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Toyota Sienna Maintenance and Repair (2004+)

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Comments

  • cappy4103cappy4103 Member Posts: 48
    I had a 2004 Sienna and after one winter of upstate NY driving, the front edge of our hood took a beating! After purchasing our 2005 Sienna, I purchased a magnet bra and installed it for the winter. It's a magnetic vinyl like the signs that companies put on the sides of their vehicles to advertise. It only covers the front foot of the hood, doesn't chatter like the fabic bras, and can easily be removed and reinstalled... just an idea. The company is located online at www.magnetbra.com. I think the cost was about $50. Good luck!
  • warpspeedwarpspeed Member Posts: 8
    Im overseas & I could realy use the alignment specs for the 05 sienna asap..
    Anybody ?? :confuse:
    Thanx n advance :)
    Warp
    (17k miles since Jan.)
  • hibrienhibrien Member Posts: 7
    Thanks Phoebe! Yes, I drove the minivan home and parked it all week.
    Thank goodness, that I can pack three kids in the back of a 2004 Honda
    Civic Hybrid and get around without the minivan.
    Parts are supposed to be in on Friday June 3, then I return to the Toyota
    dealer Saturday June 4 for repair. I have since learned from siennaclub
    dot org users that there is indeed a second air conditioning unit in the
    rear of the sienna. I suspect that maybe Toyota did not design the
    vehicle to withstand the flex of driving around mountain roads. This is probably
    why the air conditioning lines separated in the rear of the vehicle. You will spot
    oily fluid in the right side passenger rear wheel compartment outside the vehicle.
    In terms of electrical problems- same guess, who knows what wiring harnesses
    back there have been stretched out causing electrical problems to occur.
    The vehicle has not been off road. In terms of steam coming out, that's hard
    to say- could be radiator, but then you would see coolant on the ground.
    If the air conditioning refrigerant leaked out, you could be seeing that in terms
    of steam or condensation, but no fluid on the ground. Stay in touch. Thanks. -Brien
  • captainjaycaptainjay Member Posts: 2
    I did not hear any noises with this problem. The van hesitated only when the gas tank got below ¼ tank, and got worse as the tank got lower. It started happening on the very first tank of gas. It particularly hesitated while reaccelerating after a stop or a turn.
    Hope that helps
  • rzqg8rrzqg8r Member Posts: 1
    I am sure you have answers by now, but if not, here is what I do on my XLE Limited (I got it in May). First turn on the Radio on punch DISK then put the DVD into the back Entertainment system. If you have the Emergency brake on - you will see the movie up front as well as in back, but if not - you will still get the movie sound through the stereo.
  • ednovakednovak Member Posts: 55
    One more note. You may have to turn the volume way up to hear the DVD through the stereo properly (at least it's that way on mine) so be careful to turn the volume down BEFORE you switch to the radio. Otherwise even if the resulting roar dosen't damage the speakers, it won't do anything good for your nerves..
  • vgrinshpunvgrinshpun Member Posts: 36
    I replaced Bridgestone B380 RFTs at 42,000 miles with Yokohama Avid TRZ tires and could not be happier. Harsh ride and noise associated with Bridgestones are gone, and Yokohamas perform very good (substantially better than Bridgestones) under all conditions: snow, rain, dry. I have used Yokohamas for about 6,000 miles on them.
  • jtd32jtd32 Member Posts: 1
    I am also glad not to be alone. We currently are getting the run around with our tires on our 04 Sienna. At 20k miles our run flat tires were totally worn out in the rear end. We needed all 4 new tires. We had searched for the tires in our town with out luck. They had to be ordered from Dunlap and would take a month to get. Two months later we had to park the van as the tires were to badly worn and unsafe to drive so we had to squeeze our kids back into our smaller car. Until we could get the tires. Then we find out that the rear end can not be aligned so we brought vehicle back to the dealership. The service technician at the dealership had to call their technician help line to try to figure it out. They told us that even if the rear end is off that it really is not as there is a flex bushing in the rear suspension and that the rear wheels can not be aligned because they always adjust due to the road conditions???? Then they tried to say it was our fault as we need to check the tire pressure every 2 weeks and has to be exactly 32 lbs. Explained no one ever mentioned this maintenance issue when we purchased the van and paid 40k for it. I am afraid that the new tires we just got today are just going to wear out the same as these ones even with checking the tire pressure every two weeks because how the tires were worn appeared more to be that the toe was off. The the dealership told us we should are lucky as a lot of people are only getting 12k- 15k miles out of the tires. I don't know about anyone else but these are very expensive tires to be replacing so soon and not what I bargained for when purchasing this vehicle. I want to do something just I am not sure what to do. Does anyone have any suggestions ???
    :confuse:
  • hibrienhibrien Member Posts: 7
    The latest update for June 4th is that the Toyota dealer installed new air conditioning
    lines in the rear of the minivan, and recharged the air conditioning system. The new
    refrigerant leaked out. Additional new air conditioning parts are on order to arrive next Tuesday. In addition, the oxygen sensor in the exhaust manifold was seized up. A new
    exhaust manifold is on order to arrive next Tuesday. Yet one more week without my minivan. I still can't believe that at 15k miles, the air conditioning fails, the oxygen sensor fails, and now a new exhaust manifold! Ridiculous.
  • eastoncarguyeastoncarguy Member Posts: 29
    hibrien-

