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Toyota Sienna Maintenance and Repair (2003 earlier)

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Comments

  • mrfong1mrfong1 Member Posts: 16
    I experienced the same thing described by rfp1nc on my 2000xle. Brought it in 2x and they told me they could not identify anything wrong and I could not get it to "not work" in front of them. Now I am @45,000miles and not under warranty. Problem still occurs intermittently. I clean all contacts on door and frame, then squirt WD40 onto the latch on the bottom track (with a cable coming off of it), and it the problem "seems to" go away for 2-10 weeks. Looks like I missed out on warranty service.
  • sienna01sienna01 Member Posts: 12
    I had the same problem with my 2001. Look at # 1219, 1246, 1248 and # 1367. It was a real pain for us. They replaced the (ECU) computer. I have the part number on post 1367. The door is still working great.
  • rfp1ncrfp1nc Member Posts: 10
    If you brought it in the first time and were still under warranty, there should be a record and Toyota should honor it under warranty. Interesting solution using WD-40 which suggests that the ecu detects a high motor load when trying to close the door. The resistance is interpreted as an obstruction... person, etc. and it stops closing as a safety measure. The fact that you have to repeat the procedure is probably due to the fact that WD-40 is not really a lubricant but an anti-sieze compound that evaporates promptly. Try a lithium base lubricant. The new ecu is probably set at a higher resistance level to accommodate a higher than expected load but could make the door more dangerous for small children.
    Suggest you discuss with the dealer and/or Toyota rep since you brought it in while it was under warranty and they couldn't fix the problem. Always keep good records!
  • jyoung7777jyoung7777 Member Posts: 1
    Hi,

    I have a 2-year-old Sienna at 30k miles. I found my two front tires terribly worn out because of bad alignment. I am a very, very gentle driver and, never feel the misalignment while driving. I don't know if my warranty covers the alignment problem.

    A big mistake is that I haven't aligned my car since I bought it new. Now I have to pay for the two new tires. Do you know how often should I do the alignment? Please advise. Thanks for your time.

    Tony
  • cliffy1cliffy1 Member Posts: 3,581
    Once a year it is a good idea to have it checked.
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    If those are the original tires on your Sienna, then 30,000 miles isn't too shabby. I only got ~35,000 out of the ones that came with my Quest, and I had an alignment early on and was pretty good about rotating my tires.

    Steve, Host
  • PekesPekes Member Posts: 6
    Hey jeprox!

    You seem to be a knowledgeable guy on these boards and you've helped me out before

    A few of us have problems with the slider doors - creaking, sometimes rattling - sounds like something loose behind the inside door handle. I really notice this on the drivers side but now I think the passenger side door is starting to exhibit similar noises.

    Problem seems to occur when the van's body twists such as an uneven road or simply backing out of garage and turning in a tight circle.

    Are you aware of a fix? What would you suggest short of taking it to the dealer?

    Appreciate your input.
  • ortaloortalo Member Posts: 1
    Hi,
    I have a 2002 Sienna LE, about 9000 miles. Earlier this spring we started hearing a noise which sounds like the valves rattling. The noise is not on all the time, just when you would expect to hear it as a regular valve noise.

    The dealer could not find anything wrong with the timing of the valves. He recommended we use premium gaz. That helped a bit but then the noise came back. It's now back anytime the outside temperature is above 45F. Took it in last week, dealer said they did not understand what could be wrong and Toyota had no idea (they suggested putting an additive in the gaz to clean the engine but that did not make any difference). Any suggestions? Has anyone experienced this?

    Does anyone know whether we are damaging the engine when driving with this noise?

