Yesterday, I gave some advise to a person who was having some problems getting some issues resolved with a service department and it got me thinking. If you can't get an issue handled with one service department, DON'T take it to the district or regional level until you have had another dealership look at it.
By taking your vehicle to another Toyota dealership, you may find more responsive and better trained people to work on it. At the vary least, you may find somebody who listens better and this is important. Even if the new dealer can't fix the problem, they can better describe it when you do approach the regional folks.
Once your complaint hit the regional level, you're done. They are the final arbiters of what is covered under warranty (unless you choose legal recourse and that is dicey) and once they rule, your problem can't be addressed under warranty at another store.
This brings up a few more points about car buying in general. It does matter where you buy your vehicle. The best price is not always the best deal. The best deal is only had if your dealership will stand behind you after the sale. Shop for the right dealership before the sale. Barring that, shop for the best service department when you need it.
As I mentioned in post #744, about twice a year I load up the van interior (rear seats tilted) and the hitch cargo carrier. The Sienna sits very low and I bottomed out the cargo carrier frame a few times pulling in out of driveways, etc. Does anyone have any suggestions/experiences with either air inflatable shocks or spring levelers to level out the van some under these conditions. Under normal circumstances will these ruin the wonderful Sienna ride because of their stiffness? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
I just picked up my new 2001 LE, and a I have a few questions:
1. What brand tires are supposed to come on the LE version? I can't find any reference to brand anywhere. When I test drove the LE, it had Firestone tires. Mine came with Dunlops. Is that better? Worse? Does it matter?
2. Somehow I remember the LE being much quieter and smoother than mine seems. I feel the small bumps in the road (because of the Dunlops?). I really hear the engine, and it seems to idle high and noisily. Someone told me it had to break in, but the one I test drove was brand new too. Am I being oversensitive? I also really hear cars whoosh by. Am I missing soundproofing or stripping of some kind?
Carolina: From what I observed, Toyota puts both Firestones and Dunlops on their Sienna's. My 2000 came with Dunlops. Like you, I saw both Firestones & Dunlops on the Vans in the dealer's lot - there didn't seem to be any correlation between models - CE, LE, etc. It looked totally random to me. I didn't see any other brand of tires. I didn't get on my hands and knees to check the particular model of tire as the salesman was giving me funny looks while I was looking at the tires on 10 vans anyway. I have not experienced any pulling or vibration problems as noted in some other posts. Whether this is Dunlop related or not I have no clue. As far as your noise & bump(s) sense - I'm not the one to answer that one. I drove my Honda Accord for eleven years and the Sienna seems like a pillow with ear muffs in comparison. My wife just came back from a 450 mile trip last night complaining that the Sienna lulls her to sleep. Oh good, something else to worry about.....!
I know this is the Sienna board, and I have searched the archived for Previa info, but I wanted something fresh, and I realize alot of Sienna drivers are former Previa drivers.
We are looking at used Previas. We recently had a 95 inspected by a mechanic, and it had a bad drive shaft that needed to be replaced. I later called the local Toyota dealer, and they said that it isn't uncommon for Previas to have this problem at about 80,000 to 100,000 miles. Any Previa owners experience this?
What shaft are you referring to? There is the drive shaft for the rear drive wheels and there is the SAD accessory drive shaft bushings that do and have gone bad but so far not on our 92 Previa with 100,000 miles. Go to www.yotarepair.com for info. There is a kit that can be purchased to repair it and not near as expensive as the dealer price to repair it. There are a few other things to look for when buying a Previa. Ask and you shall receive. We have been very happy with our Previa. We also have a 98 Sienna with 43,000 miles.
Cliffy - Even though I believe in the theory of buying the car where you feel you will get the best service, and this is what I have always done, isn't it true that you can buy the car wherever you want to and then get it serviced under warranty at another, possibly more convenient dealership? Also, any ideas on the drifting I mentioned in post 759?
I can't help on the "drifting" as I have not experienced it, nor has any of my customers complained about it to me.
As for where to buy, you are correct that you can choose whatever dealership you want for service. The thing to keep in mind is that the dealership you bought it from *generally* will work a bit harder to keep you happy. This isn't always the case, but your salesman can actually get involved as an advocate on your behalf with the service guys. This only applies if you shopped hard for a top level dealership and salesman. If you shopped only on price, you're on your own.
