2000 Toyota Sienna Problems

What owners report

Owners of this model year most often describe problems with the automatic transmission, engine oil sludge, and the power sliding doors, with brakes, seat belts, and unintended acceleration also appearing in complaints. Many reports come in between roughly 60,000 and 130,000 miles, and several describe failures that happened while the van was being driven rather than during routine service.

1. 1
   Latches, locks and linkages

   Power sliding door won't open or close

   • 70 complaints (19%)
   • median 85,000 mi at 9.0 yrs old (39 state mileage)
   • 3 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $1,200 (median of 7 quotes)
   • filed 1999–2017

   Owners describe the power passenger sliding door either failing to open, failing to close, or stopping partway, sometimes with the door stuck open and the dash warning light staying on. Several say the outside handle broke off or the door had to be forced shut by hand, and some report repeated repairs that did not last. Complaints mention dealers either resetting the mechanism, quoting several hundred to a few thousand dollars, or saying no fault could be found. Reported across a wide mileage range, from vehicles under 20,000 miles up to about 180,000 miles, often during everyday family use.

   What to check: Cycle the power door through open and close several times, and try the manual release from inside and outside. Ask whether the door motor, cables, or latch assembly has already been replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I own two Toyota Sienna minivans, model years 2000 and 2001. Of the 10 doors on these two vehicles, the handles on six are broken off. This happened during normal use. In searching internet sites, I found comments that Sienna vans are known for this defect. The defects have occurred at different times over the past two years.”

   NHTSA complaint #10327733, filed 2010-04, 10,000 miles

   “The power sliding passenger door on my 2000 Toyota Sienna will open but will not close. It took me several minutes of very firm pressure to overcome the doors automatic mechanism to force the door closed. As I use this to drop my child off at daycare, I can no longer let her out on the curb side of the van.”

   NHTSA complaint #10315870, filed 2010-03, 117,000 miles
2. 2
   Transmission and drivetrain

   Automatic transmission whine and failure

   • 55 complaints (15%)
   • median 68,500 mi at 5.2 yrs old (18 state mileage)
   • 4 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2000–2017

   Complaints describe a whining or grinding noise at low speed followed by the transmission losing engagement, revving without moving, or jerking hard, sometimes while driving on the highway. Owners say the van was towed and the transmission replaced, and several note that metal debris was found in the pan despite regular servicing. One report describes the gear shifter detaching from the column while shifting into park. Mostly reported between about 35,000 and 100,000 miles, usually after the basic warranty period had ended.

   What to check: Listen for a whine or grind on a test drive at low and highway speeds, check the transmission fluid condition and service history, and ask whether the transmission has been rebuilt or replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I backed down the driveway. There was a trash can in the way at the bottom of the driveway, so I put the car in park and hopped out to move the can. I turned to get back in the car and found it moving forward up the driveway. I chased the car up the driveway. It ran over a joggerbuggy and struck a retaining wall before I was able to get into it and stop it.”

   NHTSA complaint #10091017, filed 2004-09, 70,000 miles

   “I am second owner of Toyota Sienna, 2000 .I bought at 32000 miles. Toyota has recall on extended transmission warranty (service bulletin tc03014) . Yesterday I was on the way to airport and sitting at a stop light and try to go when the light turned green, the car had some noise coming from it and it didn't moving , I tried different gears and it still didn't move. I was not able to park. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10204601, filed 2007-10, 47,000 miles
3. 3
   Brakes

   Brake pedal fade or loss of braking

   • 37 complaints (10%)
   • median 75,218 mi at 7.9 yrs old (19 state mileage)
   • 5 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 1999–2023

   Complaints describe the brake pedal going to the floor, weak or delayed braking, grinding and squealing from the rear, and in some cases an ABS warning light with a pump motor code. Owners report that the vehicle would not stop as expected and that dealers sometimes found nothing or replaced only pads, leaving the problem unresolved. Some cases mention sticking calipers or a slow fluid leak. Spread from about 40,000 to 160,000 miles, with a few reports specifically in very cold weather.

