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Comments
transmission warranty. It is the LEAST Toyota can
do considering the potential for future problems
secondary to the problem/repair. You need to be
persistent. You deserve fair treatment.
Thanks for agreeing. Remember back when Olds made the diesels that had all the problems. They fixed them and gave everyone a 5 yr. 100,000 mile warrenty on the engine. Now that is the norm for most diesels. Toyota, get off your butts and make things right.
---I am one of those with a new T/C and everything is fine now other than the steering wheel pull. Love the van, great ride........
There are a number of problems reported here, but the percentage is probably very low overall...
(probably less than 1 % of Siennas have problems.)
<
>
My sister bought a 2000 Sienna LE which has the same T/C problem many of you reported here. After waited for more than a month for replacement part, I suggested her to file a complaint with NHTSA and local government agency. You buy a new car and you still have to worry what's going to happen while you are driving your kids to school or somewhere. This is not acceptable.
In case you guys are interested, you can report your problem on-line at http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems/ivoq/default.htm
Thanks for all info I got it on this forum.
Someone suggested we can ask for an extended tranny warrantee. It's a good idea. But I don't the relationship between dealers and Toyota very well. Does a dealer have the authority to decide such a thing by himself (who will pay for the extended warentee)? Is his decision based on customer's attitude (strong stand, weak stand, etc)? If yes, then I don't think I can fight for it because of my personality.
Tony
The dealer re-align the rail to correct.
It has nothing to do with the computer sensor.
I have no problem at all since July, really enjoy it. Please see post#22, hope this will help.
After being informed on Monday that the torque converter is defective, we were told that the word from Toyota is that "it's perfectly okay to drive the van until the torque converter is replaced," we felt this was unacceptable. Especially given the fact that we bought a $25,000 vehicle for safety---and a defective transmission is not something that is safe.
My husband and I were not pleased to be talking only with the service department. And since they were slow to respond to our concerns about the defect, we went ahead and wrote a letter and faxed in on Tuesday morning to the General Manager of the dealership. Of course, we carboned in an attorney, the owner of the dealership, the State Attorney General's office and the NHTSA.
Apparently, we shocked the dealership with all the knowledge we were able to gain from this web site. (transmission identification numbers, the manufacture dates of the defective vans, etc.) We also contacted a couple of people who had left postings on this site with the same problem to see what happened with their plights.
The response to our letter was almost immediate. If fact, the General Manager called us as soon as he got the letter and said "How did you get all this information? We just got notified from Toyota today?" We're pretty sure that's not true because other people I spoke with in Kansas City and New Jersey said their dealerships were notified at the end of July. But we can't argue with our dealership on that because we have no concrete proof that they did know before we "informed them".
In our letter, we stated our demand for a new vehicle. However, the attorney general's office told us that we had to let the dealership attempt to repair the problem before we could get into any lemon law disputes. Especially since we can't prove that the dealership knew of the defect before they sold us the van (On July 27).
But because of our letter writing and firm discussions on the phone with the dealership, they were able to "find us a torque converter" and had it Fed Ex'd Wednesday evening. It is being installed as I write and I will pick up the van tonight.
So as a word of advice to those still waiting for your parts..do not sit idly by and think that the dealerships are doing all they can for you. Unless you truly fight for your rights, you won't get noticed. We went from a wait of "About a month, but continue to drive it because Toyota says it's okay" to having the van fixed in less than 5 days.
I wish that our dealership had the valor to go ahead and give us a new van. I realize that they would be out of money because it's really a Toyota problem and not the dealership's "fault" per se. However, it's not the consumer's fault either. And I don't think we should be shouldering the burden of inconvenience and potential safety hazards of driving a defective vehicle.
A word of caution, I did get some information to be wary of getting the torque converter replaced and then having the van out of alignment. This may be the cause of the "pulling" that others have experienced. Although I do not know this to be true since I haven't gotten my van yet.
I hope this information is helpful to some of you who are experiencing this fiasco. Feel free to write me at tbridgeman@robertscomm.com if I can be of help to anyone else.
oh well, I wish you luck on your next purchase .
