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I also told them I wanted proof to take to the dealership where I bought the car, although I just asked for the printout from the diagnostic reader. The service fellow gave me the TSb on his own. The TSB details are:
Toyota Technical Service Bulletin, dated 08/18/00
Title: M.I.L. "ON" DTC P0770
(note...P0770 is the diagnostic code that is returned)
Models: '00 Sienna
There's a code "EG006-00" on the right hand side of the bulletin, looks like a label indicating a section.
"Introduction Some 2000 model year Sienna vehicles produced within the VIN ranges below may exhibit a DTC with M.I.L. "ON" P0770 as a result of a torque converter manufacturing issue."
"Applicable Vehicles 2000 model year Sienna vehicles produced within the following VIN and ATM serial number ranges."
I gave these before. It also lists Parts Info, Required Tools, Repair Procedure and Warranty Information. But I think you have enough detail now to impress your dealership with what you know.
I called the four dealers closest to me describing my problem and asking what experience they had with it...I took it (for the diagnostic - not repaired yet) to the one of the two that were upfront about it with me from the start.
Your warranty allows you to go to ANY dealer, not just where you purchased if you don't trust them. Good Luck!
I bet you return a lot of meals back to the kitchen when you go out. I wonder how many make it back to you with a little something extra on it. Will you please lighten up.
Suggestion on:
Get rid of this horrible albatross called a Sienna so you'll get off this group. I'm sure I'm not the only one getting tired of your constant paranoia and complaining.
Suggestion off:
The dealer must love you. Remember the story of the boy who cried wolf?
The van has performed perfectly until this last week when we started noticing two different (related?) problems.
Please forgive the poor descriptions but each of these just started and have only happened a couple of times.
1) When accelerating from a stop, the van seems to shudder or jump.
2) When accelerating right after a stop (but not from a stop - and not in conjunction with the the first problem) the engine seems to lose its pick up. I notice that the tachometer seems to lock in at about 2200 RPM for a few seconds and then it shifts. This is very noticeable.
If either of these problems sound familiar I would appreciate some feedback. We are taking the van to the dealer tomorrow but I am worried that they will not be able to reproduce the problems.
This is my 5th Toyota (the other 4 being virtually problem free). I have a hard time believing something could be wrong with the transmission or some other major component on a 10 month old Toyota but I know from reading this forum that it can happen.
Your LE is the same engine/transmission as the other Sienna models of that year, so it could be that others may share your same problem and have different models. (Make sense??)
Try a few different options to get a better feel for the cause of the problem and to better describe it at the dealer. Using regular gas, try premium. Is the A/C on when accelerating, if so try doing it again with the A/C off. Is the engine warm or cold when it happens? Does it happen all the time or sporadically? The more info you have the easier it will be for the dealer to replicate the problem!!
Good luck......
I have surely lost a lot of faith in Toyota quality. I plan to call their consumer hot-line to press my case that I should be given an extended power-train warranty.
I will place a future post after the replacement is completed.
So far I've had no problem with the T/C problem. I think it is because the van not made in production months that have this problem. I do notice that under hard acceleration, the van shifts hard from 1st to 2nd gear.
My light came on at 12 miles. T/C replaced about two months ago at about 1000 miles. No problems at all since then. Just had an oil change at about 3000 miles; car runs great, no sludge in the engine :-). Only minor irritant is that when they did the oil change, they put air in the tires and set off the tire pressure light. Supposedly, if you drive 5 miles at a sustained speed of 30 mph it will reset itself. Ha! I live in Silcon Valley. I haven't driven 30 mph sustained for 5 miles in years. Called Kevin at the service department (One nice thing about the T/C problem is you get to know all the service manager and assistant by first name) to help me find another way to reset it.
Despite the T/C, still LOVE the car. Drives like a dream.
We settled for the Gold Package because the Platinum, as near as I can tell, only extends the maximum miles, not the time frame (100K vs. 75K, 72 months for both) There's no way we would put 100K on in the first six years given the around town and occasional family trip use we have.
I do feel much better about my 2000 Sienna LE and my faith in the dealer has been largely restored but I sure wish we hadn't had to persist so long and make so many phone calls (and a letter) to the dealer. In the two months it took to finally get the manager involved, I probably disparaged Toyota and the dealer a dozen or so times to friends who could potentially have been future customers. All for the lack of a concession retailing for under a $1,000 (who knows what the dealer cost is)!
Again, if Toyota had stepped forward early on and offered the warranty to the Cursed T/C Sienna souls, all this agonizing, ill will, and bad press largely disappears. That is simply poor marketing and miserable customer service.
From what I could discern, the dealer will eat the cost of the extended warranty unless they can convince Toyota to make good on it. That's probably why many dealerships are reluctant to give these warranties out like free popcorn. If I'm a Toyota dealer, I write it off as good customer service and marketing. Costs less than a couple of newspaper ads and the effect of not doing what's right lingers long in the customers' mind (compare that to yesterday's newspaper ad).
