BACK SEAT PASSENGER DOORS WILL NOT MANUALLY OPEN FROM THE INSIDE CABIN. MUST BE OPENED FROM THE OUTSIDE ONLY. *TR
2002 Toyota Sienna
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 2002 Toyota Sienna do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 183.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Sienna years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
120 reports with mileage · 61 unknown
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Structure. Review the 42 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Latches/locks/linkages. Review the 27 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 24 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
What owners actually said
181 reportsTHE DOOR LATCHES GOT STUCK INTERMITTENTLY. DOOR IS NOT CLOSED WHILE CAR MOVING. *KB
ABOUT 3 YEARS AGO, THE DRIVER'S SIDE SLIDING DOOR STOPPED FUNCTIONING PROPERLY. IT WOULD NOT OPEN THE MAJORITY OF TIME. NOW, IT DOESN'T OPEN AT ALL. WHEN THE HANDLE IS PULLED FROM EITHER THE INSIDE OR OUTSIDE, THE DOOR APPEARS TO LOCK AND WILL NOT OPEN. TOYOTA WANTED ABOUT $100 TO ATTEMPT TO DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM. ABOUT A …
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ABOUT 3 YEARS AGO, THE DRIVER'S SIDE SLIDING DOOR STOPPED FUNCTIONING PROPERLY. IT WOULD NOT OPEN THE MAJORITY OF TIME. NOW, IT DOESN'T OPEN AT ALL. WHEN THE HANDLE IS PULLED FROM EITHER THE INSIDE OR OUTSIDE, THE DOOR APPEARS TO LOCK AND WILL NOT OPEN. TOYOTA WANTED ABOUT $100 TO ATTEMPT TO DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM. ABOUT A MONTH AGO, THE CABLE ON THE POWER SLIDING PASSENGER SIDE DOOR SNAPPED. THE DOOR STILL WORKS MANUALLY, THANKFULLY. TOYOTA WANTS OVER $1,000 DOLLARS TO FIX THIS. I READ IN FORUMS THAT THIS IS A WIDE SPREAD PROBLEM, YET TOYOTA REFUSES TO ACKNOWLEDGE A DEFECT. NOW IT HAS HAPPENED TO ME. *TR
WE HAVE OWNED THIS 2002 TOYOTA SIENNA SINCE 2002. THE BRAKES HAVE ALWAYS SQUEALED WHEN STOPPING GRADUALLY, AND THE DEALER SAID THAT SIENNA BRAKES ALL SQUEAL. THERE HAVE BEEN ONLY A FEW INSTANCES OVER THE PREVIOUS 9 YEARS WHEN THE ABS HAS ACTIVATED AND I HAD ALWAYS FELT THAT THE ABS ON THIS WAS MUCH SUPERIOR TO THE MAZDA PR…
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WE HAVE OWNED THIS 2002 TOYOTA SIENNA SINCE 2002. THE BRAKES HAVE ALWAYS SQUEALED WHEN STOPPING GRADUALLY, AND THE DEALER SAID THAT SIENNA BRAKES ALL SQUEAL. THERE HAVE BEEN ONLY A FEW INSTANCES OVER THE PREVIOUS 9 YEARS WHEN THE ABS HAS ACTIVATED AND I HAD ALWAYS FELT THAT THE ABS ON THIS WAS MUCH SUPERIOR TO THE MAZDA PROTEGE THAT WE OWNED. HOWEVER IN THE PAST MONTH OR TWO, THE ABS ACTIVATED ABOUT 3 OR 4 TIMES, ON SLIGHTLY RAPID STOPS, UNDER DRY DRIVING CONDITIONS. YESTERDAY EVENING, UNDER DRY DRIVING