S/O Toyota Sienna Experience

[Scrub Jay]

If you have one, please share your opinion on it.  We are deciding between a Sienna and a Honda Odyssey.  My husband is leaning toward the Toyota since the 2014 Odyssey just had a recall.

[Word Nerd]

Our older model Sienna has over 200,000 miles on it. It's no longer our primary vehicle, but it's still in fairly good condition less the wear and tear. Other than cheap door handles (we've had to replace two that broke when they shouldn't have), it's been a very good vehicle for us.

[Plateau Mama]

I'm on my second Sienna. I love them. Nothing was wrong with my first we just traded up for AWD.

[VeganCupcake]

I'm kind of in love with mine. :) It has a relatively tight turning radius for a minivan and the gas mileage isn't too bad. It did well in the snow over the winter.

 

DH just took it for its first oil change today and it takes full synthetic oil, which is apparently somewhat more expensive than other stuff, but also lasts longer (5000 or 6000 miles?).

[Lawana]

Just traded in a 2005 Sienna with 248,000 miles. The transmission finally gave up the ghost. We bought it with 160k miles and drove it to death with no repairs. Of course we had maintenance such as tires and brakes.

[PinkyandtheBrains.]

We drive a 2000 sienna, it's finally starting to have mild transmission issues. Otherwise we love it.

[Rose in BC]

We drive 2006 with 210000 kilometres on it. We love it. Most trouble free vehicle we've ever owned.

[mom2samlibby]

I love mine. I have a 2004 model that we got in 2003. It still runs as well as it did the day we got it. I'd buy it again in a heartbeat.

[Trilliums]

We have a 2004 Sienna, purchased new, only has about 70k miles on it.  It is my primary vehicle, I just don't drive that much.   It is still a quiet and smooth driving vehicle.  If we go on any family trips, we always take the van since it is much more comfortable for the family than DH's honda suv.  

 

I will say though, that we have had several safety recall issues/repairs and/or warrenty extensions due to identified problems.  A seat belt, the rear hatch, the sliding doors, and most recently, the shift lock solenoid have all been repaired (free) due to known issues.   DH's honda has not had any of these kinds of safetly recalls.

 

It is a 6 cylinder and I get about 18-19 mpg in the city.

 

We recently were told that it has a small (as in not needing immediate repair) power steering fluid leak which will cost around $900 to repair.   Now we are thinking once the kids finish learning how to drive that we will end up getting a new vehicle, but not necessarily another van.  Might be time for a pick up for me (great for hauling compost!).  :)

[KrissiK]

I have an '04 with almost 100K miles on it, and nary a problem. I love it. I love it even better when it's clean.

[OneStepAtATime]

Still have my 2004 Sienna.  We were the third owners when we bought it in 2004 so I was afraid something was wrong with it.  We weren't told we were the third owners until several days after the sale went through.  We were told that a woman bought it on impulse then decided she didn't like the color and traded it in.  That was, apparently, only part of the truth.  There was another owner after the first, and they did some modifications that were nice (big TV) but also voided certain warranties...and then they traded it back in.  Really made me nervous when we found out.  But it was great!  I can't remember how many miles I have but it is a lot.  It still runs well, but we DID have an issue with the gear shift locking in place so I couldn't move it out of park a couple of years back. It happened intermittently and no mechanic could guarantee a cause.  They said it could be one of several things and there would be no way to know for sure unless it failed while they had it (which it didn't).   Inconvenient if you are in your driveway.  A real issue if you are away from home.  DH finally disabled the safety feature that keeps the gear from shifting while in motion.  No issues after that.  Also, the tail gate had a recall and there is a crack running the entire length of the dashboard.  However, DH suspects that it had been in an undisclosed accident and that is why we had an issue with the crack appearing across the dash. I don't know.  None of these issues were apparent when we bought it.  Honestly, even with the problems, it has run really well and we love it.  My mom has an Odyssey and having driven both, I prefer the Sienna.  It turns on a dime, it handles smoothly, lots of cup holders :), etc.  I would buy another one without hesitation.

