2000 Toyota Sienna LX review from North America
"A low quality brand name vehicle"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
I thought I was unlucky that I bought a lemon. It's a surprise that there are so many owners that have the same problems I had on my 2000 sienna. Looks like Toyota has some design and quality control issues.
The new car came with chattering problem, I had the dealer checked 3 times, they just re-balanced the wheels, but didn't correct the problem. Then they told me they can't find what's wrong. I finally had a shop looked at it. They corrected it with alignment. But the tires are badly worn already.
On February 2002, the Check Engine warning light came on. The dealership said the mechanics found metal debris in it and decided to replaced the transmission. I have to wait 2 weeks for them to get the new transmission ship from west coast. Yes, I have a loaner car, that's the good part. 3 days after the vehicle was fixed, the warning light came on again. This time, they found it's just a loose wire. Thanks god (but I really doubt that if this is the real problem the first time the light came on, since metal debris in transmission is normal, that's what the magnets inside the transmission oil pan for). A new problem appeared right after they fix the transmission, noise came out from the engine room. Every time the engine is at 2200 rpm, I hear a deep throat roaring sound. Yep, if you cruise at 65, that's the engine's rpm. Pretty annoying. The dealership said there is nothing they can do since it's "normal engine noise", but I really don't think it's the engine since there is no noise if it's not driving and just push the padel to put the engine at 2200 rpm.
And, (yes it's not over yet), I found it's leaking some kind of oil recently. I had the dealer checked the vehicle, this time it's the power steering high pressure hose. It's not under warranty any more. Even I have Toyota Gold extended warranty, it's not covered.
That's it, it's the worst vehicle ownership experience I ever had. Me and my wife are considering trade it in for some other vehicle, like Odyssey, should be more reliable.
Recommended reviews
  | Not bad, but make sure you do regular maintenance |
| Poor value |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | No |
| First year of ownership | 2000 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2003 |
| Engine and transmission | 3.0 Automatic |
| Performance marks | 6/10 |
| Reliability marks | 4/10 |
| Comfort marks | 2/10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 1/10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 3/10 |
| Distance when acquired | 15 miles |
| Most recent distance | 42000 miles |
| Previous car | Toyota Camry |
| Date of Entry | 28th April, 2003 |