Door problems of the 2004 Toyota Sienna - part 2

One day we noticed a scraping noise that our passenger side sliding power door was making when we opened and closed it. The next day we parked in a shopping center and after getting our two year old twin girls out of their car seat, we pushed the button to close the door and it got stuck half way. We could not push it open or closed. The cable had frayed and the protective covering over the cable had come off. We panicked because we did not know how we would get home since the door would not shut to safely drive our children home. Fortunately after some time we came up with the idea of cutting the cablewith wire cutters so we could at least get it closed. It worked and the door is now manual but the door may be compromised from this cable failure. Apparently this is a common problem that many Sienna owners feel Toyota needs to address due to the inadequate materials used to operate the power sliding doors and the hefty expenses to have it replaced.

I have 2004 Toyota Sienna minivan le model. 2 years ago trying to get out of drivers seat, as I tried to open the door I heard a motorized clicking sound and the door wouldn't open from inside. I took to a mechanic and he found that the metal wire that connects to the latch had broken. I called Toyota and they said it will cost $250 for the assembly that controls the latch to open the door. Last year my power sliding door (passenger side) started acting up. Sometimes the door would open and sometimes it won't when I press the power door button located on the ceiling close to driver's side. Then it would only open from outside if I pull the latch from outside. Then one day when I pulled the door latch from outside to open it, I heard a loud noise and the metal cable that the door slides on snapped! I received an"enhancement recall" letter from Toyota just after the warranty expired. I searched the web and saw complaints that Toyota does this on purpose last minute expecting that customers won't see it in time. I called the scion dealership in palatine, IL and they said that it will cost me $120 to inspect what's wrong with the power door and there are 4 to 5 parts where 1 or more could have gone bad. Some parts are covered and others are not covered by the warran ty. This should be safety recall and could kill a small kid. A class action suit must be filed against Toyota for ripping off customers. They should be fixing it for free since its a design flaw. I would expect an engine to fail at 96000 miles but not the 2 doors (front manual door and power sliding door). Big companies like Toyota needs to cut off bonus form ceo and board of director's paycheck and use the money to correct their design flaws. I paid $32,000 and expect Toyota to return the cost of repair which is $1800+tax or fix it for free and thank me that I did not file a suit against them.

The passenger power sliding door has failed to operate due to a frayed cable. The door will not open even in manual mode with the cable in place. I snipped the cable to free the door, and it will open but will not lock in the open position (useful when opening the door at a slight decline). When closing the door manually, it makes a loud "thunk" as the door edge and frame of the car make contact. It appears as though the door has shifted on its hinges preventing a perfect alignment with the locking mechanism.

Failure of electric sliding door cable. Cable that pulls electric sliding door open rusted, failed and snapped in half. Failed cable now hangs outside the vehicle (below the rear passenger's side window) dangling from the door track.

Passenger side sliding power door became difficult to pull closed. Occasionally stuck in closed position such that someone outside has to let passenger out. Power sliding not working, must be pulled manually. Taken initially to my regular mechanic at 99598 miles, have documentation. Told to go to Toyota. I waited until I needed oil change and another recall done to go last week at 109639 miles, van age = 9 years and 13 days. I am told the actuator, cable, and latch need replacing and that there is a known defect, with Toyota extending warranty to 120,000 miles or 9 years. Toyota will not cover my car under this warranty because it is 13 days past, though under the mileage limit, even though I have documentation of the problem from 7 months ago. Cost of parts $1167, labor $1069. Unaffordable. Corporate office said they would cover parts as a "goodwill gesture" but do not care that my door has been malfunctioning for a long time and I have documentation to this effect, and this warranty extension wasn't even available until this month, to my knowledge. The danger from this problem is that the door can become stuck in the closed position. If this happened after a bad car accident or fire, young occupants could become trapped. However Toyota is not willing to address this known defect and prefers to accept this risk. There are countless complaints of Sienna sliding doors becoming stuck at all ages of vehicle. The 2004 Sienna was the first model year of a new design and has suffered a much higher than usual number of recalls. Toyota should simply recall and repair their sliding doors rather than risk their customer's lives.

The passenger side power sliding door cable snapped causing the power door to fail. We did not realize it was broken at the time and the door did not fully close and latch. Our 7 year old son was in the seat right beside that door and we drove 20 minutes home before we realized the door was not fully shut. This seems like a serious safety hazard as a child could potentially fall out of a moving vehicle with an unsecured door. This should be corrected immediately.

Right rear sliding power sliding door cable broke rendering the door inoperable. Cable snapped with the door in the open position and door could not be closed.

