A known issue with these 3.0 l v6 engine. Heavy smoke from the exhaust pipe. Visible oil sludge under the oil refill cap.
2001 Toyota Sienna engine problems
26 complaints (14% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 54,525. 1 crash reported.
- owner complaints
- 26
- of this car's complaints
- 14%
- typical mileage
- 54,525
- crashes
- 1
- recalls
- 0
Which part fails
- Engine10
- Engine: gasoline4
- Exhaust system1
- Engine: gasoline: belts and associated pulleys1
- Cooling system1
At what mileage
Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.
Toyota Sienna engine problems in other years
Specific symptoms reported on the 2001 Toyota Sienna engine
Phrases found in the owners' own descriptions, so one complaint can mention several symptoms.
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
What 2001 Toyota Sienna owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
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.
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 toyota sienna. The contact stated that when driving approximately 60 to 65 MPH, the vehicle would suddenly stall without warning. The vehicle was unable to restart so it was towed to an independent mechanic. After diagnosis, they advised that the engine needed to be replaced due to sludge build-up and oil jelling. The vehicle was repaired for the engine. The manufacturer was contacted and they offered no assistance. The failure and current mileages were approximately 134,000. The VIN was unavailable.
I have a sienna le 2001. 118,000 miles. We have been the only owners since we bought it. We have no perfect record of oil changes but we have done it periodically. About 3-4 months ago, it was running ok, but it blew out white-ish/ blue-ish smoke occasionally (usually when first starting, it didn't seem to make a difference if it was hot or cold). It also had little and occasional power loss when accelerating from a stop. I took it to the dealer where we bought it, and they said they just took off the top cover of the engine and it looked like it was gummed up with oil. I have changed the pcv valve, I took it to a place for an oil and oil filter change, I am concerned the damage will continue to the engine. The dealer said I need a new engine, costing around $8000. I asked a second opinion of the mechanic that has worked on our cars, and he thinks he would need to take apart the engine and figure out he problem, costing around $2000-$3000, he also mentioned the possibility of a new motor. Honestly, I do not recall receiving information about the "special policy adjustment" from toyota or dealer regarding check-replace the engines that are or could be damaged from sludge. I will appreciate your input and support.
The engine failed and had to be replaced at a cost of $5,000 due to oil sludge buildup. Traveling on I-4 from tampa to orlando the check engine light appeared then we heard a tapping from the engine,. I pulled off the road and aaa towed the vehicle and a rental car company picked us up. I had two elderly passengers (in their 80's) with walkers who had to traverse the grass along the interstate to get to the rental car and were nearly blown over by passing trucks. Toyota refused to honor a claim for repairs although they had agreed in a recent louisiana lawsuit to cover said repairs for 8 years from date of purchase. My failure was 8 years and 10 months from purchase. The sludge took much longer than 8 months to build up but toyota refused to honor their stated commitment to assist all affected by oil sludge damage (over 3,000 complaints). Their product was defective and dangerous and their denial to assist was dishonorable.
Tl*the contact owns a 2001 toyota sienna. While the contact was driving 65 MPH he noticed that the check engine light appeared on the dashboard, moments later the contact heard a knocking sound. The vehicle was taken to the dealership where the contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced due to excessive engine sludge. There were no prior warnings. The current and failure mileages were 105,000.
Engine oil light came on, then check engine light came on, engine shut off, no oil present in engine.
At 54,525 miles, the check engine light came on. It was diagnosed as "replace air/fuel sensor b1 s1." failure caused excessive damage because the sensor fused into the rear exhaust manifold. Diagnostic testing $ 49.00 sensor replacement part 227.52 " " labor 150.00 rear exhaust manifold 154.21 rear exhaust manifold gasket 29.27 repair was not done at a toyota dealership. I am reporting this so that toyota will change the design. Failed part should not damage surrounding structures. Suggest recall on this part if toyota continues to use this design.
2001 toyota sienna le, purchased new, started having problems. "check engine" light came on when vehicle had approximately 25,000 plus/minus miles. Under warranty, toyota dealership replaced the oxygen sensor without a charge. However, during this process, the "beep" signal you hear when locking-unlocking the vehicle with remote key was disappeared. This is also fixed under warranty. The "check engine" light came on again when the vehicle had about 35,000 miles. Toyota dealership said it is due to a dirty vacuum hose, they cleaned it with a charge little over $100.00. The next day the "check engine" light came on again, this time the toyota dealership said they need to replace the charcoal canister (parts free, but we have to pay labor--about $100.00). This thing causes extreme mental distress, time, money, security etc.
The engine of my toyota sienna 2001 with an identified oil sludge problem seized while driving at highway speeds. Vehicle could not be controlled and my toddler threw up in fear as we tried to avoid being smashed into while the car coasted to a stop. Mechanic repeatedly said cam seized, metal filings found, and "could not think of any other reason but the sludge problem." toyota refused to repair the vehicle under unlimited mileage, 8-year warranty. Car is presently with dealer and may be examined by engineers from the federal safety agency (dealer agreed on 12/22/05). This failure was predicted by another dealer. Car always smoked--blamed on "new engine break in", "lack of maintenance", etc. Later toyota sent letter about the issue. This time dealer agrees maintenance was excellent.
Questions about the 2001 Toyota Sienna engine
Does the 2001 Toyota Sienna have engine problems?
Owners have filed 26 complaints about the engine of the 2001 Toyota Sienna, 14% of all its complaints.
At what mileage do 2001 Toyota Sienna engine problems start?
The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 54,525 miles.
Was there a recall on the 2001 Toyota Sienna engine?
There is no recall for this problem on this model year.
What year does the Toyota Sienna have bad engine?
The Toyota Sienna model years with the most engine complaints are 2000 (68 complaints), 2004 (58 complaints) and 2007 (56 complaints).
Other 2001 Toyota Sienna problems
Body 35Locks 34Electrical 20Brakes 19Tires 14Fuel system 13Acceleration 9Seat belts 9Visibility 9Steering 8Airbags 7Transmission 6Wheels 3Seats 1Suspension 1
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