Problems with 2004 Toyota Sienna STRUCTURE

2004 toyota sienna le power door cable failed and thus door can not be closed. the coating over the cable wore out and ultimately wire failed. *tr

Even before 7-16-09, with the mileage on my 2004 toyota sienna around 59856, i could already begin to hear the now famous clicking noise in my driver's side door position latch. clearly service reps must have heard the noise and known of the dangers of failing welds on the latch, and what might happen if it broke completely, such as uncontrolled full swing of the door into passing traffic or possible driver (myself) falling out of the vehicle into traffic. on every service trip to st. augustine toyota since 2008, i have asked for a safety inspection for long trips, and no one has mentioned the worsening noise or potential problem with the door. in the absence of warnings from toyota, my safety was compromised, from 2009 when i began asking about the increasing noise, and as recently as march 2012, when the clicking became very annoying. at this point i learned that toyota would be happy to fix the problem for around $400-$500 since it was now after their 5 year and 100,000 mile warranty points. so toyota has the strategy of "say-nothing", "do-nothing", and "let the buyer beware", at the risk of possible death to loyal owners, and certain damage when the welds fail completely. what has happened to toyota? are they that cynical about their customers? *tr

We own a 2004 toyota sienna xle and have owned it for 5 years. last year, our automatic sliding door (passenger side) cable snapped, making the door unable to open automatically. we had been using it just as a manual door, and have recently been having problems with both sliding doors unable to open at all, even manually. it seems to have something to do with the locking mechanism. it is as if the doors are still locked even though they are not. this is a dangerous problem, and after some research i have found that this is not an isolated incident, but rather that this is an inherent problem with this particular vehicle. with so many owners having these same problems, i think toyota should issue a recall instead of making money on having them have to fix it themselves. they are very costly repairs. *tr

Toyota sienna electric sliding door does not open with button. can only be opened by pulling hard on outside handle. dealer suggested replacing door motor. *tr

Tl*- the contact owns a 2004 toyota sienna. the vehicle was parked and the rear passenger automatic sliding door cable broke without warning. in addition, whenever parked on an incline the rear passenger sliding door closed abruptly. the contact had concern of the potential safety hazard. the failure mileage was 75,000. the vin was unavailable.

The passenger and driver side middle (sliding) doors of our 2004 toyota sienna have frozen shut each winter for 5 years. after melting free the drivers side door came suddenly open a few times while we were driving down the road. now the automatic open/close has stopped working at all. *tr

The left side automatic sliding door was stuck in an open position. our car was packed with our 5 kids. they door could not be closed automatically or manually. what occurred was the plastic coating on the cable had cracked and bunched up and stuck in the pulley of the door system. in order to move, we had to cut the steel cable (which wasn't easy). which allowed us to close the door manually. the door can not be fixed by simply putting another cable in. it requires the entire motor assembly to be changed. which cost between $1500-2000. *tr

While attempting to open the power side door, the cable to open it snapped causing the door to not open. this renders the power door inoperable. toyota has a service notice on this but the cost to fix it according to toyota is $850. *tr

I am the 2nd owner of a 2004 toyota sienna. recently, the passenger side power sliding door would start to close before fully opening. then it quit opening at all. when manually opened, there is a cable that sticks out under the rear window. i took it to the local toyota dealer and they said it would be $1800 to repair! they said the part alone is over $1000 and the repair isn't covered under my extended warranty. after researching the problem on the internet, i decided to file a complaint as this seems to be a very prevalent problem that toyota would rather ignore. please help! *tr

2004 toyota sienna's driver side automatic sliding door fell off of the vehicle as the cable came off of its track and wound tightly around the motor [located inside the door]. the very tightly wound cable around the motor pulled the door off the track causing a quoted $1,800 in repairs. *tr

Auto sliding door cable rusted through and broke, leaving door inoperable. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 toyota sienna. the contact stated that the dashboard was fractured. the vehicle was taken to the dealer but was not repaired. the contact stated that the dealer could not confirm that in the event of a crash, the air bags would operate as designed. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was contacted and they offered no assistance. the failure mileage was approximately 82,000. the vin was unavailable.

