1998 Toyota Sienna

WE ARE ON OUR THIRD MOTOR FOR A TOYOTA SIENNA 1998 VAN, PURCHASED NEW. SEVERAL MONTHS AGO, WE HAD THE MOTOR REPLACED. WE WERE CHARGED $4-500, THOUGH TOYOTA HANDLED IT UNDER WARRANTY. NOW, 10,000 MILES LATER, WE MUST REPLACE THE ENGINE AGAIN, AT A COST OF $6000. THE PROBLEM, AGAIN, IS 'SLUDGE'. WE ARE ALSO, LIKE OTHERS FILING COMPLAINTS ON YOUR SITE AND OTHERS, BEING HARASSED BY THE DEALERSHIP, WHO CLAIM WE HAVE "NEVER CHANGED THE OIL." FOR ARGUMENT, LET'S SAY THIS IS TRUE. IN 10,000 MILES, YOU WILL UTTERLY DESTROY A NEW ENGINE IF YOU MISS AN OIL CHANGE, RECOMMENDED FOR BETWEEN 5,000 AND 7500 MILES? I BELIEVE THE PUBLIC HAS BEEN SOLD A DEFECTIVE DESIGN, AND THAT THE COMPANY, DELIBERATELY OR NOT, IS REFUSING TO TAKE OWNER COMPLAINTS SERIOUSLY. *LA

APPROXIMATELY 5 YEARS AGO WE PURCHASED A NEW 1998 TOYOTA SIENNA BECAUSE WE WANTED A NEW VEHICLE WITH AN EXCELLENT REPUTATION FOR QUALITY AND SERVICE. BECAUSE OF TOYOTA'S REPUTATION, WE PAID APPROXIMATELY $10,000 MORE FOR THE VAN THAN WE COULD HAVE PURCHASED ANY OTHER VAN IN OUR AREA. RECENTLY OUR VAN STARTED EMITTING BLUE SMOKE. WHEN WE TOOK OUR VAN TO OUR LOCAL TOYOTA DEALERSHIP FOR SERVICE THEY SAID THAT THEY COULD NOT FIND THE PROBLEM, AND OFFERED TO TEAR DOWN THE MOTOR AND SEND PICTURES TO TOYOTA WITH A FEE OF ONE HOUR'S LABOR. WHEN WE SCHEDULED THIS SERVICE, AFTER TEARING DOWN THE MOTOR, WE WERE ASKED FOR DOCUMENTATION OF OIL CHANGES. ALTHOUGH WE HAVE HAD THEM DONE REGULARLY, WE DID NOT SAVE THIS PAPERWORK. SINCE WE ARE OUT OF OUR WARRANTY PERIOD, I THOUGHT THIS WAS AN UNUSUAL REQUEST. HOWEVER, AFTER RESEARCHING MY VAN ON THE INTERNET, I REALIZE THAT THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM WITH MY VAN. UNFORTUNATELY, I DID NOT FIND THIS INFORMATION SOON ENOUGH TO START SAVING ALL OF THOSE OIL CHANGE RECEIPTS. THE OIL IN MY VAN IS VERY THICK, AND WE WERE TREATED AS THOUGH WE NEVER HAD OIL CHANGES DONE. WE WERE TOLD THAT THEY COULD REPLACE THE VALVE COVERS AND CLEAN THE HEADS AND THAT IT MIGHT TAKE CARE OF THE PROBLEM OR WE COULD SPEND $5000 TO PURCHASE A NEW MOTOR FOR A VAN BOUGHT NEW AND STILL BEING PAID FOR! I WILL NO LONGER BE ABLE TO PURCHASE A VEHICLE BASED ON REPUTATION. NOT ONLY WAS THIS A PROBLEM THAT HAS OCCURRED OFTEN, BUT WE WERE NEVER NOTIFIED, AND THEN BASICALLY ACCUSED OF NOT MAINTAINING OUR VEHICLE. WE WERE CHARGED A $75.00 FEE TO FIND THE PROBLEM EVEN THOUGH THE MECHANICS SHOULD HAVE KNOW THIS WAS ON ONGOING PROBLEM THE FIRST TIME THE VAN WAS TAKEN FOR SERVICE. BECAUSE OF THEIR DEFECTIVE MOTOR, I ALSO HAVE NOW LOST THAT "GREAT TRADE IN VALUE" THAT TOYOTA VEHICLES ALWAYS "MAINTAIN". AGAIN, I AM VERY DISAPPOINTED IN MY VAN AND TOYOTA. I PURCHASED MY VAN BECAUSE OF THE HIGH RECOMMENDATIONS GIVEN TO ME, BUT I WILL NOT PASS THIS RECOMMENDATION ON TO OTHERS. *NLM

