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Toyota Sienna Maintenance and Repair (2003 earlier)

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Comments

  • kp24kp24 Member Posts: 1
    The rear brakes on my 2000 Sienna have started to squeal at 47,000mi. I told a service rep. at the dealership about the TSB and the replacement drum fix. He said the TSB only applies to cars under the original 3-year warranty and even if my van was found to have the defective drums they would not replace them for free because the warranty has expired. Is there any truth to this? Has anyone replaced their defective drums free with their warranty expired?

    If anyone has instructions and photos of the magnet trick for the squealing brakes, I would appreciate it if you e-mail them to me at moc.oohay@1002inacepk (please read address backwards).
  • andy1998andy1998 Member Posts: 4
    The door handle on the passenger side sliding door, 1998 Toyota Sienna van, was broken yesterday. I am trying to do it myself. Where did you get the part from? I am going to order a repair manual as it contains the instruction as how to install the handle.

    Andy
  • sj1bj1sj1bj1 Member Posts: 20
    I also have a 2000 XLE. My dealer gave me the same story at first, but then decided to replace my rear drums giving me the parts for free and I paid for the labor to install them. He did this because I had the van in to his shop on every visit and I complained of squealing brakes for years. As it turned out, my front brakes were also squealing and I had them replaced at Midas at 70,000 miles. I now have a wonderfully silent van.
    The magnet trick did not work at all for me and was a complete waste of time. My suggestion is to change all 4 brakes.
  • zz1zz1 Member Posts: 4
    5k replaced poor quality front speakers $100
    30k trans whine - trans replaced under warranty
    30k service $400
    30k 4 new tires $400
    40k antenna stolen, new mast $40
    55k rt front blinker lens broken $17
    60k service $600
    60k drivers side sliding door button stuck, fixed with WD40
    60k 2 new tires $200
    75k parking brake dash light on at random
    15-20 oil changes with filter $150

    Overall I have been pleased with the vehicle, the trans was cheerfully replaced with profuse apologies (dealer in San Diego). My only complaint is with my local dealer (CA. bay area). I have found that the dealer who wants high ratings from Toyota provides much better service than the dealer who is not interested in ratings by the parent company.

    At the 60K service my local dealer charged for parts that I could verify were not replaced (wheel weights, washer fluid). They also charged for other parts that were probably not replaced (3 light bulbs, gas additive, oil additive). I confronted the service writer who offered to take several $$ off the bill. My concern was more the lack of honesty. If they did not do things that I could check, what about the ones I could not verify (injector service, all those inspections)?
  • mcdawggmcdawgg Member Posts: 1,722
    The 30k and 60k services are rip-offs by the dealers. You can save lots of $$ by not doing this package, just give them a list of what needs to be changed based upon the maintenance schedule in the owner's manual.
  • paysonpayson Member Posts: 32
    I'm not sure if this will help you or not. Our outside drivers door handle cracked on our van several months ago. We ordered a replacement from Hoy Fox Toyota in El Paso TX. Their price was $17 less than our local dealer. It came color matched to our car,and my husband was able to replace it himself in less than a half hour. I found them on the internet,but placed the order by phone to make sure they sent the correct color. The handle cost $63. Hope this helps
  • zz1zz1 Member Posts: 4
    For the avoidance of potential warranty issues I pay full price for the 30k and 60k maintenance services. Once the warranty is over it would take exemplary service by a dealer to have me return.
  • zz1zz1 Member Posts: 4
    Thanks, the button was sticking, WD-40 fixed it.
  • zz1zz1 Member Posts: 4
    Recently there have been scrunching noises from the front end when I go over speed bumps. The scrunching seems to be linked to the up and down movement of the body. Has anyone else experienced this?
  • disaptd7disaptd7 Member Posts: 8
    I have a 2000 XLE, just crossed 57K. The vehicle has been very reliable with no major issues. We did, and do again, have the brake squeal but that can be fixed. My big concern is the creaking noise when you accelerate or go over a bump / tar strips on the highway. It is coming from the driver side door, and I can't tell if its the driver door or the drive side sliding door. I'm also starting to hear the power door clunk and clank, almost as if it's not seated correctly. Any suggestions?
  • jasdmwjasdmw Member Posts: 118
    My 01 XLE does the same. It's the slider and both of ours have exhibited the noise at one time or another over the last 3.5 years. It's not frequent, but is noticeable. My dealer can adjust the doors and the creaking goes away for a while but it returns.

