehicle on that side if there was an accident and i had to dissasemble the door just to close it. | |||
| 01/15/2010 | 75000 | ||
| 2004 toyota sienna the ac began to work intermittently and now stopped blowing cold air at around 75,000 miles. initial diagnostics indicated that the gauges and climate controls inside the cabin were causing this problem. freon levels appear to be at adequate levels. | |||
| 01/12/2011 | |||
| The automatic door failed and almost crushed my 21 month old. it opened and as she was getting out it started closing. it did not detect her and i had to forcefully push it open before it closed her in it. then again the same thing happened with my 10 year old luckily she thought to get out of the way. | |||
| 01/15/2010 | 75000 | ||
| 2004 toyota sienna the ac began to work intermittently and now stopped blowing cold air at around 75,000 miles. initial diagnostics indicated that the gauges and climate controls inside the cabin were causing this problem. freon levels appear to be at adequate levels. | |||
| 01/12/2011 | |||
| The automatic door failed and almost crushed my 21 month old. it opened and as she was getting out it started closing. it did not detect her and i had to forcefully push it open before it closed her in it. then again the same thing happened with my 10 year old luckily she thought to get out of the way. | |||
| 12/29/2007 | 135000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2004 toyota sienna. the contact stated that the right passenger automatic slider door almost injured the contacts passenger once trying to exit from the vehicle, by it suddenly shutting. she noticed that there was cable that has fractured in the door which is causing the door to close suddenly. this failure has occurred on a intermittent basis for 3 years. the vehicle has not been inspected nor has it been repaired. the failure mileage was approximately 135,000. the vin was unavailable. tb | |||
| 02/10/2010 | 82000 | ||
| Normal use of the automatic passenger sliding door of the 2004 toyota sienna resulted in cable breaking at 82,000 miles. have not repaired due to high cost $1,700. known problem at time of my vehicle's manufacture, tsb issued (el004-04), but failed outside of warranty. door is no longer operational which is the safety issue. children must now exit the vehicle on the street side, instead of the curb side. | |||
| 09/24/2010 | 82475 | ||
| 2004 toyota sienna's automatic sliding door mechanism jammed preventing door closure. the door could not be closed automatically or manually. circumstances forced passengers, including 4 small children, to travel several highway miles with that door open. in april 2004 toyota modified that door mechanism for new product and issued technical service bulletin el004-04 power sliding door inoperative to correct existing product. sienna's early 2004 sliding door is a defective product. the sienna product is a minivan marketed to families and children. as such it is designed to be a closed vehicle. the defective door should be considered a child restraint failure because closed doors are, in fact, the primary protective restraint in a family vehicle. corrective action we elected is to cut the automatic door's tractor cable. that frees the door to close and permanently disengages the defective door mechanism. | |||
| 02/08/2009 | 92000 | ||
| 2004 toyota sienna xle 2wd - power doors do not open or shut (from the inside of the van) using either the automatic button or door handles. they also do not open or shut (from the inside of the van) even when the power button is off and the doors are suppose to work on manual. therefore, the passengers sitting in the back can not get out of the van. someone has to let them out from the outside of the van. | |||
| 04/02/2008 | 80000 | ||
| Toyota sienna 2004 automatic door (passenger site) cable that opens the door snapped and broke. a burning smell occur but no fire. i was looking to fix this problem. dealer wants to charge me $ 1800.00. i found on several blogs that this is a common problem. i am wondering if this is a manufactering problem | |||
| 05/21/2010 | 60000 | ||
| I have 2 different complaints. drvier side seat heater burned legs of3 different drivers before complete failure. heat was not adjustable. driver and passenger heaters stopped working at same time. took to dealer, recommended new heating element ($1000+). opted not to fix. 2nd complaint, check engine, vsc, and trac off lights illuminated. the van has been sent to the dealer on at least 3 occasions. gas cap has been replaced several times, spark plugs changed. will go off for brief periods, but always to return. this has been going on for at least 30,000 miles. i could live with the check engine light on, but if the other lights are illuminated, that indicates these components are not working-kind of important-skid control & traction control!! there are many complaints out there on blogs, doesn't look like anyone has filed any reports with your office regarding this same problem, which is too bad because it's obviously a problem not with just sienna but several other models as well. extremelyh frustrating when even the dealer can't determine what the problem really is!! we purchased this vehicle because of the safety features. not so sure about it if their safety features malfunction! | |||
