This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
Driver-side sliding door and the rear door on 1999 Toyota Sienna xle both went out of control at the same time. Both doors are locked and do not respond to repeated efforts to open them, by key or manually. The lock handle on the rear door is permanently depressed, I.e., no longer pressable, no longer acting like a movable part.
Since I have owned my 1999, the rear hatch handle is broken twice and the sliding door handle on the driver side has also broken. We I call for parts I find out that the rear is on back order due to it being such in demand for replacement. I also found out that another Sienna owner was calling for the same issue with the sliding door handle. Its seems these handles are made very poor and do not withstand the pull action required to open and close the door. On the rear, there is a tiny piece that constantly breaks off causing the handle to be replaced.
Passenger side power door started opening and shutting by itself after opening to allow children to enter vehicle. The door attempted to close and did not stop, even when encountering the body of my child. Fortunately he was our oldest child and was able to move quickly enough to only be bruised on his sides. Turned power off to door and tried to determine cause. Opened door manually and closed again - door would not reopen manually, even with substantial force. Dealership claims "normal wear and tear" and wants $1200 to repair damage to door hinge and motor assembly.
- Charlotte, NC, USA
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The sliding electronic door will not stay closed. When the door was closed, it would reopen on its own. The vehicle has been examined twice by the dealer. Dealer claimed that the electrical drive in the door should be replaced. The door could be opened and closed manually, but with difficulty.
Both the sliding doors had been rattling since I bought the van. The dealer said that I would need to replace the door handles with complete assembly, which I do not plan to spend my money for. I believe it is mfr's responsibilty to fix them. Also I had replaced the rear door latch that is apparently made of very cheap plastic and had broke off. All the front dash vents first cracked and broke off within the second year, none of which was covered under warranty.
This has been very frustruating because we have not had use of the passenger side door for about a third of the time we have owned the vehicle, and I can not get anyone at Toyota to take this defect seriously. I would rather not wait until someone is injured or killed.
Electric sliding side door fails to consistantly close creating a safety hazard because it won't lock and has the potential for driver to drive while the door is open as it is very difficult to manually close the electronic side door. Defect reported to dealer 3 occasions under 36K warrenty and were unable to make permanent repair. 9.10.02 service visit replaced door latch ($300) and retimed door. Intermittant door failure reduced after service visit but not eliminated. Dealer admits many complaints with this door and that the door requires servicing (timing)that is not listed on manufacturers owners manual. Neighbor also has same model van with exact same failure experiences.
Consumer states that they had to replace the door handle twice because the sliding door handles will lock up and the consumer is unable to open the door. Dealer notified.
The passenger side rear power sliding door has intermittent problems. 3 different symptons exist for the failing door: 1) power door is closed using one of the three remote buttons; the power door open light stays on; the door ajar light is not on; power door alarm buzzes when put in gear. 2) power door is closed using one the remote buttons; the power door automatically opens again. 3) the power door is closed using the remote buttons; the power door will not close at all. The power motor tries to close, but won't. when you manually try to help it along, it just opens up again. In all 3 situations, the door will suddenly work fine for a week or two and then begin having problems again. The first 2 times the door failed, we brought it to the dealer just to be told "no problem be found". so, we waited for the power door to fail completely. When it did, we brought it in for the 3rd time (9/00). The motor and computer were replaced. A month later (10/00), the first and second symptom began appearing. The dealer said it was an adjustment. A month later (11/00), the same problems occurred; the dealer made another adjustment. A month later (12/00), the same problem occurred; the dealer made another adjustment. A month later (1/01), the same problems occurred. This time the dealer said it was caused by low voltage and gave us a new battery. It continued to fail. This time, we waited until it got so bad the power door wouldn't close at all. 3 months later (4/01), the 3rd of the symptoms occurs. The dealer put another new motor and computer in the door. Only this time they also told us that we could not manually operate the door unless the power door was turned off. If we did, it would cause damage to the motor and computer. This is unacceptable.
The driver side rear sliding door has had an intermittent "sticking" problem. The sticking problem got to the point where a 200 pound man could barely open it. On the first 2 occasions, we brought it to the Toyota dealer where that stated "no problem found". the last 2 times, the Toyota dealer agreed it was a problem, but blamed in on spilled juice or cola (which was not the case). The dealer cleaned the doors thoroughly both times, just to have the problem come up again. I refuse to believe that a little spilled juice or coke could cause such a suction that a door could not be opened. This is a safety issue. What if a child got in the car and could not get out because the door was stuck closed. This is not the same problem reported by others regarding the button staying pushed in. This problem when you try to open the door, there is such a suction that it cannot easily be opened.
Engine went out while driving 55 mph. Dealer replaced engine. Currently, new engine is making a rattling sound intermittently. Dealer cannot find problem with engine. Also, power locks are not working properly, sometimes it takes 3 or 4 times before doors will open.
While driving steering system malfunction ed, causing loss of steering ability which almost resulted in a crash. Dealer replaced rack guide sub assembly per technical service bulletin. Also, both sliding door power locks malfunctioned was unable to open from inside or outside, which in case of emergency, those sliding doors could not be used. Dealer had to replace locks. But, soda spilled into rubber of door and caused them to stick. They should use bottles.
This was not an equipment failure but a design failure. On a hot July evening I chose to remain in the car while my husband went in a store. He absentmindedly took the keys and hit the automatic lock button on the keyfob. I then tried to open a door from inside. This triggered the alarm and the door would not open, trapping me inside. There was no way to open a window or a door. I got hotter and began to feel suffocated. Finally I was able to attract the attention of a passerby who could hear me through the window, and who got my husband. This is a very unsafe situation, not to be able to open the car from the inside. In other circumstances (my husband gone longer, no help nearby) it could lead to a suffocation or heat-stroke death.
Automatic doors do not fucntion properly. Doors do not automatically open if a person's body part has gotten caught in the door. Dealer has not seen vehicle.
Power sliding door not latching properly; warning lite on; ECU short circuited; cannot verify if right sliding door is closed shut; exact problem on same vehicle taken from carson Toyota in February; other vehicle's VIN nr is [xxx]. information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
Next to the power sliding door there is a "power door" switch. This switch continues to operate even if the child lock is on for that door. My son could easily open the power door even if the child lock is on to my surprise. Toyota says to to turn off power door function off using the switch on the front dash board. The problem is one has to remember to turn it off every time one enters the vehicle. This is not feasible and the child will hit the pwr door switch near the door and fall off the vehicle. This is a very critical safety concern to me with three children. I can permanently turn off the power door option but the problem is, in that case the power door becomes very hard to operate manually as it requires lot of extra force to open or close.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Decatur, GA, USA