2004 Toyota Sienna LE AWD from North America - Comments

I am very dissatisfied with the car. Mileage runs 15 city and 19 hwy.

Run Flat tires are horrible. They wear out within 15,000 miles and must be changed in sets. Btw, they are $250.00 each and are not readily available. Dealer (located 15 miles East of Downtown Los Angeles) needed 3-5 days to get them. Flats cannot be repaired. Basically car need over $1000.00 a year to replace tires. Also tires are noisy and wear uneven. Check complaints on the Web.

Car does not come with a spare tire. Beware!!! If you have a flat in a remote area, the car may stand you for days until a spare Dunlop or Bridgestone can be located. They must be replaced in sets at $250 each!!!

Flat sensor only work on hwy and only after a few miles. Told to me by head mechanic at Dealership. Tire would not exhibit symptoms of a flat (visually or physically) until tire self destructs after 100 miles. This is very dangerous.

There is a class action lawsuit filed in California. Check the attached link.

http://www.autosafety.org/article.php?scid=185&did=1165.

Car was recalled for seat belts and rust prevention.

Previous cars has TSB's on leaking radiators, fuel tanks, electrical, brake, engine and transmission problems.

Car is not what I expected in terms of performance, reliability or safety. Especially in a $33,000 plus car.

Toyota used run-flat tires ONLY on the AWD version of the Sienna since the extra AWD hardware took up the space normally used for a spare tire. This is no secret and buyers should have been aware of this up front so there were no surprises down the road.

This is a good example of why you MUST be aware of what you're buying! In Toyota's defense, the car is operating as designed, and if you're unhappy with its design (which may be appropriate), you shouldn't have bought it in the first place.

A Previous Comment was:

"This is a good example of why you MUST be aware of what you're buying! In Toyota's defense, the car is operating as designed, and if you're unhappy with its design (which may be appropriate), you shouldn't have bought it in the first place."

It is a poor defense for Toyota to say that the car is operating as designed. It was a terrible decision by Toyota to use the run flat tires. The number of complaints are well documented. If Toyota themselves knew of the inherent problems with the run flat tires and AWD then they should have told the consumers. Quite frankly, I have to assume they did not know the extent of the problem when they made the decision to go with them.

Sounds to me like Toyota is becoming more and more unreliable in making their cars and in trusting them. I had a problem with my 2003 door handles sticking and jamming. I know of 2 other people who had this problem. They said they are aware of it and the handles have been revised, obviously still not perfected. I had to pay $250.00 for it to be replaced. I asked if this will happen to the other door and they said "more than likely." I called the 1-800 number to complain, they did nothing to help and also wanted the name of the person who told me this. They made a report to send to the crm, but also wanted me to tell them who told me this. Sounds like they are trying to hide their screw-ups on these vans. I never would have complained and would have thought it was something I did had I not known other people with the problem. How many other people did they make think it was something they did. I am however grateful for the honesty of this service tech. and in the future will only deal with him.

I have a 2004 Sienna XLE AWD. Frankly this is the WORST Toyota I owned in my life. Me and my family had several Toyota and Lexus vehicles. The Run-Flat Tires have been the worst tires and a nightmare. From day one the tires have not performed well, the car pulls either Right or Left, I had the alignment checked starting at around 4,000 miles and the Dealer laughed at me when I asked them to check the alignment with such a low mileage. The tires are very rough when you start driving the car initially and not much better afterwards.

I also had other mechanical problems. I waited six months for this van, now I totally regret my purchase. I tried to talk to the Customer Care people, they are of no help in addressing my concerns. Their stance is there is no problem with these tires, obviously they are wrong. I also have a 1994 Camry, I have NO complaints about this car. I have more problems with a car that is 10 years newer (Sienna).

If Toyota does not address this issue and take care of their Loyal Customers, then this will be my last purchase from them. I expected them to stand-by their product, warranty and resolve any problems promptly, but obviously they have chosen to save a few dollars and ignore Customer Loyalty. This is VERY DISSAPPOINTING to see Toyota turn their back on their customers, they lost my trust in their Brand. I hope more people express their problems and force Toyota to do the right thing.