| 01/18/2010 | 42000 | ||
| Power sliding door on my van quit working. door is stuck half opened. took to toyota said it was a common problem but the warranty wont cover. they said it was due to door sag due to hing but this is not the case i cut a steel cable and was able to close the door manually. it works fine manually you would think it was due to what they said it wouldnt close at all. many people are having this problem and toyota is doing nothing about it. | |||
| 01/03/2010 | 95000 | ||
| Toyota (2004 sienna) seat heater burned a hole through the leather on drivers seat. toyota (judy faul) interviewed me/my case and submitted to terrence chu (regulatory affairs). he wrote me a letter 3 months later and said toyota was not at fault because i had a towel (8x8 baby burp cloth) adjacent to my leg (left outer thigh) and the owners manual states not to use an insulating object with the seat heater operating. he never contacted me for clairification on the incident. i have been denied access to anyone at toytota. the dealer (peoria, il) said they will repair for $1337, but will not support me to repair the damage the faulty heater created. i can see thier logic if sitting on a stack of towles, but not a rag, of which the consistency is less than the ski pants worn (with the heater operating) or my wife sweater dresses in the same manner. personal friends (torry olsen) had the same year van and the same problem. toyota repaired thiers as it was under warranty. the heater element is still hooked up (and dangerous) and toyota wil not service unless we pay. | |||
| 04/25/2010 | 108000 | ||
| No prior problems. the automatic door and it's safety feature of not closing when something is in the way stopped working. the door will not open completely and when closing it closes on anything in it's way. sometimes it will not close or open at all. if the button is engaged to turn the automatic door off the door will not budge. it will not work in manuel mode. nothing has been done to correct the failure as of yet, as the expense is prohibitive | |||
| 08/29/2008 | 84734 | ||
| Right side power sliding door sticking. must manually pull handle to get door to unlatch. once the door is in motion, you can control(open/close) with key chain controller or both power buttons inside vehicle. same problem if the door is in open position, door latch will not released with any power buttons, must manually pull handle to get door to unlatched. dealer cleaned and lubed door on 8-29-2008 at 84,734 miles. charged $21 for service. later in evening same problem occured, i took the sienna back to dealership the next day. service technician said it needed a new(door) motor and would cost $1,500. i was shocked since the day before they had claimed everything was ok and it was only $21. needless to say, the door has not been fixed, i feel it is a major safety concern and it is sad to learn that there are a lot of people having the same problem. the problem seems to be consistent between 75,000 to 85,000 miles. would appreciate if you could look into this problem. | |||
| 03/04/2010 | 98785 | 1 | |
| I drive a 2004 toyota sienna xle. on 3/4/10 at 1030 am, i was coming to a stop light on broken land pkwy. as i completed a full stop, my sienna tried to accelerate while my foot was depressing the brake pedal. the vehicle lurched but did not stall out and i was able to continue on my way. during the rest of the morning, i did not experience any more acceleration trouble the rest of the day. i did inform my husband and he suggested i research 2004 toyota sienna acceleration. i did that and found a variety of complaints from 2004 toyota sienna owners on several internet auto web sites. *tr | |||
| 01/20/2010 | 110000 | 1 | |
| It happened twice during 2 weeks ago ( during heavy rain). i was driving my 2004 toyota sienna on a parking lot. the steering wheel is very hard to turn, it seems like i lost the power steering. after restarting the van, the problem disappeared. next day, my wife encountered the same problem when she is picking up our kids from school. we believe there is a major problem with the electrical system or computer system. i have so many problem with this vans and the dealer refuse to fix it, i have seat belt problem, it is not easy to release after driving, dealer wants 300 to fix. electrical sliding door problem etc. *tr | |||
| 09/16/2009 | 50000 | 1 | |
| Under normal operating conditions, 2004 toyota sienna xle limited with hid headlights, had premature headlight failure. mechanic diagnosed the problem as a faulty transformer and replaced it under warranty. within a few weeks, the other side transformer failed. mechanic replaced that transformer. within a few days, that transformer failed too. issue currently under investigation with toyota. *tr | |||
