- #207 of 322
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Re: Reviews of Sienna, Odyssee, Grand Caravan [Violaisabelle]
by ateixeira
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Jan 09, 2009 (11:42 am)
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Replying to: Violaisabelle (Dec 29, 2008 12:47 pm)
If that happens again, and you get hit on *both* sides, closing all 5 doors, you're in trouble. 
Unless you have a moonroof, then you could still get out. 
Obviously I'm teasing, but I still don't see this as a safety issue.
It definitely is a *major* inconvenience.
If you've been driving, the heat from within the car would likely have the doors unfrozen.
The doors on my Miata freeze every day in the winter, including today. I could tear through the vinyl top so I guess I could still save myself.
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- #208 of 322
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Frozen sliding doors
by slider13
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Jan 15, 2009 (4:09 pm)
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We almost bought a Sienna, but in the end bought a Kia Sedona, and guess what? The sliding doors freeze shut every time it is below freezing!! This is not just a Sienna problem, although I do wonder about the comment about the compound used in the rubber seals. We still have our 13 year old Plymouth minivan (310,000k) and have not had the sliding doors freeze even once on it. Mind you, nothing on it fits as snugly and tightly either! I'll watch your blog with interest.![]()
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- #209 of 322
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Re: Frozen sliding doors [slider13]
by ateixeira
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Feb 03, 2009 (11:52 am)
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Replying to: slider13 (Jan 15, 2009 4:09 pm)
Knock on wood but my Sienna has been fine.
My 93 Miata's doors freeze shut all the time. I've had to open the passenger door, then push out the driver's door to get it open.
It has those tiny little art-deco door handles. Cute but no leverage to pull at all.
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- #210 of 322
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Cable Problem on Sienna Sliding Door
by brucehaywood
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Feb 03, 2009 (12:13 pm)
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Does anyone know if Toyota is "fessing up" yet that they have a serious product flaw in the cables on the sliding door? Again, ours snapped in the mid 40's. Their customer orientation was to want $1,800 to fix it. DO NOT BUY A SIENNA
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- #211 of 322
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Re: 2005 Toyota Sienna won't start drained battery--seat sensor? electrical [znet]
by creeboat
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Feb 06, 2009 (4:23 pm)
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Replying to: znet (Jan 22, 2008 9:25 pm)
If you have "auto running head lights" they will not go off until she opens the door.
Same experience.
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- #212 of 322
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Re: Toyota Sienna Sliding Door Problems [socal13]
by bvmurphy
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Feb 26, 2009 (10:58 am)
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Replying to: socal13 (Sep 29, 2008 2:00 pm)
Starting about a month ago (right when it turned 100k miles) the driver's side power door started getting stuck closed and would not open. It made a clicking sound like it was trying to open but it was like it wouldn't unlock (even though the orange part of the level still moved inside to indicate it was unlocked). At first locking and unlocking the door a few times would solve the problem and then it would open fine. The problem has become increasingly frequent and now the door won't open at all. Once the door was open it always worked fine and I'm no expert but the cable looked okay to me. I took it to the dealer and they couldn't get it to open and said that everyone with this model has this problem and quoted me $1600+ dollars to fix it - and that's if the door will open again. They also showed me how the replacement motor is a re-engineered part which is further indicative of the defectiveness of the original. I called the 800.331.4331customer service and they just kept saying it has a hundred thousand miles and tough luck. They said I'd have to meet with the District Manager who'd made this decision and that there was no possible way to ever escalate this matter above that individual. I don't buy that. They also refused to give me this individual's contact information. This is wholly unacceptable. I currently own 3 toyotas, the '04 Sienna being the oldest, and have owned a total of 7 of their vehicles. I purposely did not buy a Chrysler because I didn't want to have to deal with this. I have many more cars to purchase in my lifetime and they won't be Toyota's if this is how they're going to treat their customers. I think the time has come for a class action law suit - I don't know how that works, just that I'd like to be a part of it. In the mean time I'll lodge my complaint with the DOT. It seems as though they have no incentive to address this issue as the $3,000 it sounds like everyone is having to spend on their defectice doors is a mighty lucrative income source for them.
Shame on Toyota!
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- #213 of 322
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04 sienna sliding door freezes shut.
by craighere
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Mar 03, 2009 (4:31 pm)
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for those who have had the incredible inconvenience of having their sliding doors frozen shut upon attempting entry, i have a solution.
having tried every lubricant without success, the only solution was the replacing of the door seals with a re engineered part i believe available on 05 models and later.
the new seals work perfectly, but they must be the upgraded ones that toyota came up with in response to the obvious problem.
there should be a toyota campaign for this issue, but there isn't.
i complained to head office, but received no compensation.
here in ontario, canada, the cost was appro. $150 including labour.
not bad, but still, the problem should never have existed in the first place.
maybe if more people contact head office with similar complaints, toyota will listen, and a campaign will surface.
anyways, now that the new seals have been exposed to temps well below freezing for over 2 months now, i'm happy to report that they are doing the job, no stuck doors anymore!
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- #214 of 322
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ODI
by ateixeira
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Mar 04, 2009 (8:01 am)
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Here is a link to NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation:
http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq/index.cfm
If you are right and enough people complain, a recall can be forced.
I dunno, though, my Miata's door froze shut again today, it's pretty common IMO.
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- #215 of 322
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Re: Cable Problem on Sienna Sliding Door [brucehaywood]
by toronto_dave
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Mar 04, 2009 (10:25 am)
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Replying to: brucehaywood (Feb 03, 2009 12:13 pm)
I just had my second cable snap on our '04 Sienna. When I called Toyota Canada, they said that if it had happened within 5 years and 150,000 kilometers, they would help out with the repair. When the first cable snapped, I was 3 months beyond the 5th anniversary. Nevertheless, Toyota refused to offer any assistance. Not only that, the customer service agent was very rude. When I asked her how she would feel having to pay over $4,000 (or 10% of the purchase price of the vehicle) to fix to sliding doors -- her response was that in all the years of driving she has never called a car company asking for financial assistance. In other words, I was a low life for even asking. I found the comment very insulting, especially after she had just acknowledge to me that Toyota was fixing the problem if the vehicle was less than 5 years old because of known problems. THIS IS THE FIRST AND LAST TOYOTA I WILL EVER OWN!! 
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- #216 of 322
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Re: Reviews of Sienna, Odyssee, Grand Caravan [ateixeira]
by mommy2four
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Mar 08, 2009 (4:38 pm)
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Replying to: ateixeira (Dec 29, 2008 10:48 am)
It would be a safety issue if the car was on fire and you had a lot of children in it, like I usually do. Yes, there are reported cases where a Toyota engine has caught on fire! These engines have what Toyota is calling "oil gel". The Sienna's affected are from 1997 to 2002 models. I own a 2000 Sienna and the passenger side sliding door gets stuck all of the time. When I used to pick up the kids after school they would stand outside the door trying to get in, thinking the door was locked. Now I need a new engine and I am just thankful that my engine has not caught on fire, YET!!!
I know this sounds extreme, but so does hearing that you need a new engine (to the tune of $6,000) when your vehicle only has a little over 100,000 miles on it and two payments left!
And to Toronto Dave, you are not the first to feel insulted by Toyota. Their customer service is definitely slipping!
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