The van's running great now, we do love it, and hopefully we can get on with our lives again. Car problems can really have a negative effect on one's happiness (sad, but true in this day). Thank you all who post; this site is a tremendous resource and I'll check back regularly. I LOVE WHAT YOU DO FOR ME...INTERNET!
For those still deciding on a vehicle, it was very comfortable and quiet on our trip. My 18mo. old son napped for almost 3hrs! He didn't do that in the old car. Also, the XLE's power driver's seat helps to reduce fatigue on long rides.
Anybody think this is an issue? Anybody have any problems with Firestones on their Sienna?
On top of the thought I may have to 'butter-up" my leather on a monthly basis, I have a nasty buzz behind the instrument panel, and the $265 luxo-mirror has no clue what direction I'm headed. These are NOT good omens for the future.
I just traded out of a 28 month old Expedition without a rattle or problem. I'm now wondering if my PC decision to move out of a gas hog SUV to a "bullet-proof", not so sexy, but very practical Toyota Van was a mistake.
Has anyone had my same leather problem? Do I need to treat it? Do I dare to have the guy's in the service department pull the dash? It's againts my better judgement to start taking this damn thing apart. Am I whining after 260 miles? Yes, maybe a little...but if I wanted a slightly squeeky minivan that needed the dash pulled to fix a rattle and a mirror replaced, I coulda bought a '97 Caravan for 20k less.
All this said, I will admit it has one great engine and drive-train, which is what sold me on it. I have not had the "check engine" light come on nor any feel that the car wants to pull left or right; but when I buy a 30k car, I do not want the thing to rattle!
We do have leather and notice no squeaks or rattles. Although it's a good idea to keep the leather treated, it shouldn't be necessary to "butter up" everything just to keep it quiet.
As far as tires are concerned, we asked the dealer (service manager) to swap out out original Firestone Affinity's with Michelin's and he obliged. It couldn't hurt to ask......
There is a way to set your mirror compass. Drive around in a circle (according to the manual).
The dash rattle can probably be fixed by the dealer. Good luck.
What Do you think I should do now? The cases are just coming out because People are realizing that they are NOT TO BLAME! The dealerships keep saaying we have never seen an engine like this before, but when we took it in the very fist time it started smoking they told us without even looking in the motor that Toyota warranty wouldn't cover sludge! Isn't that remarkable that they have that insite! Maybe you could help and be part of the solution before someone gets hurt! We are not being taken care of and Didn't 'Toyota Boast best vehicle, best SERVICE! Do a little looksee for yourself and you will notice that there are alot of folks with this problem.We didn't all NOT take care of our vehicles!
This forum is for Toyota Sienna owners to voice their concerns about problems, not to lash out at one another. If you read my postings I only questioned some of the symptoms that "abcdefg6" described about his/her sludge problems. To reiterate a statement I made, " asking questions does not equate to laying blame". I also sympathized with this Sienna owner if in fact the vehicle was properly maintained yet suffered from sludge. I also questioned "cblake" about gathering information about this problem-NO RESPONSE!
I'm sure you're upset about your sludge problem, I can't say I blame you. I took a look at "thecomplaintstation" website and noticed 9 (not 15-some people had multiple postings) other Sienna owners who shared your sentiment. Not 1 of them stated that they had a sludge problem after having changed their oil every 3,000 miles as recommended by Toyota. Actually, Jim Garrison states that he changed his oil at 7,500 miles, Steve Weiss went 6 months without changing his oil, taxiguy changed his oil at 8,000 miles and Neal Boggs had only 2 oil changes with 10,000 miles. I'd don't think many people would consider these vehicles well maintained.
The only point I want to drive home is that if sludge were such a widespread problem than there would be more people posting their issues on Edmund's (less than a handful) and "thecomplaintstation" (9). Everyone has the option of changing their oil whenever they want, but if you do so every 5,000-8,000 miles you're only asking for problems. I'm sure it also depends on your driving habits and road conditions, since there are probably people out there who do change their oil within this range, but why tempt fate? Spend the $15-$25 on a regular oil change now and save yourself $5000-$8000 down the road.........
It's not that the seats aren't locked in properly, at least in my case.
Thanks!
KarenS
Vans host
cblake@erols.com
"Jcapeling," it is easy to understand why you are so angry. Who wouldn't be if they were told that they needed to be responsible for a new engine in a van less than 2 years old! Please do continue to find out more information. There are many owners who will appreciate it. "Readytobuy4," like Toyota, has made up his mind. You should not be compelled to defend yourself against such narrow-minded perspectives. The truth will speak for itself if the problem is of greater magnitude than Toyota claims.