| 07/17/2009 | 1 | ||
| No pertinent events other than pressing the button to open the automatic right passenger door, the cable wire broke. we brought to the toyota dealership and we were told that it will cost about $1500 to fix it. *tr | |||
| 07/27/2009 | 60000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2004 toyota sienna. the contact stated that the passenger side power sliding door failed. the dealer stated that the entire motor assembly for the door needed to be replaced at the cost of $1,000. there were no recalls for this component. the failure mileage was 60,000. | |||
| 12/25/2004 | 5000 | 1 | |
| I bought a 2004 toyota sienna ce in ottawa, ontario, canada, from a dealer, new, off the lot in august 2004. by the first winter, both back sliding doors would freeze shut, especially the passenger side, and would not open until the vehicle got really hot inside. the dealer had no solution, offered no solution. in addition, by the second year we had three radiators installed, and had both front doors repaired for rusting under a general recall. also, the rear fan has been going on and off, even with the switch in the off position. we have taken this issue to the dealer many times, but they do not have an answer, nor a strategy to figure out why it does this. finally, this vehicle has rattled inside from day one and is unpleasant to drive. i find the toyota dealers not interested in you once you buy the car, but after three years to the day the called me wanting to know if i'd buy a new one. i will not buy another toyota. *tr | |||
| 10/21/2006 | 37000 | 1 | |
| Right sliding door cable snapped and stopped opening automatically. this happen right after warrranty ended and they would only repair it for 2000 +. *tr | |||
| 09/01/2008 | 58000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2004 toyota sienna. the contact stated that the motor for the driver's side sliding door failed. as a result, the door can no longer be shut and the vehicle cannot be driven. the vehicle was taken to the dealer and will be repaired at the cost of $1,600. the failure and current mileages were 58,000. | |||
| 11/05/2008 | 68960 | 1 | |
| 1. no unusual events to vehicle. usual school drop off of passenger. powered sliding door was activated for opening on nov. 5th 2008. door is well lubricated and no other symptoms of failure were noticed before failure. 2. powered, rear, sliding, passenger side door (rh) will not open fully. door cannot be opened in manual over-ride. door only opens 4 inches, then jams. difficult to close after jam. 3. root cause of failure is shedding cable jacket jamming door center hinge pulleys. door will require a new motor, cable assembly, center bracket no 1, and center hinge. *tr | |||
| 02/07/2008 | 50000 | 1 | |
| Initially the dr side low beam headlight would not light. dealer replaced bulb and ecu module. warranty replacement. cause was reported the ecu failed. months later the dr side low beam headlight failed again but after the one year repair work warranty. this time it was reported to be the bulb and was replaced, dlr. would not warrant the work, even the extended warranty supposedly did not cover. cost to cust. was $395. currently the passenger side low beam headlight has quit working, several months ago and cust. bought direct replacement bulb and installed it. that did not remedy the problem. it appears that the ecu for the passenger side low beam headlight may be faulty. it has been reported that costs for the ecu and dlr labor to replace would cost about $800. this seems to fall in the safety category and should be a recall and warranty work. different dlr states that they can diagnose for $125 and determine the problem. oh what to do! please help. all for seemingly a burned out headlamp. the service attitude and associated costs by the mfr. and dealers are piracy to say the least. i wouldn't mind paying my way but this seems to be a problem that is more widespread than just a few. even in some other models. unconscionable policy! *tr | |||
| 07/16/2008 | 47000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2004 toyota sienna. the contact stated that the air bag warning indicator flashes intermittently on the instrument panel. the vehicle was taken to the dealer approximately three times and they stated that the wiring in the seat back needed to be replaced. the current mileage was 52,622 and failure mileage was 47,000. | |||
| 07/08/2008 | 69000 | 1 | |
| The right power sliding door cable on the 2004 toyota sienna le broke. the car was 5.1 years old, bought new in 2003, and had 69,000 ml. on the day of problem. no indications on a sliding mechanism were prior to the incident. as always the door was activated by the remote control. it did not open on several attempts. when i approached it and tried to open by the handle i saw the cable being rusty and broken. the dealer worked with toyota on the issue and toyota offered to pay 50% of parts and labor, but my fee is still above $800. toyota refused to cover it entirely, although the problem is well known to them. http://toyota.justanswer.com/uploads/snd27613/2008-07-05_074916_sienna_sliding_door_inop.pdf . no extended warranty on this part was offered by toyota. i can not use this door in any way until is repaired, even if i set it to act manually, it won't open more than 1/2 ft. the only way my two children can get in/out the car is from the left side door. where one's car seat is installed. needless to say this is a serious safety issue as the left side is the one to the road and children jump out or run to the car in a blink of an eye. *tr | |||