[Cinder]

We have a 2005 with about 137,000 miles on it and it still runs great. Like a pp mentioned it has a surprisingly tight turning radius for a large vehicle. We get about 22 mpg in the city. It comfortably fits 5 of us--4 are adult-sized--and our vacation gear. We've only had 2 problems with it. The first was the battery--it kept dying on us. But it was under warranty so we got it replaced at the dealer. I think they must have given us a used battery or something because that one was sucky as well. Once we replaced it with one from Interstate Battery we had no problems. It was the battery, not the electrical system. The second issue is the mechanism that keeps the door from flinging open. The one for the driver's side broke. The door still works but we need to keep our hand on it so it doesn't fling open. We didn't feel it was worth the $$ to fix.

 

For dh--since he sold his big truck--it was important that he could fit an 8' x 4' sheet of plywood inside. When the rear seat is folded down and the middle seats removed it has a large cargo space.

[StephanieZ]

I had an AWD 2004 Sienna for about 8 years and 120k miles or so. It drove well and was lovely. EXCEPT:

 

1) The run flat tires wore very quickly, were $1000 per set to replace, and had to be replaced every 20-25k miles or so, which was close to yearly, so that added up a lot. Since it had no place for a spare tire, you either had to keep buying the poor-wearing and very pricey run flats, or haul around a full size spare wheel and tire in your cargo area. (I know many families who did this when on road trips, and when around home, just planned to call DH for help if they got a flat.

 

2) Terrible design for door handles as well as the automatic door opening mechanism. A controlling electrical wire is, by design, exposed to the elements, and corroded and broke after about 5 years. Then we learned that EACH door motor/cable thingy was about $1500 to replace, as it was a specialized part and had to be replaced completely. So, a 5 year old van with 100k or so miles had completely unfunctional doors that would have cost 3k or so to fix! Not good!

 

In the end, we traded in the Sienna (wow, still got like 12k for it, despite needing 3k in doors, 1k in a dead DVD system (died about 4 years into ownership, and would have been over $1k to replace, even with a refurb unit), and 2k in recent body damage . . .) for a KIA van, and we've been very happy. The Kia was about 25k retail as opposed to 35k+ for the Sienna. We knew we'd burn through the Kia fast as we do a lot of driving (88k in 3 years so far), so we weren't keen to pay extra for a fancier van. Plus, with 3 kids starting driving this decade, we knew we'd be buying a LOT of vehicles in coming years, so we wanted to be frugal, and we aren't worried about resale value as we expect to drive the KIA and all our other cars into the ground until some child drives it away and doesn't bring it back. So far, so great with the Kia. I'm glad we didn't spend the extra 15k to have gotten another Sienna, even though it was a lovely vehicle. And, I never wanted automatic doors (or a built in DVD) again! Fewer things to break in my simpler vehicle!

 

If they've fixed the doors and the spare tire issue, I'd totally consider another Sienna if I needed another van. If money is no object, then I'd surely have gotten another Sienna anyway.

 

Oh, also, FWIW, if you really need AWD for snow, then you should REALLY get really good SNOW tires, not "all season" run flats. (In snow, snow tires perform much, much better than all season. Truly.) So, to me, that makes the advantage of the AWD feature fade away since there isn't a good way to have snow tires without a space for a spare. If they've fixed that issue, then, definitely, if money is no object, I'd be all over another AWD Sienna. 

 

 

[OneStepAtATime]

StephanieZ the door handle thing sounds awful.  I haven't heard of this issue with a Sienna.  Was it a defect with the 2004 AWD?  Ours is a 2004 but it isn't AWD.  That is totally lame and completely frustrating.  I would have traded it in, too.  My handles have worked well for 10 years, thankfully.  I have actually preferred mine to Mom's Odyssey.  She has had a couple of issues and one door swings shut all the time, squishing legs as people try to climb in. 

 

We do have a spare tire, so maybe your model didn't because of the runflats?

 

And my mother had the special run flat tires on her Odyssey and they wore out quickly and were terrible to replace.  OP, if they are still selling run flats, unless the design and the cost of replacement have improved, DON'T GET THEM.

 

 

[mom2samlibby]

I have the 2004 Sienna, but haven't had any problems with the doors or door handles. We have a spare with ours too. Was this an issue with the AWD model?

[plansrme]

I drove a 2000 Sienna for eight years and put 180k miles on it. It was hit and repaired five times, two of those involved major damage. The only thing wrong with it at the end was that the automatic sliding door did not work. I seriously considered a new one and opted for something else only because I did not want to drive essentially the same car for 16 years. I still sort of regret that decision.

