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2011 Toyota Sienna

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Comments

  • sgsiennasgsienna Member Posts: 2
    Did you get resolution on this? My 2011 Sienna is doing the same thing. Car is back at the dealer for the fourth time.
  • rgccrgcc Member Posts: 11
    Have 2011 sienna LTD (W/all possible options available).
    Drive 2/3 grandchildren every day.
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    edited November 2011
    A reporter is interested in talking with parents who own a 2011 or 2012 Kia Optima, Kia Sorento, Hyundai Elantra, Ford Focus, Honda Fit, Honda Odyssey, Mazda 5, Subaru Outback, Dodge Durango, or Toyota Sienna. If you are interested in commenting on your experience, please reply to pr@edmunds.com no later than Friday, November 30, 2011 and include your city and state of residence, the model year of your vehicle and the age of your child/ren.

    (still looking for people Rgcc).
  • yanifyanif Member Posts: 4
    We bought a 2012 Sienna LE a week ago and noticed the same very annoying noise as you did. Was your problem fixed? What was the cause? Thanks in advance for your kind reply.
  • yaz32yaz32 Member Posts: 3
    I have a water leak issue in my 2011 Toyota sienna SE, it is also going back today for the fourth time. Is your water accumulating in the back end?
  • minimommyminimommy Member Posts: 13
    Am very disappointed in 2011 sienna 2-star rating for frontal crash, passenger. Assuming 2012 won't be any different but see NHTSA will test 2012. Am surprised there aren't more people complaining about this. Bought ours based on IIHS ratings, then NHTSA came out with theirs and not good! Am looking into real-world crash results and maybe larger SUV would be better.
  • sebring95sebring95 Member Posts: 3,241
    First off, safecar.gov shows the '11 Sienna as 3-stars on the frontal crash so i'm not sure where you got the 2.

    Regardless you have to take all of these ratings with a grain of salt. All of the '11+ tests are at a higher rating scale so they can't be compared to prior tests. There's a lot of vehicles not even tested with the new standards at this time.

    Bigger does not equal better in a single-vehicle crash. If anything the heavier a vehicle the harder the deceleration. So if you can pick your crash...go for a small/light vehicle for a single vehicle crash and a big heavy one for multi-vehicle. The "mini" vans are far from light vehicles...in fact there's not many SUV's that are bigger. Sienna is the same size or bigger than most of the SUV's out there with the exception of the Suburban/Expedition XL.

    I don't worry too much about the ratings...the real world facts are all minivans are very safe. I persoanlly like the IIHS anyway because they seem to show and give more details
  • minimommyminimommy Member Posts: 13
    edited January 2012
    Yes, the frontal crash overall rating is a 3 star; I was referring to the front passenger rating which is a 2 star (driver is a five star, which is great and what it should be). However, with some older children now sitting up front in this van, I'm really not liking the 2-star front passenger rating in case of a crash. So I've been debating trading Sienna for Odyssey (had one before Sienna, my Ody went over 140k with no tranny problems, but am reluctant to get back to that, even though Odyssey has 5-star crash-test ratings where Sienna does not)... or going with something like Volvo XC90 or a larger SUV (Tahoe) but hate the gas guzzle. I still think a Tahoe would "win" in a crash with my Sienna or an Ody. That's the dilemma. Do wish they'd test the 2012 Sienna, if it scores 5 stars, I could just trade for that. Just not sure why Sienna 2011 did so poorly -- 2-star rating for a front passenger is just NOT acceptable. Especially when Odyssey and a few other vehicles (Volvo XC60) get 5 stars in that same seat.
  • minimommyminimommy Member Posts: 13
    edited January 2012
    I also will go back and look at IIHS tests for 2011 Sienna, as you mention there is more detail, but NHTSA test result is simply abysmal in my opinion and just not acceptable for a "family" vehicle. That front passenger should get no less than a 5-star, just as the 2011 Odyssey has tested in the newer more stringent NHTSA tests.
  • sebring95sebring95 Member Posts: 3,241
    edited January 2012
    I looked again and there's actually a lot more detail on the NHTSA site. You can drill down to the 80+ page test report with pics. It looks like the threshold levels on the dummy are all very low, although the passenger is higher than the drive. Compartment looks quite good and dummy appears to hit the right spots. I still can't see an individual star rating between driver and passenger, nor can I find what the star ratings actually mean. I know in the past a 2-star meant you were getting hurt, but it doesn't look like that's even close to the case now. One thing that really seems weird to me is that when they test these, the passenger seat is basically jammed against the dash. I don't know why anyone would ride like. If you look at the pictures it seems like they have the passenger seat as far forward as it will go, including the seat-back.