    Sorry to hear about your whoas. They sound very similar to ours except instead of an oxygen sensor our ECM went and the entire computer had to be replaced. I know these boards generally only generate negative comments but it seems like there are some fairly consistent themes that Toyota needs to address.

    BTW we have had our Rear A/C system re-done TWICE in 17K miles. :mad:
  • james22james22 Member Posts: 2
    My Dunlap Run Flat tires wore out at 19,000 miles. All they recommend is rotating them every 3,000 miles.
  • james22james22 Member Posts: 2
    I bought 4 Dunlap Run Flats at Discount Tire for $218 each and they included a Discount Tire 30,000 prorated warranty. We will see.
  • thoele1thoele1 Member Posts: 1
    I just bought a 2005 XLE with leather and find the thigh support awful. Don't know why they couldn't have made the power movement more adjustable with moving the front of the seat higher and the back lower. I can do this on my pathfinder which has seats of the same length. They also should have added an inch or so in seat length like my father-in laws odessey. Don 't think toyota will help with a fix on movement. Hate to have to raise front on my own with shims after spending 34xxx. Have you figured anything out??
  • yanyan Member Posts: 1
    I have the same problem for my 2004 Sienna as your 05 Sienna. This rattle started 3 months later after I bought it.

    I sent it to the dealer 6 times for repairing. Every time the slide doors started to rattle again in couple weeks after repairing. Last Wednesday, the technician tried everything he could. But he still couldn’t fix the rattle.

    Would you like to share more your information? What are you going to do next? Contact Toyota or Dealer? These are thing I am thinking to do.

    Thanks.
  • neilj93neilj93 Member Posts: 1
    Here is our story about our 2004 Toyota Sienna XLT-AWD. We have a similar tire problem, Dunlop SP 4000 run-flats. We are in Up-state NY and do a lot of highway driving/traveling. Our van is 10 months old and has about 13,800 miles. On June 9th we noticed that we had a flat tire on the driver's rear. There was no dashboard indicator light, and my wife had driven to and from work on the flat (probably above 50 mph). We went to a gas station and tried to put air in and noticed that between the treads, there was a massive hole. There was 0 psi/air in the tire, it flowed right out. The next morning, I limped the $37K mini-van down to the same dealership that had sold it, serviced it and rotated the tires. I asked for a new tire and was told they didn't have any, they would try to locate one. It was Friday morning and there was no certainty I would have the van back the same day. I explained that we needed the van that day and I would have to call around to see if someone else could fix it. I call another dealership and they have the tires in stock, for $241 + mounting & balance! The dealership that had my van called and said they could do it, the tires were $269 + mounting & balance. I told them about the other dealership and they said they couldn't match it! I told them I would pick it up and bring it elsewhere. Of course, shortly thereafter, they call and said, "Are you sitting down? We got a deal for you." My manager called the Toyota Rep and we will give you 4 brand new tires for free, you have to let us keep your van until Monday." I told them I would have to get back to them. I called the other dealership and ran the story by the service manager. He said there must be something wrong with the tires, but don't be crazy, take the deal. The tires are $1,300. I call the original dealership back and tell them to go ahead and change the tires. When I questioned him about the other tires, he said they were worn down to a point of barely passing NY state inspection and they did not want to lose a customer. I think they know something is wrong, especially after doing a little searching on the internet/here. The moral of my story is that the free tires (which I'm very grateful for) cost me a weekend rental car and they can't buy me/shut me up. There is obviously a serious problem after looking here and at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website ( www.nhtsa.dot.gov). There are others that have had the same bad experience. If everyone complains, who knows...something may actually be done. Hope it helps. :lemon:
  • familycamperfamilycamper Member Posts: 2
    We bought a 2005 Sienna LE in December 2004 and were told no problem to tow our family pop up camper. Previously we had a GMC Savanna Van to tow. Sales person told us to buy an after market hitch rather than the factory provided hitch.

