Toyota Sienna Minivans Investigated

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating 2004 and 2005 Toyota Sienna minivans for potential problems with their power liftgates. There have been 14 reports of the liftgates unexpectedly closing. A total of 142,418 Siennas are included in the investigation. This doesn’t appear to have anything to do with user error; the investigation is focusing on a faulty seal that could cause the high-pressure struts that raise the liftgate to leak, causing it to close unintentionally.

Toyota is cooperating with NHTSA and says it is performing its own investigation of the problem. Because there is no recall associated with the investigation at this point, Sienna owners who haven’t experienced a problem must wait until the investigation concludes before having their vehicle serviced.

[Toyota Minivans and SUVs Investigated, Detroit Free Press]

Comments

thats quality for ya!!!

[Happymantis]

beats whatever the hell GM offers, oh wait... they don't any more...

yeah they now offer crossovers that will be a hell of a lot more successful than a damn sienna

[Happymantis]

sure they will...

[Troy]

It's a pretty big deal when Toyota has a problem isn't it? When the Big 3 do, it's hardly noticed. Why? It's expected and common.

actually most toyota recalls float underneath the radar because of public perception on how absolutely nothing goes wrong with toyotas...the big deal is always with american..thanks!

[Dave T.]

Guys,
While I usually enjoy all of your comments on other stories it's getting a bit tired that every time there is a post about quality or safety issues we get the same exact comments. We're trying to provide relevant information for those who need it, not a forum for people to bash a brand repeatedly in the same manner. Let's try to elevate the discourse a bit shall we? Like, how long does an investigation take before they start recalling these vehicles? We've seen recalls over less than 14 incidents before.

[Troy]

Good point Dave. I'm guilty. I will keep my posting relevant. I love automobiles. Regardless of brand/make. They all have their own cliques.

Troy

[connie]

I'm a mom and not a car person at all. I just googled this because honestly, I was almost really hurt by the rear door of my van. The rear door started to close while I was getting our some packages and when I applied pressure to get it to go back up, it just kept dropping down. It took all my strength to duck out from under it and it came down with full force. If my arm or anything had been under it, I would have had serious injury. I tried a couple times to open it and it goes up but then immediately comes down again just like there is a leak in the struts as described. Thanks for having this site, I'll get my car to the dealer and make sure he registers this incident with the company. I feel really lucky that I wasn't hurt and that it didn't happen to one of my kids. Thanks again.

[Amy Smith]

Hi, this exact same thing has been happening to me. I have 3 young kids & I'm desperately worried they'll get trapped. Even after contacting Toyota corporate & the dealership, neither seems concerned about a lawsuit. I work out and am in good shape, yet this door is so heavy that I can hardly back it off of me when it decided to come down. I would love to hear if you got this resolved as I am having major difficulty. Thanks!

[happymantis]

teach you to buy a toyota huh?

[x]

Should of bought a chrysler minivan,mom,sister owned them since the 1990's,get new one's every 4 year's,never any problem's,3.3&3.8 6cyl,power lift gate never failed or crushed anyone,power sliding door's work flawlesly,they average 70-100,000 mile's per van,comute to work eveyday,aunt has a toyota same problem with lift gate and toyota refused to fix it,plus her tranny went out at 12,000,needless to say the toyota was traded for a town&country!

[kernst]

Same problem with my 05 sienna, had struts replaced 4 months ago... still falling without warning on me and my children...very dangerous...dealership claims to have fixed this problem today by resetting a computer... still it did fall on me when i stopped for groceries on the way home ..i am furious how i was dismissed at the dealership!

[lassaline]

Has anyone had a problem with non-power assisted liftgate? Our struts in 2005 Seinna failed after only two years and a half years of regular duty - dealer says it isn't their problem - struts are over $250 Each!

My Sienna has had one major problem in 141,000 miles of driving. Around 44,000 miles the transmission started to slip between first and second gear. Although we were out of warranty the dealer stepped-up and fixed it for free. The real kicker was they provided us with a free loaner which turned out to be a new Sienna. Given this experience I would not hesitate to purchase another Toyota as it's been far more reliable than our last two vehicles (JGC & Montana). As far as the liftgate issue we have not experienced it. Even if we did the difference would be in how our dealer reacts when we bring it to our attention. If he/she were to ignore or automatically assume it was our fault we would then purchase our next vehicle somewhere else. I think Detroit brands can and are reliabe but what they are lacking are mainly dealers who take responsibility. I know there are good ones out there but in my 23 years of buying cars the Toyota and Nissan service managers seem to act as if my problem is their problem. My experience with GM and Chrysler is the exact opposite.