[Cindy in FL.]

I've had my Sienna for 11 years and I love it. No major repairs to date, just routine maintenance. I'd buy another one in a heartbeat!

[Dory]

We had a 2006 sienna. We LOVED it. We kept it till this last year. The only reason we got rid of it was because we were downsizing our vehicles. It was comfy, had plenty of 'getup and go', and had pretty good fuel economy. We were careful to keep up with the upkeep and the only thing that gave us a problem was having to replace the rear breaks a couple times that we shouldn't have had to. Rocks seem to get stuck in the wheels easier then on pick-ups. When we first picked it up, the rear suspension gave out a few months after we got it but it was replaced on warranty and no one else seemed to have that problem. My brother also has a sienna and has had it for numerous years now. They like their too.

[laundrycrisis]

We have a 2005 limited.  It was a great van.  Our next vehicle is not a Toyota though.  Too many recalls. 

[speedmom4]

I have a 2012 Sienna and love it. I had a 2001 Honda Odyssey before and the second transmission was going out. The Sienna was a better price than the Odyssey as well.

 

Good luck!

 

Elise in NC

[indigomama]

Our older model Sienna has over 200,000 miles on it. It's no longer our primary vehicle, but it's still in fairly good condition less the wear and tear. Other than cheap door handles (we've had to replace two that broke when they shouldn't have), it's been a very good vehicle for us.

 

Three of our door handles are breaking. I didn't realize this was a common problem! Where did you get yours fixed and do you remember the cost?

 

We have a 2000 Sienna, that was given to us. I really dislike driving a minivan and would prefer a SUV, but it's hard to argue with a car that is paid for. 

 

Also, our check engine and tire lights stay on even though we have had everything checked out by a mechanic. It makes me nervous, that something will be wrong but we won't have a way of knowing, since the lights are always on.

[Lady Florida.]

Mine is a 2004 and I love it. People are shocked when they find out it's 10 years old because 1) It has a lot of features for a vehicle that old, and 2) it's in such good condition.

 

We bought it used and haven't had any trouble with it. I will definitely get another one when we're done with this one. That could be a while though. It has well over 100.000 miles and still going strong.

 

My friend recently traded in her Odyssey. I tried to talk her into a Sienna, but she went with another Odyssey. There will always be recalls. Toyota has had some over the years. Honda has had more than this latest one. Both companies will have more in the future. I've never met anyone who had either a Sienna or an Odyssey who didn't like theirs. I don't think you will go wrong with keeping your Odyssey and getting the fix, trading it in for a new one, or trading it in for a Sienna.

[Trilliums]

2) Terrible design for door handles as well as the automatic door opening mechanism. A controlling electrical wire is, by design, exposed to the elements, and corroded and broke after about 5 years. Then we learned that EACH door motor/cable thingy was about $1500 to replace, as it was a specialized part and had to be replaced completely. So, a 5 year old van with 100k or so miles had completely unfunctional doors that would have cost 3k or so to fix! Not good!

 

Our door mechanisms were replaced in 2011 or 2012 through the extended warranty:

 

http://www.siennachat.com/forum/64-general-discussion/9534-04-10-sienna-extension-warranty-coverage-rear-sliding-door-parts.html

 

 

The number of factory repairs, even though they were free, has bugged me about the Sienna.  Nonetheless, still a great riding vehicle and I don't regret the purchase. 

[JennyD]

I have a 2010 Sienna.  It's fine.  The mechanism for the sliding doors can be somewhat wonky and the windshield seems to be very glare-y, but I love the tight turning radius and it handles very nicely.   

 

I also test drove an Odyssey before we bought the Sienna and while I liked the Odyssey a lot (it had a more comfortable interior), the Sienna felt better to drive.  More car-like and less boat-like, IME.  I also tried to park both vehicle in tight spaces as part of the test drives (since I have to do that all the time) and I had a considerably easier time with the Sienna.  

[Susan in TX]

Three of our door handles are breaking. I didn't realize this was a common problem! Where did you get yours fixed and do you remember the cost?