WE HAVE A 1998 TOYOTA SIENNA. FOR SEVERAL YEARS WE HAVE HAD PROBLEMS OPENING THE REAR PASSENGER DOORS BECAUSE OF FAULTY SPRINGS ON THE DOOR BUTTONS. NOW THE VEHICLE SPEWS OUT BLUE SMOKE WHEN STARTING UP OR ACCELERATING. THE OIL IS ALSO SLUDGEY. WE TOOK IT TO THE DEALER AFTER HEARING THAT THE BLUE SMOKE PROBLEM IS A RECALL ISSUE, BUT THE DEALER WANTS PROOF OF ALL OIL CHANGES, EVEN THOUGH I CHANGE THE OIL AND FILTER MYSELF. A FRIEND AROUND THE CORNER HAS THE SAME PROBLEMS WITH THE FAULTY DOORS. *NLM

OUR DEALERSHIP HAS ONE PERSON DOING THE WORK WHICH THREE DID AT MY GIRLFRIEND'S OLD DEALERSHIP; THEY KEEP TELLING US TO "KEEP A LOG" OF PROBLEMS. SHE WENT IN AND TOLD THEM THE CAR HAD TO BE FIXED; THEY SAID OKAY, AND IT SAT FOR A WEEK WHILE THEY ORDERED PARTS WHICH WE THOUGHT THEY ALREADY WOULD HAVE IN, DUE TO OUR PREVIOUS/NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS. SO NOW IT'S GOING _BACK_ IN MONDAY MORNING, ALTHOUGH THEY CONTINUE TO INSIST THEY DON'T THINK THEY HAVE PARTS FOR THE INSIDE DOOR LOCKS; SHE'S GOING TO ASK THEM ABOUT IT. IT IS VERY FRUSTRATING TO HAVE THE DEALERSHIP SAY "WE DON'T HAVE THE PARTS" AND/OR "KEEP A LOG" WHEN TOYOTA MUST HAVE THE PARTS -- IT'S THEIR VEHICLE!! -- AND WE DON'T NEED TO. 1 QT. OF OIL PER EVERY 100 MILES TRAVELLED FOR THE LAST SIX-TWELVE MONTHS IS INSANE. AND TOYOTA CONTINUES TO INSIST THAT IT'S FROM "LACK OF MAINTENANCE" WHEN THE OIL CHANGES WERE DONE PRIMARILY AT DEALERSHIPS IN MI AND FL ... DOES NOT SIT WELL WITH ME. PLEASE CONTACT ME RE: ANY DEVELOPMENTS PERTAINING TO THE SIENNA ... THANKS!! -- GEORGE SEGER, (231) 932-9501. *AK

