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Toyota Sienna Maintenance and Repair (2004+)

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Comments

  • alison11alison11 Member Posts: 9
    Currently have 2000 Odyssey- although some problems the service is excellent, including warranty work at 88,000 miles (our warranty expired at 36,000). Main gripe is the constant tire balancing to control shimmy at high speeds. How have the dealers been with 04 Sienna problems? Do they OFFER free loaner or do you have to coerce it? Do they immediately agree to look at and fix the problem, or do they make excuses (we were once told leaking oil is normal for a Taurus by Ford dealer).

    We drove one and liked it but don't want to switch unless service is as customer friendly.
    Thanks for the input! Oh yes- any shimmy problems?!
  • kmeadkmead Member Posts: 232
    Service is dealer dependent. Finding a dealer that gives service you are satisfied with can be frustrating. Check with friends that have Toyotas to find the dealer you will appreciate and will appreciate you.
  • grapevinetxgrapevinetx Member Posts: 89
    Rcgator over on the 4Runner boards says that s/he has been working with someone inside Toyota (prefers to not give names at this point) who indicates that Toyota is going to be replacing cats. I assume this means replacing with a re-designed cat, not just another of the same type.

    So, maybe Toyota is going to step and do something constructive on the sulphur smell. Some documentation supporting the rumor of a forth-coming fix would sure be nice.
  • kmeadkmead Member Posts: 232
    A coworker, who lives close to work, has this problem with his 2003 Corolla. Here is the story he got from Toyota Canada:

    Apparently Toyota's ultra-low emission engines (like the current Corolla's and Sienna's) can give a rotten egg smell, particularly with a lot of short-distance driving where the engine doesn't get warmed up. Toyota (and other manufacturers) were expecting Canadian gas to follow other countries and have lower sulphur gas, and they designed their emission systems accordingly, but the sulphur content is still higher in Canadian gas.
  • bosco9bosco9 Member Posts: 16
    Well, took our Sienna to the service manager and had him wash it with his power washer to show him how the water leaks into the door frames. He thought it was weird too, but showed us where the seals are located...and it is no wonder that the inside of the frames get wet. All I can say...is after you wash it, open all 5 doors and dry it off. I have never had a vehicle with seals like this before, but then again, this is my first Toyota...luckily the rest of the van is great...no problems with smells, acceleration, or tranny. I have ordered touch up paint though...several chips at just 800 miles.
  • grapevinetxgrapevinetx Member Posts: 89
    Kmead: Yup, that's been Toyota's standard answer for the past couple of years now. "Our cats are ahead of their time. Wait for the gasoline quality in your area to catch up." If a bad match between cat and the gasoline that most folks can actually buy today is the problem, though, then Toyota is able provide a fix in the form of a cat that works with current gasoline.
  • alaputalaput Member Posts: 19
    kmead,
    I enjoy your informative posts. Is there really a "break-in" period anymore with advances in materials, quality and lubrication? I still plan to keep the revs down and change the oil at 1000miles...
  • kmeadkmead Member Posts: 232
    Break in periods are not as rigorous as they used to be. With the tight tolerances that current vehicles are built to break in is not as important as it used to be.

    However, Toyota does strongly suggest that you take it easy during the first 1000 miles. Given their recomendation I would tend to follow it.

    In my view it is very easy to ease your car into the service you will be using it under. Easy starts, part throttle acceleration, no hard stops, no 4k plus rpm are all easy to do and cost you nothing. It will not hurt your car to break it in. With all 5 new cars I have bought I have followed the following regimen and so far have never had a car that uses oil in the first 150k miles, replaced a head gasket, or any other engine or transmission problem.

    During the first 500 miles part throttle acceleration (half or less) and never accerate much below 2000rpm, never over 4000 rpm, do my best to vary engine speed either by choosing another gear or slowing down or speeding up. Easy stops (if others cooperate) to allow the brakes to bed in. After 500 miles increase rpm max to 4500 and continue to use part throttle to accelerate. As I get closer to 1000 miles I tend to increase the rpm with more throttle and eventually will do full throttle and redline by 2k miles periodically.

    Some may think this overly conservative but it works for me.

    There is a whole other school of thought on this, and it is detailed here:

    http://www.mototuneusa.com/break_in_secrets.htm

    I tend to keep my cars for a decade or more, use them for household as well as autocross and track use and have never had engine or transmission related problems. (I doubt I will autocross the Sienna) So, whatever works for you will probably be fine.
  • navyjnavyj Member Posts: 5
    I am not sure if I have a transmission problem or not. We have just over 900 miles on the van. When you are at a stop and start to go, it feels like it slips. Is this normal? I am not going from 0-60 in 5 sec. or anything, it is a normal acceleration. Any feedback would be helpful. Thanks.
  • kmeadkmead Member Posts: 232
    If your car was built before late November of last year, the TSB for the tranny should be done.