I purchased a 2000 Sienna in Aug. 1999. I had severe pulling to the right and took it back to the dealer. The problem was attributed to radial runout on one of the Firestone tires and the tire was replaced. I noticed that I was getting some vibration after that and the dealer tried to balance the tires. All four tires could not be balanced! The dealers soultion was to replace all five tires with Michelins at no charge. I have 39,000 miles on the van at this time with no further pulling or balance problems. I did have two fuel injectors go bad at about 32,000 miles and these were replaced under warranty.
For dozer's question on the Previa -- My 92 Previa has 236,000 Miles and still running strong! The only repairs have been a new starter, an oxygen sensor and shocks on the rear. I would not hesitate to buy a used Previa if the price was right and everything checked out OK. The Previa is still much tighter feeling than the Sienna when driving on a straight and level road.
Thanks to the two of you with '92 Previas that answered my question. I am actually looking at a 92 Previa right now with 93,000 miles. I am just a bit skittish of buying a vehicle that old, but I do trust Toyotas.
Another question for you: How do you feel about the power of your 92 Previa? Is it sluggish when loaded or going up hills?
The thump I know. Mine is a 2001 XLE. I hear it like when pulling out of driveway. Sounds like something loose flopping around. Do not know what to make of it yet. It is something in the rear, undercarriage. Do not hear it on highway. Only at low speeds. Not terrible but do not want to let a problem go. My early production 98 Sienna XLE has zero problems. It was assembled perfectly and performed perfectly. I do feel the quality has declined. I know it takes much longer to build Sienna compared to Camry and the Sienna is less profitable overall. Toyota tire/Alignment problems are not systematic. They are real but vary. May dad had problem that was eventually fixed by adding MIchelins and non toyota dealer alignment. My 01 has a slight shudder at 65 mph only. This is unexpected and unlike my trouble free 98. INKY
This may not be the same problem, by any means, but I also noticed a thump at low speeds in my Sienna, toward the middle, sounding low in the car. One day, before I had a chance to post my question here, my husband was in the car with me when I heard it so I asked him if he heard that thump. Yup. He pointed out it was one of the unoccupied middle row seat shoulder belt buckles swinging against the car. Oops. Saved myself the embarrassment of asking y'all.
'cept now I've fessed up. Just in case that's what you're hearing as you navigate that dip in your driveway.
We have a 2000 DE 17k miles, sometimes we get a massive static shock when exiting the vehicle. the static discharge is discharged when touching the ground with shoes(depending on type or when touching another person (Kissing really hurts) Dealer has offered to clean the carpets, this just doesn't sound right. I once heard that tires can do this since they are low resistance type, any confirmation or thereys on this? Just for the record we really enjoy this vehicle,runs really smooth, yes we have the whistling noise at idle but when driving it is gone. The van handles like a car, it is a little on the small side, 19mpg in the city, 24-26 on the why. the DC player was cheerfully replaced, no other problems.
The shock is caused by a combination of dry weather, the type of shoes you are wearing, and how much you rub your feet on the carpet. My guess is you live in a dry cold place this time of year and you do not experience shock when it is summer. Although it probably won't make a difference once the carpets fully dry, take your dealer up on the cleaning offer. It can't hurt.
Bought a new 2000 Sienna. At 15K miles noticed steering wheel shimmy at 25-35 mph. dealer has rebalced and rotated tires every 5K miles. He said tires were cupped. Alignment was OK. dealer syas it's Firestone's proble. Firestone says they will replace tires at %0% off.
Q1. Is the shimmy a safety problem? I can live with the annoying shimmy.
Q2. If I do nothing will there be other problems with the van
Static is more prevelant in the winter than the summer. It has to do with humidity. The higher the humidity the less static build up. The explanation would take too long and be way off topic. The static shock can happen on any car. I hold the key or something metal in my hand and touch the door. Hold it tight. You can see a great blue spark without your finger feeling like you lost the tip of it.
