Problems with 2001 Toyota Sienna STRUCTURE

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.

Tl* the contact owns a 2001 toyota sienna. the contact stated that while driving at approximately 55 mph, the hood was shaking violently and unlatched from the vehicle causing the windshield to crack. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the failure was undetermined. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 120,000.

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. *tr

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, ...

Tl* 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.

Tl*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.

Tl*the contact owns a 2001 toyota sienna. while the vehicle was being serviced, the contact was informed that the spare tire was missing. the contact referenced recall 10v160000 (structure) and was informed that the parts were backordered. the vehicle had not been repaired. the failure mileage was approximately 141,000 and the current mileage was approximately 150,000.

Both driver and passenger sliding doors will not open from the inside. the child locks are not on, and occasionally the doors will not latch closed. after fidgeting with the lock and latch, it will eventually latch. *tr

When child lock is on the power door on passeger side can be opened by a 4 year old. *tr

Tl* 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 *cn the dealer was able to duplicate, but was unable to solve it. updated 11/26/10

The power sliding door on our 2001 toyota sienna minivan quit working. after a morning of research on the internet i feel compelled to complain as this is evidently a recurring problem. it can be opened manually with moderate effort. *tr

My 2001 toyota sienna xle power sliding door on the passenger side (came only with this one power door) did not work properly. it did not open by pressing the button, it works to close but not tight. when i choose to use it manually, it is so heavy that the children have not enough strength to open it. they have to exit the car from the driver's side other than on the curb side. it places the passengers in dangerous situation, as well as to the driver if he has to come out of the car to help open the door at the curb side. my complaint is that door should be operated as light as the other door when it is in the manual mode and the cost to fix is too much (about $2,000) to afford. *tr

Passenger sliding door would not close/open electronically or manually. the button to turn off the electronic open/close did not work. toyota service could not fix. had them cut cable so can close and open door manually. until the cable was cut, door could not be used to exit van. *tr

We own a 2001 toyota sienna van. all but 1 of 5 door handles on this van have broken and the door handles on each of the 4 doors (except passenger front) have cracked and broken clean off the door. currently, the driver side is taped on. i feel that this could have happened to 1 by user wear. however, i'm not inclined to believe that all could break so easily from user wear and tear. this creates a significant safety hazard in accessing the vehicle in emergency situations as clearly the only access will be through windows at some point. *tr

I own a 2001 toyota sienna van ce. in the past 1.5 years all door handles have separated from the car. this includes the driver, passenger, rear driver, rear passenger and tailgate doors handles. these handles are made from plastic and crack and break off at the hinge point. i don't believe the number of breakages of these handles can be caused by normal wear and tear and certainly with two small children and two adults making use of the vehicle would constitute normal wear and tear. this problem is a defect of design or workmanship of the handle and the cost to repair is approximately $350 per handle. it is a serious threat should they break at the improper time or for emergency access to the automobile. i have addressed my concerns with toyota and they don't believe there is a need to correct. please investigate and respond. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr