general problems of the 2008 Toyota Sienna

Issues with vsc. The sensor alarm goes off when driving at more than 50 mph and slightly turning the steering wheel. The car brakes itself and this is dangerous. It happens all the time, it has been more than 5-6 years and we are to the point of not using the car on the freeway to prevent a potential fatal accident. I found posts describing the same issue with this model of Toyota. Car should be recalled to get this fixed.

Driving on dry pavement in mountainous terrain the slip indicator light/sound activates temporarily and the brakes can engage by themselves! usually happens during right turns. I've been to several automotive specialists for mechanical & electronic diagnosis. I've replaced the lower control arm & the clock spring behind the steering wheel but the issue persists. Online searches indicate this is a common problem with Toyota Siennas that is extremely difficult to diagnose & very costly to replace all the possible problematic components! I've had this problem since buying the car used several months ago. This should be a recall issue!!!!!!!!!!!.

Anti skid/slip malfunctions, brakes are automatic applied while turning a corner. When this happen one dry road surfaces it was harder to control the car. This happen multiple times in the pass. Yes my safety and others on the road was put at risk. Yes been confirmed by independent service centers. 4. ) unknown 5). No. The warning indicator light and buzzer comes on at the time the incident happens.

Brakes have been replaced, and checked several times make a loud grinding noise in wet weather when backing up and sometimes when applying pressure while driving also a 🔊 noise and brakes seem to slip have had to pull over because it scares me can not find anything wrong but continues to persist. Both in highway driving and regular street driving.

When using heated seat feature drivers side remains heated even long after being off. Have checked fuses and still same only use seasonal. Sometimes feels like heat is on when not in use.

Check engine light, vsc light and trac off light on and off light intermittent. At any time the light goes on and off. It is nerve breaking knowing that the warning light and the problem can not be fixed by Toyota. I have my Toyota Sienna 2008 and it have a very low miles due to lights safety reasons that can not be solved by Toyota. Every time we complain, we were always told that bring the car in when the light goes on. The problem is when the light goes on it will be off when we get to the dealership. We noticed when the car reached approximately 98,000 miles. The cause of the on and off lights are unknown.

My dash panel warning lights 4 or 5 lite up, took it to a Toyota dealer, he put it on a computer and stated that ,your catalitic converter, muffler and other parts need to be replaced. Took it to another mech. He put a pint of lukus gas treatment,told me to fill the tank with higher octaine gas and run it in 4th gear .

My passenger side power sliding door cable snapped on it, when I went to open it months back, the cable is hanging down on it and I havent been able to use my power sliding door in months! it snapped on me when it was parked and I had a load of groceries I hit the power door button and I saw something fall from the window and it wouldnt open or shut. I actually have to have the indoor light switch off because the door when I go around corners light will come on that it isnt properly shut! its a safety hazard that I cant afford to fix! it happened at 117,000 miles back in may 2018. I was told it was going to be $2,000! I was never notified of a extended warranty on these sliding doors! now im just past the mileage of 120k and 9 years? I bought a Toyota minivan in 2008 for safety for my family. I loved the power sliding door when I picked my kids up. This is wrong, many other people have had this same problem, and I never get a warranty slip on it, and if I wouldve known when it broke, it wouldve been covered. But now its too late?! thats not right!! these cables have obvious defects, and should all be replaced when this happens!!!.

Dear madame/sir, I own a Toyota Sienna (2008) VIN 5tdzk23c88s164480. The driver side sliding door cable just got cut-off last week while my kid was trying to open the door and get in and the passenger side door moves very slowly. I went to the Toyota dealer(s) and they said they had a fix at no cost only for vehicles which are 9 years/120,000 miles and if the customer came with a problem (not a recall) and I do not qualify as it has been 10 years (how did Toyota come-up with this number?). I went online and found that many people have reported a similar issue and looks like Toyota did not take care of them either. From the dealer I understand Toyota was aware of the problem and did not take care of the issue or did not do enough to resolve this problem. I sincerely request you to provide necessary directions/action taken against manufacturer so that 1000s of customers like me will get their car fixed. Thank you for your valuable time sincerely, venkatesan.

A cable on the passenger side door of my Toyota 2008 Sienna broke and started making a strange noise. I am unable to open the door fully and my children are unable to get out on this side of the car - a safety hazard.

Powered passenger doors on both sides of the van malfunctioned and then cable system broke and locked the doors in the closed position. This happened one after the other in about a three-week period. The cable is clearly rusted and shredded on the one side. I cannot tell why the cable pulled out and stopped working on the other side. As I transport 3 or more children at a time, it is a huge safety issue that the only way out of the car in case of emergency is through one of the front doors or the back trunk hatch. I have owned this vehicle since it was new and I am told this is out of warranty/isn't covered and will cost at least $6,000 to fix. I cannot drive the vehicle like this and I can't afford to fix it. I am apparently not the only one who's had this problem with the van, yet Toyota is doing nothing about it for their customers.

My Toyota seinna 2008 , has been locking and unlocking while driving. . . . For the past few months in 2016 my sliding doors and front passenger door lock up and will not unlock with my remote or any other way. . . I can unlock the front passenger door with a key,but there is no way to unlock the sliding doors. . . Recently I had two friends riding with me. . . We got to our destination and I got out tried to unlock sliding doors with my remote,they did not unlock. . . My friend sitting in the second row seating could not get out . She is handicapped. . . . I had to crawl through the rear door and help her up out of her seat and then carefully crawl on the floor of the van to the rear door and climb out. This is truly a safety hazard and cannot be dismissed. . . . Sometimes the doors will unlock and sometimes they won't . . . . . So when I take it to the Toyota dealer it always seems to work for them. . . . . . My van runs well and I have no other problems with it. I feel if the Toyota manufacturer can design computerized doors then they have to have a way to find and fix the problem. My first thought is,why did they not design key access to these sliding doors ? something has to be done to correct this problem.

Driver's side passenger power sliding door. Cable broke. Unknown cause. Appears the cable snapped off with a clean break. The power sliding door is not useable and not safe. Bought the van used this April 2016 with 54000 miles put 7000 more miles on it and I have no warranty and looking at repairs between $1500 - $3000. Vehicle was stationary and parked in driveway when cable broke. Heard grinding sound and internal parts falling to the bottom inside the van and the is door bound shut won't open and not working.

Passenger rear power sliding door. Cable broke. Known problem. Not safe and not convenient. $1300 just for part and $2000 repair. Probably driver side will be next. 76000 miles and garage kept. Why no help from Toyota? vehicle was stationary when cable broke. Heard grinding sound, then door bound, now not working.

The contact owns a 2008 Toyota Sienna. The contact stated that when the air conditioner was activated, hot air circulated throughout the air vents. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where freon was added, but the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken back where it was diagnosed that the air conditioner o rings needed to be replaced due to a leak. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 139,000.

Sliding door on our 2008 Sienna stopped opening or closing. We can not get in our get out off the car on driver side. We are glad it happened on parked position. It is not working electrical or manual mode. Toyota is asking about $1600-3000 for repair. We are trying to use the van with one sliding door and it is nor practical or safe.

While passenger side visor is down smoke starts pouring out from under the head liner. When the visor is placed back in the closed position smoke clears out and stops. Per the mechanic, a short in the electrical system has resulted in a melted electrical board and the entire head liner and electrical board needs to be replaced. The visor can not be used or the short may start a fire inside the vehicle. The vehicle was in motion when this occurred. Van filled with smoke quickly. Had to pull over and open doors to clear the smoke.

The power sliding door fails. It has to be opened and closed manually. This is a common problem for this model.

Rubber on rear hatch handle has become soft and pliable. This started in 2013 and while being an inconvenience because the rubber blackened your fingers caused no danger. Yesterday morning it was 31 degrees in atlanta and when I tried to open the rear hatch the rubber was hard and would not open the hatch. This could be a serious problem if in cold weather the vehicle was in an accident and the only access to the passenger compartment was through the rear hatch. Toyota should recall or at their expense repair the vehicles with defective handles.

