Toyota Sienna Maintenance and Repair (2004+)

tolenal

We purchased our Sienna March 2003. Here is the laundry list of things that have been fixed on our van. These were expected being a first year production model after the update. Please don't get me wrong. We still love the van.

1. FM modulator for the port installed dvd player had a buzzing sound through the speakers when in operation. Resolution: moved FM modulator away from the nearest power source.

1a. Parking brake would not disengage. Resolution: adjustment and lubrication.

1b. Abnormal sound in drive side door frame (next to my ear) like adhesive being pulled apart repeatedly. Resolution: lubricated foam door seals.

2. Gas tank recall. Resolution: replaced.

3. Passenger side second row captain's chair rattled. Resolution: adjusted anchor and replaced brace.

4. Pause before transmission engages after depressing gas at low speeds. Resolution: updated software for transmission timing (see Technical Service Bulletin).

All the problems listed above were all covered under the warranty and was resolved by the Toyota dealership in Katy. I just needed to articulate the problem carefully.

We have taken our van long driving from Houston to El Paso then to the Grand Canyon last summer. After a few days in Las Vegas we continued our trip to San Diego before spending the rest of our vacation in Los Angeles. The van is fun to drive and did not make me tired even on long hauls. The dvd was great. It kept our two kids occupied (with headphones) while my wife and I talked and listened to music and other things on the CD. This year we are going to Washington DC and New York.

We would get 26 to 28 MPG on the interstate on the long trips. Usually about 23.5 mixed city and highway around town.

rodc1

I have a 2004 limited therefore it has HID lights.
I've had van about 4 months. Dealer will have part in tomorrow, went there yesterday. I'll let you guys know if it's the bulb or another part. Strange to have it fail so soon.

cybernut04

Many thanks to tolenal for posting this message - I found it very helpful, especially: 4. Pause before transmission engages after depressing gas at low speeds. Resolution: updated software for transmission timing (see Technical Service Bulletin).

Along with the AC problem I posted about recently, I have experienced this sluggish transmission as well. It will be great to be able to not only describe the situation to the dealer but to reference the TSB on transmission timing.

And this makes me wonder how many other characteristics of the Sienna I've been taking as "that's just the way it works" when in fact they are defects. And that makes me determined to read this forum much more often!

tigermau

Is anyone else out there having problems getting Homelink to learn the frequency of your garage door opener?

I tried following the owner's manual instructions: Press and hold the desired homelink button and cycle the garage remote button every 2 seconds until the homelink display light flashes quickly. This should happen about 20 seconds after holding down the homelink button. All I get is a slow flashing. I assume it will have learned the frequency when it flashes fast.

Help, any suggestions?
Thanks in advance? Oh btw, I have an LE AWD (arctic pearl white) with a spoiler, fog lights, 17" rims and tinted front windows. It looks very cool in an SUV kind of way. :-)

momstruck1

has anyone here gotten a small bottle of touch up paint for their toyota yet? i always got on from GM when i leased my cars from them and now that i have purchased this van i was wondering if maybe I should order one for the van . i used it once on an old gm van and it worked wonders for a small tiny scratch and with the silver shadow van i just think it wise to have in the house. BTW I live in NY so you know how people here park and how lousy they are at hitting peoples bumpers. I got a price from brandsport for 6.95 for the paint it is toyota and it is the matching color. any ideas on this?

nickles

I picked up my Phantom Gray touch up paint from www.trdparts4u.com.

garnerj

I'd say get it... If a scratch or nick goes all the way down to the base metal you will eventually get a rust spot... even if you cannot match the exact spot you will at least prevent rusting. Also pickup a bottle of clear coat.

