2000 Toyota Sienna — Known Issues & Recalls

Your engine RPM is jumping to around 2,000 and staying high whenever you tap the gas pedal while stopped in Drive, causing the vehicle to pull forward strongly even with the brakes applied. In some cases, the engine has revved over 4,000 RPM and the brakes couldn't hold the vehicle, requiring you to turn off the engine to stop it. This only happens when the car is in gear, not in Park, and you've already ruled out a sticky gas pedal, floor mats, throttle body, and throttle position sensor issues. The problem likely involves the engine control computer (ECM) or related fuel injection system components that need professional diagnosis and possible replacement.

Your vehicle experienced unintended acceleration at various speeds while driving. An independent mechanic was unable to identify the cause of the problem. Diagnosing unintended acceleration typically involves checking the throttle control system, fuel delivery components, and engine control electronics.

While parking on a downhill slope with your foot fully on the brake, your engine suddenly accelerated to full throttle without warning. You were able to stop the vehicle just 2 feet before hitting a school wall by applying maximum brake pressure and shifting out of gear. You checked the floor mat and throttle pedal area afterward and found no obstructions or interference. The underlying cause of the unexpected throttle surge will need to be diagnosed by a mechanic, likely involving inspection of the throttle control system and engine management components.

Your vehicle unexpectedly revs up and accelerates to 60 mph on its own when you start it, and it also independently accelerates when you try to accelerate from a stop. This unintended acceleration happened around 200,000 miles and hasn't been diagnosed or repaired yet. You should have a mechanic inspect your throttle cable, throttle body, and cruise control system to identify what's causing the vehicle to accelerate without your input.

Your vehicle suddenly accelerated to a high speed on its own while you were driving, causing you to lose control and crash into a wall. Both front airbags deployed, and you sustained serious injuries to your knee and chest that required medical attention. This sudden acceleration issue typically involves inspection and potential repair of the throttle control system, fuel injectors, or engine control computer.

Your car has accelerated on its own several times without you pressing the gas pedal. This happened at around 226,000 miles. The vehicle hasn't been diagnosed or repaired yet. The fix will likely involve inspection of the throttle control system, fuel injectors, and engine computer to identify what's causing the unintended acceleration.

Your car unexpectedly accelerated on its own while driving at about 30 mph, causing a jerky stop-and-go motion every time the vehicle moved. You had to shift into Neutral to bring it to a complete stop. This issue has not been diagnosed or repaired.

Your power sliding door would initially open but not close, and eventually stopped working entirely. The warning light has remained on for years, and despite multiple dealer visits, they couldn't identify the problem—later claiming it was accident damage when you had no accident history. You now manually open and close the door. The repair will likely involve diagnosing and replacing the power door motor, latch mechanism, or associated electrical components.

Your horn isn't working reliably—it fails to sound when you try to use it, and this has happened multiple times while driving at normal speeds. The problem started around 130,000 miles on your vehicle. Fixing this may involve replacing the horn itself, checking the horn relay, or repairing the wiring and electrical connections in the horn circuit.

About a month after having your brake lines replaced, your brake pedal sank completely to the floor with no resistance when you tried to stop in a parking lot. You were able to safely stop the car at low speed, but the shop later identified this as a catastrophic brake failure caused by a defective part. The repair will likely involve replacing the defective brake component that was installed during the original brake line service.

Your vehicle started accelerating on its own when you turned the ignition on, even though you hadn't shifted into Drive. When you pressed the brake pedal and pulled the emergency brake, neither one stopped the car. You were only able to stop it by shifting into Neutral. The vehicle has not been diagnosed or repaired.

Your Sienna's outer door handles are breaking easily with normal use. Three of your four doors now have broken outside handles, making them impossible to open from outside—including your passenger sliding door, which also can't be opened from inside. This is a serious safety concern because doors won't open in an emergency or accident. Fixing this will likely require replacing the broken door handle assemblies on each affected door.

Your parked Sienna rolled away on its own while the engine was off, even though the gear shifter was in Park. An independent mechanic couldn't reproduce the problem when they inspected it. The issue may involve the parking brake, transmission park pawl, or related transmission components that keep the vehicle stationary when parked.

Your van suddenly accelerated on its own while driving at 40 mph, and the brakes were unable to slow it below 25 mph even when fully pressed. Pressing the cruise control button had no effect, and putting the van in neutral caused the engine to rev to 7000 rpm. Only by turning off the engine were the brakes able to stop the vehicle. When you restarted it, the engine revved again to 7000 rpm. A mechanic will need to diagnose whether this is a fuel delivery issue, throttle control problem, or brake system failure.

Your power steering suddenly stopped working while you were driving, with no warning signs beforehand. A mechanic found that the steering shaft joint flex coupling had failed, causing the steering to seize up. The part was replaced to restore steering function.

Both of your sliding doors suddenly stopped working and became stuck in the closed position within a two-minute period. You couldn't open them manually from inside or outside the vehicle, and the power door controls and locks had no effect. This creates a safety concern because passengers could be trapped inside the vehicle, especially if the front doors were damaged in a collision.

Your rear wheels are tilting inward excessively, causing them to rub against the shock absorbers. This wear can damage both the tires and suspension components over time. The suspension geometry may need adjustment or the shock absorbers may need replacement to correct the wheel alignment.

Your engine is leaking oil from the valve covers, and even after they've been replaced, the leaking continues. Sludge is building up on the oil pump screen, which eventually caused the engine to fail completely and required replacement. Now the same problem is happening again with the new engine.

Both of your rear doors won't lock securely and have suddenly opened while you're driving at various speeds. A Toyota dealer diagnosed that the door latch assembly and a related latch component have failed and need replacement. The manufacturer confirmed this issue isn't covered under a recall. The fix will involve replacing the faulty door latch assembly and associated hardware on both rear doors.

Your Bridgestone Insignia tires are showing steel wires protruding from the sidewalls—about a dozen wires hanging out between 2 and 8 inches—even though the tread still looks good with only 25k to 35k miles. You can hear these wires slapping against the fender and tire well as the tires rotate. This premature sidewall failure may require tire replacement.