Problems with 2008 Toyota Sienna STRUCTURE

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 toyota sienna. the contact stated that the electronic sliding doors on the vehicle had experienced several failures. the contact stated that the doors erroneously slid open while the vehicle was being driven and the sliding doors were very difficult to open when using the door handle. the doors, at times, would not unlock from inside the vehicle and would become jammed. the vehicle was taken to the local dealer (kolar toyota, 4781 miller trunk hwy, hermantown, mn 55811, (218-733-0100) who replaced the cables and greased the door parts, but the failures continued. the manufacturer was notified of the failures. the failure mileage was 100,000.

Both sliding doors are not working properly. they do not latch and stay closed. both door have opened while vehicle was in motion. back power sliding door has opened while the vehicle was being driven at least 10 times. the back non-power sliding door is not working either. however, this one we do not use and it has stayed closed most of the time. it has only opened 3 times while driving. this is an extreme danger. toyota is only covering part of the cost to repair but i was past the 120,000 miles when my problem began. so we are left footing the bill on a defect of toyota's doing. i feel this is outrageous because it is a huge safety concern. *tr

Bought this vehicle used from a dealer on 5/10/2014. noticed "stickiness" on the entire top of dashboard. thought it could be cleaned or washed off. it never came off. saw in the media that this is a problem with toyota dashes-melted dashboards, sticky and can scrape surface off with your fingernail. there is a shiny glare to the dashboard. *tr

The automatic sliding door cable came loose, causing the door to get stuck and further damage the cable. this flaw is noted in a recall for 2004-2007 models, but we believe it should be included in the 2008 models, as well. *tt

My wife was parking our 2008 toyota sienna with our 3 young boys in the automobile. she slowly brought the vehicle to a complete stop; never using gas, just covering and tapping lightly on the brake. once the automobile came to a stop my wife pressed the brake a little more in order to put the vehicle in park. at that moment the vehicle accelerated incredible fast, jumped over an 8 inch concrete parking lot divider and crashed into a tree about 10 - 15 feet from the concrete divider. we are certain that this was a "sudden unintended acceleration" incident caused by some mechanical, electrical, programming or other defect in the '08 sienna. this was not "driver error"! my wife did not confuse the gas pedal and the brake. this was not caused by a floor mat obstructing the gas pedal. this was caused by some type of a design or component defect. how can w be so certain? my wife and i have parked in this parking spot (located in our apartment complex) hundreds of times. to park in this parking spot you first have to make a left hand turn at a stop sign. this stop sign is about 30 - 40 feet from the parking spot, which requires that you make a sharp right turn. once you press the accelerator slightly to make the left at the stop sign, you do not use the gas again. you simply tap and cover your brake until you make the right into the parking spot. our vehicle came to a stop. in fact, upon "stopping" one of our 3 boys removed his seat belt immediately before the vehicle accelerated out of control. i'm asking for assistance from someone within toyota or the nhtsa with knowledge of this flaw. my wife and kids were "fortunate". but this is a "fatal flaw" and something must be done. *tr

My 2008 toyota sienna has power rear sliding doors. while the driver side rear door was opening, the cable for the door mechanism snapped and would not close completely. after investigating the situation, the broken cable was jammed in the door mechanism, preventing the door from closing. as a result, the door now does not fully open, and will not hold in the open position. if parked on a hill, the door will close if not held open. looking at the cable, the plastic sheathing around the cable had many cracks causing the cable itself to rust and fail. the passenger side door cable has similar cracks but has not failed yet. i brought the vehicle to our local toyota dealer. they mentioned this cable failure was a known problem and previous model years were covered under an extended warranty program. however, the 2008 model year was not covered. *tr

My dashboard is melting and cracking. it is sticky and impossible to clean. over the last few months, it's also cracking on the front edges, both on the driver's and passenger's side. *tr

My toyota 2008 sienna le passenger automatic sliding door won't closed and opened completely. i've experienced an intermittent jammed with this door for the past 3 days. as a temporary fix, i need to get out from the car to help the door in closing and opening it because the button inside the car and even the remote(has new battery installed) won't do the work . one day, when driving my kids to school. as i made a left turn, i heard an audible noise/alarm and we were surprised and tried to figure out where the sound came from until my kids told me that the door is partially open while driving. i pulled over and temporary close the door. i managed to go back home and still with the alarm on and then re-pushed harder to make the door completely closed. that was scary because my kids were sitting in 2nd row. to address this problem. on same day, i rushed my car to toyota dealership and the representative told me that cable assembly is broken and need to replace all parts but must pay $1700 + tax because the issue was the power sliding door cable assembly although my car has very low mileage 30, 312 miles (sitting most of the time inside the garage) and still not covered by toyota warranty enhance program for rear sliding door cable. this is very frustrating and adding insult to injury, i was told that i'm not the only one had this problem. *tr

Power door opened part ways and would not shut. had to drive to mechanic with door partially open and he had to force it shut. toyota mechanic said it was a know cable problem with the door motor, but toyota has not issued a recall yet. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 toyota sienna. the contact was attempting to open the rear driver's side door the but the door only opened six inches wide while using the fob, then shut independently and without warning. the contact stated that she had to manually pry the door open. the vehicle was taken to a dealer for inspection where the contact was informed that the door cable had snapped and wrapped around the motor. the motor and the cables would need to be replaced, the vehicle was repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the incident. the approximate failure mileage was 80,000.

I purchased this vehicle used from hoselton auto mall in rochester ny in august 2013.i was talked into a "toyota platinum care" bumper to bumper extended warranty.i was told this warranty was exactly the same as the new vehicle warranty but for an extended time.i was told it covered everything.i specifically asked if it covered all parts on the sliding doors, the dvd player, etc.i was told yes. in january 2014 i experienced a problem with one of the sliding doors.my local dealership said the center hinge was bad and was not covered under my warranty.i insisted that hoselton pay for the repair,they reluctantly did so.i have since had both siding doors repaired multiple times due to the lock assembly not working.the lock assembly is covered under a new special condition warranty because toyota has received so many complaints.now the other doors center hinge is bad.i was told if i don't replace the hinge that the lock assembly will keep going bad.so these are obviously related issues.this combined issue causes my doors to either be stuck open, be stuck closed, or to open while i am driving.all safety issues as i have children in the back seat.i have contacted toyota and the warranty people and neither want to assist.i want the hinge replaced at toyotas cost.this is dangerous and it is a known issue by them.they need to resolve this asap.my vehicle is unsafe to drive. i have contacted them via telephone and their email system, all with no luck with assistance. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 toyota sienna. the contact stated that upon inspection, the trunk door unexpectedly closed without any warnings. the contact also mentioned that the trunk door landed on her back and caused a bruise, which was a recurring injury. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was notified. the failure mileage was 85,000.

When operating the rear lift gate (trunk) on this 2008 toyota sienna minivan, we have noticed the lift gate does not open all the way up, causing an average height adults to bump their heads on the lift gate. but worse, this happens on several occasions, the lift gate comes falling down, hitting an adult on the head, causing a head injury. worse yet, if a child happens to be standing under the lift gate, the heavy trunk can cause a major injury or death! this is happening on a number of occasions, and should be covered by toyota as this is not acceptable for a family minivan with less than 5 years old. i would like to see a safety recall issued on this type of malfunction and have this repaired or replaced free of charge by toyota dealers. *tr

Approximately six (6) months ago, i started to notice my dashboard getting sticky when the sun beats down on it. it started in a small area of the dashboard about the size of a quarter, but now appears to spreading. i have contacted the toyota dealership that i purchased the vehicle from and they claim that they have never heard of such a condition. after doing some research on the web, i found the following news segment that pointedly identifies the exact problem that i am having: http://www.wptv.com/money/consumer/toyota-dealer-calls-melting-dashboards-a-defective-product-and-wants-auto-makers-to-pay-for-repairs i am not certain what can be done, however in my opinion there should be a factory regarding on this extremely hazardous condition. please look into this matter and advise. thank you for your consideration and prompt attention to this important matter. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 toyota sienna. the contact stated that while driving approximately 55 mph, the spare tire became detached from the vehicle causing the contact to drive over the tire and experience a failure with the brakes. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnosis. the mechanic stated that the spare tire cable was corroded and consequently caused damage to the braking system. the contact referenced nhtsa campaign number: 10v160000 (structure) but was advised by the manufacturer that the recall had expired and they would not honor the repair. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 82,000.