[Danielle]

I have an 04 Sienna and my stuts/shocks are out on my lifgate, but it is not power. I have an LE, so I have to manually lift it. I have been searching for cheaper replacement parts through salvage yards and such because I do not want to pay Toyota over 200 bucks for them. They went out about a year ago and Toyota refused to replace them. Said I had to pay.

[Russ]

I have a 2005 Toyota Sienna Mini Van - it appears as if everytime it rains, i am collecting water in the way back storage area. Anyone have any idea what could be causing it?

[Vladimir]

I have 2004 model and these are gone. I went to dealer and he wants 2x250 ea canadian. This is totally nuts, golden!

[peter w]

this just happend to us; very serious. if the kids were under when this happend someone could have been very seriously injured.

[Molly]

I also am having troubles with my rear lift gate on my 04 Sienna XLE. Today I may have dislocated my shoulder when it closed on my all of the sudden. I am so upset, if my son was under it who knows what could have happened. Any advice besides to trade it in???
Help!

[molly]

Following up to my above post about the faulty lift gate.....
I just called TOYOTA CONSUMER AFFAIRS, after a 15 min. taped phonecall it sounds like things are going to be taken care of. You MUST call Toy. at 1-800-331-4331 and make a claim, take the claim to your toy. dealer and it should be taken care of. My 04 is way over the warranty period (due to high miles) and they still are covering this expense. I highly recommend calling them prior to taking your vehicle in to the dealer though, they (the dealer) really paid attention to me when I told them I had a claim # from Toy. Consumer Affairs.

[Lois]

I have a Braun handicapped conversion van. This is wonderful when you are closing it automatically and the hatch starts closing and then opens. Being in an electric wheelchair I can't do anything to fix this and have to yell for help. Not very good for a disabled person.
I have spent three full days this week at dealerships to have this problem fixed. To have struts that need to be replace because of a defect needs to be addressed as a recall. Don't believe Toyota is letting this go with no attention to safety.

[Sue Woodcock]

My 2005 Sienna Minivan is in the dealership right now having the rear door struts replaced since the power read door closes unexpectedly. This is a major safety issue as the door is a very heavy door and can close on a child's head, arm or leg. Please follow the above suggestions and call TOYOTA CONSUMER AFFAIRS AT 1-800-331-4331, demanding a RECALL on this safety problem. I truly believe many more cases have not been reported to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The struts cost nothing as compared to the injuries that could occur.
Sue

[Jason]

We have an 04 Sienna with the same rear door issue---it has closed on my wife several times causing bruises to her back as it pressures down. My wife took the Sienna in to have it checked this morning... I found this site just in time... they were going to charge $130 just for a diagnostic. I called her back just in time to tell her we needed to place a claim at 1-800-331-4331 and then take that to the dealer. Luckily she was able to have the attendant go stop the procedure before they charged us.

Our only other problem is a loud squealing noise when the air conditioner is turned on. We took it in to have it fixed a few months ago and they said it was the belts-- replaced those, but the loud sound has started again...

[Andy]

I have Sienna 2004 model and the lift gate failed last weekend. I called TOYOTA Canada as recommended, but they said they never heard of this before, and ask be to go to dealer since my car is out of warranty.
Their reason is the car is out of warranty and there is no recall, so they can do nothing about it except filling a complain.
What can we do to push them to recall?

[Julie]

THANK YOU to the people who have shared their experiences. The rear liftgate of my Sienna did the exact same thing to me yesterday, it almost pinned me before I could drop to the ground to escape. Had my 3 or 5 year old been there, there's no telling what might have happened. I followed the advice I found here and called the 800 number above (after I went to the dealer this morning where the service guy told me it was my problem). Toyota Consumer Affairs is contacting the dealership for me to see if we can't resolve this. I'm so thankful for the internet where consumers can share information like this, it really is valuable. I'll let you know what happpened. Btw, I'm in CA.

[Russ]

I've had a similar issue with my 2004 Sienna. The bigger problem seems to be the drivers side door welds that are coming apart on late model Siennas. The repair costs over $2,000 with the replacement of the door and is not covered under extended warranty.

