[Aviatrix]

I thought the auto-close slider had an anti-smash feature???

My daughter (2) pressed the button and then got her foot caught in the door. It closed ALL THE WAY on her foot. I didn't think they were supposed to do that!! Was her foot just too small for the door to "notice", or would it have crushed her whole body had she gotten halfway out????

Any one else get smashed in the auto-close door?????

 

[jaymz]

Hope she's alright ?!?!? We never had that problem with our '01. Always backed up if there was interferance.

 

[Steve V]

I just tested the sliding door on my 2008 xle by placing a small (about the size of a small foot) piece of foam rubber against the jam and letting the door close on it.

The door stopped and backed up every time I closed it.

Apparently your door is not working properly.

 

[topspy]

gosh...hope she's "ok". ??? :-\
Did it NOT reverse at all?? Or was the reaction delayed?

I just went and tried/double-checked mine. I used an old t-shirt that's been retired to "rag" duty. I bunched it up into a "block" (probably about the width of a small child's foot), but I felt that it was still relatively soft, pliable, and compressible. I placed the t-shirt at floor-level of the interior of the van protruding out, and allowed the door to close on it while I watched from inside. The motorized door did push against it pretty hard trying to close, but it did reverse without too much delay, as it is supposed to do.

I think the function is designed so that although it might compress an object, it would avoid actual "amputation" of that obstruction. It's not sensitive enough to be a "touch" sensor. It takes quite a bit of force or a solid object (or one that is "crushed/pinched") to make it reverse. My perception is that we may want it to be a "touch" sensor where if it barely brushes against something then it will reverse, but that is not the case. Yeah....getting crushed by it would likely result in at least some nasty bruises (and frayed nerves), if not a broken bone or two (depends on other factors and the location of the crush-injury). All-in-all, although still "scary", it is probably better than having a manual door actually slammed/closed on a body part.

Watch the little fingers and toes....

YMMV.
Good Luck!! 8)

 

[Aviatrix]

She's OK, but did get a bruise and was scared. Looks like I'll be testing it with a shirt or something as the rest of you have done. If it doesn't reverse, guess I have to take it in!

The good news is she's smart enough to now be weary of the door and get out of the way, as she should be.

Thanks for the baseline, I'll let you know what happens during my test!

 

[tcp]

Hard lesson for her, but she'll probably never forget it. As an aside, I do remember a couple of crushed fingers growing up and getting them squished in car doors every once in a while. The old manual kind of doors, that is.

She's OK, but did get a bruise and was scared. Looks like I'll be testing it with a shirt or something as the rest of you have done. If it doesn't reverse, guess I have to take it in!

The good news is she's smart enough to now be weary of the door and get out of the way, as she should be.

Thanks for the baseline, I'll let you know what happens during my test!

 

[Aviatrix]

Ok, so I went out and put a cabbage patch kid in the slider. Both sides auto-reversed.

The back lift-gate, however, kept trying to smash the cabbage patch kid. Every time I tried to lift up the gate, it just kept closing and smashing the "kid". I was pulling with almost all my strength (On the opening button/latch mind you) before I got it to reverse and go back up.

I'll be sure and keep watch anytime I've got that lift gate closing!!!

 

[brian_bp]

There are two methods to sense an object in the way of the closing door:

• load monitoring of the closing motor (how much effort is required to close), and
• a contact sensor on the door edge.

What year is the Sienna? My 2004 power sliding door does not have a contact sensor, but in later years (such as 2008) they do.

The load monitoring method must allow enough closing power to provide sufficient force to close the door when the nose is pointed uphill (so the door is being pulled up), against the drag of dirt and perhaps ice and snow in the tracks. There is no way to avoid the possibility of the door applying significant force to something left in its path.

My garage door - which has a power opener which is typical of reasonably recent designs - has a photocell detector across the opening and load monitoring. The load monitoring is set sensitive enough that in cold weather the extra drag can cause the door to stop (particularly when opening, in this case), yet if a low enough object to fit under the sensor line is left in the opening it will be subject to significant force. There's just no magic and perfectly safe solution to this problem.

 

[shineysideup]

There are two methods to sense an object in the way of the closing door:

• load monitoring of the closing motor (how much effort is required to close), and
• a contact sensor on the door edge.

What year is the Sienna? My 2004 power sliding door does not have a contact sensor, but in later years (such as 2008) they do.

The load monitoring method must allow enough closing power to provide sufficient force to close the door when the nose is pointed uphill (so the door is being pulled up), against the drag of dirt and perhaps ice and snow in the tracks. There is no way to avoid the possibility of the door applying significant force to something left in its path.

My garage door - which has a power opener which is typical of reasonably recent designs - has a photocell detector across the opening and load monitoring. The load monitoring is set sensitive enough that in cold weather the extra drag can cause the door to stop (particularly when opening, in this case), yet if a low enough object to fit under the sensor line is left in the opening it will be subject to significant force. There's just no magic and perfectly safe solution to this problem.

Brian, I'm surprised that your van DOESN'T have the contact sensor. My van does... it does not extend to the bottom of the door though... I have the sensors on the power tailgate also. I thought that this was standard from the start of the '04 production.

