Three problems related to engine failure have been reported for the 2000 Toyota Sienna. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Please also check out the statistics and reliability analysis of the 2000 Toyota Sienna based on all problems reported for the 2000 Sienna.
I put my car in the shop at coleman Toyota telling them the car wouldn't start. They replaced the ignition chamber and then phoned to say the starter was bad too- they charged me about $575. I picked up the car Wednesday March 15 and on March 16 the car just stopped as I was driving to work. The car had to be towed to coleman Toyota. They phoned to tell me the engine had "locked" and the car was shot. They refuse to refund me the $575 for the unnecessary repairs and refuse to acknowledge that the engine failure due to "gelling" is a manufacturers defect.
The engine in my 2000 Toyota Sienna has a defect that causes engine oil jelling and leads to a total failure of the engine. The problem first occurred at 38000 miles while still under the new car warranty. Toyota fixed the problem by cleaning the sludge from the value area of the engine but this did not eliminate the problem. At 68000, there was a complete failure of the engine that was a result of engine oil gelling. A Toyota technician who inspected the car stated that there is scaring of the internal engine parts that indicate a history of oil starvation. The oil starvation problem that caused the engine failure is due to oil gelling problem. Toyota has agreed to extend the warranty on my vehicle to cover this problem for a period of eight years with unlimited mileage, however, they are now refusing to honor this warranty.
Our Sienna was diagnosed with sludge buildup in may 2000. We were told it was necessary to replace the engine as eventually we will encounter engine failure at some point. Toyota refuses to take responsiblity of this matter and continually blames the owners for lack of maintanence. There have been other owners who have encountered engine failure while driving. We are fortunate to not have had that. However, we have no peace of mind in driving this vehicle every day, with our children mind you, and knowing we could have engine failure at any time. It is very important that an investigation into this matter be done. It is obvious there is a problem as Toyota has had over 3000 complaints such as ours. It is only a matter of time before someone is injured or killed as a result of Toyotas negligence in this matter. Is there a stipulation that someone nust be injured or killed before an agency such as yours will investigate? that makes no sense. When there is a potential for injury you must follow through. Please.