Problems with 2004 Toyota Sienna STRUCTURE

2004 toyota sienna power sliding door design is defective. center hinge bends causing motor and cable to fail. door will not open which is a safety concern in the event on an emergency. *tr

Cable snapped on sliding door of 2004 sienna, causing door to remain open until i could forcibly close it. this was a potentially dangerous situation in that 1) cable snapping could have hurt someone, and more importantly 2) car had to be driven with door open until got home and could forcibly close it. toyota put out a tsb for this problem in april 2004 but only covered the problem for 3 yr/36k mile. additionally they implemented production line fixes to prevent this problem in the future. but those of us unfortunate enough to encounter problem after 36k miles have to pay $1800 parts and labor to fix just one door. i believe that this is a prevalent problem in the 2004 sienna and toyota should issue a recall for their customers due to the potential danger involved. *tr

Cable broke on passenger side sliding door. cable shot up between door panel and window. nearly striking a passenger. *tr

Passenger side rear seat door cable snapped rendering door inoperable and a safety pinch point. door will only open to about 3 feet and then will automatically close. *cn

The cable on the passenger side sliding rear door snapped, making it impossible to close the door. i had to drive my 5 year old home with the door stuck open, which is extremely unsafe, but there was no apparent alternative. after much wrestling with the door, we finally succeeded in getting it closed again, so at least we're now driving with it closed, but it's unusable even manually. did some research and found that a tsb (el004-04) was issued in april of 2004 and production fixes were made, but the drivers of vehicles manufactured prior to the production fixes weren't even notified, and the tsb authorized repairs only to vehicles showing problems prior to 3 years/36,000 miles, despite the known design problem. of course it's well out of warranty now and toyota customer service refuses to help in any way with a repair estimated around $2000. this is absurd for a known design problem that poses a substantial safety hazard. *tr

2004 toyota sienna automatic sliding door jammed. unable to close door and needed to shift to manual mode. cable snapped and could have caused injury if someone was by the door. *tr

I have a 2004 toyota sienna xle limited both the driver's side sliding door (january 2009) and the passenger's side sliding door (october 2008) have incurred problems with the cable and motor mechanism that led to both to need new motors and cables. this occurred within 3 months of each other !!! a hinge wears out in the door and it causes a wearing on the cable until the cable frays and breaks. this seems to be a widespread problem as indicated by numerous complaints by sienna owners.. it is definitely a manufacturer defect but toyota is not acknowledging it at this point. the repair at the toyota dealer is $1600 plus and is not covered due being out of warranty. the repair times 2 within three months is just ridiculous !!! and i hope that with enough complaints toyota might recognize their defect problem. *tr

Cable used to open/close the passenger sliding door snapped and caused door to close without warning and almost pinched fingers. *tr

Control arm on driver's side door makes a load noise upon opening and closing door. took to dealer and informed that i needed to take it to an autobody shop to repair the broken weld. *tr

Passenger sliding door on my '04 le, 36,000 mi. minivan just failed. there is a snapped and broken cable/wire hanging out the back. i cannot get the door more than a few inches open by wrestling with it. *tr

On the automatic passenger side door, cable that opens and closes the door, rusted and snapped after the plastic coating wore and failed, had to remove cable so i can open it manually. the wear of the cable seems premature since the vehicle is only 4 years old. *tr

Power side door (passenger side) stuck in the open position. cable frayed and prevents door opening or closing. *tr

The automatic sliding door for our 2004 toyota sienna minivan failed and then fell off, the door weighs over one hundred pounds, and is inoperable in case of an accident, and amy have hurt someone when it fell off. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 toyota sienna. the contact stated that the driver's side door would not open. the contact stated that the problem was due to a defective door check on the driver's side door. the contact stated the defect was repaired at the dealer but the problem recurred. the manufacturer was not notified. the failure mileage was 65,000.

After opening and closing the fuel cap door on the 2004 sienna causes the driver side sliding door to intermittently jam and not open. this has happened several times in the past 2 years. to fix, one must squeeze hand into door crack and push down the lever that is stopping the door from sliding. sometimes this jam causes the door to not close. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 toyota sienna. the contact stated that the cable that runs through the door was rusted. after use, the cable snapped in half and was hanging outside the vehicle. the contact cut the cable because she did not want the vehicle to be scratched. the dealer stated that the entire door needed to be repaired at the contact's expense. the failure and current mileages were 67,000.

