2000 TOYOTA Sienna

When starts cold, there\’s white/cloud of smoke coming out of the muffler/tail end and disappears when the engine is warmed-up. It\’s different from moisture (in the morning) that lingers for few seconds and disappears on some other cars). This is then followed by a dark/black smoke for a few minutes and disappears. There is a sludge build up inside the valve cover just under the oil cap.Solution: I took the car to a Toyota dealer near me. Toyota service representative acknowledged the sludge but quote, \"The car is lack of maintenance or oil change… it should be change every 3,000 miles!\" I said bull… So I look up the internet and found hundreds of the same problems. I took it further, that based on the maintenance guidelines that came with the van, page 17, oil change/maintenance should be based on the following schedules: (1) if the car is driven on unpaved roads, dusty, towing a trailer, repeated trips of less than five miles below freezing, then every 5,000 miles. My van is driven on the highway and freeway only, and we don\’t freeze in Hawaii.(2) If however, operated under conditions other than those listed above, then it should be at every 7,500 miles (or 6 months) and so on… For the 5,000 miles referrence in the maintenance guide is equivalent to 4 months whichever comes first. Until today, I\’m still trying to get Toyota get my van fixed since it still supposedly under warranty.

Unbeknownst to my husband while he was driving at 65 mph on his way to work, the entire wheel of the minivan came apart from the vehicle. The van went out of control and it hit the guardrail to the right. Trying to avoid the bridge on the right, he swerved to the left upon which the vehicle stopped. He was trying to get the van off the freeway and it would not budge. He got out of the vehicle and upon inspection, found out the entire right rear wheel and axle was gone and nowhere to be found. The airbag did not deploy.

Toyota is refusing to pay the cost of repair of a known problem with the engine in my automobile. Toyota is aware of a problem with engine oil gelling in their 3.0 Liter V6 engine on certain models and years, including the 2000 Sienna. I have a letter from Toyota indicating that they are aware of the problem and agreed to extend the warranty on my vehicle to cover the problem. The engine oil gelling problem first occurred on my vehicle while it was still under the new car warranty at 38,000 miles and the Toyota dealer fixed the problem at no charge. Toyota fixed the problem by replacing the valve covers and cleaning the sludge in the valve area. The engine oil gelling problem has now occurred again at 68,000 miles and now the engine requires a complete overhaul to repair it. Toyota is refusing to cover the repair since they say they will only repair the engine oil gelling problem once under their special policy adjustment warranty. The fact that the problem returned even though the vehicle was properly maintained after the repair, is evidence that the problem was not fixed properly the first time. The technician at the Toyota dealer where the car is now being repaired stated that there was scarring on the internal engine surfaces indicating a history of oil starvation. Since the car was maintained according to Toyota’s maintenance schedule since the first repair, the scarring on the internal engine surfaces had to have been present during the first repair and should have been repaired then. Toyota’s first repair just delayed the problem to the point where the engine now needs a complete overall. I think Toyota should be required to honor the special policy adjustment warranty that they agreed to provide on my vehicle.

This van was purchased used in August 2004 with a mileage of 35,655. The vehcicle currently has 48,352 miles. The vehicle is now at a Toyota dealership waiting for repairs for engine oil sludge problems. The engine needs to be replaced. The Toyota dealership claims that the vehicle was serviced, for the oil sludge problem, at a dealership in Louisianna in early August 2004 which corrected the problem. The dealer who sold us the vehicle changed the oil prior to selling it. We have performed 3 documented oil changes plus 1 non-documented (oil change by myself) since owning the vehicle. The vehicle has only been driven 12,697 miles since we purchased it. The vehicle had a fresh oil change when we bought it – we have changed the oil 4 times in 16 months and in 12,697 miles.We purchased an extended warranty with this vehicle. The extended warranty company representative claims that the engine oil sludge problem is a pre-existing problem with the vehicle and they have refused to pay for repair. The Toyota dealership claims that they repaired the oil sludge problem prior to our purchase of the vehicle and that they have no obligation for further repairs of this engine. The extended warranty adjuster who looked at the engine says that the oil sludge problem was caused by poor maintenance from previous owner(s). The dealership claims that the engine been repaired (after the previous owners turned it in and prior to our purchase) and that is the only repair they are responsible for.My suspicion is that the Toyota dealership in Louisianna billed Toyota Motor Company for the service but did not actually service or repair the vehicle. This vehicle had been a lease vehicle that was turned into the dealership. The dealership knew the vehicle was not going back to the lease customer – but to an unsuspecting new owner. Either the mechanic doing the work or the dealership handling the work decided to bill Toyota Motor Company for the repair work but did not perform the work.I have difficulty believing that this engine sludged up after being driven only 12,697 miles – subsequent to being de-sludged at a Toyota dealership in August 2004. I especially have difficulty in believing this in view of the oil changes and service records we have provided.The Toyota dealership where the vehicle is currenty at says that they have never heard of a Toyota engine having sludge problems, being repaired, and then having sludge problems a second time.

This Toyota has had numerous issues over it’s 67K miles. I had an issue with the oil gelling problem and was told by the dealer that it has been fixed. I was also told that they rebuilt the engine because it ws so and the oil screen was clogged on the pump and caused damage. 20K miles later I have a large rear main seal leak and have asked Toyota to look at this due to the engine having new seals during the “gel” rebuild. I am now told that this is not part of the repair. I questioned why the rear seal was not replaced as originaly told. I am an ASE certified automotive technician and it is standard procedure to at least investagate the bearings and seals for damage when ever the oil pump and screen where in question. After reviewing this with other industry sources I must state that the bearings and seals were compromised during the period of oil starvation caused by the gelling. I have been denied the repair under warranty and also a face to face meeting with a Toyota rep to discuss.

The Engine has seized due to oil sludge. This problem was previously cleaned, not repaired in 2002 at no charge. This is a problem that is prevelant with this particular year vehicle. After much research we found that many other customers have experienced the same problem we have and Toyota will not take responsibilty for this problem and continues to blame the customer.

Sludge in the engine. Van is in the shop as we speak. Dealer says the repairs will be covered but who is going to cover our lose when we try to sell this van with the pile of crap for an engine? I sat in the office of the service manager and listen to him side-step the problem unitl I could take no more. I then questioned him about any other issues with a 2000 Sienna and he looked me right in the eyes and said no. No, until I questioned him about the addtional drive train problem at which time his response was, "Oh, um, yeah we did just recieve a letter an that". Toyota and the dealers should be held accountable like a low-life con artist that swindle and scam people. I paid my van off three weeks ago and I’m sitting here looking at a worthless document that is the title. As soon as my van gets out of the shop I’m fixing to spread the word around here about what a crappy deal this is. Do the same in your town too.

Sludge buildup in engine is causing excessive smoking through the exhaust upon startup.

See failures

seat belt light on front middle dash next to clock blinks continuaously whether a passenger is in the passenger front seat with the seat belt closed or when an object weighing 25lbs is in the seat with the seat belt unbuckled

OIL SLUDGE – LOSING POWER

Oil jelled, uses execessive oil, always smoking

My mechanic stated do to an oil sludge problem, my vehicle needs a ring job. Estimated repair cost $1800.00.When you start the vehicle there is significant smoke emitted from the tailpipe and the check engine light remains on.

I wanted to trade-in my Sienna for a 2005 model when the dealer (Maroone Toyota)told me that my car’s engine was sludged and basically the car value has dropped dramatically, but if I clean the engine we can reach a deal. I took my car to a local garage to get that job done and they told me that Toyota has a special program for these cars and they are taking care of this problem. So I went back to Maroone Toyota and when I told them that I had opened a claim with Toyota Motor Sales Inc. and how dissapointed I was because they never mentioned anything to me they jumped right away and scheduled an immediate service on my car. My car was in the dealer for 6 days, I got a 3 days car rental. They cleaned the engine at no charge and then 25 miles after cleaning the “check engine” light came on. I took the car back and this time they told me that 2 oxigen sensors got oil and that this is as a consequence of the major repair my car went through and is not covered by the special program that covers the sludge engines. I tried to rationalize with them because I can not understand how come in the process of fixing something they know that something else will get damage but they will not take care of it. I tried but it was a lost battle. Now, I have a “clean” engine (not fixed…just “cleaned”), 2 damaged O2 sensors ($565.00) and, again, the problem root cause was not fixed. Meanwhile I also found out that the automatic transmission in these vehicles are also a problem item, but dealers do not talk about it nor Toyota has mailed notifications to the owners to let us know what they are doing. Now I am reconsidering my intention to go for another Toyota.

I am not sure of dates, but our Toyota dealer tried to blame us for the "smoking" problem due to the lack of oil changes. We did not slack off on the oil changes, and now they admit that the "smoking" problem is due to bad engine design, or whatever. We have had the van in for repairs several times, but I am not sure of dates, or how much we have spent. The problem has started again, and this time, not only is it smomking, and reads low oil (on the dip stick), but we are now going thru a quart of oil per tank of gas!!! I am about to deal with Toyota, and see what they can/will do for us. They originally claimed we had to send them ALL kinds of info, now, what I am reading, is that they have (not quite) admitted the problem is due to a manufactureing defect, and they claim they will fix it. Toyota has replaced our motor. We brought our van in on a Wends, and had it back the following Wends. It took them a week because we had some big storms in GA and the power went out for a full day. Other wise, I believe we would have had the van back by Tues. As of right now, the van seems to be fine. They had to replace the whole motor, because our old motor (116,000 miles, by the way) was shot.Toyota also paid for a rental car the whole time our van was in the shop. Our next step is to see if Toyota holds true to their promise of reimbursing all the money we spent on oil and oil treatments.

Front passenger window does not close completely.Middle right and left seat belts lock passengers to seat without undue motion. Notified dealer several times, unable to fix the problem.Front passenger seat belt failed to lock passenger during rear end collision.

Failed cylinder — apparently due to oil sludge.

Engine seized while driving down the hwy. Oil light came on the loud tapping noise.

Engine Locked up. After researching, I discovered that Toyota has had problem with this vehicle. I believe the engine failure is a result of the oil gelling issue that Toyota has addressed. I did not receive a letter of this notification and had to research to find this information. Toyota did replace my engine for which I am grateful; however, I am very disappointed with Toyota for not informing owners of these vehicles of the potential problems. The majority of the Sienna drivers are women and had my wife been driving when the engine locked up I am not sure she could have safely maneuvered to the side of the interstate. I would hate to see someone injured because of a known problem not being addressed. This has thepotential of being as big as the Ford Explorer and the Firestone tire issue.My records showed all oil changes, the average span between oil changes was 5,500 miles. Total out of pocket expense was $400.00. Toyota did not reimburse all of my towing cost or all of the cost for my rental car. The repair took over a week to complete.I was tipped off by a friend of a friend who knew a mechanic who previously worked for Toyota. I started searching the net for rebuilt engines, which I could not find. I thought this was very odd. After the tip, I search for \"oil sludge\" and found page after page ofinformation. I was determined that I would either rebuild my engine or find a replacement from a salvage yard and install it myself. I am a mechanical engineer by trade, and knew I could rebuild or install a new motor providedI had the time and equipment. I know most people are not that lucky and need help from organizations like yours to provide information and fight the tough battles. Being informed is the key. When I delivered my vehicle to the Toyota dealer I informed them that this was a warranty issue and I let them know I knew about Toyota\’s promise to correct the problem.

Engine began burning oil and exhibiting smoke during vehicle operation. Situation continued to degrade until the engine needed to be replaced in November 2004. The mechanic was unable to determine the source of the excessive sludge building up and engine failure–despite routine maintenance and service to the vehicle. The manufacturer never contacted us to advise of the engine sludge problem.

Desludge engine, replace valve stem seals and clean out oil pan.Cleaned engine but my concern is that they have not fixed the root cause. Want the engine problem fixed not just cleaned.

Complete engine rebuild needed due to oil sludge problem.

Car broke down, no compressionOil Light came on, but did not need oilfront Camshaft pully brokeLimited compressionEgine light came on after repairsCar shakes roughly when in drive, reverse gears

2000 TOYOTA SIENNA LE/XLE, 3.0L V6 EFI 24V ALUMNOctober 2003 46,174 miles engine light came on. Took car to Fairfield Toyota in Williamsport, PA. code P1135 A/F sensor. They tried to remove sensor and the threads pulled out of the minifold…they replaced the manifold and sensor. I paid approx $360-need to find receipt. Fairfield did a lube and filter change and 19 point courtesy inspection due to problems with car.February/March 2005 (will track down receipt)approx 61,000 miles paid in $500 plus range to Ourisman Toyota to fix break fluid leaking on rear brakes. Brakes squeeked after repairs. They did not replace brakE pads.???April 14, 2005 62,530 miles took to Toyota because not cooling also brakes not feeling smooth. Air Condition-evacuation and recharge. Could not find leak therefore put in die to detect in future. Also replaced front breaks. Total charge with oil change $559.14 (had front break pads replaced with car had been inspected March of 2004 at Advanced Automotives in Chantilly.April 15, 2005 62,538 milesEngine light came on. Took back to Ourisman Toyota guess what-Air Fuel Ratio Sensor Bank 2 sensor 1 $362.98 is what Ourisman Toyota wants to charge me.April 15, 2005 62,538 Took car to master mechanic at Sunoco in Herndon. He looks under hood and shows me what he believes to be a \"sludge problem\" probably due to faulty valve cover (I\’m not certain that is what he called it). Master mechanic believes the engine will fail due to sludge problem. I show it to Toyota and they deny any problem and tell me they will charge me $400 to take off valve cover to inspect.

2000 TOYOTA SIENNA EXPERIENCED SERIOUS SLUDGING PROBLEM AND HAD “SLUDGE/GEL REPAIR” DONE BY TOYOTA AT 58K MILES. SERVICE DATES: OCT 14 AND 15, 2002. ON JULY 18, 2004, THE SIENNA (WITH 81K MILES) BROKE DOWN DURING A VACATION TRIP. DIAGNOSIS: RESIDUAL ENGINE DAMAGE FROM SLUDGE PROBLEM AND INADEQUATE REPAIR LED TO FAILURE OF A THRUST WASHER/BEARING THAT CAUSED EXTENSIVE DAMAGE TO THE ENGINE FROM METAL FRAGMENTS THAT SPREAD THROUGHOUT THE ENGINE. ESTIMATED REPAIR COST: $7,300. I AM CURRENTLY TRYING TO GET TOYOTA TO REPAIR THE ENGINE AT THEIR COST AND TO COVER ALL OF MY RELATED COSTS DUE TO THE FAILURE (E.G. HOTEL COSTS, RENTAL CAR).

When I stepped onto the running board early one Sunday morning, it gave way. Metal strips broke and were dragging on the ground. It was the first indication that the running boards had rusted through and were unsafe to step on. We have not had them repaired but hesitate to take others into the car for fear of them becoming injured. We did take pictures of the underside of the car and the rest of the underside is pristine. No one had ever warned us that the running boards might become a problem.

my wife has had this vehicle for many years and we have already had the engine fixed once.was told it was a new engine(NOT), it is not. I just had the valve covers off because of course the engine is broken again. Well you can see where they just scraped some of the sludge off and where the sludge has been building up for the rest of this vehicles life.it may have been a rebuild but it was represented as a new motor. I’m sure this engine is the same one that seized 2 years ago, with a new paint job.this car is falling apart, Toyota has a real lemon in this car

Chronic problems w/ passenger side power sliding door not closing properly. Oil gel issue surfaced and vehicle now burn excess oil. I was given an extended powertrain warranty, but it expired at 100k miles and 10 years.

2003 sludge found in engine. Dealer replaced engine under terms of original warrenty.July 2009 oil light would flash off and on. Sludge was found in oil return lines and in the oil pan. Cost me $175.00 have repaired. Sept. of 2010 oil light and engine light came on. I googled the problem and found out about the sludge problem, also found out about the 8 yr additional warrenty, which I knew nothing about. I parked my van to prevent further damage.

Engine sludge problem. Toyota is fixing (although I think they should replace it) it one time. They will not fix it a second time regardless of service records. This is totally unacceptable. We are also concerned that the resale value of the van will be greatly reduced.

Tl* the contact owns a 2000 toyota sienna. the contact stated that both rear doors failed to securely lock and suddenly opened while driving various speeds. the contact took the vehicle to the della toyota dealer where it was diagnosed that the latch assembly and another part associated with the latches (the contact was unable to recall) failed and needed to be replaced. the vehicle had not been repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated that the vehicle was not covered by a recall. the vin was unknown. the approximate failure mileage was 180,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2000 toyota sienna. while the ignition was off and the vehicle was parked, the vehicle rolled away independently. once the vehicle was stopped, the gear shifter was still in the park position. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, but the failure could not be duplicated. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the vin was invalid. the failure mileage was approximately 200,000.

