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10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
5 / 0
Average Mileage:
58,191 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

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.

2005 Toyota Sienna accessories - exterior problems

accessories - exterior problem

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2005 Toyota Sienna Owner Comments (Page 3 of 6)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #70

Jun 212009

Sienna

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

2005 Toyota Sienna, power, passenger side door stopped working completely. At first the power buttons worked off and on starting about a year ago. If we moved the lock up and down several times the power button would work. Now nothing.

- Amesbury, MA, USA

problem #69

May 152010

Sienna

  • 70,700 miles
I own a 2005 Toyota Sienna and my passenger side sliding door will not open electronically or manually. This is a safety issue as I carpool and have to let the children out on the street side. If there is a fire the door is not operable. I brought it to the dealership and they said that they do not know what the problem is, so they want to start changing parts until the problem is solved. This is an on going problem with the Siennas.

- Metairie, LA, USA

problem #68

Jun 102010

Sienna

  • 60,000 miles
1. no irregular usage. Just stopped working. 2. power sliding doors fail to open/close properly. 3. no action taken as of 6/12/2010.

- Windsor, CA, USA

problem #67

Oct 022009

Sienna

  • 78,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Drivers side rear power door cable broke and jammed door open. My wife had to drive the car home from work with the door open because the cable had become tangled inside the door and would not allow it to close. This should not happen on a 4 year old top of the line car. (Sienna xle limited AWD) that costs over $40K. The dealer says repair will cost more than $2000!

- Norwich, VT, USA

problem #66

Jun 012009

Sienna

  • 90,000 miles
I can't open my driver or passenger sliding doors on my 2005 Toyota Sienna van. It started about a year after I purchased. The driver side passenger would just open when it wanted to didn't do nothing to it. One day it would open, the next day it wouldn't did this for about 3 months now it won't open at all. The passenger rear power sliding door started making noise like something was stuck in it. Had it checked at dealer nothing stuck would stop on and off for a few months now it won't open at all. I have 3 children that has to climb through the front to get to the rear. Can't afford to pay the note and get it fixed.

- North Chicago, IL, USA

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problem #65

Mar 262010

Sienna

  • 89,000 miles
The bolt on my sliding door (not a power door) broke. The vehicle is a 2005 Toyota Sienna van. The front door has been replaced already do a defect with the hinges. I have read online that others are having the same problem with their Sienna van's sliding door. However, the dealer tells us "it's just wear and tear" and that we must pay $1500. To have it replaced. The door is closed now but is totally inoperable now because if you open it you cannot get it to close.

- Lexington, KY, USA

problem #64

Feb 102010

Sienna

  • 92,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Driver side, rear passenger door will only open a 6-8 inches. It is not a power door. Seems to be linked to the cable mechanism that disables door if gas cap door is left open. Have made sure gas tank door is shut properly, child proof door safety is not interfering and window is all the way up as well as various other suggestions with no results. Door is still only opening 6-8 inches. Seeing as how the other passenger door is a power door, I am worried that if egress from the vehicle is necessary from this door which will not open, my passenger(s) or children could be injured or killed if they cannot escape. This is a major safety issue. When a means of escape on a vehicle is blocked, it is a major safety issue. Numerous people on different websites and blogs I have been on have complained about these malfunctioning doors to Toyota and the NHTSA and all, sadly, say that they are being ignored or have received no helpful information. In lieu of Toyota recent problems and recalls, it would seem someone, somewhere (hello NHTSA?) would address this and get a recall done in quick fashion. Or does someone have to die first? I have kept a copy of this form and other forms and forums in case something happens to someone concerning this problem or the ignorance of this problems by Toyota, NHTSA and others liable persist. My 6 year old daughter was injured trying to squeeze through the narrow opening. Minor scratches and bruises thankfully. Thank you for your time and patience. Please help us with this problem!!!!!!!

- Hendersonville, TN, USA

problem #63

Jan 052010

Sienna

  • 42,000 miles
During cold weather, my 2005 Toyota Sienna, one or both rear sliding doors (manually operated) will fail to open more than a fraction of an inch. Furthermore, having pulled on the door to attempt to open it, it is then difficult to close all the way. Therefore, I have often been riding along at highway speeds (sometimes at night) with the interior lights flickering on-and-off because the van's sensors sense that a door is open. This safety concern is in addition to my concern that a child could fall out of the one of the rear doors if it suddenly opens all the way, although realistically this latter event is unlikely due to built-in safety mechanisms. This problem is widely reported by other Toyota owners, e.g.: toyotasiennafrozendoors.blogspot.com/2008/12/Toyota-Sienna-frozen-doors.html there is a Toyota service bulletin on this: SB0028-08 Apr 08 body - sliding door weatherstrip freezes to body but so far I haven't paid the $27 to obtain access to this document. Due to the prevalence of this problem, the problem in getting dealers to fix it (e.g., if the temperature has warmed-up a few degrees by the time you bring the car to the dealer), there should be a recall for this issue. This problem recurs for me roughly 10-15 times per winter season (in Maryland).

