10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
65,722 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.

Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2003 Toyota Sienna:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

problem #11

Feb 082011

Sienna 6-cyl

  • 102,000 miles
We have a 2003 Toyota Sienna minivan. The drivers side automatic door now will not open manually or automatically. I have a daughter who is handicapped and this is the easiest door to put her in the car, so as of right now the car that holds her wheelchair is completely useless to us. Toyota has been absolutely no help. This is very dangerous. What is she was in the car an accident occurred and we could not get her out"??"

- Holly Springs, GA, USA

problem #10

Nov 052010

Sienna

  • 115,000 miles
The handle on the lift gate for my 2003 Toyota Sienna broke off right in my hand. The gate remains locked and unable to open it.

- Rhill, GA, USA

problem #9

Aug 132010

Sienna

  • 90,000 miles
Broken cable for sliding door of my 2003 Toyota Sienna.

- Albuquerque, NM, USA

problem #8

Sep 062010

Sienna

  • 106,000 miles
I never had a problem opening or closing the trunk door of my 2003 Sienna van. Shortly after I purchase my Sienna in 2007, I did notice the trunk handle, which is covered from all elements, was completely corroded. To see the corrosion you must get on your knee and look up past the license plate or open the trunk door and look up into this same groove.. I informed the Toyota service center about the corrosion while the vehicle was under warrant and was told that was not a problem that was covered by the warranty. After a trip to the grocery store on labor day, the trunk would not open. I had to climb over the rear seat to unload the van. When I contacted Toyota I was informed that there were no recalls for that particular problem and that I would have to pay the cost of the repair. How can that part be totally corroded the way it is cover?

- Chicago, IL, USA

problem #7

Jul 082010

Sienna

  • 139,000 miles
Opened tail gate on 03 Toyota Sienna van. Reached in to get something and gate suddenly came down striking me on the top of my head causing a concussion. Gas struts were replaced at a cost of over $300. Old parts not available.

- Mequon, WI, USA

problem #6

Apr 192010

Sienna

  • 20,000 miles
2003 Toyota Sienna minivan, both sliding doors do not operate properly. The driver side stays shut always and will not open from the inside or the outside. The passenger slider will open from the outside if you place the childproof lock on. This happened on and off and got to be constant after the 3 year warranty is up. This is not from wear and tear. It is a known 'Sienna problem forum' issue and every time someone goes to Toyota, they deny that a problem exists. Does that sound familiar" is it safe when you cannot get out of your door"

- Spring Hill, FL, USA

problem #5

Aug 042009

Sienna

  • miles
2003 siena, sliding doors don't work at all.

- Katy, TX, USA

problem #4

Dec 132009

Sienna

  • 40,000 miles
The contact owns 2003 Toyota Sienna ce. He was not able to unlock the driver or passenger side rear doors. He will take the vehicle to the dealer to be diagnosed. The current and the failure mileages were 40,000.

- Stanford , CT, USA

problem #3

Nov 122008

Sienna

  • 33,419 miles
Car: Toyota Sienna ce, 2003 re: Latches, locks, linkage you have a number of complaints in your data base regarding latches, locks, linkage. On which I also have a complaint. I have a sticky (inside) door release button problem. When it is depressed, to open the door, the button will not return to its normal position resulting in not being able to keep the door closed (latches will not engage to hold the door shut). I also had this problem in 2005 (other sliding door), which was fixed under warranty (invoice #310955, 06dec05). Driving with the door un-latched is dangerous and is also a safety issue. Because of the many complaints filed under this heading (but unable to determine if sticky button was the real problem), in your data base, I would like to see Toyota fix this item if it is a problem. Dealer estimated cost to fix this problem is $170 (invoice #425596, 12nov08). They indicated that the entire door handle and sub-assembly must be replaced. It seems to me that all it needs is a new spring of some sort, but I must agree that I have no technical knowledge of problem or how it works. The handle (non-moving part, both inside and outside) looks good and is not damaged or dirty in any way (visual inspection).

- Montebello, CA, USA

problem #2

Oct 122008

Sienna

  • 72,523 miles
The passenger door handled broke on the back side sliding door. It was repaired but now to open the door from the inside you have use brute strength. It will not open easily and the shop is stating there is nothing wrong with it. However, the driver sliding door opens with ease even by a 10 yr old. I saw on many blogs that many people have the same problem. This is a safety issue and most places (school) and camps and any place else you are going to take your kids, they will have to get out on the passenger side. It is not safe for them to have to go into traffic to get out of the car. Then what if the same thing happens to the other door. Will the children be forced to climb through the front to get out, what if there is an accident and the front doors are inaccessible, how will the people in the back get out. This is very unsafe.

- Tampa, FL, USA

problem #1

May 012004

Sienna

  • 5,000 miles
My minivan passenger doors intermittently either fail to open or close properly. Most often the doors won't open and passengers cannot exit without crawling through to the other side or front. Occasionally the doors will not catch when closed, forcing me to drive slowly with hazards until it gets "unstuck". I've had these problems intermittently since the van was less the 1 year. The dealer has tended to blame me or make a repair which hasn't lasted. Most recently they replaced a door handle and supposedly adjusted a cable and told me the problem was fixed and guaranteed for 6 months and then wanted to charge for additional parts and service when brought back in 5 weeks later with ongoing problems. In reviewing your website this is a problem which has been reported by others. Sometimes the thumb piece sticks, other times the handle fails to open the door. A this point both door handles have been replaced and yet problems still occur, especially when it is hot and humid or very cold. Date given is when problem first started, still occurs in 2008.

- Baltimore, MD, USA