As far as feeling safe with the transmission being opened, we had our Toyota pickup blow a head gasket at 97,000 (8 years old) and Toyota picked up the full tab. We had to pay for new spark plugs ($16). (BTW, I was still able to drive to the dealer to get it fixed.) At 120,000 the left front rotor was binding and had to be replaced. The dealer ordered the wrong part and to compensate us they gave us an Avalon to drive while waiting for the part (4 days- I was hoping it would be longer. That Avalon is nice). It now has 150,000 and still tows the 2,400 lb boat just fine; original clutch, fan belts, hoses, timing belt, and most everything else too. The air conditioner will freeze you out of there. Not bad for an '89 4X2.
We also own a '91 Camry (66,000) and a '99 Sienna (16,000). Never had any problems with either of them (not even a flat). The Sienna has been rated as one of the safest mini vans on the road. Toyota has won numerous quality awards, and the Camry has been the best selling car for 2 years running.
As far as 'American' cars or 'Japanese' cars, many of Toyota's cars are made right here in the U.S. as are most of their components. Camry, Sienna, Avalon, Solara (soon, Canada right now), Tundra, Sequoia, Tacoma, Corolla, and in West Virginia they make the V6 and in line 4 cylinder. Toyota made more than 1 million cars here last year. They invested more than 12 billion dollars and employed more than 30,000 people. They spent more than 10 billion on parts and materials.
My personal experience with Toyota has been excellent. My friend's experience with Toyota has been excellent. (My brother-in-law totaled his Toyota pickup and walked away from it.) I feel safe in their vehicles and as long as I continue to have a positive experience I will continue to buy their cars. Do they make a 'perfect' car every time? No. Does anyone? Maybe Rolls Royce, but then they aren't mass produced by thousands of people.
I know that some problems occur with cars. They always have and they always will. How the dealer and manufacturer deal with those problems is my concern. I don't want to take the car back. There is no guarantee that you won't have the same or a worse problem. I want them to fix it, and fix it the first time. If they do it right, I'm a satisfied customer, and I'll come back.
Toyota has an excellent record of taking care of repairs, even long after the warranty has expired (witness the head gasket problem at almost 100,000). Most (but not all) of their dealerships want to have satisfied customers. (got your money back, didn't you? You didn't have to drag anyone into court and pay for an expensive lawyer.)
Ford is a very good company. I'm sure that you will be satisfied with its product, hopefully, many trouble-free miles. But, if you aren't I hope you don't exclude Toyota as a possible selection. I've bought many new cars over the years, and without a doubt, our Toyota truck has been the absolute best vehicle we've ever owned. We can't even bring ourselves to sell the Camry now that we have the Sienna.
My intention here, sam121, is not to tick you off, but to let you know that I think Toyota is a good company with a good product. I went through the 70's with 2 Oldsmobiles that almost fell apart on me while my frieds drove Corollas and laughed at the gas crunch. If my tease hit you the wrong way, I apologize. But when it comes time to buy another vehicle, drop by the Toyota dealership and give them a test drive. I think you'll be pleased.
Within less than 24 hours and less than 50 miles, our engine light came on. We returned to Michael's Toyota the next day. The service department said that "they didn't know what the problem was but that they called Toyota. Toyota told them that it was probably the torque converter." He said that the vehicle was safe to drive. Although I didn't feel very comfortable leaving in my Sienna, I did. DON'T MAKE THE SAME MISTAKE.
Two weeks later, I drove back in and said I wasn't going to continue wondering if my children and I were safe driving around town. They gave me a loaner vehicle. I would have demanded it if they hadn't. I should have demanded a van... but settled for their "best"... a Toyota Camry LE... not exactly my fully-loaded Sienna.
While we waited for our new t/c, we drove on several vacations in the loaner vehicle. It took six weeks for my t/c to arrive. Again, you could demand it sooner... someone had mentioned theirs arrived Fed-X. (Mine would have too, but I was going to give them their van back!) So, I put miles on their vehicle instead.
My t/c arrived. I received a postcard to tell me that it was in and to bring my van in. (Remember, it has been sitting on their lot for over four weeks). It was installed. But, nobody called me to tell me.
In the meantime, my husband and I wrote letters to the finance manager (an unimportant person), the general manager, vice president and owner of the dealership... same letter. We were told to speak with the general manager.
