Toyota had their bases covered with this little feature. My fuel door has a slight bend in the metal. Been like this sinse I got it. I had located another 2011 of the same color at the local U Pull It. I charged up a battery drill to go drill out its rivots but waited 3 days too long, dumb ass. They crushed the darn van. It was the same color. Bummer. My bent door remains. It seems its not depressing the safety button in far enough so the driver side door opens about 6 inches and stops dead. It is working correctly. This is a safety feature so the sliding door does not damage the gas fill door if left open. Looking on line for a solution has been making me crazy as Toyota has had issues with their power side doors. Now I have a understanding of why it stops dead. Has anyone ever experienced this with their Sienna van?

Can you shim the switch so it makes enough contact with the fuel door to work until you can get it fixed properly?

The fuel tank door appears to be a real problem for all vehicle manufacturers. The one on my Durango would freeze in the winter and would not open until I ran a thin plastic putty knife around the door to break the ice. That got old quick.

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Originally posted by Perception:
Can you shim the switch so it makes enough contact with the fuel door to work until you can get it fixed properly?

I can sure try. We got low Winter temps for the next week so will wait for a little warmer day. I have read people bend the doors for not lubing its hinge pin. Mine looks to have never been lubed.

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Originally posted by YooperSigs:
The fuel tank door appears to be a real problem for all vehicle manufacturers. The one on my Durango would freeze in the winter and would not open until I ran a thin plastic putty knife around the door to break the ice. That got old quick.

Yup, mine froze last week. Didnt know it untill I got to the fuel pump.

With my 2012 Sienna I have never had a fuel door or sliding door issue. Or any other issue for that matter.

quote:

Originally posted by YooperSigs:
The fuel tank door appears to be a real problem for all vehicle manufacturers. The one on my Durango would freeze in the winter and would not open until I ran a thin plastic putty knife around the door to break the ice. That got old quick.

I have the exact same problem on my work Durango. Wouldn't be a big deal except the latch is actuated by a button inside the car, so you can't unlock it and pry on it at the same time. It's a PITA...and feels like the design engineer never considered the fact that these vehicle might be driven in freezing temperatures. I miss the old days when you just pulled the flap open and unscrewed the cap...

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This is a safety feature so the sliding door does not damage the gas fill door if left open.

You know, if the Toyota Engineers would've just flipped the Fuel Door around so the hinge was on the forward side, the Sliding Door could just close it if inadvertently left open...

The fuel door on my wife's Toyota Highlander is fine [knock wood], but the fuel cap is so tight that I need two hands to open it, and she can't do it at all.

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Originally posted by nhracecraft:

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This is a safety feature so the sliding door does not damage the gas fill door if left open.

You know, if the Toyota Engineers would've just flipped the Fuel Door around so the hinge was on the forward side, the Sliding Door could just close it if inadvertently left open...

Haha, that was the original design. As engineers do, they switched it around in order to cause maximum grief for everyone down the road!

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Originally posted by nhracecraft:

quote:

This is a safety feature so the sliding door does not damage the gas fill door if left open.

You know, if the Toyota Engineers would've just flipped the Fuel Door around so the hinge was on the forward side, the Sliding Door could just close it if inadvertently left open...

That is exactly how its designed. Mine just has a minor bend in the door so that leading edge does not depress the safety button enough now.

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Originally posted by Steve Collins:
With my 2012 Sienna I have never had a fuel door or sliding door issue. Or any other issue for that matter.

2011 is first year 3rd Gen Sienna.