A known issue with these 3.0 l v6 engine. Heavy smoke from the exhaust pipe. Visible oil sludge under the oil refill cap.
The worst 2001 Toyota Sienna problems
Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.
Problems by type
Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.
- Body35
- Locks34
- Engine26
- Electrical20
- Brakes19
- Tires14
- Fuel system13
- Acceleration9
- Seat belts9
- Visibility9
- Steering8
- Airbags7
- Transmission6
- Wheels3
- Seats1
- Suspension1
Specific symptoms reported on the 2001 Toyota Sienna
Door locks 19Grinding brakes 8Check engine light 8Tire blowout 5
Recalls 2
Structure
- What is wrong
- Toyota is recalling certain model year 1998 through 2010 sienna passenger vehicles manufactured between august 7, 1997 and january 4, 2010, currently registered in or originally sold in connecticut, delaware, illinois, indiana, kentucky, maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, vermont, washington district of columbia, virginia, west virginia, and wisconsin. The subject vehicles are equipped with the spare tire stowed under the vehicle. If the vehicle is operated in the cold climate regions of the united states where road salt is frequently used, water splashed backwards with high concentrations of road salt can reach the spare tire carrier and corrode the spare tire carrier assembly cable.
- Risk
- The cable may break due to excessive corrosion and the spare tire may separate from the vehicle, possibly resulting in a vehicle crash.
- Remedy
- Toyota will notify owners with an interim letter initially instructing them to bring their vehicle to authorized dealers to inspect for corrosion. A second notice will be sent when the permanent remedy is available. For more information, please see toyota's amended recall report of july 19, 2010. The safety recall is expected to begin on october 12, 2010. Owners may contact toyota at 1‑800‑331‑4331.
Recall number 10V160000 · Recall details
Structure: frame and members
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. The front sub frame assembly has not been adequately welded.
- Risk
- This condition could cause failure of the assembly following long-term usage, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect and replace the front sub frame, if necessary. Owner notification began april 9, 2001. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact toyota at 1‑800‑331‑4331.
Recall number 01V072000 · Recall details
Technical service bulletins for the 2001 Toyota Sienna 124
Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.
- Acid rain results from rainwater or other airborne moisture that become acidic due to industrial chemical...
- To prevent brake rotor rust from forming during transportation and storage, wheel film will be used...
- The condition known as acid rain is caused by airborne chemicals or particles in the atmosphere, which mix...
- Toyota vehicles are currently protected with RapgardTM protective film designed to protect the horizontal...
- Vehicles may occasionally be subjected to contamination by airborne iron particles shed from railroad...
- Toyota vehicles are currently protected with RapgardTM protective film designed to protect the horizontal...
- This is to advise of various price adjustments that will affect Toyota Genuine Motor Oil and Long Life...
- Obsolete notice
- Replacement certification labels (the vinyl label installed on the driver door or door post) and VIN...
- The Immobilizer and Smart Key Reset is a feature that allows the registration of new keys when all master...
2001 Toyota Sienna fuel economy
Official EPA estimates in miles per gallon (MPGe for electric). Ranges cover trims that share the same engine.
| Engine | Drive | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.0L 6‑cyl | FWD | 17 | 23 | 19 |
What 2001 Toyota Sienna owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
The driver's side rear sliding door has several times now refused to latch, and when in emergency situation I have locked it and forced it to shut then it will not unlock and it has to be taken apart to be opened and the whole latch and lock mechanism reworked by the mechanic, and in the meantime the door is unable to be opened which is extremely unsafe when I have children in the middle and back rows of the van. This is the third time in the past 3 years that this problem has occurred, so it is definitely an actual problem with the hardware of the door latch mechanism itself and not simply a glitch that occurred once or something.
My 9 year old son and I were on our way home from work last night and I heard something snap on my 2001 toyota sienna. I then heard something dragging so I immediately pulled over to check and realized the fuel tank was dragging and the back straps holding the gas tank up had broken loose causing the back section of the tank to drag on the road. I had to call a tow truck to tow vehicle to the mechanics. Since I work 18 miles away I find getting to work difficult.
I had just dropped my youngest daughter off at school and as I was leaving I had to stop because some children with their parents needed to cross in front of me I applied my brakes as normal and I had no issues in stopping but then it feels like a "ghost" pushes the gas pedal down because I can feel it move and see my RPM gauge go up and I hear my engine "vrrrrooommmm" I pushed my brakes harder and still nothing, the end results me having to put my car into park to keep it from moving into the crosswalk onto the people. When I get home it does the same thing and I almost crash into my garage because the car is accelerating on its own and again. It would always happen at random, after I would let go of the brakes its already moving fast as if my foot is on the gas, I say to my passenger which is my wife "look the van is going on it's own, I'm not even pushing the gas" the van was moving pretty fast, but fast enough for the flow of traffic from a stop and go movement. I no longer drive the van because I am scared that I am going to get into an accident and I don't want that to happen. No check engine light is on I even had the van checked for codes and nothing came up.
Takata recall. White smoke comes out of the exhaust when I start the car. Then smoke disappears or stay at low level during driving. Decrease oil. I put one quarter oil each week. Mechanics says it may head gaskit or seals. Costs 2000 and above to repair. If not better to garbage this vehicle. It has a clean title with 106k.
The seat belt pretensioner was faulty and not working properly. It stopped the SRS deploy and have the airbag light on.
The horn on the sienna works intermittently. This is a very unsafe situation when driving as a horn could possibly prevent an accident with a car or pedestrian. First had the problem in 2014, but when we brought it to toyota, it would work, so they couldn't check it out. In april 2015, they finally thought it was a defective spiral cable, so they replaced it, to the tune of $400+. Three days later, we had the problem again. Weren't able to bring it back until recently. Replaced spiral cable again. Problem returned before the car made it home. Vehicle is back in shop. I believe they said they are replacing the horn pad assembly, which will cost another $150 for the part. They are not charging for labor as it is under a 1 year service warranty. Found out today a coworker has a similar problem with a 2005 sienna. I googled, "problems with sienna horn" and found many people with the same problem. Why has there not been a recall as this is clearly a safety issue. I feel that maybe there has not been any serious accidents attributed to this problem and so it's "flown under the radar", so to speak.
Horn will not work in the rain or when you drive in water. It takes about a day for the horn to dry out for the horn to work at all. People could get killed when the horn will not work in the rain or water. Toyota needs to have a recall now to save the lives of millions of men, women and children in the USA.
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 toyota sienna. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 55 MPH, the hood was shaking violently and unlatched from the vehicle causing the windshield to crack. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the failure was undetermined. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 120,000.
I was entering the parking area of a shopping center. Immediately after turning in the car accelerated quickly. I braked to no avail. Then I put on the foot emergency brake, which slowed but did not stop the car. A passenger then turned off the key and we lurched to an abrupt stop, short of a typical parking lot light pole. After a brief time I turned on the key and was met with a very loud growl from the hood. Aaa hauled me to joseph airport toyota in vandalia, oh. On tues, aug 11, I called to see what they had found. They told me that they had found nothing wrong with the car after testing and driving the car. I asked to talk with the mechanic, who told me he had tested everything thoroughly and could not replicate what I had experienced.
Compare the 2001 Toyota Sienna
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Other model years
1996199719981999200020012002200320042005200620072008200920102011201220132014201520162017201820192020
Questions about the 2001 Toyota Sienna
Is the 2001 Toyota Sienna reliable?
Owners have filed 180 complaints about the 2001 Toyota Sienna, close to a typical Sienna model year.
What is the 2001 Toyota Sienna year score?
The 2001 Toyota Sienna scores 74 out of 100 (average). The score compares it with the other model years of the Toyota Sienna: 75 is a typical year, 50 means twice the usual complaints, and serious complaints and recalls lower it.
What is the most common problem with the 2001 Toyota Sienna?
Body and structure, with 35 complaints, typically around 84,000 miles. Next is locks (34).
How many recalls does the 2001 Toyota Sienna have?
2 recalls, covering structure.
Was there a recall on the 2001 Toyota Sienna body?
Yes, 2 recalls: 10V160000, 01V072000. Check your VIN to see if your car still needs the free repair.
What year does the Toyota Sienna have the most body problems?
The Toyota Sienna model years with the most body complaints are 2004 (962 complaints), 2005 (499 complaints) and 2006 (261 complaints).
What gas mileage does the 2001 Toyota Sienna get?
Official estimates for the 2001 Toyota Sienna range from 19 mpg combined. The most efficient version (3.0L 6-cyl, FWD) gets 17 city and 23 highway.
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