2004 Toyota Sienna. Consumer states problem with failure of door check mounting panel resulting in broken door welds the consumer stated the driver's door began making a popping noise when it was opened. Three out of six door welds had broken and the only effective repair, was to have the door replaced at a cost of $2206. 23. The consumer learned the problem was a result of an engineering flaw, and Toyota had recognized the problem and responded with a warranty enhancement for the issue. However, with the warranty extension, the door did not begin to show signs of a problem until outside of the extended warranty period. Toyota was willing to pay 25% toward the cost of the repair; however, the consumer believed that was unsatisfactory and believed Toyota should cover the entire cost.

Power sliding door cable broke.

6/13/2011 I brought my 2004 Toyota Sienna to the cedar rapids Toyota to check the electrical right sliding door as it was hard to open using the electrical system and manually. Toyota applied white grease and the door was less hard to open. No electrical check was performed. 7/9/2011 that same door would not open electrically and, while opening it manually, the door made a strange noise; then, the rear quarter glass of the wing window shattered. The electrical sliding door stayed stuck in a semi-open position. Being late Saturday, it could not be repaired and had to drive home with that door open, shattered glass all over the floor and seats and the deafening beeping automatic sound/signal that indicating a door is open. 7/11/2011 the car is taken to Toyota of fort worth. A supervisor was called in and, despite no investigation whatsoever, the conclusion was that nothing could be done and that I should bring the car to a body shop because it didn¿t look like a mechanical/electrical failure. I took the car to the body shop (sterling fort worth. ) once the door was stripped of its components, the body shop found that the door¿s power slide control motor was noticeably chafed with cables linking the motor to the door all twisted. The motor was replaced but the issue recurred and also the second motor showed chafing and twisting, not allowing the door to work. The body shop concluded that the cause of the problem is the sliding door control module which controls the motor. For safety reasons I agreed with the body shop to disconnect the motor to allow the manual use of the door. Both body shop and Toyota conclude that the issue cannot be resolved because of a design flaw which does not allow for the installation holes of the module to line-up with the door. Toyota specified it does not have a manual or a design to share with anyone to fix the issue.

The contact owns 2004 Toyota Sienna. The contact stated that the motor cable for the passenger side sliding door fractured. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer and was told that the motor assembly unit failed and would need to be replaced. The door was no longer operable because the dealer stated that it was opened, it would cause further damage. The dealer did not give a cause for the failure. The failure and current mileage was 88,000.

In 2009 one of the automatic door engines of my 2004 Sienna le failed and needed to be replaced for approximately $1000. Last month, the same door, passenger side, failed to open or close, and is completely inoperable at present. A diagnostic from Toyota revealed that the cables need to be replaced but they don't come by themselves and have to be purchased with the bracket and hinges that come with it. It is labor intensive; they would have to keep the van for 1. 5 days and the total cost of the repair is $1500. Toyota will not offer $ assistance despite the fact that dozens and maybe hundreds of Sienna owners have the same problem. I have at least 6 friends with door problems on their Siennas. This needs to become a recall; it is a safety issue in that kids can not get out of the car in case of an emergency. If I buy a car with an automatic door it needs to work, and I've already had to repair the door engine once. Please assist in making this a recall. Thanks!.

2004 driver's side sliding door cable broke, causing the door to be unable to close. Due to severely cold weather in iowa, the door was forced shut to allow the vehicle to be operable. Door motor replacement cost estimates range from $1300-1500. A few months later the passenger side door started exhibiting problems opening and closing. Turned off the motors from the inside compartment. One time when the drivers side door was opened, a piece of the door assembly shattered the rear 3/4 glass panel.

Power sliding door of Toyota Sienna le 2004 fails to open. Happened when car battery ran out of power. After battery was charged by an aaa mechanic with jumper cables, power door could open and close again. After driving the van for a few miles, power door started opening and closing by itself. Very, very dangerous as van was being driven on a busy highway. After I pulled up on the side road, power door kept opening and closing, but not getting successfully closed by itself. I helped the door close successfully by pushing it fully to closed position. Door is stuck in closed position since. Electronic controls and manual knobs don't manage to open the door.

The drivers side passenger door sometimes would close on it's own after opened. I took it to dealership & of course worked as normal. In may 2011 I returned to the dealership, because while I was out shopping the door would not close, I closed as best I could, but would open on it's own going up a hill or on turns. Dealership said my warranty expired in April. They could not get the door to fully close, which meant I had to turn off my power doors or the alarm would sound non-stop, the inside & outside lights would not go off. I drive this van at risk of the door opening at any time, but, it's what I own. The dealership and myself has asked Toyota to repair, they refuse - cost $3000. 00!!! cable, motor, hinge - all rusted out! I have researched this problem on the internet and have found thousands of complaints on 2004 & 2005 - same issue. This should be a recall by Toyota, paid by them! when is someone going to listen and make Toyota responsible for this matter. I travel with my dogs and young children in my vehicle, it has eliminated one seat in my van, I can't let anyone sit there. Nhtsa you need to do something for all of us that are having this issue and don't have $3,000 to pay for repair, a repair that we should not have to pay anyway! wake up Toyota, you are gonna be loosing lots of customers over this one, I know it's my last Toyota, hello Honda or Nissan! I will never recommend Toyota to anyone.