I purchased both (desert sand) and I used it on a spot... I purchased a paint pen. Its very hard with the metalic paints to match exactly... But its better the nothing.

momstruck1

i am going to order it just to have it i am also goin gto look and see about a clear coat also . Thanks for the help.

ideaphoria

Hi everyone, I just got my XLE sienna back from the dealership in Dallas. I had to fight fight fight to get them to finally "discover" that there is a second row seat rattle fix that involves replacing the mechanism under the seat that moves. Also found out that toyota has a fix for the sliding doors that move a little and creak whilst driving - they replace the latches. Know that if you nag enough, there are fixes for these issues and your dealer needs to deal with the regional office if they can't figure it out for themselves. I am, frankly, shocked that toyota has made this a difficult process, and have a newfound respect for american automobiles. I think the sienna is a great car, but next time I will strongly consider a Ford.

davenow

Read:
Message #587 Re: Finally able to program my garage door opener by kip Mar 29, 2004 (5:01 pm)

sarniasting

There are certain models of garage door openers with rolling codes which will not work with homelink. I have a Dalton and cannot program the home link. Your dealership should have a list of the garage door openers which are not compatable. Goodluck.

cliquez

I'm sorry I wasn't able to post what happened to the dashboard noise in my 04 XLE (posted sometime in the first week of April). Unfortunately, they can't pinpoint what causes that noise. I brought the van in the dealer for three times since April and the only thing they did was a cosmetic solution, they added more insulation in the dashboard. For a couple of weeks, we didn't hear the noise but a couple of days ago, we are hearing the noise again but not as loud as before (probably due to insulation they added). In addition to that, they did a terrible job in putting back the dashboard. I'll bring again the van this week to the dealer. If they can't fix it, I'll call Toyota to contest it as lemon.

rodc1

Bulb for right headlight came in Thursday, still no light. The service writer told me they called tech support and had to order a ecu for the lighting system. Hopefully this works. If anyone else has had a headlight failure on a 2004 limited please post your story, may need some help.

paliwoda

Yes, very easy to set the doors to lock and unlock the way you wantt them to (I have them set to lock above 15mph and unlock when I shift to park)

ideaphoria

Hi, where is your dashboard noise? Do you have the 6-disk CD changer? It may be the bottom tray INSIDE the CD player that taps very lightly on the bottom of the unit. The only way to solve this issue is force Toyota to replace the entire unit, or take the entire unit apart and put felt under the bottom little metal tray. I forced toyota to replace my entire unit - because that tapping drove me crazy. The way to know for sure if this is the problem, is to drive around for a few minutes with your had inside the casette player, pushing upward. If you are not brave, don't do this. You might cut your hand a little bit. But this is how I proved to myself the tapping noise was inside the radio.

cliquez

Thanks for the info. It has GPS installed so it doesn't have a 6 cd changer. The noise seems coming either from the center or the passenger side. Just as I mentioned, it was like your key chain in the ignition key banging on the dashboard. But after the dealer added foam (insulation) in the dashboard, the noise was gone for about 2 weeks. We hear the noise again though the noise is now less noticeable but the same frequency as before. The dealer did a lousy job in putting back the dashboard. I brought the van this morning to the dealer to fix it. If this problem will persist, I will probably contacting Toyota.

weid4

cliquez,
I had the same issue as ideaphoria, but ours was a single CD player (9/03 XLE build). Over the course of six months, the dealer was not able to re-create the problem. It drove me nuts because it was completely random. After I filed a complaint with Toyota and got my salesperson involved, the dealer agreed to replace the unit. Problem completely solved.

As ideaphoria described, if you have the same problem, you can isolate it to the CD unit if you wait until you hear it again, then stop the sound by pressing upward inside the cassette deck (in my case). The sound should stop until you stop pressing upward. My sound was more of a rattle vs. the banging sound you described, though.

terry77

We just got the dealer-installed hitch on our new 2004 Sienna and have the same scraping problem that you described. Dealer and Toyota have been no help so far. We did not have this problem with our 1999 Sienna and had no scaping problems with five people, a dog, and luggage on board and a 1900-lb camper towed behind. Have you been able to solve this problem?

weedshasta

See my post #586. I found the secret is that you hold the buttons much longer than they say to. They say 20 seconds and it took about 90 seconds before it flashed like it is supposed to.

danog

I called the dealer about the locks and was told it had to be programmed by the service center. I read somewhere? in the manual that backed this up only to find out while at the dealer the options are in the manual on page 24.

