general problems of the 2005 Toyota Sienna - part 1

The rear hatch on our 2005 Toyota Sienna, after being opened, comes down almost immediately and can hit a person who is reaching into the back cargo area and cause injury. Other people have also reported this same dangerous malfunction online as far back as 2007.

Our rear sliding doors have presented problems for us repeatedly in getting stuck so that passengers in the back cannot open their doors even with the doors unlocked and the child safety latch off. This can happen at all times of the year, in all kinds of weather. The doors can also freeze shut in the winter, especially when there's been rain or ice, as there is not a cover preventing moisture from getting into the door jams. At least with the freezing, we can eventually warm the car up or heat it up from outside, but the other issue, apart from weather, is quite disconcerting. Sometimes the passenger has had to be let out by someone outside the car, sometimes they've just had to climb over the front seat to get out the front door. This seems extremely dangerous considering there could be an emergency situation where it is a life or death matter for passengers to be able to get out of the car quickly on their own. We have at times transported numerous college students back to their university from meetings, only to find when we arrived at their stop, they couldn't open their doors to get out. We even had Toyota supposedly "fix" them for a high fee, only to find the door issue getting worse and worse very soon after. What is worse is that many, many people and reports speak of the problems with these doors but Toyota doesn't seem to do anything about it. I fear they are waiting until people do die before they take care of the problem. As a mother, I worry every time we have our daughter or others in the back seat/s to go anywhere, as we fear the inability of them to be able to get out of the car in case of any kind of emergency, let alone just trying to get out under normal circumstances. This is the first I've seen anyplace to write a complaint aside from trying to get Toyota to take care of it. Also, the questions below do not allow for accurate, if any information. There is no one date when this happened for us. It happens very often, but the form fills in a date.

Shifter broke at 55 mph wouldn't stay in 5 gear, was easily moved to r, n, and flopped around! won't stay in 4 now when used either, or park unless held when turning car off. No warning, shifted down for a hill, speed limit change, and corner in neighborhood as usual, no lights on in car. Just happened but upon research, have found many others with this problem online, same veh and same kind of miles. Toyota knows but won't recall their broken plastic piece and no notification to consumer.

Stability light comes on, decelerates independently, vehicle shakes and steering is somewhat compromised. This has happened rounding curves between 40-50 mph. Has happened twice on straight road, 8/24 and 8/25/2021, traveling at 70mph, vehicle decelerated 2-5 miles independently. I put signal on and did smooth lane change to the right to get out of fast lane, and stability light came on, vehicle shook and steering was somewhat compromised. Neither local mechanic or dealership can retrieve any codes with diagnostic equipment. Dealership told me today the light has to stay on for them to retrieve code. This has happened irregularly over the last 6-8 months but always on curves. It has occurred 4 times in 6 days last week, twice on curves, 8/23 & 8/28/2021, and the 2 lane changes above. I am concerned with the increased frequency. . Read more...

The trac control activated numerous times while diving forward on the highway and turning on country roads. It beeps about three times, activates the brakes on the left side of the car pulling you and then stops. The skid light activates on the dash while this is going on. Numerous same incidents are listed online. The brakes activate to one side while you are driving for not reason. I see a lot of people online that have the same issue. I am surprised this is not addressed and when you call the dealership they say it does not do that. That is not what the trac does. It does not activate braking.

Transmission level shifter stick got loose.

Problems with heat actuators / blend door relays , electronics ,found many complaints on line this issuse also effects other Toyota models , safety hazard as cannot get hot air to defrost also ,heat one side cold other side ,it changes sides , but hard to deforst also . Does what it feels like.

Check engine light, vsc and trac off. As I was driving after just purchasing this vehicle from a dealer after about 60 miles or so these lights all came on the same time. I was told after a scanner was placed on the vehicles computer system that it is due to either catalytic convertor/O2 sensor malfunctions. This is an important exhaust and emission component designed to burn up toxic exhaust fumes that sets off these lights. This is a major issue with not only this vehicle but other Toyotas. This needs to be addressed. We in the USA would like to breath clean air and it doesn't seem feasible to have to continue to "fix" these sensors designed to make consumers spend large amounts of money to fix their vehicles.

