I have a total different issue with my gear shift. Last March my son, who was 9, pulled the gear shift out of park and into drive. The keys were not in the ignition. Luckily I live in Buffalo where it is flat and the vehicle rolled very slowly toward the road, and my wife was able to jump in and stop it half way into the street. Again, the keys were not in the ignition. This was sent all the way up through Toyota and they supposedly had a fix. Last November they put the fix in, my vehicle can still be pulled out of park without the keys in. Toyota's answer is to make sure the emergency brake is on and they are going to do nothing more. This is not restricted to my vehicle, I have 2 friends with the same vehicle and they can do this to their vans also. As of today I am selling my vehicle. This is more of warning to everyone before something major happens to somebody. Other than that, we love the van, but it is a safety issue for me now.
FYI - one doesn't have to remove the 3rd row headrests in the NEW Honda Odyssey to collapse the seat into the floor. However (like the Sienna) the headrests do have to be in their lowest position. And for me and my wife, the 3rd row seats are easier to raise/lower in the Ody.
suggestion: have your husband ask the sales manager and/or the service manager why one vehicle hesitates, and yet the other, presumably equivalently equipted and configured vehicle does not... ask also will the hesitation which he can replicated on the one vehicle get worse, get better or stay the same. lastly ask if the vehicle which isn't exhibiting hesitation will develop the symptom over time.
I know it has been done in 2 others that are owned by my friends. I am in now way trying to get you to break the vehicle. My wife does it from the passenger seat. It did take about 6 months for it to wear to become very easy to do it. Because of the set up, you need to pull down and to the right. I hope you are correct and yours will not do it.
Own a 2005 Sienna. No hesitation. No problems, no rattles, just a quiet comfortable ride. Was interested in the Honda but had to get the touring model to get the options I wanted. Problem with the Honda touring model is that you have to get the run flat tires. NO ONE CAN FIX THEM except some 200 Michelin locations scattered across the US. Honda can only replace the entire wheel and tire.
Hard to imagine this. Although I only have 2wd, Iam averaging some 25 to 27mpg highway and about 21 city. I am one of those that fill up and divide the mileage by the gallons. It has been pretty close to the computer in most cases.
same here jim. and i'm starting to see a better corresponding or matching result to the computer than when i first got the car. Don't know what it is, or how its getting better, but i'm happier now that it is, so now I can monitor my computer results, and come up with the actual mileage in my head (although I still have the spreadsheet to check things out)
I have the same issue with an 04 sienna.I just paid $450 for new brakes and roters at 18K miles.The dealer and toyota dosent want to reimburse.Any one with the same issue please reply i belive this is grounds for a class action.
Yesterday I bought a new Sienna LE 8 passenger and though everything else looks and works fine so far, I noticed a noise (whisling, whining) when I place my foot gently on the accelerator (throttle). If I remove the foot the noise goes away and if I press it a bit more firmly it goes away too. Has anybody else experienced this and if yes, has it been fixed by the dealer. Is this something to be expected due to the drive by wire feature? Any informed response would be greatly appreciated.
I am within 500 miles of my warranty expiring on my 2004 Sienna XLE AWD. Recently the dealer touched up some rust spots on the bottom of the front doors, and replaced the fuel pump.
Are there any other things that I should inspect for in the next couple of days?
If you are going to keep the Sienna for awhile you might want to consider the Toyota Factory backed new vehicle extended warranty. You can purchase it any time before the original factory warranty expires and comes in various "flavors" to suit your needs. I bought the 7 year 100,000 "platinum" version with no deductable and it covers just about everything but normal wear items. It cost me about $1,000 at my dealer but the costs are negotiable and others have gotten it for arouned $800. It can be issued by ANY Toyota dealer so you can shop around for it. Considering the complexity of the vehicle, especially the AWD XLE and Limited, and the cost of replacing even a single major component, I think the $1,000 was a great insurance policy,.