I needed a front end alignment anyway so the trip wasn't a waste.

steph280

Sounds like a HID ballast failure. Although that's rare (ratio of 1 in 3000), they do fail. It's a box on the headlamp housing where the light is connected to. They are not cheap to replace.

It could also be bad wiring. I'd be suprised if the technician hasn't check for voltage at the light.

falls1

I have about 1900 miles and since day one I notice that when going over a rough road or even a slightly rough road my driver door makes a noise like its the rubber gaskets compressing. A sort of squish sound. Anyone else have this? Its only the driver doors. Other than this minor thing my vehicle is great. The gas mileage is lower than what I thought it would be. I am at 18.7 mpg driving half highway and city

momstruck1

do you recommend doing it at the dealership? I was just wondering because i go to a really good guy not in a dealership with my other cars and wanted to know if the dealership was worth it? Also at the pick up date it the guy said about 3,000 miles the toyota book says more then that and the sticker in the window for the dealership it was shipped to before my dealer got it says 1,000 miles . so you see the delima.? anyway just figured I would ask two weeks and I love it !

kmead

Follow the recomendation in the manual, which as I recall is 5k miles. I would use the dealer on the first one as you may or may not have some other waranty work that needs attention. After that go to your independent and keep the reciepts, following the Toyota recomendations.

weid4

falls1,
We have the same sound. It sounds like the weather stripping at the top of the door is moving. At first I thought the door wasn't closing enough, but it seems tight to me (and doesn't leak). It hasn't bothered me to the point of bringing the car in. I was waiting for the next oil change to mention it. Regarding MPG, we have about 7,000 miles and are getting between 20-24 mpg overall. On long trips we get around 27.

falls1

I hear you on taking it in only at the time of an oil change. I can't see wasting a day on this item. I am not getting any leakiing also. I am concerned about my mileage, but will give it time. I only have 2000 miles and lately have done mostly city driving.

rodc1

Last week had ecu replaced to fix failure of right headlight. Had to remove front bumper. Working fine now.

petr

Matt
my wife had the very same experience except it was on a freeway at 65mph with several children in the car. She pushed the gas pedal all the way down since she wanted to pass a car in front of her. When she let go, the pedal stayed on the floor. She tried to brake but against the full throttle, it did not really work very well. She actually started smelling the brakes. Then she put the gear to N and tried to stop it that way but the engine was revving up so she put it back to D and stepped on the gas several times until released itself and then she stopped the car. As you say - very frightening experience.
We towed the car to the dealer, they had it for several days, tested it, called a factory specialist and declared that there was nothing wrong with the car. We could not make them do anything else (e.g. replace all parts that could have contributed to the problem, etc.)

Anybody else had an experience like that? Any advice what to do? We don't want to have this happen to us again.

petr

We have Sienna CE 2004 and the lights don't seem to go off either nor does it beep when you leave them on. Very unusual - even cheaper cars do this sort of warning. The manual says that it should turn itself off after a while but when I asked teh dealer they said my model did nto have it.

wwest

Several years ago I test drove a Miata that did that until I pulled over and discovered that the cardboard carpet covering that the dealer was using to protect the carpet was keeping the pedal from returning to its normal position when I lifted my foot.

Worth checking for carpet interference.

jzwu

Mine turns the headlights off after a while.

amritsari

we have test driven two Sienna LEs. Both of them had this wierd rattling sound coming from the dashboard. In one of them I was able to make it go away by pressing down on the speaker grill (both Sienna's had the premium sound system, if that is relevant). In one the noise only came when the van was moving, in the other it was intermittent and sometimes came even when the van was at a standstill (but engine running). There was no correlation with the radio being on/off. I'm trying to get the dealer to fix the problem before I buy. Any suggestions on the real cause and persistence of this problem ?

amritsari

In case anyone asks, the two sienna's did NOT have any CD changers. They had packages #6 and #9 - single CD player.

mkemp1

We took delivery of our Sienna Le #4 right after Christmas. In the 5 months and 12,000 miles since we took delivery, we have had the following problems/repairs done to our minivan (all under warranty): a new front strut (at 1500 miles), a new front speaker for a buzzing noise, wind noise repair according to the TSB, replacement of warped molding around the passenger side door, replacement of the rear vent motor, and lubing of the power door.