    Thanks for your help.
  • ragdolls99ragdolls99 Member Posts: 2
    I HAVE A 1999 XLE WITH 28000 MILES ON IT.THE BACK BRAKES MAKE A HIGH PICTCH SQUELY JUST BEFORE COMING TO A STOP.I REMOVE DRUMS AND CHECKED BRAKES THERE WAS ABOUT 3/16 LEFT ON THE LINING. AFTER CLEANING OUT BRAKE DUST THEY WERE QUEIT AND THEN SLOWLY STARTED TO MAKE NOISE AGAIN OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS.IS THERE A REPLACEMENT SHOE THAT IS QUIETER THAN THE OEM SHOE AND HAS ANY ONE HAD ANY LUCK WITH THIS PROBLEM THANKS.
  • sharks5sharks5 Member Posts: 4
    Has anybody purchased the extended warranty for the Sienna to deal with some of the potential costly problems? If so, what is a good price? Better to get an aftermarket or a Toyota warranty?
    Thanks
  • cliffy1cliffy1 Member Posts: 3,581
    In my opinion, aftermarket warranties are a waste of money. My dealership used to sell such warranties but we got so many complaints from our customers that we switched to Toyota plans about 3 years ago. The complaints were over the fact that many parts were not covered and that claims were very difficult to process unless the customer brought the car back to the selling dealer for service. We don't make as much money on the Toyota plans but the customer retention is much better. In the long run, it is better for us and the customers.
  • bobsmith3bobsmith3 Member Posts: 14
    Is there any way to help out a balky seat belt retractor?
    The one on my driver's side always seems to need "help" to retract when I unbuckle.
  • toyotakentoyotaken Member Posts: 897
    One thing that has helped when I have had seatbelts that are "futzy" is to take a bar of soap (dry) and rub it on the area of the seatbelt that seems to be binding up. This normally keeps it slippery enough to go through the guide without binding. Try this out and tell me how it works.
  • stbissstbiss Member Posts: 10
    My '99 Sienna has experienced creaky doors for at least two years now...I am afraid it is a design flaw. I had them adjusted under warranty, but the noises soon returned.I later came across TSB which addresses problem. (go to yotarepair.com). If you do this procedure every so often, the noises will stay away. Otherwise, get used to hearing them in my opinion.
  • wiencswiencs Member Posts: 4
    I have a 1999 Sienna that I bought new. No real problems (busted radio knob, sticking sliding doors that seem to have corrected themselves and the low pressure tire indicator never goes off) but the front wheels/alignment must be whacked. I'm at 29,000 miles and looking at my 3rd set of tires. Early on I noticed a shimmy in the front end at very low speed (like going down the alley). At 10K miles I had it back at the dealership complaining about it (my first pair of front tires was already about shot) and they suggested that the first set of tires wasn't properly balanced. So I spent the money and indeed it was better but still not totally gone. I was watching the wear pattern and the inside and outside edges were going bald way too fast. Today the drivers side went flat and when I changed the tire I noticed that the inside edge was worn all the way through to the steel belts (cut my hand on the nasty little wires sticking out all over the place). I'm sure that I will at least get an alignment, but this seems to me to clearly be a design issue. Has anyone else (message 2108) had this problem and is there any relief from Toyota? Do they admit to it?
  • phillipmphillipm Member Posts: 32
    Hey wiencs, In the "Toyota Sienna" forum I have a post #2154 which describes how my front tires wore much quicker than the rears. Alignment, balancing, and rotating did not prevent the front tires from wearing much more rapidly than the rears. When I complained to my Toyota Service Mgr. I was informed that all vans have this wear pattern and there was nothing that could be done to correct it. I was told that the fronts would wear out 50% faster than the rears and that's about how mine wore-out. If you get a better explanation or find a solution pls. let me know as I now have a new set of tires installed and hope they last longer than the first set did.
  • toyotakentoyotaken Member Posts: 897
    On any front-wheel drive vehicle, the front tires will wear faster than the rears. That is why you should rotate them regularly. This is because on front-wheel drive vehicles, the front tires do alot more work. They have to travel the same distance as the rears (more if you consider front wheels travel further in turns), they take alot more of the braking forces, they are the drive wheels, and go through the abuse of turning and the friction associated with that. All of these factors contribute to front tires wearing more than the rears in general.
  • hydrogeekhydrogeek Member Posts: 10
    I agree that the tires should be rotated on a regular basis, but three sets of tires in 29,000 miles is ridiculous. There is obviously something wrong with the alignment of your van Wiencs. I would take it to another dealer's service department. Worst case take to an independent shop that you trust and get it aligned. If something is defective, insist that the Toyota dealer fix it. You should be getting 40k miles out of a set of tires at the least.
  • wiencswiencs Member Posts: 4
    Thanks for all the feedback. I will probably take it to an independent shop (can't be any more expensive than the dealer). My biggest concern is what #2120 sent. I don't think Toyota is stepping forward to acknowledge this one. Unless it gets off the production line misaligned (and should therefore be fixable) I'm afraid that I'm just going to eat up tires. Lastly, don't front tires wear faster because 60% (the engine) of the car weight is resting on them. And while I expect them to wear faster the wear pattern is indicative of bigger issues.
  • toyotakentoyotaken Member Posts: 897
    I would agree. For a good set of tires, and keeping proper maintenence, you should easily get 40,000 miles on a set. That is partly why I recomended getting a second opinion from either another dealership or from an independent shop. Hope it goes well, and keep us informed.
  • PekesPekes Member Posts: 6
    Thanks stbiss!

    I found that link, www.yotarepair.com, very helpful.

