Problems with 2009 Toyota Sienna STRUCTURE

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 toyota sienna. the contact stated that while approximately driving at 45 mph, the spare tire fell off from under the vehicle. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 85,000.

Sliding door cable snapped. seems like a common theme so i thought i submit the same thing happen to me. then the door roller went bad leading to the door coming off. now door is inoperable.

The cable for the automatic sliding door snapped and got jammed in the motor causing the passenger side sliding door to be stuck in the closed position. this causes a safety issue because it hinders passenger egress from the vehicle. this vehicle is equipped with a driver's side sliding door so passengers were able to exit on the street side of the vehicle which is a safety hazard because they were exiting into traffic. toyota recalled/extended the warranty for the defective cable assembly but only for models years 2002-2007. toyota refuses to extend the warranty for the same exact defective part in the 2009 model. *tr

While traveling at highways speeds (65 mph) on interstate 290 heading west outside of worcester, ma at approximately 7:30am the spare tire fell off the vehicle causing us to run over the tire. visual inspection of the vehicle immediately following (within a mile down road), the passenger side running board was also missing. a road side assistance vehicle was already tending to another motorists near the incident and we talked to him. he indicated that the mass state police were responding to assists. they arrived shortly after and told me the spare tire was in the median and probably damaged after being hit by a truck. we were welcomed to retrieve it, but since she was operating alone she couldn't stop 4 lanes of westbound traffic but that i was welcome to try and retrieve it. because of the traffic speeds, the number of lanes of traffic, and the lack of a breakdown lane near the median, it was decided it would not be safe to retrieve the tire. we have filed a damaged vehicle report with toyota corporation especially in lieu of a known defect (federal recall notice) regarding the harness holding the spare tire in place on these vehicles. *tr

Passenger power sliding door cable broke. *tr

While on a decline, automatic sliding door cable snapped while door was automatically closing. door slammed shut just as an 11 year old child got into the car. thankfully she was not injured. brought it to dealer and since models 2004-2007 underwent recall for this very incident, sliding door was fixed at no charge. it was found that cable which allows the sliding door to glide open and close fluently was rusted and rotted away causing it to snap. car is parked in a covered and closed garage all year through. this was on driver side. the passenger side had the same rust and rot but since still functioning, toyota would not replace as a preventative measure. we were always concerned that this would happened again and took great care especially on declines. while parked on flat driveway, 6 months later, second sliding door cable snapped. thankfully no injuries. brought it to dealer and were told that they would not cover this time. we were also told by one of the dealer's mechanics that 2009 model is exactly made like 2004-2007 so he could not understand why the recall was arbitrarily given to only those years. now door is manual but without cable, even on the slightest decline, door slams shut. will not stay open. this is a major concern for my children's safety. they will not cover cost to replace it or fix it but the door is not safe to use otherwise. *tr

The rear lift door of the 2009 sienna has the power lift. i hit the fob to open the door to load items into the back of the van. it opened normally and my wife and i leaned into the van to put items in. as the door reached the top, it suddenly started closing while we were standing under it. i had to use quite a bit of force to slow it down enough so we could get out of the way. and even with me being 6'1 and 195 lbs, it was not easy to do. my wife who is 5'1 and 110 lbs could not have stopped it. if i opened the door manually, there was nothing to assist me with the weight of the door, so i had to continually hold it up. since this incident, it happened every time until i got it fixed at a toyota dealership. they said the hatch stays were leaking, it cost me $327 for them to install a back door stay kit. in researching this on the internet, i noticed there was a recall for older model years, but not for 2009. it seems like the same exact problem, and feel the recall should be extended to newer model years. *js

2009 toyota sienna minivan developed corroded rear air-conditioning lines after only 4 years. corrosion caused complete loss of a/c coolant. it cost me $118 to have the a/c system tested only to find out that it will cost me another $1578 to repair the problem...and there's no guarantee that this won't happen again in another 4 years. dealership won't help. toyota corporate won't help. it is a scam that they use untreated aluminum a/c lines that they admit are prone to corrosion in northern climates where salt is used on the roads. easy fix: paint the a/c lines! toyota won't offer any help whatsoever! i have found an emotional state beyond rage. *tr

While vehicle was parked, ignition on, we opened the rear hatch ( manual). upon full opening there was a loud bang and the strut on the right proceeded to release all of it's gas. the gate can be opened but will close immediately unless held in place, neither side has any support. as the gate is heavy this is a huge inconvenience. we were very lucky the person unloading was an adult and was able to keep the hatch from slamming down on them. *tr

The dashboard is melting in our toyota sienna. we have had the van handicapped adapted. my husband is a disabled vet and i am the driver. i am also the person that is having the sun reflect off the dash and can sometimes impair vision. the dash is so sticky that everything attaches to the dash and it is dirty. there is no way to clean it. i cannot afford to buy a new dash and we do not travel far during the early part of the day. he is 64 and i will be 64 years old. we would appreciate your help thank you very much. *tr

The dashboard is sticky. your hand will stick to it. it was first noticed about a year ago. it was just the drivers side. i took the car to the local toyota dealer and was told immediately that it was something i used to clean with. now the whole dashboard is sticky and i have not used anything on it as everything sticks to it. *tr

The back trunk does not stay open, and slams shut so hard! i found this out after a trio to the grocery store with my two little ones. i had to use my head to prop the trunk open, which resulted in me hurting my neck. for fear of injury to myself of my children with how the trunk slams down so hard and fast, i just crawled from the backseat to the trunk area. because i have young children, i have strollers in the trunk of my van, i saw that there was a recall for rear struts for 2004 - 2005 siennas, nothing since. very frustrating that i'm going through this, but its somewhat a relief that i not alone. but if i'm not alone; why is toyota not doing something about this. *tr

The cable that opens the power sliding doors snapped making the door unable to open. this occurred on the passenger side in april of 2013 at 58,000 and then to the driver side door in august of 2014 at 76,000. we were able to use our extended warranty to pay for the first door. the price to repair this problem is $1,00 to $1,400. toyota has a recall for this problem up to the 2008 model, but will not repair our vehicle because it is a 2009. to me, this is an obvious design flaw and presents a danger because passengers can't exit that side in an emergency. *tr

The automatic rear lift gate closes as soon as it opens. it been doing for pass few days now. its a pain but had to go thru. its expensive to fix,,, *tr

Upon opening the driver side power sliding door, the cable snapped, and the door would not open. we disengaged the power and figured we would continue to use the door in a manual setting. however, once the door was closed, we discovered that you cannot open it if the cable is snapped. it opened up about 8-12 inches, but would go no further. although out of warranty, toyota agreed to fix the assembly due to an enhanced service agreement. in jan. 2015, the same thing happened on the passenger side and we could again not use the door. after taking it to a toyota dealer again, we were told they would not cover it under the enhanced service because it had been covered in error the first time. we asked them to just get it to a point where we could open the door manually, but they said the full repair ($1600) had to be done to do that. upon doing research, we discovered that this is a common problem among many toyota sienna owners over the past 10 years. we are filing this complaint because we believe that it is a major safety hazard to not be able to even manually open the sliding doors when the power assembly fails. if there is a switch for manual operation, it should always function in manual mode. what would happen if both doors were broken and there was an emergency? children (or anyone for that matter) would not be able to quickly exit the vehicle, nor would emergency workers be able to get them out quickly. these repairs are around $1600 per door. many families cannot and should not have to spend this kind of money to merely get a door to function in a manual setting. *tr

The automatic rear lift gate closes prematurely. the above date is the last time an injury was caused. i think that the gas struts are defective, and can no longer support the weight of the lift gate, which causes the gate to close prematurely. the failure has happened several times in the past year. on one occasion, the gate struck the bridge of my nose and caused a small laceration. i think that the struts can no longer support the weight of the liftgate when it is open, so the liftgate will fall about ten inches after it reaches the fully open position, at which point the power motor will engage the power liftgate to the fully closed position. this has caused injury to me because i was struck by liftgate when it falls or closes. i think that toyota should correct the defect by replacing the gas struts with redesigned gas struts that have longer service life. *tr

The cable broke on the power sliding door due to the plastic coating being worn, exposing the cable to the elements and rusting it. this vehicle is less than 5 years old. *tr

The children lifted back lift gate to put school books into the van and the gate fell on one of them. this has happened to several others since then. a toyota rep said he has the same vehicle and said he uses a hockey stick to prop open the gate. we tried that for a while but it sometimes fails. we had it replaced (not by toyota) in august of 2013 and it continues to fail as soon as the weather gets cold. *tr

Both automatic rear sliding doors stick and have to be used manually. i've already had one door fixed a few years ago.