My sister and i had just returned home from the store and i pressed the button to lift the back door to get our things out. we were in the middle of getting our things out when the door started closing on us. i got out and my sister got caught and it came down on her back and scratched her up pretty good. ever since then just out of the blue it will not stay up and it will close down on you. i think this is a major safety issue especially since i have two little children. it could really do some harm to them. the sliding doors stop closing if someone is in the way and it should be the same for the back door. i bought this vehicle because it is supposed to be one of the top of the line fans for safety. so far i am not impressed. someone needs to resolve this issue! i am scared to even open up that back door because of this.....and that is not good. *tr

Dash is sticky and is producing more of a glare/reflection on my inside windshield. extremely distracting. *js

Power sliding door cable broke. research into this problem shows that it can cause door to jam in the open position. problem was frequent enough that toyota covers the repair for vehicles manufactured 2004-2007. the problem persists in the years manufactured after this, as mine is a 2008, but the $1200.00 repair is not covered by toyota csp. *tr

The rear hatch failed today on my sienna. it will go up and suddenly without any notice fall slamming down. it almost hit my wife in the head. this is serious defect that toyota needs to correct. *tr

Dashboard melts when driven in 80 degree weather. becomes sticky and shiny. glare from shine makes it impossible to see out windshield. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 toyota sienna. the contact stated that the dashboard had began to deteriorate and she was concerned that the air bags could possibly deploy independently. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer for inspection or repairs. the failure and current mileage was 55,000.

While backing the car in my driveway it suddenly accelerated and could not be stopped by braking before it struck stone wall, blowing the right rear tire, damaging the underbody and damaging the stone wall. very scary! *tr

Power lift function of rear door malfunction. upon engaging the power door, it immediately started going down once it reached the top. the struts or brackets are not able to keep the door open making the mechanism automatically shut the door. extremely dangerous. *tr

Both sliding doors on our van started to slow when opening and closing and began to make a clicking or crackling noise. we took it to the dealer for inspection and were told that the frames were bent on both sides and we were responsible for the repair. the vehicle has never been in an accident and has low miles on it. there is no reason for the door frames to bend other than a manufacturer defect. i have read several complaints about the same problem on the 2008 sienna. toyota needs to be held accountable for this problem. there have been internet reports of doors coming open while driving. our car is still under warranty and we are being told it is not covered. *tr

The rear hatch of my 2008 toyota sienna xle closes automatically when opening by using either the remote opener or by opening manually. the door crushed my son. *tr

Inside dashboard is very sticky and always shows a glare onto the windshield while driving (safety issue); the dashboard during the summer time is very malleable, if you gently press on it, it moves as if it was melting slowly. this has been like this for a few years, when i contacted toyota they said there was a replcement program for this in which owners were notified in 2015 and expired on 2018, i explained we never received this notice as we are at the same address since 2000 and are the original new owners of the van, they did not agree to replace as the program had expired. i explained the safety risk not to mention its a know issue, they said you didn't respond in time so they will not pay to have it replaced. the supervisor was rude and said the same thing.

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 toyota sienna. the contact stated that the rear liftgate latch was found to be melted. the contact was unsure of how the latch became melted. the vehicle was not inspected by a dealer or an independent mechanic. the manufacturer was contacted and advised her that the entire door handle assembly needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was approximately 60,000. the current mileages were approximately 65,000.

Last june 2012 i was backing my vehicle in my home driveway when the rear hatch window suddenly exploded, showering large and small shards of glass outwards with enough force that glass particles were found approx. 15 ft. behind the vehicle! the inside rear of the vehicle was filled with large and small shards, and broken and hanging glass was left in the window frame. when this was reported to the toyota dealer, their rep replied that he had never heard of such an event occurring with a toyota, and implied that i had broken the window by accident. since my warranty doesn't cover glass, i turned in a claim to allstate insurance($100 deductible) and the window was repaired. on 11/08/2012 i was driving approx. 25 mph on a city street when the same window exploded with enough energy to produce a loud "bang!" i again turned in a claim to allstate($100 deductible, again!) and the window was repaired. while waiting at the repair shop, i asked the glass technician if he was aware of any similar incidents with toyota windows. he replied, "oh yes," and told me that he had just repaired a similar window on a toyota owned by a kirtland, ohio police officer, among others! i feel that this is a serious safety defect that should be investigated immediately, before someone gets severely injured! *tr

Automatic sliding door on passenger side failed. stuck halfway open. appears to be a cable problem. research done on internet shows to be common problem with approx. $1800.00 repair price. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 toyota sienna. the contact stated that the passenger's front and rear side doors failed to unlock internally. the passenger side front and rear side doors were only able to be unlocked from the outside. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was advised that the doors electric cable failed. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 95,000 and the current 126,600. the vin was not available.