    As for the "slipping", it does take a bit of rpm to get that mass moving. It may also be among the anomalies that result from the drive by wire accelerator.

    Some cars do the following, I don't know yet if the Sienna transmission does this: When sitting at a stop, the transmission shifts into 2nd to reduce the tendency to creep forward, when you start off it needs to shift into 1st to get going, giving a annoying hesitation.

    As to whether this is the issue or not remains to be seen.

    I doubt you have a problem (we have just gone over 1000 miles since Dec 26th) but it can't hurt to ask when you go in for your first oil change. We live in an area that doesn't require hard acceleration very often so I haven't noticed this issue on our Sienna.
  • rockin2rockin2 Member Posts: 3
    To the posts about squeaks and creaks. The noise is coming from the sliding doors. The cause is the black plastic centering pins on the pillars and corresponding insert on the doors. Grease them lightly and the noise will stop. Silicon lubricant is cleaner but I found it only lasts a week or two and the squeaks/creaks reoccur.

     Other problems I have that I see posted are: rear wiper/washer position that doesn't wipe, annoying wind noise from windshield/windows - I note a TSB out for this, poor drive-by-wire throttle sensor design(acceleration lag). Also, after having the vehicle for 6 months it has now developed a pronounced whine from the transmission(?)and what sounds like clicking tappit noise from the engine.
  • mercier1mercier1 Member Posts: 14
    Rockin2,
    I am hearing wind noise behind my left ear while seated in driver's seat. Can you direct me to the TSB that you referred to in your recent post?
    Thanks,
    Paul
  • rockin2rockin2 Member Posts: 3
    mercier1,
    at this website. go to new cars,sienna,maintenance,TSBs and recalls.
    And oh yeah, I forgot to mention another thing that pissed me off. The headlights were improperly aimed up into the Milky Way somewhere and every other passing driver flashed his high beams. Of course the inept dealer said there was no adjustment necessary, so I re aimed them myself. I had less grief with the much maligned Windstar we owned before.
  • steph280steph280 Member Posts: 20
    rockin2:
    How difficult is it to adjust the headlight aiming? I find mine to be a bit on the high side as well. Haven't really check to see how it can be adjusted yet. Thanks,
    Stephen
  • alaputalaput Member Posts: 19
    Wendy,
    I'm bringing my LE in next week to have DVD installed and have left a message for them to check that the software is the latest version. Did you buy yours early in the model year? I wonder when the "new" software made its debut?
  • kmeadkmead Member Posts: 232
    The tranny software update came avialable in late November. All Siennas since then have had the software installed at the factory.
  • jetman767jetman767 Member Posts: 5
    I cannot determine if our 04 Sienna has a rattle in the passenger side slider door or in the column between the front passenger door and the slider door. This rattle/noise comes and goes with no pattern.You can hear it going over bumps, pulling into parking lots etc. It almost sounds like a part or something is loose with in the frame work. Has anyone else experienced this type of noise within your van? If so and the dealer was able to make a successful repair I would greatly appreciate your feedback as to what the problem was as I'm sure that when I pull into the dealership my van will stop making noise for the day and the dealership will tell me "If they can't hear the noise they cannot fix it"!!!!! My van noise sounds different then what rockin2 posted here regarding squeaks and creaks as I would classify mine as a rattle.
  • lando622lando622 Member Posts: 51
    Could it maybe be the seatbelt for the 2nd row passenger seat behind the driver? If the locking part of the belt isn't secured in the clip provided when the belt isn't being used, it can sometimes rattle against the pillar. Good luck, and hope this helps.
  • rockin2rockin2 Member Posts: 3
    steph280,
    It could be very difficult for a bear with a very small brain but for you and me,its no problem. There is one adjustment nut at the back of the headlight and if I recall correctly you'll need a small 1/4 in ratchet to get in there. Find a good looking 5 ft blonde to stand naked exactly 12 ft from the bumper and adjust until the top of the low beam is exactly at her navel. If you notice the high beams are on you're not focusing on the task at hand.
  • lovemyaccordslovemyaccords Member Posts: 21
    I bought mine end of October, and the software fix has helped the problem - when starting from a stop - but I still think it should shift into 3rd at 30 mph, mine doesn;t till about 36-37mph, which makes it still sluggish at these speeds, especially when you need to accelerate changing lanes, etc.

    Wendy
  • lovemyaccordslovemyaccords Member Posts: 21
    Just wondering what speed your 2004 Sienna shifts into 3rd and 4th gear?