| 05/15/2004 | 0 | 1 | |
| Battery saver feature is only partially in my 2004 toyota sienna. the owners manual and the toyota service manual state that if any door is left open, then the room lights should go out after 20 minutes. this feature is only partially operable as the ignition key cylinder lights and the two front personal lights do go off, but all other interior lights remain on with an open door. toyota has taken no action to correct problem. when a door is inadvertently left open, the battery will discharge, removing the ability to start the vehicle. there are numerous reports of this problem on the internet. *tr | |||
| 07/15/2004 | 2134 | 100 | 05/29/2004 |
| On 5/29/2004 i purchased my toyota sienna. i started having mysterious lights coming on at all different times. on 7/15/2004, i went out to my car and it wouldn't start. this was the beginning of a nightmare. since then my car has been in the shop at least 6 times for this problem. i have not had my car start at least once a month since i purchased it. i would usually just jump the battery but they could never tell me the reason why it kept on happening. there were times that i couldn't even leave my doors open for 5 minutes without it wearing the battery down. when the battery is checked it is always fine. when the battery is fully charged i have the interior lights turn on for no reason. they have put in a new battery and replaced the jbl audio switch because that had been shown to turn on intermittently and drain the battery/engine. neither of these solutions have worked. they finally told me that my car had too many bells and whistles (which all are factory installed) and that i need to connect to a car charger when i come home or to go on long drives at least once a week. *tr | |||
| 03/01/2007 | 2 | 04/28/2003 | |
| Power sliding door inoperative stopped working not really sure of the date it stopped working(our lease was approaching the end) as we found sliding door to be too slow and not safe therefore we turned it off. we leased vehicle and therefore returned it. toyota parkway in hamilton,ontario,canada service performed a diagnostic test to tell me the cable and motor on the power door needed replacing. we were informed it would cost over $2,000 to fix the door(cable and motor) i was given the option to take elsewhere for a quote. where i had it fixed said there was nothing wrong with the motor it did not cost me $2,000. i returned it to toyota with the door working. i spoke to the general manager (parkway toyota) and he mentioned there were problems with the power doors. he refused to cover my costs as i did not have it fixed at toyota. i was not told that they would take care of it in the beginning. both sliding doors freezing shut in cold weather- passengers had to go out the hatch door i have heard of melting ice pooling on the door but nothing done to correct. we returned vehicle fed up by this point. too many recalls and issues for a toyota. *tr | |||
| 01/25/2007 | 28500 | 7 | 08/12/2003 |
| Tl*- the contact owns a 2004 toyota sienna. the contact explained that the rear door liftgate did not stay open when used. the contact would push the key fob to open the automatic rear door and the door would open. after a short period of time they would close without warning. the door normally has a chime to alert the contact when the door is closing, but when it closes in error there isn't a chime to alert the contact of the closing. the contact has been hit several times because of this failure. *ak updated 2/27/2007 -over the past few weeks the rear door would close immediately after being opened. the vehicle was taken to the dealer but hey did not fix it. *nm | |||
| 01/17/2007 | 40000 | 1 | 12/05/2003 |
| Auto powered rear door; when powered opened will open all the way and a few seconds later suddenly close without warning. it has happened a few times, only in cold weather. this has happened after toyota fixed the hatch studdering problem. i was injured (bruised) in the head due the door hitting me as it automatically closed by itself (note it did not stop closing after it hit my head). *nm | |||
| 12/01/2006 | 20 | ||
| Intermittently the back lift door on our 2004 toyota sienna xle minivan closes unexpectedly. so far, no one had been injured by the closing door, but we have had a couple of very close calls. this happens when only the door has been raised using the remote control and most often on cool wet days.. *nm | |||
| 11/05/2006 | 48000 | 4 | 04/28/2004 |
