Tl* the contact owns a 2008 toyota sienna. The contact stated that while driving at 10 MPH, the passenger side sliding door opened independently. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was repaired, but the failure recurred several times. The details of the repairs were unknown. The vehicles passenger side sliding door also opened independently when parked and failed to close. In addition, the door ajar warning light illuminated. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 5,000. Updated 2/4/16 *cn.....updated 02/10/16 *bf
2008 Toyota Sienna body complaints
Page 3 of 5: complaints 41 to 70 of 117, newest first, as owners wrote them.
When opening driver side door, 2 loud clicking/popping noises occur. From what I have gathered, it is a faulty door check.
The cable for the passenger side power sliding door broke when the door was closing.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 toyota sienna. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency campaign number: 14v273000 (tires); however, the part was unavailable to perform the repair. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was notified of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Ma 09/03/15
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 toyota sienna. When the vehicle was started, the power sliding door on the passenger side failed and would not open. The contact stated that the door could be opened manually with force. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the power door cable needed to be replaced. The failure recurred with the driver side power sliding door also; however, the door could not be opened at all. The manufacturer was made aware of the failures. The approximate failure mileage was 103,000.
Passenger side power slide door does not work by pressing the button on the central console, on the side of door or the key fob. The slide doors do work by pulling the handles from the outsides. I was told this was the override procedure. This is a big concern with this being a family vehicle.
I was getting things out of back with power lift gate up. While leaning in vehicle the power lift gate came down without warning and caught me. It did not continue to crush me but it did not reverse so I had to use a pretty good force to push it up (my wife probably would not have been able to do it). It did it a second time a week or so later. When I took it to toyota they said the struts were bad and replaced them. When I asked why there was no warning they just shrugged their shoulders and said do not know and insinuated they would not know what to do so it would not happen again without warning. How was I to know the struts were bad since it is a power lift gate had been working just fine? It seems to me if this is not something toyota can fix so it cannot come down without warning they at least need to install warning labels in an obvious place that the lift gate can close without warning. I really think my wife would not been able to push it up as I did. She would have needed assistance.
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 the federal safety agency to look at this.
My dashboard is melting and it gives a very bad glare of brake lights, traffic lights and the sun. It also has a very bad glare when raining and reflects tail lights at night. It is extremely difficult to see. When I reported this to toyota they said it would not be covered by my warranty.
Received letter,7/24/14, advising that my 2008 toyota sienna had a potential problem with the cable, holding the spare tire underneath the vehicle, which needed to be replaced. On 8/26/14, my spare tire was relocated to the luggage compartment of my van which rendered the area unusable for folding the rear seats down to use that area for transporting larger items, etc! I checked several times with my local dealer regarding a permanent solution/repair and was told they had not yet received notice of and/or repair parts for the identified problem.on 11/20/14, I contacted the toyota customer experience center and spoke, at length, with a representative who stated that they had been receiving numerous calls regarding this issue and that she was aware of several meetings regarding the issue but no resolution as yet and no idea when a resolution will occur. It would seem that by now, if the situation is being actively worked on, an acceptable repair would be available! I am frustrated and disappointed with toyota for their seeming indifference to those of us waiting for their action on this matter. Thank you for your prompt attention to this situation.
Power sliding door cable got rusted and snapped. Jammed the door. Toyota covers the door latch but not the cable.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 toyota sienna. The contact stated that the federal safety agency 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.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 toyota sienna. The contact stated that the rear hatch door sensor malfunctioned and failed to recognize when someone was within the entry of the hatch. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 130,000.
The power liftgate wont stay open and closes on people, repeatedly.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 toyota sienna. The contact stated that the sliding doors cable fractured causing the automatic opening and closing of the door to fail. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 112,000.
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.
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.
I pressed the button to open the automatic rear passenger sliding door to put in a shopping bag after leaving a store. The door open, then when I pressed to close the door, it started to close bumped and clanked and reopened and would not close. I had to drive the 16 miles home with the door open. I took it to chatham parkway toyota in savannah, ga who inspected it and had me retrieve it to take to a collision center for repair. They wouldn't touch it and told me to take it back to the dealer. I took it to savannah toyota who repaired it at a cost of over $1400 to replace the rear slider assembly and cable assembly. They also advised me that the rear main seal and sub oil pan gasket needed to be replaced, I checked online to see if this was a recall for any reason after hearing of that other's had experienced this problem. This is a documented problem with toyota with a warranty or recall for model years up to 2007. I called toyota on october 17th to ask about a reimbursement since the problem is still an existing one with my 2008. Obviously the problem has not been corrected or my van was built using prior years parts. They told me my van was not part of the warranty even though it is the exact same problem as previous years. They offered me $1000 that can be used on another repair which I will need to pay out of pocket then ask for reimbursement. I do need that to help pay the $2400 repair for the real main seal repair. The malfunctioning rear sliding door is a safety concern especially if there are children in the rear seats. Toyota needs to extend this warranty because they have not fixed this problem. I have grandchildren, and a child could unhook their seat belt with the door open and fall out in traffic. I was also exposed to a possible carjacking with no protection. Toyota need to take ownership of this for the safety of their loyal customers.
The dashboard is sticky and produces a glare. It gets stickier when it's hot. The sun seems to be melting it. It causes a glare while you're driving that is dangerous. I have researched this and it is happening to other toyota dashboards pre 2009, especially in the state of florida, which is where we live. There needs to be a recall before someone gets hurt. Thank you.
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.
The dashboard seems to be melting, is sticky and is cracked in several places.
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.
The passenger side automatic door cable snapped. The car is only 6 years old. I did some research on the internet and there are widespread reports of this being a common design flaw with toyota sienna automatic doors. I called the dealership and they indicated it was $1600 to repair the cable. That is outrageous! I wrote to toyota through their customer support site inquiring about an extended warranty I read about regarding this issue, however they opted to ignore me and not respond.
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.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 toyota sienna. The contact stated that the federal safety agency 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
While parked in my driveway and seated in the drivers' seat, I activated the rear lift-gate via the center roof console button. I exited the drivers' side door and proceeded toward the rear of the vehicle. At this time the lift-gate was still rising, and to all observance, acting normally. As I got to the rear of the vehicle the door was almost at its apex. While standing outside the vehicle, I bent down to get something out of the rear cargo area. I have done this hundreds of times with no concern because the lift-gate is designed to stay open once it reaches the top of its opening cycle. As I stood up to leave the area of the vehicle, the lift-gate came down without warning or activation on my part and hit me on my head and shoulder. I had not pulled down on the manually retraction handle on the inside of the lift-gate and no one had activated the button inside the vehicle at the console. After tending to my bleeding head and sore shoulder, I returned to the vehicle to try and duplicate the event. I am able to duplicate the event each time the lift-gate is activated. It does not matter whether the lift-gate is activated by the remote control fob, the console, or the manual lever on the door. Any time the door is opened, it reaches its apex and automatically and immediately retracts down to the closed position. I contacted the dealership where I purchased the vehicle and they told me that since my warranty has ended, I would need to pay a "diagnostic fee" of $118/hour. I thought this was unfair so I contacted the manufacturer's customer relations department. I was also told that since there were not recalls on this part of this vehicle, they "could not help with the repairs." after encountering my second dead-end for assistance, I did a simple google search to see if anyone else has had this problem. Hundreds have, which is why I decided to contact the federal safety agency. Updated 08/21/14*lj updated 5/22/2015
Dash is sticky and is producing more of a glare/reflection on my inside windshield. Extremely distracting.
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.
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).
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.
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