2005 TOYOTA SIENNA Complaints

WHEN PULLING FRONT SEAT BELTS TO HOOK THEM, THEY WILL FREQUENTLY FOLD OVER AND BECOME STUCK IN THE BEZEL IF YOU DON'T REMEMBER TO BE VERY CAREFUL AND CANNOT EASILY BE MOVED FURTHER OR RETRACTED WITHOUT CONSIDERABLE EFFORT. IT MUST BE "WORKED" BACK INTO ITS STORAGE AREA. ONE NEEDS TO GET OUT OF THE VEHICLE AND WORK IT BACK INTO THE BEZEL WITH A SLOTTED SCREWDRIVER OR SOME OTHER TOOL. I HAVE JUST DRIVEN WITHOUT THE SEAT BELT WHEN ITS RAINING HARD OR VERY COLD. TOYOTA HQ SAYS THEY WILL NOT HELP WITH THE PROBLEM AND WE ARE ON OUR OWN. HAVEN'T PRICED WHAT IT WILL COST TO HAVE THE WHOLE MECHANISM REPLACED. DESIGN OR QUALITY OF BEZEL MATERIAL IS THE PROBLEM BUT TOYOTA SAYS SORRY, TAKE CARE OF IT YOURSELF IF ITS A PROBLEM FOR YOU. *TR

STEERING VERY HARD AND "BUMPY" DURING LOW SPEED MANEUVERING WHEN FIRST DRIVEN FOR THE DAY. INTERNET SEARCH REVEALED MANY OTHERS HAVE VERY SIMILAR PROBLEM THAT IMPROVED AFTER SPRAYING "STEERING KNUCKLE" WITH PENETRATING TYPE OIL. APPEARS STEERING LINK IS BECOMING CORRODED AND STICKY. VEHICLE IS ALWAYS GARAGED WHEN NOT BEING DRIVEN. CALLED TOYOTA DEALER, THEY ARE AWARE OF PROBLEM BUT SAY TOYOTA HQ HAS NOT AUTHORIZED THEM TO DO ANY WORK WITHOUT FULL PAY. APPEARS LOTS OF PEOPLE ARE HAVING BELTS, POWER STEERING PUMPS, ETC REPLACED AT GREAT EXPENSE AT INDEPENDENT AND DEALER REPAIR SHOPS WITHOUT SOLVING THE PROBLEM OR THE PROBLEM EVEN BEING CORRECTLY DIAGNOSED. LUCKY I HAVE INTERNET AND REFER TO IT IN THESE SITUATIONS. GUESS I CAN NOW HAVE MINE REPAIRED FOR $1-2000 OR DO THE TEMPORARY OIL FIX. LOTS OF MONEY WHEN ITS A MANUFACTURING DESIGN DEFECT AND THEY WON'T HELP. *TR

THE AUTOMATIC REAR SLIDING DOOR ON THE DRIVER SIDE BROKE. I CAN SEE THAT TOYOTA ACKNOWLEDGED THE PROBLEM AND EXTENDED A WARRANT TO 9 YEARS OR 120,000 MILES (WHICHEVER COMES FIRST). WELL, MY VEHICLE HAS OVER 120,000 MILES AND I AM NOW UNABLE TO USE THE DOOR AT ALL. AFTER DOING RESEARCH I HAVE FOUND THAT MANY PEOPLE ARE EXPERIENCING THE SAME PROBLEM. I THINK THIS SHOULD BE A RECALL AND NOT A WARRANTY EXTENSION. I HAVE NO WAY OF CURRENTLY OPENING THE DOOR. THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY CONCERN CONSIDERING I HAVE THREE SMALL CHILDREN. IF SOMETHING WERE TO HAPPEN, AN ACCIDENT OR ANY OTHER CIRCUMSTANCE TO GET TO MY CHILDREN QUICKLY, I WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO. THE AUTOMATIC DOORS WAS THE SELLING POINT FOR OUR PURCHASE OF THIS VAN. TOYOTA SAYS TO COME IN AND HAVE THE AUTOMATIC DOOR DEACTIVATED SO THAT WE CAN USE IT MANUALLY. TO HAVE IT FIXED COSTS BETWEEN $1,000 AND $3,000. *TR

DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT BELT JAMS IN THE RETRACTOR AND IS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO FREE, OFTEN MAKING IT UNUSABLE. *TR

