2000 Toyota Sienna Latches & Locks Problems

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.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 TOYOTA SIENNA. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH, THE HOOD ABRUPTLY OPENED AND SHATTERED THE WINDSHIELD. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE HOOD WAS PULLED DOWN AND THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN TO HIS PLACE OF RESIDENCE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION OR REPAIRS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND A COMPLAINT WAS FILED. THE CONTACT WAS AWAITING A CALL BACK FORM THE MANUFACTURER. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 155,000.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 TOYOTA SIENNA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 30 MPH, THE HOOD OPENED AND HIT THE WINDSHIELD. THE FAILURE OCCURRED TWICE, SHATTERING THE WINDSHIELD. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A REPAIR SHOP WHERE THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE FAILURE WAS CAUSED BY THE HOOD LATCH. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE CONTACT CALLED THE MANUFACTURER WHO OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 200,000. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 190,000.

2000 TOYOTA SIENNA REAR DOOR LATCH HANDLE BROKE UNDER NORMAL USE. UPON INSPECTION, THERE IS A NARROW PIECE OF PLASTIC CONNECTING THE HANDLE TO THE INTERNAL LATCH MECHANISM AND THIS NARROW PIECE BROKE CLEANLY IN HALF WITHOUT WARNING. REAR DOOR CANNOT BE OPENED FROM EITHER OUTSIDE OR INSIDE POSING A POSSIBLE HAZARD TO 3RD SEAT PASSENGERS IN THE CASE OF AN ACCIDENT. PHONED TOYOTA AND WAS GIVEN CASE #1007022060 AND INSTRUCTED TO TAKE TO DEALER AND PAY FOR REPAIR SINCE HANDLE NOT PART OF ANY CURRENT RECALL. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 TOYOTA SIENNA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE OUTSIDE DOOR HANDLES WERE FALLING OFF THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT HAD TO REMOVE THE DRIVER SIDE DOOR, DRIVER SIDE SLIDING DOOR, AND REAR HATCH DOOR HANDLES. THE REAR HATCH COULD NOT BE OPENED FROM THE OUTSIDE OR THE INSIDE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 70,000. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 99,000. UPDATED 11/09/10*JB

I OWN TWO TOYOTA SIENNA MINIVANS, MODEL YEARS 2000 AND 2001. OF THE 10 DOORS ON THESE TWO VEHICLES, THE HANDLES ON SIX ARE BROKEN OFF. THIS HAPPENED DURING NORMAL USE. IN SEARCHING INTERNET SITES, I FOUND COMMENTS THAT SIENNA VANS ARE KNOWN FOR THIS DEFECT. THE DEFECTS HAVE OCCURRED AT DIFFERENT TIMES OVER THE PAST TWO YEARS. *TR

DRIVERS SIDE DOOR LATCH HANDLE NOT ONLY BROKE, BUT PULLED COMPLETELY OUT OF THE DOOR. THIS IS THE 3RD DOOR HANDLE THAT HAS BROKEN UNDER NORMAL USE. 1ST THE 2 SLIDING DOOR HANDLES, NOW THIS DOOR HANDLE. *TR

MY TWO SLIDING DOORS WILL NOT OPEN FROM THE INSIDE ON MY 2000 TOYOTA SIENNA MINIVAN. *TR

REAR DOOR LID HANDLE BROKE MAKING IT IMPOSSIBLE FOR ME TO PUT MY POWER WHEEL CHAIR INTO THE VAN. WITHOUT THAT CHAIR I CANNOT GET AROUND. TWO PEOPLE HAD TO DISASSEMBLE THE CHAIR TO GET IT INTO THE VAN SO I COULD GET HOME. THERE SHOULD BE AN INTERNAL RELEASE FOR THAT DOOR. *TR