He has been a pain in the butt! However, I told him that the smile wouldn't return to my face until they installed a flip-down entertainment/ VHS center into my Sienna. Wow! He asked what that meant. I told them that he could keep his van if he didn't give me what I wanted. Keep in mind, if this is the case, Toyota in Kentucky would have to pay off my loan with a 3% fee for early pay-off (about $950), pay any loan fees and other incurred charges, any fees associated with getting a new loan ( I got mine for 7.9%... I would probably qualify for 7.8% because we paid our other vehicle off the week after we bought the Sienna), additional overall costs associated with increased percentage rates over our 7.9% loan... if they couldn't get it for that rate, collateral charges (sales and use tax, finance charges, initial monthly payments, dealer prep and transportation charges, prorated license, registration and title fees, prorated insurance costs, and service contracts), plus any incidental cost or legal fees (if necessary).
Don't you think they might want to work with me? We are sitting down with the general manager tomorrow... our sixth week with the vehicle... only driven for the first two weeks.
I am expecting about $1500... enough to go buy a Rosen VHS entertainment center at CarToys. I am "charging" them for their babysitting time... my first monthly payment, interest, and insurance... plus hardship, vacation changes, inability to enjoy my van.
I will let you know how I did. I loved my van... but it sure needs the entertainment system to make me smile.
rward99 - no offense taken. I owned a toyota truck for several years . I also owned nissans and mazda'a . I truely wanted a seinna. i was so mad at waht happened to me, I was ready to turn to volvo. Just check out their boards. I even was going to wait for a 2001 seinnas thinking Toyota must have fixed this problem for the new cars. but, did not take the chance. So we chanced the windstar. hey, right now I love it. I won't love it if problems start appearing in the future. In that case, the hell with all the vans, I am buying a lexus!!!
I will be waiting for my new T/C which the dealer promised will arrive within 3-4 weeks but from the posting I have read, I will start bugging them about it every week and even maybe write some letters.
My current concern now... has anyone experienced any problem with their Sienna's due to the defective T/C?
I almost returned my Sienna on the second day but really already fell in love with it.
Thanks in advance!
Thanks people.
Just before we left, the van was taken in to be checked over fully. The dealership found no problems according to repair order. New tires were recently put on. The pulling was noted to the right, nonetheless. Vibrations were noted especially between 45-55 mph. The dealership cross-rotated the tires, checked alignment, etc.
The van pulled to the left after this. This pull has become more noticeable since returning. Even when traveling on smooth as glass roads, the van did shake. The worst shaking was around 50 mph. At this time, lots of rattles in the interior became evident. There was a lot of tire noise (dull droan sound), too. The vibrations made the ride uncomfortable.
I observed the problem as both driver and passenger. As a passenger, the shaking was more noticeable and bothersome. While on vacation and driving in front of our van in my mother's new car, I noted the Sienna looked like it was higher on the driver's side and in general it had a "knocked-kneed" appearance (tire appearance)
Since returning, I noted once that the driver's side, front tire was quite HOT to touch while the other three tires were not. What might cause this difference? I am watching the tire wear closely.
I hear a slight clunk noise when I back the van out of the driveway and apply brakes. Aside from the rattles associated with the vibrations, I hear creaking from the driver's seat.
I know that others have said that the tires are to blame for the pulling symptoms. I see tire replacement as only a temporary solution, however. Am I looking at tire replacement every 20,000 miles or less to *minimize* symptoms? If so, isn't this an alignment/suspension issue?
Have others gotten updates into this problem? Thanks for posting.
cblake@erols.com
BTW, after waiting since July 18 for the T/C, it was installed August 23. It's running great. The light has not come back on and the alignment is fine.
Has anyone in the group installed the air controlled shocks where you can adjust their height by air? Do you have any advice to share on this. I'm assuming it will stiffen the normal ride by having these types installed.
Just as I am going to have the engine checked out, the light goes out. On Ebay I purchased a OBD II code reader ($ 154.) and pulled the code fron the car computer, being P0770, Shift Solenoid E Malfunction. Light has not returned.
Gas mileage bit lower than expected but octane rating seems to have a big affect on mileage. I rarely put more than $ 10. in at a time in the summer months because I know from my motorcycle days that octane boils off rapipdly in the hot weather month. My usually gas station must be purchasing sub grade gas. I switched to another gas station and get an extra 17+ miles for the 10 dollar fill- hard to tell but I don't think my usual gas station is playing with the delivered amount, but more likely he is getting sub grade gas.
