Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see May lease deals!
Options
Toyota Sienna Maintenance and Repair (2004+)
This discussion has been closed.
Popular New Cars
Popular Used Sedans
Popular Used SUVs
Popular Used Pickup Trucks
Popular Used Hatchbacks
Popular Used Minivans
Popular Used Coupes
Popular Used Wagons
Comments
Thank You
Siu Wah
My SErvice MAnager here (Vancouver Canada) admitted a problem told to him last several months by his service guys. he told me to call Toyota CAN.
I called Toyota Canada and they admitted a problem.
I encourage all to call Toyota Canada OR USA and complain.
I was told the more the better for results. i think that a tire recall is in the works with enough pressure.
My service Manager at our dealership where we bought also said he sees it. it is only on the AWD model and appears the Dunlop that came with the car was not designed properly.
What is the Z1 package?
Carpet floor mats, door ceils, cargo net etc ..
Can anyone confirm the details what is within the Z1 package?
Mounting (on separate rims) at my local shop was $20 per tires vs. the usual $12, as run-flats are more time-consuming.
Going this route certainly isn't cheap, but it's reasonable. Let it snow, baby!
Thanks for your mail, I will not ignore it any longer even it has not effected any performance of the car.
You've got your Toyota blinders on way too tight.
If I had engine and transmission failures before four years and 56K miles, I would switch brands and never look back, no matter what the overall reputation of the company is.
Once burned, I wouldn't touch the same flame again for quite a few years.
I haven't looked at a Volvo since driving a problematic one in 1974 :-)
Steve, your illogical Host
Does anyone have the same problem? What was your fix? Do you think I have the same problem as the ones who feel it through the steering wheel?
I have gone to 2 dealers about this, but they say they couldn't feel the problem (in their defense, it doesn't happen 100% of the time...).
Any help out there?
I hadn't driven the van in three or four days, so I'm wondering if I may have somehow left a light or lights on, though I really don't believe I did. I talked to a Toyota service person this morning and he told me that nothing more than a sudden change in the weather -- warm to cool -- may have caused the battery to go dead. In other words, he said that it may very well not be my fault. He asked if I wanted a tow truck sent over and I said no. At least not yet. He told my that my warranty would cover everything, including towing.
Incidentally, my battery indicator is displaying green, which according to my manual indicates that the battery should be okay. At least that's my interpretation. (The service person told me he didn't think my battery would have an indicator, so now I don't really know what to think.)
After talking to the service employee, I called my salesperson for reassurance, and he said that the battery for sure would be under warranty, BUT that I may have to pay the towing bill if I didn't have ToyoGuard protection. I feel that under the circumstances I should pay nothing at all!!! I've been going through my papers and so far I've seen no specific reference to ToyoGuard, but I do see that I paid $1,295 for an extended warranty. Well, I bought the vehicle less than four months ago. We've made several lenthy trips and in the process have racked up slightly more than 10,000 miles, but if the problem is indeed the battery I believe that Toyota should cover any and all expenses incurred in clearing up this problem.
I previously purchased a brand new 2003 Avalon from this same dealership and had MAJOR problems twice -- once with sales and once with service. The salesperson swore -- literally -- that she had given me all three keys and that I should look around until I found the one that was missing. She was really nasty over the phone. She was off work the following morning, so I went over to complain and within five minutes an employee, smiling broadly, brought me my key.
The other problem occurred when I took my Avalon in -- for the fifth time!!! -- to try to correct a CHECK ENGINE light problem. They had gotten the light to go out four times previously, but it would invariably come back on after a couple of days. They kept my car for several days this time and finally were able to fix my light problem, BUT during this time someone, presumably a Toyota employee, had been driving my Avalon AFTER ELEVEN O'CLOCK AT NIGHT and was caught by a traffic camera running through a red light!!! When I picked up my car the woman in the service department informed me that "an employee" had driven my car through a "yellow light" and that as a result I might be getting a traffic ticket in the mail, and if I did to just send it the Toyota dealership and it would be taken care of. Well, I did get the ticket and was actually able to go online and watch my car run a RED light! I complained locally about both of these incidents, but now feel that I should have taken my gripes to a higher authority. At this point I feel Toyota owes me something, so if they should bill me for towing my Sienna I will absolutely refuse to pay it.
My oem tires were worn out at 20K miles. My local Discount Tires Co. helped me to file the warranty claim with Good Year (parent company of Dunlop). I got 50% credit toward a new set of Dunlop Winter Sport runflat. The size is not exact, but close enough. It is categorized as a winter tire but it behaves very well, much like a all weather tire. I don't know yet how many miles I can get out the set. My other user reviews were quite favorable.
We have called the dealer a second time because we noticed that the smell seemed to be concentrated around the pwr sliding door. They said that the door was probably lubricated. My husband has cleaned the door and door hinge and all the mats, but I still smell it. Does anyone have any idea what may have happened to my van, and what I can do about it? I am not interested in something to mask the smell because my concern is that this is a health issue and masking the smell will not solve that.
Does anyone else have this problem? Have you found a solution for it?
The noise was a wheel bearing. I had the trans flushed while it was in. The problem now seems to be fixed.
A friend that owns a bodyshop told me that some manufacturers are reccomending tranny flushes every 20k instead of 50k.
For a vehicle wherein the fluid is supposed to be good for the life of the vehicle.
"ll was not beer and skittles. The logbook contained sentiments of outrage over the electrically operated side doors—mostly because that's the only way they can be opened and closed. The rear hatch can be opened manually or electrically but can only be closed electrically. Art director Jeff Dworin put it best when he wrote, "Sliding side doors are painfully slow. Same for the rear hatch. Absolutely the worst operation from a key fob I've ever seen. I thought the battery in the fob was dead, but it turns out to be a poorly designed system instead." The need to close the rear hatch electrically became a problem whenever the space behind the last row was filled with stuff. As one user noted, "You aren't allowed to close it yourself, and it refuses to shut if it encounters the slightest resistance. More than once, we closed the hatch and walked toward a restaurant or hotel only to reach the door and realize the liftgate had touched our luggage and opened back up." Nov 04 C&D
The rear door is a little slow because you have to hold the button down for a second or so before it starts to move, and doesn't raise that quickly once it starts moving. However, with the remote, you can hit it far enough in advance that it's open by the time you get there. I've had the door reverse once or twice on me as well. You have to be careful that nothing is in the way or it will go back up. The power closing feature is a nice feature I initially thought was a gimmick. I didn't really realize how nice it was until I had to shut the rear door on my dad's filthy Yukon and then had to clean my dirty hand off. Much nicer to just hit a button inside the van or on the remote.
Car and Driver had a couple of other inaccuracies in that article as well. The Sienna does not have one of those annoying beepers that goes off when you back up and DVDs can be played over the speakers rather than just the headphones as stated in the article.
1. Can I buy a doughnut spare from Toyota that will work with the AWD and the 17 inch wheels?
2. I guess I can buy another 17 inch factory wheel and tire. The problem in this case would be where to store it (maybe in a car top carrier?). Also would the tire on the spare have to be a run flat?
Thanks for any suggestions.
And a conventional spare would not need to be a run-flat, any more than the temporary spare would need to be.
In general, I'm beginning to wonder if this whole RFT idea (PAX or conventional) is doomed. So many people are wanting to buy spare for systems that supposedly don't need them. Really, though: When was the last time you actually had a flat tire? I seem to be averaging about one per decade per vehicle.
I can't remember the last time I had a flat (I am almost sorry I just said that!). I just feel insecure about being on a trip, getting a flat, trying to locate within a 100 miles a dealer or store that will repair the run flat!
The Toyota/Lexus AWD series no longer uses a partially locking (VC) center differential but uses brake modulation instead. If the ABS pumpmotor cannot supply pressurized brake pressure fluid then you simply have an open differential 4WD.
Thanks for the reply. Last question. Is that normal operation?
Thanks.
With the torque converter unlocked the engine will/can turn at a higher speed (more torque) than the torque converter output shaft.
You can actually do serious damage to the transmission running in OD in these conditions. Think about what happens with a manual transmission if you try to start off in third gear, the engine over-revs and the clutch slips. That's exactly what can happen if you remain in OD with the engine under heavy load, the bands and/or clutches in the transmission will slip and burn.
I always pop mine out of OD as I begin to climb, instead of waiting for the transmission to do it for me.
Correct me if I'm wrong but wouldn't the "heavy load" be accompanied by additional throttle input? And wouldn't that AUTOMATICALLY cause the transmission to drop out of OD into a lower gear? I mean, if you aren't giving it enough gas for the engine to drop out of OD, then are you REALLY under a 'heavy load' situation?
Keep checking Ebay; be patient, and you will find one. I bought a complete set of never-used OEM Sienna 17" rims for $400 (not including shipping). Seller didn't help himself that he misspelled 'Sienna,' though.