    When spring came and we hooked up the camper, bottoming out happened at the slightest bump. Have been asking the dealer for solutions but they have not come up with anything in 2 weeks.

    The pop up Gross Vehicle dry weight is 3000 lbs which is under the Toyota stated 3500 lb capacity. The dry tongue weight is 295 lb which is below the Toyota stated 350 lb limit. When we load up the camper, it will go slightly higher in weight but I don't believe over the limits.

    Checked with good local hitch shop and they suggest air lift shocks that insert inside the rear springs. I have brought that solution back to the Toyota dealer since we want to go on a family camping vacation this next weekend. They have said they will install but there will be no warranty on this.

    We just wish they would have had good information on this at the time of purchase and we would have bought a different vehicle that could have towed our pop up.

    Anyone have any information or stories about success or problems with these air lift shocks?
  • wwestwwest Member Posts: 10,706
    have worked really well for many years on the back of my 1994 Ford Aerostar extended.
  • godthab5godthab5 Member Posts: 1
    We have experienced three different visits to our local dealership (Wilde Toyota in West Allis, WI) to have this addressed. Two times they have replaced the belt(s) under warranty which has rectified the situation however, in the last visit, the service advisor said that they were going to have to get someone outside of the dealership involved. I am on my 3rd call to the dealer with no calls back.

    Besides a very poor service experience around this, the noise that this squeal emits is terrible and for someone that took faith in Toyota on the first year of a new design, I am very disappointed. I knowingly am letting a poor dealership experience overshadow all of my Toyota experience.

    Does anyone know if Toyota has acknowledge this engine issue?

    I have over 40K on this car in less than two years and it has been great. Having a very high pitch squeal emit from the car in a parking garage at work, at a soccer field, or at church isin't good advertising for me or Toyota!
  • shainshain Member Posts: 3
    Just picked up my Sienna LE fwd 2 1/2 weeks ago. First week everything seemed normal. Just recently however, when I start it up with the engine cold, (morning or afternoon) the engine idles at about 1500-1700 RPM for 3-5 minutes. After it warms up, the idle drops down to about 600-800 RPM, which seems about where it should be. The local Toyota dealer claims that this is "probably normal."
    I would like to hear from other New Sienna owners about their experiences with the idle speed. This seems far from "normal" to me. It seems that putting it into gear at 1500-1700 RPMs would not be good on the transmission, and I've never owned a car in my life where I've had to wait 3-5 minutes before driving off. Thanks in advance for the feedback.
  • wwestwwest Member Posts: 10,706
    Try turning off the A/C compressor before you start the car. Also it might help if you reduced the alternator load, headlights, seat heating, turned off prior to starting the engine.

    And by all means DON'T turn the stearing wheel just prior to or as you start the car.
  • toyotakentoyotaken Member Posts: 897
    In over 10 years of working with and owning Toyota's, this is pretty standard. The idle starts higher to get the engine warmed up more quickly (esp. in the last few years to get the catalitic converter hot) then drops back down to just maintain. Hope this helps.

    Ken
  • maxhonda99maxhonda99 Member Posts: 1,289
    It's completely normal for your Sienna to idle at about 1,500RPM for a few minutes after you start the car when it is cold. Shifting it won't cause a problem with the tranny either.
  • 12051205 Member Posts: 6
    Has anyone had any good or bad experiences with after market replacement parts? Someone hit our van and damaged both front and rear bumpers and the head lights etc. Farmers Insurance claims they will fix it with after market parts. It is my understanding That their has been many problems with after market headlights such as fogging up, cracks in the plastic lens etc. Also I am not thrilled with the fact that I paid 36K a little over a year ago with the extended warranty and now have what I feel perhaps are second rate parts about to be installed so the insurance company can save some bucks. The accident was not our fault and Farmers has no contract with me......just the person they insured. I'm not sure why I would want two reconditioned bumpers!
    Anybody with aftermarket experience?
  • ohresohres Member Posts: 46
    Thanks for your information.
    I am currently preparing an e-mail to a service manager, in order to get more attention on the problems I am having with my Sienna. I agree with you that the uneven wear should come from mechanical problem rather than the tire itself. The optimum suggested cold tire pressure on my XLE Ltd AWD is 35psi, posted on the pillar of the driver side front door. I check tire pressure quite often at home with a quality pressure gauge and always follow the pressure and rotation guideline posted on the vehicle. On my Subaru, the pressure on the front tire is higher than the rear one. On my Chrysler T&C AWD, all are 35psi cold. I never have any uneven wear problem on the two AWD vehicles. On my Sienna, however, I found the uneven wear problem so early such that I had to mention the problem when the vehicle was in for the 5000 mile service. Did you find any written guidelines about the 2 week tire pressure check? If it is not written clearly then they cannot say that it is your fault. After 10k service (two tire rotations), two tires show more feathering patterns than the others. I am wondering if the driver side rear wheel is somehow related to the problem. Toyota repair manual suggests that any bad suspension parts have to be replaced if the toe-in or the camber are not within the specified value. I will post an update after talking to the service manager. Thanks.
  • ohresohres Member Posts: 46
    Thanks for your info.
    I will carefully monitor the problem whether it has any relation with the gas level.
    Thanks.
  • vgrinshpunvgrinshpun Member Posts: 36
    Do not waste your energy figuring out whether aftermarket parts are inferior to original manufacturer's parts. (The response to this question is obvious) Your efforts should be aimed at making Insurance Co. pay for OEM parts. They will after you insist. It is their business approach to sort out "soft" car owners by creating impression that they will not pay for OEM parts.

    I would recommend finding good Toyota dealership with body shop, state to them that you will not accept aftermarket parts, and let them deal with insurance. That is what I did with MY OWN INSURANCE CO.
  • clover1clover1 Member Posts: 4
    I just purchased a 2005 and took delivery of the vehicle in May 2005. I took the car home on Mothers Day. When I came home I went over every side of the car to ensure it did not have any abnormalities. Well I did find a few in the right passenger side fender area and hood. I informed my sales agent as to the issues, which were a cracked right headlight, scratches on the bumper and hood. I could not see this damage when I was in the dealership because it was raining and due to the fact that when the agent parked the car he directly parked it up to a wall. He told me that I could set up an auto body appointment to have the car fixed, since it was brand new. The appointment was then made by the auto body shop for 16 and I picked up the car June 17. To make a long story short I received my car back from the Toyota Auto Body and they had to replace the front bumper, due to a stress issue and other issues, such as scratches. They also had to replace the headlight and repainted my hood. The technician then tells me I cannot wash or wax my car for 60 days, because they had to repaint my hood, which is now a mess. Whoever painted my hood scuffed the paint in areas, so now I have scuff marks on my hood, which is unacceptable. My next steps are to contact Toyota headquarters directly to let them know what I have been going through. I am going to tell them to take back the car back or give me another one. I am aware of the MA Lemon Law, but this is rediculous. When you buy a new car it should be in 100% condition. Has anyone out there had to deal with the headquarters directly or had issues such as this on a new car?
  • woodytwowoodytwo Member Posts: 42
    Thanks for the info. I ordered the Avid TRZ tires today. can't wait for the harsh ride with the Dunlaps to be a thing of the past.
  • woodytwowoodytwo Member Posts: 42
    In Canada, Toyota has issued an advisory on the Dunlop run flats. It apparently applies to tires with under 31,000 kms. They give you some kind of $ credit towards a new set of the Dunlop Run Flats.My tires have 41,000 kms with about 5,000 kms left on them. I didn't pursue the toyota deal (Service Mgr said even at my kms they would probably offer me something) since I am tired of the harsh ride. I'll replace with Yokohama Avid TRZ and keep one Run Flat as a spare with a rim that I'll buy.

    By the way, the Run Flats have been wearing very even. I have rotated these tires on my AWD every 8 to 12,000 kms and have not had a problem. I had an alignment done at 24,000 miles because of a slight pull to the left. Tire pressure was kept at (32 psi when I went in for an oil change; seems the boys see Sienna and automatically put in 32 psi even if they have to let some air out) 35 psi by myself checked every few months or 4000 kms. Tires however never leaked air. about 20,000kms the van was at full load capacity (as weighed on a Provincial hiway truck scale) and driven on long hiway trips.
  • woodytwowoodytwo Member Posts: 42
    I've just received a recall for the rust or scaling at the bottom of the front doors on my 2004 AWD LE. They say the fix is to apply some kind of "tape" to the bottom of the front and sliding doors to eliminate the "grinding of dirt and salt against the rubber seal".
    They estimate that this will take 2 to 3 hours to service. Has this recall happened in the USA? If so why does it take so much time to install the tape? Did they refinish the door first?
    Any info would be helpful before I call my dealer.
    Thanks.
  • woodytwowoodytwo Member Posts: 42
    Please see my message on Toyota 2004+.