The major problem that we have had with this minivan is the manual sliding door. This door refuses to latch open on an intermittent basis. It occurs with the window fully up and does not occur on a predictable basis. It is extremely annoying as it is the side that my infant daughter rides on. The minivan has been back to the dealer 4+ times for a repair and the dealer has 1st time: replaced the latch, 2nd time: could not duplicate the problem so they did nothing, 3rd time: replaced the latch, and 4th time: told us that it happens when the window is down because that was how they observed the problem. We are picking the minivan up tomorrow (after it being in the shop 6 days this week) with no resolution.

We have not had the minivan a complete month since we took delivery and we estimate that we have been without it for 15-20 days over the 5 month period. In MD where we live for a car to be declared a lemon a complaint must be registered before 15,000 miles, the problem has to be "repaired" 4 times, and you have to be without the car for 30 days over a 15 month/15,000 period. We have complained to the dealership and their resolution was to offer us the option of purchasing (at our cost) an extended warranty which normally is not available outside of the 30 day period after delivery. We contacted Toyota directly and they are referring a regional rep to deal with the dispute. Anybody else have suggestions what to do?

robairto

I just completed a 1500 mile trip, most of it expressway driving. I have a 2004 le with package no.1. For the most part I will be comparing this van to the 2000 I previously owned with 91k when I traded. I noticed a little less stability at 45mph on a tight circle as you may find on a traffic circle or exit ramp. This may account for the lack of a sway bar, I can't really say. Some of the following may be repetative from my fist input to this web site so bear with me. The van performed very well overall, nice acceleration at speeds 60 and above, also from a stop. I found van to handle upper speeds much better than expected, one exception was in a down hill run when the car in front of me suddenly slammed on his breaks a he saw a police officer with a hand held radar "taking pictures" this forced me to serve in the the driving lane between two semi,s the van nose dived but recovered quickly under gentle but firm braking, this was far from a panic response but it got my attention real fast. The air filtration noise I reported in the fist message seems to have taken a vacation but I do appreciate the response from sxdesant as to his recommended solution. I now have 5k and I am still happy. My trip mileage average was about 26 for the open road and about 20 "around town" up 1 for town and 2 for open road. I have found my speedometer indicates 2 miles higher than actual.{that my be a blessing}. I also found my van has about 2 gal. of fuel left after the electronics indicate 0 and the low fuel light on. This van also has less wind turbulance when trailing a semi as was the norm for the 2000. I am wondering if Toyota is at all concerned about their customer satisfaction? Their product still seams to be top notch, the sales staff just as friendly before the sale, but have a problem after and you might as well save your breath and don,t ever wait for a promised phone call. It ain',t a gonna happen. Well I rambled enough, I'll keep in touch. Robairto.

rceggl

You should be able to buy the extended warranty up to three years from day of purchase. If dealer is saying 30 days, I would be very suspicious.

kmead

Might I suggest a search on google? A simple search for Sienna Delivery Checklist should garner the result you desire.

freebird

Try toyotawarranty.com. Factory warranty sold by a dealer. Must be within 3 year/36,000 bumper to bumper warranty.

ashori

bakelly11,
You need to put your light switch to Auto

rceggl

Are there problems with FM reception on the 04 Sienna?

kmead

wilsongk

Just bought a 2004 sienna (pearl white) with the Toyoguard. Have noticed a brown oily residue on the back wheelwells which is very hard to get off while washing. Have to use the Toyoguard sealant protectant solution that came with the car. This seems odd. Has anyone else had this problem???If so, did you get help?? please email me. Thanks, keith

libby3

I bought an LE #14 2 months ago. This weekend I was at a stop sign in steady rain. I accelerated on a very slight incline and turned right. I did hear a loud noise. I soon realized that the van was not accelerating although I was pressing the accelerator. The check engine light, the vsc light and the trac lights all came on. The car would not go forward or reverse. Then, when I put it in park, the car made a terrible grinding sound. It had to be towed to the dealer and I am waiting for call from them to see what the problem is. Anyone had a similar problem or any thoughts on what happened?