THIS COMPLAINT IS NOT OF ANY CRASHES OR INJURIES BUT OF, WHAT I FEEL, A FAILURE OF THE QUALITY OF THE VEHICLE ITS SELF. I OWN A 2000 TOYOTA SIENNA AND ON OR AROUND FEB 12, 2007 MY DRIVERSIDE, BACK SLIDING DOOR HANDLE BROKE OFF. SHORTLY AFTER THAT THE BACK HATCH HANDLE BROKE OFF AND SHORTLY AFTER THAT THE TWO FRONT DOOR HANDLES STARTED TO BREAK IN HALF. ONE HANDLE BREAKING IS A POSSIBILITY BUT ALL MY DOOR HANDLES BREAKING EXCEPT ONE IS STRANGE. AND THE ONE THAT IS NOT BROKEN IS A POWER DOOR SO THE HANDLE IS NOT PULLED AS OFTEN OTHER WISE I WONDER ABOUT THAT ONE AS WELL. *TR

OVER THE PAST 3 YEARS 3 OF THE 5 DOOR HANDLES HAVE BROKEN ON THIS 2000 TOYOTA SIENNA. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 TOYOTA SIENNA. THE VEHICLE IS EQUIPPED WITH POWER DOOR LOCKS. THE HANDLES ON BOTH SLIDING SIDE DOORS DETACHED FROM THE DOORS. THE DOORS FAILED TO OPERATE FROM BOTH THE OUTSIDE AND INSIDE THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INSPECTED BY THE DEALER. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 85,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 110,000.

SEVERAL HARDWARE PROBLEMS WITH THIS VEHICLE. HAD TO REPLACE RIGHT SLIDING DOOR HANDLE AT A COST OF $140. REPLACED THE REAR DOOR HANDLE FOR $70. BOTH OF THESE ITEMS BROKE, RENDERING THE DOORS USELESS FROM THE OUTSIDE. ALSO REPLACED THE DRIVER DOOR POWER WINDOW MOTOR AT A COST OF $ 90. *AK

WHILE DRIVING OUR 2000 TOYOTA SIENNA THE SAFETY HOOD LATCH FAILED WHILE DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY AND THE HOOD FLEW OPEN, SMASHING THE WINDSHIELD, DAMAGING THE HOOD AND THE ROOF OF THE VEHICLE. THE CAUSE OF THE INCIDENT WAS THAT HE HOOD LATCH NO LONGER ENGAGES WHEN THE HOOD IS SHUT. THE VEHICLE WAS SERVICED AT A TOYOTA DEALERSHIP 2 WEEKS BEFORE WITHOUT ANY MENTION OF AN ISSUE WITH THE LATCH. TOYOTA BASICALLY STATED THAT THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN DO. I BELIEVE THERE IS A DESIGN FLAW TO THE LOCATION OF HE HOOD LATCH CAUSING IT TO NO LONGER FUNCTION FROM WEATHER RELATED EXPOSURE. THERE MOST LIKELY ARE OTHER SIENNA VEHICLES WITH THE SAME ISSUE WITH DRIVERS UNAWARE OF THE PROBLEM. *JB

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED A JUMPSTART WAS GIVEN TO A NEIGHBORING VEHICLE. THE NEXT DAY THE HOOD WAS RELEASED TO JUMPSTART THE NEIGHBORING VEHICLE AGAIN. THE JUMPSTART WAS NOT NEEDED. THE HOOD WAS NOT LOCKED DOWN BUT WAS NOT FULLY UNLATCHED, WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVING 45 MPH, ON A SMOOTH BLACKTOP PAVED ROAD, WHEN THE HOOD BLEW BACK INTO THE WIND SHIELD AND DAMAGED THE HOOD, WINDSHIELD, WIPERS AND THE ROOF OF THE VEHICLE. THE SERVICE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOT NOTIFIED, BUT THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED AT AN AUTO-BODY SHOP.