The sliding back door was being closed from the power button near the drivers seat. the door wouldn't close so the button was pressed again. the door then slammed shut with great force and could have injured anyone in it's way. now it is inoperable and needs a very expensive repair. apparently this is an ongoing problem with this generation of the toyota sienna vans and toyota refuses to address it. *tr

Was hit almost in a t-bone fashion, other driver was going approximately 40-50 mph. no side curtain airbags deployed. concerned about this and when contacted by toyota, the woman said that i didn't know what i was talking about and when we bought it they were just trying to sell us a car. car has significant damage and has been in a shop for two weeks. *tr

Rear hatch struts stopped working (manual door). extremely heavy rear door of the sienna is now extremely dangerous. once opened the door just crashes shut. it could easily kill someone who was standing under it. *tr

We were backing out of a parking place at the hot springs village walmart. the van accelerated on its own, then the brakes failed. no amount of pressure would stop the van. we stopped by hitting a parked car, doing some damage to it. we had the van towed to a body shop to have the exterior repaired. we were afraid to drive it. after being repaired, we had it towed to lander's in little rock where it was pronounced safe to drive. a few weeks later we sold it and bought a 2011 toyota sienna van. (an accident report will follow on the 2011 toyota van vin#[xxx]) information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

My 2009 sienna van sliding door will not open. *tr

I was driving my 2009 toyota sienna with 2 children in the back and when i went over rail road tracks the sliding door on the passenger side opened. this is a great concern for me especially with the kids in the back. toyota want $1500 to fix this problem on a 2009 with 47,000 miles on it. there should be something that will make them fix this problem. i know it would be a major recall but the safety that goes along with this is an extreme concern!!!!! this van cost me over $35,000 and the only reason i bought it was because of the safety of the van. well that was a mistake and the service department at toyota is looking to make money off me. i am a single mom who can hardly keep up with everything else but this is just wrong, and i think our government should force them to do something about this before kids start falling out of the vans onto the streets and getting fun over!!! please help me! *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 toyota sienna. the contact was driving 45 mph when a vehicle crashed into the front driver side of the contact's vehicle. the air bags did not deploy and the doors became stuck and could not be opened. the driver and two passengers were transported to the hospital and a police report was filed. the vehicle was in the process of being diagnosed and repaired. the failure and the current mileage was 74,000.

Lift gate struts on 2009 toyota sienna have failed meaning that the rear door does not hold itself up when opened. there are two struts and both have failed. the struts must be replaced at a cost of about $200 each for a total of $400. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 toyota sienna. the contact stated that the sliding doors erroneously opened while driving various speeds. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was found that the door mechanism was rusted and was causing the doors to not spring back in place. the vehicle was repaired but the failure recurred. the manufacturer was contacted about the failure. the failure mileage was 49,463. updated 12/24/13*lj each time the consumer returned to the dealer, they claimed they fixed the problem. however, the door would pop open again, disabling the security system and causes the battery to go dead. the consumer had to tie the door shut. updated 12/24/13

I have a 2009 toyota sienna mini-van with automatic sliding doors. these doors are an accident waiting to happen. unlike an elevator door that will immediately reverse if someone or something is in its path. the sienna's doors continue to close unless forcibly pushed back to retract with a serious amount of strength. my arm has been bruised and i could only imagine a child's hand being caught. it's inconceivable to me how these doors do not operate on the same premise as an elevator. very dangerous! *tr

2009 toyota sienna. consumer writes in regards to iowa being included in toyota recall regarding corrosion of the spare tire carrier cable.*tgw

In cold weather, 32 degrees or less, the power rear hatch when opened automatically with the key fob or interior control button will open fully, then close immediately without warning. if a person or obstacle is in the way upon closing, it is very reluctant to reverse again. this poses a danger for smaller people such as my wife or 9 year old daughter. if the hatch is opened manually, it stays open and if it's warmer outside, the automatic feature works again. this has happened numerous times over the past couple of years during the winter. *tr

Power doors not working will not open or close on auto all the time or on manual now drivers side cables have broke. *tr

Hi, i bought a toyota sienna 2wd in 2009. toyota had a recall on the minivans due to the malfunctioning of the spare tire in cold climates, but did not include iowa in it. they have not sent any communication in this regards to end customers. updated ivoq 08/05/10 updated ivoq 08/31/10*jb *tr

Rear sliding doors won't stay open on 2009 toyota sienna. the smallest of inclines will make the sliding doors refuse to stay open. *tr

