The contact owns a 2005 Toyota Sienna. The contact stated that during cold temperatures, the rear liftgate failed to remain open without warning. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The technician diagnosed that the rear struts needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 50,000.

- Springfield, VA, USA

The contact owns a 2005 Toyota Sienna. When the contact lifted the liftgate on her vehicle, it dropped down on her head. The contact was not injured. The hinges failed and caused the failure. The dealer stated that the vehicle would be repaired for free since it was part of an extended warranty program. There was a recall for the power liftgates, but not for the manual liftgates. The contact found several complaints about this failure and feels that it is a major safety hazard. The vehicle is currently at the dealer being repaired. The VIN was unknown. The failure and current mileages were 43,000.

- Roseville, CA, USA

This winter I noticed a hissing sound coming from one of the struts that lifts the hatch to my 2005 Toyota Sienna. Then, several days later, the hatch opened and then slammed down on my head and continued to drop. From then on, the hatch opens when the button is pushed but does not stay open on its own, but instead drops on the head of anyone in the way. Very dangerous. The hatch is crushingly heavy. Van is less than 3 years old, but out of warranty because it's past mileage cut off. Is a hatch even affected by mileage?! Toyota repair costs about $600!! this is a safety issue and has happened to many Toyota Siennas. Toyota should step up and recall!

- North Yarmouth, ME, USA

The hydraulic pistons which assist in raising and stabilizing the rear liftgate in the open or lifted of my 2005 Toyota Sienna failed. The gate is difficult to raise and will not stay in the open or lifted position without falling. The vehicle was purchased in may of 2005 and has 46,000 miles.

- San Diego, CA, USA

The contact owns a 2005 Toyota Sienna. The hatchback door handle detached two days after purchasing the vehicle. The handle was replaced by the dealer. The passenger sliding door handle and the driver side front door handle also failed. The doors could only be opened from inside the vehicle. The remaining three handles cracked and in the process of failing. The dealer will not replace the door handles. The failure mileage was 79000.

- San Antonio, TX, USA

I noticed one morning when opening the rear liftgate of my Toyota Sienna that the "door" or liftgate very slowly came back down. The next time I used it in a morning, I used the power lift, stood under the door once it was fully opened and it came crashing back down on me. Now, I have to hold it open or use something to wedge it open.

- Canton, GA, USA

I've got a 2005 Toyota Sienna xle with the power rear hatch. I think I've verified the problem with the hatch not retracting when it encounters an obstacle. Last year (first year of ownership) the hatch closed on me and would not retract. And, I was pushing back on this thing by arching my back. I'm not sure how I got out from under it but I did. It pretty much freaked me out. It was cold, and there was snow on the van. There was also an ice dam in the gap at the top of the door. I originally attributed my incident to this ice dam. (btw - Chrysler's don't have this problem because they have a piece of plastic attached to the door that prevents ice from getting into this opening.) I continued to test my hatch on occasion from then on all throughout the summer and the fall. It worked just fine until Dec 8, 2006. Dec 8, 2006, the temperature dropped to 33 degrees Fahrenheit. It was a clear day. There was no snow. The hatch would not retract when I pulled back on it. It closed - even though I began applying upward pressure while it was still 90% open. If I had been between the closing hatch and bumper, I could have been badly hurt. If my children were there, it could have been worse. I am convinced that whatever is being used as a sensor in the door mechanism loses sensitivity during freezing temperatures. I'm suggesting that the reason the failure to retract can't be replicated at the service centers is because the car has warmed up enough by the time it gets there, or when it is worked on in a heated garage, the sensor then begins to work correctly because it is now "warm". each time I've had the problem, my car was stone cold. It sat out overnight during freezing or near freezing temperatures while in my drive way. The engine had not been started. I was using my rear hatch to load/unload the van only. Now that the temperature has moved up into the 40's-50's, the hatch appears to retract correctly when it encounters an obstacle.

- Delran, NJ, USA

My liftgate on our 05 Sienna van began acting very strange, not opening fully, closing on people while in the back of the van, almost causing injury to my 9 yr. Old. Very odd behavior. The dealer said we need to replace the stay sub-assembly and two brackets.

- Indianapolis, IN, USA

I went to put boxes in the rear of my 2005 Toyota Sienna le and as soon as I lifted the door, it fell on my head. After looking at the door, I noticed what appeared to be oil on my bumper and the ground right below where the struts holding the door were. It worked perfectly fine the previous day, but I am concerned that this really could have injured my children if it were them opening the door. The door will no longer stay up by itself and it is a very heavy door. There was absolutely no indication that there was a problem with the door prior to this. I called the dealership and since I am out of warranty, I will have to pay for the replacement. On top of that, they have replaced the strut so I also will have to pay for new brackets. The 2004 have a tsb on that very part, why not the 2005"? isn't it the same part?"

- Ozark, MO, USA