Toyota Sienna 2006 Door Actuator Fix (Cheap method)

Rather than buying the entire actuator assembly (or worse yet, taking it to the dealer!!!) I bought just the actuator motor to fix the broken actuators on my 2006 Toyota Sienna XLE. This is my walkthru. Although time consuming, this fix saved me about $1000 in labor and parts from the dealer. If you are handy with some tools, it can easily be done in a couple of hours. The part # is:
P14346-ND
MOTOR BRUSHED DC 12V 12850RPM from digi-key:
www.digikey.com/product-detai...
They were $4.66 cents a piece, so a total rip-off from the dealer if you have them replace it for you!
I also briefly discussed replacing the side hinges. Sadly, I did not take a video of that process. But they weren't too difficult either.

[@cssplat]

Thanks for the video! I replaced that little motor in my '06 Limited today. :)

[@g00gl3it]

Awesome! Glad it helped!

[@DZ-bo8hq]

Just did this repair today by replacing the whole actuator assembly. I used a multi tool to cut through the plastic near the screws and got the old actuator assembly off. I then used the multitool to cut through the screws (the heads fell off into the door). I then replaced by running a zip tie to secure the new actuator. Was pretty easy.

[@stix562]

The two screws in the back have permanent loctite on them - making them prime for stripping out the heads (mine did) - I dremeled a slot for a flat head fit to try again. One site suggested to heat them up to free the loctite - well don't do that or the knulred nuts will loosen from the plastic housing and free spin. Mine did. I ended up dremelling the heads off (washers are part of the screw) to get the actuator out. I popped out the knurled nuts - heated them and removed what was left of the screws. I reinserted knurled nuts into the actuator housing. The screws are 4mm x .7mm(Thread Pitch) x 20mm length - they can be picked up at lowes in the special metric section - I bought them

[@g00gl3it]

Thanks for the info!

[@timothykoller]

Thank you! I was able to repair both sliding doors using this method. I almost couldn't believe it worked to replace just that one small part. And you weren't exaggerating about the difficulty of the Loctite screws. A soldering iron got 3 of 4 bolts loose, but the 4th simply wouldn't come out, so I had to drill it out and replace the bolt. thanks again for the video.

[@g00gl3it]

Glad it worked!

[@wigum12]

son of a gun!! this worked perfectly. those damn bolts were a nightmare but other than that, easy peezy. i found it easier to remove the whole regulator assembly and working on it on a bench. used a soldering iron tip to heat the two bolts amd got them out. thanks for posting link on motor. saved me a ton of $$

[@abraamsamor7418]

I like that I typed the website and part number, while he had the link in the description the whole time.

[@g00gl3it]

Lol, awesome...

[@jimr7224]

Spot on video and motor replacement thanks for sharing! Perfect motor for 2007 Toyota Sienna Limited

[@marca90210]

Great post. This motor/assembly is the same for Japanese Toyota Estima, also known as Tarago (Australia) and Previa (New Zealand).

[@d6n88]

i change the actuator from ebay. last about 2 and half year. i'll try the motor method this time. thanks for the video.

[@insanewalrus1395]

Used this method on my 2005 Sienna. Cheap fix! I recommend disengaging the window the proper way as i bent my Window arm and had to take it all off anyway. Take the 10 mm all the way out (through the little window), just don't drop them. Heating the screws gently with a heat gun worked well to get one of the locktite screws out. The other one i broke the motor housing plastic around the screw. Used JB Weld epoxy on the entire motor housing with just the one screw replaced and it's holding great. Door fixed for only around ten bucks!

[@g00gl3it]

$10 is better than $1200 that the dealer wanted to charge!

[@isaacpoonrocks]

Great video. I followed it through and replaced both actuator motors and hinge last week and now both sliding doors work perfectly. One side note which may be helpful to others in the future: I used a mini butane torch to heat up those two locktite screws (3-5 secs at a time) until they could be loosened easily with a screwdriver. That way I was able to remove them without stripping the threads. To screw them back in after the repair might be difficult, but by applying the same principle (heating them up slightly with the torch) I was able to do the job pretty easily. Thank you again and hope this video will benefit more DIYers in working on this problem down the road.