CONDITIONS, WHEN PULLING OUT OF A STOP LIGHT, I NOTICED THE SUV AHEAD SLOWING DOWN AND BEGAN BRAKING, THEN SWITCHED TO THE ACCELERATOR FOR A FRACTION OF A SECOND WHEN IT SEEMED THAT THEY MIGHT START ACCELERATING, THEN WHEN THEY BRAKE HARD, I TOO SLAMMED ON MY BRAKES. THE ABS KICKED IN, BUT THE CAR SEEMED TO KEEP MOVING AND THE CRASH HAPPENED IN SLOW MOTION - IT WAS JUST AS I FELT IN THE MAZDA PROTEGE, WHEN THE ABS KICKED IN WHILE TRYING TO STOP ON AN ICY ROAD - THE CAR KEPT MOVING WITHOUT SEEMING TO SLOW DOWN. I AM NOT SURE, BUT ALSO HAVE A VAGUE SENSE THAT THE ENGINE CONTINUED TO WORK HARD TO PULL THE CAR FORWARD, POSSIBLY LIKE THE UNINTENDED ACCELERATION REPORTED BY OTHERS IN A RECENT SPATE OF ACCIDENTS. I WAS STANDING ON THE BRAKE WHEN MY CAR PLOWED UNDER THE REAR FENDER OF THE CHEVY TAHOE AHEAD, CAUSING THE RADIATOR, BATTERY, ETC. TO GET SMASHED. THIS WAS WHEN IT WAS CLEAR THAT THE ENGINE WAS STILL RACING AND TRYING TO PULL THE CAR FORWARD - I FINALLY CUT THE IGNITION TO KILL THE ENGINE. MY INSURANCE COMPANY CALLED EDY'S TOYOTA, WITH ME ON THE LINE, TO SEE IF THEY COULD READ THE CAR COMPUTER TO CHECK THE CAUSE OF THE ACCIDENT. THE SERVICE REP SHOWED A LOT OF RELUCTANCE, SEEMING TO INDICATE THAT NOT MUCH WOULD BE GAINED, AND FINALLY DECLINED SAYING "YOU'RE PUTTING ME IN A SPOT"... *TR
AUTOMATIC SLIDING DOOR SOMETIMES WILL NOT SHUT AND REQUIRES MULTIPLE, REPEATED PUSHING OF THE DRIVER'S SLIDING DOOR BUTTON UNTIL THE DOOR SHUTS. OFTEN TIMES, I WILL HAVE TO TURN OFF THE ENGINE AND CRANK THE ENGINE AGAIN AND THEN KEEP PUSHING THE DRIVER'S SLIDING DOOR BUTTON UNTIL (IF I AM LUCKY), THE AUTOMATIC SLIDING DOOR CLOS…
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AUTOMATIC SLIDING DOOR SOMETIMES WILL NOT SHUT AND REQUIRES MULTIPLE, REPEATED PUSHING OF THE DRIVER'S SLIDING DOOR BUTTON UNTIL THE DOOR SHUTS. OFTEN TIMES, I WILL HAVE TO TURN OFF THE ENGINE AND CRANK THE ENGINE AGAIN AND THEN KEEP PUSHING THE DRIVER'S SLIDING DOOR BUTTON UNTIL (IF I AM LUCKY), THE AUTOMATIC SLIDING DOOR CLOSES. THIS PROCESS CAN TAKE 10 MINUTES OR LONGER DEPENDING ON HOW MUCH TIME I HAVE WHEN THIS PROBLEM OCCURS. SOMETIMES, I WILL TURN OFF THE ENGINE AND LEAVE THE DOOR OPEN FOR AN HOUR OR SO BEFORE CRANKING THE CAR AGAIN AND PUSHING THE BUTTON TO TRY TO CLOSE THE AUTOMATIC SLIDING DOOR. *TT
PASSENGER SIDE POWER DOOR JAMMED, WOULD NOT OPEN AFTER SLOW SPEED CRASH WHICH KNOCKED OFF THE OUTSIDE DOOR HANDLE. TOYOTA OF SANTA BARBARA, CA TOOK A WEEK AND CHARGED $2500 TO FIX JUST THE POWER ELECTRICAL DOOR, NO BODY WORK (THAT WAS EXTRA). DOOR HAS NEVER WORKED PROPERLY EVER SINCE. MANY INCIDENCES OF DOOR NOT SHUTTING OR O…