I have a 2005 Sienna LE with FWD. I use this vehicle to travel with my family as well as to tow a 3000 lb boat with. In both cases, the rear coil springs seem to be weak and the vehicle squats excessively...to the point where many other motorists flash their high beams at me at night time. I contacted Toyota in an attempt to buy heavier duty rear cl springs but none were available. I subsequently contacted a local spring shop who fixed my problem. Using the part number from my original coil springs, the shop was able to determine the size/capacity of my OEM springs and manufacture a set of heavier duty springs for me. The new springs have an additional 800 lb capacity and are 1-1/2" taller than the original equipment springs. The ride is a tad more stiff when empty, but the ride is very pleasant when the van is loaded, and there are no more issues with the vehicle squatting! I was charged $300 for the new springs and $60 to install them. The other thing is that the shop didn't have to destroy my OEM springs to install the new ones. Just passing this information along for others with similar problems. Good luck!
When the van is occupied by one to four people, I'd say handling is about the same, although the ride is slightly more stiff. When the van is towing or loaded up with people and luggage, the handling is improved with the heavy duty springs. The van stays level, keeping the headlights on the road and the rear bumper off the pavement. With the OEM rear coil springs in a similar situation, the van seemed to drift and steering was more proactive. With the heavy duty springs and the van loaded, it doesn't seem to drift as much while driving. There is more weight on the front wheels than before. As for body roll and such, there doesn't appear to be a difference.
A few days ago I bought a new Sienna LE 8 passenger and though everything else looks and works fine so far, I noticed a noise (whisling, whining) when I place my foot gently on the accelerator (throttle). If I remove the foot the noise goes away and if I press it a bit more firmly it goes away too. Has anybody else experienced this and if yes, has it been fixed by the dealer. Is this something to be expected due to the drive by wire feature? Any informed response would be greatly appreciated.
Yes I did. Going with air adjusting shocks would have been what I went with in the event I was unable to find/use heavy duty springs. I have a compressor at home so air shocks wouldn't have been that much of a pain to charge when we towed the boat (2-4 days a week in the summer) or traveled. In addition to being kind of pricey, I wan't sure about all that extra load on the shock mounts over the long run. Going with the springs were a little more expensive than air shocks, but they are hands off once installed, less likely to break or need replacing, and was a better solution for my application.
I have an unusual problem with a 2005 Sienna LE (3,700 miles). I can sometimes feel a click, clunk or clack in the steering wheel (like metal parts engaging) when slightly pressing the accelerator from a coasting position. It seems the steering wheel is not completely isolated from the chassis. Most recently, when coasting to a stop, with slight brake pressure, I can fell the same thing. Like as if the transmission is down shifting and the CV joints (or whatever they are called) are engaging. Has anyone experience this problem? Please help if you know of this problem. Thank you.
This is very old, but do you have 2003 or 2004 Sienna? If 2004, then the vehicle ground clearance is supposed to be 5.9 inches. How can your hitch be 7 inches from the ground???
On the passenger side middle row seat, in my 2004 Sienna, the seat belt locks and you can not move around. It is as though you moved forward very quickly which is suppose to lock the belt, but this happens when making casual movements. This happens only when the car is moving, and generally stays locked until the vehicle stops moving. Once you take off again, the problem happens again. The dealer has replaced the the seat belt assembly, under warranty, but the problem persists. Now they say that the new cars in the showroom exhibit the same action and therefore there is nothing they can do. Has anyone else had this kind of problem on their Sienna? Were you able to get it resolved? My position is that just because it happens on other cars in the showroom doesn't mean that I should accept it.
I also had brake problems with my 04 Sienna. We had to replace the brake pads at 10k miles and then pads and rotors at 22K miles. This is totally absurd. Our dealer even admitted that he has seen a several other vehicles with the same problem, but only on the 04 Sienna, but Toyota won't take responsibility.
My fronts were down to the metal at 14K miles, and ruined the rotors. I twisted the dealer's arm, and he agreed to pay for all but a $50 deductible (A "one-time-only, goodwill warranty"). Meaning, I'd better keep a close eye on them from now on because I'm on my own after this.
