2004 TOYOTA SIENNA Complaints

MINIVAN DOES NOT ALWAY ACCELERATE PROPERLY. WHEN THE VEHICLE IS SLOWING DOWN, LIKE WHEN COMING TO A RED LIGHT, THE VEHICLE WILL HESITATE WHEN I TRY TO ACCELERATE IF I HAVE NOT ALREADY COME TO A COMPLETE STOP. THIS SEEQUENCE WILL USUALLY REPRODUCE THE FAILURE: 1. TRAVEL AROUND 40MPH. 2. QUICKLY SLOW TO AROUND 10MPH. 3. TRY TO QUICKLY ACCELERATE TO 40MPH AGAIN. THE VEHICLE WILL HESITATE AND PAUSE BEFORE STARTING TO ACCELERATE.

2004 TOYOTA SIENNA LE. VEHICLE HESITATES WHEN ACCELERATION. THERE IS A BIG DELAY BEFORE THE CAR GAINS SPEED. THIS IS A ON GOING PROBLEM. DEALER STATES THAT THE CAR WAS MADE THAT WAY AND THERE IS NOTHING THAT THEY CAN DO TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM. THIS HESITATION CAN CAUSE AN ACCIDENT AT ANY TIME.

01/11/05: VEHICLE STALLED WHILE IN MOTION. TOWED TO LOCAL FACILITY. LATER VEHICLE SUCCESSFULLY STARTED AND INDICATED NO PROBLEMS UPON TEST DRIVE. 01/30/05: DRIVING KIDS TO SNOWBOARDING WHEN VEHICLE STALLED IN MOTION. RESTARTED. DROVE ON SIDE OF ROAD - STALLED AGAIN - RESTATED. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT (ALONG WITH SEVERAL OTHERS) NOW ACTIVATED. DROVE ON SIDE OF ROAD AS VEHICLE WOULD NOT ACCELERATE ABOVE 10MPH AND WOULD STALL REPEATEDLY. 01/31/05: I CONTACTED SERVICE DEPARTMENT AT HANDY DODGE TOYOTA (HDT), TO REPORT BREAKDOWN AND ARRANGED FOR SERVICE. 02/04/05: HDT PERFORMED AIR-INTAKE VALVE REPLACEMENT AND SEVERAL OTHER SERVICE CAMPAIGNS. 02/24/05: VEHICLE STALLED WHILE IN MOTION. VEHICLE RESTARTED, BUT WOULD NOT ACCELERATE OVER 10MPH. VEHICLE CONTINUED TO STALL WHILE IN MOTION AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ACTIVATED. STALLED WHILE ON A BLIND HILL/CORNER ON ROUTE 104. I COULD NOT PULL OFF TO SIDE OF ROAD AS THERE WAS NO SHOULDER AND GUARD-RAILS HUGGED IMMEDIATE SIDE OF ROAD. I WAS IN THE ROAD FOR ABOUT 10 MINUTES WITH MY EMERGENCY LIGHTS FLASHING WHILE CONTINUOUSLY ATTEMPTING TO RESTART VEHICLE. VEHICLE RESTARTED AND I WAS ABLE TO DRIVE TO A PARKING AREA FOR A TOW. HDT CONTACTED ME TO INFORM THAT FAILURE WAS SAME AS BEFORE AND THROUGH FURTHER RESEARCH AT THE NATIONAL LEVEL THAT THEY LEARNED THAT STALLING IS OCCURRING IN TOYOTA SIENNA AND 4RUNNERS IN THE COLD WEATHER STATES DUE TO A DEFECT IN THE GAS TANK DESIGN AND THAT THERE IS CURRENTLY NO REPAIR AVAILABLE. RECOMMEND RUNNING VEHICLE WITH NO LESS THAN HALF A TANK OF GAS (AT ALL TIMES) AND WERE VERBALLY OPTIMISTIC THAT THE COLD WEATHER WOULD BE ENDING IN THE NEXT WEEK OR TWO. I INFORMED HDT THAT I DRIVE AN HOUR (EACH WAY) TO AND FROM WORK EVERY DAY (HIGHWAY AND BACK ROADS) AND TO BE EXPECTED TO DO THAT EACH DAY IN A DEFECTIVE VEHICLE (THAT HAS A HISTORY OF STALLING) IS UNSAFE AND UNACCEPTABLE. I HAVE SINCE FILED LEMON LAW DEMAND FOR ARBITRATION WHICH CASE IS IN PROGRESS.