You know, I thought that my WeatherTech rubber mats would dissipate static shock, but I was wrong. Guess it's also a function of my seat rubbing the van's seat. I usually touch the door on my way out and "take the pain." I'll try the key, though...
Yes, it is the butt friction that is causing the static problem. I have tried to be very careful as I get out of our Sienna but it still shocks me. It does happen in the winter only around here in South Houston.
I know this is just a cosmetic thing, but it's a brand new 2001 LE - I have the oak interior, and the dashboard has 3 different browns in it - the glove box and surround is one shade of brown, most of the dash is another shade of brown, and the hump over the steering wheel is yet another shade of brown. It looks like 3 different lots of fabric. Is this how they all are? Or is mine a "franken-dash"? What can I do? I'd be concern when I go to sell the van in the future and the prospective buyers want to know why I had so much of the dashboard replaced because the colors don't match!
I, too, had a thump in my 2000 XLE. It grew worse until it finally annoyed me. I took it to my dealer, the mechanic rode with me. It thumped beautifully for him!!
It was nothing more than a loose windshield washer fluid bottle. Every time the engine would torque, it would bump. There was also a piece of plastic around the wheel area, which may have been dislodged by a rock. After he tightened both, no thump!! It has been over a week now, and still no thump!!
It may be a long shot, but you may want to check it!!
I read this somewhere on Edmunds...the solution to the static buildup of our butts sliding around as we disembark is to put your finger on some metal AS YOU GO. This dissipates the buildup as it happens, rather than in a single, large, painful shock. Believe me, it works. I'd been getting awful shocks, but now, when I remember to touch the metal edge of my door as I get out, I don't get any shocks. What a relief!
The person who wrote about this (can't remember where) said it's worse in the van since we're higher up and sliding around more before we touch metal again. I live in the northeast, and when the temps and humidity dropped, yowza...I noticed it.
Ok, just when I thought I bought a really safe vehicle for my family, "60 Minutes" airs a show on how seat backs on many vehicles can break during rear impacts, hurling front seat occupants on top of their kids in the second row and seriously injuring or killing them! Does anyone know if the 2001 Sienna has the "new stronger seat backs" that have been implemented in "some" vehicles? Does anyone know where we can find out?
That was a bit on the irresponsible side to me. I saw the same thing but was shocked that they created so much fear but gave consumers absolutely no way to find out. "You can't find out" seemed to be what they said. If 60 Minutes can't get a list, I doubt we can here.
Should I or should I not be concerned about the click (it's actually a linkage-like noise) that I hear when I first apply the brakes to slow or stop when I am at over 40mph?
I own 1999 sieanna. First year it ran fine. It has been annoying lately. The dealer don't hear that.
I know the sound you are hearing but I don't know what it is. My Tundra does the same thing at any speed. My technicians here have not been able to tell me the cause. Not all Tundras do this but the ones equipped with ABS do, so I assume this has something to do with it. As long as the braking system is not affected, I wouldn't worry about it.
We had the same transmission failure happen to us on Monday. We were driving in the middle lane of a busy highway and our 2000 Sienna completely lost power. Fortunately, we were able to coast into a parking lot. The dealer told us that the transmission was shot and that there were metal filings in the fluid. The car is under warranty, so the dealer is replacing the transmission but is using a remanufactured transmission. Should we have concerns about this? The dealer says that Toyota did the remanufacturing and that the transmission is new except for the external casing.
Also, I don't know that we will ever trust the minivan again. I'd appreciate any thoughts on whether we can expect the transmission to fail again.
I had a static charge problem with mu vehivle as well. The dealer suggested to spray the cloth seat material with "static guard" normally used on clothes. This fixed the problem completey.
Sorry to hear about your misfortune. I too had that happen with only 10K on my 2000 Sienna. Dublin Toyota in CA replaced the cranny and torque converter with new parts under warranty. There are some on this forum that don't believe that this is actually occurring and may down play the extent and severity of this problem. There have been several others who have posted similar failures over the past year. I wonder how many other Sennas have had cranny and torque converter problems that haven't reported it here in the Town Hall?