    I also bought some Door-Ease - seems to work (at least so far).
  • stbissstbiss Member Posts: 10
    Anybody have a solution yet to the squeaky rear breaks? I can clean all the dust out of the drums and it is quiet for a few days, but then the noise returns as you come to a slow stop. My dealer says all Siennas are prone to this thanks to the brake shoe composition. I think there must be an answer through some different type of shoe material. Any brake experts out there?
  • piusjudepiusjude Member Posts: 12
    Midas was able to get rid of this problem on mine. A well spent $140 for parts and labor. I already put in 5k miles, so far, no squeak.
  • ponysmithponysmith Member Posts: 4
    I have had almost constant problems with both of my power doors. I take it into the shop they do various repairs, replacing ECU, door latch. Of course it is one single repair at a time. This may work for 1 week or 6 months then it is malfunctioning again. I have gone through this scenario with both sliding doors. Now I am out of warranty. A couple of weeks ago the car was in the shop for a door repair, had to wait for parts, got it "fixed" the next day on the way for vacation it stopped working. Back to manual doors. Then the manual release button is jammed and the door is stuck open. Now I have no doors and stuck out of town. Got the one door to close and came home. My dealer now says I need to replace the computer and I am out of warranty and am on my own. I am not happy. I already paid once for 2 power doors, I am not going to pay again. ANY ONE ELSE OUT THERE WITH DOOR PROBLEMS ?? I feel a fight with a district rep coming on-
  • ponysmithponysmith Member Posts: 4
    I hope you are still around. I have the same problem with my doors. I have a 01 XLE. The dealer repairs something and it may work for 12 hours or 12 months. I am now out of warranty with the same problem. It varies with each door. If you see this please respond with your details
  • lsaclsac Member Posts: 22
    A doorman had broken my sliding door handle. My van is 98 Sienna 5dr LE with 44k mi. He pulled wrong side while he was trying to close the door. I ordered handle from http://www.oem-car-parts.com/?toyota-parts-accessories.com1. It costed me about $60 plus shipping. It only took me 10 minutes to put on. Since canucktoyowner had posted same problem, I am posting mine here too. He spent $101 plus $75 labor. I had a Sienna service manual so the job was guided and easier. The new door handle came with white grease. All handles might those grease.
  • lsaclsac Member Posts: 22
    My 98 Sienna LE had exhibited one problem in heavy rain once. The AC switch light was blinking when defogging was turned on. According Dan Marinucci of Motor.com, it was a warning from speed sensor in AC compressor. The problem had happened once so I have assumed water caused belt to slip. Has anyone notices such problem? It is a common warning in all Toyotas.
  • deepandeepan Member Posts: 342
    I know in other cars when the defroster is turned on the a/c comes on with the light. on my sienna (2000 CE) the light doesnt come on when the defroster is turned on but i know the A/c is on. The a/c led comes on if i manually turn the a/c on. Is this the normal behaviour.
  • toocajun4utoocajun4u Member Posts: 26
    Isaac, I saw the same thing in my '02 XLE a few weeks ago. I don't think the defroster was on, but plain old A/C was. I DO recall hearing the belt squeal several times while driving through standing water in the driveway at work. About 5 minutes later, noticed the A/C light blinking. Turned the A/C off, then on again, no more blinking.

    This is the only time I have ever seen the blinking A/C light - it is also the only time I have ever heard my belt slip. Doesn't prove your theory, but it does support it. I'm just glad to see a theory - I was clueless!

    Larry
  • rfp1ncrfp1nc Member Posts: 10
    Ponysmith... See posts #2104-7 and others. This must be a product defect and a costly one at that for owners. There should also be a warranty on the repairs that you already have had and a responsible dealer will go to bat for you. Let us know how you fare with the Toyota rep.
  • jeproxjeprox Member Posts: 466
    most new cars now have the a/c wired to your defroster for the windshield. when you turn the dial to defrost your windshield, it automatically turns on your a/c. some old american cars does this also.

    the cold air from the a/c helps clear up your foggy windshield much faster than hot air. i personally don't like this set-up coz when you set your dial to defrost, that means your a/c is on and you are burning extra gas! just imagine, you have your a/c on during the winter to clear up the foggy windshield!

