Toyota Sienna Maintenance and Repair (2003 earlier)

schizi · June 2001

I had a similar problem, but it began only after the 7500 mile service (wherein the tires were rotated). The reset button turned out to be faulty and had to be replaced. Took them a few days to order the button and all of 30 seconds to swap in the new one.

susanlebrun · June 2001

My 2001 LE is 7 weeks old and I really love it, except... When I turn the fan on low there is almost no air movement, on med low there is the tinyist bit of movement, med hi I can feel something on my hand if I move it back slightly, and hi is very noisey, and I can feel the smallest movement on air on my face if I aim it directly at me (makes no difference what the rear fan is doing). When I have the a/c on, I can feel that the air is not hot, but it is certainly isn't cold (maybe because the fan isn't moving the air around) Are other people fans like mine?

mrfong1 · June 2001

My fan/AC blows air around with lots of force. If I am sitting in the driver or passenger seat and turn the fan/AC to medium I can feel the air moving on me especially if the vent is set for internal circulation (the pressure seems to be greater at this position). At the highest setting my fan is loud but very powerful. Sounds like your fan is working since it is producing a sound, could it be that the flap that diverts the air from foot level to face level be malfunctioning?

smfran · June 2001

I had a similar problem in a different vehicle. It turned out that the vent open/close control lever on two of the vents was not connected and the dampers were in the closed position. I could not open them until the dealer connected the levers to the dampers.

bostnwhalr · June 2001

My wife and I were finishing up a roadtrip yesterday and saw a Sienna "smoking" on the side of the road. The owner was rushing to get his stuff out of the van and into a Mercedes behind him. This was on the Merritt Parkway on the NY/CT border. At first I thought it was overheating, but it sure seemed like smoke, coming from the top of the hood near the windshield. I was going the other way, so my viewing time was limited. Needless to say, I was quite shocked, especially for a Toyota. Earlier in the trip, I was talking minivans with my wife and specifically, the reliability of the Sienna being quite good.

jeprox · June 2001

I started to have this vibration on my steering with my OEM Dunlops. The van have over 40,000kms. on it and the vibration is not there when I install snow tires. It only happens with the OEM Dunlops! I finally got rid of the Dunlops about 2 weeks ago and put on new Michelin. It got rid of my vibration, not totally but 90% better than before! I went up to 215/65-15 tires. The Michelins are super quiet and rides so much better than those crappy Dunlops.

Does anyone have the same problem?

smfran · June 2001

We have no issues with the Dunlops. We ordered our car with the 215/65/15 to begin with.

ted9 · June 2001

I bought my 2000 XLE 9/00, replaced the transmission at 6000 miles when going 85mph and the downshift missed a gear (it felt like) and then drove it with a shudder in the front end, all related to the tranny. Ever since the vehicle has been perfect. (but noticed the leather cracking on the driver's seat. Has anybody encountered this?)
It's nice to have a good vehicle.

walt26 · June 2001

I have a new (2001) Sienna XL - we have only had it 1 1/2 months. We are experiencing ride problems. The vehicle seems to sway or rock almost constantly. When going over bumps, you do not feel the normal "bounce" that one would expect, instead the van rocks side to side (almost like a boat in the water) It is so severe that my wife gets motion sickness whenever she rides or drives it. We have been to two different dealers a total of six times. They can't find a problem. The first time, they found the tires (Firestone Affinity)were over inflated (55 lbs not the normal 35 lbs). The vehicle came from the factory that way and it was not caught by the dealer when prepped. We also have trouble with it suddenly veering to the left when driving on the expressway. All the time it does this, there is no vibration or shaking in the steering wheel. The ride itself is smooth, it just sways and rocks. The problem seems to come and go - it will be fine then it is almost like something lets go and it starts acting up. We have had mini-vans for 16 years (all Chrysler products) and never felt anything like this. The dealer says things like "soft ride" or "cross winds" (that was on a day with a gentle breeze). We have driven other Siennas and have not felt this sensation. We do not know where to turn or what to do. Has anyone experienced a similar problem? Does anyone have any suggestions?

