This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
The contact owns 2001 Toyota Sienna. The contact stated that both rear sliding doors handles failed. The exterior handle on the rear lift gate also failed. As a result, the power motor on both sliding doors was removed. Due to the removal of the power motors, the contact stated that the door handles were too thin to successfully open and close the doors. The manufacturer was made aware of the failures, but offered no assistance and advised the contact to replace the door handles. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 57,000.
The contact owns 2001 Toyota Sienna. The contact stated the door latches were fractured on the front driver, passenger and rear passenger sliding door. The driver side sliding door failed and was unable to be opened. The contact stated that the only way to enter the vehicle was from the rear hatch. The manufacturer was contacted but provided no assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 115,000 and the current mileage was 118,000.
Repeated failure of power sliding door on 2001 Sienna van. Dealer has attempted to fix on several occasions since time of purchase but failed. Vehicle is now out of warranty and will cost over $500 to repair. This is a safety issue since the drivers side door does not always fully close. According to NHTSA ODI technical bulletins this has been an ongoing problem since 2001. Toyota should be required to recall the vehicles and pay for the repairs since this is a common problem with the 2001 model and a potential safety issue for children and adults.
Sliding door latches get stuck sometimes in the open and sometimes in the closed position. When doors are closed we are unable to push the button inside or use the outside handle to release the latch and open the door. If the door is open when this happens we are then unable to close the door as it will not latch. When the door remains open this is an obvious safety issue and the van is undriveable as doing so would put the passengers at risk. When the door is stuck in a close position it makes exiting the vehicle difficult which would be a safety issue if there were an emergency and a quick exit were necessary. It also makes it extremely difficult to fasten or release a child from a safety seat located in the back 2 rows of seats. The back hatch latch has also broken. A light squeeze of the handle while trying to open the hatch caused something to snap (a small plastic piece fell out) and since this is the one and only handle/latch to open the hatch I am no longer able to use the hatch nor open it to see what part needs to be replaced. The two side doors work occasionally but the back hatch is now completely unusable. Simply put I have had 3 out of my five doors fail within a month which I find absurd. Please note the vehicle is in good shape otherwise and has never been in an accident. 2001 Toyota Sienna le/xle
- Wareham, MA, USA
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: the contact stated that the vehicle's sliding side door remained latched and once the door becomes latched it is very difficult to reopen. The vehicle was manufactured with a remote locking device. The dealer determined that the vehicle's push button needed to be replaced. The contact expressed that the problem could be electrical failure. The vehicle has not been fixed due to cost.
We own a 2001 Toyota Sienna van, we purchased it in 2001 but it was used with 18,000 miles on it. Since purchasing the vehicle, several things have gone wrong. #1- passenger side power window had a defective motor and would not go back up. Took it to the dealer who said it was not covered under warranty, so we had to pay out of pocket for that repair. #2- driver's side sliding door would not latch shut. The button got stuck from the inside which prevented the door from latching shut. This had happened many times before but we were able to get the button popped out and the door would shut. But on one occasion the button popped out and the door still would not shut. We had to drive home holding the door shut the entire way! of course, this is a huge safety issue with our 2 young children in the car. The problem was fixed at the dealer (again not under warranty), but the door still can not be opened from the inside, or the button gets stuck in. #3- check engine light came on and a diagnostic test revealed the following problems- idle air control, bank 1 sensor (most likely oxygen sensor), leaky charcoal canister. We fixed the idle air control since that was causing the van to not start and stall. This repair was almost $700, and not covered under warranty because we had gone over 36,000 miles. We did not fix the other two problems last month due to cost. The van overheats and can not be driven. We wrote a letter to Toyota and talked to them via phone. They told us there is nothing they can do because our van is not a legal us van- it is was built in Canada. We bought it at a Toyota dealer in rochester, NY and were never told it was Canadian. We were also told that no warranty would ever be covered in the us because it is Canadian. Carfax.com says it was built in the United States however. We tried to go the route of the lemon law, but could not.
I was locked inside my 2001 Toyota Sienna ce van and couldn't get out for 3-4 minutes. I had been driving for 6-8 minutes and parked in a parking lot to go into a store. I turned the engine off and tried all the following: 1. all door handles 2. the "keyless" key fob 3. the button on the driver's side arm rest in the door which enables/disables the door locks at each door 4. the power window on the driver's side only after pressing all these buttons numerous times did the doors finally "wake up" and unlock. I suspect the problem has something to do with the electrical system, specifically the 50-month old battery. But even if the battery is low on power, why should the door locks be inoperable" should the locks automatically revert to the open position if there is insufficient electrical power"
There are 2 potentially serious problems that this vehicle has, which appear to be common, based on comments from 2 other families we know with the same problems in the same vehicle, a 2001 Toyota Sienna. The lock button on the rear van door gets stuck and apparently the only way to fix it is to bang on the handle until it pops back open. When in this position the door cannot be closed. The other is with the ignition lock; it sticks and locks even after the wheel may be disengaged; this leads to a possibility of being stranded, or worse.
While driving driver's door opened and closed on its own. Vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection, and mechanic determined that the computer needed to be replaced.
Possible for people to become locked inside the vehicle with no way to open the doors. When doors are locked with the remote control (deliberately or accidentally), with no key in the ignition, the only way to unlock them is with the remote or turning the key in the ignition. The doors can be locked with the remote, and a person not having the remote will be unable to get out. This has happened to me at least 4 times since purchasing the car.
2001 Toyota Sienna le, manufactured in October 2000, both back sliding door handle buttons stick during hot weather preventing opening or closing of the door. If the door is open when the button sticks then you cannot shut the door. If the door is closed when the button sticks then you cannot open the door from the inside or the outside using the outside handle. The doors stay stuck until the button pops back out usually when the inside of the car temperature cools down. My children have been able to get out by going through the front doors of the van but an elderly person might not be able to do this and would be trapped in the back with both doors stuck shut. There is a service advisory for this problem dated Oct. 27, 2000 for years 1998-2000 but there is nothing for 2001. The Toyota extra care platinum extended warranty will not cover this problem because it is supposedly a button problem and not a mechanical problem. There is also a problem with water leaking in the trunk. We have not figured out were it is coming from yet.
07-08-01 34 miles steering failure towed to dealership. 01-29-03 7552 miles steering failure towed to dealership. After slowing down at tolls, fails to accelerate, loud noise follow. Wet/rainy surface, front tires spin at take-off. Wind noise very prominent on highways. Right front passenger lock does not latch/unlatch at times. Rear heater is defective.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Los Angeles, CA, USA