    my used caravan was like this and i was wondering for the longest time why i use so much gas! coz i bought the van used, i didnt have a manual so i didnt know until a friend told me.
  • lsaclsac Member Posts: 22
    I have posted Dan's article at http://www.mailtrace.com/misc/blinking.pdf. Try to get a clue for your van if you happen to notice the blink. According to owner's manual, AC comes on when dial is turned to defogger.
  • smfransmfran Member Posts: 432
    The A/C is necessary to defog the windshield not because cold air is better than warm air. It is because conditioned (dry) warm air absorbs moisture better. Damp unconditioned air will not defog the windshield; warm or cold. Even with the A/C on, cold air will not absorb the moisture.
  • deg856deg856 Member Posts: 120
    The power sliding door on the driver side of our 2001 XLE (21K mi., 18 months old) acted up yesterday again. When we attempted to open it, it would move a fraction of an inch and stop. Manually pulling the sliding door open past the half-way-open point activated the power mechanism, which reversed the door and closed it against our wish. We ended up deactivating the power and used the door manually all day. When the door was fully opened and the power was activated, it closed upon command without any problem, so the problem was limited to the opening cycle. This was new since we previously only experienced problems with closing, but not opening.

    The same thing occured two days ago and fixed itself. Since it occured again yesterday, I made a service appointment with the dealer for this morning. However, when we got home late last night and gave it one more try, the power door worked again. This morning I tried it a few more times and it worked just fine, so I decided not to go to the dealer - until next time.

    We've had intermittent problems with this power door for over a year - it stopped working a few times and each time the problem went away by itself in a day or two. A previous trip to the dealer did not unveil the cause of the problem. The cold and the rain appear to be a factor (this is just a casual and unscientific observation). To us the power door is such a cool feature, we sorely miss its utility each time it stopped working, even only for a short time.

    Aside from this intermittent problem with the driver side power door and an intermittent speaker (rear driver side; scratchy noise) problem, the van has been excellent.

    San Jose, CA
  • sienna01sienna01 Member Posts: 12
    I have a 01 xle. deg856 you may want to check out my post 1939. I had similar problem(s) as you and others have listed. You may want to have the dealer check the door computer. Trust me, it did not "fix itself". It is an intermittent problem. Once the door computer was replaced the door has been working great. I have the part number listed on the other post.
  • kw6kw6 Member Posts: 26
    This happened to me about a month ago. I was in a heavy rainstorm with defrost on, and all of a sudden I felt extreme humidity (I live in Texas so I know what humidity is). I looked, and the light was blinking. I happened a couple more times. I took it to the dealer later that week, and the mechanic said that the belt was slipping because of all the rain. He said the belt was tight.
  • deepandeepan Member Posts: 342
    jeprox i do understand why the a/c is needed and have no issues about it. my question is on the sienna when you turn the front defroster on does the LED on the a/c button light up. I know the a/c turns itself on just am not sure whether the LED should be lit. Could you chk this please.
  • jeproxjeprox Member Posts: 466
    on my sienna, when i turn the dial to defrost - the a/c light does not come on. i read the manual and it didnt say anything abuot the a/c coming on when you turn the dial to defrost. i also checked under the hood to see if the compressor is running - didn't see it running. so my conclusion is that the a/c does not turn on when you switch to defrost.

    the air (with the a/c on) is much colder compared to the air coming out when you're on defrost. try it yourself and see if you get the same results.
  • deepandeepan Member Posts: 342
    This is interesting. the air being colder with the a/c on and warmer with just the defrost on could br because the temp gauge is turned to the warm side. the windows and windshield clear way quicker and i thought the /ac automatically turned on. All the new cars i've been in automatically turns itself on including my dad's 2000 camry. where exactly is the compressor located. I would like to chk it just to see it myself.
  • jeproxjeprox Member Posts: 466
    when i checked mine, the temp. is set at the coldest air (blue).

    pop your hood open and the compressor is on the front passenger side. it is to the right of the windshield fluid bottle and below the alternator. it's shaped almost like a can of paint with a belt pulley at the end. when the a/c is on, you will see the the compressor turn. there's a black round piece attached in front of the pulley. when your a/c is on, this piece will start and stop. it turns (on) when the set temp. rises (warm) and it turns (off) when it reaches the set temp. (cold).
    when the a/c is off, this piece does not move - only the belt pulley rotates.

    my sister's 1997 camry turns on the a/c automatically when you switch to defrost. the a/c light comes on as well.
  • deg856deg856 Member Posts: 120
    Thanks for referencing your previous post on this topic by message number. Our van is still well within the warranty period so we can afford to wait until the door acts up again. Next time we'll try to "preserve the evidence" so we don't have to listen to the dealer say, "But we can't make it not work..." like last time.

    San Jose, CA
  • PekesPekes Member Posts: 6
    My Sienna is a '99. The ac light goes on when in the defrost postition - plus I can see the tach change so I know the ac has kicked in.