jasdmw · June 2001

We switch from a 96 Voyager to our 2001 Sienna. For the first few weeks we too noticed the ride is less "firm" than that in the Chrysler van. We had a bit of trouble staying in the leather seats as well. Now, about 3 months later, we don't notice anything at all. In our case it was a matter of getting used to. Generally speaking, the Sienna ride is a significant improvement over the previous van. No doubt it leans more in corners, but having driven over the same roads in the 2 vans now, I appreciate the Toyotas' suspensions ability to absorb the road surface irregularities. Give it more time, I'm sure you'll get to appreciate it.

inky · June 2001

Amusing but who knows it may have been a poorly maintained 98 with 80,000 miles. Toyota reliability cannot overcome Owner negligence. Just a thought.

kd10 · June 2001

Sienna's are known for their 'soft' suspensions but not to the extreme you are describing. My guess would be that either one of the struts(front)/shocks(rear) and/or springs are faulty on ONE side or the other. That condition would cause the 'rocking' action you mention. Get the dealer to check them.

bertschi · June 2001

We have a '99 XLE with consistent power door problems. We have had the computer replaced once and adjusted several times. It is now working better than it ever has, as it only refuses to close several times a week instead of all the time. I am keeping a log of the times it won't close, and am thinking about demanding that they replace it with a manual door before we reach the 36K mile warranty limit. Anyone have any clue as to what Toyota's response might be to such a request?

gogaijin · June 2001

Toyotas never have problems!

At least I thought so until my neighbor's Previa went deep south. I had to help him dig into his DASHBOARD just to get to the Engine!

Ultimately he gave up and bought a GMC Safari a year later, but MAN did we have fun trying (failing) to get that van working!

Hope you Sienna owners are better off.

rward99 · June 2001

Have you tried taking it to another dealership? Maybe another set of eyes could find the problem. For the warranty, as long as they haven't repaired the problem I would think that it would still be covered beyond the 36K mark.

I have a '99 XLE too, and I've not had any problem with the power door, but I wouldn't buy another one (power door, that is. I like the Sienna). I like the manual door on the driver's side much better and would prefer it on both. I don't know if they could retro-fit your van with a manual door.

kwcdreamer · June 2001

I have a 2000 Sienna LE, loved it, until ...

approx. 19,000 miles - on one rainy afternoon, the transmission died in the middle of the road. AAA tolled it to dealer and replaced it.

aaprox. 20,000 miles and few weeks later - on one rainy morning, "BANG", car died and stuck in the middle of the road again. AAA took it to a different dealer. The dealer said the transmission died, AGAIN!!! I was also told, some of the transmission were recalled. (BMW, I never receive any notice!)

now approx. 23,000 miles ...
1. Anyone out there who has similar problem? Transmission die in bad weather?
2 Should I buy extended warranty or pray real hard that no more problem after warranty expire?
3. Wait for it to die two more time for the lemon law to kick in?
3. Trade it in for another car?
PS: I love my AAA.

tgif888 · June 2001

Starting 2001, the new lemon law had kick in. This is the detail:

Lemon Law. SB 1718 provides that a vehicle may be presumed to be a lemon after two failed attempts at repairing life-threatening defects. The previous law required that four repair attempts be made before a vehicle was determined a lemon.

tgif888 · June 2001

I am assuming you are in California.

kwcdreamer · June 2001

Thank God I live in California!!! I'll go and pond on my dealer's table - LONGO TOYOTA, here I come! Thanks for the info!

quicheman · June 2001

Anybody know of any decent aftermarket swaybars for Sienna? I was hoping that TRD would produce some, but they're too difficult to reach in person to find out.

Love the Sienna ride, but my wife and kids are getting sea sick in the turns.

walt26 · June 2001

In response to your question about the after market sway bars - good luck! See message #967. We have the same problem my wife gets "seasick" too- the dealer is brushing us off saying "soft ride" etc. We are going tonight to try and trade for a Chrysler, hopefully without losing too much money. Something we should have done in the first place. I bought my first and last Toyota! Please advise as to the outcome of your problem.

jeprox · June 2001

You may have some luck with www.toyotaguys.com or www.toyotaparts4u.com . I've never heard of sway bars for Siennas but you never know! You can probably solve the "seasick" problem by slowing down when you turn unless you have no choice. Also, try opening the rear window for some air. Some passengers are used to riding in front seat and feel sick when they sit in the back! With the window open and fresh air blowing, it helps.

You may want to look into bigger wheels/tires combo. I have this and it seems to no lean so much on turns.

As far as trading in a Sienna for a Chrsyler, I personally think it's a bad move! You will loose $$ and not to mention the quality. I used to own a Caravan, got sick of its problems and that's why I have a Sienna!

tbone51565 · June 2001

My 98 van developed the sliding door rattle (right side only) discussed on these pages at approximately 34,000 miles. The dealership ordered a "replacement kit" and installed it last October. I have two daughters so both doors get opened and shut on a daily basis. Late this Spring the rattle periodically showed up and it finally was evident all the time in May. The dealership said they warranty the parts installed for 12 months so they said bring it in. Their solution on the paper work was to lubricate the door at various points. As others have mentioned, this worked for a little over a week but now the rattle is back and the inside button on the door handle does not work.

I am trying to figure out if I am going to have to put in a "replacement kit" every year to keep this rattle at bay. I love the van and can tolerate the squeaks of the dashboard, but the door issue is very concerning. If the parts they use to solve the problem fail within a year, there appears to be a major engineering issue with the door and the lubrication appears to be a weak Band-Aid at best.

Any ideas on how to best address my situation. Thanks in advance for your reply(I).

falis01 · June 2001

I just purchased a '99 Sienna LE used. It is beautiful and rides nice. The only problem I have with it is that the left driver's side sliding door squeaks when it goes over bumps. Riding down the highway it is fine. Does anybody have any lost cost options that may fix this. Otherwise, the van is great. Please let me know of any available fixes!

tnovis · June 2001

check with your toyota service advisor regarding a tsb that was issued in 99 regarding the door creaking. you should be able to get it taken care of at no charge at the dealership if you have them look up the tsb in their computer. By the way, we have a 99XLE with a power sliding passenger door and it is hit and miss as to whether it will close with the key fob, or the 2 buttons inside the car. It has been to the dealership 3 times in the last month and each time they "reinitial" the system by disconnecting the battery then reconnecting the battery and then opening and closing the door with the power button inside the car. (this is explained in the owners manual) Has anyone had a similar experience and what was finally done to fix this annoying problem?

lwmjky · June 2001

My '01 XLE, less than a month old I was having problems with the vsc, abs and check engine lights coming on and staying on intermittently. After having to return because Toyota Walnut Creek had not fixed the problem-they had to give me an XLE loaner and keep the car overnight-it turns out the problem was a bad battery. It had low voltage and a a result the computers kept shutting down.

I hope this helps some of you who have been having the same problem.

denises1 · June 2001

We have a 2000 Sienna XLE with an intermittent rattle in the front dash around the radio and a rattle in the third row seats. The vehicle has leather seats and Toyota has said all they will do to stop the third row seat rattle is to put Lexol leather conditioner on the seat to try and dampen the sound. That sometimes works but often does not. Please let us know if you have a similar problem and what suggestions you have to fix the problem. Toyota has a techinical service bulletin about the seats but refuses to replace the seats.

tnovis · June 2001

has anyone else had the sliding door malfunction issue and been told by their dealer over and over that the system just needs to be reinitialized?
I have had the 99xle in the shop 3 times in the last month and each time the service advisor says it just needed to be reintitialized. Then it works fine for a week and then goes right back in the same mode-opens fine with the remote or inside switches, but will not close. just a click. any ideas out there?

tnovis · June 2001

If anyone has any ideas or has had the same problem, please send me an email at: tnovis@msn.com

thanks

cliffy1 · June 2001

That's pretty excessive. Your service department needs to figure out why it needs re initialized so often. A power short or abuse are the two things that come to mind here. Also, are you aware that the owners manual tells you how to perform this procedure yourself?

