Problems with 2004 Toyota Sienna STRUCTURE

Both sliding doors on 2004 toyota sienna le frequently freeze shut in winter. one door is power, one is manual, and both frequently freeze. only solution so far is to wait for van to warm up. major safety issue as it prevents easy exit for children in rear of van - they must crawl between the front seats to exit. *tr

I own a 2004 toyota sienna xle. starting about a month ago (right when it turned 100k miles) the rear driver's side power door started getting stuck closed and would not open. it made a clicking sound like it was trying to open but it was like it wouldn't unlock (even though the orange part of the level still moved inside to indicate it was unlocked). at first locking and unlocking the door a few times would solve the problem and then it would open fine. the problem has become increasingly frequent and now the door won't open at all. i took it to the dealer and they couldn't get it to open and the technician said that just about everyone with this model has this problem and quoted me $1600+ dollars to fix it - and that's if the door will open again. they also showed me how the replacement motor is a re-engineered part which is further indicative of the defectiveness of the original. there are hundreds if not thousands of instances of this very same failure happening to other sienna owners of this vintage yet toyota won't issue a recall. i called toyota customer service and they just kept saying it has a hundred thousand miles and tough luck. never mind it's a 4 year old car. they said i'd have to meet with the district manager who'd made this decision and that there was no possible way to ever escalate this matter above that individual. i don't buy that. they also refused to give me this individual's contact information. this is wholly unacceptable. . i have many more cars to purchase in my lifetime and they won't be toyota's if this is how they're going to treat their customers. it seems as though they have no incentive to address this issue as the $3,000 it sounds like everyone is having to spend on their defective doors is a mighty lucrative income source for them. help. *tr

Driver side passenger door on the toyota sienna 2004 vehicle with less than 51,000 miles must now be replaced at a cost of $1,800. this is certainly not normal for a car this new with only normal daily use in a non-weathered environment. *tr

2004 toyota sienna electric slide door passenger side on mini van. i went to open it and when it came time to close door, the door would not work. i went to dealer ship to have it looked at, and this is what they said. toyota has many bulletins on this same issue but no recalls. it will be $1800.00 to fix it. never even said what happened. i told toyota about this problem and they basically said tough i don't care pay the price and get it fix. we will not stand behind it. this is out of warranty. and bergstroms dealer ship charged me $100.00 to evaluate it and tell me it would cost me $1800.00. i will not buy another toyota when they can fix defective items. *tr

2004 toyota sienna powerside door failure to open /close. *tr

My 2004 toyota sienna sliding door fell off the track. it has less than 40,000 miles on it. i have to drive it home with the door hanging by a cable. it was kind of dangerous, especially with my daughters in it. *tr

The power doors of our 2004 sienna froze each winter since purchase and would not operate until vehicle warmed - 2 children had to climb in and out through front doors. this winter, probably february one cable snapped on passenger side, other cable frayed and refused to operate - dealer estimated approximately $600 per door for repairs. my husband told him we would wait until the recall was issued as this was a safety concern. my husband disconnected the doors so they would operate manually - which in not something the toyota design allowed for. since my husband disconnected the door, we have experienced some other electrical problems, not certain if they are related. also have had problems maintain air pressure in tires although not all wheel drive model. dealer was supposed to contact us to schedule additional recall work on the vehicle, but has not done so, i believe because we continue to refuse optional maintenance work and the associated expense. i work extremely close to home for the last 4 years and our vehicle had approximately 48,000 when the doors broke. i now have approximately 52,000 miles. *tr

Sliding doors freeze shut on minivan every time that the temperature gets below freezing and there is moisture in the air. door handle broke off on the driver side sliding door and had the handle replaced. the toyota dealership put baby oil on the weather stripping to hopefully reconcile this from happening again, however 2 days later the temperature was 24 f and both of the sliding doors were again frozen shut. in order to open the doors you have to climb over the front seats to push against the doors from the inside. it does not matter if the car warms up for 20 minutes they still remain frozen and they have frozen shut after driving less than 10 miles after getting them open. *tr

Gas struts for rear lifting door gave out suddenly. now door slams down unless physically held up. happened day after we returned from skiing in lake tahoe for 3 days. *tr