- Bethesda, MD, USA

problem #62

Mar 012009

Sienna

  • 35,000 miles
2005 Toyota Sienna has a passenger side power sliding door that has gone through the stages of sticking, rubbing against the body and rubber stripping around windows, and now, working at all through the power button option (or the remote) -- only way to get it open is via the door handle. This seems to be a recurrent problem in a number of Toyota Sienna but the manufacturer has not issued a recall so far. I deem this a safety issue because the door fails to close many many times and the driver has to get out of the vehicle to close the door in frustration and that can create unsafe situations.

- Allen, TX, USA

problem #61

Feb 152010

Sienna

  • 60,000 miles
Rear passenger and drivers side door lock and jam randomly, cannot be opened manually resulting in people being locked in the van and stuck.

- Ottawa, 00, USA

problem #60

Jan 262010

Sienna

  • 87,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Our passenger side automatic sliding door failed ~3 wks ago. At ~ 6' open, it stopped and wouldn't open or close any further. My daughter tried several times to open the door until finally giving up. This wasn't an emergency situation and she wasn't in a panic but what if the other door had failed as well, w/O warning" would she have the time, composure, and ability to climb over the front seats to get out one of those doors in an emergency? how much time might be wasted trying to open & escape thru a partially opened door" I'm told that fixing the door could cost from $1200 - $2000, but disabling the automatic feature (converting to manual) is cheaper. I suspect many will do this, but can a small child open these big doors that were designed for auto operation" this morning, the driver side door failed to open at all, but the 'door open' warning sounded. Attempts to open or close further were futile but depressing the 'manual door op' button did silence the alarm. Is the door latched or not? is my 7-passenger van now only safe for 2? we've owned our van for 4.5 years and ~87K mi - includes long distance miles that don't correlate to door use. Is it too much to expect a van's doors to operate beyond the warranty period? should there be a disclaimer that its doors may become unusable after 4 years, and a caution that it may transform into a potential tomb w/O notice" upon inspection of the passenger door [opening/closing] motor assembly, the door cable's plastic sheathing was shredded and the cable was mangled/tangled around the plastic pulley ass'Y. this door has been used normally, in a southern climate, and has not experienced any external impact or damage otherwise. The driver side door started working this afternoon, albeit slowly, once the temp. Warmed above an unusual 32F experienced this morning. A complaint was filed with Toyota customer relations who indicated there are no recalls & suggested I attempt resolution with the local dealer.

- Charleston, SC, USA

problem #59

Sep 012009

Sienna

  • 50,000 miles
Power sliding door won't close properly. Sags on hinges, preventing reliable operation of the door even in manual mode. Problem first appeared around 50K miles, reported to Toyota at 60K miles.

- Anthem, AZ, USA

problem #58

Feb 022010

Sienna

  • 30,000 miles
I am reporting what I believe is an electrical problem with my 2005 Toyota Sienna xle sliding passenger door. The first two years I had the vehicle there were no problems but starting two years ago, when it snows, sleet freezing rain the sliding doors stick or freezes shut. There are also times when the door latch will not engage the hook popping out after the door is believed to be closed. The problem begins in the mechanism that grabs the metal loop connected to the doorframe. The door allows moisture in and the metal clamp swells up and binds the latch. No amount of lubrication helps. This gave me a false reading that all the doors were latched. In addition, the doors that seem to be secure, then the "door not properly secure light?, come on while I am driving and have my children kids in back. I have reported this problem to my local Toyota dealer numerous times, as well as reported the problem to Toyota?S corporate office. I took it to my Toyota dealer and was told, "it"S just a design flaw in the vehicle". the cost to repair the door cable is extremely expensive and not a guarantee that the safety problem will be fixed. I was told to wipe the doors down with a towel after it snowed or I was at the car wash and then spray everything with WD40 or silicone. I have tried both and neither work. I am extremely concerned because I have three young children (ages 5 and 16 months). After securing them in their car seats, closing the door, getting in to back out then the door pops out. I am manually pulling the door to ensure it closes, but still having it pop open while the car is in motion. To insure the safety of my children, I have resigned myself to not using the doors a good portion of the winter, which is ridiculous.