Toyota Sienna XLT 2004 power door cable snaps due to exposure to weather. Cable then jams in door, causing door to malfunction as daughter was exiting the van.

The passenger side power sliding door (on my 2004 le awd Sienna) was jammed (couldn't close or open) after my wife dropped off my daughter to school this morning. When my wife was trying to close the door manually, the left side of the door felt apart and it made a big dent and scratches on the body all over. Fortunately, my wife and my daughter didn't get hurt because of this (but very close. ) I had scheduled to bring it to the Toyota dealer tomorrow morning to find out what went wrong and what it will cost to have it fixed. Although it's only 12 miles from my home to the dealer, but it's not going to be a easy trip as I am only using ropes to have the broken door barely tided together.

The contact owns a 2004 Toyota Sienna. The contact noticed that the passenger side sliding door cable was covered with rust causing the door to become inoperable. The dealer was notified and advised the contact that there were no recalls. The manufacturer was informed and the contact was waiting for a response. The vehicle was not repaired. The current mileage was 186,000. The failure mileage was approximately 185,950.

We have a 2004 Toyota Sienna, which we bought used in September. It is now early December and this is the third day in a row that we've had both rear sliding doors frozen shut. It's obviously winter here and we've had some snow, but I've never had a problem with a vehicle where doors are frozen shut on a consistent basis over several days. If we attempt to open one of the doors, the motor opens it a fraction of an inch and then won't close again completely so that we have to drive with the door not entirely closed. I don't feel that I can have my child in the back safely with this situation, not to mention the inconvenience of having to climb over seats to get in and out. I will not take it on the highway with any passengers for fear the door will suddenly open on the highway without warning. This appears to be a problem with many 2004 Sienna vans and it should be a safety recall.

Both sliding door cables snapped and broke in our 2004 Toyota Sienna xle. Because of this we are unable to open either of the rear doors at all to our Mini van this is a safety issue as our children have to climb over the front driver side seat in order to get in and out of the vehicle. The dealership states it will cost $1,500 per door to fix this problem and enable us to use our rear doors. . . . Money we unfortunately do not have to fix this! they quoted $500 per door to disconnect the faulty units and make our power doors manual. I also contacted a non-Toyota repairman and inquire about this. . . He contacted many sources and was unable to locate any used parts that can be used to fix this. . Read more...

2004 Toyota Sienna xle van door cable/motor broke. Door stuck open and were not able to close manually. Can't drive because door is stuck open. Only way to fix is cut cable or pay $2000 to Toyota to fix the door motor.

2004 Toyota Sienna passenger side (power) door refuses to close; broken door cable. Also, the driver's side door (manual) has been broken for over 3 yrs; Toyota fixed this 3 times while still under warranty but refuses to fix it again despite the fact that it is a design defect since it keeps happening.

I have a 2004 Sienna. It began making a strange noise when I opened the driver's side rear sliding power door. That night, the van was parked on a downward sloping hill. As my daughter's friend was getting out, suddenly the door slammed shut. I put up my arm to stop the door and luckily she jumped back in time, but she would have been really hurt had she been in the doorway. I had a bruise on my arm that may have been a broken bone on the child. Looking closer, I realized that the cable connected to the door had snapped and was hanging outside the van. I had never heard of this problem before, and am surprised given that the van is only four years old and has low mileage.

2004 Toyota Sienna power sliding door cable snapped.

Sienna 2004 xle power door cable snapped and sliding door wont work. Though car had been serviced by Toyota dealer all the time.

Driver side sliding door cable frayed and snapped.

In fall 2010 the passenger side rear sliding door in my 2004 Toyota Sienna, which is automatic, began not opening and not closing when the "automatic" button was pushed or when the handle was pulled which automatically triggers the motor to start. I figured it was the motor going bad so I turned it off and began using it manually. I took it into a Toyota dealership in January 2011. I was told it would cost $80 for a diagnostic test which I couldn't afford at the time. He said depending on what they found a new motor and cable could run anywhere between $500 and $1800. He then told me that sometimes dirt gets built up in the track of the door which can make it hard for the motor to open/close and he showed me how to wash it out. I did but it didn't help. I continued to use it manually. In the spring of 2011 the door got jammed part way open. I could not get it to open or close. After looking at the door myself I noticed a bolt on the back of the door where the cable runs looked loose and when I finally got the door to shut, I watched the cable and saw that it was not working as it should. I took it to a mechanic who replaced the bolt, this mechanic said that the motor was working fine. It was a cable issue. I decided to stop using the door completely because I was worried the cable would break or it would ruin the motor. On March 13, 2012 while we were in another city a friend unknowingly opened the door and it got stuck open again. It was stuck open about 6 inches. We were stuck in another city with no way to get home. I have since found countless reports online about this issue in 2004-2007 Toyota Siennas. Why isn't there a recall? clearly this is a safety issue. What if there was a car accident/fire and we could not escape because that door would not open -- I have 3 kids in carseats still. Or a child accidentally opens the door while its moving and it gets stuck.

