2000 Toyota Sienna Electrical System Problems

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 TOYOTA SIENNA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 30 MPH, THE HORN WOULD NOT WORK PROPERLY. THE FAILURE RECURRED ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A DEALER AND WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 130,000.

WITHIN A TWO MINUTE PERIOD, BOTH SLIDING DOORS THAT WERE PREVIOUSLY FUNCTIONING, SUDDENLY FAILED IN A CLOSED POSITION. THEY COULD NOT BE OPENED MANUALLY USING THE DOOR HANDLES FROM BOTH INSIDE AND OUTSIDE THE VEHICLE, OR BY ATTEMPTING TO ACTUATE THE RIGHT SIDE POWER DOOR. THE POWER DOOR LOCKS HAD NO EFFECT. THERE WAS NO DAMAGE TO THE VEHICLE THAT COULD HAVE CAUSED MECHANICAL DOOR FAILURE, OR OTHERWISE. NON FUNCTIONING OR JAMMED DOORS SHOULD CONSTITUTE A SAFETY ISSUE AND SHOULD BE RECALLED. IF THE VEHICLES FRONT DOORS WERE COMPROMISED IN A COLLISION, PASSENGERS SHOULD BE ABLE TO EXIT THROUGH THE REAR DOORS, BUT WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO WITH THIS MECHANICAL DEFECT. THE FACT THAT THE DOORS CANNOT ALSO BE OPENED USING EXTERIOR HANDLES INCREASES THE RISK OF ENTRAPPING PASSENGERS. TOYOTA SHOULD CONSIDER THIS A SAFETY RECALL AND REPAIR ALL FAULTY DOORS, OF WHICH THERE ARE MANY COMPLAINTS FILED HERE AND ON ONLINE FORUMS. I AM CURRENTLY HAVING TO PAY FOR THIS REPAIR MYSELF, AS TOYOTA HAS INFORMED ME THAT THERE ARE NO CURRENT RECALLS. THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION. *TR

I LIKE MY TOYOTA SIENNA VAN (2000) - WHICH HAS BEEN SERVING ME QUITE WELL FOR SEVERAL YEARS. IN THE LAST FEW WEEKS, STRANGE PROBLEMS OCCUR INTERMITTENTLY. WHILE MOVING AT AROUND 20+ MILES OR SO AND TURNING RIGHT, THE "BRAKE" LIGHT COMES OFF. UPON COMPLETING THE TURN, IT GOES OFF IN ABOUT 8 SECONDS OR SO. SAME WAY, WHILE TURNING LEFT AROUND THAT SPEED, THE DOORS GETS UNLOCKED AUTOMATICALLY (AUTO UNLOCKING POWER LOCK) AND I HAVE TO PRESS THE LOCK BUTTON TO LOCK THE DOORS. IT IS UNSAFE TO AUTOMATICALLY UNLOCK WHILE THE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION. NOT SURE WHY THIS IS HAPPENING. SEARCHED IN PRODUCT RECALLS AND IT IS NOT THERE. GOING TO TALK TO THE DEALER TO SEE WHY. THANKS. *TR