tnovis · June 2001

Cliffy, I had the manual open last night and went thru the procedure 7 or 8 different times and could not get it to reinitial. I tried before I took it in last time as well and even had the service tech come up to the service bay and go thru the procedure he used, just to make sure i was doing it the right way. I have a call in to my service advisor as i type. Anybody else have any ideas?

aaronho · June 2001

First of all, I have to say that I am very happy with my 1 month+ old 2001 Sienna LE. However, I have a question for you experts out there. Since Sienna is so quiet, when I have the AC on LO or 1 level above(with no baby crying and stereo), I can hear some "SEEEEEEE" noise once in a while from the AC. You can hear it for a few seconds, then, it will stop for a few seconds, then come back again. Is it normal or do you think there is so kind of a problem with the AC?
Thank you in advance for any comments.

Aaron

bob57 · June 2001

I think what you're hearing is the A/C unit clutch engaging. You will only hear it when the noise is low (low speed on the fan, etc.) while the A/C is on.

dardson1 · June 2001

'01 XLE....I've posted a few times here and this is MY BEEF...leather squeaks, seats rattle, rear doors groan (and rattle).....dash buzzes....way too much noise for a car in the 30k+ price range. Otherwise, it's great. My car is relatively quiet at the moment.......I took out the third row seats (didn't need them and it solved lots of noise problems). I also sprayed the leather with silicon at a few contact points which did wonders. My Toyota service advisor(great guy who owns a Sienna and knows the thing well) showed me where to "lub" the doors to stop the groaning and rattles when the the body flexes. With the help of that same service guy, finally found the dash rattle that I would have sworn was coming from behind the instrument panel but turned out to be a plastic part vibrating against a piece of metal down by the heater outlet near the floor.
I say this every time I post here. This is a very fine car....wonderful power-train, smooth and amazingly quiet engine, fine ride (some do and some don't but I happen to like a suspension on the soft side), and plenty of power with the 210hp.....BUT, the interior is not properly screwed down! My '96 Tahoe was sloppy and nothing but a Chevy in many ways, but it never rattled. My '99 Expedition got horrible gas milage and was too big to drive easily, but it never rattled. When I buy a car in the $30's I expect it to feel pretty much like a luxury car, but a rattle-prone interior makes it feel like a $20k car trying to be a $30k car.

brother52 · June 2001

Numerous posts on this high wind noise yet no responses. Let's take a poll to see if we have a mandate here. Do all Siennas have this problem that sounds like an open window when reaching highway speeds or is it just me and some Canadian Siennas ? I will make the first vote:

Yes and fairly annoying too ! I really noticed it when I had to turn the radio down after getting off the highway because the radio was too loud !

jelhz43n · June 2001

brother52,
I have driven max at 75 mph and have not encountered any wind noise problem.
Can you please give also at what speed you get this noise?
I read it in some forum, the wind noise may be due to improper installation of roof rack.
Anyway while we are discussing the wind noise then please specify the speed also at which this occurs.

sgergen · June 2001

'00 Sienna XLE with moonroof and 1 power door.

Nothing on the roof except the factory rack.

Maybe try moving the crossbars to different positions?

Scott

yaman · June 2001

2000-XLE No Noise

cliffy1 · June 2001

How many of you with this problem have a moonroof?

mrfong1 · June 2001

jlewelling · June 2001

Every since I bought my Sienna I am having nightmares. Some horrible spirit appears to me at night, says its name is "cblake" and then just chants "Engine Sludge" over and over and over again.

Anybody else had the same problem?

jocayabyab · June 2001

Anybody has experienced loud blowing noise coming from the A/C vent on passenger side by the third row seat? It is loud even if I set the A/C at medium.

dardson1 · June 2001

I'm pretty critical, and I have to say I do not get anything like the problem you discribe. In fact, one of the best things about my XLE is the relatively quiet highway experience. Just took a 1200 mile trip, two cars, my Sienna and my brother's Mazda 626 V6LX, 6 passengers and lots of luggage. We all switched about from time to time. Driving down the road @ 75mph, the Sienna was distinctly superior IF soft and quiet is what you like. I have to vote NO wind noise problem.

mrnimmo · June 2001

Yeah, I have that too. A dark shadowy figure keeps saying "Your toyotas will not last. Sludge-sludge- sludge.... The engines will blow at 30,000 miles." I recognize this morbid creature to be Cblake.