| The owners manual of my 2004 toyota sienna indicates that there is a safety feature that turns off the lights after a period of time, if the door is left open. however, it doesn't work correctly, and my battery has been drained numerous times. *jb | |||
| 03/02/2004 | 3724 | 9 | 12/14/2003 |
| Dt*: the contact stated while driving out of a driveway at 5 mph, the vehicle stalled when acceleration was attempted. the engine warning signal illuminated. the problem had reoccured frequently at any speed. the dealership was not able to duplicate the defect in nine times the vehicle had been taken to correct the problem. the contact decided to obtain a second opinion from an independent certified mechanic who observed the coil ignition assistance burned out and the fifth cylinder was misfiring. the second opinion was ratified by another dealership. the contact expressed the dealership delayed the required repairs until the vehicle remaining warranty were exhausted. the dealership was now ready to make the repairs. | |||
| 08/24/2006 | 35500 | 1 | 07/11/2003 |
| The right rear automatic door closure mechanism exploded sending plastic shrapnel forwards hitting my wife in the face. she was sitting sideways with her feet out of the van she reached backwards and pressed the close button located on the pillar. there was a big noise that sounded like a rock hitting the van. we looked for damage to van then discovered the broken cable dangling and the door would not close. luckily my wife had sunglasses on. *nm | |||
| 03/05/2006 | 130000 | 20 | 05/15/2003 |
| The rear deck lid on my 2004 sienna xle limited van has a remote automatic open & close feature. i used the auto open and while placing items in the rear storage area, the deck lid closed (under power) without command, striking me and my son. the auto-stop feature didn't engage until i pushed very hard against the lid. as soon as i let go, it came down again. there were no prior incidents or any unusual behavior to indicate a problem with the operation of the deck lid. the lid hasn't worked since and it won't stay open without someone holding it. a week after the incident i found a toyota technical service bulletin bo0003-04 that states back door stays for 2004 model year sienna vehicles have been redesigned in order to provide improved resistance to seal damage and prevent leakage. i checked my back door stays (gas or hydraulic filled struts) and they were both leaking. i checked the internet user forum siennaclub.org and found several similar complaints from sienna owners in the u.s. and canada. in my opinion, the uncommanded closing of a rear deck lid in a mini-van constitutes a serious safety hazard. just a guess, most mini-van owners have or transport children. there is no way a child could have stopped and reversed the lid that closed on me and my son. this should be a recall issue, not a service bulletin that toyota is not required to disclose and in fact, can charge to repair. *nm | |||
| 02/03/2005 | 8189 | 2 | 01/14/2004 |
| Battery saver feature discussed in owner's manual for 2004 sienna does not work. sliding door inadvertently left open for 3 hours while visiting country friends. battery drained to point engine would not turn over. had to connect battery charger in cold rain to crank. owners camping out with this vehicle may find themselves stranded and could possibly result in loss of life. *jb | |||
| 02/13/2006 | 41300 | 6 | 06/17/2004 |
| While driving on dry pavement, sometimes, but not always, after leaving snowy driveway, the 2004 awd toyota sienna's traction control light came on. this was accompanied by a very loud alarm. the traction control system then activated causing the engine to brake and the abs to continuously brake until the vehicle decelerated to appx. 9 miles per hour. the light and alarm would then go off. the whole scenario repeats when speed exceeds appx. 9 miles per hour. this puts the driver in a very dangerous situation. the vehicle is very difficult to steer when is it rapidly braking. this happened both at low speeds, start-up speeds, and on the highway when i was going 40-50 miles per hour, again, on dry pavement. the only safe option is to pull off to the side of the road. after driving for anywhere from 3 minutes to 15 minutes, the problem mysteriously disappears. the next time the vehicle starts, it may or may not malfunction in this way. the tires are in good condition and at appropriate inflation levels. there does not appear to be any snow or ice on or inside the wheels when this is happening. *nm | |||
| 07/17/2005 | 0 | 3 | 08/05/2003 |