I HAVE OWNED THIS VEHICLE SINCE 2003 AND HAVE NEVER HAD ANY MAJOR PROBLEMS WITH IT. IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN VERY RELIABLE. HOWEVER, ON SEPTEMBER 21 WHILE DRIVING EAST ON I20 IN THE DALLAS AREA, I ACCELERATED THE VEHICLE WHILE ON A SLIGHTLY STEEP HILL. THE ENGINE SUDDENLY QUIT FOR A FEW SECONDS WHILE I WAS DRIVING AND ALL THE EQUIPMENT LIGHTS CAME ON. IT THEN MYSTERIOUSLY STARTED BACK AGAIN AND I KEPT DRIVING. THIS HAPPENED A COUPLE MORE TIMES WHILE DRIVING EAST ON ILLINOIS AVENUE IN DALLAS AND IT FINALLY DIED COMPLETELY ON THE SAME STREET . THE ENGINE WOULD NOT START AND EVEN THE LIGHTS WOULD NOT COME ON. I WAS ABLE TO PULL INTO THE CITY OF DALLAS'S PARKING LOT BEFORE THE VEHICLE STOPPED COMPLETELY. I HAD THE VAN TOWED TO ONE OF THE TOYOTA DEALERS IN DALLAS. THEY CHECKED IT OUT AND COULD NOT FIND ANY PROBLEMS WITH IT. THEN ON MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 25 THE VEHICLE WAS COMPLETELY DEAD IN OUR GARAGE AT HOME. I JUMP STARTED THE VEHICLE AND DROVE IT AGAIN TO METROPLEX TOYOTA ON TUESDAY, OCTOBER 5. THE ONLY THING THEY FOUND WAS THE INTAKE HOSE CLAMP AT T-BODY WAS VERY LOOSE AND THE POWER DOOR LIGHT WAS COMING ON. THEY TIGHTENED THE HOSE CLAMP AND RE-INITIALIZED THE POWER DOOR. AGAIN, ON NOVEMBER 11, I WAS DRIVING EAST ON I 30 WHEN THE VAN COMPLETELY DIED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE HIGHWAY. EVEN THE HAZARD LIGHTS WOULD NOT COME ON. I WAS STUCK IN THE MIDDLE OF A BUSY FREEWAY. FORTUNATELY, I 30 WAS BACKED UP AND NO ONE PLOWED INTO THE REAR BECAUSE MOST VEHICLES DRIVE AT 60-70 MPH ON THAT FREEWAY. I HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO METROPLEX TOYOTA AGAIN. THIS TIME THE ONLY THING THEY COULD FIND WRONG WAS THAT THE BATTERY WAS NOT HELD DOWN TIGHTLY. HOWEVER, WHILE I WAS GOING TO DRIVE AWAY IN THE VAN, I NOTICED THAT THE POWER DOOR LIGHT WAS ON AGAIN AND THE DOOR WOULD NOT CLOSE PROPERLY. WE FINALLY DECIDED TO LEAVE THE VEHICLE WITH THE DEALER FOR SOME TIME SO IT COULD BE CHECKED OUT.

WHEN I TRIED TO START MY 2000 TOYOTA SIENNA MINIVAN LAST WEEK, IT DID NOT START NORMALLY AND IT MADE A STRANGE NOISE. I TURNED OFF THE IGNITION, AND THE NOISE CONTINUED. I REMOVED THE KEY FROM THE IGNITION AND THE CAR CONTINUED TO MAKE NOISE. IT APPEARED THAT THE CAR WAS STILL TRYING TO START, EVEN THOUGH THE KEY WAS NO LONGER IN THE IGNITION. THE CAR WAS MAKING A CHUGGING NOISE - THAT MIGHT HAVE SOUNDED LIKE IT WAS RUNNING TO SOMEONE NOT FAMILIAR WITH THE CAR. I DID NOT KNOW HOW TO GET THE CAR TO STOP. I CALLED FOR A FRIEND TO COME AND HELP. HE ARRIVED APPROXIMATELY FIVE MINUTES LATER - THE CAR WAS CHUGGING CONTINUOUSLY ALL THIS TIME AND MY GARAGE (WHERE THE VAN WAS PARKED) WAS STARTING TO SMELL. MY FRIEND ATTEMPTED TO TURN THE VAN ON AND OFF AGAIN - THIS HAD NO EFFECT. HE OPENED THE HOOD, (THERE WAS SOME SMOKE) AND EVENTUALLY DISCONNECTED THE BATTERY USING A WRENCH - THIS FINALLY STOPPED THE VAN. HE BELIEVES THAT A FIRE WOULD HAVE STARTED HAD HE NOT DISCONNECTED THE BATTERY. THE VAN WAS TOWED TO A TOYOTA DEALERSHIP, WHERE THEY REPLACED THE STARTER. THEY SAID THAT THE STARTER MUST HAVE SHORTED OUT AND THAT IT WAS A GOOD THING THAT WE DISCONNECTED THE BATTERY. THIS HAPPENED IN MY GARAGE IN MY HOME AS I WAS ABOUT TO TAKE MY CHILDREN TO SCHOOL. I AFRAID THAT THIS DEFECT COULD HAVE CAUSED A SERIOUS FIRE, DAMAGE TO MY HOME AND POSSIBLY SERIOUS INJURY TO MY CHILDREN AND MYSELF. *NM

OUR KEYS WOULD NOT WORK TO START OUR VAN, WE WERE STRANDED FOR 45 MINUTES WITH OUR 3 CHILDREN. DEALERSHIP SAYS BROKEN TUMBLER, $250 TO REPLACE NOT COVERED BY WARRANTY. WE REPORTED SAME PROBLEM 5-6 MONTHS AGO DEALERSHIP MADE NEW KEY WHICH WORKED BRIEFLY. OBVIOUSLY A MAJOR DEFECT, VERY DISSAPPOINTED IN TOYOTA.*AK

MULTIPLE PROBLEMS WITH MY 2000 TOYOTA SIENNA XLE, FIRST THE CAR HAD PROBLEMS WITH BATTERY DRAIN AND NOT STARTING, THEY REPLACED THE RADIO AMPLIFIER TWICE BEFORE FIXING IT, THE POWER WINDOW ON THE DRIVER SIDE BROKE AT 35,000 MILES. THE BACK HATCH SHEETMETAL IS ALL DENTED JUST FROM CLOSING IT AND PUSHING ON THE HANDLE. THE WORST ONE IS THAT THE VAN HAS BEEN BLOWING A LOT OF BLUE SMOKE AND BURNING OIL, 4 QUARTS IN THE LAST 750 MILES. SO FAR NO HELP FROM THE DEALER.*AK

MY 2000 TOYOTA SIENNA XLE HAVE EXPERIENCE FAILURE IN THE DRIVER'S SIDE POWER WINDOW. THE WINDOW WOULD HAVE ENOUGH POWER IN OPENING BUT NOT CLOSING. THE MECHANIC INDICATED THAT MOTOR IN THE WINDOW NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE COST AND LABOR IS $322.62. I NOTICED THE COMPLAINTS SECTION, THAT THIS INCIDENT HAPPENS MOST OF THE TIME. *LA

POWER DOOR ISSUE WHEN STATIONARY. I PURCHASED MY 2000 SIENNA AND WITHIN A YEAR I HAD ISSUES WITH MY POWER DOOR. IT WOULD OPEN BY POWER BUT NOT CLOSE. AS TIME WENT ON IT WOULD NEITHER OPEN NOR CLOSE. AND NOW THE POWER LIGHTS HAS BEEN LIT FOR YEARS. I TOOK CAR TO THE DEALER MANY TIMES WHEN THIS FIRST HAPPENED AND SEVERAL TIMES OVER THE ENSUING YEARS THEY COULD "NEVER" FIND A PROBLEM. THEN ON MY LAST VISIT THEY CLAIMED THE DOOR WAS DAMAGED DUE TO AN ACCIDENT I HAD...MIND YOU I NEVER HAD AN ACCIDENT AND BOUGHT A CERTIFIED USED CAR FROM DEALER. TO THIS DAY THE POWER DOOR IS DISENGAGED AND HAS TO BE MANUALLY OPENED AND CLOSED. NOW I SEE SO MANY YEARS LATER THAT THIS IS ACTUALLY AN ISSUE WITH THE DOOR...TOYOTA NEEDS TO BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE.

MY VEHICLE EXPERIENCED A DASH BOARD SHORT. *JB