The passenger side power sliding door on my 2004 toyota sienna has failed -- we have just under 45k miles on the vehicle. we pressed the button to close the door and, as it was closing, heard a grinding noise. upon further inspection, the cable was broken. fortunately we were able to get the door closed, but now the door is unable to open more than 12 inches or so. i took the vehicle in for service and found that parts/labor is $1800+. some quick research on the web points to this being a fairly common problem with the vehicle. this is clearly a manufacturing defect as the cable simply frays and fails over time. for someone with a newborn and two other children, loss of access to this door is a problem. *tr

Power sliding door cable snapped, rear panel window shattered, hinge failed - my son went to open door from outside and it seemed to fall off track - back was lower and in trying to shut door, when pressed power button again the rear panel window shattered; dealership said hinge needs to be replaced, and that the cable had snapped but they had never seen anything like this before. had shown the car to dealership last month and they said door was "a little misaligned" and could bring in when i had a chance for door to be realigned - dealer now says all 4 casters the door rides on in the upper track had completely worn away. also car door inoperable part of every winter - "freezes" closed - was told that it was weather related but apparently this is an issue with this car - we do not use that door in winter because it does not open and kids cannot get in or out from that side. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 toyota sienna. while the vehicle was stationary, the contact and a child opened the front driver's side door from the exterior of the vehicle. suddenly, the door closed abruptly. the child was struck while in the pathway of the door, but was not injured. the contact heard a clunking noise coming from the door prior to the failure on several occasions. whenever the front driver's side door was accessed, the failure would occur. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for inspection and they provided a referral to an auto body shop for repair. the technician stated that the failure was contributed to failed welds. the contact was advised to replace the driver's side door at the estimated cost of $1,500. the vehicle has not been repaired and the manufacturer was notified. the failure and current mileages were 65,000.

Defect with toyota sienna power door. the door motor / train mechanism is prone to breaking leaving the door stuck in an open position. thits makes the car unusable and/or very unsafe. clearly a minivan is meant to transport children. this has happened to my 2004 sienna twice in the last 12 months. this claim is for the most recent incident. *tr

The sliding rear passenger door on our 2004 sienna failed as a result of a rusted / frayed cable. the door is stuck in the closed position so that my children must exit into traffic. in case of an accident we would be unable to exit that door. this appears to be a common safety problem that toyota has failed to address. *tr

the power sliding driver-side door of our 2004 toyota sienna jammed open recently. turning it to manual mode, we were finally able to close the door. then it would only open about 10 inches wide with great force applied to it. there is no chance whatsoever my 10 year old daughter could open or close that door even in manual mode because she is simply not strong enough. in addition, the passenger-side power door would make a grinding noise as it would open and close. i took the van to the local toyota dealership who informed me it would be $1,700 to repair each door because it is out of warranty! ironically, i mentioned a popping noise whenever the driver's door is open or closed. turns out toyota has decided to fix that defect for free which is not nearly the safety issue of power sliding doors not functioning where small children need to open and close them. after browsing this issue on the web, it is clear toyota knows about this defect but has chosen to ignore it. i can only suspect because of the large amount of revenue their dealers obtain with each door repair. for safety reasons, i felt compelled to have both power sliding doors fixed. the dealer's final bill for this repair of both doors was $3,800 dollars... but they fixed the popping driver's door for free as part of some customer support program. there are hundreds of 2004 sienna sliding door complaints posted all over the web. so far, toyota has not taken any interest in or responsibility for this defect. this is my first toyota purchase ever and was based on supposed toyota quality. now i see that is a joke and this will be my last toyota. i've been told i should have bought a honda and now i see why. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 toyota sienna. the contact applied force to the rear hatch door several times before the hatch door latch would properly close. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer three times with replacement of the rear hatch struts on separate occasions. in addition, the second row passenger automated door cable deteriorated. the vehicle was not repaired. the contact had concern with the safety of the door resulting to not completely opening or closing. the failure mileage was approximately 40,000.