   4 related service bulletins

   What to check: Test the pedal for firmness and sponginess, ask about rear brake and ABS service records, and have the brake fluid and calipers inspected before purchase.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I purchased my Sienna in 2001. It is a 2000 Toyota Sienna ls which currently has 150k miles. In 2002 I began to have issues with my rear brakes since this time I have had my brakes inspected every year due to grinding noises and squeaking. The first 2 times I've taken my van in they have inspected the rear brakes and said they are fine, just dusty and the claimed to have cleaned them. In 2008 however they sounded so bad and seemed very dangerous as they were still making grinding noises. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10288805, filed 2009-10, 130,000 miles

   “I like my Toyota Sienna van (2000) serving me faithfully. Last week, it was very cold - with all the winter storms. I warmed up the van for a few minutes and then started to drive. Within a few minutes, I need to pick up another child for car pooling and when I tried to make a turn, I applied brakes and they did not work at all. I got suddenly scared and somehow managed to turn in the same speed. Then I was running very slowly (and periodically checking the brakes) until I felt confident that the brakes started working again. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10563127, filed 2014-02, 150,000 miles
4. 4
   Engine cooling

   Engine oil sludge and oil consumption

   • 55 complaints (15%)
   • median 81,000 mi at 4.8 yrs old (19 state mileage)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $4,000 (median of 14 quotes)
   • filed 2000–2019

   Owners report the check engine or oil pressure light coming on, blue smoke at cold start, and oil disappearing quickly between changes. Complaints say dealers diagnosed oil gel or sludge buildup and quoted cleaning or engine replacement, and several mention that warranty coverage was denied or had just expired. Some describe repeated sludge after a prior repair, including a plugged oil pump screen. Often reported between about 35,000 and 100,000 miles; a few describe it later in life, sometimes after a prior cleaning.

   1 related service bulletin

   What to check: Check the oil level and look under the oil filler cap for sludge, confirm oil change records, and ask whether the engine has ever been desludged or replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Sludge in the engine. Van is in the shop as we speak. Dealer says the repairs will be covered but who is going to cover our lose when we try to sell this van with the pile of crap for an engine? I sat in the office of the service manager and listen to him side-step the problem unitl I could take no more. I then questioned him about any other issues with a 2000 Sienna and he looked me right in the eyes and said no. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10070511, filed 2004-01, 98,000 miles

   “Engine oil light came on when driving, when taken to dealer, service rep. Indicated this would potentially be a very expensive repair. After a quick search on the internet revealed an issue with this engine and a call to Toyota national and some discussions with the dealer the car was taken for desludging . Proof of oil changes had to be provided, much discussion about how it was our fault . Since we are both engineers and typically keep our vehicles a very long time, this was insulting. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10133003, filed 2005-08, 105,000 miles
5. 5
   Seat belts

   Seat belt buckle and retractor faults

   • 21 complaints (6%)
   • median 68,338 mi at 6.2 yrs old (14 state mileage)
   • 4 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2000–2010

   Owners describe shoulder belts that will not pull out or retract, buckles that release on their own or refuse to latch, and seat belt warning lights that flash even when buckled. In one report a child seat in the second row was left unrestrained when the buckle let go. Dealers quoted per-belt replacement in some cases and could not identify the fault in others. Mostly reported between about 30,000 and 95,000 miles, during normal daily use.

   What to check: Pull each belt out fully and let it retract, latch and release every buckle including the third row, and confirm the warning light behaves correctly with belts buckled.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Three shoulder strap seat belts in my 2000 Toyota Sienna have failed. They are frozen and inoperable. The dealer says he will replace at $200 per seatbelt. Other than that there is nothing he can do to repair the seatbelt. The vehicle is useless without seatbelts. I am afraid that the other 3 will fail also.”

   NHTSA complaint #10110641, filed 2005-02, 63,361 miles

   “The lights for both front seat belts flash when the seat belts are fastened. When they are not fastened and are fully retracted into the door post, the lights go off. This began first with the passenger side a couple of months ago and started on the drivers side this month. Additionally the seat belts don't always retract properly.”

   NHTSA complaint #10211753, filed 2007-12, 86,000 miles

Buying note. Given the age of this model year, a pre-purchase inspection that covers the transmission, brakes, and power doors is worth the cost, along with oil change records to judge sludge risk. Confirming the sliding doors, all seat belts, and the brake pedal work correctly on a test drive will tell you a lot about how the van has been kept.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.