Yesterday afternoon, i was driving on a semi busy road in tucson, arizona at about 40 mph and the van suddenly began to accelerate. i immediately thought i had hit the cruise control button but the dash showed no indication that this was case. i repeatedly pushed the cruise control button and jiggled the lever arm hoping to toggle something off but it had no effect. i began to push the breaks but they were not capable of slowing the car below about 25. i threw the van into neutral and the engine revved up to about 7000 rpm. that sound concerned me so i threw it back into gear and the van began to accelerate again. i pushed the emergency breaks, and with my pedal break fully compressed i could get the car to 5-10 mph but there was absolutely no way to stop the van. after narrowly missing a pedestrian, i turned right, found a place to pull off to the side of the road, threw the van into neutral and quickly turned the van off. with the engine turned off the breaks were as effective as the should have been so the the van came to a stop. after a brief period i turned the key, started the van and, again, the engine again revved to 7000 rpm. i turned it off again. i pumped the accelerator several times before starting it again and it started up fine. i had the van towed after this and i'm not likely to drive it again.

Tl* the contact owns a 2000 toyota sienna. while driving various speeds, the vehicle experienced unintended acceleration. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. the manufacturer was not notified. the failure mileage was 189,000.

While parking the vehicle and curbing the tires on a medium downward grade, with car in "drive" and my right foot fully on the brake pedal, the engine suddenly and unexpectedly went full throttle. by applying maximum pressure on the brake pedal, i was able to slow the forward motion of the vehicle as it jumped the curb, heading for the wall of a local school. by continuing applying maximum brake pressure and disengaging the transmission, i was able to stop the vehicle...approximately two feet short of impact with the wall. by good fortune, there were on injuries, and no property damage. but it could have been a tragedy. there was a function at the school on the day of the incident, and parents with children were on the sidewalk in the area both before and after the incident. upon stopping the car and turning off the engine, i immediately checked mat positions, my foot positions, and the throttle pedal area. the was absolutely no interference between the mat and the throttle pedal, nor any contact or interference of any kind with the pedal. as i considered the car far too dangerous to drive at that point, i had it towed back to my residence. inspection of the vehicle and further action is pending.

Tl* the contact owns a 2000 toyota sienna. when the ignition was started, the vehicle started to accelerate and moved forward without shifting into drive. the contact depressed the brake pedal and applied the emergency brake, but both failed to stop the vehicle. the contact was able to stop the vehicle by shifting into neutral gear. there were no warning indicators illuminated. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. a dealer and the manufacturer were not notified. the failure mileage was 210,581.

The engine leaks oil at valve covers. they have been replaced. still leaks. and a lot of sludge builds up= on pump screen. blew engine!! had engine replaced. same thing happening. i am on social security. &3 and can not afford thousands on this vehicle.. please help@+!!

Outer door handles on doors of sienna are extremely brittle and break easily even with normal everyday gentle use. of the 4 main doors on my toyota sienna, 3 of them now have broken ousise handles causing the doors not to be accessible & opened from the outside. this has now affected both sliding doors and my passenger front door. my passenger sliding door is not even able to be opened from the inside since the outer handle broke off completely. this poses a major safety issue as doors are not able to be opened from the outside in case of an accident or emergency. additionally the fact that the passenger sliding door can not even be opened from the inside causes even more of a safety issue. upon reviewing other consumers who own this same vehicle i have found it alarming that well over 50% of them have complaints due to this same issue.

Tl* the contact owns a 2000 toyota sienna. while driving approximately 30 mph, the vehicle accelerated on its own. the vehicle did a stop and go action that occurred every time the vehicle moved. the contact had to place the vehicle in neutral in order to stop it completely. the manufacturer and dealer were not notified. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. there were no recalls on the vehicle. the failure mileage was 200,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2000 toyota sienna. the contact stated that when starting the vehicle, it would rev up than accelerate up to 60 mph without warning. the vehicle would also independently accelerate when attempting to accelerate from a stop. the contact had not taken the vehicle to the dealer. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 200,000. the vin was not available.

Tl* the contact owns a 2000 toyota sienna. while driving at an unknown rate of speed, the vehicle independently surged forward at a high rate of speed. the contact swerved and crashed into a wall. the driver's and front passenger side air bags deployed. the driver sustained extensive bruising to the left knee and sternum, which required medical attention. the manufacturer was not notified. a police report was filed. the failure mileage was not available.

Power door issue when stationary. i purchased my 2000 sienna and within a year i had issues with my power door. it would open by power but not close. as time went on it would neither open nor close. and now the power lights has been lit for years. i took car to the dealer many times when this first happened and several times over the ensuing years they could "never" find a problem. then on my last visit they claimed the door was damaged due to an accident i had...mind you i never had an accident and bought a certified used car from dealer. to this day the power door is disengaged and has to be manually opened and closed. now i see so many years later that this is actually an issue with the door...toyota needs to be held accountable.

Tl* the contact owns a 2000 toyota sienna. on several occasions, the vehicle accelerated independently. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 226,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2000 toyota sienna. the contact stated that while driving at an unknown speed, the power steering seized without any warning. the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that steering shaft joint flex coupling had malfunctioned. the vehicle was repaired. the manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. the approximate failure mileage was 150,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2000 toyota sienna. the contact stated that while driving at approximately 30 mph, the horn would not work properly. the failure recurred on multiple occasions. the vehicle was not taken to a dealer and was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 130,000.

I have 4 bridgestone insignia tires. not sure of mileage but i will go back to the dealer on monday to confirm, however i will guess about 25k to 35k. the tread looks very good. i have steel wires coming out of the sidewall. there are about a dozens wires between 2" and 8" hanging out. i noticed it because you can hear the wires slapping the fender and tire well as rotation occurs. i hope the factory responds in a positive way, we will see. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

Within a two minute period, both sliding doors that were previously functioning, suddenly failed in a closed position. they could not be opened manually using the door handles from both inside and outside the vehicle, or by attempting to actuate the right side power door. the power door locks had no effect. there was no damage to the vehicle that could have caused mechanical door failure, or otherwise. non functioning or jammed doors should constitute a safety issue and should be recalled. if the vehicles front doors were compromised in a collision, passengers should be able to exit through the rear doors, but would not be able to with this mechanical defect. the fact that the doors cannot also be opened using exterior handles increases the risk of entrapping passengers. toyota should consider this a safety recall and repair all faulty doors, of which there are many complaints filed here and on online forums. i am currently having to pay for this repair myself, as toyota has informed me that there are no current recalls. thank you for your consideration. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2000 toyota sienna. while driving 60 mph, the vehicle stalled and would only shift into reverse. the vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. an independent mechanic stated that the transmission was defective. the vehicle was not repaired and the manufacturer was not notified. the approximate failure mileage was 155,000. updated 10/2/14*cn the consumer stated the brakes failed multiple times mostly in winter and the transmission failed without warning. updated 3/9/2015 *js

I drove my van from work to my house which is around 18 miles. when i got home i could see smoke coming from under the hood. i quickly got out and pulled my baby out of her car seat. within a few mins the smoke increased by a lot and i called 911. by the time they arrived the van was completely engulfed in flames, it was completely gutted by the time they put out the fire. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2000 toyota sienna. the contact stated that the passenger’s side door handle detached. the contact mentioned that the passenger’s side door could not be opened or closed from the outside or inside of the vehicle. the vehicle was diagnosed and needed the plastic assembly door handle replaced with a metal insert. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 37,700.00.

Without warning, plastic door handles break, rendering ability to open, close hatch or door impossible. hatch door broke first approximately january 2013, then rear sliding door, and then today, passenger front door. hatch has no inside door handle, so without warning door immediately inoperable. rear drivers side sliding door broke on outside first, then inside within a day, so that emergency exit impossible. today, front passenger door outside broke. *tr

Vehicle suddenly accelerates when the gas pedal is lightly tapped. the engine will accelerate over 2000 rpm a stay there until the ignition is turned off. if the brakes are not held down during this time the vehicle would certainly crash into anything in its way. gas pedal is not sticky or stuck, floor mats are not in vehicle, and throttle is closed yet the vehicle still accelerates? can not find any other issues for this model and year online for help or advice. *tr

I like my toyota sienna van (2000) serving me faithfully. last week, it was very cold - with all the winter storms. i warmed up the van for a few minutes and then started to drive. within a few minutes, i need to pick up another child for car pooling and when i tried to make a turn, i applied brakes and they did not work at all. i got suddenly scared and somehow managed to turn in the same speed. then i was running very slowly (and periodically checking the brakes) until i felt confident that the brakes started working again. it was a one-time event so far and i have gone through the online postings (not this gov.'t one) to see that this has happened to a few people earlier for 2000 model vans. interesting! i need to be careful while applying brakes in cold weather. thanks. *tr

I like my toyota sienna van (2000) - which has been serving me quite well for several years. in the last few weeks, strange problems occur intermittently. while moving at around 20+ miles or so and turning right, the "brake" light comes off. upon completing the turn, it goes off in about 8 seconds or so. same way, while turning left around that speed, the doors gets unlocked automatically (auto unlocking power lock) and i have to press the lock button to lock the doors. it is unsafe to automatically unlock while the vehicle is in motion. not sure why this is happening. searched in product recalls and it is not there. going to talk to the dealer to see why. thanks. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2000 toyota sienna. the contact stated that while driving approximately 45 mph, the windshield became unlatched and opened upward, shattering the windshield. the vehicle was taken to a body shop where the contact was informed that the hood latch would not engage. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 135,000. *tr

On my way to work when a deer ran out in front of me. i hit the deer on the front passenger side causing me to lose control. ran off into ditch flipped over and was trapped. the airbag did not deploy even when the fire dept cut me out. they had to cut the steering wheel off my legs. no airbag deployed on either side. *tr

I was driving in town on dry pavement on a relatively flat street. i started braking for a stop light. the abs system kicked in and was making that awful pulsing noise that it usually makes on icy roads. then suddenly there were no brakes at all. i think the pedal went to the floor. i could not brake and ran into the car in front of me. we pulled into a parking lot and then the brakes were working fine. on the drive to the repair place they worked. they could not find anything wrong. i'm scared to drive it. *tr

The vehicle (2000 toyota sienna) was stopped on a residential street and i shifted the vehicle from drive to park. the shifter sheared off the steering column. upon taking off the steering column cover, i noticed the shifter had broken off the column in three areas where it is attached to the aluminum housing that surrounds the steering column. i could not remove the key nor drive the car from the stopped location. the sienna was located in the middle of a residential street. i was able to get the vehicle towed to a dealership. the dealership indicated that toyota had made two revisions to this part and it was a known problem, however it had not been recalled. i believe this piece broke due to metal fatigue and potentially could cause a serious accident if this were to happen on an arterial or if someone were to shift from drive to the lower gears while under movement. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2000 toyota sienna. the contact stated that in extremely cold weather, the brake pedal would become resistant. the dealer was unable to diagnose the failure. the manufacturer was not contacted and the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was approximately 80,000 and the current mileage was 113,400.

The power door will not open/close causing serious saftey issues. *tr

Sliding door will not open electrically and/or manually. clicks when activated but doesn't open either way. disconnected battery as suggested by dealer, to reset the mechanism, but to no avail; still doesn't work and is a large pain to deal with! it forces entry on the drivers side only and that is not safe when there is speeding by only a few feet away with traffic! there are thousands of complaints in all the toyota forums on the net. i think it is past time for a factory recall on these automatic sliding doors!!!! *tr

I was traveling to northwest arkansas on i 540 rounding left a curve and my steering did not respond until turning it a half of a turn more on the steering wheel. the steering wheel did not return to center. i found a document on the nhtsa odi action number pe99-070 indicating others have had this similar problem. i almost went off the side of a mountain. i took it to a firestone shop and the replaced lower ball joints, inner and outer tie rod ends and said it was "tight". i explained that i was very concerned about returning through the mountains and asked for a thorough check. they said it was as good as new and should not have any other problems. the first major left turn on the way home had the same results. i took it to firestone in my hometown and they said the rack and pinion bushings were defective and the rack and pinion needed to be replaced costing me $900. i am very concerned for the safety of this vehicle and if i had not been the only one on the road would most certainly have caused an accident. i would like the investigation to be re-opened. *tr

Car and tires inspected by professional for 2,500mi road trip. all tires appeared fine and were rotated; have 40,000mi wear (70,000mi rated). within last 250mi, car became imbalanced and lacked stability with computerized van tire monitor also responding. professional inspection revealed left-rear steel belt visible and tire separated and front-right having early signs for same failure. left rear tire replaced with full (new) spare, trip completed but last 25mi of trip, van tire monitor engaged again. professional inspection required all tires be replaced; last three tires were not trustworthy for any driving. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2000 toyota sienna. the contact stated while driving 55 mph with the brakes applied the vehicle would not stop. the contact drove onto the emergency lane and the vehicle towed to the dealer. the dealer diagnosed the failure and discovered that the engine mounts were broken. the contact took the vehicle to a different dealer for a second diagnostic test who did not state what caused the failure to occur. the contact stated the vehicle was unsafe to drive and could have caused a crash. the failure mileage was 219,000.

Power passenger back door has ceased to function. thee is a way to turn off the power door, but the manual door is too difficult for the children to operate, they must enter and exit on the drivers side rear door...toyota wants 2300 to repair! i had previously paid 800 to repair, but they claim that it's a different set of parts...and did not fix the problem. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2000 toyota sienna. while driving approximately 25 mph, the hood abruptly opened and shattered the windshield. the contact stated that the hood was pulled down and the vehicle was driven to his place of residence. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer for inspection or repairs. the manufacturer was contacted and a complaint was filed. the contact was awaiting a call back form the manufacturer. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 155,000.

2000 toyota sienna passenger sliding door quit working. will not open at all. i feel it is a dangerous situation, due to delayed exits in case of emergency, and can no let kids out curb side at all. very disappointed toyota won't fix it. $1200 repair. who has that? won't even open manually. i love my van! but this is a huge set back! *tr

2000 toyota sienna. this is the 3rd time my power door has gone out. i have paid both times to have it fixed. right now if you open the door, you have to manually close the door with it trying to open (lots of effort). once you get it closed, the dash light indicates that the door is open. *tr

Toyta sienna van door will not operate with the motor. door handle broke off due to trying to open the door. *tr

Re: 2000 toyota sienna minivan i was parking my car on the street, my foot on the brake pedal, when the engine started to suddenly rev up. with my foot still on the brake pedal, i quickly put it on park and turned off the engine. this is the first time this has happened. *tr

Gave a vehicle a boost one day previous. closed hood on 2000 sienna, but apparently not completely. i believe only safety latch securing hood rather than full hood latch. driving on busy freeway to work fine but returning home on freeway, the safety latch on hood failed causing the hood to flip up and smash into windshield, denting hood and roof of van also. pulled over to side of freeway safely. called tow truck to haul car home. safety latch and full hood latch now seem fine, but will be replacing shortly. currently only replaced windshield and secured hood as good as possible. getting quotes from bodyshops for repairs and have contacted toyota as i feel this is a safety issue. after 6 days, yet to have toyota call me back. this could have been a catastrophic crash, but thankfully wasn't. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2000 toyota sienna. the contact was driving approximately 30 mph and applied the brakes. the vehicle would not respond and exhibiting an abnormal clicking noise. the contact continued to apply pressure to the brakes while driving at a low speed until the vehicle was able to come to a stop. the same failure occurred three times. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer for repairs or diagnosis of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 159,000.

I have owned this vehicle since 2003 and have never had any major problems with it. it has always been very reliable. however, on september 21 while driving east on i20 in the dallas area, i accelerated the vehicle while on a slightly steep hill. the engine suddenly quit for a few seconds while i was driving and all the equipment lights came on. it then mysteriously started back again and i kept driving. this happened a couple more times while driving east on illinois avenue in dallas and it finally died completely on the same street . the engine would not start and even the lights would not come on. i was able to pull into the city of dallas's parking lot before the vehicle stopped completely. i had the van towed to one of the toyota dealers in dallas. they checked it out and could not find any problems with it. then on monday, september 25 the vehicle was completely dead in our garage at home. i jump started the vehicle and drove it again to metroplex toyota on tuesday, october 5. the only thing they found was the intake hose clamp at t-body was very loose and the power door light was coming on. they tightened the hose clamp and re-initialized the power door. again, on november 11, i was driving east on i 30 when the van completely died in the middle of the highway. even the hazard lights would not come on. i was stuck in the middle of a busy freeway. fortunately, i 30 was backed up and no one plowed into the rear because most vehicles drive at 60-70 mph on that freeway. i had the vehicle towed to metroplex toyota again. this time the only thing they could find wrong was that the battery was not held down tightly. however, while i was going to drive away in the van, i noticed that the power door light was on again and the door would not close properly. we finally decided to leave the vehicle with the dealer for some time so it could be checked out.

Nhtsa recall 10v160000 resulted in my spare tire assembly being placed in the rear area of my van, my dealer told me it was a temporary fix until remedy parts were available, a week or so. that was august 17, 2010 and they still claim that the parts are not available (october 18). i am concerned that the wheel assembly could fly forward in an emergency stop from highway speed and cause injury to the car occupants. no such incident has happened yet but my concern is increasing. neither the dealer or toyota seem concerned. *tr

I own a 2000 toyota sienna which i have had for one year. to date, i have paid to repair the rear seat, as once it was taken out, the mechanism broke and it could not be put back in the car. also, we have replaced the drivers side seat belt (the whole thing) because the seat belt light would constantly blink. now the passenger side seat belt light blinks when the seat belt is latched and when nobody is sitting there. the power sliding door has been looked at and repaired three different times. it continues to open, but will never close all the way. both the drivers side and passengers side power windows will not roll down (or if they do, they will not go back up). there is a banging sound coming from the middle floor board by the gas pedal. the transmission has been replaced. finally, the rear door latch broke completely and there is no way to open the rear door - from the inside or out. all of this is with normal wear. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2000 toyota sienna. while driving approximately 40 mph, when she applied the brakes they failed to respond and the pedal extended to the floor. she panicked, swerved into the left lane and crashed into a vehicle. the vehicle was towed, inspected and the brake pads were replaced; however, the failure was not corrected. the contact also experienced corrosion failure around the spare tire cable. a report was filed with the manufacturer. the failure mileage was 52,000 and the current mileage was 60,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2000 toyota sienna. the contact stated that while driving approximately 30 mph, the hood opened and hit the windshield. the failure occurred twice, shattering the windshield. the vehicle was taken to a repair shop where the contact was informed that the failure was caused by the hood latch. the vehicle was repaired. the contact called the manufacturer who offered no assistance. the current mileage was approximately 200,000. the failure mileage was approximately 190,000.

2000 toyota sienna rear door latch handle broke under normal use. upon inspection, there is a narrow piece of plastic connecting the handle to the internal latch mechanism and this narrow piece broke cleanly in half without warning. rear door cannot be opened from either outside or inside posing a possible hazard to 3rd seat passengers in the case of an accident. phoned toyota and was given case #1007022060 and instructed to take to dealer and pay for repair since handle not part of any current recall. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2000 toyota sienna. the contact stated that the outside door handles were falling off the vehicle. the contact had to remove the driver side door, driver side sliding door, and rear hatch door handles. the rear hatch could not be opened from the outside or the inside. the failure mileage was approximately 70,000. the failure mileage was approximately 99,000. updated 11/09/10*jb

2000 toyota sienna -- passenger side automatic sliding door failed. the problem was intermittent when the car was new and the door finally stopped working completely 5 years ago. the vehicle now has approx. 60,000 miles. the dealer thinks that all components (motor, controller, etc) need to be replaced and would cost over $2,200. after reading online forums and other people having the sliding door problems and the fact that it was still not working after spending thousands of dollars, i decided against spending the money. i believe this sliding door problem has always been a defect with this model. at first door would automatically open as one was driving, a dangerous situation. my wife disabled the door from the console switch. online forums have lot of people complaining of the same problem. i have at least two other friends. we bought the minivan at the same time and we all had the exact same problems (sliding door and the tire pressure sensors). toyota has again tried to avoid any recalls and fixed the problems only when people complained a lot. unfortunately the manual override and resetting the operation does not work either. *tr

The contact owns a 2000 toyota sienna. the contact stated that the vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostic and testing. the dealer advised that the vehicle converter for the exhaust system needed to be replaced at the owners expense. the dealer advised that the converter for the exhaust system can only be replaced in california. the vehicle was not repaired and the contact does not feel like traveling from florida to california. the contact stated that he has lower fuel mileage as a result of the exhaust system defect. the approximate failure mileage was 90,000. the approximate current mileage was 112,000. rg

I own two toyota sienna minivans, model years 2000 and 2001. of the 10 doors on these two vehicles, the handles on six are broken off. this happened during normal use. in searching internet sites, i found comments that sienna vans are known for this defect. the defects have occurred at different times over the past two years. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2000 toyota sienna. the vehicle had goodyear assurance comforted tires, tire size 215/55r17. the tires were replacement tires purchased in october of 2006. there was one tire that exhibited an indentation in the side wall and excessive wear that occurred after 5,000 miles which was an extremely early stage to experience the defects. the other two tires would loose air pressure and completely deflate. the tires were taken to an independent auto shop. the technician was unable to determine the cause of the defects and informed that the vehicle was out of alignment. there was a discount offered towards the purchase of a new tire to replace the excessively worn tire. the contact was waiting on a response from the tire manufacturer regarding the defective tires. the failure mileage was 5,000.

The power sliding passenger door on my 2000 toyota sienna will open but will not close. it took me several minutes of very firm pressure to overcome the doors automatic mechanism to force the door closed. as i use this to drop my child off at daycare, i can no longer let her out on the curb side of the van. *tr

Noticed check engine light on and smoke on cold start up. called local toyota dealer and was told this would be a major "fix" and would cost at least $3,000.00 to repair. after doing a google search i realized my sienna most likely had oil gel and called tmsusa in california to report it. was told to take van to a local dealer and have diagnosed. took it in the very next day and oil gel was confirmed (in writing). was then told that the van was 90 days past coverage and it would cost $6,200.00 for a new engine. i tried to show documents of my oil changes and service manager said it would do no good. i refuse to drive this van for fear that the engine will seize! i am requesting that a second investigation be made into these vehicles. the class action lawsuit did no good for the toyota consumers! also, for the record, i took the van in when the engine light first came on (engine was not smoking yet) and the dealer told me it was probably just the gas cap and that the engine light comes on in these vehicles all the time. they never documented my visits to the service department. i would have been within the 8 year time frame if they would have checked the engine at that time! *tr

My seatbelt in my 2000 toyota sienna van became entangled with the gastank opening switch upon release. i could not thereafter re-engage the seatbelt until i stopped the vehicle, opened the door and observed the entanglement. i had loosened the seatbelt in a drive-thru line to get my wallet from my pocket, and attempted to re-fasten the belt which frequently becomes entangled in the mechanism possibly because of age. *tr

While driving on tollway in our 2000 sienna with cruise set to 70 mph i pushed the accelerator a little to increase speed a few mph. it instantly took off as if i had hit the "resume" on the cruise control (cc) and had it set for 120 mph. after a few seconds of panic i hit the brakes to slow the van and release the cc. no luck. with no traffic near me i looked to see if the acc. pedal was stuck, floor mat was interfering, or something else holding the pedal down - nothing was. i turned off the cc, pumped the accelerator pedal, stomped on the brakes and was just about to put van in neutral when we went back to normal control. we took van to toyota dealer next day, but they could find nothing wrong. they called toyota and were told it was not a known problem, so no fix. we still drive it daily, but do not use the cc in traffic, or accelerate with the cc on. this was not a stuck pedal, nor a floor mat problem. because we have not used the cc in the same manner as when the sudden acceleration happened, i would think it is cc related. *tr

In summer of 2000, i had an accident in a 99 toyota sienna and my accelerator stuck causing me to have to put the car in reverse to stop forward motion after impact. i reported the stuck accelerator to dealer, and state farm. my car was totaled. the accident occurred at an intersection and another driver hit me from the right - he ran a red light and was cited as at fault, but after the impact, my car continued to go forward and although i had my foot on my brake all the way to the floor the car would not stop. i had my two young children in the car who were screaming in fear and pain, and there were two rows of cars in every direction stopped at the intersection. i looked at a concrete pillar in a parking lot and thought about running my car into it to stop. instead, i reached for the gears and tried to shift to park. it went into reverse, and by some true miracle, i was able to miss all the sitting traffic and steer into a chain link fence. by yet another miracle, there was only one spot on the fence that was not tree lined. i backed between two trees into the fence and that stopped my car, which i left running as i got my two children out. a bystander was able to reach in and remove the keys and stop the car. the fence belonged to a catholic church which later sent a bill to my insurance company for the damage. this occurred in memphis, tn, and i have always been sure that the accelator was stuck in that incident. i was told to report it to the nthsa, but frankly, thought that sounded like redtape. i don't think the toyota problem is mechanical or recent, but a massive, long-standing computer-based issue cover-up and toyota drivers should be compensated by company. *tr

The second row, passenger side seat belt buckle in our 2000 toyota sienna is not staying "clicked"; sometimes without the button being pushed, the buckle just releases and the child safety seat that is in that car seat is not restrained at all. *tr

I purchased my sienna in 2001. it is a 2000 toyota sienna ls which currently has 150k miles. in 2002 i began to have issues with my rear brakes since this time i have had my brakes inspected every year due to grinding noises and squeaking. the first 2 times i've taken my van in they have inspected the rear brakes and said they are fine, just dusty and the claimed to have cleaned them. in 2008 however they sounded so bad and seemed very dangerous as they were still making grinding noises. i took my van to christian bothers and they redid my rear brakes... (oh, the abs light as been on all this time as well) maybe a week went by and the problem persisted. i took my van back a month later ( my transmission went out that same week and that's how long it took to get my van back)!! they inspected my brakes again and didn't see anything wrong, they were fine and they couldn't explain why they were making noise or why my abs light was on. i just cross my fingers every year that my van will pass inspection! thus far i have not had any accidents but am very afraid to drive my car on a wet road, when i apply the brakes on a wet road they pop and the van barely stops. i've had this issue for a long time, i know toyota is a good manufacturer or i would not have purchased a toyota.. but i can say for sure, i will not by another one i'm switching to honda or buying american. *tr

Sliding door gets stuck. very difficult to open from outside and unable to open from inside. tried wd40 lubrication but this did not help. *tr

Drivers side door latch handle not only broke, but pulled completely out of the door. this is the 3rd door handle that has broken under normal use. 1st the 2 sliding door handles, now this door handle. *tr

Power sliding door will not close. *tr

I was stopping in my driveway slightly downhill on loose stone and grass - 5 mph. the abs engaged, i could hear it. my foot was firmly on the brake pedal, i confirmed this visually during the incident. the car did not stop when it should have and the abs did not release until the car had rolled through bushes, etc. and stopped on its own. i believe that something is wrong with the abs safety system - the abs did not work properly, but at no point did the abs light come on to warn me of a safety hazard. currently i have disabled the abs system by pulling the fuse. i have had the hydraulic brakes checked out by a local garage. i have not taken the vehicle to toyota to get the abs system inspected yet. *tr

2000 toyota sienna has an on/off engine light problem. *nj consumer is adding information. *nj 7/24/09 the consumer was told the ignition coil needed to be replaced, but after it was replaced, the engine light came back on. the spark plugs and wires were changed but to no avail. the consumer stated the vehicle runs poorly and it also stalls. the consumer discovered a website where other years of the toyota sienna were recalled for the same problem. recall 98e035000. *jb

Tl*the contact owns a 2000 toyota sienna. while driving at an unknown speed, the tire indicator illuminated on the instrument panel. the contact also noticed that whenever she would begin to brake, the vehicle would only stop slightly. the vehicle was diagnosed by the dealer and they stated that the wheel speed sensor needed to be replaced. the current and failure mileages were 121,000.

My two sliding doors will not open from the inside on my 2000 toyota sienna minivan. *tr

2000 toyota sienna 2 items: 1. seat belt light always on (research reveals deign flaw) 2. automatic sliding door has never worked correctly. *tr

2000 toyota sienna. the passenger seat belt sensor suddenly started working backwards. the warning light is off when the seat belt is buckled and comes on when the seat belt is unbuckled, including when the passenger seat is vacant. dealer says it will cost about $350 to replace the belt and that it is a safety issue because the faulty sensor is also linked to the air bag, which may not deploy properly in an accident. given this scenario, i think toyota should fix this at their cost even though the car is out of warranty. *tr

The drivers side sliding door was sticking and very hard to open. after yanking on it for weeks-totally broke off the outside handle. the entire mechanism was replaced. two weeks later-it's beginning to stick again. i think it may be due to the seal around the door. now the passenger side automatic door has quit working and we have great difficulty manually opening the door. *tr

Check engine light has come on for months and was told that it was an o2 sensor and not a severe problem, just won't get as good gas mileage. vehicle now smokes upon start up and is losing too much oil too quickly. toyota said to take vehicle to a toyota dealer and have them diagnose the problem. came back that the engine had "gel" and would cost $2700.00 to clean and repair. toyota district service manager denied the claim. said warranty only good for 8 years from date vehicle was purchased. now waiting to hear from case manager to see if she will o.k. the repairs to be paid for by toyota. we bought the sienna used in 2004 after the tsb was already established but were not made aware of this "gelling" problem. just had oil changed in november 2008 and now the oil level is barely registering on the stick. only 6 weeks after the last oil change!!! car is still at the toyota dealership. *tr

Regular usage of our van has caused the doors on both sides to break. on one side, the handle completely broke off and the other will only partially open. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2000 toyota sienna. while driving approximately 60 mph, the hood unexpectedly released, flipped upward, and damaged the windshield. the dealer and manufacturer have not been notified. the current and failure mileages were approximately 140,000.

Rear door lid handle broke making it impossible for me to put my power wheel chair into the van. without that chair i cannot get around. two people had to disassemble the chair to get it into the van so i could get home. there should be an internal release for that door. *tr

Handle to the power sliding door of my toyota sienna 2000 has broken off. it has been broken for over 4 months. the door will also not close for no reason and opens easily from just a brush on the remote on the key chain. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2000 toyota sienna. while shifting into park, the gear shifter detached and the steering column was hanging by a wire. the contact used a screwdriver to shift the vehicle into drive and take it to the dealer. the vin was unknown. the failure mileage was 112,000.

2000 toyota sienna xle passenger power sliding door failure. seems to be a very common problem after researching on the web. cost to repair is in excess of $1500 which can be on the very low side. toyota should be required to recall all vehicles with these doors. *tr

2000 toyota sienna sliding power passenger door acts like something is in the way will not totally close with power, shuts then immediately opens. light in dash is on, for second time, mechanics found nothing just reset it. toyota mechanics. *tr

Handle broke off the side door, now must close from inside. back handle sheared off had to repair. *tr

The handle lever for the back hatch broke from normal use and the hatch cannot be opened. also, the passenger side sliding door handle broke due to normal use and it can only be opened from the inside. both these problem can be a potential hazard in case of an accident where the doors/hatch will not permit quick opening during an emergency. toyota should fix these door/hatch problems at no cost to the consumer......immediately! *tr

Car has oil sludge problem - toyota settled class action law suit - but i was never notified - and it appears a recall was never initiated? *tr

This complaint is not of any crashes or injuries but of, what i feel, a failure of the quality of the vehicle its self. i own a 2000 toyota sienna and on or around feb 12, 2007 my driverside, back sliding door handle broke off. shortly after that the back hatch handle broke off and shortly after that the two front door handles started to break in half. one handle breaking is a possibility but all my door handles breaking except one is strange. and the one that is not broken is a power door so the handle is not pulled as often other wise i wonder about that one as well. *tr

1. normal use 2. daily, the seatbelt tensioners do not correctly indicate if the belt is being used or not. it always shows that the belt is unused. 3. tensioners will need to be replaced. *tr

The transmission on my 2000 toyota sienna totally failed without warning while on the road which created a dangerous situation of the van having no way of moving. toyota is aware of this defect in their 2000 vans and issued an extended warranty but my van mileage is over their limit hence they will not cover it. *tr

The differential/transmission on my 2000 toyota sienna is failing. it was diagnosed at under 100,000 miles. i am the original owner and have completed all required service. *tr

Over the past 3 years 3 of the 5 door handles have broken on this 2000 toyota sienna. *tr

Engine light went on , checked water and oil, both levels were fine, engine just quit, van was towed to repair shop, i the owner was told that due to sludge in the engine the oil could not pass through so engine seized up, it was a 2000 sienna van, the oil was changed every 3000-4000 miles faithfully, the engine only had 107,000. original miles on it, a new engine would be 6,200.00 plus labor and a used engine would be 4,200.00 plus labor, so now my van had to be junked. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2000 toyota sienna. the contact stated that her vehicle sporadically loses all electrical power in the interior and exterior. while driving approximately 40 mph, she heard a loud revving noise that grew progressively worse. one week later, she took her vehicle to the dealer for a routine inspection and they stated that there was a voluntary recall for the transmission, but she missed it by four months. she is in the process of having her vehicle repaired. the contact filed a complaint with the manufacturer. the failure and current mileages were 73,000.

The lights for both front seat belts flash when the seat belts are fastened. when they are not fastened and are fully retracted into the door post, the lights go off. this began first with the passenger side a couple of months ago and started on the drivers side this month. additionally the seat belts don't always retract properly. *tr

I am second owner of toyota sienna, 2000 .i bought at 32000 miles. toyota has recall on extended transmission warranty (service bulletin tc03014) . yesterday i was on the way to airport and sitting at a stop light and try to go when the light turned green, the car had some noise coming from it and it didn't moving , i tried different gears and it still didn't move. i was not able to park. car was moving back so i put safety brake on and i had to tow the car to dealership where it was bought by first owner, next day they call me and tell me it has problem with transmission. i tell them last year when i serviced my car for 36k service to check my car for transmission but they tell me it has no problem related to that, also i give them extended warranty recall letter. now this car has only 47k miles but just pass period by two months only . but should still cover up to 100k miles extended warranty as per recall letter , but atlant toyota don't want to fix under that warranty. do you think such a reputable vehicle to toyota can have problem at 47k mile for transmission. i ask toyota north america service telephone no. but they don't give me any info. is there anybody that can help to cover such a big expense to replace transmission about $. 3500.00. *jb

Tl*the contact owns a 2000 toyota sienna. the vehicle is equipped with power door locks. the handles on both sliding side doors detached from the doors. the doors failed to operate from both the outside and inside the passenger compartment. the vehicle was not inspected by the dealer. the failure mileage was 85,000 and current mileage was 110,000.

My toyota sienna 2000 might has an abs system malfunction and caused a minor accident on aug 28 2007 at 3:30 pm. the weather ~90c and sunny. i drove in school zone at the time the school over and the students presented on the sidewalk. i drove ~20-25 mph or less. the distance between my van and the car in front of me ~ 2 cars space. the car in front of me stopped suddenly because of one car in front of us turned left or made a u turn without warning. i stepped on my brake pedal very hard but the van still cruised like the brake was doing anything and i hit to the rear end of the car in front of me. my car have 133,000 mile on it. i had my front brake replaced by dealer when it 100,000 mile, the same time they replaced the timing bell, they told me the rear brake were in good condition at that time so i didn't had it replaced. till now, i still have not heard any noise from my brake, no warning indicator light, and it has been always reacting correctly everytime i stepped on the brake paddle until the day my car involved into the accident. i plan after fixing the body of my van, i will send it to toyota dealer for a break and abs system check or inspection. i have a neighbor also have a toyota sienna 1999 van and he told me that he also involved in accident last year at the low speed and the abs system didn't work also. and he brought it to the dealer for inspection, they found nothing wrong and his van had not failed again. i hope if there is problem of toyota sienna brake or abs system, your agency will investigate and notify us so we can avoid any accident related in the future. i will report the same thing to the dealers service department when i bring my van in for repair. thanks for your help. *jb

Tl*the contact owns a 2000 toyota sienna. the vehicle is equipped with a thule hitching post pro 935x2. the contact received a recall notification and attempted to call the 1-800 number on several occasions. she has been unsuccessful because the telephone number provided in the notice is disconnected. the purchase date and part, serial, and recall numbers were unknown. there had been no failure to date. the current mileage was 90,000.

Several hardware problems with this vehicle. had to replace right sliding door handle at a cost of $140. replaced the rear door handle for $70. both of these items broke, rendering the doors useless from the outside. also replaced the driver door power window motor at a cost of $ 90. *ak

While driving our 2000 toyota sienna the safety hood latch failed while driving on the freeway and the hood flew open, smashing the windshield, damaging the hood and the roof of the vehicle. the cause of the incident was that he hood latch no longer engages when the hood is shut. the vehicle was serviced at a toyota dealership 2 weeks before without any mention of an issue with the latch. toyota basically stated that there is nothing they can do. i believe there is a design flaw to the location of he hood latch causing it to no longer function from weather related exposure. there most likely are other sienna vehicles with the same issue with drivers unaware of the problem. *jb

Since we purchased the toyota sienna xle about 3 years ago we have had nothing but trouble. our biggest problems have occurred only recently. the automatic door was not working and the mechanic had to take off the automatic part so it had to be opened manually. well after about a week of manually opening and pulling out my shoulder every time, the door knob came off. we have also had in the past a very loud squealing noise every time we started the car. we had the belts tightened and even had the battery changed and then suddenly it stopped. one of our captains chairs will not go back into the upright position. and lastly the bar that holds open the hood has come off and does not go back into place. *jb

Oil gelling related damage-2000 toyota sienna w/v6 with oil gelling. this engine was repaired under toyota's special repair program. the issue is that the repair does not include enough parts to properly return the unit into service without compramising the main and rod bearings, as well as the rear and front seals. i am now faced with a $1400 repair bill for the rear main seal at 65k miles. i beleive that this portion of the engine was comprimised do to lack of oil casued by the oil gelling. the screen was 85% blocked and since the main and rod bearings are the first to be fed oil from the pump, they have experienced accelerated wear. i base this on my discovery when at the dealer. i am an ase certified automotive technician with engine speciality ratings, so i can speak as an expert on this matter. i tried to discuss with toyota corp at the local level and they do not see any reason to continue the discussion. *nm

Dt*: the contact stated a jumpstart was given to a neighboring vehicle. the next day the hood was released to jumpstart the neighboring vehicle again. the jumpstart was not needed. the hood was not locked down but was not fully unlatched, while the vehicle was driving 45 mph, on a smooth blacktop paved road, when the hood blew back into the wind shield and damaged the hood, windshield, wipers and the roof of the vehicle. the service dealer and manufacturer were not notified, but the vehicle was repaired at an auto-body shop.

Dt*: the contact stated while attempting to buckle the left third row seat belt, the belt became stuck and did not move in either direction. the vehicle was taken to a service dealer, who was unable to determine the problem.

Abs pump motor failure. almost lost control on wet surface. abs panel light was on since aug. 20006, toyota dealer inspection stated code #14,51 (abs pump motor failure) it is unusual but not cover by warranty. *jb

Following an accident where i was rear ended i started having problems filling the fuel tank. the pump would click off as if it was full at .70 cents and would continue this while filling the tank when the tank was clearly empty. i was advised by several people to move the handle around while filling this did not help. it was inspected by the body shop who said they could find nothing wrong & advised me to take it to the dealer. the filling problem continued & actually got worse & was taking longer & longer to fill. today i went to fill it got to about 2 1/2 gallons and fuel started coming out of the tank as if i overfilled it. i tried to fill it again it did the same thing every time. also quite a bit of fuel spilled out on each attempt. *nm

My wife and 4 children were driving in our 2000 toyota sienna. while accelerating onto a highway, the hood abruptly released and slammed against the front windshield, causing the windshield to shatter and damaging the roof. my wife pulled over onto the side of the road almost completely blind to what was in front of her. the car was nearly hit by a semi-tractor trailer. luckily, no one was physically hurt from the incident. upon inspection of the locking mechanism, it was obvious that both the primary and secondary latches were both not working properly. it appears that the springs that are used within these mechanisms had lost their spring effectiveness. this was compounded by the "stickiness" caused by some rusting on the latch. the car was recently at a toyota dealer maintenance center. i feel that the maintenance facility should have an obligation to check this critical component. in reviewing the nhtsa database, it is clear that this is a common issue across automobiles. i would expect their to be some recurring maintenance on the latching mechanism (at 30,000 or 60,000 miles) to prevent such an incident from occurring...i do not have access to the shop maintenance manuals so i don't know if such an inspection is in the manuals. if there is no such inspection in toyota's maintenance manual, i believe that toyota is negligent on this very hazardous failure mechanism. if there is such an inspection, i believe the toyota maintenance facility should be held responsible. *jb

I have replaced both front door window motors. after researching the problem i have discovered the motor contains a faulty load sensor. it is not the actual motor, but the load sensor that is failing. the senor is located internally in the motor. toyota knows about this problem, but is not taking ownership. now one of my two new motors is starting to shows signs of its sensor failing. toyota needs to cover the cost or make the sensor replacement available, otherwise it is $270 for the cost of the replacement motor plus labor. *jb

2000 sienna hood opened while driving striking the windshield. *ts *jb

2000 toyota sienna. the seat belt warning light is faulty. in the beginning, the warning light indicated the opposite -- blinking when buckled, off when unbuckled. then after couple weeks it just keeps blinking no matter what. it's believed that the problem is caused by a malfunction sensor. the malfunction is caused by the housing of the sensor. the housing is over-sized and allows the sensor cap pops out easily and causes the malfunction. it is a manufacturing defect! and if the srs system will be affected by this is a big question. the warning light just keeps blinking after the malfunction, no matter if you are buckled up or not. the driver, after some time, will get used to the false warning and will tend to ignore it and will not be aware if the seat belt is really buckled. which may increase the possibility of injury or death in a crash. this is a serious defective design for that sensor!*jb

I put my car in the shop at coleman toyota telling them the car wouldn't start. they replaced the ignition chamber and then phoned to say the starter was bad too- they charged me about $575. i picked up the car wednesday march 15 and on march 16 the car just stopped as i was driving to work. the car had to be towed to coleman toyota. they phoned to tell me the engine had "locked" and the car was shot. they refuse to refund me the $575 for the unnecessary repairs and refuse to acknowledge that the engine failure due to "gelling" is a manufacturers defect. *nm

My mechanic informs me that the "speed sensor" on my 2000 toyota sienna has gone bad and cannot be replaced. she stated that the sienna's that were manufactured overseas have accessibility to this part, but that those made in the u.s. have no way to replace this defective part. the result of this defect is that i no longer have a reverse gear and she said that first gear will go at any time, and no amount of money can fix. now car is worthless car. *jb

I have had a problem with the front seat belts in my sienna for some time now. the warning indicator never goes off although the seat belt is on. this is for both the driver and front passenger. i have taken it to toyota at least four times and have been told it is a very costly repair. at least $500 per belt. when i asked if it was safe to keep it in the current condition, i was told by toyota to carry a pair of scissors with me in case the seat belt fails in an accident. i believe toyota should be responsible for this type of repair for the life of a car since it is a safety issue. *jb

The passenger (manual ) sliding door became hard to open. the handle sticks and does not open on the first try. the handle then broke off completely leaving the door unsafe and unable to latch properly. we purchased a new handle from the dealer for a price of $95.00. we feel this specific car handle is not made to withstand the use of a sliding door or the weight of the door and will fail with continued use. you must pull out the handle to open the sliding door and continue to hold it out until the door is completely open. all the weight of the door and the momentum of the slider rest of this handle. have found others with the same complaints online. also, may consider weather as a factor too. the colder the weather the worse it performs. *jb

Both of the outside handles on the sliding passenger doors on my 2000 toyota sienna broke within the past few weeks. (one handle broke off completely and one is still partially attached to the door.) one door cannot be opened from the outside and the other one is very difficult to open. i contacted the local toyota dealership and the national 800 number. both the local and the national points of contact said there were no known issues with the door handles and there was nothing that could be done. the dealership advised me that i could pay them @$300 a door to have the broken handles replaced. i did some research on the web and did find several other complaints / postings about broken door handles. *nm

2000 toyota sienna with approx. 64,000 miles: antilock brake system (abs) computer failed. dealer said replacement cost would be $2000 and blamed failure on "dirty brake fluid" which seems extremely unlikely since vehicle was purchased as a certified used vehicle at 36,000 miles less than 2 years prior to failure. failed abs computer is still installed on vehicle since we cannot afford to replace it. *nm

When i tried to start my 2000 toyota sienna minivan last week, it did not start normally and it made a strange noise. i turned off the ignition, and the noise continued. i removed the key from the ignition and the car continued to make noise. it appeared that the car was still trying to start, even though the key was no longer in the ignition. the car was making a chugging noise - that might have sounded like it was running to someone not familiar with the car. i did not know how to get the car to stop. i called for a friend to come and help. he arrived approximately five minutes later - the car was chugging continuously all this time and my garage (where the van was parked) was starting to smell. my friend attempted to turn the van on and off again - this had no effect. he opened the hood, (there was some smoke) and eventually disconnected the battery using a wrench - this finally stopped the van. he believes that a fire would have started had he not disconnected the battery. the van was towed to a toyota dealership, where they replaced the starter. they said that the starter must have shorted out and that it was a good thing that we disconnected the battery. this happened in my garage in my home as i was about to take my children to school. i afraid that this defect could have caused a serious fire, damage to my home and possibly serious injury to my children and myself. *nm

There is an admitted defect in the design of the 1999-2001 toyota sienna and camry engines. the cooling chamber passages to the cylinders were reduced in size to reduce hazardous emissions which had the unanticipated side effect of causing the temperature of the cylinder heads to reach up to 130 degrees. for many owners, this has caused the oil to oxidize forming a sludge in the engine which in our case led to engine failure in our 2000 toyota sienna van requiring engine replacement at 59,000 miles costing over $8,000. the same situation occurred with our 1999 camry. toyota claims that this is due to not changing the oil frequently enough, and this may be true. however my brother's friend bought a toyota celica back in the 1970's and never changed the oil, never even opened the hood to add oil or maintenance it at all - just drove it until quit - at 80,000 miles. granted this is not advisable but evidence suggests that while less than optimal oil change frequencies may contribute to this engine failure problem in the 1999-2001 models, based on other research i have read with other owners having the same problem leading to engine failure in these models even with mileages as low as 29,000 miles, i don't buy toyota's argument. we owned 3 toyota's at the time, 2 camrys and 1 sienna. because toyota did not own up to this design defect and reimburse owners for the damage caused by their flawed engine design without their providing oil change receipts - (e.g. what if you don't save receipts and/or what if you change your oil yourself)? - for this reason i will never buy another toyota. i own a subaru wrx and am planning to purchase another subaru soon.

The driver's seat belt buckle receiver stopped working. according to the dealers service manager, a small plastic tab (he called it a "spacer") in the buckle receiver broke off and prevented the buckle from latching. i note that a similar problem on the 2001 ford escape was the subject of a voluntary recall (nhtsa campaign id number: 03v507000).*jb

At approximately 40,000 miles anti-lock brake warning light started turning off and on. eventually abs light stayed on and the abs system stopped functioning. the abs system has not been repaired due to the very high cost of the abs actuator part. the lack of a functioning abs system makes the car unsafe in situations where the anti-lock braking feature is needed (such as wet roads). *nm

Dt: the caller states that the oil in vehicle was disappearing from the engine. he drove 800 miles to florida and had to put 4 or 5 quarts of oil. he has to put that much oil every 1500 miles. dealer had the vehicle since august 5, 2005 and they could not find the cause of the problem. manufacturer sent the caller a letter stating the engine could fail because of the oil problem. it was an oil consumption problem. *ak

I was driving the 2000 sienna xle minivan and the brakes failed. it took a lot of pressure to push the brake in and the brake did not work. nothing happened. i had to use both feet pushing down to get the minivan to stop. this problem came on all of a sudden. i took it in to our mechanic and he said it was a failure of the power brake booster. i called toyota to see if they would assist with the repair. toyota said their final answer was that it was not covered by the warranty as it only covered the drive train. our engine and transmission have already been replaced under warranty! but toyota would not cover this additional failure -- the car is a lemon, clearly. so i had to pay $1350 to have the brake booster replaced. then the problem was still there! the brakes failed the day i picked it up from the shop. the mechanic tested it again and again and said he could not reproduce the failure. i have taken the minivan home, but i have two small children and am terrified to drive it for fear of their safety. help!*jb

Dt: contact states the sliding doors will not open from inside of the vehicle. the consumer has checked to see if the child safety lock was engaged, but it was not. the consumer stated her six year old child broke the handle from the outside of the passenger's side sliding door. the consumer has not had the vehicle to a service dealer yet.*ak

Engine oil light came on when driving, when taken to dealer, service rep. indicated this would potentially be a very expensive repair. after a quick search on the internet revealed an "issue" with this engine and a call to toyota national and some "discussions" with the dealer the car was taken for "desludging". proof of oil changes had to be provided, much discussion about how it was "our fault". since we are both engineers and typically keep our vehicles a very long time, this was insulting. van was returned, but oil light came on within 10 miles. it then stayed for quite a while (i think they said it had at least 6 oil changes). no offer of rental car was made. after it was returned within a month it blew a hole through the valve cover (mechanic forget to torque one of the head/cam bolts, bolt backed off and washer blew a small hole in valve cover).oil/smoke everywhere. it burned off oil for months afterward. it was towed back. hole was on extreme drivers side of engine. valve cover was replace, bolt/washer either replaced or retorqued. *nm

I have a 2000 toyota sienna in which seat belts lock with little movement after being retracted from the car wall (i do not know why it is designed this way, and had been bothered by the design well before what i report here). one day my 6 year old daughter moved around while under the seat belt and was entangled in it. she kept trying to get herself out, but the belt would only move a few millimeters into the wall, and never outwards. by the time i realized what was going on she was groaning in pain with the belt tightly around the belly and to the seat. i had to cut the belt to get her loose (which later cost about $200 to replace). the repaired belt works with the same technology as the old, and all others in the car. *nm

Tire failure - apparent belt slip/failure tire marking is sp40 a/s

My van had 66,000 miles on it and one day i opened the back hatch, which is rarely used, and the hatch handle broke-off in my hand. i have never had a back hatch handle break on any of my vans. i took and to dealer and it quite a while for them to repair it because of how the handle is position in rear door. *nm

August 2003: check engine light comes on. vehicle taken to crystal motors, a toyota dealership. crystal motors replaced "ignition coil". problem apparently resolved. cost: $350-$500. january 2005: check engine light comes on again. vehicle taken to crystal motors. replaced "all injectors and coils". all six fuel injectors and three coils were supposedly replaced, according to the technician. problem apparently solved. the service cost approximately $2100. july 2005: check engine light comes on again. crystal claims that a coil has gone bad, only 6 months into its use. crystal is unable to produce the defective part on demand. i was not charged for this service.

Dt: vehicle has a sliding electric door on passenger's side. door started opening or staying open at the wrong time. finally, the electrical door stopped working all together. the door will not open with the button on the inside of vehicle or the remote. consumer just noticed that the door will also not open manually from the inside of vehicle, but will open manually from the outside of vehicle. consumer did take vehicle o dealer in january 2005 for an estimate of repairs, and found that the cost of repairs would be $1886.00. *ak

Abs brakes fail. there was a problem with the car that was supposedly fixed by toyota before i purchased the car in 2001 as a used car. in 2003 the brake petal started to vibrate the the abs light came on. toyota did repairs outside of the warrentee. yesterday the light came on, i stopped the car, turned it off and then restarted the car. as i started to proceed i heard this loud sound from the brakes and had to stand on the petal to stop the car. once the abs light came on again the brakes worked fine. when i reached my destination i removed the abs fuse and will not replace it for fear of a major accident. i have sent an e-mail to toyota as well. i am sending this mainly so there is a record in case others have a similar problem. at this point i will not use the abs brakes even if toyota offers to fix them. they have been unsuccessful twice and i will not ride in this car with my grand kids. toyota sienna 2000

Handle/latch to open hatch on back door of 2000 toyota sienna le minivan breaks easily when trying to open. hatch remains unopenable until latch is replaced. difficult to replace because inside panel from hatch must be removed from inside the van and if the back row of seats is in place it is very hard to get to.

