2004 TOYOTA SIENNA Complaints

A NAIL PUNCTURED THE PASSENGER FRONT RUN-FLAT TIRE ON OUR 2004 TOYOTA SIENNA AWD. TIRE PRESSURE SENSOR DID NOT ILLUMINATE. TIRE THEN UNKNOWINGLY DRIVEN ROUGHLY 100 MILES AND SUBSEQUENTLY HAD TO BE REPLACED DUE TO UNEVEN WEAR. VEHICLE WAS LESS THAN ONE YEAR OLD. DEALERSHIP REFUSED TO COVER ANY DAMAGES, IN FACT, NO SUPPORT FROM TOYOTA WHATSOEVER. TIRES LASTED APPROXIMATELY 20,000 MILES BEFORE ALL FOUR HAD TO BE REPLACED. AGAIN, NO DEALER SUPPORT. PURCHASED IN OCT 04 FROM REINHARDT MOTORS (MONTGOMERY, AL), WITH CONTINUED LACK OF SUPPORT FROM RICH HENDRICK TOYOTA (FAYETTEVILLE, NC). *NM

I HAD A PROBLEM WITH THE HATCH DOOR ON MY 2004 TOYOTA SIENNA CLOSING WITHOUT WARNING AND CONTINUING TO CLOSE WHEN IT CAME IN CONTACT WITH MY BACK. I WROTE TO MY DEALER (SLOANE TOYOTA IN GLENSIDE, PA) ABOUT THE PROBLEM IN MARCH 2005 (I HAVE COPIED THE TEXT OF THAT MESSAGE AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS COMPLAINT), AND THEY TOLD ME TO TAKE IT IN TO HAVE IT CHECKED OUT. I TOOK IT TO A LOCAL DEALER (PERUZZI TOYOTA IN HATFIELD) AND THEY "FIXED" IT, BY REPLACING A SWITCH, I BELIEVE. I ASKED IF THIS WAS A KNOWN DEFECT AND THEY TOLD ME NO. I RECENTLY SAW AN ARTICLE IN THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER THAT IDENTIFIED THIS AS AN ISSUE THAT HAS INJURED SOME PEOPLE. I BELIEVE THAT THIS IS A THREAT TO CAUSE SERIOUS, POTENTIALLY, FATAL INJURY. TEXT OF MESSAGE FROM MARCH 2005: TO SLOANE TOYOTA SENT VIA E-MAIL ON MARCH 22, 2005 I BOUGHT A 2004 SIENNA FROM MICHAEL LISS AT SLOANE IN MAY 2004. I RECENTLY HAD A PROBLEM OCCUR WITH THE REAR HATCH DOOR CLOSING WITHOUT BEING PROMPTED AND WITHOUT AUDIBLE WARNING. IT CAME DOWN ON MY BACK AND COULD HAVE SERIOUSLY INJURED ME. IT DID NOT GO BACK UP WHEN IT CAME IN CONTACT WITH MY BODY, BUT RATHER CONTINUED TO SHUT. WE HAVE SCHEDULED SERVICE WITH LOCAL TOYOTA DEALER, BUT I WANTED TO NOTIFY TOYOTA OF THIS ISSUE. I COULD NOT FIND A WAY TO SUBMIT AN E-MAIL NOTE TO TOYOTA CORP., SO I'M SENDING ONE TO YOU. IS THIS A KNOWN DEFECT WITH THE 2004 SIENNA? HAS THEIR BEEN A RECALL NOTICE ISSUED? THIS DEFECT COULD CAUSE PERMANENT INJURY (OR DEATH TO A YOUNG CHILD). *NM

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE HYDRAULICS THAT HELD THE HATCH OPEN FAILED AND CAUSED THE HATCH TO FALL. THE DEALERSHIP REPLACED THE HYDRAULIC ASSEMBLY.*AK UPDATED 1/25/2006 - *NM