Purchased 2008 Toyota Sienna new in August 2008. In November 2015 (90,000 miles) with vehicle parked, when opening the passenger side power sliding door, the cable snapped, binding the powered door's electric motor, and causing the door to be "locked in place" about 6 inches open. Went to driver side power sliding door, opened, children entered passenger compartment, and upon closing door this cable snapped, but didn't bind electric motor until the door had fully closed, causing the door to be "locked in place" in the closed position. Traveled home and children exited vehicle through front driver and passenger doors. The cables were cut between the electric door motor and the "c post" to get the doors "unlocked" and allow for manual operation. Examination of snapped cables revealed removal of cable insulation (likely due to friction/abrasion), which exposed the stranded metal cable to the environment, causing severe corrosion and eventual failure of the metal cable. . Read more...

My passenger side power sliding door mechanism is broken on our 2008 Sienna with 68,000 miles. The mechanism uses and electric motor and cable assembly to open and close the door. The cable has broken so power functions are gone and manual function is hindered from broken cable interfering. Toyota has extended the warranty for 2004-07 Sienna's with the same problem with the same part and part number? a internet search reveals this is a common problem and can affect the proper latching of the sliding door.

The contact owns a 2008 Toyota Sienna. When the vehicle was started, the power sliding door on the passenger side failed and would not open. The contact stated that the door could be opened manually with force. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the power door cable needed to be replaced. The failure recurred with the driver side power sliding door also; however, the door could not be opened at all. The manufacturer was made aware of the failures. The approximate failure mileage was 103,000.

I was getting things out of back with power lift gate up. While leaning in vehicle the power lift gate came down without warning and caught me. It did not continue to crush me but it did not reverse so I had to use a pretty good force to push it up (my wife probably would not have been able to do it). It did it a second time a week or so later. When I took it to Toyota they said the struts were bad and replaced them. When I asked why there was no warning they just shrugged their shoulders and said do not know and insinuated they would not know what to do so it would not happen again without warning. How was I to know the struts were bad since it is a power lift gate had been working just fine? it seems to me if this is not something Toyota can fix so it cannot come down without warning they at least need to install warning labels in an obvious place that the lift gate can close without warning. I really think my wife would not been able to push it up as I did. She would have needed assistance.

Both power slide doors do not work by pressing the buttons on the central console nor on the side of doors. It first happened on the left door and then happened on the right door recently. The slide doors do work by pulling the handles from the outsides. The failure post a serious safety concern that if the vehcile involved in an accident, the passengers in the 2nd and 3rd rows will not be able to leave the vehicle quickly without the immediately help from the outside, especially for the minors and disables.

The contact owns a 2008 Toyota Sienna. The contact stated that the sliding doors cable fractured causing the automatic opening and closing of the door to fail. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 112,000.

Passenger side power slide door does not work by pressing the button on the central console, on the side of door or the key fob. The slide doors do work by pulling the handles from the outsides. I was told this was the override procedure. This is a big concern with this being a family vehicle.

The passenger side automatic door cable snapped. The car is only 6 years old. I did some research on the internet and there are widespread reports of this being a common design flaw with Toyota Sienna automatic doors. I called the dealership and they indicated it was $1600 to repair the cable. That is outrageous! I wrote to Toyota through their customer support site inquiring about an extended warranty I read about regarding this issue, however they opted to ignore me and not respond.

Air bag light started blinking when car started and stayed blinking. Brought in to dealer and comments were "open in side. Squib rh circuit" and "needs pass. Side front seat airbag" for $865. Same issue seems true for 2007 Siennas online. Light stopped blinking and has not recurred.

My sister and I had just returned home from the store and I pressed the button to lift the back door to get our things out. We were in the middle of getting our things out when the door started closing on us. I got out and my sister got caught and it came down on her back and scratched her up pretty good. Ever since then just out of the blue it will not stay up and it will close down on you. I think this is a major safety issue especially since I have two little children. It could really do some harm to them. The sliding doors stop closing if someone is in the way and it should be the same for the back door. I bought this vehicle because it is supposed to be one of the top of the line fans for safety. So far I am not impressed. Someone needs to resolve this issue! I am scared to even open up that back door because of this. . . . . And that is not good.

