2005 TOYOTA SIENNA Complaints

I HAVE STRUGGLED WITH HOW TO HANDLE THE FAILURE OF BOTH POWER DOORS ON MY 2005 TOYOTA SIENNA VAN. THE DOORS FAIL TO OPEN AND DO NOT CLOSE WITH POWER WITHOUT PUSHING THEM CLOSED. THE PROBLEM IS THAT WHEN YOU PUSH THE DOOR PAST THE CATCH POINT IT WILL NOT RETURN IF YOUR HAND IS IN THE WAY. WHEN IT WAS ORIGINALLY DESIGNED IT WOULD GO BACK IF YOUR HAND WAS IN THE DOOR. NOW IF IT GOES BEYOND THAT CATCH POINT IT LUNGES AND WILL CATCH YOUR HAND AND WILL NOT RELEASE. THE DOORS HAVE BAD HINGES AND CABLES WHICH TOYOTA REFUSES TO ADMIT ARE FAULTY. THEY OFFER AND EXTENDED WARRANTY FOR YOU KNOWING THAT THE 120,000 MILE LIMIT PUTS MOST OUT OF COVERAGE. THIS IS JUST ANOTHER GAME TO PUT OFF THE SAFETY OF THE CONSUMER. I HAVE A 17 YEAR OLD DOWNS CHILD. SHE GETS OUT OF THE VAN EVERY DAY AND HAS TO PUSH THE DOOR SHUT. SHE HAS TO USE TWO HANDS AND IT IS NOT SAFE. IF SHE SLIPS HER HAND WILL BE IN THE WAY OF THE DOOR AND IT WILL NOT REOPEN. I HAVE TRIED TO TALK TO TOYOTA AND THEY JUST SAY WE ARE OUT OF THEIR COVERAGE TIME LIMITS. I REPORTED THE DOOR WAY BACK IN EARLY 2012. THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN IN THE SCOPE OF THEIR LIABILITY. AT THAT TIME THEY SAID IT WOULD COST TWO TO THREE THOUSAND DOLLARS TO REPAIR THE FAULTY EQUIPMENT. I ASK THE OBVIOUS? WHEN DOES THIS STOP? DO A SEARCH ON GOOGLE FOR SLIDING DOOR PROBLEMS FOR SIENNA VANS AND YOU WILL BE OVERWHELMED AT THE BLOGS AND SIGHTS DEDICATED TO THIS ONE ISSUE. THIS IS A MASSIVE PROBLEM AND SHOULD HAVE BEEN ADDRESSED BY TOYOTA. THE OTHER ISSUE IS WHEN THE CABLE FOR THE DOOR BREAKS YOU CAN'T GET OUT OF THE VAN. WHEN YOU CAN'T GET OUT OF THE VAN THERE IS A MAJOR MECHANICAL PROBLEM. TOYOTA NEEDS TO REPLACE THE PARTS CAUSING THIS ISSUE AT NO COST TO THE CONSUMER. THE PARTS ARE THE LOCK ACTUATOR, THE SLIDING HINGE AND CABLES WHICH FAIL AND CAUSES DOOR TO HANG, THE CABLE WHICH WHEN BROKEN RENDERS THE DOOR USELESS. PLEASE HELP!!! *TR

SEAT WARMER ON DRIVERS SIDE BURNS MY LEG IF LEFT ON FOR MORE THAN 2-4 MINUTES. UNDERSTAND THERE IS A RECALL FOR THIS YEAR AND MODEL BUT WAS TOLD BY TOYOTA THE RECALL DOES NOT APPLY TO FACTORY INSTALLED MODELS(XLE) , WHICH MINE IS, ONLY VEHICLES WHICH HAD SEAT WARMERS INSTALLED BY SOUTHEAST TOYOTA(SET) AS AN OPTION. *TR

WHILE DRIVING ON 4 LANE HIGHWAY, I BEGAN TO SMELL BURNING RUBBER, THEN NOTICED THAT THE BATTERY DISCHARGE INDICATOR LIGHT CAME ON. FOUND THAT THE SERPENTINE BELT DRIVING THE ALTERNATOR AND COMPRESSOR HAD BEEN SHREDDED AND WAS HANGING TO THE GROUND. UPON A CLOSER LOOK, THE CRANKSHAFT PULLEY HAD FAILED (IT HAD COME APART). IT APPEARED THAT THE OUTER RING HAD SEPARATED FROM THE RUBBER INNER RING OF THE PULLEY AND THE OUTER RING HAD BECOME MISALIGNED. THE MISALIGNMENT APPEARED TO HAVE CAUSED THE SERPENTINE BELT FAILURE. IT ALSO CAUSED DAMAGE TO THE TIMING BELT COVER, THE TIMING BELT AND THE POWER STEERING BELT. THE BATTERY LIGHT CAME ON BECAUSE OF THE FAILED SERPENTINE BELT. FORTUNATELY, I MAINTAINED POWER STEERING BECAUSE THE POWER STEERING BELT HAD NOT COMPLETELY FAILED WHEN I PULLED OFF THE HIGHWAY. THE FAILURE SEEMS TO BE IDENTICAL TO THAT COVERED BY SAFETY RECALL NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 11V539000. HOWEVER, TOYOTA CLAIMS THAT MY VIN NUMBER IS NOT SUBJECT TO THE RECALL. TOYOTA'S RESPONSE TO ME DOES NOT MAKE SENSE SINCE THIS IS THE SAME MODEL, SAME MODEL YEAR, SAME ENGINE MODEL, SAME PARTS MANUFACTURE (PULLEY CONTAINS THE MARK NOTED IN THE RECALL), SAME MANUFACTURE DATE (FEB. 2005), ETC OF THE VEHICLES COVERED BY THE RECALL. SEEMS THAT THE RECALL HAS NOT COVERED ALL OF THE VEHICLES AFFECTED BY THIS FAILURE. MY VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED NEW ON SEPTEMBER 15, 2005. *TR