A number of Sienna owners I talked to, say they have had this kind of premature wear. Turns out that Toyota has issued a Techincal Service Bulletin on the problem, and calls for a different set of front brake pads to fix it. Call your Toyota dealer and ask him to look up TSB # BR009-04, issued Dec. 23, 2004. Aren't TSB's supposed to be free?
Raybestos company has also come out with a new pad for the 2004 Siennas, their part number PGD906C. C stands for Ceramic. One Sienna owner who was getting less than 15,000 miles per brake pad set, reports that he put these Raybestos pads on. 18,000 miles later, they are only 25% gone, he says. Most auto parts stores should be able to get them. I'm certainly going to put those on at the next pad change.
Well, they did most of their own twisting, as it were. This was at Mossy Toyota in San Diego, which is where I originally bought the van. When I brought the van in for brakes, the service guy said he would get me a price. I went and renewed acquaintences with the manager and salespeople I had bought the van from the previous year (May 2004), and they mentioned that if there were any problems with service or warranty work, to call them and they would "straighten it out". Later that day the service guy called me back and told me it would cost $435 to fix. I pointed out that this was very premature brake wear, that Toyota had a service bulletin, etc. He said Sorry, but those don't matter. He was actually polite and personable about it, but that was the gist.
So I called the manager back as he had suggested and told him the story. Also mentioned that I was in the market for a new Corolla for my wife (which was true, we just bought a Camry a few weeks ago from them). He called the head of the Service department, and together they called Toyota of America (I think). They came up with this one-time-only-because-they're-such-nice-guys "goodwill" warranty.
Moral of the story is, go to a manager, especially if you've done business before, and especially a sales manager. They are REAL anxious to get your business, and are professional dealmakers. Nice to have that working for you instead of against you for a change.
HI cappy4103 Ive got the same vehicle with the same problem..minus the boat. Im interested in a pair of springs just like yours, & would appreciate very much if you were to forward the relevant info to me. Thank u Warp
I have an 05 Sienna and the front seats are horribly designed with regard to their positioning and range of motion. The drivers seat moves forward to within just a few inches of the dash (much further than anyone would ever bring it), but doesn't go back all that far, and you can lower the seat to the point where your falling forward out of the seat (where no one would ever put it), but it doesn't raise up that much. My legs get really sore because the front part of the seat doesn't rise up high enough to support them. I was hoping to just shim the front seat mounts but the bolts aren't positioned straight down, rather they are bolted on the front side so you can't raise it up. It looks like there is a stop in the track to prevent it from going back too far, but I can't see exactly how it is put together. I haven't taken the seat out of the van yet, but I may. Anyone else notice this lack of rear and upward movement? Anyone find a way to adjust to get more height and more leg room?
I have had rattles in both front doors of my 05 Sienna. They started after only 5 months and 5,000 miles. Anyone out there have this problem? Any solutions found?
I have the power seats & have noticed the movement restriction. If its that serious an issue, id look for a professional aftermarket outfit, to fit me with custom seating. Overall, the car aint perfect & I never had a car that was...but Toyota is still the best bet,,(in my opinion) Ive driven 11000 miles in three months, & with the help of this forum & others Ill gladly deal with all the issues, as they arise. btw, i bought the car in NY, shipped it overseas & Im actually the only guy in the country with a sienna...try that on for size ! I have to bring in all the parts myself.....but I love the challenge & the car of course. -H
Sent you the info to you email address listed, on 04/12/05 at 12:10AM. If you did not receive it, my email address is cappy4103@yahoo.com. Let me know and I'll resend it.
We are having the same problem and Toyota has given us the same line of bull. When you lean back when the car is running, allowing the seatbelt to tighten at all you can not then lean forward without undoing the belt and allowing it to retract all the way and pull back out again. When it retracts it makes an awful ratcheting sound. Toyota tells us they can't get the seatbelts to lock up ~ though it happens to us with ease ~ and that the seatbelts are 'performing to spec'. Anyone else out there with this issue? :sick:
I have what appears to be a gear whine at about 60 to 65. It too reacts to a slight accelerator pressure. Goes away when you let up on the accelerator. Disappears around 70mph. I have yet to take it in. I think it may be a pinion gear. Not sure. I don't think this has anything to do with drive by wire.