| Pages 155 and 156 of my 2004 toyota sienna states to prevent the battery being discharged, the lights will automatically turn off when the key is removed and the door is left opened with the switch at door position for 20 minutes or more. however, when my side door or rear hatch is left opened, the feature does not work. i informed toyota's corporate office in california of the problem and was told that my complaint was the first time they heard about it. i told her that i found it hard to believe my complaint was the first since i read about the problem on various online message boards. she said information on message boards cannot be verified. i later discovered that my complaint was not the first because others have complained about the problem to toyota as well. it should be noted that the previous generation of toyota siennas had the battery saving feature on all doors. when i called the dealership (gateway toyota in nj), their showroom specialist (maryann) agreed with me that the interior lights should turn off after 20 minutes if the doors are left opened. when i demonstrated the problem to them, they called toyota's corporate office to report the problem. the person from gateway toyota said toyota's official response was that the battery saving feature only applies to the front doors. when i called toyota again, i was told that it was a misprint in the manual and they were working on it. when i asked for a definition of working on it, i was told that toyota was working on revising the manual but not fixing the problem. i had learned that people who have purchased a 2004 toyota sienna after me had their manuals altered in such a way that the areas mentioning the battery saving feature had been covered up by a white piece of paper. i was also informed that toyota corrected the problem on their 2005 models. *nm | |||
| 08/11/2004 | 22000 | 8 | 11/17/2003 |
| Radiator ruptured and the engine overheated; hose replaced in steering column recall; rust protective tape recall; dvd screen replaced and the entire dvd player replaced(screen still not easily visible in middle row); passenger seat belt replaced; middle passenger seat belt failing; gasoline smell inside of car with ac on recirculation; driver's window fell inside door in snow storm and was not considered a safety issue to get a loaner vehicle even though the vehicle could not be locked; tires completely bald and leaking under 30,000 miles, dvd player must be at a high db volume and when returned to radio/cd will almost deafen you; interior lights have to be manually over ridden or will drain battery; car hesitates 1-2 seconds when trying to quickly accelerate and then lurches forward alarmingly; cruise control is not functioning; waiting to have fuel mixture sensor replaced. i was not informed of first 2 recalls until i my engine overheated. i did get the rust recall and a sticker on my sliding door informing user of danger of having middle windows open while opening the middle door could catch a head or other extremity. toyota dealer service manager says mine is the only 04 sienna experiencing any problems except for the recalls on the radiator; the steering hose; the rust tape; and the middle seat belt. not so according to all i have read here. most of the problems have occurred between 22,000 and 34,000 miles; the dvd screen always failed to lock into a good position for the middle row viewers. *nm | |||
| 08/20/2004 | 300 | 1 | |
| The vehicle computer sensor did not work. the tire pressure warning system was defective. the vehicle had a flat tire and the warning system did not detect anything.*ak | |||
| 07/30/2004 | 1 | 06/08/2004 | |
| 2004 toyota sienna ce -- when the air conditioning is on for a while, the intake button light is automatically on and the cool air from the air conditioning is getting warm . i think it starts the recirculation of interior air and the compressor is automatically off. the problem is that the air getting warmer and the compressor is still not on and i feel like no cool air conditioning at all. and th intake button cannot be manually off when it is on automatically. *mi. *ak | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - ALTERNATOR/GENERATOR/REGULATOR | |||
| 06/19/2008 | 36680 | 1 | |
| My 2004 toyota sienna xle limited's alternator belt got cut and the vehicle immediately stopped on the road and had to be taken to a toyota dealer. the dealer says my vehicle had a catastrophic ac failure which caused the belt to break and says it will cost $2400 in parts and $1600 in labor. he then contacted toyota and said that toyota will pay for the parts. this problem seems to happen a lot on this model, i searched on the internet and could find a lot of people with the same issues and toyota has still not done any recall on the ac unit. since this seems to a total design flaw, i would like toyota to pick up the full tab for this repair. any help in this regard will be appreciated. *tr | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - BATTERY | |||
| 05/30/2009 | 62000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2004 toyota sienna. the contact has not been able to use the door locks in her vehicle for several months. the dealer was unable to diagnose the cause of the failure. recently, while attempting to stop the vehicle, the rear passenger side door opened. in addition, the battery failed and was replaced twice by the dealer. the failure was not corrected and the dealer stated that they could not determine the cause of the failure. the contact replaced the battery herself with a heavy duty battery. she took the vehicle back to the dealer and they stated that the door motor failed, and that the door was an inch off the door track. the estimated cost of repair was $1,800. the failure mileage was 62,000 and current mileage was 64,000. | |||