MY WIFE AND 4 CHILDREN WERE DRIVING IN OUR 2000 TOYOTA SIENNA. WHILE ACCELERATING ONTO A HIGHWAY, THE HOOD ABRUPTLY RELEASED AND SLAMMED AGAINST THE FRONT WINDSHIELD, CAUSING THE WINDSHIELD TO SHATTER AND DAMAGING THE ROOF. MY WIFE PULLED OVER ONTO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD ALMOST COMPLETELY BLIND TO WHAT WAS IN FRONT OF HER. THE CAR WAS NEARLY HIT BY A SEMI-TRACTOR TRAILER. LUCKILY, NO ONE WAS PHYSICALLY HURT FROM THE INCIDENT. UPON INSPECTION OF THE LOCKING MECHANISM, IT WAS OBVIOUS THAT BOTH THE PRIMARY AND SECONDARY LATCHES WERE BOTH NOT WORKING PROPERLY. IT APPEARS THAT THE SPRINGS THAT ARE USED WITHIN THESE MECHANISMS HAD LOST THEIR SPRING EFFECTIVENESS. THIS WAS COMPOUNDED BY THE "STICKINESS" CAUSED BY SOME RUSTING ON THE LATCH. THE CAR WAS RECENTLY AT A TOYOTA DEALER MAINTENANCE CENTER. I FEEL THAT THE MAINTENANCE FACILITY SHOULD HAVE AN OBLIGATION TO CHECK THIS CRITICAL COMPONENT. IN REVIEWING THE NHTSA DATABASE, IT IS CLEAR THAT THIS IS A COMMON ISSUE ACROSS AUTOMOBILES. I WOULD EXPECT THEIR TO BE SOME RECURRING MAINTENANCE ON THE LATCHING MECHANISM (AT 30,000 OR 60,000 MILES) TO PREVENT SUCH AN INCIDENT FROM OCCURRING...I DO NOT HAVE ACCESS TO THE SHOP MAINTENANCE MANUALS SO I DON'T KNOW IF SUCH AN INSPECTION IS IN THE MANUALS. IF THERE IS NO SUCH INSPECTION IN TOYOTA'S MAINTENANCE MANUAL, I BELIEVE THAT TOYOTA IS NEGLIGENT ON THIS VERY HAZARDOUS FAILURE MECHANISM. IF THERE IS SUCH AN INSPECTION, I BELIEVE THE TOYOTA MAINTENANCE FACILITY SHOULD BE HELD RESPONSIBLE. *JB

2000 SIENNA HOOD OPENED WHILE DRIVING STRIKING THE WINDSHIELD. *TS *JB

THE PASSENGER (MANUAL ) SLIDING DOOR BECAME HARD TO OPEN. THE HANDLE STICKS AND DOES NOT OPEN ON THE FIRST TRY. THE HANDLE THEN BROKE OFF COMPLETELY LEAVING THE DOOR UNSAFE AND UNABLE TO LATCH PROPERLY. WE PURCHASED A NEW HANDLE FROM THE DEALER FOR A PRICE OF $95.00. WE FEEL THIS SPECIFIC CAR HANDLE IS NOT MADE TO WITHSTAND THE USE OF A SLIDING DOOR OR THE WEIGHT OF THE DOOR AND WILL FAIL WITH CONTINUED USE. YOU MUST PULL OUT THE HANDLE TO OPEN THE SLIDING DOOR AND CONTINUE TO HOLD IT OUT UNTIL THE DOOR IS COMPLETELY OPEN. ALL THE WEIGHT OF THE DOOR AND THE MOMENTUM OF THE SLIDER REST OF THIS HANDLE. HAVE FOUND OTHERS WITH THE SAME COMPLAINTS ONLINE. ALSO, MAY CONSIDER WEATHER AS A FACTOR TOO. THE COLDER THE WEATHER THE WORSE IT PERFORMS. *JB

