[LyleS]

The pin in the upper hinge of my daughter's Sienna worked its way up, out of the hinge, making her think it had broken. The safety switch thought the fuel door was open, preventing the sliding door from opening. I lined up the two halves of the hinge and tapped the pin back into place. You might check for a similar situation that could look like a broken hinge.

 

[mtbtrooper]

There is another post on this, #4865?

Here's what I had posted there.

1st post didn't list, here's what I had sent to Toyota and the NHTSA

FUEL DOOR HINGE BROKE BECAUSE THE FUEL DOOR PIN HAS SO MUCH TENSION THAT IT BROKE THE HINGE. THIS CAUSED A SAFETY ISSUE BECAUSE THE DOOR CANNOT BE OPENED FROM THE INSIDE IF IT IS NOT CLOSED ALL THEY WAY OR PUSHED CLOSED ENOUGH FOR THE SENSOR TO ALLOW THE SLIDING DOOR TO OPEN. THIS EVENT WAS REPORTED PAST THE 36 MONTH WARRANTY, (AT 40 MONTHS, BUT LESS THAN THE MILEAGE WARRANTY), BUT HAD BEGUN BEFORE THE WARRANTY HAD ENDED. CURRENT OWNERS SHOULD BE AWARE THAT IF THERE ARE INSTANCES BEGINNING OF THE DOOR NOT BEING ABLE TO BE OPENED, SHOULD CHECK THE HINGE AND PIN TENSION AND HAVE IT FIXED WHILE IT COULD BE UNDER WARRANTY. THIS SHOULD BE AN ITEM COVERED UNDER AN EXTENDED WARRANTY DUE TO THE SAFETY ISSUE OF NOT BEING ABLE TO EXIT THE VEHICLE IN AN EMERGENCY SITUATION. THIS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES WHILE PARKED AND EXITING THE VEHICLE. THERE ARE OTHER INSTANCES OF THIS ISSUE ON DIFFERENT SIENNA AND TOYOTA FORUMS. Toyota service manager confirms that it is excessive, but only resolution would be to replace cable with no guarantee it wouldn't have excessive force also. Only other resolution would be to have Service Bulletin issued by Toyota.

Your tracking number assigned by NHTSA for this issue is 11025478. Please keep this number for your records and for future reference. Once your complaint has been processed, you will be able to view it online and find any related documents. Please allow two business days for NHTSA to review your complaint.

 

[twinster2]

I want to thank everyone for bring this information to my attention. After reading this thread, I went out and checked the fuel filler door. It did not seem too stiff but I added a few drops of oil and it moved a little easier. Going forward, I will add this to my annual maintenance checklist.

 

[mdbikiniteam]

i have a 2015 Sienna LE the top hinge on mine broke like 2 weeks ago asked the dealer if there is a fix for it and he said that there is reports of this happening to a 2015 model so its not covered
i a, just going to weld it up my self and drill out the hinge so its not so tight

 

[fibber2]

While stiff hinges contribute to the issue, the real problem continues to be the sliding door interlock button that requires so much force that it distorts the fuel door when you close it. If it wasn't for that pressure, the fuel door hinges wouldn't break. And I suspect that any fix to the hinges will just break again.

 

[doji]

While stiff hinges contribute to the issue, the real problem continues to be the sliding door interlock button that requires so much force that it distorts the fuel door when you close it. If it wasn't for that pressure, the fuel door hinges wouldn't break. And I suspect that any fix to the hinges will just break again.

Hi, seems we have the same problem here. 2014 SE, just outside of 36 month warranty, has 32k miles. The interlock button is so hard I cant even close the fuel door anymore, and the sliding door will not open. Any DIY fix? I have an appointment at the dealer on Monday and was wondering if there is a cheaper option like accessing the button from the driver side rear trim and seeing what the culprit is. Is there a part number we can easily swap out on our own?

Thanks so much!

 

[Peterwolf]

I have a Toyota Sienna SE with the same broken upper hinge problem. Happened at about 75k and warranty does not cover it so I'm waiting till I have to get it fixed. It will cost 425 canadian dollars.

 

[jennie]

I have a 3 year old Sienna and my door hinge broke completely off too. The dealer charged me $400 because I needed a whole new door. Complete ripoff to be charged for a defective part. In my 30+ years of driving I've never had a car that this happened to!

At least Toyota finally took ownership of the sliding door issues. When that first started happening the dealership wanted almost $2,000 and told me it was my fault for opening and closing the doors too much! I was able to get both doors fixed free of charge finally. I love Toyotas, but they really need to take ownership for their issues much more quickly.

