2004 TOYOTA SIENNA Complaints

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

ON 2004 TOYOTA SIENNA XLE AWD, IT USES RUNFLAT TIRES (BRIDGESTONE B380) AS STANDARD EQUIPMENT. I HAVE TO REPLACE 1 AT 5500 MILES UNDER NORMAL ROAD DRIVING. AT 29,000 MILES, I HAVE TO REPLACE ALL 4 TIRE DUE TO EXCESSIVE TREAD WEAR ALSO UNDER NORMAL USE. THESE TIRES COST 300% MORE COMPARE TO TIRES USED ON OTHER SIENNA MODELS. NEITHER TOYOTA NOR THEIR DEALER ADVISED OF THESE ISSUES BUT JUST SAY THOSE TIRES COST $10 OR $20 MORE AND ONLY AVAILABLE THROUGH DEALERS. THESE UNEXPECTED TIRE WEAR AND COST CAUSE ME BEING STRANDED ON I10 AT 11PM WHERE NO HELP CAN BE FOUND AND COST MORE THAN $100 OF TOWING TO A DEALERSHIP. COST IS ONE THING BUT LESS THAN NORMAL TIRE LIFT EXPECTANCY CAUSED SAFETY ISSUE WHEN 1 OR MORE TIRE UNEXPECTEDLY MALFUNCTION OR FLAT. TIRES ARE NOT WARRANTED BY TOYOTA BUT TIRE COMPANY AND BRIDGESTONE DEALER WERE QUICK TO BLAME ALIGNMENT BEING THE ISSUE. MY SIENNA HAS BEEN TAKEN CARE OF BY TOYOTA DEALER WITH ALL MAINTENANCE RECORD KEPT AND ON SCHEDULE. *JB

BRAKE PADS WORN DOWN TO DAMAGE ROTORS WITH NO WARNING AT 30K MILES. NEW PADS AND ROTOR AND STILL HEAR NOISE FROM RIGHT FRONT. BLACK BRAKE DUST ON OUTSIDE HUB CAPS STARTED APPEARING AT 3K MILES, MECHANICS SAID IT'S NORMAL. MECHANIC HEARS NOISE BUT MAINTAINS IT IS NOT INDICATIVE OF A PROBLEM. TWO TIRES ALREADY REPLACED DUE TO WEAR. TIRE SENSORS WORKED SOMETIMES FOR FLATS. *NM

OUR 2004 TOYOTA SIENNA XLE HAS A LOW TIRE PRESSURE INDICATOR THAT APPEARS TO NOT WORK. WE HAVE PERSONALLY LET ALL BUT 10 LBS OF AIR OUT OF ONE OF THE TIRES AND THE LIGHT STILL DOES NOT GO ON. REPEATED ATTEMPTS (3 AS OF THIS DATE) TO HAVE THE DEALER FIX THE PROBLEM HAVE RESULTED IN "OPINION" FROM THE DEALERSHIP AND NO SOLUTION. WE HAVE ASKED FOR THE SENSOR TO BE REPLACED, AND THE COMPUTER TO BE REPLACED TO NO AVAIL. WE ARE UNSURE THAT OUR VEHICLE IS PROVIDING THE LEVEL OF SAFETY THAT WE ASSUMED WHEN WE BOUGHT IT. THE LATEST STATEMENT FROM THE DEALER IS THAT THE CAR "...NEEDS TO BE DRIVEN AT LEAST 50 MILES IN THE LOW PRESSURE CONDITION FOR IT TO WORK PROPERLY". THIS DOES NOT MAKE SENSE TO US. ARE WE EXPECTED TO ENDANGER THE SAFETY, AND LIVES, OF OUR CHILDREN, BY DRIVING AROUND FOR UNREASONABLE DISTANCES IN AN UNSAFE CONDITION FOR THE VEHICLE'S "SAFETY" FEATURES TO WORK? *JB

CONSUMER BRIDGESTONE TIRES SHOWED WEAR AT 7000 MILES. *TS THE CONSUMER CONTACT THREE BRIDGESTONE DEALER AND THEY INDICATED THAT THE LIABILITY SHOULD BE WITH TOYOTA MOTOR COMPANY. TOYOTA WAS CALLED AND THEY TO THE CONSUMER TO SEEK REIMBURSEMENT OR OTHER REMEDIES FROM BRIDGESTONE (BRIDGESTONE TURANZA EL42. ). *NM