    My passenger slider now is acting up, in that when activated, it pops out and stops. I pull on the door handle moving it towards the rear of the van and the motor catches at about the half way mark, closing the door automatically. Next time we're in for service we'll have that fixed. Good thing I have the ECP warranty. A little disappointed that the problem surfaced, though.
  • mike12mike12 Member Posts: 2
    Hi Lamken. I just bought a 98 Sienna XLE, and I am experiencing the same problem as you described back on this thread. I took it back to the dealership service dept., and their finding was that Toyota had put some weights on the gas pedal mechanism to help reduce the vibration, but it was not good enough on my van, so they further insulated the floor board area around my gas pedal. The added insulation has reduced the vibration, but I still feeling it from time to time (although its much less intense now). The dealership service dept. didn't have any other solution for the problem.

    Have you hear of any better fixes for the problem?
  • disaptd7disaptd7 Member Posts: 8
    Good news. I purchased some shin-etsu grease, (on advice from previous post) available from Honda dealer, $15.00 plus tax. Lubed the slider door seals, and all the door handles and guess what? No more creaking!!
    Thanks to the person recommending shin-etsu. Works like a charm.
  • disaptd7disaptd7 Member Posts: 8
    2000 XLE with 58K. I have read several posts about the T/C going out and trannys as well. What are the warning signs that this is about to happen? My wife complains about the Sienna not wanting to shift from 2nd to 3rd after sitting all night. It seems to be worse when the weather is cold. I mentioned this to the tech at the dealer while having some maintenance performed, but all they said was this is "normal". That the "tranny fluid needs to reach a certain temperature prior to shiting. This is done so as to not hurt the transmission". Is this true? We keep the van garaged all year. Especially, in the winter. Garage is insulated, finished, etc. I'm not sure I completely buy this answer.
  • mcdawggmcdawgg Member Posts: 1,722
    This is true it is normal - actually, it is done to more quickly warm up the emission control system - less pollution.
  • junlochejunloche Member Posts: 5
    i have 2001 xle with 60k miles.When i start, the engine is okay, few second after it die.It doesn't happen all the time.Battery is fine.
    Anybody have any idea what's going on before i go to Toyota?
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    I don't know if this will help, but you might try turning the key to the on position for 3 or 4 seconds before cranking the engine - this will give the fuel injection system time to "prime" itself.

    If no one has a better idea in here, try asking over in Got a Quick, Technical Question?.

    Steve, Host
  • pn6pn6 Member Posts: 14
    The check engine light on our 2000 Sienna is on. Diagnostic codes read P1130 and P1135 which translates to:

    A/F Sensor Circuit Range/Performance (Bank 1 Sensor 1)

    A/F Sensor Heater Circuit Malfunction (Bank 1 Sensor 1)

    Has anyone encountered this or have recommendations on what to change?
  • dougmeisterdougmeister Member Posts: 1
    I'm willing to accept that the first time was a "fluke", but it has happened again.

    Dealer is currently diagnosing it, but I'm fully
    expecting the old "Oh well, lucky for you it is still under warranty! No, we don't know why it happened."