What model (CE,LE,XLE) and options does it have? Could be good price...miles are a little high. For 3 grand more you could have a loaded brand spanking new 2005 Mazda MPV, Dodge Grand Caravan,or Kia Sedona ES(with rebates) with zero miles.(roughly).
I just got a 2005 XLE Limited with the DVD player. How do you listen to the movie through the car speakers. So far I can only listen through the wireless headphones.
I went in again to Toyota, but this time I was able to talk to the manager of the service department. He was very friendly and spent about 30 minutes with me. We are about to go off of warranty and I want to make sure that everything is fixed on their nickel rather then mine. Evidently there are two modes for the seat belts. One for normal use, the other for child seats. Ours was in the child seat mode and locking is what it is supposed to do. He went for a ride, sitting in the problem seat. After putting it in normal mode the problem appeared to go away. That was three or four days ago. Tonight my twelve year old was sitting there and the problem is certainly still there. I will have to go back and plead my case again.
You can try changing modes by "fully" retracting the seat belt. He was very careful to make sure that the belt was 100% in the housing with the actual belt flush against the seat. Then he pulled it out "all of the way", pulling until it was very snug. Then he pulled even harder, sort of in a snapping motion. It seems that this extra pulling at the end is what causes it to change mode. Give it a try, however, as I mentioned, it didn't work for us. Let me know what happens.
I have an '05 Sienna XLE Limited and have also noticed the lack of thigh support with the front of the seat cushion in the full up position. I am 6'6" tall and have not had a problem with legroom, but the lack of thigh support is very strange for such a refined minivan. Our old Town and Country and Caravan both had much more seat adjustment available to make it more comfortable. I noticed that someone said you can re-drill the front seat-mounting holes. Has anyone tried this?
I am just wondering when you re-drill the front seat mounting holes, is that for making the seats go back farther because you are tall and need more room? Just curious, because we are trying to figure out whether to get this van. I have back problems, I am 5'8" and find the lack of thigh support annoying, uncomfortable and wondering if it's going to bother my back over time. DO you get back problems because of the lack of support? I love the XLE SIenna but do not want to get it if I think it really will bother me, I have taken it on long test drives and yes I find it bothersome but always looking for more advice.
What I've done in the past before purchasing a vehicle is to rent one for a full day and take it on a long distance "day trip". You may not be able to find an LXE version to rent but you should be able to find an LE. I suspect the seats are not very different other than the covering (unfortunately, the lumbar support may be a large factor for you and I'm not sure if there is an equivalent adjustment on the LE). The only real way to judge comfort is to do a few hours in the driver's seat.
I know this is really after the fact, but your #1 problem has occured several times but the dealership states it is operating as designed on top of that our manual sliding door won't latch when window is down and has injured my 4 year old daughter. Even though we had no knowledge this door operated in such fashion the toyota dealership and manufactor is stating the door is operating as designed which means .... it can and will roll into anyone if the window is down which effects auto ins...(pip) and you will need to disclose this to any who operates the veh or occupies so an injury does not occure there is a non regulated open investigation going on at this time into the operation of this sliding door with the safety and defect dept. Good Luck, because we sure have not found any!!! We were lifetime customers before this 5 previous veh. No more Toyota's for us!!!!
Hello! I had a 2004 Sienna who's hood took a licking as well. After one upstate NY winter, we had a half a dozen stone chips in the hood of our van. For unrelated reasons, we traded up to a new 2005 Sienna. I am not an advocate of, nor do I like the look of these masks/bras, but I was on Ebay one day and happened upon a great product that I bought. It's a magnetic bra for the hood, which is made out of the magnetic sign material that businesses and real eatate agents put on the side of their vehicles, then remove later that same evening. The cost was about $50 so I took a chance on it. It worked swell! Not one stone chip on the new van after another full winter! About two weeks ago, I removed the magnetic bra and I'll put it back on the car in the fall. I think the website is www.magnetbra.com. It beats the heck out of spending hundreds on a paint job!