More information can be found at:

http://www.toyotasiennadefects.info

[Don]

As a Toyota Sienna owner -2005 with 23K mileage
I am wondering how people decide they have a door weld problem. The Toyota tech bulletin pictures do not seem applicable to my vehicle. I have no popping noise on door operation but do get some creaking noise from the drivers side on what "seems" to be coming from the non-powered sliding door.

[John]

My wife got bopped on the head by our 2005 Sienna LE's lift gate. Our Toyota dealership's answer was that it will cost us around $200.00. We just replaced both AC units last month. Toyota picked up the tab on the faulty AC parts, but it still cost us @1,200.00 for labor! Our interior's plastic covers keep falling off. I believed in Toyota quality, but now have serious doubts. We bought this vehicle less than three years ago.

[Rina]

I began experiencing problems with the liftgate on my 2004 Sienna in August of this year about 5 weeks after the regular warranty expired. (3 of those weeeks the car hadn't even been driven) The dealer told me the pistons were gone and that it would be about $500 to fix. I have contacted NHTSA and Toyota Consumer Affairs. Toyota is contacting the dealer, but I was basically told that anything outside warranty is my problem. This is definitely a defect and needs to be recalled before someone gets seriously hurt. I have also had problems with the drivers door. The inside panel came detated from the door along the bottom. This was fixed under warranty. Also, the door check needs to be replaced. I complained about the problem while it was still under warranty and all the dealer did was put some gunk on it. The problem with the noise it makes when the door is opened or closed has only gottten worse, but I am now being told - too bad I'm out of warranty. Had many Toyotas and thought they were great, but between the doors and the tire recall it is making me tink twice about staying with this car.

[Colleen]

I have a 2005 Sienna and and I'm experiencing the same problem with the tailgate and it is extremely dangerous.As others have said,it takes all my strenghth not to have the thing fall down on me.
I brough the car to my mechanic and he called the dealer. Not only did they tell him each strut would be $180,but they were very difficult to find.
I just got off the phone with Toyota consumer affairs and the guy would not issue me a claim.He claimed he knew nothing about this being a problem. My car is way over warrenty due to high mileage,so basically there is nothing I can do,but pay a huge amount or get decapitated one of these days.

[Len]

At 65K miles my air conditionig compressor started to make a horrible noise. Turns out that the AC compressor needs to be replaced. It has now seized at 67K miles. Toyota has no sympathy. I have read about there being an internal Toyota issued service bulletin that basically acknowledges a design defect and recomends adding an inline filter screen (to filter out all the remaining metal after the compressor chews itself to bits)when replacing the compressor. COMPRESSORS ARE SEALED COMPONENTS. THEY CANNOT BE MAINTENANCED, AND THE SHOULD NEVER SELF DESTRUCT IN UNDER 100k MILES! Toyota does not want to help me. Even worse. There are no after market parts. The compressor is $700.00 and only available from the dealer and that does not include the clutch which is an additional $250. The drier is molded to the condenser. They have to be replaced as well. That is another $350.00, only available from the dealer, and does not even begin to cover labor. If I repair it (remember the old one has torn itself to pieces and I actually saw what was left of one at an AC repair shop the other day) it will not stay working for long as there is absolutely no way to guarantee that ALL the little metal particles will be flushed out and the new one will be destroyed by the first little metal particle that gets in. Not to mention that I have been told that the whole system is poorly desinged from the start and wont last any longer, another 65K miles, if replaced.

I have spoken with the manager at my local Toyota dealer, a guy named Cliff at Toyota of Tampa Bay and he outright told me that even though I had bought my last two Toyotas from his dealership, I was not a loyal service customer and therefore Toyota would not help me with this matter. The car is out of Warranty by 35K miles. This was again reiterated by a customer service manager for the Toll Free Toyota complaint line.

This should not have happened! The van is now basically worthless for trade in value. Its not worth fixing. It has other issues as well, such as leaky front struts that need replacing before the first set of tires even wore down.

This vehicle is a Lemmon! Toyota's attitude is horrible. I have spoken with 4 mechanics locally who have seen this same problem a total of 11 times in the past few months in my local area alone.

My email address is lengold@tampabay.rr.com.
If there is anyone out there in the same situation or that can help, please contact me.

[Robbie O]

Wow.. and I thought I was alone! My 04 Sienna limited, had the same power hatch issue. I bought a replacement pair off ebay for 130 and replaced them myself. I wish I would have found this page sooner. I doubt Toyota will even consider reimbursing me!

