2004 Toyota Sienna: key fob or push-button start problems

Filed Feb 8, 2013 · Body · 152,000 miles · VA

Our 2004 toyota sienna minivan was parked. I opened the passenger side rear sliding door remotely with the key fob. I instantly heard a popping/crunch noise, and heard it again when I closed the door. I discovered that the exterior cable that controls the sliding motion of the door had frayed and the plastic sheathing of the cable was gone. The toyota dealer (instantly familiar with the problem) advised that I would have to replace both the cable and the motor for a cost of $1300, and that there were no less costly options. This is a safety issue that should have been addressed by toyota long ago since it was clearly a design flaw...and their recent "extended warranty" excludes way too many vehicles. Edmunds.com complaints specifically addressing this toyota sienna door issue began in 2006, and now there are 74 pages and 740 reports of damaged cars and kids at risk due to inability to open the door, cables snapping and parts hitting people in the face, people attempting to address the issue by simply removing the cable and operating the door manually only to find that the door gets stuck in the open position and will not close, and owners replacing the expensive cable/motor component at an exorbitant cost only to have the problem recur. Owners of these vehicles and their children are at risk. Please address this issue promptly.

Filed Jul 5, 2012 · Body · 125,000 miles · VA

Toyota sienna automatic sliding door failed. The door is unable to be opened even in manual mode. Used the key fob and the cable just snapped. This is a design flaw and a serious safety issue as my children need to climb over seats to exit through the only door that works as my babies car seat was in that spot. In an emergency this is a serious hazard and is just waiting for disaster to happen.

Filed Oct 10, 2011 · Body, Electrical · 79,000 miles · NJ

Power sliding passenger door no longer operates with the keyfob remote, or the door switches. The door will open if the handles are used to disengage the door.

Filed Aug 31, 2011 · Locks · 91,000 miles · FL

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 toyota sienna. The contact stated that the vehicle was parked when she attempted to open the front drivers side door, but the door would not open until excessive force was used. The contact also stated that the driver's side sliding door would not open when the button on the key fob was engaged. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing or to be repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and offered no assistance. The failure mileage was 91,000.

Filed Jul 29, 2010 · Body · 60,000 miles · NY

2004 toyota sienna. Approx. 60,000. Per recall, both rear gate struts were replaced on 8/26/08. Since then, rear gate automatically closes when it's remotely opened (I.e., opened with the key fob or console button) and it reaches its point of highest travel, thereby presenting a danger to persons standing under the gate. I returned the vehicle once to the dealer which said a technician would replace the "bumpers" or "stops," but the problem continues.

Filed May 13, 2010 · Body · CA

My 2004 toyota sienna has 64k miles. About 1 year ago, the passenger side automatic sliding door started working intermittently when using key fob, and buttons inside the car. However, pulling on the handles from inside the car or outside usually opens the door. Beginning a few weeks ago, the door is completely closed and will not open at all. A quick search on the internet revealed my problem is not an isolated case. Dealer quoted $2500-3000 to repair it. Now my kids have to use the door on the driver sides stepping into traffic getting in and out of the car.

Filed Apr 13, 2010 · Body · 108,000 miles · OH

Events leading up to failure: opening the driver's side sliding door via automatic open button on key fob failure: cable in track of door snapped (it only happened once), causing the door to be rendered useless --- it no longer opens or closes, even when in 'manual' mode. What was done to correct failure? I took it to a repair shop, who informed me that it was going to cost around $1500 to fix. So, for now, nothing has been done to fix the problem. I will have to continue to load my 3 children (all under the age of 5) in and out of their car seats via the remaining, working door. In order to do so, I'm having to set my 3-month old down in the parking space next to wherever we park in order to strap the 2-year old in (or out), and help the 4 year old with her belt...all the while hoping that a careless driver doesn't barrel into the space and mow the infant over. Seems like a safety concern to me.

Filed Mar 2, 2010 · Body, Locks · 111,224 miles · CO

I have a 2004 toyota sienna le. I am unable to open my right rear power sliding door with the key fob, button on the b-pillar, or button on the driver overhead console. This problem occurs at all temperatures. For now, I can open the door manually. I have no confidence the problem will not get worse. The dealer diagnosis is a deforming rear roller door hinge. A door hinge bending during under normal use should not lead to a failure at any time. After some research on the internet, I have discovered many people are having the same problem and other problems. I am fortunate my sliding door power cable has not broken and I have a garage so my doors do not freeze shut in cold weather (have experienced on ski trips). These are separate problems but indicative of quality problems at toyota on the sienna doors. In the event of a crash, I have no confidence I will be able to open the door and get the children out. The sliding doors in the 2004 toyota sienna appear to be poorly designed and the hinge deforming under normal use. The vehicle should be recalled to fix these issues.

Filed Oct 20, 2008 · Locks · 86,200 miles · 00

My 2004 toyota sienna xle has a problem with the automatic door on the passenger side. It will not open when using the keyfob or the button in the car or close. If you pull the handle the motor will open and close it. When using the buttons it makes a sound like it is trying to work but it seems to jam?. This occurs everytime we try to open or close the door with the keyfob or button.

Filed Mar 20, 2008 · Body · 48,940 miles · KS

For the past month or so, the power lift gate seemed to not go up/raise as high as I thought it did. Then yesterday the power lift gate unexpectedly closed down. Using the key fob/remote I raised it only to have it close again. I tried lifting it manually and it closed again. I locked the car and tried the lift gate again and it closed down. This makes the rear of the car inaccessible since it immediately closes down. This is very disconcerting since the door is very heavy and this is a mini-van which is frequently purchased by families with children. It would have been terrifying and possibly fatal to my young children if they were by the rear of the mini-van when this thing unexpectedly closed.

Filed Feb 19, 2008 · Body · 28,000 miles · CA · 3 injuries

1. Events leading up to the failure: pressing either button (in the main cabin or on the key fob) top open the power rear lift gate 2. Failure and its consequences: upon reaching the fully opened position (or very close to?), the power rear lift gate reverses and automatically closes on the operator without user intervention. Since it's common to proceed to extract contents from the rear of the vehicle after opening the rear lift gate, injury ensues due to the powered closing of the rear lift gate on your head/arm/should/child. This has caused numerous minor injuries due to the significant force required to prevent the door from closing on the operator 3. The dealer has now replaced the rear lift gate struts twice and it's currently being worked on for a third time after a complaint to toyota corporate. The failures still continue and the dealer has said they have no clue how to fix the problem (during the second replacement of the rear lift gate struts).

Filed Nov 23, 2007 · Body · NY

(1) we were packing our car to return home from vacation. I used my key fob to remotely open the power hatch. We had no prior problems with the hatch. (2) the hatch rose to the top but did not catch. We attempted several times more using the key fob, depressing the inside power hatch button, and opening it manually, but the same thing happened each time. We obviously had to store things in the back so we held it open manually. Upon returning home, we tried to hold it open using a lacrosse stick, but that stick slipped and the door began closing. It did not stop when it approached my wife and worse continued to close after she pushed back on it. Luckily, we she was able to get out of the way. (3) we are taking it to a dealership this week. It does not open more than 1/2 way now.