2004 TOYOTA SIENNA Complaints

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 TOYOTA SIENNA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE DRIVER SIDE DOOR EXHIBITED AN ABNORMAL NOISE WHEN OPENED. IN ADDITION, THE WELD BECAME FRACTURED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER, WHO STATED THAT THE DOOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 100,000.

COMPLAINED ABOUT NUMEROUS DASHBOARD CRACKS TO DEALER. DEALER SAID NOTHING THEY COULD DO BUT REPLACE AT MY EXPENSE. DEALER REP GAVE ME THE TOYOTA HQ NUMBER TO CALL TO FILE A COMPLAINT. CALLED TOYOTA HQ ON 03/14/2014 AT 3:15 PM EST. EXPRESSED DISSATISFACTION WITH QUALITY AND POTENTIAL SAFETY FACTORS. SAID NOTHING THEY COULD DO BECAUSE IT WAS NOT IN WARRANTY AND GAVE ME THIS CASE# 1403141508. CRACKS CONTINUE AND NO MELTING HAS OCCURRED AT THIS POINT. THIS CAR HAS BEEN HOUSED IN A GARAGE WHEN NOT IN USE. IF PARKED OUTSIDE FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME, A SUN SHIELD IS USED TO COVER THE DASH. TOYOTA HQ WAS TOTALLY UNRESPONSIVE TO THEIR QUALITY ISSUE AND POTENTIAL SAFETY PROBLEM. *TR

TO BEGIN WITH, THE WINDOW ON THE DRIVER SIDE REAR SLIDING DOOR HAS NOT OPENED ALL THE WAY FOR MANY YEARS. IN ADDITION, DURING THE WINTER, THE REAR SLIDING DOORS FREEZE SHUT TO THE POINT WHERE MY CHILDREN HAVE TO CLIMB THROUGH THE REAR HATCH TO GET INTO THE CAR. LAST YEAR, MY HUSBAND ATTEMPTED TO OPEN THE DRIVER SIDE SLIDING DOOR AND PULLED THE HANDLE OFF. THERE ARE SEVERAL CRACKS IN THE DASHBOARD THAT DEVELOPED ABOUT 2 YEARS AGO. AND, ON THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE DOOR, THE CLIPS THAT HOLD THE INTERIOR OF THE DOOR TO THE FRAME HAVE BROKEN OFF AND THAT PORTION OF THE DOOR GETS CAUGHT ON THE RUBBER GASKET OF THE CAR FRAME. NOW, THE GASKET IS TEARING SO WE HAVE TO BE EXTREMELY CAREFUL IN CLOSING THE DOOR TO KEEP IT FROM GETTING HUNG UP OR ELSE IT WILL BREAK AND TEAR MORE. WE ALSO EXPERIENCED HAVING THE CABLE TO THE PASSENGER SIDE SLIDING DOOR FRAY AND JAM IN 2008. AFTER HAVING THE DEALER INITIALLY OFFER TO REPAIR IT FIRST FOR $2600, THEN $1500 WITH TOYOTA PAYING FOR THE PART, WE WERE ABLE TO GET IT REPAIRED 4 YEARS LATER IN THE RECALL. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 TOYOTA SIENNA. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 50 MPH, THE TRACTION CONTROL SENSOR CONTINUOUSLY ILLUMINATED AND THE VEHICLE DECELERATED. THE CONTACT APPLIED THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL, BUT THE SPEED DID NOT INCREASE. THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED NORMALLY AFTER THE SENSOR DIMMED, BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED SEVERAL MORE TIMES. AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED AND THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 120,000.

THE DRIVER SIDE SEATBELT TWISTS AND GETS STUCK IN THE BEZEL. THIS HAS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES AND I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO FIX IT AFTER WORKING ON IT FOR A FEW MINUTES BUT TODAY IT HAPPENED AGAIN AND I WAS UNABLE TO FIX IT AND AM FORCED TO DRIVE WITHOUT A DRIVERS SEATBELT!!! I HAVE ONLY OWNED THIS CAR FOR THREE WEEKS AND HAVE HAD THIS SEAT BELT GET STUCK AFTER NORMAL USE AT LEAST 6 TIMES. *TR

ABOUT A MONTH AGO, WHILE TRYING TO OPEN THE PASSENGER SIDE POWER SLIDING DOOR ON OUR 2004 SIENNA FWD XLE, THE CABLE SNAPPED WHEN THE DOOR WAS HALF WAY OPEN, RENDING THE DOOR INOPERABLE. TOOK US A GREAT DEAL OF EFFORT TO DISENTANGLE PART OF THE BROKEN CABLE CLEAR OF THE EXTERIOR SLIDER TRACK. FORTUNATELY AFTER TURNING OFF THE POWER SLIDER SWITCH UNDER THE DASH, THE DOOR COULD BE CLOSED MANUALLY. WE ARE OUT OF LUCK AS FAR AS TOYOTA WARRANTY ENHANCEMENT IS CONCERNED, EVEN THOUGH OUR VAN HAS VERY LOW MILEAGE FOR ITS AGE. TOYOTA REFUSED TO OFFER ANYTHING HELPFUL WHEN I CONTACTED THEM, AND A LOCAL DEALER QUOTED ME OVER THREE THOUSAND DOLLAR PARTS AND LABOR FOR THE REPAIR! IT IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE! WE WERE JUST LUCKY THAT THE DOOR COULD BE CLOSED MANUALLY AFTER THE CABLE BROKE, NOT SUBJECTING MY FAMILY TO HAVING TO TRAVEL IN A VEHICLE WHOSE DOOR BECAME INOPERABLE SUDDENLY, DUE TO A WIDELY PUBLICIZED, CORRECTABLE DEFECT OF A MAJOR POWER COMPONENT. TOYOTA CAN DO MORE FOR ITS UNLUCKY CUSTOMERS THAN FEEDING THEM UNHELPFUL PLATITUDES ABOUT SUCH A COSTLY COMPONENT FAILURE. *TR