Right rear power sliding door on 2005 Toyota Sienna lxe malfunctioned. Dealer quoted nearly $1000. 00 to fix. Ridiculous. Had dealer disconnect system (over $70. 00) and now can use door manually although door is cumbersome to move -- almost impossible for children to operate. Inexcusably poor design! same problem right rear window. Will not operate. Now disconnected by dealer (included in $70. 00 charge noted above). Window cannot be operated manually. Permanently shut. Bad! ventilation in rear and thus throughout vehicle adversely affected.

I arrived at work and used the interior push button to open the power door on the driver side of my van after exiting the van my key fob would not activate the close of the door. It was dark and I closed the door manually. After leaving work I attempted to activate and open the same door with my key fob. The door would not open and I could not open it manually. After closer examination (it was now daylight) the power door cable was hanging down from the furthest rear window. It had snapped. The door would not open manually (it wouldn't budge) and if I attempted using the fob or interior push buttons you could hear the component that activates the cable humming but the door had no movement. The failure of the door to open as a safety issue.

The rubberized surface of the rear door latch has dissolved into goo. I assume that heat from an electrical short melted the rubber. Thus, two problems: 1) this may be a sign of a serious electrical problem that will manifest itself again but with respect to a critical component; and 2) each time the latch is used, some of the black goo comes off on my hand.

Vehicle traveling 35mph on a level street. Warm,dry,windy,cloudy afternoon. Sudden acceleration! brief (1-2 seconds) ended before I could depress the brake. No damage,collision or injury occurred. Just startled. Checked for floor mat or other visible obstruction/ impedance, none apparent. This was the first time I was sure of the occurrence. There have been a variety of what appear to be electrical /electronic "glitches" : ac green light on button comes on by itself, summer or winter and sometimes I can not get it to turn off. Seatbelt light sometimes comes on when they are properly in use. (and nothing heavy resting on the seats) also airbag light sometimes. Service light remains on sometimes after oil change service. Brake highly sensitive gas pedal very touchy, especially from stop,ie at light. Hard to not spin wheels on starting. (especially when pavement wet, even on level st. ). Fortunately, having lived in snow territory, I know the importance of slow starts and stops when possible. I have not checked any sites to see if Sienna 2008 has any problems listed yet.

Tl-the contact owns a 2008 Toyota Sienna. The contact stated that while driving 10 mph, the passenger side sliding door comes open. The vehicle was taken to a dealer and repaired but the failure recurred several times. The vehicles passenger side sliding door also when parked, will not close. It slides like it is going to close and opens back up again. While driving, the open door warning light is always illuminated. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 5,000. Ed.

I was programming a new Sienna van homelink to my garage door opener. It started the sequence as one would expect. (. Small house icon blinking )but never apparently moved on to the step of retrieving the signal. As required one must hold the garage door opener remote on to try to accept signal. After attempting this several times I stopped and was just in time to notice the motor of garage door opener was overheating and near fire! fire dept was called and it was all checked out. In fear of faulty equipment I took steps to replace both garage door motors. After new openers were installed professional installers attempted to program the homelink. It failed once again. We tried several times and even tried to program other buttons. End result was button 1 and 2 of homelink are faulty and 3 finally programmed. So after replacing my own equipment which I assumed was faulty . . . We determined the homelink system in the car was at fault and malfunctioning. This was determined after we tried on new motors . . . So in the end my original equipment was not the cause of the fire but merely a result of a faulty program chip in the homelink. I was fortunate that my house had not caught fire as my garage is under the family room. I spoke with my dealership as well as Toyota customer care center and home link and non of the 3 sources will assume responsibility of the faulty equipment. The car was only a week old brand new 2008. I feel had the homelink worked properly the 1st and 2nd button would of programmed as easily as the 3rd and my garage openers would not of overheated and near caught fire and place my home and pets in jeopardy. Not to mention I had a cost of $700. 00 to replace equipment that wasn't faulty. I would like Toyota to acknowledge that this may perhaps be the first of several homelinks to have a issue and to make consumers aware that there is a potential malfunction so they too don't overheat and possibly lead to fire in the motors in garage.