I tried to get an extended service warranty from Dublin Toyota for some peace of mind, they said no. Went back to my purchasing dealership, Fremont Toyota to see what they would do since I had been bringing it in regularly for oil changes. Was ready to strike a deal with the Service Manager to pay for the extended service contract but get the 15k, 30k and 45k servicing for free. Went back at the beginning of the week to buy the contract only to find that the Service Manager quit, his replacement wouldn't honor the deal and neither would the General Manager. Highly unethical business practices. I escalated to the District Parts and Service Manager as well as the 800# Customer Assistance Center with no better results either. I am no longer having the Sienna serviced there and will not recommend Fremont Toyota for any sales or servicing to my friends or associates. I finally opened a formal complaint with the National Highway Safety Transportation Administration so they have it on file hopefully to accumulate with other Sienna owners. It doesn't make me feel any better about the integrity of the vehicle or the safety of driving with the family at freeway speeds with the replacement parts. I've also had the "check enginge light" come on twice in the last four months. The first for a leaking charcoal canister and the other for a loose vacum hose. I suspect that these are related to having to disconnect and reconnect all the electrical, cooling and mechanical systems when the tranny was replaced.
Yikes...now people will think I was swearing something awful. A minor slip...happy to fix.
I have a 2000LE and experienced the torque converter problem. Not a big deal. I'm very happy with the van and was recommending it to my sister who has visited this board. She questioned the transmission failures. I went to the trouble to read through this board and marked 13 different people who had a transmission failure. Two of them were at very low mileage (118 and 550mi) and included the t/c, so possibly the service dept. was over-zealous replacing their tranny. One person didn't include their mileage. The 10 remaining had failures between about 8k and 36k miles.
One (katokato on 12/28/00) said his serv. dept. person said they were "seeing these". My question is whether any Toyota people out there know of any TSBs, or any info about Toyota being aware of the cause of these failures?
With the t/c...Toyota identified some bad parts - they listed manuf. dates affected, etc. I felt pretty good knowing they had identified what the problem was.
Though 10 or 13 people seems high to me...similar to the # of t/c people, this could, of course, just be in the "stuff (or as I wrote originally '@#$%^') happens" category.
Just wondered if Cliffy or anyone else had any further helpful info? It's kind of scared my sister off, and I'd like to reassure her.
"You are purchasing a vehicle that still falls within 36 months or 36,000 miles (whichever occurs first) and desire a better coverage beyond the factory warranty"
Sorry I didn't email you--I'm away from my "home" computer this weekend and wanted to make sure your otherwise excellent message got posted. Your "slip" is heard on TV all the time, but we have "higher" standards here on Town Hall :-). At least that what we tell ourselves! Steve Host Vans, SUVs and Aftermarket & Accessories message boards
Thanks for the Platinum VSA information. It is a very competitive price. What I was trying to get Toyota ( Dealership, District Manager and 800#) to do, was to take ownership and acknowledgement of the problem and be consistent in the way they handle this situation. Of the past tranny and torque converter problems posted, there have been a few owners that have gotten "free" Gold or Platinum VSAs either from their Dealer or the 800#.
For us as consumers to fork out another $600+ on a highly rated, top of the line vehicle from Toyota rubs me the wrong way to cover their known manufacturing defect. I paid a premium for a relatively trouble free mini-van, so I thought. I randomally asked a person I saw parking a 2000 Sienna yesterday in a shopping ceneter in the SF area what was their service history. Lo and behold they shared with me that at 10k miles the transmission had to be replaced. He further went on to say that he has heard this lament from other Sienna owners too.
I am also getting shocked when I exit my sienna-only when it is low humidity (luckily I live in SE so it is only a few months of the year). I get the shock on my hand when I go to close the door. I have never had this problem with any other car. I try to put my hand on the window to close the door. I will try the static guard though. That might help.
Static shock is not unique to the Sienna by any stretch of the imagination. It can occur with any vehicle due to a variety of circumstances; the key element being dry weather, carpeting, and seats. I'd be curious to know if anyone with leather interior has had the shocking experience.
