Body problems of the 2001 Toyota Sienna

The driver's side rear sliding door has several times now refused to latch, and when in emergency situation I have locked it and forced it to shut then it will not unlock and it has to be taken apart to be opened and the whole latch and lock mechanism reworked by the mechanic, and in the meantime the door is unable to be opened which is extremely unsafe when I have children in the middle and back rows of the van. This is the third time in the past 3 years that this problem has occurred, so it is definitely an actual problem with the hardware of the door latch mechanism itself and not simply a glitch that occurred once or something.

The steel cable for the power sliding door snapped while door was being opened electronically. The right side sliding door was unable to open wider than a foot since the cable snapped while in operation. Passengers, including children, had to exit the parked vehicle through the driver's side sliding door into oncoming traffic. The door remained inoperable until we were able to cut the remaining length of steel cable hanging from the vehicle onto the roadway with wire cutters. The door now is a manual sliding door until the entire motor and steel cable system can be replaced.

The left and right rear passenger doors failed to open due to breakage of the cable. I am uncertain of whether the child safety locks were engaged, however, the doors will not open wider than approx. 6". Rear passengers had to crawl out of the van via the driver's or front passenger door. I am elated that the failure of the doors did not occur during a hazardous condition, since this would have placed the rear occupants in extreme danger. If Toyota and NHTSA was aware that there is a failure in the cables and the manual release of the rear doors, there should have been a safety alert and/or recall of the vehicles for repair of the vans. The failure of the doors is not simply a matter of cosmetic issues, it is potentially hazardous and life threatening. At a minimum, the doors should have allowed for manual opening and closing, if the cables should break. The breaking of the cable, along with the inability to open the door is a defect in workmanship, since the door did not open to allow the passengers to exit the vehicle. I am requesting, along with all of the other owners who have registered complaints, that the agency investigate this matter. At a minimum, the doors shoud default to manual mode.

The contact owns 2001 Toyota Sienna. The contact stated that the running board on the driver side fractured and collapsed after he stepped onto it to enter the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who stated that the running board was rusted underneath and would need replacing. In addition, the dealer advised that the running boards were no longer being manufactured by the original manufacturer. The manufacturer was not contacted and the vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 101,000.

The contact owns a 2001 Toyota Sienna. The contact stated that while driving 25 mph a metal bar underneath the steps on the side of the vehicle were dragging on the ground. The contact pulled over and noticed that the steps had major rust underneath it. He was concerned that someone could be severely injured. The contact stated that the manufacturer would not cover the repair cost. The failure mileage was 55,000.

The contact owns a 2001 Toyota Sienna. The contact stated that the brakes were depressed with the vehicle turned off. He then shifted into reverse and the vehicle began to roll backward. The contact was able to maintain control of the vehicle until it stopped. In addition, the driver side running board melted and fractured in several places. The dealer advised that they were unable to replace the running board because it was no longer in stock. The manufacturer did not provide any assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 113,770. Updated 11/15/10 the dealer was able to duplicate, but was unable to solve it. Updated 11/26/10.

Sunvisor swings freely and strikes driver in head when turning corner. Appears to be caused by hot weather. Sunvisor was replaced by Toyota, but still causes same problem.

When making turns driver sunvisor swings out and hits consumer on the head. Vehicle has been taken to dealer 3 times, no remedy available.

Sunvisor swings left to right upon turns. Hits driver in the head. When positioned to the side window, it swings to the right. When positioned at front must be hooked or hits driver in head. When driving toward sun must hold visor in position, side window or windshield. Causes driver distraction and safety problems.