To all you Toyota owner who find the leak from the rear window washer a major concern (and other such problems), give me a break, get a real life!! Because of a small streak of wind shield fluid on the rear window you get upset. You guys have children, vote, drive vehicles and sit on juries, this society is really starting to scare me.
And would you mind explaining the science behind octane "boiling off"?
As cars come down the line they are different colors; Camrys and Avalons on one line and Camrys and Siennas on the other.
We have driven the vehicle about 300 miles, and have yet to have the light come on a second time.
We did have the dealership pay for our first monthly payment and first month of insurance (since it was sitting on their lot while we awaited a new t/c... and for the lemon law to take effect).
By definition, we own a lemon. It was on the dealership lot for 33 days. Check out your states lemon laws.
Though we own a fully-loaded, absolutely gorgeous lemon, we are still proud owners at this time.
We have informed our dealership that we would like Toyota to give us a 100,000 mile/6 year extended warranty. I am very surprised Toyota is not cooperating. Should this be the case, when a class action law suit is filed for the 2000 Sienna's manufactured from May-July, 2000, we will take part. Because, I believe we need to take a stand, ban together and make them do what is right.
In the meantime, I have a friend who would like to buy a Toyota Sienna. I have encouraged her to wait until my issue is resolved.
Best of luck to you!
have the right side power sliding door. At around
5K miles, the power sliding door would not close
tight and "reopened" a small slit. I had to close
it tight by hand. I wiped the sliding track and
the locks etc (they were not dirty anyway) and
the problem went away. Now at 9K miles, the same
problem returned, this time no dusting and wiping
do the trick. Anyone has the same problem?
2000 Sienna made outside of that date seems to be fine. But even if you can find 2000 sienna that's not built in the period, I would encourage you to buy a 2001 instead. It gets a 210 hp engine (same on used in Toyota Avalon?) that with vvt-i technology, and it gets slightly better gas milage (1 mpg better), also the 3rd role seat slides forward along with usual split and fold function. There other other changes made to enhance the van, so I think buying a 2001 Sienna is a better idea.
Two of my family friends own Siennas (1999 and 2000), I helped them both to negotiate the price. My friend's Sienna (the 1999) did a good job protecting the family when it was hit in the right side middle by a pickup truck an the downtown intersection, everyone walked away from the accident even though the door was totally smashed. Still, they are very happy owners, have only good things to say about it.
Test drive the 2001, I have heard from people who test drove it commenting that it's faster and quite versitile.
I held off posting again until my own T/C problem was resolved, so I could honestly report if I thought the experience is a "big deal".
Here's the long and short of it: at 700 miles, (on vacation, of course) the light went on. Armed with common sense and the good information on this board, I continued to drive the van, and had it checked when I returned from vacation. P0770. Put in my name for a new TC at two dealerships. Got a call *the next day* (I realize how lucky this is) from one of them, they put in the new TC, no more light. No big deal.
Just a note-- if, at any time, you feel driving your car is unsafe-- don't drive it. Go to your dealership and demand a loaner. If you have a good dealership, you won't even have to demand it. I can't convince anyone not to blow this out of proportion, just do what you will.
Oh, I have edited tbridgeman's post to reflect how (IMHO) this defect can result in disaster:
(CAPS mine
"Oh, and this is for the person who doesn't think
this is a big deal...think about this...me and my
four children driving down the Interstate, my
CHECK ENGINE LIGHT GOES ON...I try to pull over to the
right hand lane...oops, big trucks in my way, I
can't get over....I AM BLINDED BY THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT...here
comes a big old 18 wheeler with a very sleepy
driver barreling up behind my ... minivan WITH THE ILLUMINATED CHECK ENGINE LIGHT....hmmmm. Not a pretty picture. This is a
VERY BRIGHT CHECK ENGINE LIGHT. And we should all scared."
Please take this bit of humor in the spirit it is intended. No children, vans, trucks, or sleepy truck drivers were harmed in the posting of this message. Thank You.
I got my '00 Sienna on 07/17, and the check engine light turned on after 80 miles. I returned to dealer and told it was loosing gas cap. Then after another 80 miles, it was on again, this time they said it is torque convert problem. I have waited a month, I haven't got the new part.
