RateItAll: The Opinion Network

Friend has a 2002 Sienna that she says she loves. Except for that pesky timing belt that the dealer told her she had to change ($1500) at 80K miles. Used car salesmen swear the Toyota was a gift from aliens and that 300K miles is common. Most owners say it's overpriced and not as good as sliced bread. Is it really better than the Caravan or Freestar?

I own a 2002 Sienna and have a problem with the brakes squealing. Taking it to dealership and they say its brake dust. Works for 15 min. Took it to another Toyota Mechanic and he said rotors needed to be turned because of thumping noise associated with squealing noise. No effect. Anyone have a clue what is causing my squealing noise? The problem has been there almost the entire life of the van.

I have a 2006 Sienna LE and LOVE IT! Its got all that I need to take my three kids around. I love that you can stagger the 2nd row seats too. Its got stow and go, my husband doesnt mind driving it either. Only complaint is gas mileage. I get 19.4 city miles.

I have a 1999 Toyota Sienna Van and the engine has blown up twice. Once at 60,000 miles and again at 120,000 miles. Do not buy a Toyota with a 3.0L engine!!!

We have a 2000 LE. We have put 90,000 miles on it and have had no major malfunctions. We have replaced only brakes and tires. We are going to run this thing into the ground.

Our '01 Sienna LE is powerful and loaded with goodies. I know some find 'em overpriced; but to test-drive across models is to know the difference. The Ford and GM products just didn't have enough weight or "solid-frame" feel. As a former Lincoln Town Car owner, I was a bit trepidatious about owning a minivan. The leather seats (with heat), JBL sound, temperature control and power everything really make for a nice package. We opted for a model with the trailer-tow package (HD rear-end, hi-torque differential, and oil cooler) -- the mileage is lower and the vehicle requires hi-test gas; but the power is awesome for a six. I have not had any trouble and the van has nearly 200,000 miles on it. I was shocked by some of the negative comments here -- we've had our vehicle dealer-serviced from the get-go and nothing's happened. There was one recall for an alternator pulley that was too small; but it was no skin off my back to have that taken care of during an oil change. We're planning to purchase a second Sienna LE soon; and use the old one as a work-truck.

Not a fan of minivans, but this is the best I've seen. Much better than the Honda Odyssey, that's for certain.

I'm actually in the process of researching for a new car now and appreciate Burned in AZ's comment. For a number of reasons I'll probably buy a hybrid, but would advise Burned in the future to avoid buying Satan's car from now on. I looked at the Sienna and it seemed overpriced . . . until I read Burned's comment. Suddenly, there's not enough money in the world for me to buy that car.

I had a toyota sienna 2000 ce and on july 19th I parked it after picking up my lunch and the thing burned up. I am not kidding it burned to the ground the whole front end melted into a very large blob. I have had no problems until just before and as I was driving back to work about 1 to 2 miles the whole van lost it's mind. The windows started going up and down, the radio started changing stations, the motor was going off and on, and the steering wheel would no longer stay in the upright position. The worst part of the fire was that the automatic doors locked shut and would not open, if I had been in the van I would not have been able to get out. The other this is that the firewall melted. I just can't believe how poorly built the firewall was. I need this message to go out because there is a very real fire danger with this van. All years.

By far, the most reliable minivan on the market. My 05 Sienna LE could pass for a Lexus!

SIENNAS leave a lot to be desired. For that matter, TOYOTA and it's entire dealership network have lots of problems properly addressing the loss millions of dollars that the affected 3.1 million owners have suffered under thei sludge problem.

Bought a 2004 Sienna AWD LE, it is getting about 16 mpg city and about 21mpg on highway....... my biggest complaint is that this vehichle seems difficult to bring to a stop. anybody else experience this?? ....also on occasion a smell like a burning clutch comes from the engine once in a while.

I bought a 2000 Sienna and after 24000 miles the trans had to be replaced. I also have brake squeaks. I am now at 44K miles and I am having the engine replaced due to sludge. I hope that it is covered under their gell campaign. I like Toyota's that I have owned... but most likely buy a Honda next time around.

We have a 2004 AWD Sienna, Mileage is 15MPG City, ~18Hwy. Not at all like the ratings 19 city ~24 HWY. We have heard others are seeing this too. Anyone here heard similar results? Thanks

Great van with one exception: The DVD player cannot be controlled from either of the front seats - I guess the five year old will have to learn.

We have a 2000 Sienna; bought it used after it had obviously been run hard...Only problems were squealing brakes; dealer tried to fix twice, but couldn't...I finally put on ThermoQuiet's myself and fixed problem. 85K m now; no engine problems; No real perks with this car, but reliable, safe transportation, which (after owning a windstar) is now at the top of my list of requirements.