While traveling 50 mph suddenly the vehicle accelerated to 80 mph, resulting in a crash and a roll over. the consumer was not injured in the collision. *ak *sc *jb

I took my 2000 toyota sienna into a dealer because the "abs" light went on approximately 2-3 days ago. although phoenix has had a wet winter, there has been no significant rain for a number of days. the dealer said the abs "ecu" was "dripping wet" and the abs computer was "fried". the cost to replace with materials and labor was $1,800. do these units typically fail? why would the ecu be so exposed to the elements as to make it "dripping wet"? he did not identify any defect in any protective cover (if there is such a thing).*ak

The vehicle accelerated while driving in the neighborhood. the brake was on, and the vehicle went to 40 mph. consumer was able to stop by shifting into park, applying the emergency brake, and turning the key off.*ak

Three shoulder strap seat belts in my 2000 toyota sienna have failed. they are frozen and inoperable. the dealer says he will replace at $200 per seatbelt. other than that there is nothing he can do to repair the seatbelt. the vehicle is useless without seatbelts. i am afraid that the other 3 will fail also. *ak

The abs check light remained on, which the consumer was informed by the owner's manual that brakes may not operate properly. manufacturer will notified by owner.*ak

The latest incident occurred at a stop light, on a 50 mph road, car transmission slipped twice, and then would not move. this is the third transmission. i bought it new from walnut creek toyota, a 2000 sienna. *ak at 6000 miles, at 70 mph on the freeway, the transmission grabbed the car throwing the four of us into another lane.it was replaced. at 53,000 or 47000 on the new transmission it began to grind and it was again replaced. 12,000 later at 65,000. the last incident occured. toyota of walnut creek has stated that they will replace the transmission again. my concern is that there is a defect in the vehicle causing it to shread the transmissions. i no longer feel safe driving this car because the new transmission will fail again and this time there may be an accident. i feel the car has lost all its value.

The air bag light illuminated while driving and the seat belt light will not come on to indicate that the consumer needed to put his seat belt on. the dealer was notified. *jb

Front passenger wheel started to vibrate. after approximately 1 mile, all (5) wheel studs sheared off, and wheel fell off of vehicle. lug nuts did not appear to be loose prior to studs shearing.*ak

The engine in my 2000 toyota sienna has a defect that causes engine oil jelling and leads to a total failure of the engine. the problem first occurred at 38000 miles while still under the new car warranty. toyota fixed the problem by cleaning the sludge from the value area of the engine but this did not eliminate the problem. at 68000, there was a complete failure of the engine that was a result of engine oil gelling. a toyota technician who inspected the car stated that there is scaring of the internal engine parts that indicate a history of oil starvation. the oil starvation problem that caused the engine failure is due to oil gelling problem. toyota has agreed to extend the warranty on my vehicle to cover this problem for a period of eight years with unlimited mileage, however, they are now refusing to honor this warranty.*ak

2000 toyota sienna's engine was rebuilt last february/march 2004 due to engine oil gel. had an oil change at toyota dealership last june. had 82,500 maintenance done at another toyota dealership during the first week of september. it caught fire. droplets of fire seen falling underneath the engine. neighbor tried to extinguish the fire but to no avail. called 911 and they extinguished the fire.*ak

I purchased a toyota sienna new in 4/2000. within a few months the brakes began to squeak every time i braked. the local dealership has told me countless sienna's from 1998-2003 have experienced this. toyota tried a fix that worked 8 months. it is a shame that you pay $30,000 for a vehicle and the co. will not stand behind it. *ak

I backed down the driveway. there was a trash can in the way at the bottom of the driveway, so i put the car in park and hopped out to move the can. i turned to get back in the car and found it moving forward up the driveway. i chased the car up the driveway. it ran over a joggerbuggy and struck a retaining wall before i was able to get into it and stop it.

While driving consumer heard a noise coming from the rear. consumer pulled over, and noticed that the passenger's side tire sidewall separated from the wheel. consumer was able to change the tire. federal, super steel, p215/65r15, dot uxkw0303.*ak

Purchased toyota certified used in 2000. abs pump failed within one month. not part of power train, not covered under warranty. this is a safety issue.

While driving over uneven pavement consumer heard a knock noise coming from front end of vehicle. technician serviced vehicle, and determined that control arm bushing needed to be replaced.*ak *ts

2000 toyota sienna experienced serious sludging problem and had "sludge/gel repair" done by toyota at 58k miles. service dates: oct 14 and 15, 2002. on july 18, 2004, the sienna (with 81k miles) broke down during a vacation trip. diagnosis: residual engine damage from sludge problem and inadequate repair led to failure of a thrust washer/bearing that caused extensive damage to the engine from metal fragments that spread throughout the engine. estimated repair cost: $7,300. i am currently trying to get toyota to repair the engine at their cost and to cover all of my related costs due to the failure (e.g. hotel costs, rental car). *jb

When attempting to decline the second row right passenger seat consumer noticed that the lever detached from the seat.this caused the seat not to adjust. consumer made contact with the dealer about this issue. *ak

During a 45 mph frontal collision front air bags did not deploy. the dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem. *ak

While driving between 60 to 65 mph, the vehicle intermittently stalled out without any warning, which caused loss of steering, and brakes. this incident happened three times on the same day while driving long hours. vehicle was taken to two different dealerships, and they couldn't find anything wrong with the vehicle. *la

Toyota sienna ls, year 2000, approx 73000 miles. always serviced by toyota, electrical system / engine not modified or altered. drove last friday morning (july 16, 2004) from nc to the dc area. just before dc, car completely stalled 3 times on i-95, at interstate speed, approx 15 to 20 minutes apart. each time, the 'abs' and 'low tire pressure' dashboard light came on. clock flashed. no 'check engine light' came on. the car recovered within 2 to 3 seconds while moving, but lost speed, as the engine was not running. radio was not turned on, not sure if it would have lost power also. could duplicate one stall by turning the headlights on while moving. again, engine stalled for 2 to 3 seconds, 'abs' and 'low tire pressure' dashboard light came on. i'm not totally sure, but i think that the rpm and the odometer needle went back to '0' during the engine stalls. but again, i'm not 100% sure on the odometer needle going to "0" , as it all happened fairly fast. repair attempts: drove to the nearest toyota dealer in dc on the same day, car stalled again as we drove into the dealer ship and came to a complete stand still. (toyota of stafford, tel: 1-540-720-4700, repair ticket 16153) they test drove car for 2 x 20 mins, found no problem, computer did not log any error codes what so ever according to dealer. drove back to nc, went to toyota dealer in durham, nc today (july 19). dealer told me that there is nothing they can do, unless the car is stalling right now and told us to return once the "check engine" light is on. it is very disappointing for me that the dealers can not locate this problem and that there is apparently no procedure from toyota for finding critical problems that do not show up in the computer log. it is certainly no fun to have an engine stalling on i-95, while the 18 wheelers catch up with you. *jb

While driving 12 mph consumer lost control of the vehicle and it crashed into a pole. upon impact, both frontal air bags failed to deploy. driver sustained major injuries, but was not transported to the hospital. the vehicle was towed to the dealer for inspection. *ak

While shifting gears the gear shifter became loose and broke. this caused the vehicle to stall. the vehicle was towed to the dealer for inspection, and the mechanic determined that the gear shifter needed to be replaced. *ak the gear shifter broke when placed in park. *sc

Driver side window began to operate intermittently, would go down, but not up until several minutes went by. finally, the window would not operate at all, resulting in a repair cost of $418. apparently, this is a widespread problem which toyota refuses to do anything about. it appears that the window motors used are defective. *nm

While pressing the button to open the sliding door it failed to open. consumer tried numerous times, but this caused the button to stick. vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection, and mechanic replaced the button due to worn out wires. *ak

Power sliding door will not engage. when using the lock out button it is still difficult to open and close the door. *ak

Sludge in the engine. van is in the shop as we speak. dealer says the repairs will be covered but who is going to cover our lose when we try to sell this van with the pile of crap for an engine? i sat in the office of the service manager and listen to him side-step the problem unitl i could take no more. i then questioned him about any other issues with a 2000 sienna and he looked me right in the eyes and said no. no, until i questioned him about the addtional drive train problem at which time his response was, "oh, um, yeah we did just recieve a letter an that". toyota and the dealers should be held accountable like a low-life con artist that swindle and scam people. i paid my van off three weeks ago and i'm sitting here looking at a worthless document that is the title. as soon as my van gets out of the shop i'm fixing to spread the word around here about what a crappy deal this is. do the same in your town too.

Front passenger window does not close completely. middle right and left seat belts lock passengers to seat without undue motion. notified dealer several times, unable to fix the problem. front passenger seat belt failed to lock passenger during rear end collision.

Engine sludge problem. toyota is fixing (although i think they should replace it) it one time. they will not fix it a second time regardless of service records. this is totally unacceptable. we are also concerned that the resale value of the van will be greatly reduced.

I am not sure of dates, but our toyota dealer tried to blame us for the "smoking" problem due to the lack of oil changes. we did not slack off on the oil changes, and now they admit that the "smoking" problem is due to bad engine design, or whatever. we have had the van in for repairs several times, but i am not sure of dates, or how much we have spent. the problem has started again, and this time, not only is it smomking, and reads low oil (on the dip stick), but we are now going thru a quart of oil per tank of gas!!! i am about to deal with toyota, and see what they can/will do for us. they originally claimed we had to send them all kinds of info, now, what i am reading, is that they have (not quite) admitted the problem is due to a manufactureing defect, and they claim they will fix it. toyota has replaced our motor. we brought our van in on a wends, and had it back the following wends. it took them a week because we had some big storms in ga and the power went out for a full day. other wise, i believe we would have had the van back by tues. as of right now, the van seems to be fine. they had to replace the whole motor, because our old motor (116,000 miles, by the way) was shot. toyota also paid for a rental car the whole time our van was in the shop. our next step is to see if toyota holds true to their promise of reimbursing all the money we spent on oil and oil treatments.

Desludge engine, replace valve stem seals and clean out oil pan. cleaned engine but my concern is that they have not fixed the root cause. want the engine problem fixed not just cleaned.

While driving at 20 mph right tie rod end separated at the ball joint. this resulted in lost of steering. when this occurred consumer was able to control vehicle and bring it to a complete stop. vehicle was towed to a mechanic. *ak

The belts on all four of my bridgestone blizzak snow tires separated and moved within the tires creating extremely rough and dangerous ride. the occurence developed from an even, smooth ride to slight wheel shimmy to extreme bumpy and wobbly ride - all within one hundred miles of highway driving. *ak

Our keys would not work to start our van, we were stranded for 45 minutes with our 3 children. dealership says broken tumbler, $250 to replace not covered by warranty. we reported same problem 5-6 months ago dealership made new key which worked briefly. obviously a major defect, very dissappointed in toyota.*ak

2001 toyota sienna had sludge problem. toyota fixed but still calls this an owner issue!?? have seen complaints that these engines have still failed a couple thousand miles after fix. toyota originally insisted people buy new engines but only cleans them now. what about their modifying this engine starting in july 2001? no problems with those engines. this v6 is in 9 models over 6 years and somehow it's the owners? they replaced my valve covers stating the pcv system is inetgrated into the valve covers. they get clogged and can't be cleaned. will it take an engine seizing up due to engine failure at highway speeds, and a fatality to get toyota's attention on this? i never received their "letter" of notification. i had owned it brand new off the lot. i can't afford to keep a ticking financial time bomb in my garage.*ak

My van's brakes squeal loudly when the vehicle is in reverse. i have had the brakes checked by the dealer and other mechanics several times over 3 years and have all reported nothing wrong with the brakes other than they are squealing. toyota has no response other than we can apply lube to temporarily stop the noise.

This is a progressively worsening problem, beginning in january 2003. the automatic sliding door has stopped working properly. it opens at random, with or without the engine on. when the last incident occurred, it opened at highway speeds! the dealer has been unable to make a successful repair. *jb

The vehicle experienced a brake problem. the calipers were missing the retaining rings. the rubber boots were pulled into the brake cylinder which caused brake failure. the toyota mfr refused to acknowledge the problem. *nm the consumer was unaware of the low brake fluid function given through the emergency brake light indication. the vehicle was losing fluid at a slow rate more so in the right wheel than in the left. the consumer requested reimbursement. *sc the consumer stated the dust boot retaining rings on the calipers were never installed at the manufacturer *jb

The brake light came on. both rear brake cylinders were leaking. as a result, it caused damage to front brakes. all the parts were replaced. *ak

Multiple problems with my 2000 toyota sienna xle, first the car had problems with battery drain and not starting, they replaced the radio amplifier twice before fixing it, the power window on the driver side broke at 35,000 miles. the back hatch sheetmetal is all dented just from closing it and pushing on the handle. the worst one is that the van has been blowing a lot of blue smoke and burning oil, 4 quarts in the last 750 miles. so far no help from the dealer.*ak

Van: 2000 toyota sienna xle with power sliding door miles on vehicle: 30000 miles problem: power door opens; but does not close - need to be closed manually. dealer diagnosed and replaced junction switch. i suggested repair should be covered under warranty since van has only 30,000 miles even though the actual warranty period of 3 years is over. dealer did not agree. *la

While the vehicle was parked the manual sliding door closed on child's head while entering the vehicle. child sustained no injuries to the head. vehicle was taken to the dealer, and dealer was unable to duplicate the incident. *ak

Severe premature wear on pepboys futura lite p215-65r15 tires, after 20,000 miles. pepboys refusing to replace or refund, despite 70,000 mile warranty. *la

Passenger side front window exploded.*mr march 2003 the front window on the passenger side exploded sending glass flying throughout the car. again in august 2003 the rear passenger side window on the driver side exploded. the cost of repair were over $400.00, and the consumers believed that product was clearly a defect and the dealership should be responsible for paying for repairs. *cb

On our 2000 toyota sienna. the power door unit is sporadic in its operation. we have had this problem for 2 1/2 years. the service department kept telling us that the door needed to be reset. until the warranty now the tell us the activator needs to be replaced at our cost. *la

At 107,000 miles while driving the motor just cut off. then would not start. i always have changed the oil at every 3000 miles. now my mechanic says that the camshaft broke. there can be no other answer than that this engine was a sludge defective motor from the manufacturer. *ak

My 2000 toyota sienna xle have experience failure in the driver's side power window. the window would have enough power in opening but not closing. the mechanic indicated that motor in the window needed to be replaced. the cost and labor is $322.62. i noticed the complaints section, that this incident happens most of the time. *la

While driving about 75 mph on the highway and without warning there was a rattling noise on the passenger's side rear tire, tread separated from the tire. a firestone, p205/70r15, dot#w2m0f61. *ak

Toyota 2000 sienna with 62,000 miles with faithful service, and just had oil change on 8/13/2003, en route to atlanta from maryland. at charlotte, nc a high pitched whining sound was heard. by the time arrived in atlanta sound was persistent. took car to toyota dealership who identified that the transmission as "digesting itself". this same car had an engine sludge at 35k despite oil changes. car out of service while automatic transmission had to be entirely replaced. *jb

When entering or exiting the vehicle sliding door would automatically close, trapping the consumer, and causing minor injuries. dealer notified. *ak

Consumer stated vehicle was not capable to tow a trailer with small boat of 23oo pounds. however, the instruction state that vehicle's capability is up to 5000 pounds. manufacturer stated nothing they could do. *ak

Problems with tire wear, transmission and power steering pump. the vehicle is on it's fourth set of tires at 45,000 miles due to tracking problem. there was a whine coming from the torque converter pump. the transmission shifted to neutral on three occasions. the dealer never mentioned there was early sludge building up in the oil. the engine made noise and vibrated. dealer notified. *mr *cb *jb

Consumer unable to open rear sliding door from the inside. dealer notified. *ak

Tread separation,d10l dot pdmo imgi 1300 09r dot pdmo imhr 1300 details - i purchased the two tires shown above on 7/7/2000 to replace two of the original tires. i still have the two bum goodyear tires in my garage. this was on a 2000 toyota siena minivan with only 9,916 miles. i purchased it new. on 8/9/2001 with 28,923 miles i had the tires rotated, but the technician could not balance them. he showed me where the tread of both tires was separating from the body. the goodyear dealer that sold me the tires said i could get replacement but no money back. thus i kept the tires and went to another shop. goodyear dealer who sold me the bum tires: daniels tire svc 14200 whittier blvd, whittier, ca 90605 hone: (562) 693-7721.tire dealer whose technician identified the separation problem: discount tire ctr . *ak 14101 whittier blvd, whittier, ca 90605 phone: (562) 698-0503

While driving on interstate, right front tire tread separated causing minor damage to fender/bumper. tire was a firestone model fr 680 size p205 with 37k miles. previously left front tire partially separated before replaced with other brand tire. called firestone store and manager said this is not a recall. firestone should recall as these tires are unsafe and could lead to major damage or loss of life.*ak

Consumer states that while driving at 65 mph and with no warning, the rear passenger tire blewout. *ak. the tire company stated the tire had been operated for an unknown period of time with insufficient air pressure. *jb

The passenger's sliding door will open and close intermittently.*ak

Customer stated that towing package on this vehicle was installed too low to the ground. the towing package compacity is listed at 5000 lbs. consumer owns a boat that weighs 2300 lbs, and when he hits a bump in the road, the bottom of the vehicle scrapes the ground. manufacturer and the dealer have been notified. *ak

My 2000 toyota sienna (vin # [xxx]) anti-lock brakes have failed.i took it immediately to toyota. van mileage was only 66,706. toyota dealer said abs pump motor failed. there is no recall....if i wanted this function i could pay for the part $1,471.00.....labor not quoted.this safety function was only activated automatically 4 or 5 times since i purchased it new.*ak information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

For reasons unknown to me, the drivers side seat belt on my 2000 toyota sienna is twisted all the way into the assembly. it doesn't retract properly or lock to restrain the driver, and the warning light stays on even when the seat belt is buckled. i was shocked to find out that such an important safety measure is only covered by toyota for 5 years/60k miles, while others like honda have lifetime coverage. i believe that there may be similar incidents like this out there and i am concerned about the safety issue.

Since leasing the car new 3 yrs. ago, we've taken the car back to the dealer a couple of times because the middle row seat belts lock up. two weeks ago we were in a car accident, the front passenger seat belt did not lock, allowing the passenger to be thrown to the dash and back.*ak

Fr 680 02 firestone tire failure on 2000 toyota sienna. *mr low tire pressure indicator light came on. driver side rear tire lost pressure repeatedly. dealer claimed there was a nail in the tire. however, at a later date the consumer found a bulge in the repaired tire. further inspection revealed tire had split from the inside. the tire was replaced with a spare tire. consumer was aware of firestone recall and requested that all tires be replaced as well as the spare tire. however dealer was not willing to replace tires including the spare under warranty. dot # unknown. *tt *jb

Ltr fwd fm fhwa re his defective 2000 toyota sienna xle that emits a loud bearing whine, the transmission randomly shifted into neutral. the tires were replaced 3 times due to tracking & pulling problems. *mr the consumer was told by the rep that 31k miles on a michelin was all to expect on this vehicle. the vehicle was on it's fourth set of tires at 55k miles. the tracking problems were resolved on the two sets of four within the first 15k miles. the vehicle downshifted when going between the second and third gears. there were results form an engine oil analysis that may indicate early sludge build up. *scc *jb

Passenger side power window operates inconsistently. will go down but will not go up. after a short period of time, window will operate and go up. dealer repaired 2 years ago, but never operated correctly before or after repair. *nlm

Ltr fwd fm fhwa re their defective 2000 toyota sienna xle, the van has problems with engine sludge...*mr the vehicle started to blow blue smoke and ran rough. the dealer discovered engine gel deposits. the malfunctioning light had come on due to the oxygen sensor per dealer, the brakes squealed when stopped at low speeds(problem continued), and pulled to the left. the dealer could not duplicate. the engine sludge had come back again due to a burnt hole in the valve which was in the piston. the tachometer illumination appeared to be out and the bulb was replaced. the consumer requested reimbursement for the hotel stay and the vehicle rental. *scc *jb

I own a 2000 toyota sienna le. i noticed a coolant leak. i took it in to a toyota dealer and discovered the problem was the leak from the cooling pipe. the cause of the problem was the cooling pipe was rubbing against the power steering line (according to the service advisor) and the cooling pipe wore out. i asked if it was a design flaw. he replied that he never saw this before, but there should be something between the cooling pipe and the power steering line to prevent the rubbing. this fix is $410 for parts and labor and is not cover under the extended warranty since it is a pipe that broke. i feel like this is a design flaw by toyota. *nlm

While driving on i-95 at 75-80 mph, the transmission all of the sudden stopped working. the engine races when gas pedal depress and no transmission engagement right in the middle of the highway. luckily, was able to weave out of harms way and coast to an exit and enough speed to stop at a gas station. call for tow truck and towed into o'steen toyota @ brunswick. long weekend preventing any car rental (all closed) and ended up taking a taxi (58 miles away) all the way to jacksonville airport for a car rental to go back to melbourne, fl. to take on vacation the next day. car left at o'steen and was told a re-manufactured transmission is replaced and possible thought of pinion gear failure. since they cannot open up the transmission for any detail look at failure. serious accident can occur in this kind of failure. looks like a whole lot of same problems since 2000, why is there no equipment recalls is beyond me. *jb

Fluid leak around the transmission pan gasket. repaired 3 times by 2 different toyota dealers. easy job but maybe it is a deeper problem? transmission did not shift when cold for about 2 miles after the first and second time it was "fixed." after the third time trying to stop the oil leak, they adjusted the throttle cable and now it seems to shift more normally in cold mornings. since new, the left sliding manual door was hard to open from the inside. after 2 trips for "adjustments" the door is opening correctly. *jb

Power window failure- first driver's side in 2002, now the passenger side- have seen other complaints re. power window failures in 2000 toyota sienna made in kentucky. *jb

The engine developed engine gel deposits, the oxygen sensor and the brakes squeaked. *ak *jb *ts

There were problems with transmission and tire equipment. mr the vehicle was on it's fourth set of tires due to a tracking problem. there was a whine coming from the torque converter pump. the transmission shifted to neutral on three occasions. dealer saw indications of early sludge build up in the oil. the engine made noises and vibrated. (dayton/goodyear) *scc *nlm *cb *jb

Child wrapped rear seat belt around neck. seat belt would not release. had to cut seat belt to release child. this was the rear shoulder harness. child was hanging by the neck. should not have to fully retract seat belt to have some slack. i have had other passengers refuse to wear the other seat belts complaining they "lock up" and something was wrong. a child could be choked to death. *nlm

My vehicle experienced a dash board short. *jb

Vin [xxx]. electrically operated sliding door opens and cannot be closed. dealer and importer do not think they are responsible for this safety defect (out of warranty). my daughter's sienna, vin [xxx], which is a year younger has the identical problem, so does one of her friend's sienna. i don't have that vehicle's vin but i could get it. toyota claims : no safety issue, defects are coincidental. right!!! their investigators should take probability 101 at their local community college. to top it all, the repair costs $750. what an insult! before i forget; my sienna had two wheel mounting studs shear off. i torque the nuts myself with a torque wrench set at 85 lb/ft. i suppose this is not a safety defect either since there are five studs holding the wheel. since the importer is not concerned, perhaps they will be when you add this information to your database. *nlm information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

The abs system failed and caused the abs light to illuminate. *nlm

Premature automatic transmission failure. my sienna was making a whining noise at low speeds. took to dealer and found out i would need a new transmision. warranty expired at 60,000 - transmission failed at 67,000. shards of metal present in drip pan. vehicle was well-maintained and serviced at toyota dealer at specified service intervals. i am just lucky it did not freeze up while driving on the highway like so many others have experienced. there is a problem with transmissions in 2000 siennas as is evidenced by all the comments and complaints on various internet sites. dealer and manufacturer rep did get the price down significantly; however, i feel the manufacturer has a defect and should issue a recall or re-imburse all the people who have experienced this problem.

Transmission failed while driving. my car is a 2000 toyota sienna with 24000 miles. the dealer replaced the transmission quickly and the car is still under warranty. however, i found from online web site that the transmission failure is a common problem among 2000 toyota siennas. ts

Rear door handle malfuction on my 2000 toyota sienna xle that was purchased on 07/2000 with 37,000 miles on it. safety issue resulting in a malfuctioning door handle in an emergenty situation if occupants are trapped in the vehicle and unable to excape.

Vehicle, with no one it it but running, shifted out of park and into reverse (after standing still for at least a full minute or two). vehicle backed down driveway causing damage to vehicle and house. i'm not a careless person, so i checked your database and see this has happened to others.

The accelerator cable snapped while driving the vehicle. this caused total lack of capability to use the engine to power the vehicle.

The reflection in the mirror appear to be closer then appear to be please provide additional information dealer is aware of the problem. ts

Consumer states while driving the vehicle for five hours, the transmission woould not shift from park to drive, vehicle was pulled off the road. dealer replace the transmission. please provide further information.

Consumer states water leaked into the vehicle causing mold. please provide any additional information. *jb

2000 toyota sienna 75000 miles frequent and timely oil changes/maintenance schedules adhered to after hearing a grinding sound after dropping my daughter off at the day care, the van sounded and felt like something broke. it began to jerk forward and i pulled over to the side of the road. we had it towed from this location and we were told by longmont toyota that we needed the transmission replaced. i find it hard to believe after maintaining the maintenance schedule and normal wear and tear that the transmission has gone out at 75000 miles. at this time we are contacting toyota for resolution. i see that there are other problems associated with this vehicle and wonder why information has not been provided to the public. this is a safety concern for those consumers who own the 2000 toyota sienna. ts

The engine sludged at 23,000 miles.

The power sliding door opens while vehicle is parked, is very hard to open. vehicle has been inspected by dealer 3 times, cannot find a problem. fourth visit to dealer it was determined the motor and sensor need to be replaced. ts

The tread on the front right tire came off.

All four tire were purchased new and are worn completely. original tire on toyota sienna 2000. tires are rotated regularly. yd *jg

While driving at 75 to 80 mph, consumer started to hear a flapping sound in rear of vehicle, it was determined that the tread had come off the rear driver's side tire (original tires on toyota, sienna, 2000, firestone p20570r15 95 s m&s, dot w2mo f6l 096 fr 680). *ak *nlm

Air pressure gauge light came on. dealer examined vehicle, and found nothing wrong. when braking brakes squeak. dealer replaced abs actuator. at this time, air pressure gauge light is on again. please provide additional information.*ak

Intermittently power sliding door will not close all the way, door alarm will chime. vehicle was taken to dealer numerous times, did not find a problem. in july of 2002, dealer replaced actuator and power module.*ak

Original tires, dotw2vf239 on infiniti, forest, st p21565r15. driver's front tire completely deflated while driving. passenger's side front tire was showing premature separation. please provide any further information.*ak

Consumer states that they took vehicle in for serviced, transmission slipping. mr

Consumer states that the abs light came on and stayed on, had vehicle diagnosis. the abs system had failed. nlm

Abs pump light illuminated. took vehicle to dealer, and they stated that abs pump failed. please provide any further information.*ak

Consumer states while driving the abs brake light illuminated. took to dealer and they stated the abs pump had locked up and needed replacing. please provide any further information.*jb

While vehicle was in park position and key was in ignition vehicle went out of park into reverse, and van ran into a tree before coming to a stop. contacted dealer, and dealer was not willing to do anything.*ak

While vehicle was in reverse applied brakes and it would not stop. vehicle rolled down hill. dealer contacted. please add vin. *ak

While driving power operated sliding door comes open without operation. also, light on the dash operates erractically, indicating door is open when it is closed. please provide any further details. *ak

While driving and without warning vehicle will pull to the right. mechanic stated there was nothing wrong with vehicle.*ak

The consumer states one lug nut on two tires had broken and sheared partially off. the consumer was rotating the tire when the problem was found. the dealer was notified and had no knowledge of other failures. the lug nuts were replaced.*jb.*jg

Consumer states child in the rear passenger seat was strangled by the seat belt, the driver was trying to remove child from seat and the seat belt continued to get tighter. nlm consumer had to, as a last resort, cut child from seat belt. the pressure from the tightening seat belt became unbearable. *jg

While driving engine check light illuminates continously. oil turns thick/ sludgy like substance, also, blows out blue black smoke from tail pipe. please provide any further information.*ak

A knocking sound can be heard coming from engine compartment. dealer has been contacted, please provide further details.*ak

While driving right side automatic sliding door will come open by itself. when vehicle is put into drive door will make a noise like it's not shut. dealer contacted.*ak *yh

After getting a flat tire, i bought two tires at ntb, waltham, ma to replace the flat and the old spare tire. the new tires (uni tiger paw) were put on the front of the car. the other 3 tires were rotated to the back and to the spare. i was also charged for a wheel alignment. within 100 miles, as i was driving on the highway at 65 mph, the front right wheel began making a loud thumping noise so i pulled off the highway and called aaa. the tire was fine, but it was on the verge of falling off. aaa tightened it and checked all the other tires, which were fine, and i was on my way again. apparently the lug nuts on the front right tire had not been tightened. this was a dangerous event due to human error. i am concerned about how frequently such mishaps occur and wanted to report it. i will also contact ntb to let them know of this serious and dangerous event. *tr

While driving engine check light continously illuminates. oil turns to thick sludge like substance, and blue black smoke comes from tail pipe. please provide any further information. *ak

2000 toyota sienna le needs new transmission. has 73,000 mi. *nm

While driving, one of the tires experienced tread separation, which caused the tire to blow out. *jb

Consumer was pulling up in driveway and noticed that there was white smoke coming from underneath of vehicle. she took it to gas station, and mechanic told her that oil was less than three quarts low. dealership was aware of problem. *ak

There was white smoke coming from exhaust at start up, vehicle was using 6-7 quarts of oil in a 10 week period. dealer determined there was sludge build up in engine, and engine needed to be replaced.*ak *slc

While traveling at 50 mph and when depressing acclerator vehicle would not gain speed or shift into reverse. dealer was contacted. please provide further information.*ak

While driving consumer was involved in a 35 mph right frontal collision, totally damaging front end. also, upon impact, driver's side and passenger's side air bags failed to deploy. cause has yet to be determined. *ak

While driving 55mph air bags didnot deploy when another vehicle pulled in path and consumer rearended the vehicle.*ak

While driving vehicle would drift to the left. when the brakes were applied would pull harder to left. problem was not alignment or tires. was informed by mechanic could not do repairs under warranty. manufacturer buying vehicle back.*ak

While driving passenger's side door will just open. consumer has taken vehicle to dealer 3 times. dealer couldn't find cause. please provide any further information.*ak

Upon starting up and normal operation of vehicle, smoke will come from exhaust. dealership examined vehicle, and determined there was oil all over and throughout engine, causing smoke. factory representative voided warranty, and informed consumer that repairs were at her expense, approximately $5000.00. *ak *slc

Power door will not respond whenever door is in motion/closing. unable to reopen door while in closing mode. door will not respond to door switch until it reaches locking point. childs hand was mashed in door before getting door to reopen. dealer was notified. *ak *slc

Engine had sludge build up that clogged engine and caused it to fail. smoke was coming out of exhaust. nothing lit up on dashboard, indicating a problem. consuemr went on a 300 mile trip and had to add 21/2 quarts of oil. dealer stated the only way it could have gotten like that was by not having oil changes. consumer has receipts for oil added to vehicle. *ak

Brakes would make noise & jerk when applied. took to dealership for repairs. brakes were burned and had them replaced. problem still exists.*ak

Outside vent hose won't stay closed.*ak

Vehicle drifts from side to side on road.*ak

Intergrated cup holders don't hold cups properly, when shutting door everything spills right down into door panel, and when this happens doors get stuck.*ak

There was a sudden decrease in acceleration while in cruise control, and an unusual noise.*ak

Rear shoulder and lap restraint tightened up on consumers 7 year child. child started crying in back seat and trying to get out. child put shoulder belt behind him, and tried to twist out, but could not. belt twisted beneath child, and consumer had to cut child out. child had abdominal abrasions from seat belt. consumer was having dealer look in to it. please add vin, and mileage to the form. *ak

Transmission went out at 75 mph/tachometer went to zero, and engine kept running. dealer informed consumer that she was # 49 on waiting list for a transmission which was on back order. *ak

There were two gaps in tires between tread and body of tire while traveling at 35 mph on a 2000, toyota, sienna; original equipment, tire size p215/65r15, dot# w2vfalt229. firestone notified, and was unwilling to assist in this matter. *ak consumer has tire for viewing. *slc

While driving vehicle will go to side of road. dealer nor manufacturer had found cause of problem. alignment had been performed, but could not be corrected. *ak

When driving at highway speed and upon accleration vehicle loses all power making it very difficult to operate vehicle, also, vehicle has cut off in the middle of oncoming traffic. consumer has contacted the dealer. please provide any further details.*ak

Engine check light kept coming on continually, causing winding sound from transmission. dealer notified, and infomed consumer that vehicle was safe to drive until part arrived. feel free to provide any further details. *ak

While having cam seal/valve seal replaced due to an oil leak, mechanic noticed right front passenger tire had a bubble and was replaced by firestone, consumer states vehicle is going back for a 3rd time for the oil leak. *slc

Pe00-020, tire size 20570r15 original equipment on 2000 toyota sienna, with 800 miles on the vehicle, driver's rear tire wire broke in the tire, causing tire to have a blowout and shred apart. firestone replaced tires with the sametype of tires. *ak *slc

Black and beige color of the dashbroad, causes a bad reflection on the windshield, which causes poor driver visability. also, the headlights seem to be aiming too low, and do not shine evenly on the road. toyota 's customer service has been notified about this. please provide any further information.*ak

Pe00020; original tires on a 2000, toyota sienna, fr680p205/70r1. , consumer's left front tire had a big chunk of rubber coming out of the tire, dealer tried to say consumer ran over something, but consumer said it did nothappen. firestone p205/70/r15 *mw

Vehicle 3rd row/right rear passenger window has exploded outward after driver's door was closed from the inside. window was not struck by anything. dealer notified. *ak

