Premature failure of power drive mechanism of driver and passenger rear side doors. Due to a Toyota-known defect (Toyota tsb #EL004-04), the drive cable can snap, rendering the power control of the door inoperable. This causes the door to be stuck partially open until it is repaired. This issue is widely known by Toyota service departments and Toyota customers reporting on various internet web sites.

- South Lyon, MI, USA

On a 2004 Toyota Sienna le with 84K miles, the passenger power sliding door cable snapped leaving the door halfway open and unable to be opened or closed fully. My wife had to drive our three kids home with the door not fully closed. About one week prior to the failure, the door would sometimes act as if something were blocking it from closing or opening, so that it would reverse itself for no apparent reason. Toyota quoted about $3500 for repair, with approximately $800 in parts and the rest in labor. I purchased a repair manual and disconnected the broken cables to render the door operable in a non-powered fashion. The power sliding door motor and cables have not been replaced to date.

- Trumansburg, NY, USA

2004 totally Sienna slide door froze in the open position and the manual override feature didn't work to allow me to close the door and Transport my children. This appears to be occurring on a high number of Sienna's and I believe it is a clear defect. The dealer wanted $2,000 to fix the door that I believe should be a recall.

- Towson, MD, USA

2004 Toyota Sienna: Powered door cable breakage; seems to be a common deficiency in this model vehicle.

- Brentwood, TN, USA

Toyota 2004 Sienna driver side door makes loud sound when opened and often closes without warning. Dealer said that extended warranty had been up two months before and would not repair. Maybe you should think about a recall before someone falls out or gets squished.

- Kensington, MD, USA

Last night I was opening the power sliding door on my 2004 Toyota Sienna to get out my daughter. We were on a slight incline and when the door got about halfway open I heard a snap and the door slammed shut. Luckily my daughter was still locked in the car seat and my arms were out of the way. The dealership said it would be $1600. Replace the cable.

- West Lawn, PA, USA

2004 Toyota Sienna with 70,000 miles. The problem started with an automatic passenger side sliding rear door. After several trips and attempted repairs, from which I was told the problem was I needed to make sure and lubricate the hinges, I gave up on the door being fixed. Tried not to Focus on the fact that in the event of an emergency would only be able to remove my children from the driver side. Made sure that my sons car seat was always placed on driver side so that I could get him out and my other children would be able to climb out past him. Resorted to using the driver side manual rear door. I could not get the door to shut after my kids had gotten in the car.I could close the door, but could not lock the door. Had to continue our trip and drive with my kids in the back seat of the van that door would not secure. 2 out of 3 bolts had pulled through the sheet metal of the rear door locking mechanism. Repair shop is trying to now fix the automatic door again. I am told 700 parts and labor. But the manual door I am told that I will need to take to a body shop for repairs. Vehicle never involved in an accident. My husband has looked at the problem and trying to decide if its possible for him to remove the door panel for access to the bolts and mechanism. Because it is apparently an issue with the bolts with no washers coming through the sheet metal. Even after I spend 1000 to have the automatic door repaired, again & hopefully this time it will work. The car still won't be functional for transporting my children because the manual door can't be secured until I have body shop look at repairing. My husband thought he had heard alot of air around the door like it wasn't shut the day before. But as I was in passenger seat I could not distinguish between regular wind noise and if there was anything different.

- Macclenny, FL, USA

The sliding door cable snapped as the door opened. Leaving it wide open and unable to be closed. I had complained about squeaking noises and they had lubed the door twice. The dealership also replaced a recalled part in that door.

- Naperville, IL, USA

2004 Toyota Sienna. Problem with sliding door not closing. Metal, part of door frame, holding screws that keep lock in proper place failed due to stress.

- Jamison, PA, USA

I own a 2004 Toyota Sienna van. Apparently my problem is very common after talking with several dealerships. My passenger sliding door has an automatic push bottom to open and close. It recently failed and I can no longer open or close the sliding door with the switch. It has to be manually opened for the door to open. This is a safety hazard since I have small kids in case of an emergency. I was quoted $1100 for parts only to replace. This does not include labor. I am told it is very labor intensive to replace. According the service department at several Toyota dealerships this is not an uncommon problem. They even carry this part in stock for that reason. I checked online and there are many complaints exactly my case. My Sienna van has had 3-4 recalls since I bought it in 2003. Toyota refuses to accept responsibility for this defect.