Right rear power sliding door on 2005 toyota sienna lxe malfunctioned. dealer quoted nearly $1000.00 to fix. ridiculous. had dealer disconnect system (over $70.00) and now can use door manually although door is cumbersome to move -- almost impossible for children to operate. inexcusably poor design! same problem right rear window. will not operate. now disconnected by dealer (included in $70.00 charge noted above). window cannot be operated manually. permanently shut. bad! ventilation in rear and thus throughout vehicle adversely affected. *tr

we have a 2008 toyota sienna with an automatic lift gate. when you push a button on the overhead console or on the remote it opens the rear lift gate, push again and it closes and latches automatically. however, the mechanism(s) that holds it open has failed. similar to failure on the 2004-2006 sienna that forced a toyota recall. if you open it automatically it starts closing immediately after you open it without warning, no alerts. if you open it manually it will not stay open and the weight is unsupported meaning it will close on anything in its way. a child could be crushed/injured from the weight/force of the door. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 toyota sienna. the contact stated that a passenger was standing in the path of the rear passenger side sliding door. the door was engaged and closed on the passenger, crushing the passenger between the sliding door and the frame. the passenger was transported to a medical doctors for treatment of her injuries. the dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that there were no failures found with the sliding door. the manufacturer was also notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle needed to be taken to a dealer for diagnosis. the failure mileage was 14,000. updated 07/19/12*lj

Could not stop after my abs brakes locked up then were soft/absent, drove up on the center median, got back on the road attempting to go around the car infront on the right side couldn't due to other traffic then went back to the left got back up on the median. my passenger side front bumper corner went under the other driver's driver's side rear bumper corner lifting her car up into the air causing it to fall on top of the passenger side of my hood and front right fender crushing them, resulting in over 10000 dollars damage. no one was seriously hurt and neither car's airbags deployed. *tr

My 2008 toyota sienna has an automatic lift gate. you push a button on the overhead console or on the key fob and it opens the rear lift gate, push again and it closes and latches automatically. however, the mechanism(s) that holds it open has failed. similar to failure on the 2004-2006 sienna that forced a toyota recall. if you open it automatically it starts closing immediately after you open it without warning, no alerts. if you open it manually it will not stay open and the weight is unsupported meaning it will crush anything in its way. *tr

We had the recall concerning dashboard melting and cracking 2 years ago. our vehicle dashboard has been melting for about 4-5 years now and it also started to crack on either side. as soon as we received the recall notice, we took our vehicle to the dealers 2 years ago. they took measurement for our vehicle dashboard and we were told the product for replacement is not available, as soon it is available they will call us. we have called multiple times to the dealership and it is still not ready to this day (fort bend toyota dealership in sugar land, tx). the car smells, we are unable to use this vehicle as the smell of melted rubber inside the vehicle causing breathing issues for all of us especially our child who has breathing issues. how long should i wait for a replacement parts? it has already been 2 years and we have called the dealer multiple times. our secondary warranty extension expires next march 2018. once this date comes around, are we out of options to get replacement under this re-call? i need solution immediately or take the vehicle back and give us our money back!! can someone please help us. thank you.

Son opened power sliding drivers side passenger door. upon closing, door would not latch shut. door had to be held shut by adult. dealer has quoted $995 at this point just to get door to close, stating a "rusty cable" is causing the issue. representative at toyota customer care advised that vehicle is beyond warranty and toyota will provide no relief. *tr

The exposed cable of the automatic sliding door on passenger side snapped while the door was in motion.

