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New 2007 Toyota Sienna needs transmission

60 messages,  Last post on Oct 27, 2012 at 8:40 PM

You are in the Toyota Sienna Forum.

What is this discussion about? Toyota Sienna, Van

Messages Page 5 of 6

#41 of 60 Re: Resale value of a Sienna is NOT very good [stevecrouch] by hansienna

Apr 29, 2008 (8:43 pm)

Replying to: stevecrouch (Apr 06, 2008 4:23 am)
Expect AT LEAST $ 10,000 less for your Sienna than you paid based on the resale value I was quoted by a Toyota dealership used car manager when my 2006 Sienna had fewer miles on it than yours has.

#42 of 60 Minivans don't seem to hold their value by chrisjenn97

Apr 30, 2008 (7:05 am)

I'm not surprised by your experience trying to sell your van back to your dealership. In my experience, Japanese cars have held their resale value better than domestics. However, I have found that NOT to be the case with minivans in general. SUVs & trucks always have done better than cars, followed lastly be minivans.
 
I, too, have felt that slight hesitation when slowing down (especially when going down a hill) and then trying to reaccelerate. I just figured it was the vehicle. It typically only does it on one or 2 particularly hilly roads in my area, so I guess it isn't too bothersome for me since it isn't a regular occurrence I encounter.
 
Despite my transmission problem within the 1st month of ownership, I can honestly say I am very pleased with my Sienna as well as my dealership. By contrast, my father owns a 4 year old Suzuki Verona which has under 36,000 miles on it. The engine needed replacing (per Suzuki dealership) but Suzuki corporate wouldn't do it...only rebuild it. Needless to say, they had his vehicle for 4 weeks before my dad threatened obtaining a lawyer & going to the local media, as the dealership & corporate fought about it. It is now having the same exact problem with fewer than 200 miles on the rebuilt engine.
 
So, I am thankful that my dealership (& Toyota) stood by their vehicle.

#43 of 60 Sienna don't seem to hold their value [chrisjenn97] by hansienna

Apr 30, 2008 (10:37 am)

Replying to: chrisjenn97 (Apr 30, 2008 7:05 am)
I was going to TRADE in my 2006 Sienna LE on a new 2006 Grand Caravan SXT where the Toyota dealer sold BOTH new Toyota and new Dodge. The Toyota dealership should know the value of a Sienna better than anyone else.
 
I like the Toyota dealership where I bought the new Sienna and like it better now that I am acquainted with the lack of features the Sienna has when compared to my less expensive 2002 Chrysler T&C LX.
 
The Sienna does have some advantages: More cargo space behind the 3rd row and a more comfortable driver seat.

#44 of 60 Re: Sienna don't seem to hold their value [hansienna] by ateixeira

May 01, 2008 (1:18 pm)

Replying to: hansienna (Apr 30, 2008 10:37 am)
You got a low-ball, wholesale trade-in offer from a dealership.
 
You should shop it around some more. You can get a lot more for it than a dealer would offer you.
 
Go ask in the RWTIV thread. Imports especially can fetch a LOT more in private party sales. Thousands and thousands more.

#45 of 60 Re: Trade-in values [ateixeira] by hansienna

May 02, 2008 (7:29 pm)

Replying to: ateixeira (May 01, 2008 1:18 pm)
Agree 100 %. Dealers have told us they make more profit on trade-ins and other used vehicles than on new ones.
 
I bought my Sienna at a BAD time ( NO Toyota factory discount). Toyota offered a $ 1,000 factory rebate shortly after I got mine. Today's paper has a NEW 2008 Sienna LE with a discount of $ 4,869 whereas I got only $ 1,251 discount on my new 2006 LE.
 
When I priced a new 2006 Sienna, the TMV for my new Sienna LE was MORE than I paid. (One reason I question accuracy of TMV on Siennas, Odysseys, and many other new vehicles. )
 
I looked at 2008 GC SE's and GC SXT's today and prefer my 2006 Sienna LE to a new GC even though I would like the separately controlled temperature for driver and front passenger. My Sienna has more attractive door panels, more attractive cloth seats, MORE cargo space behind the 3rd row and I prefer the compass/outside temperature/trip computer in the overhead console in addition to the Sienna INSTANT ECONOMY function (not included on GC/T&C since 2002 models).