BOTH OF THE OUTSIDE HANDLES ON THE SLIDING PASSENGER DOORS ON MY 2000 TOYOTA SIENNA BROKE WITHIN THE PAST FEW WEEKS. (ONE HANDLE BROKE OFF COMPLETELY AND ONE IS STILL PARTIALLY ATTACHED TO THE DOOR.) ONE DOOR CANNOT BE OPENED FROM THE OUTSIDE AND THE OTHER ONE IS VERY DIFFICULT TO OPEN. I CONTACTED THE LOCAL TOYOTA DEALERSHIP AND THE NATIONAL 800 NUMBER. BOTH THE LOCAL AND THE NATIONAL POINTS OF CONTACT SAID THERE WERE NO KNOWN ISSUES WITH THE DOOR HANDLES AND THERE WAS NOTHING THAT COULD BE DONE. THE DEALERSHIP ADVISED ME THAT I COULD PAY THEM @$300 A DOOR TO HAVE THE BROKEN HANDLES REPLACED. I DID SOME RESEARCH ON THE WEB AND DID FIND SEVERAL OTHER COMPLAINTS / POSTINGS ABOUT BROKEN DOOR HANDLES. *NM

DT: VEHICLE HAS A SLIDING ELECTRIC DOOR ON PASSENGER'S SIDE. DOOR STARTED OPENING OR STAYING OPEN AT THE WRONG TIME. FINALLY, THE ELECTRICAL DOOR STOPPED WORKING ALL TOGETHER. THE DOOR WILL NOT OPEN WITH THE BUTTON ON THE INSIDE OF VEHICLE OR THE REMOTE. CONSUMER JUST NOTICED THAT THE DOOR WILL ALSO NOT OPEN MANUALLY FROM THE INSIDE OF VEHICLE, BUT WILL OPEN MANUALLY FROM THE OUTSIDE OF VEHICLE. CONSUMER DID TAKE VEHICLE O DEALER IN JANUARY 2005 FOR AN ESTIMATE OF REPAIRS, AND FOUND THAT THE COST OF REPAIRS WOULD BE $1886.00. *AK

HANDLE/LATCH TO OPEN HATCH ON BACK DOOR OF 2000 TOYOTA SIENNA LE MINIVAN BREAKS EASILY WHEN TRYING TO OPEN. HATCH REMAINS UNOPENABLE UNTIL LATCH IS REPLACED. DIFFICULT TO REPLACE BECAUSE INSIDE PANEL FROM HATCH MUST BE REMOVED FROM INSIDE THE VAN AND IF THE BACK ROW OF SEATS IS IN PLACE IT IS VERY HARD TO GET TO.

WHILE PRESSING THE BUTTON TO OPEN THE SLIDING DOOR IT FAILED TO OPEN. CONSUMER TRIED NUMEROUS TIMES, BUT THIS CAUSED THE BUTTON TO STICK. VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION, AND MECHANIC REPLACED THE BUTTON DUE TO WORN OUT WIRES. *AK

POWER SLIDING DOOR WILL NOT ENGAGE. WHEN USING THE LOCK OUT BUTTON IT IS STILL DIFFICULT TO OPEN AND CLOSE THE DOOR. *AK

THIS IS A PROGRESSIVELY WORSENING PROBLEM, BEGINNING IN JANUARY 2003. THE AUTOMATIC SLIDING DOOR HAS STOPPED WORKING PROPERLY. IT OPENS AT RANDOM, WITH OR WITHOUT THE ENGINE ON. WHEN THE LAST INCIDENT OCCURRED, IT OPENED AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS! THE DEALER HAS BEEN UNABLE TO MAKE A SUCCESSFUL REPAIR. *JB

CONSUMER UNABLE TO OPEN REAR SLIDING DOOR FROM THE INSIDE. DEALER NOTIFIED. *AK

THE PASSENGER'S SLIDING DOOR WILL OPEN AND CLOSE INTERMITTENTLY.*AK

REAR DOOR HANDLE MALFUCTION ON MY 2000 TOYOTA SIENNA XLE THAT WAS PURCHASED ON 07/2000 WITH 37,000 MILES ON IT. SAFETY ISSUE RESULTING IN A MALFUCTIONING DOOR HANDLE IN AN EMERGENTY SITUATION IF OCCUPANTS ARE TRAPPED IN THE VEHICLE AND UNABLE TO EXCAPE.

WHILE DRIVING PASSENGER'S SIDE DOOR WILL JUST OPEN. CONSUMER HAS TAKEN VEHICLE TO DEALER 3 TIMES. DEALER COULDN'T FIND CAUSE. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK