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Toyota Sienna Maintenance and Repair (2004+)
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Comments
I am unimpressed by the life on the original equipment tires.
If there's a trick to the alignment or something to improve this, I would love to find out.
I haven't found this from drivers I know with non-AWD Siennas.
Being extra diligent about checking the tire pressure seems to help a little with tire life.
I'm pretty sure this should not be active when the power slide door button is off. Not sure on that though.
Sounds like it's time to take it into the dealer.
It helps to fully latch the door even when closing under manual mode.
I followed the instructions in the manual, but couldn't turn this off. Anyone here managed to accomplish this yet? :confuse:
Thanks for any help!
Has anyone else with an AWD Sienna experienced this? All of the FWD Sienna's I drove were very smooth in comparison. Little if any vibration.
Does anyone know if this has anything to do with the run-flat tires or is it just a result of the AWD ? Would installing regular tires help?
Thanks for any experiences and solutions as I otherwise like and want the AWD. :confuse:
Thanks
Some Prius owners have found a way to easily over-ride this...
I'm hoping a Sienna user can try this on their Nav system and report back if it works? It's just button-presses, not wire clipping... it has to be done each time vehicle is started but (according to Prius owners) is completely harmless.
http://wiki.ehow.com/Override-Toyota-Prius-Navigation-Gray-out
Can an owner of a Sienna with Navigation system please try this and report back?
Thanks! It sounds silly, but if this works, I'll get a Sienna, if not, I'll get an Odyssey that allows in-motion use of the Nav.
--JoshG
Spencer
Pros
- Smooth Ride
- Power Equipment (doors, etc.)
- Seat comfort - Leather is very comfortable and seat is supportive
- Gas Mileage (first tank came in around 20mpg, not bad compared to the Explorer we traded in)
Cons
- turning radius - needs just a little improvement
- Soft Braking - I've seen some posts here and ones that indicate new ones are an every 10-20K mile occurrence. Does anyone see the best way to avoid this issue and deal with it when it comes up? What is considered reasonable for brake life? Our 2002 Accord finally needs them at 62K miles. That's reasonable to me.
We noticed the sound issue (lower volume) with the DVD player, but it's not the end of the world.
So I only worry that the stopping distance in an emergency will be compromised by these soft brakes, but I'm not sure whether I should lug this van back to the dealer right now or even bring it to an independent shop to get looked at...
Any advice is appreciated.
Again, overall we really enjoy the van. Makes me think about trading in the Accord for another toyota.
When I buy brake pads I want the most aggressive pads I can buy. If that means they EAT rotors for lunch every time I apply the brakes then so be it.
What that means to me is that I might have to replace the pads as often as 10,000 miles and the rotors every other pad change.
I don not want long lifetime pads, I want a long lifetime.
I have to say that I am frustrated enough that I am going to start shopping for a HONDA tonight. I can't live with the stress. I have 4 children and am constantly checking that my doors are closed. But I won't catch them all. They are children! Isn't that who minivans are designed for ? I can't miss another child pickup or doctor's appointment - never mind an emergency!
http://www.hwysafety.org/news/2005/iihs_news_091805.pdf
My two son are both over 6 feet tall, and I am concerned that they may not get adequate protection from whiplash injuries in case of a rear-end collision with the current 2006 Sienna's seat/head restraint.
Does anyone have any suggestions on what I can do about this? Is it possible to replace the current 2006 Sienna head restraint by something better?
We first replaced our Dunlop run flats at about 16,000 as well, but odd handling was present much sooner. at 30,000 (14,000 miles on 2nd set) we are told not to rotate because the tires are so bad. We have been told by two places that van can not be aligned w/in factory specs. Dealer disagrees. Were planning on converting to regular tires but based on your experience I won't. We have had other repeated issues w/our doors coming loose. Drivers front coming ajar 4 times by 28,000 miles then a weld at the window frame door noticed. Body shop at dealer tells me this is happening to a lot of sienna's. Also the inner door panel is broken. The fix is amateur at best and door is loose again, now the 5th time. I'm trading it in and it's the last toyota i will ever purchase. The manufacture has been horrible and refuses to fix anything right. I tried to go through arbitration, what a joke. Good luck.
Spoke with Toyota 800 line. They asked me to talk to dealership again. Dealership contacted regional customer service rep. Long story short... Toyota is willing to replace 4 tires with Goodyear Comfort Tred for free. I am not satisfied. I bought car for passenger capacity, cargo storage, and safety with awd. I want them to at least throw in a spare tire/carrier. Especially when I switch out of RFT's and do not have a spare tire. Btw, like most people, I was not informed that awds do not come with a spare. Am I asking too much? Anyway, I am attaching a link to the California Dunlop class action lawsuit.
http://www.autosafety.org/article.php?scid=185&did=1165
The attached link is the actual attorney who is going to try this case. I have personally spoke with him and he is looking for a person who has the Bridgestone RFT's to add to their lawsuit. From my conversation with him, I find him to be a very nice gentleman and I hope that he gets Toyota to reinburse all the owners for expenses on their RFT's and get awd owners a spare. In addition, Mr. Anderson stated that he would be willing to speak with any RFT's owners.
http://www.kabolaw.com/mark_f_anderson.asp
2004 Toyota Sienna LE AWD with Dunlop RFT and NO SPARE!
On this screen, press the touch activated screen as follows:
1. Top Left
2. Bottom Left
3. Top Left
4. Bottom Left
5. Bottom Right (not the cormer of the screen itself, but the menu page, "inside" of the tab)
The Service Menu will appear. Press and hold the "Override" button until you hear a beep and the button is highlighted. Unfortunately, this has to be done each time the system is power cycled. (restart engine)
Thanks
I received my spare tire kit last week from my Toyota dealer, free of charge. It consists of a 17" limited-use spare, carpeted cover that is color-matched to the 'Fawn' interior, and some attachment hardware. Though this remedy isn't ideal (I only carry the spare on long-distance trips due to the loss of use of the folding seat), I'm certainly satisfied with the response from Toyota's regional representative, as these parts list for about $500. I replaced the Dunlop RFT's with conventional tires last month, and the ride is much improved. Also, Dunlop has provided me with a $280 credit (valid until 2010) toward another set of tires.
"Battery-saver feature - deactivates personal lights after 30 minutes with lights on"
I believe the "with lights on" refers to the genenal switch for all internal lights to be turned on. Yes, it does not work (will not shut off after 30 min.) if you turn your own individual light on.
As an FYI, I do have an 2005 Odyssey (full of problems and poor quality) and l am considering trading it in for a 2006 or later Sienna ...
I cannot see how tires can be the blame for the uneven wear.
I am wondering if your new non-RFT replacements are evenly wearing now.
Some contributor posted that their new non-RFT replacements still developed uneven wear. Thanks for your info.
Also, I really didn't have a problem with uneven wear-- it was pre-mature wear, harsh ride and road noise that were my complaints with the Dunlop RFT's.