2009 toyota sienna - raised the power rear hatch to load luggage. was under the hatch when it started to automatically close on me. i had to use force for it not to close on me. not sure what would have happened if it was a child putting something in the back. i don't think a young child could have stopped it from squeezing them. it would not stay open unless we manually held it. had to manually hold it open the whole week of vacation. when returned, took it into the dealer the struts were bad and they replaced them under warranty. works fine now. *tr

Rear hatch on 2009 toyota sienna xle closes spontaneously and does not stay up w/o holding it. *tr

The automatic sliding door on our van has closed on our 3 year old twice, causing minor injury. the first time, the door hit his head but did not encounter enough resistance to engage the safety open until it had pushed him against the side of the van. then the safety engaged and the door opened. it left red marks on both sides of his head. we took the van to the dealer on april 12 2010 to have the door looked at, and requested that the resistance be lowered. on april 28th the door again hit our child, this time the door completely latched closed on his hand, pinning his hand in the door. his thumb had a "dent" in it, and is now extremely and immobile the next day. he is being taken to the dr today. i called toyota corporate 10 minutes after the incident to report it. *tr

Our automatic sliding door was opened but would not close. no amount of tugging, finessing, or cursing would make it shut. children were stranded in phoenix heat in august because the vehicle was unsafe to drive with a door that could not be closed. there are many mentions of this exact problem on various blogs and all report difficulty in getting toyota to offer a solution that didn't cost $1-2k. almost all owners reported the "fixed" doors to have failed in some way again with dealers refusing to cover the cost of the second (or third) fix. the failure had to do with the actuator that unlocks the "u" shaped striker assembly. it seems evident that the cable is either breaking, stretching, or that some solenoid is not doing its job. the outsome of our problem was that a second vehicle had to be obtained, children and their seats moved to the new vehicle and the van driven in an unsafe condition back to our house 10 miles away because the dealership was closed. to complicate this, the sienna was down to no gasoline and it was the driverside door that was stuck in open position which made it impossible to put fuel in the vehicle. what if this same scenario happened in the middle of the dessert here at a rest stop in 120-degree heat with no tow truck in 100 miles and no way to drive the van with children inside? this is not only possible, but likely. our van has two (2) automatic doors and this problem has been reported by many people. lastly, no one who reported the problem, reported the problem permanently fixed by anything the dealerships were able to do. for us, this first incident is probably covered by warranty, but how about future problems? the actuator issue is a design flaw. the fuel door behind sliding door makes it an inconvenient design flaw. that this is on a vehicle that transports children, makes the design flaw a serious safety concern. and that toyota is not addressing the problem in any substantial way just plain sucks! *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 toyota sienna. while driving at any speed, the dashboard remained greasy. when the sun reflected on the greasy dashboard, it would reflect onto the windshield and hinder the driver's visions. in addition, the entire dashboard area was cracked and the air bags were visible. the vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 26,000.

I have a 2004 toyota sienna (10000 ml.)in a very good condition, last month passenger side power sliding door stopped working. dealer wanted over $1500 to fix it. this after going thought front driver side door recall ( toyota dealer fixed it 3 times)and back trunk door struts recall it seems that this van has some serious door problems. after using some online blogs i discovered that there is a lot of sienna owners with the very same problem, beside the fact i am driving two 5 year old kids in this van every day and this clearly creates a very dangerous safety concern. *tr

2009 toyota sienna with less than 700 miles had the automatic sliding door break. should be covered under warranty. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 toyota sienna. the contact stated that the dashboard material was defective. the dashboard exhibited fractures at the driver and passenger side air bag areas. the sunlight caused the dashboard to become sticky and caused a reflection on the windshield that obstructed the driver's view. the dashboard was not replaced. the manufacturer was not notified. the approximate failure mileage was 10,000.

Usually in cold temperatures, whenever the rear automatic hatch is opened from the either the fob or the van's control panel, the rear hatch door begins to close back without warning/notice. this has happened at least 20 times since we purchased our 2009 toyota sienna in december of 2008 and is increasing in frequency. the approximate onset date is recorded below on this form. when it begins to close, adults and children have been trapped between the hatch and the vehicle, resulting in pinning and cuts to the head. only with strong manual force does the hatch stop closing. as of today, 2/9/10, there have been no notifications of a recall or effort to correct or repair the problem. because the problem was infrequent at first and corrected itself when the temperatures got warmer, we thought it was just a temporary glitch, but then the problem reappeared once temperatures began to get cold again in the fall of 2009. *tr