I pulled into a parking spot and put the van in park (with my foot still on the brake). I took my foot off the brake and it continued to roll forward. I quickly put my foot back on the brake and it stopped moving. I then shifted back to drive and then back to park. I lifted my foot off the brake and the van continued to roll forward (even though it was in park). I put my foot back on the brake to stop it from moving. I shifted into reverse, lifted my foot off the brake and the van still rolled forward. I quickly put my foot back on the brake and turned off the ignition. With the ignition off the van stopped moving. I waited about 30 min. And tried again, at that time the van wouldn't even start (no sound). I had the van towed to my mechanic (it was a Saturday). I am waiting for my mechanic to look at it. I searched on line by VIN number and found out there was a recall for my van for a gear shift malfunction. I never received notice from Toyota about this.

June 14, 2018 Toyota Sienna dashboard cover recall complaint my local dealer, fred anderson Toyota of columbia, promised to replace my 05 Sienna dashboard cover under a Toyota warranty, on July 3rd, 2015, and that they would order the dashboard cover part and that they would call me when it arrived. The service advisor I met with in person each time was mr. Ron kirkland. I followed up again on December 17, 2015, when they again told me that the part was not available and that it was on order, and that they would notify me when it arrived. I followed up by phone a few times in 2016, and early in 2017. I got the same reply each time I spoke with mr. Kirkland. I then followed up again in person on July 26, 2017. I got the same reply from mr. Kirkland. On June 11, 2018, I again spoke with mr. Kirkland regarding the lack of progress in completing this recall work. He promised to look into it, and phone me when he had an answer. I followed up again with mr. Kirkland on June 14, 2018, when mr. Kirkland stated that Toyota was no longer able to honor this warranty work. I voiced my displeasure about Toyota, and mr. Kirklands lack of professionalism in resolving this warranty service in a timely manner back in 2015. I asked one final question of mr. Kirkland, how much would it cost me if I paid for the dashboard cover replacement? he gave me an estimate of $2,000. More than 50% of the current value of the Sienna. I am now attempting to contact everyone and anyone who will listen, in an attempt to get this situation resolved � honoring the dashboard cover replacement as Toyota promised me in 2015.

"takata recall" the car is moving some even it's in park position . Later the gear shifter become loose now I have to use emergency brake every time I park my car. I call the local Toyota dealership told them about the problem because 05 and 06,07 are having this problem and they said your VIN number is not listed on recall. Thanks for your help.

"takata recall" problem within the shift lock assembly, the shift lever moves out of the 'park' position without depressing the brake pedal.

I didn't know the car was going to be recalled.

When the liftgate is open electronically, it falls about 10 inches after it reaches the fully open position at which point the power motor will engage and power the liftgate to the fully closed position. The liftgate safety operation does not go back into open position with children underneath the liftgate until after injury. There needs to be recall before major injury happens to a child. These children are getting their backpacks without paying attention to the liftgate and it is closing on them!.

Vehicle's vsc engaged and applied braking and steering interference at 65 mph on a straightway on the highway in dry conditions and on a non-distressed roadway. This caused a very dangerous situation.

The lift gate struts, which have already been replaced via a recall have failed. The lift gate will not stay open with the lift gate motor on or off. It slams shut and is very dangerous. When trying load in groceries today, the lift gate tried to close on me. Lucky children where not the ones that were underneath.

I have experienced numerous problems with the doors on my 2005 Toyota Sienna awd xle. Although all of the doors were previously repaired under warranty, the problems continue with front doors squeaking, the back sliding door automatic door does not open and the rear hatch fails to close.