Im rating it 1 becuase of what so many foolish people think. Just becuase its a Toyota does not mean you will get good reliability. Just look at some of the comments on here. All vehicles are mechanically made; everything mechanical has problems eventually. Do not be afraid to buy the car you want. Dont give up the hot rod car you want (Impala, Taurus) just because the boring Camry says its more reliable on paper. My entire family has owned domestics for years, with little or no problems. Also, if domestics are so cheap, why does Ford have the best selling vehicle in several categories? Why does Dodge have the best selling minivan? Just becuase your car is a Japanese does not mean its indestructible.

2000 Toyota Camry. Experienced "Oil Sludge" problem at 70k miles. After a short battle, Toyota paid, but I am still wondering what happend to the old Toyota reliability and I am also wondering why I would buy another one. They used to be indestructable...

I've heard horror stories from various chat roomers about sludge problems. TAKE NOTE: The Positive Cranckase Ventilation (PCV) valve's function is to extract harmful gases given off by the lubrication system (oil). In the Sienna, it is VERY hard to reach. I strongly suspect that "quick and dirty" mechanics don't like to change it because they paid a flat rate for each task. That means, they are almost forced to cut corners and get the jobs done as quickly as possible. If you are having sludge problems, I'd strongly urge you to complain bitterly about this issue. Further, the Toyota maintenance manual, in the opinion of other sources I've read, does not prescribe change-out of the PCV often enough. Coupled together, these two problems might be the initial source of the sludge fiasco. I myself have fortunately escaped this problem by doing my own service. I recommend using synthetic oil (like Mobil 1) and change the PCV with every oil change. I find that with this pre-emptive approach, I can avoid engine rebuilds until the car has outlived its usefulness. In my house, that usually means after 250K to 300K miles (for Toyotas). Other cars don't seem to last this long no matter what you do.

good van,,,overpriced

I had a Sienna that developed the engine sludge problem with proper maintenance. No longer own it. Traded it at about 20,000 miles and hope it is not the one you got Billydee. Most concerning to me is that Toyota denied covering your repairs, Billydee. They have an 8-yr unlimited mile policy on repairing sludge. The policy itself is somewhat vague, but a Toyota rep opened a discussion forum at www.edmunds.com on the sludge problem last spring (it has since been archived, but you can stll find it by doing a search for "sludge" in their Town Hall Forum. It is called something like Toyota's customer resposne to sludge. Anyway, somewhere in the #300's posts, the Toyota rep clearly states that the policy covers purchasers of used vehicles, but the date of the original first purchase (when bought new) is when the 8 yrs is counted from. Your dealership may laugh if you give him somethign you found off the net, but if you get no response, I recommend you call the 1-800 customer support numbers for Toyota corporate. Espeically if you already paid for repairs, go straight to corporate and insiste on a refund of your repair costs and any incidental expenses you incurred (rental car). If you still get no response, I would plaster your experience all over the net if I were you. Other sites you may want to visit are www.Edmunds.com (they have several Toyota and Sienna forums, but be civil because they like to give the boot to people who complain about sludge), thecomplaintstation.com - go to Toyota under the "T's". www.carsurvey.org, www.carreview.com, www.cartrackers.com, www.ripoffreport.com, www.planetfeedback.com are a few places where you can get vocal. Good luck.

Owners of sludge-prone Siennas should be concerned about the future resale value of their vehicles, even if their engine does not have the problem. As time goes along, consumers will learn that Toyota Motor Sales will not repair the engine after the car has changed hands. I recently purchased my vehicle with 22,000 miles. The company declined to repair the sludge-filled engine, saying I should go back on the person who sold me the vehicle. Is this what you want to happen when you sell your vehicle? Or buy a used Sienna? As this word gradually spreads, the impact on the used-car values will be devastating. In the meantime, the so-called benevolent policy of Toyota Motor Sales to repair the engine is good only so long as the company can't find a reason to wiggle out.

We recently bought a 2000 Toyota certified Sienna with only 19,000miles,the front brakes squealed(rotors needed turned)rear drums out of round(drums needed turned)Painted bumpers scratched way too easily(they look good new, but a bad idea )The van has great pickup and drives smooth.Transmission shifts rough on cold days.Interior is rather plain in style.

Just purchased a 1998 sienna LE and have no problems at all. Have 2 kids and a dog kennel and have more than adequate room. As far as sludge goes with regular maintainence no problems. And my toyota service advisor has let me know that the sludge problem is known to them and is covered under manufacturer warranty. Highly recommend the van.

We have had no problems with it even though there is a problem with the engines. It's been quiet and comfortable.

I too have problems with sludge on my Sienna. Toyota representatives have been hostile hostile blamming me and not the car.

We just traded our Sienna in after 1 year and 37,000 miles. For those who are not yest aware, there is an congenital engine defect in some Siennas that causes the engine to sludge up after low mileage, even with documented oil changes. It has to do with valve seals and the temperature of the engine. The Toyota corporate position is to deny all warranty claims and there are several class action lawsuits in progress from unhappy owners like ourselves. You can find out info about the problem, and the suits, on the Edmunds car site or the complaintstation.com. It was a wonderful family car before we became victims problem but now we are very happy with our new Honda Odyssey.

This car is great for our family (4 kids). Roomy, reliable, drives well.