    Wendy
  • lovemyaccordslovemyaccords Member Posts: 21
    This was not something just said off the cuff by the service dept. it is printed right on my invoice "Smell coming from converter Toyota aware of problem".

    Wendy
  • staabx5staabx5 Member Posts: 1
    We purchased our 2004 Sienna in April 2003 and in August we discovered that the roof had caved in and had dents covering it. We do not know the cause, but suspect either an automatic car wash or possibly using a soft-sided car-top carrier on the luggage rack while traveling.

    Whatever the cause, the cause was not trauma or an accident. When assessed by our insurance company, they thought it looked as if it had been in a roll-over, except there was no side damage.

    The repair cost $7500 and took 3 weeks - the entire roof had to be cut off and replaced. We wonder if there is an integrity flaw with the roof - often discussed with SUVs as they have gotten bigger, they need to keep the vehicle light and take away where they can - the roof.

    I have not seen any other similar posting, but I wanted to put it out there to see if others had the same or similar problems. I also want Sienna owners to be careful with automatic car washes and car-top carriers. This was a major cost and inconvenience for our family.
  • olizerolizer Member Posts: 38
    There is a maximum allowable weight on all car roofs. Usually it's about 100 pounds. Check your manual. Maybe someone overloaded it. Glad to hear your insurance covered it.
  • lmaalmaa Member Posts: 1
    Has anyone heard of problems with the AWD Sienna? When I went to the dealer to purchase one, they tried to talk me out of purchasing an AWD model and I can't understand why?
    Thanks.
  • ewt1ewt1 Member Posts: 10
    Did they have one in stock? If not, the "problem" was that they didn't have one. There aren't any AWD-specific problems I'm aware of.
  • arhowarhow Member Posts: 7
    I have 200 bouncy, jittery miles on my 04 Le.This
    does not compare to my traded 98.Any one have a
    solution...has Donlop tires.Discusted with van!
  • stickguystickguy Member Posts: 50,432
    did you check the tire pressure? Sometimes they are delivered with too much air.

    2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.

  • arhowarhow Member Posts: 7
    The air pressure does not effect it..32 to 36 lbs.
    the ride is comparable to a sports car or truck
    not a toyota minivan!We bought this van too quick
    based on our ownership of a 95 previa & 98 sienna.Something very wrong with all the touted
    fine ride write ups!Has any one else experienced
    this and has a possible solution other than trading it back?
  • beckyo2beckyo2 Member Posts: 24
    While I have about 7K miles on my LE, lately I too feel like I am driving a full size pickup, rather than a 2004 Sienna. I have also lamented trading in my 98 Sienna, bought used with 55k miles and NEVER a problem. My advice would be to dump this van now if feasible. Hopefully the 2005 will address many of the problems with this current model. To make matters worse my dealer can never duplicate the problem and I don't think they even try.

    Good Luck, Becky
  • arhowarhow Member Posts: 7
    Tks 4 the info on ur sienna`s truck ride,just
    like mine.I am trying to get the dealer to
    address the rough ride.He is not too happy about
    it.Sorry U and other`s also have experienced
    the poor ride.
  • rcf8000rcf8000 Member Posts: 619
    I'd say the ride of my '04 XLE is a little bouncy, but not "stiff" like a sports car. I found that it's great with 7 adults in it! How about 1000 lbs of sand bags?!
  • impact01impact01 Member Posts: 95
    Is it likely the wheels aren't balanced properly?. FWIW, I can't complain about the ride of my Sienna with 850 miles. It is smoother than our old Town & Country.
  • bosco9bosco9 Member Posts: 16
    Has anyone mentioned changing the tires? I am looking forward to wearing out these Dunlop run-flats....hope they wear out soon....and then I will go to all terrains and stick a spare in the back compartment behind the last seats.
  • ewt1ewt1 Member Posts: 10
    I don't consider the ride of my AWD Limited to be rough at all with the tires at the proper pressure. The ride is actually better than the luxury sedan (Infiniti Q45) it's replacing. As delivered with 40 psi in the tires, it was somewhat harsh on uneven pavement joints, but at 35 psi, it rides very well IMO. Different strokes for different folks I guess.
  • kmeadkmead Member Posts: 232
    We are very happy with the ride of our Sienna. I have sports cars and they are much much stiffer.

    However we all have different expectations. Be sure and test drive the vehicle before buying and test drive the actual van you will buy before signing on the dotted line.

    Sorry some dealers are not as good as others. the dealer is the thing I worry most about. I have two dealers that could service the vehicle, hopefully one of them will be decent.
  • stickguystickguy Member Posts: 50,432
    don't the run flats tend to ride firmer just based on the way they are designed?