    I have alot of experience towing: from utility trailers to small and large pop -ups and with travel trailers. I lost a bet years ago with a friend regarding trailer weights and tongue weights but the experience was most valuable and have won a lot of bets since then. Most people that tow trailers have little or no information about the subject 2 weights. They continually underestimate these weights. (I was out 150 lbs on my tongue weight and that is how I lost the bet.)

    First of all, your tongue weight should be around 12 to 15% of the total trailer weight or else you will get trailer sway and /or bottoming out. The only way to really find out what the weight is, would be to weigh the trailer and the tongue weight. You can do this with a bathroom scale but it is detailed and frustrating. Find a truck scale somewhere and probably for $10 they will weigh your van front and rear axle separately and the trailer wheels and then the tongue weight. For the last one you need to unhook the trailer and rest only the tongue weight on the scale. If they have the capacity, a separate weight of each side of the axle would be helpful as well ( ie left wheel vs right wheel of each axle).
    What you will probably find from this is some of the following.
    - rear of van is carrying significantly more weight than front of the van.
    - either side of van is carrying significant more weight than the other side.
    - van is overloaded
    - Tongue weight is not within the 12-15% of total weight of trailer.
    - trailer weight is over the maximum for the trailer
    - either side of trailer is carrying significant more weight than the other side.
    You will probably find that re arranging some of your stuff can help in all situations except the overload. For this you have to remove some stuff.

    You will quickly discover your problem for bottoming out and will not need to buy new shocks or springs. I use my 2004 AWD LE ( and 1998 LE in prior years) in maximum load conditions without bottoming out except on the rare stretches of hi way where you find the quick roller coaster uneven pavement. But my axle weights on the van are approximately 300lbs difference in weight front to back and the trailer is evenly loaded so that the tongue is within the 12-15%. ( No. I don't weigh it each time. You will find that with your pop-up you are taking almost the same items each trip.)

    For those rare quick roller coaster uneven pavement, I use an air bag inside the rear coil springs. Should cost less than $75 in the USA and can be installed in 30 minutes by your friendly mechanic. I set the air pressure to a minimum 10 to 12 lbs and the only time these come into play is for this bouncing effect. The rest of the time, they just sit there waiting for the next roller coaster situation. Doesn't effect handling or ride of
    the van.

    ps don't forget that the tongue weight is part of the weight in determining the total van weight and also the total trailer weight.

    Good luck.
  • jipsterjipster Member Posts: 6,244
    I have read on other boards (any question for a car dealer ....perhaps?) stories similar to yours.It sounds as if it was in a minor front bumper collision...the party responsible probably thought no one would notice....until delivery of course.
    They absolutely need to take the car back and give you a new one.Having a repainted hood lowers the value of the van. Good luck clover1.
    2020 Honda Accord EX-L, 2011 Hyundai Veracruz, 2010 Mercury Milan Premiere, 2007 Kia Optima
  • shepasmshepasm Member Posts: 1
    Does anyone know how to turn off the Maintenance Rec'q light in a 2004 Sienna? There has to be a way to do it without making a trip to the dealership.
  • vgrinshpunvgrinshpun Member Posts: 36
    I have received Toyota recall notice back in February.

    My notice, among other things, states the following: "Please remove any personal belongings from the vehicle, especially in the door trim storage pockets, as the Toyota technician will need to DISASSEMBLE THE DOOR TRIM PANELS to install the protective tape."
  • vgrinshpunvgrinshpun Member Posts: 36
    I have one of early Sienna LE AWDs (bought in April of 2003) with 2" "Hidden Hitch" hitch which I bought on-line and installed myself. I was also puzzled by the reports about bottoming out, since I have never experienced such thing. After reading quite a few reports from mainly FWD Sienna's owners, I conclude that this is not a problem for AWD models as much as for FWD models. My observations are as follows:

    1. AWD has 225/60R17 tires (27.63" Diameter) vs. 215/65R16 (27.00" Diameter) for FWD models. If body geometry for AWD=geometry for FWD, that means that AWD ride 0.32" higher than FWDs.