As for the regular oil changes in the 3,000 mile range, I will venture to say that IF there IS a defect, this measure will only serve to POSTPONE the inevitable demise of the system. I.E. Owners might get past the warranty period before the problem surfaces. I'd like such owners to come forward to support this theory, if possible.
Let's not forget that IF there is an inherent problem, changing the oil more frequently will NOT solve the problem. It will merely delay it. This will make Toyota happy because then it can say, not only is the only is the owner to blame, but the warranty period is over. An owner who does not have the information that "jcapeling" has might lack the confidence to stand up for himself/herself. More power to the "jcapelings" out there!
cblake@erols.com
I can understand why you believe everyone should unite together and fight the big monster called Toyota after the numerous complaints you have listed on "Edmund's" and "The ComplaintStation" websites. To date I have counted 15-20 problems you've had with your Sienna, Camry and other prior vehicles. Whew, everyone must be out to get you!!!
I invited you to provide any substantial FACTS that people who have properly maintained their Sienna's have had sludge problems-I have yet to see any! I even went so far as to give you list of those people who claimed to have sludge problems on "The ComplaintStation" who in actuality did NOT change their oil as recommended by Toyota, but they too want to point the finger at someone. Your theory about changing oil every 3,000 miles, as recommended by the company that built the van-TOYOTA, who I would think would know more about maintaining the Sienna than you, is only prolonging the inevitable sludge problem-is ridiculous!!! Let's see, if the manual says I should fill up with gas when my "low fuel" light comes on, and I don't and run out of gas, I better blame someone-lookout Toyota!!!!
I again, invite you to substantiate any evidence-like factual documentation from you or someone "within your network" who actually changed their oil every 3,000 miles and still had the sludge problem. Why not provide this information and their email addresses as well, just to make sure this information is legitimate. Otherwise, why not take your speculative theory and discuss it in greater detail with your psychologist.....
Just wondering if anyone experienced the same problem.
The dealer says the tires are to blame and to see Firestone. Firestone says there is a suspension problem. An idependent mechanic found no problems with the suspension. Tire pressure could be suspected but the Firestone guy doesn't think all 4 tires would wear like this from a pressure problem. I never really checked the pressure but the car went to the dealer for all checkups and oil changes. They are supposed to check the pressure as part of that.
The car had been to the dealer 3 times for the "boing" problem and nothing has been found. Now the tires are worn bad at 25,000 and they are supposed to be good to 60,000.
The dealer is bringing in a "factory rep" to look at the car next Friday. Any suggestions?
Hope this helps!
Drew/aling
Townhall Community Leader/Vans Conference
pslin100- The towing package also includes higher airflow fans for the radiator. The fans are labeled T1 and T2 if you have them (otherwise S1 and S2). According to my 2000 service manual, the fans initially come on wired in series (stage 1 temp), then they come on in parallel (stage 2 temp) if needed. This is the case for vehicles with and without the towing package, as far as I can tell. The schematics are slightly different, but it's not obvious what the difference in 'control logic' is.
We called Toyota customer service to voice our complaint that we were not being given a new van but instead had to settle for a van with a rebuilt engine. We were told it was covered under the warranty. Even though it does not fall under our "lemon" law yet we are taking them to arbitration in hopes of getting a new van. Hey, if you buy anything else and it's faulty, you can return it. Why not a van, or any auto for that matter? Especially when you lay out that kind of money.
Has anyone else out there had this problem with their engine? If so, please respond. Any help in winning our case would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
1. Squeaking/squealing noise from the brake: I complained it a few times and the dealer tried to fix it cleaning surface of drums, etc., but I have been hearing the noise since 98 until now.
2. Rattling and squeaking noise from somewhere right-side sliding dooor or chairs while driving. Never disappears.
3. Yesterday, the transmission was dead. So embarrased and frustrated. The car won't move, only growling. How come the transmission of a Toyota car which is less than three years old just died?
I have to seriously reconsider the future purchasing plan for another Toyota.
From a frustrated Sienna owner
I had the same problem with my '95 Camry. The Goodyear Invicta's had to be repalced at 34K. Put Futura (a Pep Boys house brand) and no cupping problem at 65K.
I spoke to people who own Lexus with Goodyear tires. They have the same story. Do not expect the original Toyota tires to last more than 35K-no matter what you do.
Toyota may use good parts in its vans/cars, but the tires they put in are cheap. If you ever buy Toyota, make sure you have the tires balanced before you step outside the dealership.
I hear a whining or buzzing noise with a pitch which seems to follow the transmission through gear shifts. Most noticeable from within van. Reminds me of the noise from past attributed to distortion in radio from vehicle electrical system.
Complained to dealer. Canned response "No problems found at this time.".
Does anyone else notice this annoying noise? I am most concerned that it is transmission.