[@g00gl3it]

Good idea. You can also remove the loctite on the screws before putting them back in. Not sure if they would ever rotate loose on their own with how tight they were to begin with.

[@chrislenfert1953]

Thanks for the video. It was very helpful. Got the right part and it worked!

[@g00gl3it]

Glad it helped!

[@chrisdang1875]

thx for the link, ordered the little motor and will see if it works for me

[@g00gl3it]

Chris Dang Good luck! Those little screws on the back of the housing are a bugger. Just a warning.

[@TheArredondoenrique]

Thanks!, I drilled those screws with a ultra small bit, and the heat from the spinning bit drilling the screw will make the screw come out, Loctite blue will give up to that kind of heat.

[@brucewilliams6292]

Thank you so much. I sincerely appreciate your help!

[@g00gl3it]

Bruce Williams Glad it helped!

[@garylinyt]

Thank you. It's very detail and nice.

[@g00gl3it]

Thank you... I hope it saved you some time.

[@johngulino8373]

Thanks ! Very helpful

[@g00gl3it]

John Gulino Glad it helped!

[@davidh8928]

Thanks for your video. I just ordered my motor for a similar...? fix. My 06 passenger door will not power close or open at all. I replaced a broken cable that attaches to the rear of the vehicle under the vent window so far. The Rear end of the powered side door will not lock into the correct position. It doesn't get pulled in (mechanically powered) at all. I don't know if the door actuator is broken or if a fixed one will fix this problem. If you have any ideas, thank you again.

[@haa1774]

I will be trying this on my 2004 Sienna. Hopefully it works out. And by the way I think heating the thread locker will help in removing the screws holding the actuator. Will try this in a week or two when the motor arrives. Thanks!

[@g00gl3it]

Mr. Ali The removal process may be a bit different, but if the symptoms and failure are the same, I wouldn't doubt it has a similar failing motor.

[@haa1774]

Well, just did it today. The metal base holding the screws on the actuator were slipping so every time I tried unscrewing the whole screw and metal part would spin. I pulled that sucker off and got it out (but snapped the end). The motor worked perfectly for my 2004 sienna and I just used some double sided tape on one end to prevent torquing of the actuator and used a single machine screw and nut to attach the other end. Door works great now.

[@g00gl3it]

Mr. Ali Awesome, glad that it worked. Good to know it's the same part, too. You think Toyota would have caught that and changed suppliers in the next gen model. But nope.

[@elibalsam522]

So Digikey is out of stock on this motor - anyone know if it is a round shaft or D-shaft? Looking for an alternate. Thanks!

[@ricardonunez6449]

thanks for video:}

[@g00gl3it]

No problem!

[@chamodkavindudilshan1962]

This motor same for suzuki spacia?plzz help

[@pradeeppallan2232]

Good video. Do you know the actuator assembly is the same for door opening and closing? I am asking this as my sienna door opens without any problem, but cannot close it.

[@g00gl3it]

I do not know if it is the same, sorry. It may be a guess that the motor is similar, but I bet the housing and gearing in the actuator is different.

[@hedayathamid1980]

Hello there. Thank you for sharing this video. I have a 2005 Sienna LE and just recently I replaced a broken passenger side slider door cable since the time it broke. I can pull on the door handle to open and close the automatic slider door. The problem I am having now is , however, I cannot get the switches inside the car nor the remote to automatically open or close the slider. When I hit the switches, I hear a little clicking noise and just a slight jerking, but no full motion. Is this video the fix for this problem? If not, do you have any other videos that would describe how to solve my particular problem? Appreciate any help from you or others. Hedayat

[@g00gl3it]

What you describe is exactly this issue, and I believe the part #'s were the same for your year of Sienna as well as mine.