    The only thing a Tahoe has on the Odyssey/Sienna is a little higher ride and a few hundred pounds. The size is almost identical but the space is a HUGE difference. We had a Tahoe before and the minivan is a huge upgrade in terms of space behind the front seats.

    We also had an '05 Odyssey and were quite happy with it. The new Ody is rated very highly but it just wasn't a major concern for me. I feel they're all very safe and none have any specific test failures. It appears even a two-star is quite safe based on the new ratings. Obviously everyone has different priorities when buying so that's your call. I personally can't imagine trading because of what appears to be a relatively minor difference between best and worst. It's kind of like reliability ratings...vehicles have gotten so reliable that the difference between best and worst is hardly worth mentioning.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    edited January 2012
    The FWD V6 Sienna is the only minivan that scores above average in CR's detailed break down. More features? Sliding doors are hard to get right.

    All Odys are below average. The 4 banger base Sienna and AWD Sienna are also below average.
  • sebring95sebring95 Member Posts: 3,241
    And my point was that average is so blatantly good these days I really don't look at reliability when shopping. If the average is 1.5 problems a year...with a low of 1 problem and a high of 2.2 problems. I'll risk it and just buy what I really want.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Gotcha, makes sense.

    Just saw 2011 final sales numbers, Sienna was the best selling van for 2011. Dodge came in 2nd, Honda 3rd.
  • mangolangomangolango Member Posts: 2
    My 11 Sienna SE have the same problem. Last year I found the water and I thought the window was not close tight then I found it again last week. Now the Van is in service center. I work in Toyota and we did not see any similar issue in Canada. Anyone found the fix yet?
  • yaz32yaz32 Member Posts: 3
    Went yesterday to pick up 2012 Toyota Sienna SE, Toyota was replacing my 2011 Sienna because they could not fix the water leak. As we were checking out the new 2012 Sienna we noticed it had the same problem with water in the back end. Unbelievable!!!! There must be thousands of Sienna's with the same problem, people need to check their vans out after it rains. Go to the back storage well and put your fingers through the carpet holes and check for moisture!
  • desna78desna78 Member Posts: 21
    HOW YOU WERE ABLE TO MAKE THEM REPLACE YOUR VAN? DID YOU CONTACT TOYOTA? TELL US ABOUT THE PROCEDURE YOU HAD TO GO THROUGH.
  • yaz32yaz32 Member Posts: 3
    We had it in for the same thing 4 times and it was not fixed. The last time they had it for almost 3 weeks. Toyota sent 2 field techs and 5 eng from plant were they make them to come and fix. two weeks later after we got it back it started leaking again. I told them we were going to file lemon law and they offered putting us in new 2012 model. ( which also is leaking ) Toyota says they have figured out what the problem is. I would guess a recall will be coming some time this year.
  • rgccrgcc Member Posts: 11
    I have a 2011 Sienna Limited (custom ordered which took 6 months). I don't think I have a leak but I did have a corresponding problem in a Volvo XC-90. What happens is that the drains for the moon roofs become clogged with debris and dirt. This causes the water to back up rather than drain properly. Since the water has no place to go, it backs-up inside the frame. When I reviewed the problem with the dealer, they added the drain cleaning procedure to their normal maintenance schedule.

    Why they didn't think of this before is beyond me!
  • banditboybanditboy Member Posts: 54
    A dealer 30 miles from me has 3 used 2011. they have close to 50k miles on them.
    Is that too high for a 2011.looks like some sort of fleet. should even look at them.they are adversiting the LE for 21k now.
  • sebring95sebring95 Member Posts: 3,241
    The mileage is what it is. Some peole drive a lot and if these were early '11 models they've been on the road a solid 18 months. Chances are it's all highway miles and condition will tell you a lot but the price seems pretty steep. First of all there are TONS of LE models out there as rental/fleet returns and most of those have far less miles. There are three within 50 miles of me with 10k miles and priced under $23k. I would want to pay at least $4,000 less for these high mileage units than what you can buy a typical LE.
  • banditboybanditboy Member Posts: 54
    i am going to offer around 19k .i see a few pre 2011 model xle for 19 that are loaded .These have no option and i have to add a DVD for the kids.
    I actually like the older model but the wife likes the new. argh....
  • siennafan2siennafan2 Member Posts: 5
    I have a 2011 purchased in Aug 2010. I have 20,000 and use it alot. Xle with no packages. I paid $30.000. 50,000 is high. When did they go in service? You should pay wholesale price. They are out of warrenty.
  • sebring95sebring95 Member Posts: 3,241
    Wife had no interest in the pre-2011 Sienna either. We bought the limited basically because of the color :sick: happy wife...happy life
  • banditboybanditboy Member Posts: 54
    edited February 2012
    Yeah , i found a 2011 LE /21k miles /22,500. going to check it out.
    got to keep the wife happy and also we have 2 kids now and running out space in the camry once i put the stroller in the back. with 2 baby seats my inlaw or mom have no place when we have 3 adults and 2 kids . and end up taking 2 cars.
  • mangolangomangolango Member Posts: 2
    Did the tech told you where the water coming from? I did put some tissue around and found out the water coming from the back of the trunk still searching seem the water leaking from the top.
  • terrylynn2terrylynn2 Member Posts: 1
    My 2012 came in with moisture in back luggage area. Dealer dried it out and said no problem. Put thru high pressure and water became noticeable inside glass tops and also ran on left back on the inside. Dealer than adjusted tops and said it was fixed. Washed it again and still leaked. Dealer said they checked another new one and it did the same. Dealer said don't take thru high pressure wash. Toyota extended warranty for 6 years. Agreed for now but if future problems I will take action.
  • ipresumedipresumed Member Posts: 5
    Check the bottom of your cargo area or front driver/passenger side, esp. after lots of rain if you have a 2011 Sienna van. We have an SE model. After a few consecutive downpours this past month - 3 days of pouring rain, I went to get the stroller out of the trunk. I noticed a few light large spots at the bottom of the rear cargo area. I put my hand down and noticed the area was wet. Strange because we don't store liquids in the back. I told my husband and he checked it out. Turns out the entire trunk/cargo area was soaking wet...right down through the padding underneath the carpet. It took 2-3 entire large paper towel rolls just to barely get the puddles under control and airing out the back. Luckily it was sunny for two days after we discovered the issue. The van started to stink from the mold forming ,and we were panicking since we have kids with allergy and asthma. Mold alert. The metal underneath the carpet padding had started to rust a bit. We just bought the car back in August of 2011. Took the car back to the dealer service center. First diagnosis, they called us next day and told us it would be $1290 because it was our fault one of the back windows latch was not sealed closed. Funny because we didn't even know we had back window latches and even when the service person in charge did a walkabout, no one noticed the window open. Ironic that nothing else was wet too from the top down. Not the back seats, not the strollers and kids knicknacks lying on top of the cargo area. So it's our word against theirs. I asked him if he was absolutely sure. If they had checked out all other posibilities and tested other possible entry points. He said that they were Toyota trained specialists and they were 100% sure. I'd read on some posts that after a few times of the same thing happening to another individual, they finally called in Toyota engineers to come look at it. I asked my service guy if they could do that and again, "ma'am, we ARE the factory trained technicians." After deliberating with my husband, we felt we had no choice but to have whatever needed done to fix the propblem properly to be covered under the warranty. Especially since we have one car and our kids are physically sensitive. After we gave them the go ahead, they were finally able to open up the mess (so before, it was just their best "guess" as to how the water had gotten in. They need our "okay" for the charge to actually open up the car). They tested the back and said it was water tight. Then they asked me if we parked on an incline. We do. About a 30 degree incline tops. Found out the water was actually coming in the through underneath the windshield "gutters" into a channel alongside the sides of the inner frame and flowing back to the cargo area. So guess what, we are covered under warranty. This is the kicker though, service person mentioned that yes, the water leaking in was probably happening for the lifetime of the car. He even told me that there was another same Sienna 2011 that had come in with the SAME issue. It is a design flaw/defect. So how do you fix that? NOW they are bringing the actual factory Toyota guys who will look over the repairs. Someone wrote on this board that they had just drilled holes underneath the car so the water could escape and not reach the back. I DON'T want holes drilled into my new car. And that person still had even worse water leak issues. Have been trying to find out if Toyota will in the least extend my warranty or do something about this car we just bought with a defect built into it. So, if you have a Toyota Sienna 2011 SE, have it tested. It's been two weeks since they've been "holding" our car. Said they are waiting for parts and are waiting for the Toyota factory guys to come oversee this repair. Wondering with the big recalls they have now if they are keeping this under wraps or if people are still unaware of the defect unless they parked like us on incline. I've read various posts where the 2011 Sienna leaked in the front driver and passenger areas which is worse because of the electronics and wiring. I am very concerned the problem will come back after reading some other posts on the web. Toyota has to do something for all of us who have just purchased new vehicles in good faith. Called Toyota customer service and they were not much help. Told to call Toyota Care. Hard to reach them. Will keep trying.
  • ipresumedipresumed Member Posts: 5
    Check the bottom of your cargo area or front driver/passenger side, esp. after lots of rain if you have a 2011 Sienna van. We have an SE model. After a few consecutive downpours this past month - 3 days of pouring rain, I went to get the stroller out of the trunk. I noticed a few light large spots at the bottom of the rear cargo area. I put my hand down and noticed the area was wet. Strange because we don't store liquids in the back. I told my husband and he checked it out. Turns out the entire trunk/cargo area was soaking wet...right down through the padding underneath the carpet. It took 2-3 entire large paper towel rolls just to barely get the puddles under control and airing out the back. Luckily it was sunny for two days after we discovered the issue. The van started to stink from the mold forming ,and we were panicking since we have kids with allergy and asthma. Mold alert. The metal underneath the carpet padding had started to rust a bit. We just bought the car back in August of 2011. Took the car back to the dealer service center. First diagnosis, they called us next day and told us it would be $1290 because it was our fault one of the back windows latch was not sealed closed. Funny because we didn't even know we had back window latches and even when the service person in charge did a walkabout, no one noticed the window open. Ironic that nothing else was wet too from the top down. Not the back seats, not the strollers and kids knicknacks lying on top of the cargo area. So it's our word against theirs. I asked him if he was absolutely sure. If they had checked out all other posibilities and tested other possible entry points. He said that they were Toyota trained specialists and they were 100% sure. I'd read on some posts that after a few times of the same thing happening to another individual, they finally called in Toyota engineers to come look at it. I asked my service guy if they could do that and again, "ma'am, we ARE the factory trained technicians." After deliberating with my husband, we felt we had no choice but to have whatever needed done to fix the propblem properly to be covered under the warranty. Especially since we have one car and our kids are physically sensitive. After we gave them the go ahead, they were finally able to open up the mess (so before, it was just their best "guess" as to how the water had gotten in. They need our "okay" for the charge to actually open up the car). They tested the back and said it was water tight. Then they asked me if we parked on an incline. We do. About a 30 degree incline tops. Found out the water was actually coming in the through underneath the windshield "gutters" into a channel alongside the sides of the inner frame and flowing back to the cargo area. So guess what, we are covered under warranty. This is the kicker though, service person mentioned that yes, the water leaking in was probably happening for the lifetime of the car. He even told me that there was another same Sienna 2011 that had come in with the SAME issue. It is a design flaw/defect. So how do you fix that? NOW they are bringing the actual factory Toyota guys who will look over the repairs. Someone wrote on this board that they had just drilled holes underneath the car so the water could escape and not reach the back. I DON'T want holes drilled into my new car. And that person still had even worse water leak issues. Have been trying to find out if Toyota will in the least extend my warranty or do something about this car we just bought with a defect built into it. So, if you have a Toyota Sienna 2011 SE, have it tested. It's been two weeks since they've been "holding" our car. Said they are waiting for parts and are waiting for the Toyota factory guys to come oversee this repair. Wondering with the big recalls they have now if they are keeping this under wraps or if people are still unaware of the defect unless they parked like us on incline. I've read various posts where the 2011 Sienna leaked in the front driver and passenger areas which is worse because of the electronics and wiring. I am very concerned the problem will come back after reading some other posts on the web. Toyota has to do something for all of us who have just purchased new vehicles in good faith.
  • 5toyota5toyota Member Posts: 1
    I was wondering if this has been resolved. We are experiencing the exact problem. You could have been describing our sienna (even down to the same time of purchase). I have not pushed Toyota on this yet because of lack of time. I am planning on escalating this problem this week.

    Thanks for your help!
  • tkaztkaz Member Posts: 69
    I want to upgrade the DVD in my 2011 Avalon and Sienna to 12.1 There are two different part numbers - 86271-73013 and 86271-73014. What is the difference? Will both work for both cars? Is there a preference? How do I determine which one to get?
    Nav model in the Sienna is E7027 and in the Avalon it is E7031.
    Thanks
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