- Suwanee, GA, USA

2004 Toyota Sienna xle passenger side sliding door power failure. Opened door and the cable that the door runs along hung outside the side of the van and would not retract into place and the power would not move the door to close it. After having it inspected by the dealer they said the motor and cable need to be replaced at a cost of $1055. They also turned off the power to both doors (there is only one switch which affects both doors) stating that the door could operate randomly causing a safety issue if that happened while driving. Since this has occurred I have heard from several other Sienna owners who have experienced the same problem.

- Neenah, WI, USA

The drivers side door clicks and pops upon opening and closing. This is some kind of latch/welding issue. The long term consequence is complete door failure.

- New Berlin, WI, USA

On the automatic passenger side door, cable that opens and closes the door, rusted and snapped after the plastic coating wore and failed, had to remove cable so I can open it manually. The wear of the cable seems premature since the vehicle is only 4 years old.

- Florida, NY, USA

2004 'Toyota Sienna minivan. Cable on power sliding door, passenger side, snapped leaving door unusable and in the open position. Unable to close door or to drive safely. Toyota dealership is asking for more than $1000 to replace a cable. Found many, many other complaints about the same cable and same high costs for repair while browsing online for repair advice. I will have to park the van if they cannot fix it as it is unusable with the door open and not working.

- Laguna Niguel, CA, USA

2004 Toyota Sienna electric slide door passenger side on mini van. I went to open it and when it came time to close door, the door would not work. I went to dealer ship to have it looked at, and this is what they said. Toyota has many bulletins on this same issue but no recalls. It will be $1800 to fix it. Never even said what happened. I told Toyota about this problem and they basically said tough I don't care pay the price and get it fix. We will not stand behind it. This is out of warranty. And bergstroms dealer ship charged me $100 to evaluate it and tell me it would cost me $1800. I will not buy another Toyota when they can fix defective items.

- Oshkosh, WI, USA

The cable on the sliding side door of our 2004 Toyota Sienna snapped in December 2008. The cable (unknown metal) which was exposed & dangling appeared to be frayed, as well as rusted. There is no doubt in anyone's mind, including professionals, that this is, indeed, a danger created by a flaw in the vehicle's design. When the cable broke, I immediately took our Sienna to the local Toyota dealership who informed me it would be $1200 to repair it because it is out of warranty (more than 3 years old). When the Toyota service rep closed the door and tried to re-open it, the door was frozen in place and would not open. He said the other piece of the snapped cable must be caught in the mechanism which is jamming the door. In addition to the stress of not being able to open my door, this is a significant safety issue which could result in entrapment of passengers, particularly, our young grandchildren secured in their car seats. As I wait to come up with funds to have this door repaired, I consistently worry about the other sliding door, because from what I have heard, it, too, will likely snap within a short period of time. Though I have been dealing with this for a few months now, I just learned today that Toyota discovered the flaw 4 or 5 years ago, and made an adjustment on the newer models. However, they never bothered to provide notification--nor to recall--the vehicles which had already been produced. Isn't this illegal"? there are hundreds of 2004 Sienna sliding door complaints posted on the web, as well as many horrific and life-threatening stories about the dangers of the doors, including cables snapping causing injury, doors stuck in the closed position, doors not being able to be closed, and even doors opening while in transit. What can 2004 Sienna owners do about this safety-related issue and the refusal of Toyota to take responsibility for its design problem & correct it without exuberant consumer costs & to warn/notify all its consumers" thanks

- Walton, KY, USA

The side door cables on my 2004 Toyota Sienna have corroded and snapped. One cable has tangled on parts inside and now will not fully open. The other cable tangled while the door was open and would not close until I partially disassembled the panel and entangled the broken cable. The van is out of warranty and Toyota has quoted me $1500 per door ($3000 total) to repair.

- South San Francisco, CA, USA

Cable and pulley system on rear power door on Toyota Sienna frayed and broken. Door doesn't slide on track and comes off while driving.

- Fridley, MN, USA

Weather was cold, door motor "froze", when the door motor "unfrozen, " the cable broke. Now door will not open automatically or manually. My door has "frozen" off and on since I got it in 2004, but has usually opened after the third or fourth try. Dealer says it will cost $1,700 to fix door. Based on an internet search, many owners are having this same issue with similar repair costs.

- Norfolk, VA, USA

A defective weld on the driver side door check attachment caused loud popping noise every time the door was used. Problem progressed into a full failure of strap/check mechanism and damage to power window. The pervasive manufacturer defect cannot be sustained as an owner maintenance responsibility by Toyota. The broken part has fallen into the door cavity.

- Chagrin Falls, OH, USA