Power sliding door stuck open. Wouldn't budge - we live in the upper peninsulla of michigan and this happened during the middle of winter as we were getting our children to school. Temps were in the single digits with wind chills -10 to -20 degrees. Had to physically force the door shut to close it. It's still in the same state I left in. Doesn't open. It's just barely closed/latched so the beeper doesn't go off indicating the door is ajar. Cable is broken. Other door is slowly closing on power and when turned off (power option) the door sometime won't stay open but will slide back to closed position. Super heavy door and little children don't create a safe environment.

I was driving north on interstate 55/70 approximately 5 miles east of the poplar street bridge when the sunroof shattered. There was no indication of a problem with the roof and nothing was thrown up by or dropped from a vehicle in the area and I was not passing under an overpassing street. The sunroof just shattered on its own dropping glass into the vehicle as well as off the rear of the vehicle. I closed the interior shield to minimize the amount of glass in the vehicle, but glass continued to fall off the back of the vehicle all the way back to orland park.

Driver side door check strap weld failing, causing door to droop/pop and loosen from frame of body. 100's of other Sienna owners are reporting this problem(check carcomplaints. Com), and affects the door integrity, therefore causing huge concerns during a potential accident. This may increase the chances of driver door from remaining intact during a collision, or worse a fatality. I have never seen such a weld failure in any new or old vehicles that I have owned, and seems to be a design/assembly error. Toyota issued a warranty extension for 5 years from purchase but most welds fail after 6 or more years of operation. Structural repairs of this caliber should be done by the factory not at the local repair shop, and must meet crash test tolerances. There are over 100k Sienna's on the road, and this should be investigated. Toyota was notified of this concern, and could not provide service since warranty has lapsed. It makes you wonder how strong the other hinge welds are. . . .

While driving on 4 lane highway, I began to smell burning rubber, then noticed that the battery discharge indicator light came on. Found that the serpentine belt driving the alternator and compressor had been shredded and and was hanging to the ground. Upon a closer look, the crankshaft pulley had failed (it had come apart). It appeared that the outer ring had separated from the rubber inner ring of the pulley and the outer ring had become misaligned. The misalignment appeared to have caused the serpentine belt failure. It also caused damage to the timing belt cover, the timing belt and the power steering belt. The battery light came on because of the failed serpentine belt. Fortunately, I maintained power steering because the power steering belt had not completely failed when I pulled off the highway. The failure seems to be identical to that covered by safety recall NHTSA campaign number: 11v539000. However, Toyota claims that my VIN number is not subject to the recall. Toyota's response to me does not make sense since this is the same model, same model year, same engine model, same parts manufacture (pulley contains the mark noted in the recall), same manufacture date (Feb. 2005), etc of the vehicles covered by the recall. Seems that the recall has not covered all of the vehicles affected by this failure. My vehicle was purchased new on September 15, 2005.

Door hinge welding in driver door breaks due to insufficient welding strength in 2005 Toyota Sienna and maybe other years. There still seems no recall on this issue, but it seems to be a widespread issue on this model. . Read more...

2005 Toyota Sienna.

I received a recall notice from Toyota regarding cable corrosion for the spare tire assembly. I brought the car to the Toyota dealer and they removed the cable and spare tire from under the car. I agreed to have this work completed based on an estimate from the dealer that the new parts to have the spare tire reinstalled would be made available within 4 wks. Now about 7 wks have passed and there is still no word from Toyota about when this spare tire solution will be made available. For 7 wks I have had to drive around with the spare tire the well of my Toyota while it bangs around and takes up a lot of space. My storage in the car has been compromised and I have to put delicate things and groceries at other places in the car. It is imperative that Toyota issue a permanent solution to this spare tire problem!.

Power sliding door cable on passenger side snapped during opening under power. Broken cable was frayed. Now hanging from rear window area. Dealer won't help. Too expensive to repair.

The dash in my Toyota Sienna is literally shiny and melting! it is sticky! I have never used a product on the dash only damp cloth to clean.

Correction to odi number 10616009 -- model year is 2005, not 2007.