#46 of 60 Re: New Sienna discount [hansienna] by hansienna

May 05, 2008 (6:37 pm)

Replying to: hansienna (May 02, 2008 7:29 pm)
The actual MSRP for a 2008 Sienna LE as advertised in the paper is $ 27,189 and NOT the bloated $ 27,858 stated in the ad. The discount is $ 4,200 and NOT the higher amount of $ 4869. Even with the error, it is obvious that I paid TOO much for my 2006 Sienna LE.

#47 of 60 RE: Lifetime Warranty & New Transmission [ateixeira] by kjo

May 06, 2008 (6:42 am)

Replying to: ateixeira (Jan 16, 2008 11:57 am)
ateixeira:
 
My Sienna makes 268hp and is quicker than sports cars were not too long ago, yet I've also hit a record MPG of 34.0. Carrying 5 people and cargo. I've never done worse than 21mpg (what crossover can claim that?).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------
 
I know this is a transmission thread, but this caught my eye.
Is that downhill with a tailwind? And how fast were you driving and over what kind of road to get the 34mpg? thx

#48 of 60 RE: Lifetime Warranty & New Transmission [kjo] by ateixeira

May 06, 2008 (9:59 am)

Replying to: kjo (May 06, 2008 6:42 am)
I drove from the Dulles Airport Annex after the Air-and-Scare party they had for Halloween, back to my home in MD.
 
Traffic was very light and I kept it at about the speed limit (55) to try to get the best mileage. At the exits I tried to coast to a stop, vs. going fast and then braking to lose kinetic energy.
 
I was trying, for sure, but it worked like a charm.

#49 of 60 Problems with 98 Sienna trans, Toyota takes no responsibility! by lgodiva

May 27, 2008 (8:01 am)

I am having a transmission problem with a used Sienna that is absolutely frustrating. Below is my story (I have sent this letter to Toyota arbitration, to no avail). Please read it in its entirety - there's a lot to say - and if you can help at all, please post a reply. Is there any other form of recourse other than to shell out $2500 to replace a transmission that Toyota is unwilling to stand behind?:
 
I purchased my 1998 Toyota Sienna minivan from Sloane Toyota in Devon, PA, in the summer of 2003. I also purchased a 3-year extended warranty. Within the timeframe of the warranty, in the winter of 2004-2005, the transmission started making an odd noise and was replaced under warranty by Sloane in June 2005.
 
Within the one-year warranty on that new transmission, my car started experiencing unusual behavior: on the coldest mornings, it would not automatically shift out of first gear into second gear for one to two miles, or about five to ten minutes, even if I pressed the accelerator down quite far. I contacted Sloane’s service department and described the problem in detail to one of the service people. They told me definitively that this behavior was “normal” and nothing to worry about. I questioned this, but was assured that everything was ok with my car. I even called one more time and received the same reassurance, plus the suggestion that I might check the transmission fluid level (I did, and it was full). They did NOT recommend that I bring the car in to be checked, or that there was any reason for concern, or that I should even check the color of the transmission fluid (I will refer to this later).
 
Over the next two winters, there were few truly frigid mornings during which this behavior exhibited itself. Thus, trusting the advice of Toyota’s service department, I ignored it on the few mornings it occurred. (This only happened in the morning when the car was completely cold, never at the end of the day.) Additionally, the car exhibited no other unusual behavior during this time.
 