 

 

I have a 1999 Toyota Sienna and the door handles have been the weakest part. I bought replacements from Amazon and DH installed them. Not a difficult repair at all.

 

 

Susan in TX

[Sugarfoot]

We just traded in our 2006 Odyssey for another Odyssey last November. The old one had 120,000 miles on it and had no issues the entire time we owned it. We maintained it well and loved it. We looked at the Sienna, just to say we looked at something different, lol, but it didn't come close to the comfort of the Odyssey. Ours isn't part of the recall--that looks like a fairly small number.  

 

Good luck with your decision!

[gardenmom5]

I have friends with them, who really like them.  one did borrow our car-top carrier for a trip they took with four kids.  it does lack interior cargo area for distance trips.  our friends liked the car-top carrier so much, they decided they really needed one to go with.

[indigomama]

I have a 1999 Toyota Sienna and the door handles have been the weakest part. I bought replacements from Amazon and DH installed them. Not a difficult repair at all.

 

 

Susan in TX

 

Thank you! I would not have thought to check Amazon. 

[rocassie]

We have a 2011 Sienna.  It was between a Sienna and Odyssey for us too.  For us it was down to price honestly.  We couldn't afford new on either and started checking used.  One of the Toyota dealerships had a used 2011 Sienna which was the current model because it was a fleet vehicle.  

 

We have been very happy so far.  I personally am not a fan of bigger vehicles so I can't say I love it, but I do need it to fit the whole family and would buy another in a heartbeat.  We haven't had any problems and DH has been able to do all the maintenance (oil changes and such) himself.

[LibraryLover]

:)

[Kim in Appalachia]

We have a 2007 Sienna with 216,000 miles on it.  I plan to drive it until it doesn't go. When it's done, I plan on getting another Sienna.  We've had no issues, only regular maintenance.

[NoseInABook]

I drive a 2002 and I love it. I've been driving it for the past 5 years with no major maintenance. Tires have been it and those weren't terrible for us. I don't regret the decision at all.

[lynn]

We drove ours off the showroom floor in 2000.  It was the best purchase we ever made.  we sold it in 2012, I pretty much got bored of it and since we only had 1 child in a car seat and the older boys were teens and did not come with us very often I was ready for a car.  It never had any problems just normal wear.  

[MrsJewelsRae]

I still miss our Toyota Sienna! We totaled it in a car accident several years ago and dh's parents sold us their Honda Odyssey. I didn't like it as much, can't say why exactly, I just really liked that Sienna- very comfy, smooth ride, classy look, etc. we now have a Dodge Caravan (bought used) which gets us from point A-B but I kinda hate it, it's rattly, uncomfortable and ugly, among other things. Can't wait to get rid of it but I'm determined to get a couple more years out of it to make it worth the $ we spent.

[Word Nerd]

I have a 1999 Toyota Sienna and the door handles have been the weakest part. I bought replacements from Amazon and DH installed them. Not a difficult repair at all.

 

 

Susan in TX

 

This is what we did. I have heard several other Sienna owners say they had to replace door handles too, but it depends on the model and year.

[Splash]

We are on our third Sienna  We had a 1998, 2004 and now 2013.  The 2004 my ds still drives with 216,000 miles.  It is still doing well but has some damage since he took over but should last him a bit longer.  I've looked at the Honda but always end up getting the Sienna.  Dh is tall and likes it better plus I like the larger windows in 2013 Sienna vs Honda's smaller windows look that year.  My friend loves her Honda though and is on her 3rd Honda van as well.  I don't think you can go wrong with either van.

[DawnM]

I have friends who had the Honda Odyssey and the transmission issues ($4K repair) and I have friends whose Odyssey did not have the issues and who love them.

 

However, my friends with the Toyotas have all had positive experiences.  My friend just traded in her Sienna at 278,000 miles!  She traded for a Honda Odyssey because she liked the design better.

 

I don't think you can really go wrong with either.

 

We have been sticking to Toyotas for our last two cars (2004 and 2014 cars) because for whatever reason, they have been willing to deal with us better than the Honda dealers have.

 

I have had a Honda though and loved it ('87 Acura Integra that lasted over 10 years and over 200K miles).

 

Dawn

[Lisa in Jax]

We had one for ten years of reliable service.  When we no longer needed a minivan, we bought another Toyota. ;)