My 2004 toyota sienna xle has the driver's side automatic sliding door (for passengers in the back) that occasionally will not open, other times will not close, and sometimes after opening it will close uncommanded. in my opinion this is definitely a safety issue that toyota is unwilling to recognize. this problem is widely reported by several toyota sienna owners. evidently the automatic door has a mechanism that will prevent the door from opening, or close it automatically is already open if it "thinks" the fuel cap is open. luckily my kids were not injured, but had they been standing neat the door they would have been trapped by it. also, should a rapid escape from the car be necessary, it would be impossible to use the passenger sliding door as an emergency exit. *tr

I have a 2004 toyota sienna xle limited edition mini van. it has been into the dealer before because the power sliding doors would freeze up in the winter and you could not get it open. now it is summer time and the wiring that allows the power slide door to slide just snapped! my 5 year old son opened the door by pushing the button and snap! then the door was partially open and didn't want to close all the way yet wouldn't slide open either. upon inspection of the wiring it appears weathered. meaning rusted. when i called the dealership i was told it would be $1200 for the part. when i complained about the price i was told the option was to not use the door. well of course that is an option but not a very good one. what is the point of having power sliding doors if you can't use them. and if this is the case for the power sliding door on the left then how long before the power sliding door on the right does the same? *tr

The left power sliding door on my sienna failed. while out on errand with a friend's child, i could not shut the power sliding door. had to drive to my home with the child strapped into their carseat in the back and the door open. took it to dealership and they said the motor failed and it would cost $1900+ to fix the power or $300 to turn in into manual door. husband looked on internet, found instructions to take door apart and fixed himself as this was a very, very common problem. sure enough, the problem was not the motor, you can hear it run to this day, and it was the cable used to slide the door - there was stripped plastic shielding bunched up on the cable which kept the door from running on the cable. this is very dangerous as the door did not respond to the power button and would trap a child in it. second issue is the weld on the driver's side door making popping sounds. my husband looked and the weld was coming off and the metal underneath the weld had actually torn!! he took the welded piece off so that the door would be operational. once again, the door can close unexpectedly on a small child without warning without door being replaced. third issue is the sonar which comes and goes without warning. i try to leave my sonar on all the time, but in process of backing up, will realize the sonar has turned itself off. it comes and goes-sometimes will just beep on and off and on and off while driving down the street without anyone else around the car. fourth issue is when the car is cold, the back hatch door will rise and then immediately come down forcefully on your head (it runs with a motor). all of these issues are listed all over the internet as problems with this car and everyone is told by toyota that is you don't have a current warranty, they will not fix it for free. these are design flaws and safety issues!!!! *tr

The driver's side rear power door cable snapped (rusted and frayed). this is clearly a potential safety issue, as i had to cut the cable with wire cutters in order to be able to close the door. i contacted both the dealer and toyota customer service, who say it is not covered under warranty, and will cost $2000 to fix. there have been many other reports of the same problem, and it seems this should be considered a recall issue. *tr

Door welds on driver side and passenger side are damaged. never received information from toyota. brought into dealer in december. there is some sort of modest service program, but my car is too old, although under the mileage rules. currently i am waiting to hear from regional rep, with no reply from 1/14/09 call. ours was a very early purchase of the new model in its first year, so excluding a few early vehicles and covering the rest seems totally unfair. there ought to be a recall of all models to fix this obvious defect. *tr

2004 sienna back door left struts broken... will close the door when all open ..almost hit me..no warranty and need to pay $ca 800 to fix. *tr

my 2004 toyota sienna xle has the driver's side automatic sliding door (for passengers in the back) that occasionally will not open, other times will not close, and sometimes after opening it will close uncommanded. in my opinion this is definitely a safety issue that toyota is unwilling to recognize. this problem is widely reported by several toyota sienna owners. also, should a rapid escape from the car be necessary, it would be impossible to use the passenger sliding door as an emergency exit. *tr