    Will keep looking, but hoping someone here knows what's going on. Thanks.
  • jzgruntjzgrunt Member Posts: 1
    My wife & I have a 2000 Sienna with approx. 80k miles. Recently, we've had electrical problems that have stumped many. My wife waits idling for about 20 minutes to pick our kids up from school. When she starts traveling home, each time come physically comes to a halt, the radio & dash lights go out. Once she starts moving again, everything comes back on. When she gets home, the van will not start (simply clicks). I get home from work and jump start the van and all is well for 3-4 days. Then, it starts all over. We've replaced the battery and the alternator. Has anyone experienced this problem or have any suggestions? Thanks
  • drah311drah311 Member Posts: 8
    Our new (1500 miles) Toyota Sienna XLE is in pristine condition but picked up a few 'not too deep; scrratches in the front plastic bumper. Do I have to look at them forever or can I buff them out or do something else to make the care look better? Is there a chemical we could use to spiff it up a tad?

    Thanks,

    Fred
  • drah311drah311 Member Posts: 8
    Our new SLE was broken in according to the book. Most of our driving is short hops with an occasional ttrip on the highway. We have gotten between 14 and 18 MPG. I am slow to accelerate and brake, wi live in Illinois where there are no hills, we use midgrade fuel as instructed in the book, and I am not too tolerant of my wife's use of the air conditioner. Any suggestions? Are others getting this same lousy gas mileage?
  • disaptd7disaptd7 Member Posts: 8
    If most of your driving is around town, then yes you can expect 18 MPG. We have a 2000 XLE and avg. around 21-23 in mixed driving. I did avg. 24.8 MPG on a trip to Florida from Cincinnati. Loaded with vacation gear, running 75-80 with the A/C blasting. I think that was pretty good mileage. I think you can expect somwhere in the mid to upper teen range on the MPG around town.
  • drah311drah311 Member Posts: 8
    Did you get that kind of mileage from the get go or did it take a while for it to improve? I am not a jack rabbit starter or a slam on the breaks type. Personally, I hate airconditioning but compromise with my better half. And, she tells me I drive too slow when I follow the speed limit. So I would think I'd be a candidate to get the best mileage. Is it the car, or me, or the need for time?

    Thanks
  • andy1998andy1998 Member Posts: 4
    Thanks for the HoyFox info. But I did not have a good experience with them. I placed several calls to them, each time I was transferred to Parts dept., but just endless waiting after that. I could not have anybody to talk to after up to 15 minutes of waiting. I finally gave up on themand ordered the part from the dealer nearby. It costed about $86. The servcie manual costed $140. After I got the poart and studied the service manual, I was able to replace the handle in about 40 minutes. (The dealer wanted $140 for the same service).
  • guddugguddug Member Posts: 1
    I need to replace my left sliding door handle on my 1998 Sienna. Could someone please e-mail/fax me the instructions from their shop manual. I will be glad to pay for it.

    Thanks

    guddug
  • rectryrectry Member Posts: 1
    The passenger side manual sliding door can be opened easy from the inside. However, from the outside I have to pull extremely extremely hard up and towards the front of the van to get the door to unlatch and open. I've tried graphite spray and it doesn't help. Any suggestions on how to fix?
  • paysonpayson Member Posts: 32
    Sorry the dealer I recommended gave you poor service. At least you resolved it yourself in the end. I'm sure you'll get more use out of that manual.
  • freebirdfreebird Member Posts: 77
    I would replace the Mass Airflow Meter. The heating circuit has gone out in it.

    This is the first sensor coming from the air cleaner box.
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  • lncd07960lncd07960 Member Posts: 7
    I just had a similar thing happen two weeks ago. My VSC, Trac Off and check engine lights are came on at the same time. I tightened my gas cap and redrove the car. The lights stayed on after a week. I took my 2001 Sienna (these things always happen after the warranty expires) to Autozone who checked the lights with their OBDII scanner and determined that these were all caused by a loose gas cap. After they reset the check engine light, the VSC and TRAC lights also went away.
  • pn6pn6 Member Posts: 14
    Check engine light diagnostic codes read P1130 and P1135 which translate to:

    A/F Sensor Circuit Range/Performance (Bank 1 Sensor 1)

    A/F Sensor Heater Circuit Malfunction (Bank 1 Sensor 1)

    I have been told this refers to a sensor on the not easy to reach rear exhaust pipe which is supposedly the "bank 1 sensor 1" location... how does one zero in on the problem when check engine codes appear? Has anyone elso had these codes appear? How does one check a Mass Airflow Meter as freebird suggested?
  • freebirdfreebird Member Posts: 77
    There is an O2 sensor on the back exhaust (as well as the front) but I do not think this code is pointing to either O2 sensor.

    It is normal to see a "heater circuit malfunction" on an O2 sensor (I got this error, but I can't remember the code. The rear sensor is a pain to get to - I got to it from under the car.

    It seems like the O2 sensor was like $120. Try pulling the battery and change it to see if it takes care of the problem.
  • notadodgenotadodge Member Posts: 1
    It has been over a year since you last posted and inquiry on edmunds.com about your seatbelt light on your Sienna. I am having the same problem and wanted to see is you were able to resolve the issue.

    Thanks for your time.

    Dale
  • lasermanlaserman Member Posts: 2
    Over the past couple of months I have had an intermittent problem with the rear vent windows.

    There is one button that controls both vent windows. I will open out both of windows and then when I go to close them in the passanger side stays open and only the driver side will close. After two attempts to reopen and re-close the windows they will both cease to work. It is like there is a resistor that fails open or a battery dyeing on a cordless tool. If I let the car sit for 3-5 minutes and gently tap the passenger side vent window then both will close after turning car back on. However, if I attempt to reopen and re-close the windows, I may get only one successful open and close before the pass anger window will freeze open and/or both windows will cease to operate.

    The Service Department hasn't clue and said they never had this issue before but for $65/hour they will gladly try to find a solution to the problem "IF" they can.

    I may just shut them and leave it alone since this is an intermittent problem. Or, I can continue to play with it until there is a sudden and complete failure...only concern is they may fail in the open position while it is raining. Or, I can cross my fingers and hope they find the problem.

    Anyone experience this phenomenon? Is there some type of resistor that over heats and fails open? Do the motors only allow you to work the rear vent windows a few times before they automatically shut off? If one vent window motor fails does it cause both to stop working?

    I can not believe both motors ($250 each) have failed. So it may be the switch, but why would one window work longer than the other? Or can it be some electrical shorting issue with the wires or connections?

    Thanks for your help,
    L
  • leemckleemck Member Posts: 1
    I have a '98 Sienna and have just noticed a substantial amount of water in the rear. I don't have a sunroof and there doesn't appear to be any leaks around the rear door or windows. Any ideas???
    Thanks!
    Lee
  • sienna_azsienna_az Member Posts: 5
    I may have posted once before back in 2000, as I was one of the people caught in the T/C replacement net. I have to say, that as disappointing as it was finding out that I had to have that done to my new vehicle, that my Toyota dealer handled it wonderfully. They did the replacement in a day, I don't remember having to wait too long for the part (they said a couple weeks but it came in like a week,) and they even gave me a car to use for the day.