As one of many former Windstar owners who made the switch to Sienna (who wouldn't after checking out the Windstar discussions!), I have a few questions of Sienna owners. 1) I was told to use mid-grade gas (89+ octane) and not regular 87 octane. Good advice to spend the extra dime per gallon or does 87 octane work just as well? 2) I was told to be careful on the type of oil, dealer suggested Mobil or Valvoline, because other types may do harm to the engine. Anyone else heard that? 3) I got Firestone tires on mine. I thought these would be better than Dunlops or others, but was wondering if these Firestones are OK. 4) I bought the extended warranty for 5 yrs, 100,000 miles for $950. Good investment? Or a waste of $$? Other Toyota owners have told me don't bother with extended warranties, you won't need them. However, like I said, I used to own a Windstar.......
There's lots of discussion on all your questions if you care to read back 700+ responses. I am a 2000LE owner and have read 'em, so FWIW:
1) Gas: Regular gas seems fine to me. I get 22/23 mpg.
2) Oil: There's a board on Edmunds, under maint., called "sludge"...more than you'd EVER want to know. Worry over sludge in engines, and a rare few people convinced Toyotas V-6 can be prey to this, is probably what prompted the advice. If you change your oil every 3k to 5k, no worries. If you're not a real stickler for maint., paying up for synthetic oil seems to be good advice. (I made my husband do it for his truck!)
3) Tires: I'm driving around in Maine (ice, slush, etc.) on the Firestones and doing just fine. And I'm brand new to this weather, my first winter in the east. On the other hand, I SLOW DOWN... I've read several times that Michelins have a really good rep.
4) Extra Warranty: Advice from Edmunds.com...no need for warranties. OTOH, it'll sure feel great if you use it! Hope you don't have to.
I checked through this board, and though not all the posts seem to be here due to the software change, I found 34 people who saw the check engine/bad t/c problem...vs. the 13 I found with transmission failures.
I think this definitely puts the transmissions into the "weird stuff" category...or as one person had happen, failures resulting from mistakes when the t/c was replaced!
I'd still appreciate any knowledgeable feedback, but I feel pretty confident telling my sister there doesn't seem to be a transmission problem with the Sienna. Anyone agree/disagree?
After 650 miles my break and ABS buzzer sounded. My brakes went so I had it towed to my dealership. The "hydraulic brake booster" needs to be replaced. Anyone have any problems with this yet?
My manual sliding door keeps getting stuck. My very accommodating dealer first lubricated it and then replaced the latching mechanism; all courteously and under warranty. However, the problem persists. Before I bring it back in next week does anyone have any suggestions?
I have a 2000 XLE with about 15k miles in 7months. I have had no mechanical problems at all during this time. Recently I have noticed excessive wind noise which I believe is coming from the windshield, in particular the top part that borders the roof. It is really only noticeable at speeds greater then 60-70mph. Does anybody else have this problem? Is it worth trying to get the local toyota dealership to fix this?
I had the same problem, and it was the kids spilling soft drinks on the rubber seal around the door. The dealership used penetrating oil to clean, and the problem went away.
I had a lot wind noise in another new car of mine and complained to the dealer. They removed the windshield as they agreed with me that the wind noise was excessive from the driver's side bottom corner. Upon removal they found a lack of sealant in that area.
I don't agree that there isn't a problem with the Sienna transmission from the 2000 year manufactured vehicles as indicated in the 23 cases filed on the NHSTA Web site for Complaints and Defects. Maybe it is getting better for the 2001 model.
You need to use the search field on the left side of the page and select; Year: 2000, Make: Toyota Truck, Model: Sienna. From there go into the; Type of Component: Power Train:Transmission Automatic/Torque Converter.
Thanks for the site info and how to navigate. I never realized Sienna was under Toyota Truck and therefore could never get any data!
I only saw 15 items under "transmission", are you adding that to "torque converter" cases? It still seems pretty low. I went back and checked the number of t/c cases on this board and quit when I got to over 30. Funny that there are more transmission than t/c cases at nhtsa. Possibly the t/c case was well documented by Toyota so people didn't complain as much, also, transmissions that cease working while barrelling down the highway tend to make people more upset than a check engine light alone does.
I still suspect some of the transmission cases may be due to bad t/c repairs (one mentions the combo) and the rest still seem like a small number to me. I'm going to ask my service dept. next time I'm in about their experience...but, I'm in a pretty small population area. Would still appreciate feedback from Toyota people in bigger areas...NY, CA, etc.
Let's hope if there is a defect, that the 2001 is free of it...as you said. I'd still recommend this car to my sister based on the info I have so far. I'd love to know if there is a TSB out there on the transmission. Anyone??
So, maybe I'm not being oversensitive to sound! I have a brand new Sienna LE, only 360 miles, and I noticed that at 45 mph I hear a lot of wind noise in the same area you speak of, gsmith. I was going to test drive another one to see if it does the same thing, or if it's just mine. Let me know if you bring it up to your dealer.
I have a 2001 Sienna and want to get a tow hitch for my small aluminum boat. Has anyone gotten one from some other place than a Toyota dealer? The dealer wants $550.00 for hitch, wiring harness and install. J.C.Whitney will sell me the hitch for $120.00 another $20.00 for wiring harness. I can do it myself if its bolt on, but get concerned if I have to make holes! Please tell me about your experience - Thanks, Chris
Comments
By taking your vehicle to another Toyota dealership, you may find more responsive and better trained people to work on it. At the vary least, you may find somebody who listens better and this is important. Even if the new dealer can't fix the problem, they can better describe it when you do approach the regional folks.
Once your complaint hit the regional level, you're done. They are the final arbiters of what is covered under warranty (unless you choose legal recourse and that is dicey) and once they rule, your problem can't be addressed under warranty at another store.
This brings up a few more points about car buying in general. It does matter where you buy your vehicle. The best price is not always the best deal. The best deal is only had if your dealership will stand behind you after the sale. Shop for the right dealership before the sale. Barring that, shop for the best service department when you need it.
1. What brand tires are supposed to come on the LE version? I can't find any reference to brand anywhere. When I test drove the LE, it had Firestone tires. Mine came with Dunlops. Is that better? Worse? Does it matter?
2. Somehow I remember the LE being much quieter and smoother than mine seems. I feel the small bumps in the road (because of the Dunlops?). I really hear the engine, and it seems to idle high and noisily. Someone told me it had to break in, but the one I test drove was brand new too. Am I being oversensitive? I also really hear cars whoosh by. Am I missing soundproofing or stripping of some kind?
Thanks for any insight you can give me!
From what I observed, Toyota puts both Firestones and Dunlops on their Sienna's. My 2000 came with Dunlops. Like you, I saw both Firestones & Dunlops on the Vans in the dealer's lot - there didn't seem to be any correlation between models - CE, LE, etc. It looked totally random to me. I didn't see any other brand of tires. I didn't get on my hands and knees to check the particular model of tire as the salesman was giving me funny looks while I was looking at the tires on 10 vans anyway. I have not experienced any pulling or vibration problems as noted in some other posts. Whether this is Dunlop related or not I have no clue.
As far as your noise & bump(s) sense - I'm not the one to answer that one. I drove my Honda Accord for eleven years and the Sienna seems like a pillow with ear muffs in comparison. My wife just came back from a 450 mile trip last night complaining that the Sienna lulls her to sleep. Oh good, something else to worry about.....!
We are looking at used Previas. We recently had a 95 inspected by a mechanic, and it had a bad drive shaft that needed to be replaced. I later called the local Toyota dealer, and they said that it isn't uncommon for Previas to have this problem at about 80,000 to 100,000 miles. Any Previa owners experience this?
Also, any ideas on the drifting I mentioned in post 759?
As for where to buy, you are correct that you can choose whatever dealership you want for service. The thing to keep in mind is that the dealership you bought it from *generally* will work a bit harder to keep you happy. This isn't always the case, but your salesman can actually get involved as an advocate on your behalf with the service guys. This only applies if you shopped hard for a top level dealership and salesman. If you shopped only on price, you're on your own.
For dozer's question on the Previa -- My 92 Previa has 236,000 Miles and still running strong! The only repairs have been a new starter, an oxygen sensor and shocks on the rear. I would not hesitate to buy a used Previa if the price was right and everything checked out OK. The Previa is still much tighter feeling than the Sienna when driving on a straight and level road.
Another question for you: How do you feel about the power of your 92 Previa? Is it sluggish when loaded or going up hills?
You should be aware that the Previa did poorly in the IIHS 40mph offset crash test though:
http://www.hwysafety.org/vehicle_ratings/ce/html/96022.htm
Drew
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Vans, SUVs, and Aftermarket and Accessories message boards
My early production 98 Sienna XLE has zero problems. It was assembled perfectly and performed perfectly. I do feel the quality has declined. I know it takes much longer to build Sienna compared to Camry and the Sienna is less profitable overall. Toyota tire/Alignment problems are not systematic. They are real but vary. May dad had problem that was eventually fixed by adding MIchelins and non toyota dealer alignment.
My 01 has a slight shudder at 65 mph only. This is unexpected and unlike my trouble free 98.
INKY
This may not be the same problem, by any means, but I also noticed a thump at low speeds in my Sienna, toward the middle, sounding low in the car. One day, before I had a chance to post my question here, my husband was in the car with me when I heard it so I asked him if he heard that thump. Yup. He pointed out it was one of the unoccupied middle row seat shoulder belt buckles swinging against the car. Oops. Saved myself the embarrassment of asking y'all.
'cept now I've fessed up. Just in case that's what you're hearing as you navigate that dip in your driveway.
Hope that's all it is for you too!
Just for the record we really enjoy this vehicle,runs really smooth, yes we have the whistling noise at idle but when driving it is gone. The van handles like a car, it is a little on the small side, 19mpg in the city, 24-26 on the why. the DC player was cheerfully replaced, no other problems.
Q1. Is the shimmy a safety problem? I can live with the annoying shimmy.
Q2. If I do nothing will there be other problems with the van
Q3. Should I replace the tires at 50% off?
It was nothing more than a loose windshield washer fluid bottle. Every time the engine would torque, it would bump. There was also a piece of plastic around the wheel area, which may have been dislodged by a rock. After he tightened both, no thump!! It has been over a week now, and still no thump!!
It may be a long shot, but you may want to check it!!
I read this somewhere on Edmunds...the solution to the static buildup of our butts sliding around as we disembark is to put your finger on some metal AS YOU GO. This dissipates the buildup as it happens, rather than in a single, large, painful shock. Believe me, it works. I'd been getting awful shocks, but now, when I remember to touch the metal edge of my door as I get out, I don't get any shocks. What a relief!
The person who wrote about this (can't remember where) said it's worse in the van since we're higher up and sliding around more before we touch metal again. I live in the northeast, and when the temps and humidity dropped, yowza...I noticed it.
Good Luck!
I own 1999 sieanna. First year it ran fine. It has been annoying lately. The dealer don't hear
that.
Also, I don't know that we will ever trust the minivan again. I'd appreciate any thoughts on whether we can expect the transmission to fail again.
I tried to get an extended service warranty from Dublin Toyota for some peace of mind, they said no. Went back to my purchasing dealership, Fremont Toyota to see what they would do since I had been bringing it in regularly for oil changes. Was ready to strike a deal with the Service Manager to pay for the extended service contract but get the 15k, 30k and 45k servicing for free. Went back at the beginning of the week to buy the contract only to find that the Service Manager quit, his replacement wouldn't honor the deal and neither would the General Manager. Highly unethical business practices. I escalated to the District Parts and Service Manager as well as the 800# Customer Assistance Center with no better results either. I am no longer having the Sienna serviced there and will not recommend Fremont Toyota for any sales or servicing to my friends or associates. I finally opened a formal complaint with the National Highway Safety Transportation Administration so they have it on file hopefully to accumulate with other Sienna owners. It doesn't make me feel any better about the integrity of the vehicle or the safety of driving with the family at freeway speeds with the replacement parts. I've also had the "check enginge light" come on twice in the last four months. The first for a leaking charcoal canister and the other for a loose vacum hose. I suspect that these are related to having to disconnect and reconnect all the electrical, cooling and mechanical systems when the tranny was replaced.
I have a 2000LE and experienced the torque converter problem. Not a big deal. I'm very happy with the van and was recommending it to my sister who has visited this board. She questioned the transmission failures. I went to the trouble to read through this board and marked 13 different people who had a transmission failure. Two of them were at very low mileage (118 and 550mi) and included the t/c, so possibly the service dept. was over-zealous replacing their tranny. One person didn't include their mileage. The 10 remaining had failures between about 8k and 36k miles.