DRIVER DOOR HINGE IS DEFECTIVE. THIS IS A KNOW DEFECT IN THE FIRST MODEL YEAR 2004 TOYOTA SIENNA. OUR DEALER SAID THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM AND THE ONLY REPAIR IS TO REPLACE THE DOOR AT OUR EXPENSE (~$1,000). WE ARE VERY CONCERNED THAT THIS DEFECT WILL CONTINUE TO GET WORSE AND CAUSE THE DOOR TO EITHER NOT OPEN OR TO SEPARATE FROM THE VEHICLE IN AN ACCIDENT. WE FEEL THAT THIS KNOW DEFECT COULD BE REPAIRED AT TOYOTA'S EXPENSE AND NOT THE CUSTOMER'S EXPENSE. WE ARE TALKING ABOUT A 2 YEAR OLD VEHICLE AND IT IS UNREASONABLE TO EXPECT SUCH A COSTLY REPAIR AS A "OWNER MAINTENANCE". WE WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHAT INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE ABOUT THIS DEFECT AND HOW WE CAN ENCOURAGE TOYOTA TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS DEFECT. *NM

DT*: THE PASSENGER SIDE POWER SLIDING DOOR LOCKED AND WOULD NOT OPEN. THERE WERE SIX WAYS TO OPEN AND CLOSE THE SLIDING DOORS AND NONE OF THEM WORKED. A COUPLE OF DAYS LATER THE DOOR WOULD OPEN. THIS PROBLEM OCCURRED INTERMITTENTLY. THE DOOR CLOSED ON ITS OWN WHILE ATTEMPTING TO GET THE CHILDREN INTO THEIR CHILD SAFETY SEATS. THE ONLY WAY TO KEEP THE DOOR FROM CLOSING WAS TO PUSH ON IT MANUALLY. THE DEALERSHIP COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. *AK

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE VEHICLE HESITATED WHILE PULLING OUT OF A PARKING LOT WITH THE ACCELERATOR DEPRESSED. THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN TO THE DEALER WHO DETERMINED THE TRANSMISSION CONTROL DID NOT OPERATE CORRECTLY. THE CONSUMER STATED THERE IS A 2-3 SECOND DELAY IN ACCELERATION. WHEN THE TRANSMISSION DOES ACTIVATE, IT SEEMS TO SEARCH FOR A GEAR AND WHEN A GEAR S FOUND IT IS USUALLY A LOW GEAR WHICH CAUSES THE VEHICLE TO LURCH INTO TRAFFIC. UPDATED 10/04/06. *JB

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE BUTTON ON THE KEY TO OPEN THE HATCH WAS DEPRESSED AND THE HATCH WENT UP, THEN IMMEDIATELY WENT DOWN AND WOULD NOT STAY OPEN. TO ENSURE THE HATCH WOULD STAY OPEN, THE CONTACT HAD TO HOLD IT UP. THE DEALERSHIP DETERMINED THE SHOCKS WERE DEFECTIVE AND THE SHOCKS WERE REPLACED.

REAR LIFT GATE OF 2004 TOYOTA SIENNA VAN UPON REACHING FULL OPEN POSITION USING THE AUTOMATIC OPENER WILL REVERSE ITSELF AND CLOSE. THIS EVENT OCCURS WHEN THE OUTSIDE TEMPERATURE IS BELOW 50 DEG F. THE LATEST EVENT WAS 8/29/06 THIS EVENT HAS OCCURRED NUMEROUS TIMES IN THE PAST YEAR. THE DEALER COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM IN THE SHOP. THERE HAVE BEEN NO INJURIES INVOLVED, BUT THE LIFTGATE HAS HIT ME ON THE BACK OF THE HEAD SEVERAL TIMES. *NM

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

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE THE LIFT GATE WAS OPENED AUTOMATICALLY WITH THE KEYLESS REMOTE, IT FELL DOWNWARD WITHOUT WARNING. NO INJURIES WERE SUSTAINED. THE VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED BY A DEALER WHO DETERMINED THE HYDRAULIC LIFT GATE ARM SUPPORT DEVICE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. AFTER THE REPLACEMENT, THE PROBLEM LATER RETURNED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT ALERTED.