Then this past winter, my car started exhibiting other odd behaviors that seemed to point to the transmission. The gear slippage worsened - it would occasionally be slow in switching between gears, typically from second to third. I started hearing a high-pitched whine that rose in pitch as I accelerated. I finally brought my car into Sloane Toyota to have it checked; they said my transmission was shot, and that it would cost $5000 to replace it. Sloane said they would not cover the replacement because my new transmission’s warranty had expired. I pointed out that I had experienced and reported unusual behavior earlier on, and that they never told me to bring it in. I also pointed out that it seemed quite clear that my more recent gear slippage was a worsening of the original problem on cold mornings, and thus an inherent problem in the new transmission they had installed in 2005. I said that this all could have been avoided if they had advised me to bring it in rather than assuring me that the symptoms I had experienced were “normal”. I pointed out that I did not bring it in because I was not advised to do so by their own service department – I had relied on their advice. I spoke with the service manager, Jim Nagle, on several occasions, trying to convince him of this, and thus that Toyota had some responsibility in the matter due to their poor advice of his own service department, but he remained firm on this position.
 
I also issued a complaint through Toyota Customer Service and spoke with a regional service manager, Larry Roberts. He indicated that the original problem of not switching from first to second gear on cold mornings was a “safety feature” to prevent stressing the transmission, and that the new problems I was experiencing were completely separate and unrelated.
 
For a second expert opinion, I then took my car to a very reputable and highly-recommended local transmission shop near me, who indicated that the transmission was a mess, that whatever was wrong had been building up for several years (i.e., since before the warranty expired). They said they found many “chunks of metal” in the transmission fluid and that the filter was completely clogged. The fluid was black rather than the usual clear color. They didn’t think it would last more than a few months. I explained the entire history of my transmission and my dealings with Toyota. They pointed out that Sienna minivans have a history of bad transmissions from the late 1990s through the early 2000s, and that my initial transmission replacement was one of many that Toyota quietly did under warranty. I described the “safety feature” concept, and he said it was complete and utter nonsense - that in all his years of transmission repair of Toyotas other cars, there was no such safety feature. Obviously, Mr. Roberts was lying in order to get me off his back, something I seriously resent and am deeply offended by as a Toyota customer. I called Mr. Roberts back to tell him this, and asked him for proof of such a safety feature. He ignored my request and became very gruff, hostile, and non-responsive.
  
My trans shop replaced my clogged transmission filter and refilled the fluid, to at least give my car some short-term life. Their cost to replace the transmission is *only* $2500 (not surprisingly half of the dealer’s price).
 
It surprises and distresses me that Toyota will not stand by their cars in this situation. Certainly, a new transmission should last more than a couple of years, especially on a Toyota!
 
Here are the points I was hoping would convince Toyota to take responsibility in this matter:
· Pat’s Transmissions expertly diagnosed how badly my transmission was damaged, compared to how relatively new it was.
· The extent of damage points to the certainty that problems started very early on, related to my original problem of gear shifting on cold mornings. I would even suggest that the ‘new’ transmission Sloane Toyota installed was a ‘lemon’, i.e., faulty right from the start.
· Sloane Toyota’s service department gave me poor and erroneous advice that the original symptoms I was experiencing were “normal”; moreover, they did *not* recommend that I bring my car in to have it checked while it was still under warranty.
· There is a known history of Sienna transmission problems in the timeframe of when my car was manufactured. I have had two bad transmissions in my car over the span of only five years!
· As a manufacturer of high-quality cars, Toyota should be expected to stand behind their products. Transmissions should not fail after such a short time, regardless of the arbitrary one-year warranty.
 

#50 of 60 Re: Problems with 98 Sienna trans, Toyota takes no responsibility! [lgodiva] by jipster

May 28, 2008 (5:54 am)

Replying to: lgodiva (May 27, 2008 8:01 am)
Obviously your dealership lied to you... big time. That Toyota's regional service manager would also give you a bunch of bull is amazing. Unfortunately, unless you have any written documentation from the dealership indicating that this problem with the trans. was "normal", then you may out of luck.
 
You aren't going to get anywhere with your dealership. If you have the independent mechanic repair the transmission Toyota isn't likely to assist in the repairs. Otherwise, I would try speaking to someone else at Toyota Customer Service. Then the only recourse you would have is small claims court. Without written documentation it would be your word against theirs.
 
In the future I would take my vehicle in to be looked at if it is under warranty... instead of relying on dealerships word over the phone. If the dealership says whatever the van is doing is "normal", make sure you are given written documentation indicating such.

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