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Toyota Sienna Power Rear Hatch
hondaoddity
Member Posts: 25
in Toyota
I've got a 2005 XLE with the power rear hatch. I think I've verified (and repeated) the problem with the hatch not retracting when it encounters an obstacle.
Just a little background: Last year (first year of ownership) the hatch closed on me and would not retract. And, I was pushing back on this thing by arching my back. I'm not sure how I got out from under it but I did. It pretty much freaked me out. It was cold, and there was snow on the van. There was also an ice damn in the gap at the top of the door. I originally attributed my incident to this ice damn. (BTW - Chryslers don't have this problem because they have a piece of plastic attached to the door that prevents ice from getting into this opening.)
Over the summer I found this website and began reading about this same problem of the hatch closing on people.
I continued to test my hatch on occasion from then on. It worked just fine until today.
Today the temperature dropped to 33 degrees farenheit. It was a clear day. There was no snow.
Sure enough, that thing would not retract when I pulled back on it. It closed - even though I began applying upward pressure while it was still 90% open. If I had been between the closing hatch and bumper, I could have been badly hurt. If my children were there, it could have been worse.
I am pretty well convinced that whatever is being used as a sensor in the door mechanism loses sensitivity during freezing temperatures.
I'm making a WAG here by suggesting that the reason that it can't be replicated at the service centers is because the car has warmed up enough by the time it gets there, or when it is worked on in a heated garage, the sensor then begins to work correctly because it is now "warm".
Each time I've had the problem, my car was stone cold. It sat out overnight in my drive way. The engine had not even been started. I was using my rear hatch to load/unload the van only.
Not sure what I want to accomplish by this other than to let people know of this possible problem.
I'm going to continue to monitor my hatch.
Just a little background: Last year (first year of ownership) the hatch closed on me and would not retract. And, I was pushing back on this thing by arching my back. I'm not sure how I got out from under it but I did. It pretty much freaked me out. It was cold, and there was snow on the van. There was also an ice damn in the gap at the top of the door. I originally attributed my incident to this ice damn. (BTW - Chryslers don't have this problem because they have a piece of plastic attached to the door that prevents ice from getting into this opening.)
Over the summer I found this website and began reading about this same problem of the hatch closing on people.
I continued to test my hatch on occasion from then on. It worked just fine until today.
Today the temperature dropped to 33 degrees farenheit. It was a clear day. There was no snow.
Sure enough, that thing would not retract when I pulled back on it. It closed - even though I began applying upward pressure while it was still 90% open. If I had been between the closing hatch and bumper, I could have been badly hurt. If my children were there, it could have been worse.
I am pretty well convinced that whatever is being used as a sensor in the door mechanism loses sensitivity during freezing temperatures.
I'm making a WAG here by suggesting that the reason that it can't be replicated at the service centers is because the car has warmed up enough by the time it gets there, or when it is worked on in a heated garage, the sensor then begins to work correctly because it is now "warm".
Each time I've had the problem, my car was stone cold. It sat out overnight in my drive way. The engine had not even been started. I was using my rear hatch to load/unload the van only.
Not sure what I want to accomplish by this other than to let people know of this possible problem.
I'm going to continue to monitor my hatch.
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One of ours 2007 siennas canot open the back door.
If you open it from inside handle(the only way)and then closes it it will close but then you canot open it again.
Could it be water in the doorhandle switch or were do we start,the dealer have change the lock but no difference,do you need to restart the ecm after changing the lock?
Thanks for replays.
I haven't tested to see if that is a normal thing or not. At least the doors slide open on 'command and shut ln command.The same thing happened with mine.
I brought the car to the dealer to ask the price ( no warrantee left) and they fixed it in September.
The hatch door hydrolic someting or other was replaced in September (free of charge since I do all my maintenance at Toyota-they said).
I asked if it could be a recalled part and they said no.
Less than a month later, I was putting bags into the back and the door came down unexpectedly on my head; and pushed my head into my neck/shoulders. I still hurt from that. I brought my car back in; and because it was intermittent, they couldn't fix what worked when there.
It is happening more often and I have to wait til it's doing it all the time before bringing it in.
Last night, I was picking up my aunt at the airport; and I was telling her about the door closing, and hadn't finished telling her that it was broken again; but saw it come down on her and I caught it on time. My aunt is 75. She just missed getting injured.
So, how do we get this problem on the toyota recall list?
It could be a bad remote, or maybe some interference from some other source.
My Toyota Dealer fixed it in September; but it started doing it again a few weeks later. It was the hydrolic arm{s)? that was broken & replaced.
When I brought it back, they couldn't fix it because it didn't do it; and told me to bring it back when it does it constantly; because it was intermittent at this point.
Someone emailed me the following.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating 2004 and 2005 Toyota Sienna minivans for potential problems with their power liftgates. There have been 14 reports of the liftgates unexpectedly closing. A total of 142,418 Siennas are included in the investigation. This doesn’t appear to have anything to do with user error; the investigation is focusing on a faulty seal that could cause the high-pressure struts that raise the liftgate to leak, causing it to close unintentionally.