[@gtcreations4180]

I think I have a similar problem with a Sienna, does the door also not want to close unless manually pulled past the stop point?? Was hoping it was related the same issue.

[@g00gl3it]

Once the door has fully opened, and has 'rested', you are correct. If this actuator is broken, the door will also seize in the open position, unless you pull the handle on the inside or the outside.

[@TommyM818]

Any idea on where i can get the worm gear at the end of the motor? Having a super hard time trying to find that

[@g00gl3it]

Sorry, I don't have a clue - I re-used the one that came off of the old motor. It just pulls off.

[@jdmgarageaus]

What was your door doing before you swapped it over? Mine seems to still open and close but its requires a little assistance manually to get it going. Sounds like that little motor is tired?

[@g00gl3it]

The door would not close if you hit the button on the fob or the button on the roof of the front console. You could hear the secondary actuator 'attempt' to turn, but then the door would just stall. Same thing would happen if you pulled on the external handle to get it to start closing. If you did a quick pull, it would just stall and then return. If you pulled and HELD the handle for a good second, it would start closing, as you were manually keeping the actuator engaged (or disengaged).

[@davidtreichelpppj5304]

Guys use a small torch to melt the locktite on the phillips head . 15 secs

[@muhammadzainali2069]

Great video! I just ordered a pair. Just so I know, how did you figure out to use this specific motor?

[@g00gl3it]

I found it referenced in other videos, online forums and cross referenced the parts to the original OEM part numbers.

[@marca90210]

Motor part number is also printed on the motor.

[@prtbone78]

Did this... now my door doesn't fully close I have to push it at the end. It's like closing a door lightly and it doesn't fully close then you hip bump it closed. Did I put the motor and gears misaligned?

[@JohnDoe37892]

Did you figure it out? Same issue

[@prtbone78]

@JohnDoe37892 no I'm sure it's the cable not the actuator. I turned off auto open and close I use manual. Problem solved haha sorry wish I fixed and give you a better reply but I can't

[@jimhrycuik8222]

I like your video, very helpful. Is it possible to get a bad replacement motor? I ordered one from Digi-key and installed it. It doesn't do anything when I push the button. I hooked up all the wiring and ground cables and still no movement. Wonder if I did something wrong or its a bad motor. If i use a volt meter to test it, what numbers should I get?

[@g00gl3it]

Jim Hrycuik Could be bad, did you order just one? You can hook up the actuator to the wiring without actually installing it, then press the button to see if it tries to spin. You could also press the button while checking voltages across the contacts of the motor and housing to see if you are getting power to the actuator.

[@jimhrycuik8222]

Thanks for the quick response. Mistakenly I did just order one. Initially I did just hook up the wire harness to it and nothing happened so i thought it needed to be grounded so I connected all the wiring back and still nothing happened. Grrr...

[@g00gl3it]

Jim Hrycuik It is a standard 12 volt DC motor, I believe, so you should be able to get a 12v DC power supply and hook up the two sides to see if it spins. I know it would be a pain, but you could pull the actuator in the other door to also test that one.

[@jimhrycuik8222]

I have a 06 Sienna with only one sliding door. Nothing else to compare too. I will try the 12 volt DC motor test. I was thinking of doing that next anyways.

[@jimhrycuik8222]

Good news, everything is working now! Just thought I would comment here as this is the video that helped the most with this issue. After I installed everything I tested it before I assembled the door panel, nothing worked. I used a voltmeter to see if there was power coming to the motor and I got nothing. I started the van to charge the battery up as I have an issue with something draining my battery, another issue for another day. Anyway, i decided to check the wire harness going to the motor one more time and this time when I pushed the button I got a surge up to 18V. I got excited, plugged into the motor and it worked. For the next guy make sure your battery is not drained. I hope it is ok that I added this comment to your video. Later..peace out! I am sooo happy now.