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PASSENGER SIDE POWER DOOR JAMMED, WOULD NOT OPEN AFTER SLOW SPEED CRASH WHICH KNOCKED OFF THE OUTSIDE DOOR HANDLE. TOYOTA OF SANTA BARBARA, CA TOOK A WEEK AND CHARGED $2500 TO FIX JUST THE POWER ELECTRICAL DOOR, NO BODY WORK (THAT WAS EXTRA). DOOR HAS NEVER WORKED PROPERLY EVER SINCE. MANY INCIDENCES OF DOOR NOT SHUTTING OR OPENING WHEN USING CONTROL BUTTONS INSIDE CAR. AFTER 19 MONTHS, POWER DOOR JAMMED WHILE OPEN AND COULD NOT CLOSE IT BY POWER OR MANUALLY, ATTEMPTED TO DRIVE TO SERVICE STATION WHILE IN THE JAMMED OPEN POSITION AND WHILE MOVING, THE DOOR SLAMMED CLOSED ON ITS OWN, POPPING THE WIRE CABLE, WHICH IS NOW DANGLING. DOOR NOW WORKS PART OF THE TIME MANUALLY, NOT AT ALL WITH POWER, NO MOTOR SOUND AT ALL. DOOR OPENING MECHANISM ON INSIDE OF DOOR FREQUENTLY JAMS IN THE PUSHED IN POSITION AND THEN DOOR IS COMPLETELY INOPERABLE. THIS IS SEVERE SAFETY ISSUE. CHILDREN IN BACK CANNOT EXIT ON THAT SIDE. TOYOTA SHOULD RECALL AND HAVE POWER DOORS CONVERTED TO A SAFE, RELIABLE, MANUAL OPENING MECHANISM. *TR
SLIDING DOORS ON BOTH SIDES HAVE STOPPED WORKING ELECTRONICALLY. THE DOORS MUST BE FORCED MANUALLY AND THIS IS VERY DIFFICULT. TOYOTA WILL NOT ADDRESS THIS ISSUE. *KB
THE POWER SLIDING DOOR ON MY TOYOTA SIENNA STOPPED WORKING. IT IS VERY DIFFICULT TO OPEN WHEN THE POWER UNIT DOES NOT WORK. THIS SEEMS TO BE A VERY COMMON PROBLEM. REPAIR SHOPS GENERALLY CHAGE OVER $1000 TO FIX IT (WE WERE QUOTED $1200) AND IT MAKES ONE SIDE OF THE VEHICLE PRACTICALLY INESCAPABLE. *TR
WITHIN A YEAR AFTER BUYING THE 2002 TOYOTA SIENNA THE RIGHT SIDE SLIDING DOOR COULD NOT BE OPENED FROM INSIDE. THE LEFT SIDE DOOR HAS THE SAME PROBLEM INTERMITTANTLY. NEITHER ONE HAS BEEN REPAIRED BUT ARE SEEN AS A SAFETY CONCERN IN THE WORST CASE AND A CONSTANT NUISANCE OTHERWISE. THE ISSUE WAS NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY AND…
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WITHIN A YEAR AFTER BUYING THE 2002 TOYOTA SIENNA THE RIGHT SIDE SLIDING DOOR COULD NOT BE OPENED FROM INSIDE. THE LEFT SIDE DOOR HAS THE SAME PROBLEM INTERMITTANTLY. NEITHER ONE HAS BEEN REPAIRED BUT ARE SEEN AS A SAFETY CONCERN IN THE WORST CASE AND A CONSTANT NUISANCE OTHERWISE. THE ISSUE WAS NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY AND SO REMAIN. THE REAR DOOR PLASTIC LATCH BROKE AFTER ABOUT FOUR YEARS, REQUIRING A $200 REPAIR. IT BROKE AGAIN AFTER ABOUT THREE MORE YEARS BUT THIS TIME I REPAIRED IT WITH A METAL SCREW, BUT A YEAR LATER IT BROKE IN ANOTHER PLACE AND CANNOT BE REPAIRED. THE PART IS MADE OF SLIGHTLY SOFT BRITTLE PLASTIC, POORLY DESIGNED. INTERESTINGLY, I RECENTLY BOUGHT A NEW TOYOTA PRIUS AND PURCHASED AN EXTENDED WARRANTY. READING THE FINE PRINT I FIND IN THE RATHER LONG LIST OF EXCLUSIONS FROM THE "BUMPER TO BUMPER" WARRANTY ARE INCLUDED DOOR LATCHES AS WELL AS, IRONICALLY, THE BUMPERS. *TT