THE ENGINE NEEDS REPLACING, APPARENTLY SLUDGE AND THE DEALER/MANUFACTURER IS TRYING TO BLAME ME FOR SLOPPY MAINTENANCE. I WAS AT THE DEALER IN 5/01 FOR A MAJOR MAINTENANCE WHICH INCLUDE ENGINE FLUSH, ETC. $550. AND SINCE I HAVE BEEN BACK IN 8/01 AND 1/02 FOR DIFFERENT ISSUES AND WAS NEVER ASKED TO PERFORM ADDITIONAL MAINTENANCE OR WARNED THAT I SHOULD BE CAREFUL, ETC. I'M AWARE THAT I HAVE PERFORMED OIL & FILTER CHANGES SUBSEQUENT TO THE 5/01 MAJOR MAINTENANCE BUT I'M HAVING TROUBLE FINDING THE EVIDENCE, IN PART BECAUSE I MOVED AROUDN 9 MO. AGO AND STILL HAVEN'T QUITE SETTLED IN COMPLETELY. BASED ON MY SEARCH IN THE INTERNET THE MANUFACTURER HAS APPARENTLY CONCEDED ABOUT A MONTH AGO THAT THERE IS A PROBLEM AND IS PAYING FOR THE REPAIRS BUT APPARENTLY PUERTO RICO HAS NOT HEARD ABOUT THIS SINCE THEY ARE MAKING ME JUMP THROUGH HOOPS TO PROVE THE ADEQUATE MAINTENANCE IN ORDER TO MAYBE ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY. I THINK THIS IS ESPECIALLY SNEAKY SINCE I HAVE BEEN TO THE AUTHORIZED DEALER IN MY NEW AREA TWICE AND WAS NEVER TOLD THAT I SHOULD BE DOING SOMETHING ADDITIONAL TO THE PROBLEM OBSERVED (IN ONE CASE I HAD A CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ON THAT THEY SIMPLY RE-PROGRAMMED). THANKS. *AK

IN FEBRUARY OF 2001 MY 1998 SIENNA ENGINE FROZE UP. NO ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. I HAD IT TOWED TO THE FORT MYERS TOYOTA DEALER AND THEY TOLD ME IT WAS MY FAULT AND I WOULD NEED A NEW ENGINE. MR MYERS THE SEVICE MANAGER TOLD MR CARPENTER THE NEW CAR SALEMAN THAT A NEW ENGINE WOULD COST $5,000 MINUS A $1,000 DOLLAR REBATE OR A TOTAL OF $4,000. I TOLD HIM TO GO AHEAD AND CHANGE THE MOTOR. WHEN I WENT TO PICK UP THE VAN THE COST WAS $6800.00 NOT $4,000.00. I PUT THE CHARGE ON MY CREDIT CARD. LATER THAT MONTH I TRADED THE VAN IN FOR A 2001 HIGHLANDER. I HAD TROUBLE WITH THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM IN 1999 IN OHIO AND DIDN'T WANT TO HAVE ADDITIONAL PROBLEM IN FLA. THIS SIENNA WAS A LEASED VAN AND MR CARPENTER ALLOWED ME TO DROP THE LEASED VAN IN FORT MYERS. I HEARD THE OTHER DAY THAT TOYOTA WAS RECALLING 1998 SIENNA BECAUSE OF ENGINE PROBLEMS. THE OIL WAS CLOGGING THE ENGINE. PLEASE ADVISE ME OF THE RECALL. THANKS. *AK

BEGAN ISSUING BLUE SMOKE AT STARTUP AT ABOUT 52000 MILES. DEALER FINDS SLUDGE IN ENGINE, REFUSES TO REPAIR UNDER WARRANTY, CITING LACK OF MAINTENANCE. VEHICLE HAS HAD REGULAR OIL CHANGES, AND AN OLDER VEHICLE (FORD ESCORT) IN IDENTICAL SERVICE WITH SAME MAINTENANCE SCHEDULE HAS NO PROBLEMS. BELIEVE THAT THE FAILURE IS DUE TO DEFECTIVE ENGINE CRANKCASE VENTILATION SYSTEM DESIGN, AND THAT FAILURE IS LEADING TO EMISSIONS IN EXCESS OF LEGAL LIMITS.*AK