Rear bumper is not aligned correctly, one side of the bumper is away from the frame of the vehicle. dealer has been contacted. *ak

Engine check light came on due to a defective torque converter which is on back order. this seems to be a wide spread problem. *ak

While traveling steering wheel pulls to left at all times. dealer has been contacted. please provide further information. *ak the consumer requested to repurchase based on lemon law of the state, but was denied by the manufacturer stating that the vehicle was not defective based on expert inspection. *yh

Vehicle stalled ,and left consumer and passenger stranded on highway due to failure of transmission. dealer pulled out transmission, and sent it back to factory to get investagated. a new transmission was put on, and about 1000 miles afterward wheel bearing failed.*ak

Whenever the air conditioner is turned on vehicle would stall out. took vehicle to dealer & informed by mechanic to not use air conditioner. the compressor went out & needed replacing. this was what probably caused the vehicle to stall out. *ak

While vehicle is in motion the sliding door automatically unlocks. also, there is a safety device button located in the back seat designed for an adult passenger to get in and out of the car easily. but if a child's hand was to get caught in it, the hand would not be released since it back seat does not have a sensor switch to recognize a child's hand. this feature should be controlled by the driver. *ak

Intermittently when the brakes are applied the pedal went to the floor, resulting in extended stopping distance. the dealer has inspected and repaired the vehicle several times. *ak

Cd player failed, unit was changed and the new unit does not accept new cd's, the controls on the face of the stereo are also inoperable. *slc

Seat housings rattle. *slc

To date my sienna has 25,000 miles on it. it had the torque converter replaced at 200 miles, the battery replaced because it went dead for no apparent reason within a year, the rear struts on the hatch have failed and needed to be replaced, the lights on the console blew out, the tires need to be replaced at 25,000 miles due to being out of alignment, vehicle pulls to left consistently, shakes at speeds over 60 mph, sliding doors consistently stick, pronounced clunk when going in reverse down a slight incline i am sure there is more to come. dt

Power door would not reopen while in motion to close (by using inside power door button). daughters finger got caught in the door, no safety feature in place for door to recognize there was an obstacle. had to wait for door to close in order to re-open it.*ak

I bought this 2000 sienna new. i have had three major problems in two years. the latest failure is on transmission. toyota replaced it with a rebuilt and it is giving me all sorts of problems that toyota is refusing to acknowledge and unwilling to replace the substandard transmission with a new part. the transmission is noisey. i have experienced slips in gears, hesitation in shifting , underpower when accelerating beyond 60-65 mph or driving on hills. i have difficulties changing in and out of fast lanes, it is dangeours and toyota insisted that it meets the standard. the same arrogance that they have displayed when i presented them with the power door porblem. now they revealed to me that they acknowledged the door problem but why aren't them issuing a recall. there was also problem with the antilock brakes. i nned you assistance to resolve my transmission problem as well as bring the safety issue on sienna to the public awareness!*ak

We have had multiple complaints about the tires since we purchased the van april2000. dealer says nothing wrong. we have to check tire pressure frequently and add air. today, during a trip from norfolk to wadesboro, nc, vibrations were felt. pulled into firestone station. said nothing wrong. upon arrival in wadesboro, we had the tires checked again (not firestone store) and were told the tread is separating.*ak

This 2000 sienna is a lemon. at 50 miles the torque converter needed to be replaced. at 100 miles i noticed that the van pulls to the left at highway speeds of 65 to 70 mph. at 28,000 miles the front tires firestone were all chewed up belts showing even though we had 3 alignments done in less than a year. the automatic side passenger door got stuck and would not close, dealer replaced door computer, at 15,000miles paint was chipping off the door handles and a short time later paint was chipping off the front hood as well. at around 20k the remote key/alarm started blowing fuses, it's been back 4 time to get fixed w/ nothing done to fix it. this is the circut that has the alarm, clock and dome light. from the very begining the trans. sometimes would shift either hard or w/ a dely between 1st & 2nd gear then at about 30,100 miles the clutch cable was replaced. a clunk now happens when going from park to reverse esp. when on a hill. it still does not shift from 1st to 2nd right all the time. the sun visor, when it's covering the left drivers side window, will move and hit the driver when making a left turn at anything over 5 mph. so now every time i make a left hand turn one hand is on the visor and the other on the wheel, when i blew one of the front tires the aaa serviceman couldn't crank the cable that holds the tire back under the van, dealer replaced cable and other parts. the radiocd player skips a lot when going over bumps, have been waiting almost 2 months for the replacment. mind you we've only had this van less than 2 yrs!!! other stuff, battery was replace within a year, why i don't know, change door keeps popping open (drivers left side) weather stripping on drivers side at the bottom on the car (not door) is falling apart. head lights are either not aimed right when in spec. or bad design. i think this is due to the way the lights are shaped, there is very little light directly in front of you but plenty of light on the 2 sides of the road.

Steering on the car started shaking at speeds of 65 mph. the toyota dealership stated that i needed new tires. a call to firestone sent me to cadillac tire and independent dealer. the owner acknowledged that the tires were prematurely worn. he contacted firestone and spoke with 2 individuals. a lady told him they are an 80000 mile tire. however she couldn't do anything so was referred to another person. he stated that there is no mileage warranty on those original equipment tires. they sent me to the tire store but wouldn't even consider any type of allowance for anything. i also rotated the tires as recommended by the manufacturer. *ak

Intermittently the right side power sliding door would not close. most of the time, i could fiddle with the door and get it to work. i reported this several times, and one time in the summer of 2001 the service person had a technicion look at it briefly who get it to work part of the time. i was advised to set an appt for a thorough inspection before my warranty was up. the summer of 2002 the problems began again. on 06/03/02 the door froze open completely with three children in the van. i had to drive it to the dealership with the children in the car and the door open. by the time i got to the dealership, i had been able to close the door and they could find nothing wrong. eventually they set appt for replacement of the electronic switch. three days later the door froze open again and i was required to drive veh to dealership with door open, compromising the safety of the child. this time the door froze completely and they were able to see the problem. on 07/22/02 they determined the problem to be the ecu, gave me a rental, kept the veh for 2 weeks, then disabled the computer to the door so i could operate it manually, took back the rental, and advised the new part would be in approx 08/15/02. since toyota has had a problem with this computer nationwide (there are 162 on backorder) and the guarantee on the new part is only 12 months, i believe this problem could arise again after the new part is installed. i amanxious about the safety implications of this, am tired of the inconvience this has created. am afraid to take teh veh out of town, and assert that toyota has done the least it could and the latest posible time. i have asked for an unconditional guarantee on these parts and labor for the future or replacement of the veh (although not with an automatic door), but believe this will not be successful. i you can be of any assistance, i would appreciate it.*ak

The right sliding door of the 2000 sienna has a big problem with the lock. most of the time, the inside lock gets stuck from the inside and there is no way that the passenger can get out that door. and it takes time before it gets fixed -- more often than not i have to contend myself moving the car without the benefit of the right side door slid closed, but not locked. this is not safe, especially for a parent like me with passenger kids. also, the sienna has been going back and forth to the toyota service center for the "unusual noise" becoming apparent esp. when the car accelerates from 0-30 mph. i have reported the noise when i had my belts changed, transmission fluid flushed, and power steering belt replaced -- but the noise is still there after the service and after it costs me $400.00! then i brought the car back to the shop and after visually checking it, the service guy at toyota of temecula valley said that my transmission is the problem and it has to be replaced for $3,500.00 + tax!! i asked how come - considering that the car observes the maintenance schedule rigidly, no rough driving, oils/filters changed regularly, fluids flushed-drained-refilled properly, etc. i even have a lifetime alignment that it gets regularly checked and brought back to specs. the service guy said that "it is a common problem with all siennas" and it is no longer surprising for them. i checked on the reviews and feedbacks and to my surprise, other sienna owners had their trannys replaced 2-3 times already, the van will emit the same noise even if it gets fixed, trannys act out even at 15,000 miles! my contention is that is the service shops of toyota are already aware of that problem, how come it doesn't get recalled and let them fix the problem beforehand? i am a single parent and gets no child support from anybody -- and for a young car like mine in years and very well maintained and deal with a big tranny problem instantly requiring big cash, i find it unfair.*ak

Tire delaminated, damaged bumper, etc.*ak

Van experienced early and severe tire wear. tires replaced after rotations and 33,000 miles. van still pulled left. dealer realigned van, but it still pulled left. sent us back to tire store. tires rebalanced two more times (for a total of 3) and van still pulls left. dealer claims it is the tires and will not fix even though car is under warranty.*ak

Two times i rotated the tires and the lug nuts cracked in two. some fill real spoungy. i went to toyota dealer but the would not replace them, the said they were tighted to much. in 25 years working on cars i never seen lug nuts break. so i purchase new one and right away i new they were better. so i showed them to the service manager, he still said there is no problems. i said there must be, the new ones are better (more theads, wt. more, & better steel ) also two lug nuts broke taking them off.*ak

While on the freeway and without warning, the van suddenly stopped moving. it had to be towed to the dealer for repair. the transmission was replaced and the dealer provided exceptional service. my concern is that there is a problem with the design of the transmission itself which causes these failures. it is very dangerous as it disables the van without warning. we were very lucky that we were able to roll the van off to the side of the freeway before anyone got hurt.*ak

Local toyota dealer replaced all steering parts & tires. still pulls severely to left. it is dangerous to drive because of pulling problem.

Sludge build up leading to camshaft failure - fast oil level drop. *ak

Our sienna was diagnosed with sludge buildup in may 2000. we were told it was necessary to replace the engine as eventually we will encounter engine failure at some point. toyota refuses to take responsiblity of this matter and continually blames the owners for lack of maintanence. there have been other owners who have encountered engine failure while driving. we are fortunate to not have had that. however, we have no peace of mind in driving this vehicle every day, with our children mind you, and knowing we could have engine failure at any time. it is very important that an investigation into this matter be done. it is obvious there is a problem as toyota has had over 3000 complaints such as ours. it is only a matter of time before someone is injured or killed as a result of toyotas negligence in this matter. is there a stipulation that someone nust be injured or killed before an agency such as yours will investigate? that makes no sense. when there is a potential for injury you must follow through. please. *ak

Sludge problem started at 11111 miles - also tires needed realignment and replacement at only 13115 miles. the van blows blue smoke upon startup. we have been blamed for the sludge problem. we have receipts for oil changes and have done some ourselves. now we are told, by the service dpt. that we have to change our oil every 1000 miles and check the oil every two days. been doing a lot of reading on this, and have talked to others - this is a defect in the sienna and other cars, lexus being one. was told the engine would seize eventually and i would have to put out $5000 - $8000 for a new one. this isn't covered under warranty either.*ak

Engine sludged at 29,080 miles . all oil changes were performed as required per warranty maintenance agreement. an entire engine overhaul is now required.*ak

Engine has failed due to oil leaking at piston rings/sludge. toyota claiming improper maintenance. have maintenance records for oil changes at intervals better than recommended. toyota claims denied because service not performed at toyota. estimate from dealer for repair is $8,300. there appears to be some other problem with this engine but they won't investigate further due to sludge even though i can prove proper maintenance.*ak

Oil light failed to report major engine sludge problem before there was severe engine damage. the damage is reported by the toyota dealer as $8900.00 to replace the engine in a car with only 20,181 miles. the light flashed for a split second and never turned on again. the oil light failed to indicate low oil pressure in the system causing considerable damage.*ak

No summary listed for above vehicle. *ak

Another sienna sludge victim. toyota answers rehearsed. did not even question owner about maintenance history; therefore, obviously irrelevant to them. contacting attorney to inquire about class action lawsuit.no safety defect listed in summary. *ak

Engine sludge @ 25000, oil changed every 3000-5000 miles, toyota not honoring warranty, contacted attorney.*ak

Engine sludged at 11,105 miles in spite of correct oil changes. tires need replacement at 13,100 miles.*ak

I believe engine sludge complaints are ficticious.*ak

Noticed white smoke upon starting car for a couple of days. the following sunday, the oil pressure light came on while traveling-stopped and put in 1 quart of oil, light went out. the following monday, the engine check light came on. the next morning, tuesday i took the car to the nearest toyota dealer and was told that our engine was full of sludge due to improper or lack of maintenance. the repairs were not covered under the warranty. was given an estimate of $9k to replace the engine or $5500 to rebuild the engine. we then took the car back to the dealer where we purchased the car, and was told the same thing, only this estimate was $2k to "clean" the engine. the service manager called the toyota rep on our behalf and was denied any help through the warranty. in filing a report with toyota was told my next step was arbitration - "the paperwork is in your warranty book". i had to have the engine cleaned at my own expense.*ak

White smoke comes out of the tailpipe when the engine is started. toyota dealer says that the rings are bad due to sludge in the engine. they, and toyota corporate office, say that the sludge is due to negligent maintenance. however, oil changes were made at the proper intervals according to the owner's manual. the dealer says that repairs will cost between $2300 and $5700 and that the warranty is voided by the presence of sludge. i tried, unsuccessfully, to convince them that this level of sludge build-up was not reasonable for an engine of this age. i'm at a loss as to what to do to get toyota to honor their warranty. this seems like fraud to me. is there anything that nhtsa can do? given the number of complaint that i've seen on this site regarding this problem, i think some governmental pressure would help to get toyota to do the right thing.*ak

The engine produce clouds of grey/white smoke for 5 to 10 seconds after a cold start up. upon checking, found the engine oil 1.5 to 2 quarts low. added oil and drove vehicle for a few days with similar symptoms - smoke after cold start of after being parked for more than 2 hours. on 7/3/01 brought the car in to dealer for diagnosis. the dealer looked under only one camshaft cover, found evidence of sludge and - even though i had receipts and proof of three prir oil & filter changes at 5800, 11000, and 16595 miles - declared my engine warranty null & void and made no other attempt to diagnose the problem. i am currently trying to get toyoata to honor my warranty and to have another dealer or mechanic diagnose the problem. however, research on the web indicates that toyota is stonewalling many customer like myself.

Vehicle has experienced severe pulling to the right since new. both front tires replaced at 12000 miles. dealer denies the existence of problem. *ak

No summary listed for above vehicle. *ak (tiresize: p215/65r15)

Loud popping in front wheel area. *ak

While driving in interstate 15 at 70 mph,i suddenly lost speed and tachometer went up.the engine running but speed going down.i just use inertia to pull into the median. dealer said they have to replace transmission.this is a serious safety problem,please act asap. *ak

Told by toyota that sludge in the engine is our fault despite regular oil changes. we don't have all our recepts but changed the oil at least 4 times since we owned the car. impossible to believe that we were neglectful, especially when i am seeing so many other cases with the same thing happening. there needs to be an investigation here soon. *ak

The transmission is being fully replaced by toyota without charge.

Vehicle has experienced severe pulling to the left since new. both front tires replaced at 7,500 miles. a toyota representative and the dealer have denied the existence of problem.