Toyota is cooperating with NHTSA and says it is performing its own investigation of the problem. Because there is no recall associated with the investigation at this point, Sienna owners who haven’t experienced a problem must wait until the investigation concludes before having their vehicle serviced.
I would go to the NHTSA site and register your problem, perhaps with more data they can figure out the problems or at least narrow it down to which production dates are affected.
Good luck.
I was thinking of bringing it to my dealer; but I think I will do both. I hadn't thought to notify NHTSA.
http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/
Click on "File a Complaint".
One thing that I identified recently is that at least one of the cartridges that are supposed to hold the liftgate is blown. I noticed that my liftgate was not fully opening and was skimming the top of my head when I entered the rear of the van. Didn't come crashing down on me or anything, but just wasn't opening all the way.
When I get the opportunity, I will take to the dealer for replacement under the manufacturers warranty.
You can tell the cartridge is blown by looking at the point where the traveling piston enters the cartridge itself. There will be an oily substance on the cartridge below the piston when the hatch is open. It usually accumulates dirt when this happens so you will probably also see dirt there, too. This is akin to how shock absorbers and MacPherson struts show they've failed as well.
Just trying to making you aware of how to look for failed liftgate cartridges.
Have you taken it into the dealer yet and if so, what happened? I had this problem last August and it cost me $300.
Thanks, Robert
My wife thinks that when we first bought our 2006 Sienna XLE she could squeeze the rear hatch "handle" and it would automatically open (without using the key or manually opening). She thinks this quit working at some point over the last 18 months. The dealer just replaced $400 worth of parts under warranty and now claim that it never worked that way. We can use our key button or from inside to open/close automatically but when we squeeze the "handle" on the hatch then we have to open manually. We are not lazy but need help finding out if the dealer is confused or if we just have a bad memory.
Thank you for your help.
Randy
My 2004 Sienna XLE hatch back opens by squeezing the black rubber-like handle. Make sure it's unlocked.
Because of a disability, I have to use the remote on the keychain or in the car. I *can* open it manually if really necessary.
If you open the hatch by squeezing the release above the license plate, the door opens in manual mode. The motor does not automatically raise the hatch. It's been this way since the first day I've owned the van.
Even my LE does this, and the LE doesn't have the power hatch.
ps Just received a warranty notice concerning the rear struts. I sent my work order info to Toyota for reimbursement of the $450 .
I just received in the mail today a Warranty Enhancement (customer support program)
for 2004 through 2006 toyota sienna liftgate strut.
I the letter, they said if you don't have the problem, to just put it with the regular warranty.
If you have had a problem bring the letter to your local dealer.
Good luck to you all that you get a similar letter!
I got my recall in or before December, 2008.
They had to recall the total strut repairs too. They had to restructure the strut for it to work; and mine has been working great ever since.
Notify Toyota. The door should work using any device that opens the other doors.
I suppose you could suggest to your dealer that if they don't fix it so it works properly you will have to call Toyota to find out what you should do. :-)
They probably put a recalled strut in your van.
I really like it, because the vehicle it replaced had a very stubborn latch, and that problem went away with the Sienna.
It closes automatically. It opens when you press the button to open the hatch, not via the keyless remote (that's only the lock mechanism, not the latch).
I had to turn off the power to the hatch using the button under the steering column and open it manually. I then had to turn it back on to get it to lock correctly.
This experience with the hatch was a relatively new phenomenon. I've got an '05 XLE with the "new" struts after the "campaign" on them. First time I had an issue with these new struts in cold weather.
Watch yourself with snow as well. There's also an occasional problem with ice damming under the door around the hinges that the hatch can catch on. When I remove snow from the van, I have to make sure I clear the area with the hatch open. Again, it is best to disable the auto open/close to perform this maintenance.
Mine is sluggish; but still working for the past 3 or so years.
2010 toyotas should have all the bugs out of them! Call your dealer.
I got hit on the head with the hatch closing unexpectedly.
one question for you - and other sienna owners. if you manually open the hatch - by hand, but with the power still engaged- does the door open automatically as you start to open it yourself? in other words, do the hydraulics kick in like they do with the sliders if you manually start to open those doors? can someone please verify this for me with the rear hatch? thanks!
The other day, hatch door must have gone up real slow; because when I went to put my groceries in the back; it came down hard on my head.
I'm bringing my car in next week. I hope they will replace it again.
It has always happened in the freezing cold weather.
Had the 2 struts and mounts replaced at Delray Toyota, under the TSB BO001-07 yesterday at 10 am.
No Charge.
And I don't know how they can say this has never happened before because there are known issues with the struts on the van.
Also, check for oil around the piston area of the strut. It is possible that one of the struts is blown.
Good luck.