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Question on TSB: Toyota Sienna Door Welds Causing Clicking

109 messages,  Last post on May 15, 2013 at 5:17 PM

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What is this discussion about? Toyota Sienna, Van

Messages Page 4 of 12

#27 of 109 Re: 2004 Sienna driver door weld/hinge, now WON'T OPEN!!! [kerit] by adiehl13

Feb 21, 2011 (6:13 am)

Replying to: kerit (Feb 20, 2011 2:25 pm)
Kerit- I could have written the first part of your email (I posted a while ago and still follow this thread). we also bought a new 2005 Sienna XLE fully loaded etc. I have to say, after researching this on-line, I printed out the discussion, and went right to my local Toyota dealer (Carousel Toyota in Glen Mills, PA), and they fixed it free of charge. Believe you me- I was geared up for a fight- ready to march into the showroom and start saying loudly that no one should buy a Toyota if they won't fix known problems. But- I actually had not one single issue with the dealership fixing it. It could also be I had signed up for some "gold" service thing, whatever that means. But I hadn't bought it from that dealership, so at the very least I expected the, "well, you'll have to take it up with the dealer you bought it from."
 
I would go to your local Toyota dealership with a print out of this issue. I would simply say this is a Known Defect, and if they won't fix it, you'll go to your local news station etc. If they don't know how to fix it, HAVE THEM CALL MY DEALERSHIP. I haven't had a problem since they fixed it. Also, any Toyota dealership can look up this problem in their systen. Good Luck.

#28 of 109 Re: 2004 Sienna driver door weld/hinge, now WON'T OPEN!!! [adiehl13] by wynona

Mar 16, 2011 (12:12 pm)

Replying to: adiehl13 (Feb 21, 2011 6:13 am)
A fellow posted earlier that he had fixed his with new steel rivets.
 
I performed the same procedure on my 2004 (130,000 miles) using extra hard bolts after drilling out the spot welds. Use only high quality drill bits. Access is not easy with wrenches and drill but certainly do-able.
 
My rider side front door had the same problem when the car was 2 yrs old, repaired by Toyota with new welds ( my money later refunded by Toyota). So far, 80,000 miles later, their repair is still holding OK.

#29 of 109 Buy Honda by steph19

Mar 21, 2011 (9:14 am)

My Sienna is having the same door clicking problem. Took it in to the dealer i bought it from and they say its some warranty enhancement issue that only last 5 years. My Sienna is a 2005 also. I have 72000 miles on my van and never recieved a notice on this.

#30 of 109 Sienna door latch by rlmarkow

Mar 21, 2011 (9:30 am)

I bet there is alot more of us out there......welcome to the wonderful world of getting screwed by toyota. I have a 2009 RAV 4 limited edition with 15,000 miles on it.....I seriously am looking into trading it in for a KIA while it still has some value.

#31 of 109 2004 Toyota Sienna door popping by mgullon

Apr 19, 2011 (11:22 pm)

Our 2004 Toyota Sienna's driver door started to have the popping noise a couple month ago. I finally decided to bring to dealer only to find out it was a known defect. The first guy in Toyota dealer in Redlands, CA, told me on the phone that he is pretty sure it is under 8 year warranty. But when I got to the dealer, a different guy told me it was 5-year and showed me the doc. So we are out of luck. To fix it cost $497 - not sure how long it will last, to replace the door, about $2000.
 
For such a obvious defect, Toyota is not taking the responsibility. NO MORE Toyota cars in my family!

#32 of 109 Re: 2004 Toyota Sienna door popping [mgullon] by mark_phx

Jul 21, 2011 (1:19 pm)

Replying to: mgullon (Apr 19, 2011 11:22 pm)
I too have recently experienced the front driver's side door problem. Of course - the 5 year "warranty enhancement" has expired. The dealer offered to pick up 1/2 the cost for the repair which was $452.00. I declined and instead filed a complaint with the NHTSA and BBB. Neither complaint got me anywhere but I still refuse to pay over $200 for a design flaw that Toyota knows about and does not do anything about. Well - that's the last Toyota for me.

#33 of 109 Toyota Sienna Door Design Failures by sdr2

Jul 31, 2011 (3:17 pm)

I, too, have purchased my first and last Toyota. It's a 2004 Sienna XLE. The driver's door check mount is only the latest failure. I thought it was simply the plastic part, but it turned out that the spot weld fastening the door check mounting cup to the door frame had failed. I also found out that it's obscenely expensive to repair.
 