 

[JBroox]

Yep, mine broke on my 2015 Sienna. That's kind of frustrating. We had a 2007 Sienna before we purchased this one and never had this problem. What changed? I can't believe that tiny metal flap is all that's holding that thing on. That's the best they can do on a $40,000 vehicle?! The one on my Prius is much more durable. What the heck? Any fix for this yet?

 

[blocktek]

Yet another "me too."

I purchased a 2014 Sienna - Sport model in October 2017, with approximately 60k miles on it. The upper fuel filler door hinge failed last month at around 80k miles. I took it to my local Toyota dealer/service, and was told the cost to repair would be $380. Neither Toyota nor Mechanic (who provides my 125k extended warranty) will cover the repair, despite the issue's obvious safety ramifications.
I've filed reports with both NHTSA (tracking #311104672), and with Toyota (file #1807172274), for what it's worth. I don't expect to get any satisfaction, but hopefully if enough of us report the issue to both, it'll help someone else down the road.

 

[cjbennett]

Same thing...2014 Sienna 47,000 miles fuel door hinge broke....ridiculous!!! No one is stating what they did to fix the matter. Please let me know.

 

[fibber2]

So, when I had the van in to Toyota recently, I made the stiff sliding door interlock a service item. My service writer agreed that it seemed very stiff and promoted to the deflection of the gas door when it's pushed in.

He contacted Toyota and they suggested a walk of the lot to see if new or used vehicles felt significantly different from mine. The conclusion was they were all stiff, and my van was not out of step with the rest. Therefore, no recommended action at this time. Hmmm...... Not the conclusion that I expected.

In response, I lubed the button and cable more, along with the hinge, but it still felt bad. But then I noticed something new! The end tab of the gas door itself that engages the interior gas door release was also binding when attempting to close the door. Another stiff button, but also the tap wasn't well aligned with the beveled end of the button. I pushed and bent the tab maybe an eight of an inch inboard, so that the surfaces meet at a slightly different spot and angle. It made an amazing difference in how much pressure now needs to be applied to the whole door to lock it. Impact on hinge? Secondary to the sliding door interlock, but another contribution to total stress on the welds.

 

[royc]

I assume there is a spring at the other end of the cable that the plunger operates. I wonder if a somewhat less powerful spring could be substituted to reduce the stress on the gas door hinge without making the door interlock unreliable?

 

[Pepe]

I assume there is a spring at the other end of the cable that the plunger operates. I wonder if a somewhat less powerful spring could be substituted to reduce the stress on the gas door hinge without making the door interlock unreliable?

I bet its around 6-7 lbs :frown: Stupid design IMHO

 

[fibber2]

You can lift the sliding door stop pawl up with your finger. There is a hair pin spring that ensures it drops, but the tension isn't that great on it. I think it's more a leverage issue on the design of where there cable meets the pawl to lift it. It attaches very low down near the pivot point and below the spring, so you end up with force multiplication opposing the lift. You could probably alleviate it a little bit by bending the spring back, but the fault is with the design itself.

 

[Geezer1]

The method I have been using to reduce stress on the fuel door hinges is to firmly press on the hinge end of the fuel door with my left hand as I close the fuel door with my right hand. When closing the door with my right hand, I press on the exterior surface of the fuel door at the point at which the other side of it presses against the interlock switch button.

Coupled with regular lubrication of the hinges, I think this closing method is going to keep the hinges from breaking again.

 

[Astevens97@hotmail.com]

My 2014 sienna fuel door hinge has also broke. The safety button/plunger is extremely difficult to depress, which obviously puts too much pressure on the upper left portion of the fuel door and hinge. This is also a safety issue as the sliding door will not open when the plunger is out. Are there any known fixes for the plunger or fuel door hinge assembly?????

 

[Tony C]

My 2014 sienna fuel door hinge has also broke. The safety button/plunger is extremely difficult to depress, which obviously puts too much pressure on the upper left portion of the fuel door and hinge. This is also a safety issue as the sliding door will not open when the plunger is out. Are there any known fixes for the plunger or fuel door hinge assembly?????

Only known "fix" I've heard of is the one Geezer posted: keep everything lubed and be gentle when closing.

Someone more ambitious than I might want to figure out what makes the plunger so hard to depress. Reducing that spring force would go a long way toward reducing load on the flapper's hinges.

 

[fibber2]

PTAN1968us's fix is the most comprehensive and creative yet! I'd like to see a lower K rated spring here, but his 'adjustment' seems to do the job.

Nice post from a new member.

https://www.siennachat.com/forum/40...-general-discussion-gen-3/4865-problem-gas-tank-access-door-hinge-spring-4.html Post #48

 

[megazoid]

aloha happened to me too within one year. i bent the flange so it would open again, works ok still locks, looks slightly off kilter.