On the other hand, this car is fine, right now the milage is about 3000 miles, all highway milage. But I really want to complain about this. Maybe we need some action to let toyota learn some lesson for this problem.
Meanwhile, with two kids I rarely listen to tapes in the car, but on the trip I decided to put one on. It went in but wouldn't play - just kept making a clicking sound. Then the whole radio stopped working. I can't eject the tape or use the radio now. My husband thought we might have blown a fuse but the fuse looks intact (at least if you compare it to the drawings in the manual.)
I have always had such good luck with Toyota and am disappointed with how many times I've had to go to the dealer with a 2 year old, 16,000 mile van. (I've also had to have a seat fixed that wouldn't stay up when tumbled and door rattles taken care of.) I decided on another Toyota because even though my dealer gives a free loaner, hauling two kids down there and changing over car seats is not my idea of a fun activity at 7 am.
Anyone had any similar problems? Just curious how they worked out.
Thanks!
Carole
The clicking sound in your tape player could mean that the tape got jammed in your player. The unit may need to be removed to get the tape out.
Definitely have your leak checked out. If you run out of coolant,your engine will be damaged big time and it will cost big bucks to fix!
Good luck
I have a gallon of the coolant and it has a faint musty smell. Toyota LLC (long life coolant) is a clear cherry red color. jeprox is right, it is toxic, so wash your hands before eating.
I kind of doubt that it is coolant. Usually once coolant starts leaking it just gets worse, and it would be more than a blot on a paper towel, but anything is possible.
It's also possible that you have a water leak around the windshield and that's causing rusty water to leak into the glove box. This may have also leaked into the radio and caused that problem, but replace the fuse anyway. It's about $2 for a box of them at Kmart.
If you aren't satisfied with your service, go to another dealer, even if you have to go to another town.
1) Compressor exploded in Feb and it took 6 iterations to fix. Technicians at a dealer in NJ didn't know what the problem was in spite of 4 visits.
2) Rear windshield wiper liquid is leaking constantly. Twice it was fixed (according to our local dealer) but it is still leaking.
3) Break Pedal is making a clicking noise. Two different dealers in CA tried their best to convince me that it is normal noise. I read articles here and took copies of them to one of them this morning. They now seem to have fixed it. I believe they put some washers to secure the pedal pin. I don't hear the noise at least for now.
Since this model is new, even technicians don't understand what is going on. To top it all, they are so rude! I would never buy a Toyota again, and I am looking to sell my van.
To save you time reading this, the short story is that they replaced the torque converter. The longer version is that we called the dealer from whom we bought it, and got interesting responses. The first lady said it was a programing error that had the shift timing off by 2/10 of a second. The service manager said it was a sensor and asked us to bring it in to they could get the serial number off the transmission, and they'd order the part.
When they saw it, the svc mgr said they were going to order a torque converter, and no harm would come from continuing the drive the van. The TC arrived about 2 weeks later, at which time the van had about 890 miles on it. We took it in for the surgery, and thanks to a previous post, I requested that they drain the transmission to remove possible debris from the transmission. (By the way, they were very cooperative in all this, but not eager to reveal all info about what they did to the van). They provided a free loaner Camry.
When we picked up the Sienna the service rep said they replaced relatively simple part. I was given paperwork indicating simply that they had replaced the TC per "SET", whatever SET is. I noticed they retained the mechanic's notes, and I asked the cashier to give me a photostat of his notes, which she did. This is what the mechanic wrote (in part): "T.C.C. coming apart". (Is that Torque Converter Clutch)? He also wrote: "Pulled pan and inspect for excessive amounts of clutch material", and "flushed transmission per SET".
We have had the van back for several days and it seems to drive fine, and I have every hope that it will have the extended trouble free life that Toyota is generally known for. But I am wondering if "clutch material" which was presumably flushed out may have worn parts in the transmission which will lead to a premature failure of the transmission? I certainly don't know that to be a probability, but I wonder. A transmission in this class of van, I would expect, should last at least 125,000 miles or more. I think it would be appropriate for Toyota to grant an extension of the powertrain warranty to at least 100,000 miles or more for those vehicles involved in this problem. Thanks to all of you who took the time to share info about this.