Before that, however, both power sliding door mechanisms failed. In each case, the carbon steel airline cable -- which the operating mechanism uses to pull the door open and closed -- came flying out of the side of the vehicle when it failed while the door was operating. It turned out the plastic sheath surrounding the carbon steel cable had cracked, allowing moisture and salt to enter, leading to rust and ultimately cable failure. In each case the cost would have been about $2,000 per door to repair. Thus, failures of door components on 3 doors leave me with a total bill of at least $4,500 to repair. Toyota offered no help.
 
It is interesting, however, that failure of the same carbon steel airline cable -- when supporting the spare tire rather than operating the sliding door -- has led to a manufacturer recall. It's a safety issue, and potential liability exposure for Toyota when those spares fall off on the road and cause accidents.

#34 of 109 Driver door failed hinge!! Class action??? by avprincess

Aug 16, 2011 (12:01 pm)

I have had problems with my driver's side door for several years now. In the beginning it just did not open smoothly. It has become progressively worse to the point that the door felt like it would fall off. I took it in today to get the oil changed and specifically to look at the door. I have serviced my Van at the dealership I purchased it from in 2005 brand new -Appleway Toyota in Spokane, WA. When I spoke to the tech over the phone he stated I may need a new hinge and that he had not heard of many problems like I was describing. At the service center the tech found the problem and showed me wear the metal was almost completely separated in the hinge area! I could not believe my eyes! I would never have expected any vehicle let alone one that had been purchased new and cared for like a baby would have such a major flaw! HE stated he would get back to me with an estimate to fix. A few hours later I get a call and am told I must have slammed it too hard and that it would cost $500 to weld it back together. To add punishment he stated that the welding would be NOT be guaranteed and likely would fail. So I asked for the cost of a permanent fix that was guaranteed and was told that I would have to get a new door shell for $1600-$1800!!! Being internet savvy I went to the web to see if this was a known issue. As I do not slam my doors and I do not hang off the doors as I was accused! I found numerous forums and posts stating the same problem I am having! SO I called and asked to speak to the service manager. I explained the situation and that I found this was a known DEFECT. He tells me yes they do know of the problem and that Toyota provided an enhanced warranty of 100K miles or 5 years from date of purchase. OF course I just passed the 100K mile mark and I am at 5and half years. This made me upset to say the least. I explained to him that he could see our records and that we have had every service performed by their service center. I asked why this was not taken care of within the warranty time period especially given that I had brought it up in the past when the tech would get my miles. He stated he had no record of me bringing up the issue. I then asked why I never received notification of the issue. To which he replied it was not a recall and thus no notification was sent. I went on to state that my loyalty to their dealership was evidently not worth anything since they had not taken note of my concern over the door, they had not checked the door knowing there was an issue and furthermore their techs had checked my mileage on numerous occasions and so they knew there was a problem with the driver’s door not opening properly!! He gave me a song and dance that he only got paid if he performed service so there was no motivation for him not to fix a known problem. He told me he would check with his regional service manager to see if he could get them to pay for the door to be welded and he would get back to me. There are several key points I am very upset and disturbed about 1. The defect occurring in the first place: I have owned many Toyotas and to this point would only have purchased a Toyota or Lexus 2. The poor manner in which Toyota handled the defect: It is one thing to have a failure, it is another to then FAIL to communicate the issue and make sure to resolve the problem. 3. The lack of care and service performed by a Toyota dealership service department. 4. The service centers attitude towards a loyal customer ( Purchased new $43K van in 2005, purchased Lexus less than 6 months ago, all service performed by their service centers, AND even have used only their body shop!!!)
Now the BIG question does anyone know of a class action law suit?? Seems this issue would be appropriate for such action.

#35 of 109 Re: Toyota Sienna Door Design Failures [sdr2] by broken_car

Aug 22, 2011 (8:33 pm)

Replying to: sdr2 (Jul 31, 2011 3:17 pm)
My 2006 Sienna with 65k miles, driver side door just start making a loud popping/ cracking noise also. So will Toyota fix this even if I do not have an extended warranty since it is a common known defect? Is there a toyota reference number ... we can refer the dealer to?

#36 of 109 Re: Toyota Sienna Door Design Failures [broken_car] by avprincess

Aug 23, 2011 (3:40 pm)

Replying to: broken_car (Aug 22, 2011 8:33 pm)
IF you are going to an actual Toyota service center they WILL no about it:) It is a warranty enhancement which covers either 100K miles or 5 years from date of purchase. HOwever, if you did not purchase the vehcile new from a Toyota dealer they may not cover it.

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