One (katokato on 12/28/00) said his serv. dept. person said they were "seeing these". My question is whether any Toyota people out there know of any TSBs, or any info about Toyota being aware of the cause of these failures?
With the t/c...Toyota identified some bad parts - they listed manuf. dates affected, etc. I felt pretty good knowing they had identified what the problem was.
Though 10 or 13 people seems high to me...similar to the # of t/c people, this could, of course, just be in the "stuff (or as I wrote originally '@#$%^') happens" category.
Just wondered if Cliffy or anyone else had any further helpful info? It's kind of scared my sister off, and I'd like to reassure her.
I love my van!
You can buy a Toyota Platinum Plan 72 mth/75K mile/$0 deductible from a Toyota dealership in Iowa City, Iowa for $665. The web site is at:
http://www.toyotawarranty.com
Eligibility rules are simple:
"You are purchasing a vehicle that still falls within 36 months or 36,000 miles (whichever occurs first) and desire a better coverage beyond the factory warranty"
Steve
Host
Vans, SUVs and Aftermarket & Accessories message boards
For us as consumers to fork out another $600+ on a highly rated, top of the line vehicle from Toyota rubs me the wrong way to cover their known manufacturing defect. I paid a premium for a relatively trouble free mini-van, so I thought. I randomally asked a person I saw parking a 2000 Sienna yesterday in a shopping ceneter in the SF area what was their service history. Lo and behold they shared with me that at 10k miles the transmission had to be replaced. He further went on to say that he has heard this lament from other Sienna owners too.
There's lots of discussion on all your questions if you care to read back 700+ responses. I am a 2000LE owner and have read 'em, so FWIW:
1) Gas: Regular gas seems fine to me. I get 22/23 mpg.
2) Oil: There's a board on Edmunds, under maint., called "sludge"...more than you'd EVER want to know. Worry over sludge in engines, and a rare few people convinced Toyotas V-6 can be prey to this, is probably what prompted the advice. If you change your oil every 3k to 5k, no worries. If you're not a real stickler for maint., paying up for synthetic oil seems to be good advice. (I made my husband do it for his truck!)
3) Tires: I'm driving around in Maine (ice, slush, etc.) on the Firestones and doing just fine. And I'm brand new to this weather, my first winter in the east. On the other hand, I SLOW DOWN... I've read several times that Michelins have a really good rep.
4) Extra Warranty: Advice from Edmunds.com...no need for warranties. OTOH, it'll sure feel great if you use it! Hope you don't have to.
Enjoy...isn't the ride great?
I checked through this board, and though not all the posts seem to be here due to the software change, I found 34 people who saw the check engine/bad t/c problem...vs. the 13 I found with transmission failures.
I think this definitely puts the transmissions into the "weird stuff" category...or as one person had happen, failures resulting from mistakes when the t/c was replaced!
I'd still appreciate any knowledgeable feedback, but I feel pretty confident telling my sister there doesn't seem to be a transmission problem with the Sienna. Anyone agree/disagree?
http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems/complain/
You need to use the search field on the left side of the page and select; Year: 2000, Make: Toyota Truck, Model: Sienna. From there go into the; Type of Component: Power Train:Transmission Automatic/Torque Converter.
I only saw 15 items under "transmission", are you adding that to "torque converter" cases? It still seems pretty low. I went back and checked the number of t/c cases on this board and quit when I got to over 30. Funny that there are more transmission than t/c cases at nhtsa. Possibly the t/c case was well documented by Toyota so people didn't complain as much, also, transmissions that cease working while barrelling down the highway tend to make people more upset than a check engine light alone does.
I still suspect some of the transmission cases may be due to bad t/c repairs (one mentions the combo) and the rest still seem like a small number to me. I'm going to ask my service dept. next time I'm in about their experience...but, I'm in a pretty small population area. Would still appreciate feedback from Toyota people in bigger areas...NY, CA, etc.
Let's hope if there is a defect, that the 2001 is free of it...as you said. I'd still recommend this car to my sister based on the info I have so far. I'd love to know if there is a TSB out there on the transmission. Anyone??