THE BOOTS OF THE RACK AND PINION LEAKED AND IT SEEMS THAT IT IS A COMMON PROBLEM. THEY EVEN HAVE A TSB FOR IT AND TOYOTA SAID REPLACE THE WHOLE RACK AND PINION WHICH IS VERY EXPENSIVE. *TR

THE STRUTS OF THE DOOR(LIFTGATE) IS NOT HOLDING THE DOOR PROPERLY WHEN IT IS OPENED. SO THERE IS A POSSIBILITY THE PERSON WHO OPENS THE DOOR WILL HIT THEIR HEAD. THE FAILURE STARTED @ 70K. *TR

THE VEHICLE HINGE OF THE DRIVER'S DOOR BECOMES UNWELDED FROM THE DOOR CAUSING A CLICKING NOISE. AFTER SEVERAL OPENINGS AND CLOSINGS OF THE DOOR THE HINGE LOOSENS EVEN MORE CAUSING A INTERFERENCE WITH THE WINDOW. THE DRIVER'S SIDE WINDOW IS ONLY ALLOWED TO FALL 2/3RD OF THE WAY DOWN BEFORE THE HINGE STOPS IT CAUSING POTENTIAL BREAKAGE OF THE GLASS WHILE THE MOTOR VEHICLE IS IN OPERATION. *TR

THE FRONT SEATBELTS--ESPECIALLY THE DRIVERS' SEATBELTS OFTEN BECOME STUCK WHEN EXTENDED. SOMETIMES THE SEATBELT CANNOT RETRACT BECAUSE IT IS TWISTED; MORE OFTEN THE SEATBELT WILL NOT RETRACT. THE RESULT IS THAT THE IT THE OCCUPANT ISN'T (ADEQUATELY) RESTRAINED. A TEMPORARY FIX CAN OFTEN BE ACCOMPLISHED BY ADJUSTING THE SHOULDER HEIGHT BUT THIS IS TIME CONSUMING AND FRUSTRATING. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 TOYOTA SIENNA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN OPENING AND CLOSING THE DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR, THERE WAS A LOUD POP. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THEY ADVISED THE CONTACT THAT THE MOUNTING PANEL WAS DAMAGED AND NEEDED TO BE WELDED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 69,000. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 69,900.

I WAS DRIVING THE CAR AND NOTICED IT WAS A BIT SLUGGISH. THE NEXT THING I KNOW, THE BRAKE PEDAL IS ON THE FLOOR EVEN THOUGH I AM NOT PRESSING IT, AND THE CAR IS STILL MOVING. I HAD MY THREE CHILDREN IN THE CAR, SO I DROVE CAREFULLY TO A SAFE STOPPING PLACE, USED THE EMERGENCY BRAKE, AND EXITED THE CAR. I THEN NOTICED THAT ALL FOUR BRAKES OR TIRES WERE SMOKING AND THERE WAS A VERY STRONG BURNING SMELL. IF THERE HAD BEEN A NEED FOR ME TO STOP SUDDENLY WHILE I WAS STILL MOVING, MY BRAKES WOULD NOT HAVE WORKED! AFTER GETTING THE CAR TOWED AND REPLACING BOTH THE ABS ACTUATOR AND THE MASTER CYLINDER, MY MECHANIC DIAGNOSED THE SOURCE OF THE PROBLEM: THE BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH AND BRACKET HAD BEEN KNOCKED OUT OF ALIGNMENT AND WERE CAUSING BRAKE APPLICATION EVEN WHEN THE PEDAL WAS NOT DEPRESSED BY THE DRIVER. THIS CAUSED ABS AND VEHICLE STABILITY CONTROL FAILURES WHEN THE BRAKES OVERHEATED. I SEARCHED TOYOTA'S RECALLS AND FOUND A RECALL FOR THIS EXACT PROBLEM WAS ISSUED FOR 2011 SIENNAS ONLY, BUT I HAD EXPERIENCED PRECISELY THE SAME PROBLEM IN A 2005 SIENNA. I CALLED TOYOTA AND GOT NOWHERE; BECAUSE NO RECALL HAD BEEN ISSUED FOR MY MODEL YEAR, THEY WOULD NOT HELP ME AT ALL WITH COVERING THE TREMENDOUS COST I HAD INCURRED. *TR