    Today, my 2000 LE has just shy of 47K on it and I just found out that it needs the tranny replaced. It was making the whining noise I've heard referred to in other posts. Basically sucks, but again, the dealership is being great about it. They've ordered the part, it should be in mid-week, and because my schedule sucks they are seeing about getting me a car for the day while they fix it (since the dealer isn't very close to my new job or school). This dealership, Right Toyota in Scottsdale, AZ has always provided good service to me. Other than these two issues, the car has been a dream. I absolutely love my Sienna. I'm just happy that they are being so great about fixing it. They haven't given me a hard time about anything. I've taken the van on several long trips and the ride is smooth and comfortable. I've even taken one of the 2nd row seats out by myself a couple times and it wasn't that hard. On long trips I've found the car to be comfy for 4 passengers and a labrador retriever. Even with the transmission probs, I'd buy this van again. No problems with sludge here, I get my oil changed regularly. I'll keep ya posted if I get any hassles on this service, but I don't expect any.
  • rghkrghk Member Posts: 2
    I have a 2001 Sienna. It has 57 KM. The parking brakes light comes on intermittently. I am wondering if some else have the same problem and brought to the dealership to get it fix.
    I don't want to spend $$$ to bring to the dealership they might not be able to fix it. they will charge for the labor anyway.
    Thanks,
  • deepandeepan Member Posts: 342
    could it be an indication that the pads are worn or brake fluid needs topping up
  • lets456lets456 Member Posts: 6
    I had a 1997 Avalon and the brake light came on (intermitantly at first then stayed on) because the fluid was low. Try what the poster above mentioned and top off the fluid.
  • lets456lets456 Member Posts: 6
    I read a post about a month back on the "sqealing brakes" on my 2003 Sienna. I called Toyota and they repaired and replaced the front and rear brakes at no charge. I just wanted to thank everyone that took the time to research and post their Sienna problems. Thanks for saving me time and money!
  • 32valveuser32valveuser Member Posts: 31
    I went to start up the van the other day and this is what happened. The car would start and then quickly stall. So I tried again start/stall 3x. Then I gave it some and it would run only at 2000 RMPs or above as soon as I tried to take my foot off the gas in and effort to make it idle it would stall. I did this start rev stuff 2x. Then something like a sensor or computer kicked in and the car did the fast idle for warm up and then to 850 after warm-up. Runs fine now. Anyone know what kicked in. The car has 53,000 miles on the clock and so far I have done all the maintienice in the car manual. What gives anyone else have this and what was the fix??
  • fangslfangsl Member Posts: 6
    Anybody know how to reset this pesky little light? I've made sure all my tires are inflated to the proper pressure and this crazy light stays on. Nothing in the book about a reset that I can find.
  • fangslfangsl Member Posts: 6
    Had the same problem. I discovered the cup holder in the door was the problem. My son keeps his Soda's on the door and the syrup dribbles down during driving and settles on the lower part of the door where it meets the rubber door seal. This creates a very tight bond making it hard to open. Get som 409 and spray the bottom 15" of the door and the rubber seal and clean off the sticky syrup. The door will work fine.
  • deepandeepan Member Posts: 342
    with the ingition turned on push the switch for atleast 5 secs and it will blink. This should reset it.
  • churchladychurchlady Member Posts: 1
    I just found out that my 2000 Sienna needs a transmission replacement. It has 61000 miles on it. I am very disappointed because the dealer will not cover this and the cost is $4000. Do you know if this is a problem on a lot of the 2000 Siennas?
  • deepandeepan Member Posts: 342
    All 2000 sienna's have a 8 yr 160k kms warranty on the transmission.this was very similar to the sluge warranty on the smae model yrs. this covers 98-01 siennas. Mention this to the dealer or contact Toyota.
  • freebirdfreebird Member Posts: 77
    I would call the toyota customer service number with your vin to see if the extended warranty covers your van. I got a "certifcate" with the extended coverage information sent to me.

    One other question - what type of maintenance schedule did you follow?
  • fangslfangsl Member Posts: 6
    Thank you, thank you, thank you. I've been the original owner on this van and could never figure out how to do it
  • fangslfangsl Member Posts: 6
    I'm an auto maintenance nut. I have had the oil changed in our 1999 Sienna XLE religiously. Every 3k miles with maybe 10 percent of the time going to the high 3k's (I've got all the receipts). I used Penzoil 5w-30 and had the car serviced at Toyota every 30k interval. 86K showing on the odometer and the engine is flawless. Don't ask me about the new Transmission at 74K tho since Toyota paid for that repair. We love our Sienna but am now starting to kick the tires on an RX-330 Lexus.
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