 

[brian_bp]

...
What year is the Sienna? My 2004 power sliding door does not have a contact sensor, but in later years (such as 2008) they do...

Brian, I'm surprised that your van DOESN'T have the contact sensor. My van does... it does not extend to the bottom of the door though... I have the sensors on the power tailgate also. I thought that this was standard from the start of the '04 production.

I may be mistaken, but I didn't see a contact sensor when I looked after an earlier discussion. Perhaps I'm confused because there was also an issue with a contact sensor for the inside of the window opening, for those owners who choose to open the door while window is open and kids are hanging out of the opening... that one was reported to be a later addition.

My power door is no longer powered, having eaten its drive cable. When it was still powered I certainly fought with it, but I did not do a systematic blockage test (with foam rubber, rag, doll, or anything else), so if I ever accidentally blocked it and had it reverse (I'm not sure that I ever did), I would not know if that was due to a load monitor or a contact sensor.

I'll try to remember to have another look.

 

[topspy]

The way it tried very hard to push against my rolled-up t-shirt (and the sound of the motor straining) would lead me to believe that at least at the bottom of the door area there is NO contact sensor, but a load sensor is utilized instead. There is a contact sensor strip closer towards the middle of the door edge, but you have to give it a fair whack for it to respond and reverse the door....at least on mine. Perhaps the system uses both sensors, with a load sensor as a "backup". I dunno.... ??? ??? YMMV.

 

[shineysideup]

the "contact sensor" is along the leading edge of the door... All you need to do is touch it with your finger and the door will reverse. It does not go all the way to the bottom of the floor in the second row. I looked last night and could see how a child's foot could get caught without activating the touch strip. When my doors did work (broken cable also ), I could touch the strip and the doors would reverse automatically. My montana did NOT have this feature... It doesn't matter much when the doors aren't power anymore!

 

[brian_bp]

The 2005 technical manual component diagram for the "power slide door" shows a "Power Slide Door Touch Sensor Assembly" on the leading edge, and I have extracted a portion of that diagram to post here. Now I need to have a look at our (2004) Sienna - it probably just looked like trim to me.

 

[shineysideup]

It is easy to miss... I have two children and was aware of the lack of protection from my first van. The sienna seemed to address my pinching worries. Unfortunately, not every circumstance can be accounted for...

 

[Aviatrix]

The 2005 technical manual component diagram for the "power slide door" shows a "Power Slide Door Touch Sensor Assembly" on the leading edge, and I have extracted a portion of that diagram to post here. Now I need to have a look at our (2004) Sienna - it probably just looked like trim to me.

Do you have a similar diagram for the liftgate? I found the sensor on the side doors and verified they do indeed reverse the door, but I can't locate one on the liftgate.

 

[shineysideup]

The 2005 technical manual component diagram for the "power slide door" shows a "Power Slide Door Touch Sensor Assembly" on the leading edge, and I have extracted a portion of that diagram to post here. Now I need to have a look at our (2004) Sienna - it probably just looked like trim to me.

Do you have a similar diagram for the liftgate? I found the sensor on the side doors and verified they do indeed reverse the door, but I can't locate one on the liftgate.

The sensors are on the edge of the hatch... next to the struts. They work (or are supposed to) work in the exact same manner. A touch of the finger.

 

[Aviatrix]

The sensors are on the edge of the hatch... next to the struts. They work (or are supposed to) work in the exact same manner. A touch of the finger.

On the liftgate part, or the van part? I asked for the diagram because there is nothing on my liftgate part, just the bare metal of the door. I see the rubber seal on the car half, but don't see any sensor like the one on the slider.

 

[shineysideup]

The sensor is on the edge of the door. It does look like the seal but it is actually the sensor. Touch at the edge of the window and you will find it.

 

[scottlindner]

I know this is an older thread. Today we had this issue with our 2012 Sienna XLE. Every once in a while the key fob in my pocket gets pressed long enough to open/close the doors when I'm moving things around. I just came around from the back of the vehicle to see my two year old full torso being crushed. I had to pull back on the automatic door with all of my might. It continued to fight me the entire throw distance. That motor is super strong. I was digging in my heels like I was playing tug of war and that bloody door almost won. Needless to say we permanently disabled the automatic doors after seeing that happen. I'm still having nightmares thinking about it. My two year old was almost turned into ketchup right in front of my eyes.

 

[JericaM]

I thought the auto-close slider had an anti-smash feature???

My daughter (2) pressed the button and then got her foot caught in the door. It closed ALL THE WAY on her foot. I didn't think they were supposed to do that!! Was her foot just too small for the door to "notice", or would it have crushed her whole body had she gotten halfway out????

Any one else get smashed in the auto-close door?????

my daughter just had the door completely latch on her hand. One finger is fractured three we need to watch for nerve damage as they were cut and her palm had tobe drained of
Blood. Even when I tried to reopen it it would not
Open it took a bit. Calling tomorrow as they sold us on the will pinch but won’t cause injury.