Comments
and i'm starting to see a better corresponding or matching result to the computer than when i first got the car. Don't know what it is, or how its getting better, but i'm happier now that it is, so now I can monitor my computer results, and come up with the actual mileage in my head (although I still have the spreadsheet to check things out)
I have a Toyota Sienna 04 and I am not sure if there is a recall on the radiator like you had. What year is your Sienna?
I called the dealership and they said that only protective salient tape and manual are due for recalls not the radiator.
TIA for your reply,
Radu
Are there any other things that I should inspect for in the next couple of days?
Any help greatly appreciated.
Thanks, Tony
I contacted Toyota in an attempt to buy heavier duty rear cl springs but none were available. I subsequently contacted a local spring shop who fixed my problem. Using the part number from my original coil springs, the shop was able to determine the size/capacity of my OEM springs and manufacture a set of heavier duty springs for me. The new springs have an additional 800 lb capacity and are 1-1/2" taller than the original equipment springs. The ride is a tad more stiff when empty, but the ride is very pleasant when the van is loaded, and there are no more issues with the vehicle squatting! I was charged $300 for the new springs and $60 to install them. The other thing is that the shop didn't have to destroy my OEM springs to install the new ones. Just passing this information along for others with similar problems. Good luck!
from the ground???
A number of Sienna owners I talked to, say they have had this kind of premature wear. Turns out that Toyota has issued a Techincal Service Bulletin on the problem, and calls for a different set of front brake pads to fix it. Call your Toyota dealer and ask him to look up TSB # BR009-04, issued Dec. 23, 2004. Aren't TSB's supposed to be free?
See a scanned picture of this TSB here: http://www.siennaclub.org/forum/uploads/post-2-1104173264.jpg
Raybestos company has also come out with a new pad for the 2004 Siennas, their part number PGD906C. C stands for Ceramic. One Sienna owner who was getting less than 15,000 miles per brake pad set, reports that he put these Raybestos pads on. 18,000 miles later, they are only 25% gone, he says. Most auto parts stores should be able to get them. I'm certainly going to put those on at the next pad change.
So I called the manager back as he had suggested and told him the story. Also mentioned that I was in the market for a new Corolla for my wife (which was true, we just bought a Camry a few weeks ago from them). He called the head of the Service department, and together they called Toyota of America (I think). They came up with this one-time-only-because-they're-such-nice-guys "goodwill" warranty.
Moral of the story is, go to a manager, especially if you've done business before, and especially a sales manager. They are REAL anxious to get your business, and are professional dealmakers. Nice to have that working for you instead of against you for a change.
Hope this helps!
Ive got the same vehicle with the same problem..minus the boat.
Im interested in a pair of springs just like yours, & would appreciate very much if you were to forward the relevant info to me.
Thank u
Warp
Anyone else notice this lack of rear and upward movement? Anyone find a way to adjust to get more height and more leg room?
Thanks
-H
If its that serious an issue, id look for a professional aftermarket outfit, to fit me with custom seating.
Overall, the car aint perfect & I never had a car that was...but Toyota is still the best bet,,(in my opinion)
Ive driven 11000 miles in three months, & with the help of this forum & others Ill gladly deal with all the issues, as they arise.
btw, i bought the car in NY, shipped it overseas & Im actually the only guy in the country with a sienna...try that on for size !
I have to bring in all the parts myself.....but I love the challenge & the car of course.
-H
Anyone else out there with this issue? :sick:
i am looking @ a 01 Sienna with 69,000 for $14900.............
sound good??????????? thanks
For 3 grand more you could have a loaded brand spanking new 2005 Mazda MPV, Dodge Grand Caravan,or Kia Sedona ES(with rebates) with zero miles.(roughly).
You can try changing modes by "fully" retracting the seat belt. He was very careful to make sure that the belt was 100% in the housing with the actual belt flush against the seat. Then he pulled it out "all of the way", pulling until it was very snug. Then he pulled even harder, sort of in a snapping motion. It seems that this extra pulling at the end is what causes it to change mode. Give it a try, however, as I mentioned, it didn't work for us. Let me know what happens.