| 10/22/2007 | 10 | 25 | 06/20/2004 |
| Battery dead. *tr | |||
| 09/01/2005 | 21986 | 14 | |
| 2004 toyota sienna developed problems with the brake equipment.***no answer required*** *mr on four occasions, the brakes had been inspected by mechanics and in some cases reinstalled. the consumer also experienced a grinding noise on two different trips. the consumer was informed that the grinding noise was coming from the rear brakes and did not constitute serious brake problems. the consumer tried to use the hitch mount/bike rack only to find that the hitch would bottom out while entering gas stations or exiting driveways. also, as an alternative to the hitch not operating properly, the consumer added rear air bags on the suspension system in order to give the vehicle additional clearance and they have failed and or blew out about three times. other problems: battery failure, rear bumper clip not holding the bumper in place, interior trim piece on seat detaching, grab handle trim piece breaking, and the consumer's daughter's hand had gotten stuck in the automatic door that was not supposed to close due to resistance in the path. *sc | |||
| 04/21/2004 | 2 | ||
| Battery saver feature does not work as advertised. if rear hatch does not close completely interior lights remain on until battery is dead. toyota advertises that the battery-saver feature is supposed to turn interior lights off after 20 minutes to prevent battery drain. this is not only false advertisement but is unsafe since it can easily leave you stranded with a dead battery.*ak | |||
| 03/02/2004 | 1565 | 1 | |
| The rear hatch on my two-month old 2004 toyota sienna did not close all the way, therefore the interior light stayed on and drained the battery after one night. an owners town hall type web-page states that toyota noticed this oversight ( the interior lights not timing-out) and corrected the problem. from what i understand there was no recall and no fix for those of us who have this problem. i have small children and need a reliable vehicle, that's why we bought the '04 sienna. as a consumer what can i do?*ak | |||
| 2000 | 1 | ||
| Vehicle has a battery saver feature which should go into effect after 30 minutes. however, battery save feature was ineffective. after 6 weeks consumer was told that vehicle was not equipped with the battery saver feature. manufacturer was still advertising that the feature was installed and came with the new vehicles. *ak | |||
| 02/09/2004 | 138 | 1 | 02/03/2004 |
| Battery saver on my '04 toyota sienna doesn't work. insdie lights were left on accidentally and they didn't turn off as advertised in the literature and owner's manual. battery went dead and had to be jump-started , *ak | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - IGNITION | |||
| 05/10/2006 | 15000 | 3 | 06/30/2004 |
| Dt*: the contact stated a loud rattling noise was heard coming from the engine compartment of the vehicle every time it was started. there were no indications of any additional problems. the vehicle was taken to a sales dealer three times, and the dealer was unable to duplicate the problem. update onh 06/05/2006. *ak | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - IGNITION - SWITCH | |||
| 11/24/2004 | 12000 | 1 | |
| Consumer is able to shift gears without the key in the ignition switch. dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem. *ak *tc | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - WIRING | |||
| 12/14/2007 | 101000 | 1 | 09/24/2003 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2004 toyota sienna. the contact stated that the rear side door was inoperable due to rusted guide wires. the dealer stated that normal wear and tear caused the failure. as of december 27, 2007, the dealer had not repaired the vehicle. the current and failure mileages were 101,000. the engine size and vin were unavailable. | |||
| 07/03/2003 | 80 | 10 | 06/20/2003 |
| 2004 toyota sienna xle limited frequently stalls, causing loss of control of vehicle. stalls commenced within days of acquiring vehicle (prior to 100 miles), have occurred more than 10 times, and have occurred at 60 mph, 40 mph, 30 mph, and during turns in front of oncoming traffic. dealership replaced engine coils and problem continued. dealership found lose wire, tightened it, and frequency of stalls significantly reduced but did not go away altogether.*ak | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - WIRING - REAR COMPARTMENT/TRUNK | |||
| 04/17/2004 | 8 | 0 | 04/17/2004 |
| Toyota has eliminated the brake lights on the tailgate of the sienna. the small brake lights that are on the corner of the rear end are not sufficient and will result in a higher number of siennas getting rearended. the driver rearending the sienna will take the blame when the sienna is partially at fault. | |||