HAVE HAD THE SLIDING DOOR LOOKED OUT & "RE-SET" 4 TIMES. IF WE PULL THE DOOR A LITTLE, IT WILL CLOSE, BUT WILL NOT OPEN OR CLOSE WITH ANY BUTTON (FRONT PANEL, KEY FOB OR SIDE PANEL). TODAY IT STARTED TO CLOSE ON MY CHILD & SHE COULDN'T GET IT TO STOP, HER BACKPACK STRAP WAS CAUGHT ON THE SEAT. PRETTY SCARY. RIGHT NOW THE KIDS…
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HAVE HAD THE SLIDING DOOR LOOKED OUT & "RE-SET" 4 TIMES. IF WE PULL THE DOOR A LITTLE, IT WILL CLOSE, BUT WILL NOT OPEN OR CLOSE WITH ANY BUTTON (FRONT PANEL, KEY FOB OR SIDE PANEL). TODAY IT STARTED TO CLOSE ON MY CHILD & SHE COULDN'T GET IT TO STOP, HER BACKPACK STRAP WAS CAUGHT ON THE SEAT. PRETTY SCARY. RIGHT NOW THE KIDS ARE CLIMBING IN THROUGH THE FRONT PASSENGER DOOR. ALSO, ABOUT 1/2 THE TIME EVEN WITH MANUALLY CLOSING THE DOOR, IT REMAINS OPEN & WILL BEEP WHEN I PUT IT IN GEAR, SO I HAVE TO JUMP OUT & GO PUSH IT CLOSED. **TT
Official recalls
110V160000 · Structure
Apr 20, 2010
TOYOTA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 1998 THROUGH 2010 SIENNA PASSENGER VEHICLES MANUFACTURED BETWEEN AUGUST 7, 1997 AND JANUARY 4, 2010, CURRENTLY REGISTERED IN OR ORIGINALLY SOLD IN CONNECTICUT, DELAWARE, ILLINOIS, INDIANA, KENTUCKY, MAINE, MARYLAND, MASSACHUSETTS, MICHIGAN, MINNESOTA, NEW HAMPSHIRE, NEW JERSEY, NEW YORK, OHIO, PENNSYLVANIA, RHODE ISLAND, VERMONT, WASHINGTON DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, VIRGINIA, WEST VIRGINIA, AND WISCONSIN. THE SUBJECT VEHICLES ARE EQUIPPED WITH THE SPARE TIRE STOWED UNDER THE VEHICLE. IF THE VEHICLE IS OPERATED IN THE COLD CLIMATE REGIONS OF THE UNITED STATES WHERE ROAD SALT IS FREQUENTLY USED, WATER SPLASHED BACKWARDS WITH HIGH CONCENTRATIONS OF ROAD SALT CAN REACH THE SPARE TIRE CARRIER AND CORRODE THE SPARE TIRE CARRIER ASSEMBLY CABLE.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: THE CABLE MAY BREAK DUE TO EXCESSIVE CORROSION AND THE SPARE TIRE MAY SEPARATE FROM THE VEHICLE, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A VEHICLE CRASH.
Remedy: TOYOTA WILL NOTIFY OWNERS WITH AN INTERIM LETTER INITIALLY INSTRUCTING THEM TO BRING THEIR VEHICLE TO AUTHORIZED DEALERS TO INSPECT FOR CORROSION. A SECOND NOTICE WILL BE SENT WHEN THE PERMANENT REMEDY IS AVAILABLE. FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE SEE TOYOTA'S AMENDED RECALL REPORT OF JULY 19, 2010. THE SAFETY RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN ON OCTOBER 12, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT TOYOTA AT 1-800-331-4331.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
1PE01036 · Engine Compartment Fire
Opened Oct 19, 2001 · Closed Feb 11, 2002
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Engine And Engine Cooling
No summary supplied.
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