Rear passenger side power sliding door stops working once in a while. It won't open or close when the power door button is pressed.

We took our '04 Toyota Sienna to the riverview dealership (mesa, az) to have spot welds repaired on front driver's side door (cost $260) and to have front passenger door replaced because the spot welds failed and door frame was damaged beyond repair (Toyota good-willed new door under "warranty enhancement" at approximate cost of $2000). When the service tech was nearing completion of the repairs on 9/30/10, he opened the power slide door on passenger side. The center hinge pin failed. The motor on the power sliding door did not stop when it encountered resistance from the failed center hinge pin. It continued to force the door open causing the center hinge pin to pop out of the track. In the course of the center hinge pin coming out of its track, the track was forced upward into the rear side window causing the window to buckle, shatter and explode glass fragments outward all over. Toyota would not cover the repair expenses. They said it was going to happen sooner or later, and it is our expense. We had paid to have the center hinge pin replaced 14 months prior to this incident on 7/9/09. Toyota would not good will the repair even though the part had failed just 2 months outside of the 1yr part warranty. Estimate for full repair is $2500 for power motor with cables, center hinge pin, window and repair of paint job on rear quarter panel. This goes beyond a mere part failure to a safety issue of exploding glass. Next time it may explode inward into the vehicle showering the occupants in glass shrapnel. Another Toyota Sienna (year unknown) was at the collision center at the same time as our van for the same reason -- failed center hinge pin and blown out rear side window. To avoid another such incident in the future, we did not repair the power motor in the door. It is now a manual door. Cost of repairing window, center hinge pin and making the door manual was $828. 04. Our confidence in Toyota' customer care and concern for safety is as shattered as the window.

Driver's side door hinge broke inside the door.

Cables on both rear power sliding doors have frayed and snapped. Replacement cost of cable is excessive at $2200 per door.

The night of September 5th, the righthand power sliding door on the minivan jammed in a halfway open, halfway closed position while the vehicle was parked. Switching to manual override did not release the door and allow it to close; the door could not be closed until a mechanic replaced the power door motor and regulator assembly. Uncertain if replaced parts are still available. Our mechanic noted that he'd never seen another power door design where the door could not be closed in the event of a motor failure.

2004 Toyota Sienna minivan. Toyota has recognized that there was a safety issue with the driver's door mechanism in 2007 and an extended warranty was issued to repair the problem and it included my vehicle model specifically. I however, did not get any mail regarding the issue. The only time I was made aware of it is when I mentioned it to my personal mechanic and he is the one that printed the letter for me on may 07, 2010 from an internet site. I took my car in for repair of the problem today on August 25, 2010 and the Toyota dealership charles maund Toyota in austin texas failed to honor and repair the problem on today's date stating because of some technicality they will not honor the repair it at no cost to me anymore, and do not consider it a safety issue anymore. The door still has the potential of breaking off , the hinges that hold it are defective and broken and make a loud noise every time one opens or closes the driver's door. It is actually a true safety issue if the door falls off and no one can drive the vehicle. It is a manufacturer's defect and it has to be repaired at no cost to the consumer even if it is out of this arbitrary time frame that the company had created. The manufacturers are responsible for their work and honoring their products' safety. Toyota's position is just unacceptable to create that are unsafe and not stand behind them and repair them when necessary.

The contact owns a 2004 Toyota Sienna. The contact stated as she attempted to open the passenger's side automatic door, there was a grinding sound. The door would regularly open smoothly but the door then began to open and shut sporadically. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing and/or repairs. The contact stated the door was no longer being utilized. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 100,006. Updated 10/21/10. The consumer stated the dealer refused to repair the vehicle. Uddated 10/26/jb.

Regarding a 2004 Toyota Sienna xle. Sliding door on driver side door will not open properly. Sliding door cable snapped under normal usage -- opened the door up this morning and it snapped. Toyota has TSB el004-004 for the issue, but no recall. The TSB is valid for 3 yrs/36k miles. My vehicle has over 100k miles. Called Toyota customer support and recorded a complaint. Toyota will not offer an financial assistance for this repair which will cost $1500-2000.