[Christopher Vlangas]

I just took my 05 Sienna to the local dealer to have the lift gate looked at. They said that my struts were bad and they would cost about $450.00 to replace. I did not order the parts because I wanted to research the matter. I'm glad I found this blog. I called the number listed above and the representative said that she was not aware of the problem, but would have the local dealer research the problem and call me within 3 days. We'll see what happens.

[Karen Hoffman]

Has anyone had a problem with the passenger-side, rear automatic door? I have a 2004 Toyota Sienna LX. My friend has also had the same problem. The motor has burned out at 37,000 miles and just under 5 years old. I am just trying to find out how common this is.

[Dan M]

Same thing with our 2004 Sienna XLE rear door bought August 2004. The first sign was the door wouldn't open up all the way and you would hit your head because you were used to it being higher. Now the door goes up and comes right down a second or two later - takes a lot of force to stop.

[Al]

The power doors on our 2002 Sienna XLE were downright dangerous. It took a huge amount of force to stop them from closing. They didn't back up when met with resistance.
As I was taking my kid out of the childseat, the door started closing. I shielded my kid from the closing door and it bruised my shoulder!
I complained to Toyota many times but the response was always "Operating normally". I even asked the dealer to stop the door from closing with his hands and when he did so, he was surprised at the force required but the diagnosis was "this is normal".
The power doors on the Odyssey and Chrysler minivans immediately back up when they detect the slightest resistance.
I really don't think Toyota have much regard for the safety of their customers.
The doors malfunctioned many times, sometimes not opening or closing, or stopping half way and getting "jammed".
We got rid of the Sienna eventually which rattled itself to pieces anyway, and now have a Honda.

[Denise Amundson]

I began having the lift gate trouble Oct. 22, 2007. My daughter had a fender bender and I thought that might have caused it. I also noticed that when it was cold, the doors did not open all the way up. THis must be related. My car had 38k on it. Bought in May 2005. I also noticed that I need more resistance against the side doors as well. I almost got squished. I have not filed a complaint, yet. But I will. THis is not acceptable to me at all. Someone suggested the motor or the actuators having a problem, but I don't know anything.

[sam schlesinger]

please listen carefully i own a 2004 sienna that one day came crashing down on my head while onloading a few heavy boxes it really hurts but trust me toyota does not give a flying hoot about this problem remember the japanese will never admite foult on anything i was on the phone so many times with toyota personal from all levels the answer is your warranty has expired. the dealer gave me a $475 dollar price tag to fix..but on one of the blogs someone posted that at autozone you could bye the struts for $25.99 each so i did exactly that he was correct the part # c95160 - it took me 2 minutes to install them i still dont know why they look to rip you off with $450.00 by toyota it really a shame..for me toyota is history

[Lynne]

'Karen' wrote:
******
The driver side slider on my 2005 Sienna XLE sticks quite often. At first this problem only appeared if it was cold outside, first thing in the morning. Then it was if it was cold and rainy. Now it's any given time but worse when it's cold out. The remote works the door just fine but it can take multiple hard yanks on the door handle to get it to open. The mechanics at the dealership have greased the cables and done whatever they can do without removing the door. I've been arguing with this dealership over the fact that the door opens okay, when it opens. The problem is in the handle. If I pull on it and it does not open, and then I try to use the remote to lock the car, it senses that the door is not closed and won't lock. Also the feel of the handle not quite engaging when pulled is obvious. Not, apparently, to the geniuses at the dealership, who don't have to have to remove the door because, as it was put "There are a million little parts in there". Brilliant.

[Clifford]

About 1 month ago, the lift gate struts on the 2004 Toyota Sienna went bad. The van has a power liftgate and was extremely dangerous being the liftgate is heavy, and the power close does not reverse all that easily. Ifg a young child was under the liftgate when it came down, they would be seriously injuried, if not by being hit by the liftgate then by the closing mechanism. Very dangerous!
Of course, the warranty had just expired. So, I called the dealership...$380 to replace the struts. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE and TOYOTA SHOULD REPAIR THESE. I called the toyota customer affairs line (1-800-331-4331) and talked with a representative. The first rep acted like it was a "new thing" to him and wasn't interested in helping all that much. I then called back and got a different rep. After describing the issue, the rep (Adam) talked it over with his supervisor and they agreed to reimburse me for the cost of the repair. I was given a case number and Adam contacted the local dealership to have the repairs completed in a timely manner. After having the repairs, I faxed proof of payment, my case number, VIN, and repair invoice...reimbursement was sent.
If you are having the liftgate problem, let Toyota know about it! It is a safety issue they need to know about, and fix. Who knows, you may have the repair made for free.