    Anyway, I don't own one, but have test driven 2 or 3 different units (all FWD), and found the ride to be very smooth and comfortable. And since I own a Miata, and used to have a Nissan Pick Up, I know what a stiff bouncy ride is!

    2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.

  • sarniastingsarniasting Member Posts: 31
    I have also owned a Previa and a 1999 Sienna. I have not experienced a rough ride in my 2004 Sienna and find it much better then my 1999. The Previa has always been my favourite but from what I can recall the 2004 rides very similar to the Previa. That being said I still like my former Previa and I am very pleased with my 2004 Sienna.
  • bosco9bosco9 Member Posts: 16
    Yes, the run-flats do give a firmer ride....also there is no spare tire.I would prefer a better ride and a spare, so I will replace these tires as soon as practical.The ride is not that annoying....but I do prefer a different tire. Looking at crash test results for SUVs, I am still very pleased with my Sienna...and it's 5 star rating.
  • arhowarhow Member Posts: 7
    the bouncy part of the ride is more annoying
    than the hard impacts.I drive mostly alone or
    with my wife and we are light weights.Never
    had a problem with our previa or 98! We thought
    of adding sand bags.Toyota has not addressed
    the design properly with variable rate springs!
    Can any one suggest a better tire than the
    Donlops to possibly reduce the bouncing? The
    up and down bobbing too tiring!
  • leknlekn Member Posts: 78
    I have not experienced any bouncy ride at all. Our Sienna is very smooth and refined. Maybe you should test drive other Siennas in your dealership to see if you experience the same thing. If not, there is probably something wrong with yours. It could be tire balancing or a tire defect.
  • gregali119gregali119 Member Posts: 8
    In reference to the transmission problems I rose in earlier messages, I have now driven the car with a new ECU installed to Texas from New England. I'm happy to report that all is going well and the car behaved quite very good. The transmission works as it should but, with the 5th overdrive gear it tends to shift often on the highways. Not a problem but more noticeable than in the previous Dodge Caravan with 4 gears.
    The ride was comfortable and, although it is a little less firm than the Dodge, it is not tiring after cruising 600 miles per day.

    In answer to questions above about shifting, it goes into second around 1500 rpm and into 3rd around 2000 rpm. No sulphur odors have been noticed.
  • lalalalalalalalalala Member Posts: 30
    glad to hear that you've enjoyed a trouble free cross country trip, that's very comforting to know, as I too, am planning one in the summer, taking the kids to Grand Canyon. The gas paddle on mine does feel different after 2,700 miles, the acceleration in the past 2 weeks have been a lot smoother. They put the Goodyear tires on mine & the ride is very comfortable on half hour commutes to/from school.
  • arhowarhow Member Posts: 7
    I wonder if the date of production is relevent.
    Can any one whose car does not bounce ,check the
    production date! Later runs may have changes.Mine
    was produced in august..an early run.
  • lalalalalalalalalala Member Posts: 30
    mine was made in October 2003
  • arhowarhow Member Posts: 7
    to lalalalala..Tks 4 the info on the date of your
    sienna`s production.I will pass the info to
    the dealer..maybe later runs picked this up
    and corrected it.
  • lowsmokelowsmoke Member Posts: 6
    Haven't had any problems with the ride (or anything else!) in 10K miles, including trips from Virginia to Texas and Canada. The ride may be a little too soft at times, but is very comfortable on long trips. The OEM tires are Michelins, and the van was made in May or June.
  • impact01impact01 Member Posts: 95
    I don't think your problem has anything to do with production date. There are no such complaints from people who own very early 04 models in another forum that I frequent. Must be something to do with your tires.
  • momstruck1momstruck1 Member Posts: 206
    a after market dvd player in their sienna yet? I am looking into the sienna and the honda the honda is nice and I like the set up of their dvd player as the controls are easily reached by the driver . I have a dvd player in my truck now and the controls are all in the rear of the car. i have yet to find a sienna on the lot with a dvd player in it so i am only going on what i was told and that is that the player and controls are all in the rear. I would go with the honda but the third row seat kills me I hope they split it on the 05 as that is the end of this year when the new models come out. then i will know what to buy . Anyhow just wondering if you installed an after market dvd player and if you have the sound through the radio and the controls in the front.
  • kmeadkmead Member Posts: 232
    Many have installed aftermarket DVDs and they so far use a FM modulator to get sound through the factory stereo. Until a AUX input is available, the FM solution which is far from ideal is the only way to get sound into the system short of a cassette adapter.
This discussion has been closed.