    I like this setup because (a) it works very well, especially in this wet winter climate on Vancouver Island; (b) I believe the ac compressor is less likely to have problems since it's being run more often - not being used for a prolonged period could cause bearings to seize, IMHO.
  • duckshooterduckshooter Member Posts: 156
    When you select defrost, Toyotas (both my Tundra and my Sienna) activate the a/c. That's the way it's designed. The reason for this is that the a/c compressor forces moisture out of the air - then the dry air is passed over your heater coil and onto your windshield. It's a superbly efficient method for clearing fog from the windshield. It may also improve the durability of your a/c system (more on this).

    I have aways done this manually in previous vehicles I've owned - the owner's manuals tell you this, it's not an urban legend. Simply select defrost and hit your a/c button. Adjust temp accordingly.

    No, the LED (on both my 00 Toyotas) doesn't come on when you select defrost. And I don't think you can run defrost when you've got recirc selected (it defeats the purpose and only makes it the fog worse).

    As to the gas mileage problem - I sort of agree that I would prefer to manage the a/c compressor myself. But a mechanic told me once years ago that you need to run your a/c compressor periodically even in the winter or the system will tend to fail earlier - seals or belts or something. Since then I've always used a/c in conjunction with defrost in the winter and I haven't had problems with my a/c systems in all the cars I've had over the years.
  • jeproxjeprox Member Posts: 466
    thats strange that my a/c does not turn on when i select defrost. mine is a 1999 model also. i have the CE model and i assume you have the LE or XLE coz u have a tach.

    i wonder if you have one of those automatic climate control system.
  • cliffy1cliffy1 Member Posts: 3,581
    The AC light will not come on when you hit the defrost. That doesn't mean it isn't on. Toyota was getting a lot of complaints in the service department from customers who could not understand the benefit of having the AC on with the defrost. They thought there was a defect so Toyota removed the visual indicator. Complaints have reduced.
  • maceganmacegan Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2002 Toyota Sienna XLE with third row bucket seats. Since the day We bought the vehicle there has been a rattle in the right rear seat. It sounds like the seat does not fit tight into the anchors on the floor and when you go over bumps you get this loud rattle. Have had it in to the dealer twice...first time they told me the head rests needed to be all the way down...they never even test drove with me to hear the noise. Second time they secured the cross bars on both seats and when I drove it with technician it was fine. By the time I got it home it was making the noise again.

    It is so annoying as it is loud...even the technician said it was annoying. Has anyone else encountered this problem? Any suggestions? Dealership said there was not much else they could do. My reply was they better find something to do as I paid close to 30 thousand for an annoying vehicle.

    Thanks in advance
  • toyotakentoyotaken Member Posts: 897
    A couple of things you can try to reduce the rattling. One would be to try using some electrical tape on the anchors on the floor. I would guess that the rattling is from an anchor on the seat locking with a bit of play in the seat itself, allowing the anchor to rattle. The other option would be to add some sort of padding under the anchor points so that it will still seat firmly, but will not have enough room to rattle. Hope this helps.
  • ponysmithponysmith Member Posts: 4
    Run, don't walk and insist that the computer be replaced. I have been screwwing around since 11,000 miles, on both doors. The computer was replaced on the drivers side and it is now my passenger side power door. I am just over warranty and the dealer now wants ME to pay labor and he will pay parts. I am going in today to say NO WAY. Other than these doors Its been a great van. My car was brand new and I experienced these door problems.
  • fffrostyfffrosty Member Posts: 2
    Can anyone help me? I have a 1999 XLE which has a problem with both the heating and air conditioning system. The problem is that when I am idling or in very slow traffic, the heating and cooling systems stop working (fans keep blowing but a/c or heat stops coming out of the vents). As soon as the car starts moving at any reasonable speed (30 km plus) the system will start working again after a couple of minutes.

    I have taken it to the dealership twice to complain about the air conditioning system and both times they said nothing was wrong. You try sitting in a traffic jam when it is 100 degrees outside with two kids and no a/c. It is not a pretty sight!

    Now that it is winter, we have the same problem with the heating system. Once we are stopped in traffic, the fan starts blowing cold air. A few minutes after the car starts moving, the system starts blowing warm air again.

    Can anyone suggest what the problem might be?
  • rfp1ncrfp1nc Member Posts: 10
    As noted in a previous post, Toyota replaced the computer in our passenger side sliding door, $800 but fortunately under warranty. Now the driver's side door is having the same problem... won't close. 1,500 miles left on warranty and I'm bringing it in this week. I'm concerned that this convenience will eventually be a major recurring expense once it's out of warranty.
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