[Dan]

I own a Toyota T-100 truck I have had for 12 years. Thing is a dream, nothing ever goes wrong. We bought a 2004 Sienna XLE limited this year--used. Same problem--Back lift-gate crushing my wife and kids. Called Toyota, they offered to cover the parts, but want to charge $150 to put them on!!

They snap on in five minutes!!

They refused to give me the parts so I can install. I will check with autozone, if they have them here in FL, then, if I can't find them, I'll probably pay it. Ridiculous.

[Larry]

I have a 2004 Sienna and had struts replaced a couple years ago under warranty. This winter the lift gate started coming down on it's own again. Dealer was no help at all. Today I opened the liftgate with the remote and was walking to the car with my hands full. I was watching where I was walking because of the ice and snow. The lift gate started down without any audio warning and I walked into it full force. Nice blooding gash across my forehead. Read these blogs and called TOYOTA CONSUMER AFFAIRS at 800-331-4331. Wasn't on hold long at all until Heather came on the line. I have a claim number, her full name and the statement that Toyota will be calling me after this Wednesday. She said my case is being considered a Product Liability case and Toyota will definitely address it with me. I do not yet have a promise to fix the vehicle but it looks positive.

[denise]

Thanks for all the posts regarding the lift gate! I had a similar problem where the lift gate fell on me, then opened itself, closed itself, opened and closed. It was absolutely the weirdest thing. I called the dealer who knew immediately what the issue was...struts needed replacing. And, Toyota won't cover this. I called the number listed in the earlier posts. Toyota said they do not currently have a recall on this issue. They said they may if more people complain!

[denise]

Thanks for all the posts regarding the lift gate! I had a similar problem where the lift gate fell on me, then opened itself, closed itself, opened and closed. It was absolutely the weirdest thing. I called the dealer who knew immediately what the issue was...struts needed replacing. And, Toyota won't cover this. I called the number listed in the earlier posts. Toyota said they do not currently have a recall on this issue. They said they may if more people complain!

[oldjames]

After having the same problem with my 2004 Sienna, I found some replacement liftgate cylinders at a very reasonable price at Auto Zone $26 each.
I just installed them an they work perfectly. They are made by "Mightylift"
part # C95160/ 4994ML

[Nancy Scee]

I went to Toyota of Hollywood, Fl yesterday reference the lift gate of my 04 Toyota Sienna closing on me. After leaving it to be looked at I was advised that the rear shocks needed to be replaced and it is not covered by the extended warranty (cost over $400.00). I did not have it done. Glad I found this website, for I will be calling Toyota Consumer Affairs to make a claim.

[Dan]

Ok, I'm Dan, from above, (own a T-100 and also a 2004 Sienna LTD XLE with the same lift-gate problem). I bought the "mighty-lift" struts recommended on this site. They don't work for my power lift-gate--probably ok, if you don't have the power gate. They are about an inch and a half shorter than the factory models, causing the edge of the gate to be about three inches lower when fully opened. Causes motor to engage and close the gate as soon as it is opened.

[CS]

Thanks for all the comments on the Sienna. I too have a 2004 Sienna XLE and experienced this same problem with the liftgate coming down. We were about to pack the van for a Christmas vacation when it broke and so we had to use a snow shovel to keep it open. I have owned many Toyotas and never expected this from them. So I called the consumer line and did get a claim # and the dealer ended up splitting the total cost 50/50 with me. Although after reading oall the comments I will be calling the NHTSA since this is a safety issue and should be a recall by Toyota.

[Rhonda]

I have been experiencing this problem on my 2004 XLE for a couple of years, most of the time when the weather is cold. And I live in Ohio- it's cold a lot. Today, I almost got crushed, that door was coming down so hard that I couldn't stop it. I called Customer Affairs (Thanks everyone for the info) and got a case #. The funny thing is that when I told the dealer about it before (when it was under the three year warranty) the door worked fine for them and they told me I was more or less out of luck because it wasn't malfunctioning at the time (it was a warm day). I swear, if this door comes down on me again before the customer manager calls me back, I'm driving it right over to the dealer and asking them to stand under it while I try to open the darn thing.