The driver side passenger sliding door would not lock open. i was on a slight decline. my daughter was getting out of the car and the sliding door was pushed open but did not lock and slid back and slammed into my daughters hand. when trying to re-open the sliding door, it would not lock open, it would continue to slide forward. since that day, the problem has persisted sporadically. the vehicle can be on a flat surface, incline, decline etc, it does not seem to matter. each time when the door is slid open it, the locking mechanism is not working. the door will not stay open. the vehicle was brought to the dealership in july 2011 and i was told they could not duplicate the problem, so it was not fixed. the problem continued. in 2013 i received a voluntary recall notice on the non-power sliding doors were not locking shut and could open during operation (which was also happening with my vehicle) so i brought the vehicle to another dealership in october 2013 and asked for them to fix the door since i was having both the recall problem and the other problem. that dealership stated they could not duplicate the problem and they "greased" the mechanism. that did not resolve the issue and it was increasingly happening. in september 2014 i brought the vehicle back to the original dealership and asked for the vehicle to be repaired or the mechanism replaced. i stated i was concerned for the safety of my 3 year old son who goes in and out of the door and i did not want the door to slam into his hand or head and cause serious injury. i had taken video during one of the times that the door was malfunctioning. i showed it to the service rep hoping it would help with the problem. again, they stated they could not duplicate the problem and it went unrepaired. the problem has continued and it will only be a matter of time that it will cause serious injury. *tr

The sliding doors, passenger and driver are now closed. passenger side door was automatic and closing on my children when they would enter or exit. doors would stop in middle and then refuse to open or close. as i stated now they can not be opened. dealer said it is $400 to fix manual and $1500 for autodoor. *tr

2008 toyota sienna le my son - who has autism had accidentally zipped his jacket over his seat belt. he got scared and asked me to help him - so i opening our automatic sliding door (driver side) to help him unzip the jacket. while i stood there trying to get his jacket unzipped - the sliding door started to close and proceeding to slam into me 4 times before it backed off (i am pregnant - 26 weeks at the time). it has on other occasions automatically shut without us activating this. this scared me - as i also have a 3 year old and of course am pregnant - what if it was my 3 year old standing there while the door slammed into him continually? i have read numerous complaints about this online from other sienna owners and would like to have this investigated. the door should not be closing all on it's own - and it should not slam into a person or object 4 times before it backs off. *tr

Power lift function of rear door malfunction. upon engaging the power door, it immediately started going down once it reached the top and will not stop if someone is in between it. the struts or brackets are not able to keep the door open, making the mechanism automatically shut the door. extremely dangerous. *tr

Initially in cold weather only, the tail gate / hatch / rear door would start to close slowly of its own accord. the electrical system would then assume you had attempted to close the door by hand and the electric motor would kick in and close the door on top of you if you did not realize and move. the force of the closing door is quite high to a degree that it was a struggle to stop it crushing a person. a child would not be able to stop it closing. the problem has continued to get worse and the weather has little effect anymore, the door will not stay open even on mild days. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 toyota sienna. the contact stated that nhtsa campaign number: 10v160000 (structure) exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the issue. the contact did not experience a failure. updated 8/29/14*cn updated 09/17/2014 *js

Tailgate will not stay in the upright position. as soon as the tailgate is lifted, the gate slams shut. if someone were underneath the gate, it would cause serious injury or even death. this is the second toyota sienna that we have had this problem. *tr

As i was trying to open the tailgate, the lock (rubber layer) felt squishy and i saw some black rubbery deposit on my fingers. same thing every summer. in 2013 and 2014 december, noticed that it'd take significant effort to open the tailgate in the middle of winter. and now, in january 2015, it just doesn't open. the rubbery area is extremely hard and it can't be pressed to trigger the tailgate unlocking mechanism. i heard that it's a common problem with toyota siennas. would appreciate nhtsa to look at this. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2008 toyota sienna. the contact received a recall notice, nhtsa campaign number 10v160000, structure in reference to the corrosion on the spare tire assembly. the vehicle was inspected by the dealer who informed him that there was nothing wrong with his vehicle. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was approximately 18,000. the vin was unavailable. updated 01/11/11*lj

Sunroof glass shattered while driving on the freeway with no apparent reason (no collision, no bad road condition). *tr

Toyota sienna 2008 lift gate fell on head of child- the lift gate is now unsteady all the time and will not hold the weight of the gate up. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 toyota sienna. the contact stated that nhtsa campaign number: 10v160000 (structure) exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. the manufacturer was made aware of the delay. the vehicle was not repaired. the contact had not experienced a failure.