STEERING PROBLEM INVOLVING A "FREEZING" OF THE WHEEL AND THEN A GRADUAL ABILITY TO RESUME STEERING. TODAY THE PROBLEM OCCURRED WHILE MAKING A TURN AND NOT JUST AT START UP. *TR

STEERING WHEEL WOULD SUDDENLY BE HARD TO TURN AT CERTAIN SPOTS WHILE DRIVING. *TR

I RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE FROM TOYOTA REGARDING CABLE CORROSION FOR THE SPARE TIRE ASSEMBLY. I BROUGHT THE CAR TO THE TOYOTA DEALER AND THEY REMOVED THE CABLE AND SPARE TIRE FROM UNDER THE CAR. I AGREED TO HAVE THIS WORK COMPLETED BASED ON AN ESTIMATE FROM THE DEALER THAT THE NEW PARTS TO HAVE THE SPARE TIRE REINSTALLED WOULD BE MADE AVAILABLE WITHIN 4 WKS. NOW ABOUT 7 WKS HAVE PASSED AND THERE IS STILL NO WORD FROM TOYOTA ABOUT WHEN THIS SPARE TIRE SOLUTION WILL BE MADE AVAILABLE. FOR 7 WKS I HAVE HAD TO DRIVE AROUND WITH THE SPARE TIRE THE WELL OF MY TOYOTA WHILE IT BANGS AROUND AND TAKES UP A LOT OF SPACE. MY STORAGE IN THE CAR HAS BEEN COMPROMISED AND I HAVE TO PUT DELICATE THINGS AND GROCERIES AT OTHER PLACES IN THE CAR. IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT TOYOTA ISSUE A PERMANENT SOLUTION TO THIS SPARE TIRE PROBLEM! *TR

AIRBAG LIGHT ON. DEALER SAYS A TINY PLASTIC PIECE IS MISSING. TOYOTA DOESN'T MAKE A PLASTIC PIECE REPLACEMENT (PROBABLY LESS THAN $1) SO INSTEAD I HAVE TO PAY ABOUT $3000 FOR AN ENTIRE NEW WIRE HARNESS. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 TOYOTA SIENNA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE AUTOMATIC REAR DOOR FAILED TO OPEN. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER OR INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THIS ISSUE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 98,000.

REAR LIFT GATE OPENED WITH REMOTE WHILE I STARTED TO PACK MY VAN LEAVING ON A TRIP, THE LIFT GATE STARTED TO CLOSE ON ME. I HAD THIS HAPPEN SEVERAL TIMES IN THE COLD WEATHER. I CONTACTED TOYOTA TELLING THEM I THOUGHT IT WAS A SAFETY ISSUE, ASKED IF THERE WAS A RECALL OR SOMETHING OUT THERE TO GET THIS RESOLVED WAS TOLD THERE WAS NO RECALL. IT HAPPENED TO ME AGAIN ON NOV 14 2024. AND AGAIN TODAY NOV 16TH 2024. I THINK THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE WHAT IF A CHILD WAS STANDING BY THEIR PARENT AND ACCIDENTALLY GOT CLIPPED BY THIS LIFTGATE. HOPEFULLY YOU CAN PRESS TOYOTA TO FIX THIS DANGEROUS ISSUE. *TR

VEHICLE'S TRACTION CONTROL ENGAGES WITHOUT CAUSE WHEN TRAVELING MORE THAN 35 MPH ON A CURVE OR BEND. ROAD SPEED LIMIT IS SOMEWHERE BETWEEN 55-60 MPH. IF VEHICLE IS TRAVELING MORE THAN 40 MPH, CAR'S TRACTION CONTROL AND BRAKES ENGAGE, SLOWING CAR DOWN TO 35 MPH. ROAD CONDITIONS ARE NORMAL. VEHICLE HAS BEEN SEEN BY LOCAL TOYOTA DEALERSHIP OVER 5 TIMES IN THE LAST YEAR. THEY ARE UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE ISSUE OR REPRODUCE IT. WE HAVE BEEN ALMOST BEEN REAR ENDED DUE TO THIS FAULTY ISSUE. *TR