    2. AWDs are equipped with RunFlat tires which because of their rigid construction, in response to road irregularities, deform significantly less than regular tires.

    3. AWDs weigh about 200 lbs more and therefore most likely have stiffer springs.

    There is one additional factor, which may be the culprit: unscrupulous installation. My hitch has total of six bolts (3 on each side), each of which require rather high 103 Ft.lb torquing, has lowest point about 9.75" off the level ground, and sits entirely under the bumper (I.e. does not protrude back from under the bumper).
  • heywood1heywood1 Member Posts: 851
    I called both Toyota and Dunlop regarding these tires for AWD Siennas. I indicated to the Toyota customer service agent that I was fully aware of the long list of internet complaints, and wondered if Toyota had issued some kind of service bulletin. The service agent immediately gave me a stock reply that Toyota does not warrant the tires, and I should contact Dunlop directly.

    I contacted my local Goodyear/Dunlop dealer, who told me that the Dunlop DSST tires have a limited warranty, because they are 'high-performance tires'-- and that Toyota salespeople don't know/haven't mentioned this minor detail to customers.

    He did tell me that I could bring in the van for evaluation, and If--and only if--the tires were worn prematurely (but NOT unevenly), there is a replacement warranty for tires with fewer then 30K miles.

    I'm not holding my breath, as I had winter treads on this van for half of the 25K on the odometer-- and this will be very difficult to prove. That being said, I'm glad my van isn't an Odyssey-- and my tires aren't PAX.
  • laneysmomlaneysmom Member Posts: 2
    We have been experiencing the exact same problem. We have a 2004 Sienna LE FWD with 23, 300 miles. It was taken to the dealership three times and of course "Could not duplicate the problem" hummmm...imagine that. So, I've now been dealing with the "Customer Experience" and I'm not sure that is helping. I believe Toyota needs to step up and back their product and correct this problem. It's a bit uncomfortable driving a new vehicle and it makes a clanky sound when accelerating. My husband says it is damaging the engine and Toyota indicates that on page 364 of the manual. So, if they know it's a problem...fix it. I bought a Mini Van not a Sports Car and it doesn't make any sense to purchase a new vehicle to buy HIGH octane for my grocery getter...especially with the fuel prices these days. OUCH! We are trying to get the problem fixed. Hopefully, Toyota will stand true and make good as a Company with integrity, but I will not hold my breathe. Otherwise, we are getting rid of the grocery getter. ;) :lemon:
  • laneysmomlaneysmom Member Posts: 2
    I couldn't have said it any better!
  • jamesgoonjamesgoon Member Posts: 1
    I have a 1999 Toyota Sienna LE. The engine light came on and I took it to Autozone and the diagonois was PO155 the Oxygen Sensor 1 in Bank 2. My two questions are:
    1. The OEM version of this Oxygen Sensor is ~$130.00. Are there any recommendations on which 3rd party brand is good and the best place to buy it at the best price?
    2. Where is this Oxygen sensor located for me to change it? Be explicit. Accessible from the top or bottom of the car? Will I need a special wrench to unscrew it?

    Thank you for you help
  • clover1clover1 Member Posts: 4
    Thank you Jipster for your response. I contacted Toyota headquarters yesterday, because I never heard back from the dealers auto body shop. I am not going to stop until they replace this car. I spent over $30K for it a month ago and they have the nerve to think I will accept their botch job. Once they knew the damage the dealer really should have taken it back.
  • ednovakednovak Member Posts: 55
    As per owner's manual:
    Turn the ignition key to ACC or LOCK with the odometer reading shown.
    Turn the ignition key to ON position while holding down the trip meter reset button.
    Hold down the button for at least 5 seconds until the odometer indicates "000000" and the light goes off.
    If the system fails to reset, the light will continue flashing.
    ----
  • shainshain Member Posts: 3
    What's up with the transmissions on the new Siennas? My new LE FWD seems really sluggish when it changes gears. It seems to slide slowly into each gear rather than shifting instantly like most other automatic tranmissions. It seems even worse around corners. I read that 04's had a similar transmission problem, but I assumed they corrected it. Anybody else out there experiencing the same thing? I still have a 1995 Grand Caravan with the same size engine as the Sienna and it is much more responsive than my new van. Is this normal? I would expect better than this from Toyota.
  • dog88dog88 Member Posts: 1
    Where is the engine air filter located on the 2004 Sienna? I can't find it and the owner's manual gives no help at all. I found the air conditioning filter (behind the glove box). It's odd that the owner's manual barely mentions the engine air filter but spends alot of time describing how to change the air conditioning filter (complete with diagrams).