The cable of the motor on the right side of door (second row passenger side), which is automatic door had snapped! could barely open and/or close the door after that. i went to toyota and they told me there was no warranty on it, so since i could barely open the door, i had to pay to get it fixed. over $1600! i should mention, we have had problems with this door in the past. it would stick, not open properly, so we'd have to close it and re-open it. i brought this up to toyota dealership many times, but they checked and said there was nothing wrong with it. also, on the right side, which is manual, it sometimes would be "stuck" or, it would open, but would not "latch". it is supposed to kind of lock when all the way open, but it wouldn't. i have complained about this in the past also, but of course when i get to the dealership it works fine. i have called and complained today to corporate and will receive some sort of response tomorrow. so, both doors have problems, where the cable literally snaps and they cannot just replace the cable. they have to replace the entire motor. *tr

We own a 2004 toyota sienna xl. when temps get cold the rear doors freeze shut. even after letting the van warm up for 20 minutes the doors are frozen and they stay frozen the entire trip. i have to climb into the back from the front seat. i drive 25 miles to work and cross a river what if the doors are frozen and i am in an accident how would they or me get my baby out of the back!!!! toyota dealer said toyota is aware of the problem!! are they waiting for someone to die before they fix it. please help! kim stokes *tr

The powered rear liftgate struts were replaced as part of the nhtsa recall campaign on 12/18/2008. the new struts no longer lift the tailgate to its previous height. the tailgate now opens about 2" to 3" lower than the maximum extension. the tailgate must be manually pushed to its full extension. at its lower height, it is easy to get bumped in the head as you assume the door will open fully. the dealer states that the tailgate cannot be adjusted for greater travel to open all the way. *tr

The automatic sliding door (passenger side) on my 2004 sienna suddenly became inoperable and unable to be closed. it had a history of freezing closed - not sure if this is related. it appears the cable broke and dangled outside of the car. a plastic mechanism popped out of the door and blocked the door from being closed. this is a safety issue!!!!!! how can you drive a car with the side passenger door stuck wide open and children inside???? the car apparently had a tsb dated april 19,2004 on it that addresses this issue. i was unaware of it. my car is now past the warranty period and it will cost $1800 to repair. this is clearly not normal wear and tear. it is a known problem that toyota must take responsibility for. *tr

Automatic sliding door cable corroded and snapped. *tr

Passenger and driver side sliding doors freeze shut and will not open. *tr

I have a toyota sienna 2004 le 8 passengers. my complaint is that the dash of the sienna is cracking like someone has sliced it with a blade. please investigate this defect. i know that i`m not alone with this complaint. thank you, jesus *tr

2004 toyota sienna xle -premature failure of driver side slider door - door diagnosed by dealer with faulty motor, cable assembly and hinge, this is a dangerous condition in that door may freeze in either full open or closed position and not be able to activate to open or close. tsb el004-00 addresses this issue, but toyota has not notified buyers of defect. only cover repairs within 36 month or 36,000 miles. many incidents reported on internet sites about this being a known defect and very high cost to repair (approx $1,700). request help to compel toyota to support a recall action on this problem. *tr

Van has less than 40,000 miles and so far all doors on van have failed. sliding door cable snapped and pieces came flying out and hit me. sliding doors freeze shut in cold weather making getting a child in or out of the in the case of an emergency impossible. both seat heaters have failed. the van has required 3 brake jobs and 2 sets of tires in less than 40,000 miles. *tr

On 12/13/08 the passenger side sliding door on our 2004 toyota sienna "froze" and would not open manually or automatically. on 12/28/08, the door stopped functioning completely. on 1/2/09 the vehicle was brought to kings toyota in cincinnati for repair. i have been advised that the cable and motor system within the door is completely bad and needs to be replaced. ($1,634). *tr

The cable on the sliding side door of our 2004 toyota sienna snapped in december 2008. the cable (unknown metal) which was exposed & dangling appeared to be frayed, as well as rusted. there is no doubt in anyone's mind, including professionals, that this is, indeed, a danger created by a flaw in the vehicle's design. when the cable broke, i immediately took our sienna to the local toyota dealership who informed me it would be $1200 to repair it because it is out of warranty (more than 3 years old). when the toyota service rep closed the door and tried to re-open it, the door was frozen in place and would not open. he said the other piece of the snapped cable must be caught in the mechanism which is jamming the door. in addition to the stress of not being able to open my door, this is a significant safety issue which could result in entrapment of passengers, particularly, our young grandchildren secured in their car seats. as i wait to come up with funds to have this door repaired, i consistently worry about the other sliding door, because from what i have heard, it, too, will likely snap within a short period of time. though i have been dealing with this for a few months now, i just learned today that toyota discovered the flaw 4 or 5 years ago, and made an adjustment on the newer models. however, they never bothered to provide notification--nor to recall--the vehicles which had already been produced. isn't this illegal?? there are hundreds of 2004 sienna sliding door complaints posted on the web, as well as many horrific and life-threatening stories about the dangers of the doors, including cables snapping causing injury, doors stuck in the closed position, doors not being able to be closed, and even doors opening while in transit. what can 2004 sienna owners do about this safety-related issue and the refusal of toyota to take responsibility for its design problem & correct it without exuberant consumer costs & to warn/notify all its consumers? thanks *tr