I have a 2005 Toyota Sienna and three other Toyota vehicles. Because I vacation and my extended families live in trinidad I shipped the vehicle there for my used. When I saw the recall, it was the shift lock solenoid assembly. For more than a year I tried to have Toyota resolved this problem. Nowhere in the recall notice say anything about the vehicle location. It's a worldwide recall, so I thought it can be fixed at a Toyota dealership in trinidad. I was told that they would look into it. I said if they gave me the part I can take it there and have the authorized dealer install the part. Now it a problem because they say the vehicle can only be fixed in the USA. It never said anything about that in the notice. I believed Toyota have a responsibility to fix my vehicle with some kind of working together with me to resolve this matter. What can you do to help me in this matter, I don't owe anything. I am still paying for 2 of my new Toyota cars. The part in the shift interlock system has a component the shift lock solenoid which prevent the shift lever from moving out of the "p" position unless the ignition is on and the brakes pedal is depressed. There is a possibility that the solenoid could be damage and the shift lever could moved out of "p" position with depressing the brake pedal. Resulting in the vehicle roll away, which could cause a crash.

My 5 yr old daughter was sitting in the driver's seat and my almost 10 yr old son was sitting in the passenger seat. I was standing right next to the driver's seat inside the open door, the car was parked in my driveway. My son for some reason decided to shift the car out of park. The key was not in the ignition and nobody was pressing on the brake. The minivan started to roll a few feet back and I screamed and luckily he put it back into park and it stopped. This is a defect in the shift lock solenoid that was recalled. I received a recall notice a few months back and I took my minivan to a Toyota dealership less than a month ago for this to be fixed, apparently something went very wrong.

When using the remote buttons for the power slider doors, there is a loud popping/grinding noise and the doors fail to open. The first time we realized this was a concern, the vehicle was parked in the driveway. Our concern is that one day the doors will quit working all together and our children will not be able to get out of the vehicle in the event of an emergency.

The passenger sliding door on our car sticks and we cannot open it. I am very worried that in the event of an emergency or accident, I will not be able to safely get my children out of the vehicle.

Power lift gate slam down hard to close upon reaching max opening lift. Was reaching out to put something in the back and lift gate started shutting down on me, very hard. I was able to get out of the way on time.

This past winter, our right side power sliding door began to act up- it would not open or close via the key fob or button over the rearview mirror. If you pulled the door handle, it would open or close. After a few days, it began working fine again. Then in April, it began acting up again, doing the same things as before, but this time, it also would sometimes not fully close (it would be closing on its own, but before it was fully closed, it would go back open again). We didn't want to spend money on it because we had just bought a house for the first time and were focused on that. But then when we were out in June, we had closed the door, or thought we had, and came out of the store we were in later to find the door wide open. That is a problem! our van could have been stolen or things out of it. Thankfully, god watched over our vehicle. So we finally explored into getting it fixed and were told about this extended warranty/recall for the first time. The problem was by the time we inquired, we were just over 120,000 miles, but are still within the 9 years (but it is whichever occurs first), so now we are being told it cannot be fixed under the extended warranty/recall and will cost us $1,900 to get it fixed. We don't have this kind of money and are very upset! we were never notified by Toyota of this extended recall, or we would have taken the van in right away when the door began to act up. We also were told (falsely) by the Toyota dealer that it is 7 years or 120,000 miles and that either way, we don't qualify. I think Toyota needs to take care of this problem because it is a safety issue to our vehicle and personal safety (especially with kids- we could think the door is closing, but then it doesn't).

Rear lift gate opened with remote while I started to pack my van leaving on a trip, the lift gate started to close on me. I had this happen several times in the cold weather. I contacted Toyota telling them I thought it was a safety issue, asked if there was a recall or something out there to get this resolved was told there was no recall. It happened to me again on Nov 14 2024. And again today Nov 16th 2024. I think this is a safety issue what if a child was standing by their parent and accidentally got clipped by this liftgate. Hopefully you can press Toyota to fix this dangerous issue.

I had problem with my car's sliding door. It get stuck half the way and then I was not able to close that. Cable is broken. Lakeshore Toyota in burns harbor indiana quote $1800 to replace the power door mechanism.