    Thanks in advance!
  • sk8ersk8er Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2004 Sienna LE FWD and tow a small pop up tent trailer. I installed a Hidden Hitch rear bumper hitch b/c is was significantly less expensive than the quote I got from the Toyota dealer for the Toyota Hitch. The hitch was easy to install myself, though I had a mechanic do the wiring. The Hidden Hitch hangs quite low under the vehicle and even in unloaded conditions scraped when leaving the driveway. (It also looks ugly and certainly isn't "hidden".) I've noticed on other Siennas that the Toyota hitch doesn't hang as low, maye an inch or two higher and is less obtrusive.

    When I hooked up the trailer with a 4 inch riser I had about 4 inches of clearance and the safety chains almost dragged on the road! This is with the proper tongue weight. It was discouraging because the Sienna is rated to tow/carry up to 3500 pounds but the suspension design doesn't allow you to tow anything that heavy.

    Earlier this month I found a reference on this forum for an airlift kit (air bags installed in the coils). I bought one from Summit Racing for about $85 (including 2nd day shipping). Installing the kit myself was easy. This kit solved my problem. The vehicle and trailer combo now rides level and I have adequate clearance for most road conditions. I just returned from a 750 mile tour of Yellowstone National Park and Northwest Wyoming and had no problems towing the trailer. The vehicle performed very well on mountain roads and passes and I averaged 20 mpg and in addition to the trailer I had 4 bicycles on the roof.

    I have been very pleased with my Sienna. This is the third mini van we've owned. The quality is apparent in the Sienna. It rides great (compared to the Plymouth Voyager and Chevy Astro we had). There is plenty of room for our family of 5 and 1 large dog. It is a very comfortable vehicle. With snow tires we have no problems handling the snowy roads of Wyoming with the front wheel drive. In normal highway driving at 75mph I've gotten 28 mpg! Personally I don't think the AWD model is worth the extra weight and expense especially now that I've solved my towing problem.
  • jb_shinjb_shin Member Posts: 357
    We bought 2004 XLE LTD in July of 2004 from Fitzgerald in MD. Reading through the posts here, I thought I'd just post my experience with the van.

    1. The second week, NAV died, took 3 or 4 visits for them to finally replace the computer but the trims around the screen has been rattleing since, but service technicians cannot "reproduce" so we are living with it for the moment.

    2. Ratles and squeaks from sliding doors (fixed) and the drivers side door (not fixed after 1 visit)

    3. No transmission problem noted, and I drive it fairly aggressively as my wife does, who is the primary driver. We often surprise small hatchbacks and sedans when we out acelerate them. Come to think of it, I think I drive more sedately in my M5.

    4. When steering is turned to right (close to the limit), it makes a fairly loud squealing noise, but again, service techs cannot "reproduce" after mentioning it during each and every visit (7 or so, so far for oil changes, fix rattles, etc.)

    5. Bought FWD after noticing rough ride on AWD model. First thing I did was to buy a set of winter tire and steel rim set from the Tirerack and have not looked back. I have not had problem in 4 to 6 inches of snow, and I rarely see the traction system kick in. Obviously, I don't floor it in the snow. With the poor ride, the price and availability, and the mileage from the runflats, I am more than happy with having to replace the tires twice a year. I think it only cost $500 or so for the set. The OEM tires are wearing ok, so far, with 16,000 miles.

    6. The seat heaters are so weak that it always goes to the "high" position so I have not noticed if it works on any other setting. BMWs we had heated up much faster and to higher temperature. Perhaps I will mention it the next time I go in.

    7. The only TSB/recall I received was for the protected tape to prevent the rust on the doors.

    8. Have not checked the brakes, but they seem to be fine, though it is very soft, compared to my Integra or the BMW.

    9. Paint chip is a fact of life these days no matter what you drive. Most factories switched to water-based paint in the last a few years from oil-based paint due to environmental issues. Water-based paint is MUCH softer and chip/scratch easily.

    10. With so many power/electric components, I purchased Toyota Care (0 deductible,
    7/100,000 miles) for $800. Had to haggle a few minutes to get it down from $1500, using info. from this board.