[@mikehopkins7384]

Ty for this vid. Just bought 07 with same problem..cheers

[@g00gl3it]

Good luck if you attempt to fix it!

[@andrewgordon7475]

Awesome video. My 04' Sienna passenger power sliding door has stopped working. It only opens if you pull the handle and yank strongly to get the door motor to engage. Then it slides open automatically. The interior door button on the column does not work either to open it. Is the actuator motor likely the issue? I figured for $5 it was worth a try...

[@g00gl3it]

Andrew Gordon It is more than likely this same motor, however, the part for your model year may be slightly different. You may want to do some research on that before buying the motor.

[@edgarcastillon6228]

its the same kind of motor but has a different shaft, beware that the lock button motor uses a "collar" .. look in ebay for "Mabushi FC-280" and is the same that is used in Lexus.

[@haydenc2742]

Couldn't you just take the 3 screws out and take the cover off with the assembly in place, or do the back screws lock the cover on?

[@g00gl3it]

Brian C I looked for that possibility, but the three screws are accessed from the back of the housing.

[@stix562]

I looked online for the actual part assembly and you can see those three screws are accessed from the rear side (up against the mounting plate) .. of course. That was my thought as well get those 3 screws out and simply swap the motor.

[@johnwayne397]

100 it's in sale on Amazon for 16 bucks

[@ricmagik]

Is the motor the same for a 2004 sienna?

[@g00gl3it]

ricmagik I'm not sure, I know it was a major revision between that year and mine (06), so I would hesitate to say yes. However, it's a pretty common part and they probably reused a lot of these in earlier generations. If you decide to spend $5 and chance it, let me know if it works!

[@ricmagik]

g00gl3it I just saw another video with the shaft of the motor being flat vs round? Does it matter?

[@g00gl3it]

ricmagik It will, as the flat portion of the shaft is what orients the connection to the gear. They have to match in order for the gear to slip over the shaft.

[@joshuadavis3684]

HELP! I replaced the motor in the actuator from a motor from digikey.. now the actuator arm moves when activated to open the door, but the arm doesn't complete the reverse action to get it back to default position.. without the arm back in default position, the door doesn't fully lock open or entirely shut closed... Any thoughts?

[@g00gl3it]

umm, I'm not sure. Did you make sure the worm gear was fully seated on the motor shaft? I wonder if it's running out it's course and dropping off track. I don't have the van anymore so I couldn't tell you what could cause that.

[@joshuadavis3684]

@@g00gl3it thank you for the reply. I ended up buying another actuator for that side.. seems to be working fine, thank God

[@prtbone78]

@@joshuadavis3684 so ots not a guaranteed fix? Or you put back together wrong the 1st time and when replaced the actuator you installed correctly?

[@g00gl3it]

Sounds like he just had a bad actuator - he replaced it and had no issues after that.

[@prtbone78]

Ok and replacing the motor fixes a bad actuator. So he bought a bad actuator motor to fix his issue and still had the issue. A motor operates actuator from what I know. Any ways. Yea

[@MrGTO-ze7vb]

Great Job..!! those little motors are a HUGE pain in the ass..!!! Toyota engineering...LOL

[@oxxnarrdflame8865]

An hour? I’m guessing 3 😊

[@g00gl3it]

The first door, while also filming, about 2.5. 45 minutes for the 2nd door as now I knew exactly what to (and not to) do.

[@deansapp4635]

Can you just cut the cables and make it a manual door ?

[@g00gl3it]

I'm sure you could. You can disengage the motors via the button inside the car, and then just actuate the door manually.

[@QyXR2]

It's a frickin' pain to replace it. My sliding is not working again after two years. Toyota dealers charge at least $100 for this part, whereas after market sellers charge between $12 to $70. The question is how reliable for any of it because all of them rely on a tiny motor to do the job. What was Toyota thinking?? Some stupid genius designed this junk and another idiot have it installed backwards so that it is easy to break and very hard to take it apart.

[@g00gl3it]

I agree - poor engineering on their part.