WITH OUR 2004 TOYOTA SIENNA MINIVAN, WE HAVE HAD SEVERAL PROBLEMS WITH THE RUN-FLAT TIRES INSTALLED ON THE VEHICLE AS ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT. THESE DUNLOP RUN-FLAT TIRES ARE STANDARD ON THE ALL-WHEEL-DRIVE VERSIONS OF THE 2004 AND 2005 SIENNA. THE TIRES HAVE BEEN PRONE TO PUNCTURE (TWO SEMI-DELFATIONS IN THE PAST 6 MONTHS) AND THE TIRES DO NOT WEAR PROPERLY. AS A RESULT, WE ARE FORCED TO REPLACE THEM AT $300 A PIECE WITH ONLY 12,000 MILES ON THEM AND AFTER THEY WERE PROPERLY ROTATED AND MAINTAINED DURING THEIR SHORT LIFE. A QUICK SEARCH ON THE INTERNET CONFIRMS THAT THESE PROBLEMS ARE RAMPANT ON THE 2004 AND 2005 SIENNAS WITH THESE RUN-FLAT TIRES. THE TOYOTA DEALER HAS ADMITTED THAT THIS IS A BIG PROBLEM WITH THESE CARS AND HAS OFFERED TO PAY FOR ONLY 2 OF THE 4 NEW TIRES. TO EXACERBATE THE PROBLEM, SIENNAS WITH RUN-FLAT TIRES ARE NOT EQUIPPED WITH ANY SPARE TIRE BECAUSE THE RUN-FLATS ARE SUPPOSED TO ALLOW YOU TO DRIVE THE CAR UNTIL YOU CAN HAVE THE FLAT FIXED. TWO PROBLEMS EMERGE FROM THIS -- (1) IF YOUR RUN-FLAT TIRE FAILS COMPLETELY (THERE ARE REPORTS OF THIS ON THE INTERNET), YOU ARE STUCK WITH NO SPARE; AND (2) IF YOU CAN STILL DRIVE ON THE FLAT TIRE, THERE ARE FEW IF ANY REPAIR SHOPS OUTSIDE OF MAJOR METROPOLITAN AREAS THAT CAN FIX THESE RUN-FLATS.

WE HAVE A 2004 SIENNA LE AWD. THE VEHICLE CONSISTENTLY APPEARS TO HESITATE FOR 1-2 SECONDS WHEN ACCELERATING FROM A DEAD STOP WHILE DEPRESSING THE ACCELERATOR. THERE HAS BEEN NO ACCIDENTS, ONLY SOME SCARES WHEN MERGING OR ENTERING INTO FLOWING TRAFFIC FROM A STOP.

DT: THE TIRES ARE WEARING OUT PREMATURELY, THESE ARE THE RUNFLAT TIRES. THE TREAD IS MOSTLY GONE, AND THEY HAVE ONLY 15,000 MILES ON THEM. CONSUMER CONTACTED TOYOTA AND THEY AGREED TO REPLACE THE TIRES WITH MICHELIN REGULAR TIRES. CONSUMER STATES THAT THE VEHICLE IS TAKING LONGER TO STOP WHEN APPLYING BRAKES BECAUSE OF THE WEAR ON THE TIRES. TOYOTA HAS BEEN COOPERATIVE IN HELPING THE CONSUMER TO GET AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE PROBLEM WITH THE TIRES. THE TIRE FAILURE IS ON ALL 4 TIRES.*AK *SB

SINCE PURCHASE, VEHICLE STEERING HAS EXCESSIVE "PLAY", WHICH REQUIRES TOO MANY STEERING CORRECTIONS, ESPECIALLY UNDER WINDY CONDITIONS. CONDITION IS MOST OBVIOUS AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. THERE HAS BEEN NO "FAILURE" PER SAY, BUT SUCH INFORMATION SHOULD BE MADE KNOWN TO OTHER BUYERS. NO "REPAIRS" FOR THIS ITEM HAVE BEEN ATTEMPTED BECAUSE IT UNFORTUNATELY APPEARS TO BE "NORMAL" FOR THIS VEHICLE. SUCH A CONDITION, HOWEVER, SEEMS VERY UNSAFE.

2004 TOYOTA SIENNA ALL WHEEL DRIVE LE-BRIDGESTONE B380 RUN FLAT TIRES ARE RATED FROM THE MANUFACTURER FOR UP TO 50 MILES DISTANCE AFTER GOING FLAT WHILE TOYOTA CLAIMS THAT THE VEHICLE CAN BE DRIVEN FOR UP TO 100 MILES AFTER GOING FLAT.

THE REAR HATCH IS REVERSING AND COMING BACK DOWN ON ITS OWN WITHOUT PRESSING ON THE REMOTE. THE CONSUMER ANTICIPATES THAT AN INJURY CAN OCCUR BECAUSE IT COMES DOWN WITH GREAT FORCE. *AK *SC *JB

2004 ALL WHEEL DRIVE TOYOTA SIENNA WEARS TIRES DOWN TO METAL CORDS ON INSIDE EDGES WERE EXTREMELY CHOPPED AT 11,000 MILES AND WORN TO METAL BY THE TIME TOYOTA REPLACED AT 23,000 THIS IS NOT A SAFE CONDITION ,NO ONE CAN EXPECT TO SEE SEPERATED TIRE CORDS AT 23,000 ON ANT PRODUCTION VEHICLE,,VEHICLE CAME WITH DUNLOPS DSST 22560-17 AND WERE REPLACED WITH BRIDGESTONE B380 RUNFLATS AT TOYOTAS EXPENSE .HOWEVER THIS IS A DESIEGN FLAW IN OUR OPINION ,DOES THE ALL WHEEL DRIVE PUSH AND PULL ON SUSPENSION CAUSING TIRE WEAR???,,WE FEELS TOYOTA NEEDS TO RETOFIT SUSPENSION OR COME UP WITH A RUNFLAT TIRE THAT CAN HAVE NORMAL WEAR.