Driver side passenger automatic door cable was rusted and broken on a 2004 toyota sienna xle. need to replace entire assembly, est. cost is $1800-2000. *tr

The automatic sliding door does not open & close automatically like it should when the door open/close button is pressed. i have to get it started manually, and then open/close it like a manual door. also both sliding doors (even the manual sliding door) freeze shut on a daily basis in the winter. this is a huge safety issue as i have children in the rear of the van. *tr

2004 sienna power door cable breaking causing door to be inoperative. creating unsafe conditions with children and baby seats in vehicle. toyota states $1500 repair. after research problem seems widespread not vehicle specific. vehicle has 58,000 miles. *tr

Right power sliding door on van was frozen and door wouldn't open. result was a faulty cable that frayed. the door was taken to a repair shop and the cable was removed to make the door manual and now the door slides easily off the hinges/track. *tr

Cable and pulley system on rear power door on toyota sienna frayed and broken. door doesn't slide on track and comes off while driving. *tr

The automatic side door on my toyota sienna 2004 stopped working, have to open it manually. have seen quite a few complaints of the same nature on mycarstats.com and it seems toyota is aware but not doing anything about it. *tr

2004 toyota sienna passenger sliding door (automatic),stopped working, scrapes paint off of body when used manually, nearly impossible to open and shut. *tr

My 2004 toyota sienna sliding doors keep freezing up. i start to open the door but it wont open more than a few inches. and it wont' close. the doors are frozen. so my door is partially open, stuck, and the interior lights are on. *tr

Passenger sliding door will not open or close from any buttons. tries to open but is locked open or closed. when door handle is pulled from outside it unlocks and will open or close manually. *tr

Opened the automatic sliding door when picking my son up at school, heard a crunching noise. the door would not close automatically and had a difficult time getting it shut manually. once shut i could see that the steel cable the door ran on had frayed/busted. took it to the toyota dealership for repair and was told the cable and motor would have to be replace since they were one unit at a cost of $1300. fortunately for us, we purchased an extended warranty at the time of purchase and the parts and labor were covered. we had to pay a $50 deductible as party of the warranty agreement. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 toyota sienna. the contact stated that there were several failures with the vehicle, including the tailgate. the tailgate has been repaired four times. the failure only occurs in 32 degree weather or below. when opened, the tailgate starts closing automatically and without warning. the contact has struck his head several times. during the most recent failure, his shoulder got stuck and popped due to the tailgate closing automatically. he stated that this was a safety issue because individuals could get closed in by the tailgate. the failure persists. the current and failure mileages were 62,000.

I have 2004 toyota sienna with automatic sliding doors. this morning the passenger side sliding door began to make a grinding noise, and would make the same sound when i close it. - i looked the door and it seems to have parts of the cable coming off- the door at times will open half way and then close. - took the car to the dealer and told me that this is a know issue and problem with the doors. but toyota has not done a recall on this - only has posted a tsb (technical service bulletin). *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 toyota sienna. she noticed that in cold weather conditions both rear doors freeze even without precipitation. as a consequence she is not able to open the doors or close them once they are ajar. she notified the dealer and the technician stated that she would have to have a roof rail weather strip applied to her vehicle. a representative for the manufacturer stated that since there was not a recall they could not provide any assistance. the failure and current mileages were 57,000. updated 01/29/09. *lj updated 01/30/09. *jb

Welding issue with toyota sienna 2004 front driver's door. *tr

Sliding door on our van would not close properly. took it to the dealership, they told us the door had to be fixed, and the metal and bolts were getting ready to come through the door parts. it is currently being fixed, but since the van is a 2004 toyota sienna, it is out of warranty, and we will have to pay the $ 1,800.00 repair bill. *tr

Power door on my 2004 sienna has failed. $600 repair bill and it still is not right. this was an expensive vehicle, it should not falling apart this soon. *tr