    11. Gas mileage since the purchase has been about 19.8 avg. We do about 60% highway and 40% city, I think.

    Overall, I had about the same amount of problem with my 95 Integra (thank goodness for the extended warranty) but am disappointed with Sienna build quality. What is more disappointing is the dealer service. They seem to not care a whole lot one way or the other, which is surprising since there is more profit in service and parts these days. I go to Ourisman Chantilly (Northern VA) and used Fitz (MD) when I am up that way and they are both ok, but nothing to write home about. They pushed me to do 7500 and 15,000 mile services, but I declined as what they actually do is oil change, rotate tires (which I do at home) and "inspect" number of things, which one can easily do. I told them I just don't see the value in that, and not a peep after that. I will probably do 30,000/60,000 services at the dealer, even though it adds only a few more "replaced parts" than 15,000 mile service. My primary concern is that IF I have a power train warranty claim, they won't deny me on the basis of "not following" the recommended maintenance schedule. I do change the oil every 5,000 miles. FWIW would have bought a Lexus minivan if they had one, just for better service and attention to the customers.

    I had far less problem and issues, actually none, with 2002 BMW 530 I just sold after 3 years, and I had no out-of-pocket expenses other than winter tire set, and the maintenance is covered for 4/50,000, brake job, oil change, even wiper refills. For $40,000, my wife and I would have been a lot happier with a 5-series wagon, but since we do drive my kids and parents together time to time, extra sitting was needed.

    I'd have to seriously consider buying another Toyota. General perception is that Japanese cars in general, Honda and Toyota in particular, are less prone to major issues and economical, but I am hesitant to take my parents to look at any Toyota for their next car.

    John
  • ageezerageezer Member Posts: 7
    My Sienna with 9,100 miles developed a gear whine at approximately 6,500 miles and is very noticeable at 60-65 mph. The dealership's Service Manager took their normal stance and and said they don't have a problem and used those detestable GM and Toyota phrases, "Factory Normal" and "Performing as Designed". I demanded that their transmission Tech take a ride with me, which he did, and upon return, advised the service mgr. that the vehicle did indeed have a very pronounced whine. I was told that they would "research" this on their Tech Line and get back to me the next day. Five days later, I called the Tech and he said that he didn't find anything but the Field Service Rep was at the dealership and he would talk to him about the problem. The Field Rep was very aware of the problem and said that Toyota has replaced many transmissions but that did not solve the problem. Supposedly, the engineers are now looking at design flaws in the final drive components and will issue a TSB when they figure it out(?).
    In the meantime, folks, turn down your JBL's and drive at 60-65 on level ground and listen. The whine will stop on deceleration and come right back upon acceleration. If you hear the noise, report it to your dealership and put some pressure on the factory before you scatter your transaxle all over the interstate.
  • katie8katie8 Member Posts: 2
    This is my first time on here and I don't now what I'm doing. My problem is that the brakes squeak when coming to a stop....not when you hit the brake, but as you slow down to a stop. They tell me they are OK, but the noise is driving me batty....Anyone know what I can do to fix it? Thanks
  • tkaztkaz Member Posts: 69
    My wife has a 2005 Sienna XLE Limited AWD. She loves it except for one problem - shifitng when using cruise control. The problem occurs when going up inclines (does not have to be steep). The transmission downshifts from overdrive to third gear - it seems to skip 4th gear. Then it just sits there at 4K RPM for a while then upshifts to overdrive. Then it downshift again.
    This problem does not happen when not using cruise control. It will stay in overdrive unless the thew incline increases. Then it will downshift to 3rd gear - RPM is about 3K.
    Is this a common problem? Going to ask the dealer to check it out when she takes it in for first oil change at 5K miles.
  • jb_shinjb_shin Member Posts: 357
    I'm no expert, but it sounds like a normal operation. I am pretty sure our Sienna does the same, when I actually have a chance to use the cruise control. The computer is compensating for the loss of speed due to the incline and wants to select the right gear to get the speed back up. Once desired speed is reached, it should then decrease the throttle applied, but most cars seem to just upshift, and then back down again in a long incline. This is the reason I just hate automatics and take it out of cruise control in those situations.

    Even if you really have a problem, I bet your service advisor will simply dismiss it as a "normal operation" unless you can take him for a ride and really show him a serious problem.

    Next time you are going up a hill, try manually ptting the gear into 4th and see if the car can adequately maintain the speed. If you have to give more than a small amount of throttle to do so, then under cruise control, it will likely try to jump 4th and go to 3rd. I am pretty sure ours does it when I am using Laser cruise as well, when there is a car in front of us and it slows down, and then when it tries to catch up.
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