TRANSMISSION HESITATION AND LURCH FORWARD. DEALER SAYS THIS IS CHARACTERISTIC OF TRANSMISSION. ALSO, REAR AC NOT COLD - DEALER SAYS THIS IS NORMAL PERFORMANCE. *JB

WENT IN FOR A ROUTINE OIL CHANGE AND TIRE ROTATION; AND I WAS CALLED BACK AND TOLD I NEEDED ALL FOUR TIRES REPLACED!!! WITH 24,000 MILES ON THE CAR I COULD NOT BELIEVE THAT I HAVE TO SPEND $600 A 1 1/2 LATER AFTER BUYING A NEW CAR!!! *NM

PREMATURE WEAR (20,000 MILES) ON ALL 4 OEM TIRES. VEHICLE: 2004 TOYOTA SIENNA XLE AWD TIRES: BRIDGESTONE B380 RUN FLAT TIRES - 225/60R17. *JB

I LIVE IN VT. PURCHASED 2004 TOYOTA SIENNA AWD LE FROM COURTESY MOTORS FROM COURTESY TOYOTA, 267 FISHER RD, BERLIN, VT 05602. I WAS INFORMED THAT THE CAR WAS SOLD WITH RUNFLAT TIRES AND THAT I COULD NOT GET THE CAR WITH REGULAR TIRES. I AGREED. I WAS NOT TOLD THAT THESE RUNFLAT TIRES WOULD WEAR OUT IN 6,000 MILES. I WAS NOT TOLD THAT A TREAD PUNCTURE COULD NOT BE FIXED BY PLUGGING (WHICH A BURLINGTON, VT, TOYOTA DEALER LATER TOLD ME AFTER WE RAN OVER A BOLT (DLR SAID WE HAD TO BUY A NEW TIRE, OF COURSE) - HOWEVER, WHEN WE WENT TO A TIRE CO. THEY WERE ABLE TO FIX IT). I WAS NOT TOLD THAT RUNFLAT TIRES COST NEAR $300/EACH. IF I HAD BEEN TOLD THAT, I WOULD NEVER EVER HAVE BOUGHT THIS VEHICLE WITH RUNFLATS. I'M NOW TOLD BY TOYOTA DEALER THAT I CANNOT PUT REGULAR TIRES ON THE RUNFLAT RIMS. HOWEVER, I'M TOLD BY TIRE WAREHOUSE THAT THEY CAN PUT REGULAR TIRES ON THESE RIMS. MY COMPLAINT IS THAT TOYOTA AND THE DEALER DELIBERATELY MISLEAD ME INTO PURCHASING A CAR WITH RUNFLATS WHILE NEGLECTING TO INFORM ME OF INFO THAT WOULD HAVE RESULTED IN THE LOSS OF A SALE FOR THEM. IT IS RIDICULOUS THAT I'VE SPENT $30,000 ON A NEW CAR THAT HAS TIRES THAT, AT THE CURRENT 11K MILES, I AM TOLD BY SEVERAL TIRE SERVICE COMPANIES IN BURLINGTON, VT, ARE UNSAFE TO BE DRIVEN ON. I DO NOT HAVE $1200 TO REPLACE THESE TIRES. IT IS RIDICULOUS TO THINK ANY CONSUMER WOULD PAY SO MUCH FOR TIRES. I HAVE COMPLAINED TO TOYOTA CUST SVC TWICE. I WANT 4 NEW REPLACEMENT RIMS WITH 4 NEW TIRES ON THEM, OR THE $ TO BUY THEM. THERE ARE CLASS-ACTION SUITS IN MORE THAN ONE STATE RIGHT NOW, I BELIEVE. I WAS REFERRED TO THIS SITE BY WWW.CARSURVEY.ORG. *NM

1. RUN-FLAT TIRES GET FLAT SIGNIFICANTLY MORE OFTEN THAN REGULAR TIRES. 2. THE LOW PRESSURE LIGHT DOES NOT ALWAYS GO ON WHEN THE TIRE IS FLAT AND OFF WHEN THE TIRE IS NOT FLAT. 3. THE TIRES GET WORN OUT AFTER AROUND 12K HIGHWAY MILES AND ARE EXPENSIVE TO REPLACE. 4. MOST OF THE SHOPS DO NOT HAVE THE EQUIPMENT TO HANDLE THE TIRES. SPECIALIZED PLACES HAVE TO WAIT LONG TO ORDER THE TIRES. *NM