Yet another of the hundreds of complaints regarding the passenger side automatic door on the 2004 sienna. ours got stuck about half way open. could open the rest of the way, but would not close. ended up costing $3000 to fix. *tr

I have an 04 toyota sienna with power sliding doors. the left sliding door cable snapped and stopped opening automatically. the cable was hanging on the outside. it was frayed and rusty. the door now is not functional by manual or electric. when i took the vehicle to the toyota dealership, i was told that the repair cost was $2498.00 and that the motor, mounting brackets and other various parts would need to be replaced. i have a hard time swallowing the thought of this cost considering the cable is rusted and broke in half with no fault of my own. although i am out of warranty period, i would think this problem, would need to be consider or looked into as a recall for this vehicle considering it is a very common complaint with 04 sienna's. you would like that with the cost of the vehicle, something like a rusty cable cord would not need to be worry. nor would having to pay an additional $2500 out of pocket to correct a vehicle defect. i have had 4 toyota vehicles not including this one. i currently have an 04 xle limited sienna and paid a large amount of money for this vehicle not thinking that a toyota nor the model would need an extended warranty. any consideration in this matter would be greatly appreciated. i have a spouse who is serving 15 months in iraq to try and make a difference in our society and it is a shame that i can not get any assistance or help with an issue that seems to be a manufacturer defect. *tr

'04 toyota sienna xle driver side, passenger sliding door failure without warning or incident. cable broken and hanging from rear end of door. door only opens a few inches with brute strength. diagnosis by toyota service not complete. ernie palmer toyota of jacksonville says not under warranty and that they have never heard of this type incident. i see many complaints for this model online. is this a mfgr. defect that toyota should cover? *tr

The power passenger side sliding door on my 2004 toyota sienna le with just over 50,000 became jammed in the open position due to a cable rusting and breaking. this resulted in having to drive with children in the vehicle with the door open. once a second fraying cable was cut, the door is now in stuck in the locked position and occupants have to enter the vehicle from the drivers door which faces traffic. working on getting this problem fixed, but toyota is aware of the problem since their is a tsb el004-04, but is not helping in getting it done. initial estimates are over $2000. this problem should be classified as a recall. *tr

I received a recall notice regarding my 2004 toyota sienna van to have the rear liftgate support struts replaced. i was advised that there had been reports of failure resulting in potential injuries. i visited the dealer 9/08 and had the struts replaced. following the replacement a problem developed. my liftgate is power operated and when i opened the liftgate it immediately reversed and closed repeatedly. i returned to the dealer on 10/20/08 and they replaced the struts again. the problem remained and on 11/3/08 the dealer insisted the motor had probably worn out and i had it replaced. the solution seemed to work until 1/09 when again the liftgate would go up and immediately back down. worse yet, the safety feature would not work (if the liftgate meets resistance; like someone in the way). if the liftgate meets resistance it is supposed to reverse. on 1/13/09 an employee of a retailer was almost injured while loading merchandise into the vehicle. the liftgate would not reverse and i had to pull him away. i went back to the dealer and they explained they have had many complaints. they went on to explain that apparently cold weather is to blame resulting in the struts not functioning properly. the dealer went on to explain that toyota to date does not have a solution. i'm amazed, this is a potential hazard. *tr

2004 toyota sienna minivan - automatic door cable become jammed causing the door to not close (and as a result making the car undrivable - safety issue). in order to close the door the cable had to be cut. a simple search will find dozens of similar complaints about these cables snapping or becoming jammed resulting in repair bills of between $1500 and $2000. this defect needs to be addressed by the manufacturer. *tr

Power side door cable snapped making it difficult to open driver side sliding door and extract child from childseat. *tr

The passenger sliding door will not open due to faulty latch. the driver's side sliding door latch was already replaced outside warranty. i contacted the dealer and toyota. both parties said there was nothing they could do. *tr

Toyota sienna sliding doors do not work properly and cost over $1,600.00 to fix each door. i just had the driver side replaced. no one explained what was wrong. now the right side does not work properly. it keeps clicking and clacking. i have to manually open it part way for it to catch on. i have to also manually close it part way to catch on. i'm afraid something bad is going to happen. i'm trying to save up $2,000.00 to get it fixed. i will not buy another sienna again. *tr

2004 toyota sienna xle awd van. power passenger slider will no lock in open position and will close on own as passengers are in door way, if parked on slope. *tr

I have a 2004 toyota sienna minivan that we have had numerous problems with the passenger side rear automatic door. tonight when opening the door to take my newborn out i heard a loud snap, the cable had snapped. after closing the door i am still unable to open it at all, even after turning off the automatic door button. looking at the cable it appears to be rusted and frayed. it is my understanding that this is not an issue that toyota will repair under warranty and feel that it should be. this appears to be a defect in their workmanship and parts. i feel this needs to be investigated. *tr

Originally, rear gate problems began with my gate dropping closed without warning. similar to other complaints noted on mycarstats.com the struts were no longer functioning safely or properly. i filed a complaint at that time and was contacted for more information. meanwhile, this issue continued and we used the rear gate function only when there were two adults present, with one to hold the gate up during use. starting last august, in addition to the previously noted rear gate strut issue, when the rear gate is opened, and reaches the top, to the fully opened position, it then immediately begins closing down forcefully. if anyone or anything is in the way of the gate it continues to close down crushing whatever or whomever is in the way. we will no longer use the rear gate until it is repaired and works properly. *tr

Power side door does not shut properly. no crash or accidents have occurred on this car. the door will reopen after the door appears to be shutting properly, right before it shuts it will reopen. we have often found the car door open after returning to the car after entering the store or home, making battery go low due to the interrior lights remaining on, and the security of the car compromised including contents like our address, and other identity theft information.

2004 toyota sienna. approx. 60,000. per recall, both rear gate struts were replaced on 8/26/08. since then, rear gate automatically closes when it's remotely opened (i.e., opened with the key fob or console button) and it reaches its point of highest travel, thereby presenting a danger to persons standing under the gate. i returned the vehicle once to the dealer which said a technician would replace the "bumpers" or "stops," but the problem continues. *tr

The passenger side sliding door cable cam loose and snapped. *tr

Automatic sliding side door (2004 toyota sienna,malfunctions when parked on incline. door opens and shuts erratically and does not "stop" (automatic stop seems to have disappeared also) causing children to become pinned in door. *tr

My 2004 sienna sliding doors have failed numerous times by not opening. this happened off and on for a year. in spring of 2008 the driver side sliding door opened and would not slide back. the cable was broken and it cost us over $1100 to have it fixed and that was with a $500 goodwill credit from the dealership. now the passenger side door has the exact same problem. after reading some other complaints and looking it up on the internet i have to ask how toyota can ignore such a serious and dangerous issue with a car that is only 4 years old. i have a toyota service bulletin from april 19, 2004 that states there was a production change made on the doors, but my car was produced before this. why wouldn't toyota be responsible enough to fix the cars prior to the change? *tr

I have a 2004 toyota sienna xle limited. my passenger sliding door failed. you couldn't open it from the outside and if you opened it from the inside the door would not stay closed. it cost me $1800 to fix the sensor and the motor that holds the door closed. i called toyota to complain and out of good will, they offered to pay half of the bill. the day after i got the passenger side door fixed, the other sliding door has now failed - the drivers side door. it will not stay closed. i have a call in to the dealer to discuss this. also, my rear hatch would not stay up and almost took off my 6 year old son's head when it came flying down on him. toyota finally issued a recall on the pistons, so they were replaced for free. so, all three of my mechanical doors have failed. *tr

2004 toyota sienna - passenger-side automatic sliding door cable snapped. door will not open or close. repair shop removed door, found motor and cable assembly broken and latches and cables sprung. service advisor said we had to replace motor and cable assembly and both front and rear latch and cable assemblies. parts are $2671, labor estimate $446. parts were prepaid. repair is schedule for 8/28/08. *tr

On my 2004 toyota sienna le, the automatic rear hatch door consistently fails to stay open after opening. there was no event that caused this to start happening. the door opens with no problem, using either the automatic open feature or by manually opening. what appears to happen is the hydraulic struts cannot hold the door in the fully open position. if the automatic door feature is engaged, the door starts to slowly close until the automatic close feature engages and closes the door with normal speed. if the automatic door is disengaged, the door slams shut with alarming force and speed. the potential consequences are frightening. if you have the automatic feature engaged and are unloading or loading packages, you cannot hear the door slowly closing and may not realize the door is closing on you, especially if you are bent over. it takes a significant amount of force to push back on the door enough to have the sensor engage and reverse the door closing. of course, if you manage to get the door to reverse the close, once the door reaches the fully open position, the same process begins where it slowly closes and then the auto-close starts again. the danger for a weaker person or a child is huge if you do not have the automatic door feature engaged, the danger is far greater as the door slams shut with force and speed. anyone caught in its path could be severely injured, especially a child. i have not attempted to seek repair of the door yet. but my research on the internet shows that there are many instances of this type of failure. i will be taking this up with the toyota consumer affairs. *tr

Two weeks ago my rear passenger side automatic door wouldn't open. i can see the cable snapped outside the door. i haven't fixed it yet. *tr

Our 2004 toyota sienna van driver side sliding door failed to close one evening, just as it was beginning to rain. our children had just gone into the house. we closed the door as much as we could and took it to a repair shop the next morning. on the way to the shop, the door nearly fell off the van! with our 3 children (ages 8 to 4 inside)! they were freaked, and so were we! now we have just paid nearly $2000 to replace the door motor, cable, and some other parts and labor. the body work is covered by insurance less deductible, but we still have rental car costs, some covered by insurance. we are hearing that this is a common problem for these vans. we believe this issue warrants a recall for safety reasons! we bought (and paid a premium for) a toyota because they are supposed to be a model of safety and value. this is the first time this has happened to us, but our web research leads us to believe this is a manufacturing design or equipment defect. our local toyota dealer has not been willing to accept this as a warranty issue, nor to cover the cost of these repairs, nor to assure us this will not happen to this door again, or the other door! we believe there is a basic flaw in the design or materials for this van. we believe this warrants a safety recall. we would appreciate any advice you could provide as to how to be reimbursed for these expenses, and more importantly, how to be assured this will not happen again. we believe this is an important safety issue! thank you! *tr

As i pulled up to the airport to take a flight, we noted that the right sliding door would not close. after much struggle and effort, we were able to close the door; however, the cable for the door was rusted and snapped. we are unable to use the door for fear that the door may fall off or cause body damage. when i did a search on this website, i noted many similar complaints filed for the same problem. as an attorney in the state of new york, i can only conclude there is a manufacturing design or defect in the sliding door and that the vehicle should be recalled. this is a dangerous defect that could have caused bodily injury. i respectfully request that this agency look deeply into all complaints regarding the sliding door and issue a recall. my vehicle has approximately 61,000 miles on it. in addition, the fact that many consumers are describing similar conditions, namely that the cable snapped and appeared to be rusted, is further indication that the vehicle was designed poorly. i appreciate the nhtsa's attention in this matter and i look forward to hearing from you. caterina ranieri grasso *tr

2004 toyota sienna - passenger side sliding door won't open. at first, it wouldn't open from the outside, but using the power button inside would let it open. now even that doesn't work and the door is useless. dealer said the part to fix this (actuator) is $700, plus labor. i see many people reporting this problem on various forums, so it seems to be a widespread defect. *tr

My 2004 toyota sienna van's power door cable snapped. the van had about 120,000 miles when it happened. i have not had it repaired after seeing the costs involved. i can close the door manually. *tr

2004 toyota sienna driver door problem. door makes cracking and popping when being opened have been told that it is a broken weld but the door has never been pushed to far or compromised in any way that would have broken weld. toyota basically washed their hands of any responsibility though from reading posts on this site and others it is a common problem. *tr

Bought 2004 toyota sienna in sept. 06. van has 40k miles and has an out of alignment right passenger motorized door failure. door rubs against body and makes grinding noise as it closes. also driver door has collapsed glass. dealer wants 100-300 just to inspect and report problem to extended platinum care warranty i purchased. i called extra care (platinum care 7 year or 100k) who mentioned that problem might possibly be covered. toyota needs to recall the passenger sliding door too many problems posted on internet blogs. *tr