Toyota Sienna Owners - Your Sliding Doors Could Open While Driving

This is no small recall. Toyota will recall three quarters of a million Sienna minivans from model year 2011 through 2016 because the power sliding side doors could open on their own – while you are driving – with your kids in the car – on the highway.

The problem is that under certain conditions, the doors can be jammed and not close fully. If you have ever owned a minivan you know that power sliding doors do this on a regular basis when a jacket, stuffed animal ear, or wacky noodle gets between the door and the door jam. Usually, the door will not close fully and will alert the driver. When the particular conditions are right, the sliding door motor circuit can be overloaded. That in turn opens the fuse for the mechanism’s motor. Toyota says that this could result in a door opening while the vehicle is in motion.

Drivers will be notified by snail-mail, as is required by federal law. However, you don’t need to wait to see if your Sienna is covered by this recall. Simply click on the Toyota Recall link and put in your VIN. That number is on your registration. The bad news is, there presently no known remedy for this problem. Toyota is working on a solution and owners will be notified once a remedy is ready.