Nevada, I could see the clutch as an issue given if someone messes during the automatic operation it stops and is very hard to move. By the looks of the parts listing on RockAuto it’s all one piece (the motor), so no replacing just the clutch. I don’t think there is a problem, as when it fails to close you can hear the motor going, it just won’t engage. But so far no issues having it set to manual, glides smooth, holds when fully open, closes properly.
The dragging clutch inhibits your ability to manually open and close that door, it should manually open and close like the left door.
The dragging clutch is a separate issue and not the cause of failure with your inoperative power sliding door. The failure of the rear latch to operate is likely a problem in the track wiring.
When my power sliding door on my 2004 Sienna jammed about six years ago I simply snipped the cables and turned it into a manual sliding door (due to the estimated $1,000 repair cost). I am happy to report that nobody has been injured by my manual sliding door (the other one was always a manual sliding door) and nobody has even remarked on the nature of how either of my sliding doors operate. A power sliding door is convenient but not necessary and certainly NOT a safety issue if converted to manual operation.
The issue of Uber goes far beyond the mechanical safety of their vehicles and delves into whether all of us are ready to yield our jobs to contractors that are not subject to the same training and safety standards, credentials, and insurance coverage. I am not here to argue that point but I promise you that Uber is the tip of the iceberg in the sea change that is coming in all of our jobs.
2 Likes
Congratulations. Rarely does an automotive solution end up being unexpectedly easy with little or no cost. I have zero knowledge or experience with powered sliding van doors but guessed it was a rack and pinion type mechanism. I don’t consider this a “hack” repair if it un-latches and latches manually as it now matches the manual driver’s side door.
1 Like
I’m reasonably certain Checker cabs older than that were used.
I would feel better getting in an old Checker cab used by a licensed and inspected cab company than a 12 year old vehicle used by a Uber or Lyft part time driver.
1 Like
Ironically, I just received a recall notice from Toyota that affects the 2011-16 Sienna models with power sliding doors. Apparently, the door may open unexpectedly while the van is moving if the sliding door movement is obstructed. The owners are urged to turn off the power feature on the sliding doors. Toyota is working on permanent repair, but there is no indication of when that will happen. I need the power sliding doors and since my passengers and even my dog are always belted in, I will leave my power doors switched on.
back in the old days when dinosaurs roamed the earth vans didnt have power sliding doors and people survived and prospered just fine. im not a fan of all the fancy gadgets and gizmos, they are just more things that will break and require expensive repairs.
1 Like
I thought I felt the same way, but once you use this kind of feature and enjoy the convenience, it changes the way you think.
I often have older people and handicapped people riding with me in my minivan and the power sliding doors are a real benefit. It is really convenient once everyone is on board to press a button and close the doors. If I only had to drive myself around, I would have an Austin Healy Sprite, preferably the bug-eyed model.
I just think the whole issue was that the car was being used as an Uber fleet. If you don’t want to fix your own door, that’s fine, but when the car is used for commercial purposes, it is expected that the car will be maintained and repaired. That’s why a lot of the commercial taxi companies are upset that there are two different standards-one for taxis and one for part-time drivers using their own cars.
2 Likes
I was of driving age back in the recession in 1958. The local DeSoto/Plymouth dealer had two 1958 trade-ina on his lot–a stripped down 1958 Chevrolet Biscayne and a similar stripped down Rambler. In both cases, the original owners purchased these cars with the idea of saving money. These owners soon missed the automatic transmissions, power steering and brakes, the powerful V-8 engines and even the radios on their previous cars. Both the Chevrolet and the Rambler had been traded for top of.the line DeSotos with all the equipment.
That’s true, in my county the Taxi Cab Authority limits the life of a taxi to 4 years/400,000 miles, Uber vehicles can be much older.
However taxis are not required to have power sliding doors. If the door was inoperative and passengers had to enter on the left, that would be a problem.
The typical Uber vehicle may well be older than 4 years, but it’s probably got considerably less than 400K miles
But that taxicab is probably better maintained
I have done uber, could not care less if the automatic door works, get from point a to point b is all that is required or expected, though getting picked up in a mercedes was cool.
I used to drive a Toyota Previa. It had only one sliding door on the passenger side and it was always a manual door. I drove that van until it was 14 years old with 250,000 miles and the door always worked and nobody died or got hurt by it. I sold it to a nice Puerto Rican family that drove it for six more years and they never had any door issues. I miss that beast!!!
1 Like
There does not seem to be consequence to rider experience with the door set to manual as opposed to automatic. I will say, in regards to a 2005 Caravan, the mechanism is slightly flawed ergonomically. The button points towards the center of the cabin, and being the ride side door, people naturally reach for it with their right hand. It makes pressing with the right thumb an odd angle. I’m going to look at the track wiring, since it is automatic I may as well see about fixing it to such. But if it’s the motor that’s over $100, probably not in the budget for an aging vehicle, though otherwise it is in pretty good condition.
When I signed up the requirement was the vehicle could not be older than 10 years. Not sure how they approach that now that it is 11, but again, I am rated. If I was picking people up in a rattletrap, I would get rated out of the system. Top rated drivers (presumably for my area) are 4.80, and I hover at that number.
I had a 1960 Sprite Mk 1. The automotive definition of minimalist!
@sgtrock21 My choice for a.minimalist family car was the 1957-58 Studebaker Scotsman.