Then another haunting creature appears, reciting his mantra. "Buy a Chrysler. They fixed the transmissions--fixed them correctly this time. Hondas are unreliable. Chryslers are reliable. West Coast Chrysler transmissions last longer than East Coast transmissions. Padded armrests. Dual zone air conditioning. Superior sunglasses holders. All the important stuff. Buy Chrysler" This ghoul could only be Carleton.

Then the REAL nightmare part of the dream begins, driving to a DC dealership. Cblake and Carleton1 are there smiling.

jasdmw · June 2001

My '01 XLE has a wind noise at highway speeds. Have narrowed it to the 2 piece plastic cowl that sits on the exterior of the windshield, bottom. The half on the drivers side appears to be a bit mis-aligned which may be the source. Noise is similar to a piece of paper stuck under the wiper blade which flaps in the breeze. Of course, there is nothing under the blades! Am taking van in for oil change tomorrow and will report on outcome.

Did have a sunroof rattle when it was in full open position, but that seems to have disappeared. Self fixing car, that's what I like!

BTW, was discussing the Bosses '00 Montana yesterday. He too has built a personal relationship with the service people at the local dealership. Seems there parts fall off inside the van, things not working, others never getting fixed, or requiring a second or third try. Sounds just like the relationship I had with my DC dealerships. Anyone else see a trend here?

rward99 · June 2001

I have a moon roof and luggage rack and I too have experienced wind noise, and at all speeds. But I dropped her off at her mother's house and it got really quiet after that.

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stever · June 2001

You guys gotta quit eating Dana's quiche over in the Roadside Cafe! Lets stick to the Sienna please :-)

Steve
Host
Vans, SUVs and Aftermarket & Accessories Message Boards

juliedel · June 2001

SO, I'm NOT crazy! I posted a while back that I get a whooshy sound at between 35 and 40 MPH, like the sound when you get hit by a strong wind, but it's continuous. I also get a lot of exterior noise, like when cars zoom by it sounds like a window or door is slightly open. I brought it in for its first oil change, and they said they didn't hear it (baloney). I didn't have time then to argue, but when the kids are back in school I'll ride with them and show them. A friend of mine had the seals around her door replace 3 times before it was fixed. Also, when it's cold out, I feel a cool draft from who knows where, so I'm pretty sure it must be a poor seal problem. Mine is a 2001 LE.

rward99 · June 2001

Are the rear vents closed? Is the moon roof closed? There have been several posts here about the moon roof making noise. I have to admit that I did the same as many others here. When closing the moon roof I stopped it when I thought it was starting to open in the 'vent' position. (It wasn't)

Open the moon roof completely. Then press the close button (closes half-way) press again and hold until it stops. (Don't let go until it has stopped on its own.)

Open and close the rear vents, then do a walk around the van checking the vents to make sure they are closed.

Now go for a drive and see if you still hear the noise. If so, have someone go with you to see if they can determine where the sound is coming from.

thewolverine · June 2001

Well, Everyone else has chimed in one this one so why not.

I've got a 98 LE and a 2001 XLE - when I first got the 98 LE I noticed more wind noise at highway speed than what I was used to - I attributed it to the Luggage Rack which I hadn't had before and learned to live with it.

My 2001 has both Luggage rack and moon roof - to my ear the moon roof doesn't add to the wind noise as long as it's properly closed in the slightly tilted position (took me a little while to figure that one out).

Anyone without the Luggage rack have an opinion??? My guess is you can't get w/o the rack.

ALSO, what some might call wind noise could be tire noise! Around 30K I've decided to bag the crappy Firestone and go Michelin - I've heard there's much less tread noise (among other benefits).

Toyota Sienna Maintenance and Repair (2003 earlier)

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