Toyota Releases fix for 1998-2006 Sienna Minivans

Since Toyota announced their recall of some 600,000 Sienna minivans, I’ve gotten a ton of feedback on this issue from readers, so I’ve been calling Toyota regularly looking for the resolution to this issue.

Well, today I’ve got some good news for you!  Click past the jump for all the details!

First a little refresher.  Back in April of this year, Toyota announced a recall of its Sienna minivan, including model years 1998 to 2010.  The recall was for the spare tire carrier, which was rusting and in some cases coming apart, creating a safety hazard.  Click here for the Sienna Recall Information page.

After getting off the phone with Brian Lyons, Safety and Quality Communications Manager for Toyota USA, I have a breakdown of what he called “Phase One” of the resolution to this recall.

Phase One involves about 440,000 of the estimated 600,000 minivans, from model year 1998 to model year 2006.  Letters to affected owners started mailing last Monday, so they should be arriving soon if you haven’t gotten one already.  Phase One is also broken down into two sections, one for minivans built in 1998 to 2003, and another for 2004-2006 model year minivans.  The reasoning for this is because the location of the spare tire was moved for model year 2004, from the back to more of the middle of the vehicle.

If you’ve got a Toyota Sienna from model year 1998 to 2003, here’s what will happen when you take your vehicle to your dealer:

• Inspection of spare tire carrier, for rust.
• Application of “corrosion-resistant compound” to the carrier cable
• If rust is bad enough, the cable assembly will be replaced.

If your minivan is a model year 2004 to 2006, the dealer will perform similar work, with one major difference:

• Inspection of spare tire carrier, for rust.
• Application of “corrosion-resistant compound” to the carrier cable
• If rust is bad enough, the cable assembly will be replaced.
• Installation of a “seal” between the spare tire carrier and the right-front tire, to help prevent rust in the future.

While Phase One includes only up to model year 2006, Mr. Lyons did not have a date for when the 2007-2010 minivans will be fixed or what the fix would be.  You can bet that as soon as that information becomes available, I’ll have it right here on Road Reality.

In the mean time, if you’d like to share your experience with the rest of the Road Reality readers, please Contact me.

by John Suit

Source: Brian Lyons, Toyota