I own a 2004 toyota sienna, with about 50,000 miles on it. the power door on this vehicle does not stop unless it has force on it if is accidentally closed while someone is one the way, doesn't bounce back like a garage door does. my power door cable snap yesterday as i was trying to open it and came back on me. it stopped and then finally closed, and would not open more than an inch. took it to the dealer and was told that the cable broke and would have to be replaced along with the motor to the tune of 1100 just for the part and then labor charges. i purchased the extended warranty which is good until nov 2010 and 75000 miles. however they say this is not covered. toyota has a problem with hinges on there doors for this model year. something need to be done before there is injury. *tr

I have 2004 sienna and sliding doors have been freezing during winter. i called toyota and they said there will not cover because its out of warranty. the put the tsb 0028-08 on april 3, 2008 way after 36 mons/36,000 mile warranty my van was put in service. if i would have taken on the same day when this bulletin was released, my van would have been out of warranty. either they should have put this bulletin earlier or they should have extended the coverage period. *tr

I own a 2004 toyota sienna xle and my concern lies in the sliding doors freezing up when there was any snow or rain followed by freezing temp's. once frozen, the doors can not be opened without bringing the vehicle into a warm garage. the dealer acknowledged other complaints like this but said it was not covered by any warranty or recall. i paid for new seals so as to avoid the potential of having my children trapped in the back of my van. i was also told the new seals have anew design and will prevent this from occurring again. we should know very shortly as it is winter. this began last winter but we were fortunate enough to always park in a warm garage at night. *tr

Drivers side passenger power door does not close when the power motor fails. we were unable to drive the car because the door would not close. this was very dangerous with children in the back seat. eventually, we were able to force the door closed, but we cannot open the door now. this is very dangerous because we may not be able to get out of the car quickly in an emergency. *tr

Returning home in heavy rain one weekend and washed off dirt before garaged the vehicle, occasionally required to open the passenger side automatic sliding door. a week later found out the sliding doesn't operated automatically. *tr

I owned a 2004 toyota sienna le with passenger side power sliding door. the cable of the door was snapped on 11/16/08 and hanged loose to the outside of the van. the door can neither be opened and closed at the time. i had to force closed the door so that the van could be on the road again. we have stopped using this door since the incident happened. in short, the door is inoperative. after called and filed a case with toyota customer assistance center, they claimed nothing they could help me in resolving the issue. *tr

Cable to operate automatic sliding door snapped. i've clipped the cables so it now operates as a manual door. *tr

The drivers side automatic sliding door of minivan is stuck open. while the door was opening i heard a strange crunching noise, when i pushed the automatic close button the door would not close. i disabled the power door and the door would not close manually. *tr

I have a 2004 sienna with power sliding doors. the driver side door got stuck and wouldn't close while my wife and 2 children were out running errands. my wife had to drive home with the door open because it was late at night and i was out of town and couldn't pick her up. this was obviously a hazard to my family including the fact that they were freezing from the wind blowing in throughout the car. i talked to the service center at michael's toyota in bellevue, and they said it would probably cost at least $1500 (probably more) since my car is out of warranty. obviously, i think this is ridiculous since the car is less than 5 years old and only has ~66k miles. *tr

The motor which powers the passenger side power door is cracked (and broken). the dealer wants $2008.51 to fix the problem. the car has never been in an accident, and the door only went through normal wear and tear. there was no event leading up to the failure, it just stopped working. the door is only able to be operated through manual operation now. i can't afford to fix the car. *tr

Left sliding door on 2004 sienna xle limited is failing to work properly and front seat heater driver side stopped working- had it "repaired" and it still doesn't work. *tr

2004 toyota sienna - manual sliding door latch has bolts that have ripped through the sheet metal of the door causing the door to not close properly. toyota states this is beyond warranty but i argue that it's a safety issue and a defect which should not be limited to the warranty. they disagree. *tr

1. no unusual events to vehicle. usual school drop off of passenger. powered sliding door was activated for opening on nov. 5th 2008. door is well lubricated and no other symptoms of failure were noticed before failure. 2. powered, rear, sliding, passenger side door (rh) will not open fully. door cannot be opened in manual over-ride. door only opens 4 inches, then jams. difficult to close after jam. 3. root cause of failure is shedding cable jacket jamming door center hinge pulleys. door will require a new motor, cable assembly, center bracket no 1, and center hinge. *tr

2004 toyota sienna sliding door cable snapped, car was parked on hill and door slide closed on right hand of driver who was entering vehicle. *tr