falls1

My reception isn't that great either. 04, XLE.

hopeful8

my LE radio skips around to air mostly if you drive with it on for 3 or 4 hours. I can't reproduce it locally in short drives. It didn't go to a preset, it just wandered.

drivenow

Has anyone hard wired a cell phone (cradle) into their Sienna?? Any suggestions on placement, brand...Thanks

rob2

After a quick trip the day after returning from from a 2,000 mile trip (LE-7 with #7, now has 4,000 miles), I noticed a clicking sound coming from underneath car or possibly from engine. It was metallic sounding and for the lack of a better description, the sound was somewhat similar to the clicks of the wheel on the game show Wheel of Fortune.

I came back 15 minutes later and it was still making the sound though with slower intervals.

Some earlier posts mentioned possibly similar clicking sounds, but I saw no resolution.

Does anyone know what might be causing this or if it is just normal?

By the way, for roadtrip averaged about 26.5 mpg with A/C running most of the time and doing about 70 mph.

raydahs

Sounds like the Catalytic Converter or a Heat Shield on the Muffler cooling down. Next time it happens, lay on the ground to see if it's coming from that general area. My existing Trooper did this all the time.

woodytwo

I have an 04 LE AWD and think that I am having trouble with the Lock-up Torque converter. In "Drive", when the van goes up an short hill, you can see the rpm go up 200-300 rpm when the lock-up takes hold. It'll go back to the previous rpm's when the incline is over. When I am driving in 4th (ie: the overdrive locked out as required when pulling a trailer), I cannot get the same response with the RPM rising on an incline, so believe that the lock-up has not engaged. If the hill is big enough, the tranny will however downshift into 3rd. I've tried this repeatedly both with trailer in tow and without trailer, with cruise on and off, with the same results. Have had my dealer run their computer diagnostic when we went for a test drive. the results were the same. The computer showed that the lock-up was "off" and was working (went to "on")when braking. They are now raising the issue within the Toyota technical community.
Has anyone else noted this? Could I ask some of you to try this at about 60 mph and let me know what you experience. You just have to cruise at a steady 60 mph or so and check the rpm when you go up a hill. has anyone noticed this when towing a trailer?
My concern is that I want that additional torque when needed when towing the trailer.
Thanks for your help.

cybernut04

I finally have an opportunity to get the dealer to look at my '04 Sienna for 1) sluggish transmission response and 2) A/C blowing noticeably warmer air when compressor clicks off. I have an appointment this Friday ... but I had a really tough time with the service manager I talked to. He said the transmission thing was normal - that I was just "hitting the shift point" when I experienced a lag. And he said I should run the A/C on recirculated air. He seemed surprised when I mentioned the TSB on the transmission. I really don't have a very good feeling about this. I have taken the van in to this dealer only once before, for the first oil change ... and they neglected to reset the "maintenance needed" light on the dash. First time that came on after the oil change I went digging through the manual to find out what was going on, and I reset the light, but you'd think they would be able to deal with minor things like that. And if they can't, is this a place I want to take the van to? Unfortunately, the closest Toyota dealer to me is not a dealer I would ever want to touch my vehicle - I've had dealings with them before, with my Previa. And if I end up thinking of this other dealer in the same way... maybe that's why Toyota builds a pretty darn good vehicle? 'Cuz their service isn't all that great?

Re: "Many thanks to tolenal for posting this message - I found it very helpful, especially: 4. Pause before transmission engages after depressing gas at low speeds. Resolution: updated software for transmission timing (see Technical Service Bulletin).

"Along with the AC problem I posted about recently, I have experienced this sluggish transmission as well. It will be great to be able to not only describe the situation to the dealer but to reference the TSB on transmission timing."