We are very unhappy with this van and the little service we receive we wished we never purchuse this car..... unsafe & defective. *ak

I took my new toyota sienna to be repaired because it was smoking. i was told that the engine had sludge in it and toyota was denying any warranty claims. how does a brand new engine get sludge in it? there are literally hundreds of similar instances reported on various sites on the internet. the pattern is similar - low mileage toyota vehcles (especially siennas) suddenly smoking and having sludge in their engines, depsite proper maintenance and regular oil changes. there clearly is a coverup here by toyota. they are declining warranty claims rather than trying to deal with the problem.*ak

No summary listed for above vehicle. *ak

Complete and permanent transmission failure. vehicle suddenly and permanently lost ability to accelerate/transmission disengaged while traveling on interstate at 65mph. barely coasted to side of road while trying to avoid traffic bearing down on us (two adults and three small children). we have now discovered that this defect with siennas, was known as early as june 2000. this defect usually causes complete transmission failure during sustained highway speeds. toyota was negligent in not warning owners of this extremely hazardous defect. our vehicle is now about 300 miles from our home, with no fix currently available from toyota. *ak

Have been told i have sludge build up in my engine due to lack of maintanance. i have receipts for 3 oil changes in the first 19000 miles, but they then tell me it must have been inferior oil. have found this to be problem with people nation wide, and toyota will not stand behind its warranty. there is no way that this problem has been caused solely due to a lack of maintanance to all the people having the same problem. toyota wants to rebuild the engine on a one year old van with 19000 miles for $2200, though it was properly maintained. will not accept receipts for service done as proof of maintanance. what else are we supposed to have to ensure proof?*ak

Estando mi hija detenida para doblar a la izquierda fue impactada por otro vehmculo por la parte posterior. esto provocs que nuestro vehmculo impactara otro que se movia en direccisn contrario al nuestro. luego nuestra van se auto-acelers de forma espontanea sin que mediara accisn para tal comportamiento . mi hija que manejaba perdio el control sobre dicho vehiculo siendo imposible controlarla en un recorrido de unos 150 pies de distancia. allm se detuvo al impactar un arbol a orillas de la carretera. el vehiculo fue declarado perdida total por la aseguradora universal insurance de puerto rico. este accidente ocurrio en el municipio de san german. escribi una carta al presidente de la toyota en puerto rico relatandole esto mismo que aqui les narro. he recibido una carta de ellos donde me indican que van a investigar. quisiera que se investigara mas a fondo las causas que provocaron esta aceleracisn szbita de este vehmculo. pudieramos estar salvando otras vidas si lo hacen pronto. el vehmculo fue declarado perdida total. la aseguradora se llevs este y desconozco el lugar donde lo depositaron. por tal razsn no puedo darle otros datos sobre el mismo. aun despues de impactar el arbol este vehiculo se queds acelerado y las gomas se pulverizaron por la accisn de estas contra el pavimento. otra persona luego entro al vehiculo y retiro la llave del encendido tengo fotos del accidente y testigos del mismo. este accidente fue reportado a la policma. el juicio sobre el mismo se vera en el mes de marzo de 2001. atentamente, filix rodrmguez. summary written in spanish. *ak

P205/70r15 95s m+s. tire blew out on black wall area without cause at 40 mph on side street, at about 12000 miles. toyota will not replace under warranty because it they cover their new times on new vehicles for only 12 months.*ak (dot number: ??? tiresize: p205/70r15)

We wish to place this report as it is an unusual failure for this vehicle and the apparent back order of transmissions from toyota shows failures must be overwhelming. it is a sudden failure and presents a tremendous danger to drivers. ours failed while at high speed on the interstate. we were nearly rear ended and the crash would have been devasting. we certainly are interested in discovering how many other sienna's or similarly equipped vehicles using the same transmission have failed.*ak

Driving straight at 40 mph on dry, level pavement. passenger side front tire blew out, causing vehicle to hit curb. vehicle was safely stopped. tire has large hole in sidewall. *ak (dot number: w2mof6l279 tiresize: p205/70r15)

Transmission failed while driving at 70 mph on florida turnpike. the van had to be towed to bev smith toyota in ft. pierce where it remains today. we were told that the transmission are on back order in california which means they must come from japan. in doing some research, i have found that several hundred sienna owners have experienced the same problem. i was told that our replacement transmission will have a "fix" but no one will tell us what the problem was with the original transmission. in the meantime, we have incurred nearly $2,000 additional expenses to date, will be incurring additional expenses for renting a vehicle, have lost four days of work (three family members), and have no idea when our vehicle will be returned to us. it appears that toyota motor sales is aware of problems with the 2000 sienna transmissions, but isn't telling owners or potential buyers of the problem. *ak

Driver's seat belt anchor bolt on door pillar unscrewed and fell to the floor. *ak

Toyota would not authorize rental of another minivan during two week repair. i drove four children in the backseat of a car. no safety defect listed in summary. *ak

3 out of 5 lugs on one wheel sheared off when replacing tire. mechanic claims to have used torque wrench set well below factory specs. not clear whether lugs are defective or mechanic over-torqued. lug nuts are designed for mag wheels but spare is not a mag. appears possible that using these nuts on a standard wheel results in nuts being swaged onto the lugs such that they subsequently fail. meachanic reports that this happens about once a month on this vehicle and much more frequently on similarly designed isuzu lug nut.*ak

No summary

On the morning of oct. 27, my wife drove the car to mid town, manhatton. she drove the car from a car park at 43 street. suddenly she heard a slight sound and the car lost gear and slided to the middle of the street and dead off. she pressed the gas pedal, no reaction. she used bra and steering suddenly stopped working. that is a busy street, a car almost hit her. she put the car back to parking and restarted the car and drove away. she thought that happened because she forgot to start. ( she forgot she drove 10 feet from the car park). that was a busy day, she forgot telling me. on the afternoon of the same day. i drove the car to boston to see an customer. on the way back, i found there was a strange sound whenever i pressed the gas pedal it sounds like an old shabby car driven over 10 years. i stopped on the shouder and checked the tires and i could not found anything. i drove back to the high way i-91 south again, suddenly, i heard and strange sound, the car lost gear again, it became slowly and slowly. i pressed the gas peddle hardly and that was no use. i pressed the emmergency lights and change to the slow lane. a truck behind me reached me fast. my car forced his truck passed me over the shoulder because there happened to be a car in the middle lane. i was shocked to death. without the truck driver's alert and skillful changing lane, i would definately a dead man. i stopped on the shoulder and tried all dears, none of them was working. i restarted the engineand no use. i called the aaa tow truck and i was towed back to fort lee new jersey at 2:30 in the morning. before this incidence, the left rear strut was leaking, they changed the left rear shock and we did a tune up and rotate and balance 10/01/2000. both me and my wife risked our lives for toyota's deffects cars. i would not want to risk my family lives to this car again. i strongly require toyota recalls this car. i would rather buy an american car. if they do not allow us to return, change a new car.

The power sliding door does not stop closing unless it hit an object or standing at a specific angle. toyota customer support is unable to provide any information about the force at which door closes to ensure safety.*ak

With less than 15,000 miles on my van, thick grey smoke began pouring out of the back at startup. i took it in to have the oil changed (not the dealer). it was suggested that i take the car to the dealer, especially if it lost oil (which it did). the dealer found excessive sludge build up. they said they had to clean sludge from the cylinder heads and camshafts, and replace the valve covers, stem seals and related gaskets and the r&r engine oil pan. they also said they cleaned the sludge from the pan oil pump and pick up screen, and the cam caps were scored due to lack of oil lubrication. the onsite service manager (who supposedly spoke to the regional service manager) said the sludge build up was our fault and refused to honor the warranty. we paid $2670.82 for the repairs. i've had the car back less than a week, but so far no more problems. i feel that a car with less than 15,000 miles on it should not have had this kind of problem, and should have been covered by the warranty. i've talked to several other owners of toyotas who have had similar problems. even the toyota people implied they've seen this type of problem often.

Both problems/incidents of the automatic transmission and torque converter are tied together. the toyota sienna was less than a year old and had 9,900 miles on it. cruising at 70mph the transmission disengaged and the engine raced to 7,000rpms. pulling the sienna over to the side of the road, the transmission would not engage in any of the forward or reverse gears. the sienna had to be towed to dublin toyota for warranty repair about 65 miles away. dealer cannot tell me what failed, they were instructed to send parts intact back to the factory for post mortem diagnosis. i have opened a report with the toyota customer assistance center on 8/31, #20000-8311289. also have been speaking to the dublin toyota customer relations manager, janet fraser about finding the cause of the problem and extending the warranty to these drive train components. it has been two weeks with no response.

According to an employee of the glendale toyota service department, there have been many complaints about the torque converter. many cars have been brought in for repair. the part was manufactured to be placed in the smaller toyota camary, and apparently can not take the size/weight of the larger van. it seems that the dealer and the manufacturer has known about this problem for some time now - but they continue to sell the vehicle without notifiying potential customers; and customers who bought the vehicle prior to the problem becoming known.*ak

The check engine light came on at 50 miles, we were told car needs a new torque converter and that it is safe to drive the car while the part comes in. six weeks later and 2400 miles on the car with engine light on and off the torque converter was replaced. when car was returned to us it shifted with a jolt. back in the shop with transmission problems. not acceptable on a new car. *ak

Severe left pull into oncoming traffic. releasing the steering wheel for 1.5 seconds is enough for the vehicle to dart into the oncoming lanes of traffic. toyota attempted repair 4 times and the vehicle has had three completely new sets of tires. vehicle still pulls left. this vehicle is hazardous to occupants and other vehicles on the road.

Many complaints about sienna's torque converters,toyota says it is safe to drive it.for my wife's and 14 month old i hope they are right.

On july 22nd i was driving with my 4 young children when very suddenly i almost blacked out. i was able to call 911 and pulled over safely. i was taken to the hospital where blood tests showed nothing obviously contributed to the extreme lightheadedness and disorientation i experienced. on my 3rd trip i had a similar experience and concluded it was my minivan.it was towed to the dealership and a test drive left 3 mechanics with similar effects.they were not able to determine the cause and co2 and freon readings were negative.they steam cleaned the engine and stated the problem was no longer present.however, the problem has not gone away and our family continued to experience vomiting, headaches, dizziness, lightheadedness and disorientation whenever traveling in the van.we can no longer drive the van for fear of health and safety issues.we believe this van is defective and dangerous.

We have to wait for the part(s) because every sienna has the same problem.

The check engine light coming on seems to be a common problem in siennas manufactured in june/july 2000. it has taken several weeks for the part to come in. i am told a transmission solenoid needs to be replaced, but they're really not sure. toyota service and dealership response has been poor.

As we were driving the vehicle at about 65 mi/hr the transmission failed with no warning. we were able to coast into a parking lot and drive another mile before the vehicle locked up and would not move. dealer in san antonio replaced the transmission and torque converter. repair took longer than expected due to torque converter being on back order.

The first transmission failed on an interstate highway going 65 miles per hour. the out of state toyota dealer, toyota west, in statesville, n.c., completely replaced our transmission and converter assembly. within two and a half months the entire assembly failed again. our local dealer, koons toyota, replaced the transmission and converter again. this time they did not put a new transmission in but a rebuilt one. we were told no new transmissions were in the united states!

Several t/c defects on the 2000 toyota siennas... why arent they not being recalled by the manufacturer?

Our check engine light came on when we were on the way home from the dealership. it was diagnosed as a faulty torque converter. the part was replaced after a 3 week wait. i'm concerned about future associated problems from having my transmission opened

With 100 miles on new vehicle, the engine sensor indicated faulty torque converter. dealer said if sensor light came on again, bring the van in. sensor light came on again. after waiting two weeks for new torque converter to be delivered, dealer replaced it. next day, the transmission could not be shifted out of "park". shift lever moved, but transmission remained in "park". problem was defective clip. clip is of different design than that of previous years' models of same vehicle. mechanic said that the design of clip was terrible and insufficient. dealer ordered new clip and will install it upon arrival. toyota service advisor acknowleded broken clips occurring on other model-year 2000 sienna vans. if so, then why did the dealer not put new clip on my vehicle when the torque converter was replaced? why has not toyota issued a recall on this clip? the dealer knows the clip is bad and i bet the manufacturer does also..

Vehicle made loud noise when engine runs which sounds like a hardened belt. dealer replaced belt which did not fix the problem. dealer replaced the pulley system which made most of the noise go away, but a slight belt like whisle can still be heard.

After owning the car for two days, the tire suffered a flat caused by a rock. if a nail or something else, there would be no complaint,but a rock. repair shop said the tire may need to be replaced due to the size of the puncture. i feel the tire has to be defective as i have driven on the same rocky road with road tires and never suffered puncture or any damage to my michelin tires. neither has my parents or family who live and visit this roadway regularly. manufacturer is standing behind the warranty clause of non-responsibility due to failure caused by punctures but there is a problem with this and possibly the other tires for this to happen.*ak( dot number: tire size: p215/65r15 )

Toyota is unable to fix this problem as there are no parts available. there is an indication that toyota knew about the problem as of 7/24/00 although we were not warned prior to purchasing our car. no safety defect listed. *ak

Check engine light came on - informed torque converter needs to be replaced. part still on back order per dealer 15 vehicles at this dealership are on back order for same part. dealership stating ok to drive per toyota company.

Check engine light came on 7/29/00 van was taken in 7/31/00 am was called same day pm told torque converter needed to be replaced was given a rental car since my auto would not be available until 8/1. was informed toyota is unable to receive part due to back order due to same problems and toyota only releasing a couple a day. yesterday i was called and told they did not know when they would be able to receive part but auto is driveable. i called toyota customer svc and reported incident. today i receive phone call from hamer stating i need to return auto due to memo released my auto is driveable but part would not be available until 8/16/00. why question would be why was not my auto driveable last week but is today. i have refused to pick up my purchanse and have returned rental. please look into this since i have been told they are really having alot of problems by the dealer , toyota customer svc and also from the customer svc reps at enterprise car rental.*ak

Subsequently informed by dealer that metal fragments had contaminated the transmission fluid and that the vehicle should not be driven because of possible uncommanded down-shifting.

I took my new van 6 times to 2 dealers to get the problem fixed but they could not. i filed a case with toyota's arbitration program ncds (case#1200092) declaring my vehicle as a lemon and asking toyota to repurchase the vehicle. ncds denied my request on absurd grounds. toyota claimed in defense that the vehicle is safe to drive contradicting the owner's mannual itself. the manual warns owner not to drive the vehicle under the conditions my vehicle was in to prevent personal injury and damage to the vehicle. after getting frustrated with ncds and my new $30,000 van out of service for more than 3 months, i finally had a third dealer fix the problem. american consumers do not have to compromise safety and undergo such a pain for manufacturer's or dealers' mistakes. no safety defect listed in summary. *ak

Manual sliding door - on the driver side, the manual sliding door rattles when the car is in motion. transmission - when the car is in reverse, the car makes a load thumping noise, while it is in motion. *ak

Malfunction indicator lamp (check engine light) came on at 64 miles and remains on. gas tank not empty and gas cap is on securely. dealer service center advised that this is due to an inaccurate transmission code being thrown, and i should continue driving the vehicle while they wait for a tsb from toyota.

A loud clunking noise comes from rear brakes while backing and stepping on brake pedal. sounds like hitting another vehicle. two visits to dealer can find nothing wrong mechanically. potential safety issue. *ak

The doors on my 2000 sienna rattle so loudly that the sound can be heard over the radio. it sounds as if the doors are not completely closed. toyota contends the van is operating as designed and the sound is "body flex". the noise is very distracting to a driver and could contribute to causing an accident..*ak

Vehicle transmission was in park, the engine was not running, the key was in the ignition, the parking brake was not set, and nobody was in/near the vehicle. the vehicle was parked on a very mild decline on cement/asphalt surface. vehicle rolled backwards, dropped off an 18" ledge and came to rest against a storage shed, which the vehicle pushed back about 5'. vehcile was taken to dealer where 2 men tried to physically push the vehicle with no luck.

At 70 mph on a major freeway, the transmission completely gave out. no gear worked, the tachometer raced. a truck almost hit me in the rear end. with incredible luck i managed to get the car to the side of the road. several more such failures over the next several miles caused me to get off the freeway and have the vehichle towed to the nearest toyota dealer. with a great deal of luck, i am alive to file this report. it was very, very dangerous and scary and must be investigated. service mangager reported that others have had similar problems. *ak

Location-parking lot, raining, tires lost traction and accelerator stuck on full, brakes would not function. the vehicle propelled forward glancing off the back of a full sized pickup and deflected into a suburban where it finally stopped. no one was hurt but this situation could have been very serious if anyone had been near because i had very little control(steering only). *ak

When vehicle is backing up and the wheels are turned to the right or left, a loud clicking sound is heard from the brake area while the driver is pumping (stepping & completely releasing) the brake pedal.

Depending on time of day (location of sun) visibility is hindered to the point where an accident is easily possible. dash/ windshield reflection must be eliminated.

The power sliding door activated while my 2 year old daughter and i were removing items from the back seat. the door did not stop with pressure against it and no electric eye is present. no safety features are available on this door to stop it from crushing someone. the manual has a warning saying that you should stay out of the way because serious injury could result. i find it amazing that toyota would rely upon a warning in a manual to prevent injury or death rather than a safety de4vice as is currently available from other manufacturer's. luckily i was nearby and pushed my daughter to safety in time. to make matters worse, once i disabled the power door via a button near the steering column, the door became so difficult to move that i have to strain to use it. i am very upset with this vehicle that i have had for only 3 weeks and would like to see a national recall. thank you.

The sliding door occasionally failed to open or close. the door continued to have the problem even after the dealer had repaired. during the second repair, the dealer replaced the motor for the door. *yh

Dash lights behind a/c unit failed to work. dealer replaced the heater control light bulb. *yh

The vehicle cranks but does not start, the vehicle consumes excessive oil due to to the engine being sludged and the rings were bad, the dealer informed consumer that a short block assembly needed to be installed, and would could $6000 because the warranty was considered to be invalid due to improper maintenance.*yh

While driving on the highway, vehicle suddenly lost power and started slowing down very quickly form the high speed that consumer was driving, vehicle was towed and consumer was informed that the transmission had given, consumer has had transmission replaced twice, also the torque converter replaced.*yd

While driving engine just all of a sudden lost power and vehicle started to slow down in the middle of traffic, possible engine or electrical malfunction. *jb

Consumer having problems with cd player, at times automatic side door will not open or close. *jb

The vehicle was only provided with a hole in the frame for a tether strap on the left center isle seat, the dealer refuses to drill a hole in the frame so the hardware can be installed for another strap for her other child. nlm

Check engine light illumintaed, dealer stated the torque converter needed replaced, on december 25th the check engine light was illuminated again and now the transmission needs replaced, axle shaft was replaced due to it not being seated properly, however the dealer put the wrong bolts in causing a metal to metal sound to happen while traveling over the slightest bumps. *slc

The left front brake pad guide was dislodged and was touching the rotor causing a scraping noise. *slc

Check engine light illuminated, dealer stated the torque converter needed replaced, consumer is requesting an exchange for a comparable car without defects, or his money back. *slc

While traveling at 35 mph, two tires had blowouts, (tires manufactured by dunlop), which caused wheel damage to the vehicle. *cj

Firestone tire p205 70 r15 experienced a hole in the side of the tire. *slc

The check engine light came on because metal chips are present in transmission valve body which caused transmission to lock-up. yh

1 wheel bolt severed while trying to remove lugs: nuts. 1 wheel bolt severed while tightening lug nut. both bolts failed on the same day and were being worked on by different people.*ak

There is no summary currently available