THE DRIVER'S SIDE SEATBELT GETS FOLDED UP AND CANNOT RETRACT. THIS WAS A SAFETY ISSUE BECAUSE I HAD TO DRIVE WITH NO EFFECTIVE SEATBELT UNTIL I COULD GET HOME AND FIX IT. THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME THIS HAS HAPPENED. ONCE I TOOK IT TO GET FIXED BUT RECENTLY I LEARNED HOW TO FIX IT MYSELF. THIS REQUIRED TOOLS AND ABOUT 30 MINUTES TO COMPLETE. IF THIS HAPPENS AGAIN WHEN I AM NOT AT HOME OR DON'T HAVE TIME TO FIX IT, I'LL BE IN THE SAME UNSAFE SITUATION AGAIN. PLEASE ISSUE A RECALL. *TR

THE DASH HAS MANY LARGE AND SMALL CRACKS. IF THE AIRBAG DEPLOYS, THE DASH PIECES WOULD CREATE A SAFETY HAZARD. TOYOTA CLAIMS THAT THIS IS NORMAL WEAR DUE TO HEAT. OLDER MODELS DO NOT HAVE THIS PROBLEM. MINI VANS ARE PRIMARILY USED TO TRANSPORT CHILDREN. I FEAR THAT AN AIRBAG DEPLOYMENT WOULD CAUSE SMALL AND LARGE CHUNKS OF PLASTIC TO ACT AS DANGEROUS PROJECTILES THAT WOULD INJURE THE DRIVER AS WELL AS THE PASSENGERS. *TR

FAN BELT STARTED SQUEALING UPON ENGINE START, TOOK TO DEALER AND REPLACED SERPENTINE BELT. SEVERAL MONTHS LATER GROANING NOISE STARTED COMING FROM ENGINE, SUSPECTED MISALIGNED BELT OR BAD PULLEY. TOOK VEHICLE TO THE DEALER AND THEY FOUND WEAR ON THE EXTERIOR OF THE TIMING BELT COVER CAUSED BY THE PARTIAL SEPARATION OF THE CRANKSHAFT PULLEY. SEVERAL REPORTS ONLINE OF OWNERS EXPERIENCING THIS PROBLEM WITH TOYOTAS. CHECKED WITH DEALER AND TOYOTA CUSTOMER SERVICE AND THEY CLAIM MY VIN IS NOT COVERED BY THE RECALL THEY ISSUED IN 2011 FOR THE VERY SAME FAILURE I AM EXPERIENCING (11V539000). HOW IS IT POSSIBLE THAT A KNOWN DEFECT IN THEIR VEHICLES CAN BE EXCLUDED BECAUSE THEIR EXPERTS HAVE MADE THE DETERMINATION THAT THE "CAUSE" WAS A PROBLEM AT ONE FACTORY OR PART SUPPLIER WHEN OTHER OWNERS THAT DON'T FALL INTO THE SPECIFIC PARAMETERS HAVE HAD THE VERY SAME PROBLEM AND WERE FORCED TO PAY FOR REPAIRS OUT OF POCKET? *TR

THE PASSENGER SIDE SLIDING DOOR OF MY TOYOTA 2004 SIENNA LE SUDDENLY COULD NOT CLOSE SUDDENLY. THE POWER CLOSING TRIES AND THEN REVERSES TO OPEN. I FOLLOWED THE MENU INSTRUCTION TO TURN OFF THE POWER DOOR AND TRIED TO CLOSE IT MANUALLY BUT FAILED. IT WON'T MOVE AT ALL. I SPREAD SOME LUBRICANT AND WAS ABLE TO MAKE IT CLOSE ABOUT 1/5. SO I CALLED THE DEALER AND WAS TOLD THERE WAS NO RECALL. I THEN CALLED TOYOTA DIRECTLY AND WAS TOLD THAT THERE WAS AN "ENHANCED WARRANTY" FOR 9 YEARS/120K MILES. BUT MINE IS EXPIRED SINCE IT WAS BOUGHT 11/2003 EVEN THOUGH IT HAS ONLY 58400 MILES ON IT. I HAD IT FIXED NOW BY A TOYOTA DEALER FOR ABOUT $1352. I SEARCHED ON LINE AND FOUND A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM. SOME COULD NOT OPEN THE DOORS. BUT THE CAUSE IS THE SAME. IT IS NOT JUST LIMITED TO 2004 MODEL. IT CERTAINLY A SAFETY ISSUE AND TOYOTA SHOULD RECALL AND FIX AT ITS COST. *TR