- Stafford, VA, USA

problem #57

Nov 012009

Sienna

  • miles
The drivers side door makes a crackling/scraping noise as if a hinge or metal component is broken. We had received a recall notice from Toyota to come in to have the problem repaired, if the problem existed. It did not exist when letter was received - letter said file this recall info if the problem did not exist. So we filed it. Then later the problem occurred and when we took the van in for repair the dealership said tough luck, they would not do anything to fix it. Because the vehicle was out of their warranty period - we then discussed the issue with the local dealership again and they said they would pay half the cost to repair it (about 1500 dollars if we would pay the other half, about 1500 dollars) since the recall notice did not say anything about the warranty issue, I think they should honor their recall notice. Since it seemed like it could be a safety issue, ie., would door not close properly or fly open when we were on the road, we attempted a fix with a local welder, and the weld did not work. I think they should honor their recall notice and repair the door at Toyota's expense.

- Atascadro, CA, USA

problem #56

Sep 072008

Sienna

  • 15,000 miles
Toyota Sienna mini van rear passenger doors lock and will not open I own two to different years same problem dangerous situation if in an emergency you cannot get out of van doors still not open Toyota does not care.

- High Springs, FL, USA

problem #55

Sep 012009

Sienna

  • 50,000 miles
2005 Toyota Sienna - sliding door safety issue. The passenger side automatic sliding door has stopped working and as a result of the automatic feature the door is not functioning, that is, it cannot be opened. I took the vehicle to a Toyota dealer only to be told that it was the first they and Toyota has seen this issue, that it was not a safety issue as I alleged, and that in order to repair the issue it would cost in excess of $1,500. Lack of function & safety issue - I feel this is a safety issue given the fact that my wife and I purchased the Sienna for our growing young family and in the event we were involved in an auto accident resulting in a fire we would not be able to access our children in the rear of the vehicle through one of the two access points. Based upon my experience with the authorized Toyota dealer I performed a search of the web only to find numerous forums in which this issue is discussed. Based on the number of posts related to this issue it appears to be wide spread.

- North Fayston, VT, USA

problem #54

Aug 272009

Sienna

  • 62,000 miles
The automatic passenger side van door would not open and was indefinitely locked and would not open. It had happened before but somehow came open by itself. I brought it to Toyota dealership and the mechanic said the latch assembly came "loose" but was not "broken." This would have been a costly fix and would not cover it by warranty that we had purchased since it wasn't "broken." I went straight into the dealership to cancel the rest of my warranty as this wasn't the only time it had suddenly locked on me. The other door also still does it sporadically and somehow comes open. The mechanic told me that if it happened again, he would "break" it himself so that I could get the warranty but he said that it would probably never happen again. It broke the following week or "came loose" again. Warranty was no problem this time because the salesmen inside called the garage. I have read about other complaints from these Siennas online about the door not opening and locking up. Our other door which is not automatic, still locks up sporadically. This is a costly fix $800 if one does not have insurance. I would suggest looking into this as well. They seem to try to cover things up.

- Farmingdale, ME, USA

problem #53

Aug 102009

Sienna

  • miles
The front door was constantly starting to have a clicking issue upon full extent of door for quite some time. Front door hinge clicking. Requested fix as per recall. I left the car so the door could be fixed. I picked it up after being repaired and on the same day when the door was normally placed into a full extension I heard the same problem. It was much quieter than the previous clicking. I requested a recheck that week. I returned for repair. They explained were able to replace I believe part of the door along with hinge that was broken. The door had some repainting to match the car. There have been no problems since the door was changed. I was happy with the final result.

- Silver Spring , MD, USA

problem #52

Jan 272010

Sienna

  • 48,000 miles
Frozen doors do not close on 2005 Toyota Sienna xle limited. Once the car heats up, the doors will close, but it is a serious problem with children in the passenger seats. This is not an isolated problem, as it seems there are multiple people with the same issue throughout the United States and Canada. (google it!)

- Chicago, IL, USA

problem #51

Jun 052009

Sienna

  • 75,000 miles
We own a 2005 Toyota Sienna xle minivan and at 75,000 miles the driver side sliding door hinges/rollers and latching mechanism have failed and the motor and cable for the power door opening system also need to be replaced because the defective hinges/rollers and latches put to much strain on the mechanism. Toyota wants over $2,000 to service this door and the other door (preventable maintenance). Because of the damage the driver side sliding door is unusable which needs to be considered a safety risk. It is unbelievable that this door mechanism has failed after less than 5 years of normal use.

- Andover, NJ, USA

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