2006 Toyota Sienna seems to have an issue with driver side front door starting to deteriorate resulting in a popping sound coming out around the hinge in the middle while opening and closing the door. This seems to be a common issue and Toyota seems to think this is due to corrosion or crack in the frame that holds the door. Our concern is that if the popping sound can start occurring due to normal wear and tear use, this could result in bigger problem over time like excessive corrosion or crack could hinder the door unusable. The remedy that we have researched online seems to be replacing a door and making a hole on the inside edge of the door to allow the hinge to slide in and out more freely. This needs to be investigated and addressed appropriately. Toyota has a tsb out for this but no recall. This should be a recall as unusable driver side door could be a major safety issue.

- Abingdon, MD, USA

Description of problem: 2006 Toyota Sienna sliding door on driver's side won't close. Events leading up to problem: Drove vehicle about 25 miles from home, opened sliding door for child to exit vehicle, door would not close after that. Front latch can be secured with great force, however the rear latch will not engage. Door remains open and is a very serious safety risk as the front latch security/reliability is insufficient. Sliding door could open without warning while driving 70 mph. Lights in van stay on, presenting another risk at night because vision is inhibited greatly by interior lighting. Had to drive home without door fully closed at night. This lack of visibility nearly resulted in several accidents. Problem stems from the mechanism that grabs the metal loop that is connected to the rear door frame. The C shaped latch is covered with a plastic coating which when worn or damaged allows moisture in and the metal clamp swells up and binds the latch. No amount of lubrication will help. Toyota made a big mistake by plastic coating a metal that would rust and swell up the outer coating from the inside making the latch not function properly. This is a serious design defect. There may be other design flaws contributing to the malfunction of this critical mechanism.

- Frisco, TX, USA

2006 Toyota Sienna two potential safety failures: (1) the drivers side sliding door when opening will slide into the gas fuel door while another person is fueling the vehicle. There is no stop that prevents the door from striking the gas door when a person is exiting the vehicle. When this happened, the fueling nozzle was jarred loose and fuel was splashed on the vehicle. Also, the fuel message stayed on following this event on the dashboard. (2) driver's side and passenger's side front door power locks both failed(driver's side at 37,000miles & the passenger's side at 58,000 miles.) this may or may not become a safety failure; however, if the doors are not locked manually, the lack of locked doors could prove to be dangerous when the car is moving.

- Grand Island, NY, USA

Our 2006 Toyota Sienna's right power sliding passenger door suddenly failed. There was no prior warning. Mileage was 47,385. We were outside of the warranty period. The motor simply gave out. The door had to be replaced so that the van could be drivable. We took it to nalley automotive, 11130 alpharetta hwy, roswell, ga 30076. The dealer replaced the right side power sliding door control motor. Cost of repair was $1914.39.

- Alpharetta, GA, USA