2004 toyota sienna power sliding door cable snapped and ruined sliding door motor. dealer to charge $2000 for fix. 1 year earlier passenger door cable snapped. same issues. *tr

Both of the sliding doors on my 2004 sienna are not opening. the manual door is locked and will not open from both the inside and outside. the power door will open an inch or two and then locks up. *tr

Power sliding door is inoperative, intermittently inoperative, does not close properly and returns to the open position while being closed using the power switch or remote control. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 toyota sienna. the contact has not been able to use the door locks in her vehicle for several months. the dealer was unable to diagnose the cause of the failure. recently, while attempting to stop the vehicle, the rear passenger side door opened. in addition, the battery failed and was replaced twice by the dealer. the failure was not corrected and the dealer stated that they could not determine the cause of the failure. the contact replaced the battery herself with a heavy duty battery. she took the vehicle back to the dealer and they stated that the door motor failed, and that the door was an inch off the door track. the estimated cost of repair was $1,800. the failure mileage was 62,000 and current mileage was 64,000.

My 2004 toyota sienna has 64k miles. about 1 year ago, the passenger side automatic sliding door started working intermittently when using key fob, and buttons inside the car. however, pulling on the handles from inside the car or outside usually opens the door. beginning a few weeks ago, the door is completely closed and will not open at all. a quick search on the internet revealed my problem is not an isolated case. dealer quoted $2500-3000 to repair it. now my kids have to use the door on the driver sides stepping into traffic getting in and out of the car. *tr

I have toyota sienna 2004 and the automatic sliding door just broke down after a loud bang and a peace of hard plastic flew off and hit the garage floor. i was alone and did not get hurt. although i have ecp, the dealership said it is not covered and charged me $95.00cad+tax and gave me an estimate of $1700.00cad+tax. so i am complaining about two things, one that it could have hurt my kids if they were with me at that time and secondly the ecp does not cover this defect. *tr

2004 toyota sienna power sliding door does not work. scanned internet and found many people facing similar issue. this is so common a problem that toyota should fix this. *tr

Toyota sienna 2004 electric sliding door passenger side broke - cable snapped. a metal skinny cable is now hanging from the outside of the car, next to the third row window. my car has 43,000 miles, so not covered by warranty anymore. the dealer tells me that the cost of repair is $1,500!!! the dealer claims that the motor and all cables have to be replaced. *tr

I own a 2004 toyota sienna and my sliding motor has given out and i see this problem is just not happening to a few vehicles and from what i understand it also could possibly lead to a safety issue. i officially would like to see this problem resolved before it is too late. *tr

The sliding door cable snapped as the door opened. leaving it wide open and unable to be closed. i had complained about squeaking noises and they had lubed the door twice. the dealership also replaced a recalled part in that door. *tr

The automatic sliding door on my 2004 toyota sienna stopped working. the door now only opens about 12 to 18 inches. *tr

Toyota sienna 04 sliding door cable is frayed and about to snap. toyota said it will replace the cable & motor for $1500. our 5 yr. warranty just expired and the car only has 77000 miles. according to sites i have read, eventually the door will no longer open or may randomly open as you drive down the road. when the cable snaps, it also could hurt anyone standing near. *tr

I own a 2004 toyota sienna with power sliding doors. the cable on my driver's side door snapped, causing the door to not be able to close. my husband sat in the back seat and held the door shut while we drove it to the service center. the repair was estimated to be around $1500, so we had them disable the power feature and we now use the door manually. this cable snapping on 2004 sienna vehicles is a known problem which they refuse to issue a recall for. the sliding doors are poorly designed and dangerous. i currently drive a newborn and a toddler around in my sienna and i don't trust the doors that are supposed to protect them. please encourage toyota to issue a recall and fix these broken sliding doors! *tr

No apparent difficulties, signs of symptoms had been observed, but my children were placed in potential harm due to a part that appears to be defective and costly to repair. here is the situation. the power sliding door on the passenger side was opened to discharge some passengers from the rear of the van. when we attempted to close the doors via the power button, the door would not respond (close). we turned the power element off, but were unable to close the door manually. ultimately, the van had to be driven several miles to the dealership with the door open in order to have them cut the cable to disengage the power elements so that the door could be used manually. based on online information and from information gathered from the dealership, this is a common problem in this make and model of van. unfortunately, it is under reported as the cost to repair the door is substantial and most customers elect not to make the repairs. with that decision, there is a limited number of parts/details submitted for review, but it is the safety and/or pocketbook of the consumer that suffers from what appears to be a poorly made part and the inability to disengage the power system easily. i would appreciate it if this problem would be investigated and that toyota be required to fix the power mechanisms on these power doors so that they work properly (preferred), but that at the minimum they are required to install an easy release to disengage the power system in case of failure. there is no since in jeopardizing the safety of passengers for such a common malfunction. a recall of this mechanism needs to be enforced. *tr

Cable snapped from driver sliding door. cannot fully open it anymore. useless door. *tr

The power sliding door on an '04 toyota sienna would not stay open when the vehicle was on a slight incline. other times, it would not close properly. on a number of occasions, after the door was opened it began to close by itself hitting the person who was reaching into the vehicle, while the door was continuing to try to close. it took a lot of force to stop the door from closing. on one occasion the force of the door closing bruised my wife's right arm. this is a definite safety issue. someone could be seriously injured, including being crushed between the door and pillar. this problem was reported to the dealer on three different visits over a six month period. on each visit the technician reported "no problem found" or "working per design and intent at this time." on the last visit, after the technician found nothing again, i went out with the service advisor and was able to demonstrate the problem. afterward the shop foreman found that the rear hinge bushings were worn. after the bushings were replaced, the door worked as it should. toyota claims this would have been covered under the original 36 mo. / 36,000 mile warranty, but not under their extended warranty. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 toyota sienna. the contact stated that the cable on the driver's side sliding door snapped due to corrosion and rust. the failure caused a delay in opening and closing the door. occasionally, the door would open only halfway and could not be closed. when the contact attempted to override the door, she noticed that the cable snapped. the vehicle has not yet been repaired. the dealer stated that the hinge assembly and motor assembly needed to be replaced at the cost of $15,000. there were no recalls available. the failure and current mileages were 74,248.

Door check on 2004 toyota sienna is broken and is making a loud popping noise and was told by dealership it is door check. toyota has put in place a warranty enhancement but has extended the warranty for 100,000 mi or 5 years in service. i am within the 5 years but over the 100,00 miles and toyota refuses to assist with this problem. i do not see how mileage should affect this problem and but do see how time in service does. i was told by dealership that this can cause door closure problem if not fixed *tr

1. toyota sienna ce driver's door welded part (inside door) snap off causing loud thud sound when opening & closing the door. i found out in the internet that before there was a lot of complaints about it but toyota did not order a recall & now they want me fix it in a shop at my own expense. 2. sudden acceleration from idling during traffic cruising. *tr

I own a 2004 toyota sienna. the cable on both sliding doors broke and the doors do not open automatically we have to open and close them manually which is very difficult for my small kids. sometimes the doors jam and do not close properly. i am worried about the safety of my kids. my van has only 65k miles on it. i have contacted toyota and my local toyota dealer. they told my it will cost me about $3400 dollars to fix both doors. i can not pay this kind of money especially on a problem that seems to be common with all 2004-2006 sienna vans. i think toyota should issue a recall and fix their defective products. *tr

Sienna 2004 xle van. the rear side power door stopped working. the cable had broken and hence the power drive for opening and closing the door would not work. the door could be opened by sliding the door manually. i took the van into the dealership to have the part replaced. they were unable to get to the repair and we were leaving town. i asked them if the car was safe to drive as there was no way to disable the door from use and there would be children in the rear who would by habit reach to open the door. the service manager assured me it was fine - only difficult to open manually and even came to the vehicle to demonstrate. the next morning, my husband drove the van to on errands before loading up to take it on vacation. he unthinkingly opened the rear passenger door resulting in the far back side window shattering and the door falling off onto the ground. if there had been someone seated in the vehicle, they would have been covered in glass. if a child had opened the door, it would have fallen on him. we took the van to the dealership and called the toyota corporate line - both refused to acknowledge that the issue was a safety problem we took the car to an independent repair shop who told us that the cable system was no longer available and had been replaced by a different system which may have been because of the potential safety and poor engineering design. i wrote letters to toyota but received no response. *tr

The power sliding doors on the 2004 sienna fail early, causing safety and usability issues. the power door cable wears out early due to faulty coating on he cable, faulty hinges and door freezing. once the cable snaps, the door can slide open upon acceleration. disabling the power feature allows the door to be used, but falsely causes the vehicle to register the door as closed when it is open, allowing the car to be put in gear and driven without the door properly latched closed. loose parts from the snapped cable and torn cable jacket easily lodge in the working mechanism, making the door behave inconsistently - sometimes latching, sometimes not. when not latched, the door easily slides forward or back if the vehicle is parked on a hill, potentially causing injury. in addition, the doors freeze closed in moderately cold (25 f) temperatures, causing them to open partially (a few millimeters). this causes extra strain and wear on the power door cables and can cause the vehicle to register an open door. if the door is left in this condition, it can mask other doors actually being opened while the vehicle is moving. the partial opening also causes a misalignment of the locking mechanism, making it very difficult to open the door to correct the partial opening. the door repair was quoted by multiple dealers at more than $3000. a tsb (0085-09) in early 2009 offered an alternate method of repair, but the cost is still more than $1700 per door. dealerships have been unwilling to provide the part to non-dealer mechanic's shop. *tr

The cable and motor assembly for our 2004 toyota sienna xle sliding door broke. my wife was unable to close the door and had to drive home with four children in car seats in the back. i was able to close the door, but now we don't open it for fear of it being stuck open. i received a quote to fix of over $1,800. i researched on the internet and this seems to be a very common problem . toyota should issue a recall as this is obviously defective and it is a safety concern. *tr

Noticed that the driver side sliding door was not seating properly. on investigation, discovered that the bolts holding the latch at the rear of the driver's side sliding door cut through the sheet metal of the door itself, causing the door to be unlatchable. *tr

On multiple occasions we have had issues with our passenger side power sliding door not working/ stuck. on the first occurrence it was stuck "open" posing a hazard if we had our children in the car or were stranded on the hwy. on the second most recent occurrence the door was stuck closed and would not open at all. very inconvenient. *tr

Drivers side sliding door jammed and cable had to be cut by dealer. i have seen this is a common issue in siennas. seems to be a safety and quality issue. 1500 dollars for repair at dealer. *tr

Power side sliding door on passenger side of toyota sienna 2004 le van gets jammed, stuck, unopenable, unclosable in both cold and warm weather. *tr

The sliding passenger door on our 2004 toyota sienna suddenly just stopped working and we cannot use the door now. passengers on that side cannot get out of the car that way. as we have done some research, this seems to be a common problem with the power door cable in sienna vans. *tr

My automatic sliding door fell off my 2004 toyota sienna. this occurred while driving out my driveway. although the door completely fell to the ground and my two children, ages 5 and 6 were present, nobody was hurt in the incident. i am thankful it happened while the vehicle was moving slowly. oddly, darcars toyota of silver spring, maryland charged me over $1000.00 to fix the problem. *tr

I have a 2004 toyota sienna, i am experiencing a known issue regarding my power sliding doors. they seem to power forward and back if i manually use the handles to open the doors, but if i use the auto-opening buttons from inside the van the doors try to open but they wont unlatch so that the doors will slide from open to close or close to open. this has been ongoing for 1 yr now. i took it to the dealer and they informed that it was a known issue that they don't support. they told me the cost was over $1k. i would like to know if there is anything more i am able to do. thanks for your time and attention. *tr

Passenger side sliding door cable shredded and no longer operates door. *tr