Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (doors, hood, frame, rust, paint and trim).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 1998 Toyota Sienna owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
1998 Toyota Sienna sliding door on left and right get stuck and will not open. In case of accident or fire my grandchildren would not be able to get out. Rear door handle broke off in my hand which would create the same hazard of not being able to exit. I've had this problem since I bought the car, and they have never been able to fix it even though they have tried. There are many complaints about thiis very problem from Sienna owners. This will definitely cost someone's life.
Door handles on all doors have broken off. In case of accident, there would be no way to enter the vehicle from the outside. Rear sliding doors also stick and again do not allow entry or exit from the vehicle without use of a lot of strength which is dangerous for children in back of van.
The push-button on the inside of the sliding side-doors fails to release. In the case the door is unlocked, this prevents to door from closing. If the door is locked, the button does not release, keeping the door from being unlocked and thus the door cannot be opened.
Sliding doors - both were sticking and difficult to open. Then passenger side door could only be opened from the outside and now it can't be opened from outside or inside. Power window - driver's side power window began working intermittently and now won't work at all
On 18 separate ocassions our Sienna minivan's automatic door locks toggles lock and unlock by themselves. At one point our 5 yr old and 2 yr old were locked in the van. I had gotten out of the driver side, shut my door and before I could open the driver side sliding door, the locks locked me out. I had to call my wife to bring her keys so we could unlock the van. Of course my children were frightened and thank goodness the ac was running as this was during a hot summer day. The locks continue "freaking out" but we no longer shut the door if we have to get out with the van running. I've contacted our local Toyota dealer and all they said is I would have to pay all parts, labor and troubleshooting to find and repair the problem. And of course my 7 year, 100K mile expensive extended warranty does not cover this. …
It appears that Toyota has created artificial obstacles to prevent my obtainment of an eligible reimbursement for recall (safety recall a9e - tire carrier cable) repairs. In response to the recall notice I had the cable inspected then contacted Toyota in accordance with the recall letter but I was denied reimbursement. On October 2, 2013 I wrote to Toyota following the inspection and attached the original work order from a Toyota dealer for the replacement of part number "51900-08010" as required. I received an October 17th response saying I needed to provide answers to three questions:reason the vehicle brought into the repair facility; the repair facility diagnoses, and the repair performed in order to correct the concern. …
I have had multiple problems with both sliding doors on my minivan. I had rattles fixed on 3 separate occassions and recently took the van in because the driver side sliding door would not open without putting the weight of my body behind it. The dealer shrugged it off by saying there was a coke spilled in the door. The dealer cleaned "the coke" and the door is still sticking shut. Now the tailhatch handle has broken off and I can no longer open the tailgate. I have also had problems with the suspension. The van feels like the front wheels are pulling to one side. I have had it aligned on numerous occasions and the dealer says there is nothing wrong. The other day it felt like the front wheel was going to fall off. I have also had the brakes worked on (at my expense) because the dealer said I left the parking brake on all the time. …
My 13 year old daughter went to open the driver side sliding door and it caught in the track and fell off. That's right,fell off! Toyota's customer assistance program was no help at all.after about 10 days of pleading my case, the dealership did the right thing and repaired the track-they straightened it out instead of replacing it. The door works fine and it didn't cost me a penny. But the point is Toyota never listened to me as to how it occurred. They said I must have tried to forcibly open the door when I was fueling the vehicle, and it just simply did not happen like that. I'm an engineer and understand the safety stop they have built into the car. So you can't slide the door open when fueling. I never ever did that. Please contact me so I can go into more detail .
Two door problems: (1) driver and passenger side hinged doors periodically will not open, regardless of whether remote, manual, or electrical push button is used. They just freeze shut. (2) sliding door on drivers' side will not open, sometimes not at all and sometimes not more than an inch or two. The inability to open is an inability to open from either inside or outside the vehicle. It occurs mostly in hot weather. Dealer unable to duplicate problem, so Toyota not much help. Seems very dangerous to us - not being able to exit the vehicle.
We have a 1998 Toyota Sienna. For several years we have had problems opening the rear passenger doors because of faulty springs on the door buttons. Now the vehicle spews out blue smoke when starting up or accelerating. The oil is also sludgey. We took it to the dealer after hearing that the blue smoke problem is a recall issue, but the dealer wants proof of all oil changes, even though I change the oil and filter myself. A friend around the corner has the same problems with the faulty doors.
Related recalls
Structure
Toyota is recalling certain model year 1998 through 2010 sienna passenger vehicles manufactured between August 7, 1997 and January 4, 2010, currently registered in or originally sold in connecticut, delaware, illinois, indiana, kentucky, maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, new hampshire, new jersey, new york,…
Remedy: Toyota will notify owners with an interim letter initially instructing them to bring their vehicle to authorized dealers to inspect for corrosion. A second notice will be sent when the permanent remedy is available.
Body complaints in other Sienna years
Frequently asked questions
How common are body problems on the 1998 Toyota Sienna?
NHTSA has 35 complaints about the body & structure of the 1998 Toyota Sienna, 12% of the model year's 294 complaints. The component named most often is body › door (20 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1998 Toyota Sienna body problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 10V-160 (structure, Apr 20, 2010). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 1998 Toyota Sienna body problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 102,000 miles, and 13% before 25,000 miles.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.