MajorCommonBody & Rust

Toyota Noah: Power Sliding Door Cable Corrosion and Motor Failure

Power Sliding Door Cable Corrosion and Motor Failure is a common body & rust fault on the Toyota Noah on the 2014 onward cars, and we rate it major. Putting it right costs $400 to $1,800 at New Zealand independent workshop rates. Below is what goes wrong, the symptoms to notice on a test drive, where to look, and what to ask the seller before you hand over any money. It is one of 27 documented faults on the Toyota Noah.

Vehicle: Toyota Noah
Years: 2014 onward
System: Body & Rust

This page covers the Toyota Noah as a model. Some faults only affect particular engines or build years — enter a plate below to narrow the list to one car.

All Toyota Noah faults27 documented faults on this model

What you are looking at

No photograph available

We do not hold a verified photograph of the Body corrosion yet. We would rather show none than show a picture of a different part.

What goes wrong

The dual-motor power sliding door system relies on a steel drive cable routed along the door rail that is prone to surface rust and eventual fracture, particularly on grey import vehicles that have operated in wet NZ/AU coastal conditions. A corroded or snapped cable causes the door to stop mid-travel, attempt to reverse direction without cause, or become inoperable. The door motor itself can also burn out trying to overcome a stiff rusted rail, turning a cable-only repair into a combined motor-and-cable job.

What you would notice

Sliding door stops mid-travel and reverses without obstacle
Grinding or scraping noise during power door operation
Door fails to latch on power-close and bounces back open
Door operates normally manually but not under power
Warning chime and door-open indicator remain on with door physically shut

How to check it

Where to look. Both rear sliding doors: lower rail, drive cable channel, and door motor housing in B-pillar

Manually cycle both sliding doors fully open and closed while listening for grinding, hesitation, or irregular pauses. Inspect the lower door rail visible at the bottom of the door opening for surface rust and debris accumulation. Activate the power-close function and watch that the door latches first attempt without reversing. Check the Toyota door abnormal-operation TSB (T-SB-0244-17) applicability for this VIN.

Parts involved: Body corrosion.

What it costs to put right

$400 to $1,800 at New Zealand independent workshop rates. That is for this job on its own, not for the car.

An estimate, in NZD, for the repair as normally carried out. What a specific car costs depends on which part has failed and what it damaged on the way — treat this as the floor for a negotiation, not a quote.

Ask the seller

“Have the sliding door rails and cables been inspected, lubricated, or replaced?”
“Have either sliding doors ever needed repair or shown intermittent faults?”
“Has the vehicle been checked against Toyota TSB T-SB-0244-17 for sliding door abnormal operation?”

Now check the Toyota Noah you are actually looking at

Everything above is true of the model, and it is free. What it does not tell you is whether THIS car has been looked after: its odometer history and whether the reading has ever gone backwards, whether there is still money owing on it, whether it has been reported stolen, how many owners it has had and what it is really worth today. That comes from the official records for that plate. Enter the plate for the free details, or get the full history and a market valuation from $13.49.

Not sure what you would be paying for? See what a full KickTyres check includes.

Where this comes from

The failure described above is documented in published sources — owner forums, technical service bulletins, recall notices and workshop write-ups — held in our fault database. The inspection instructions and the cost estimate are KickTyres’ own interpretation of them, and it is a starting point for an inspection rather than a manufacturer statement.

Toyota Noah buyer questions

Is power sliding door cable corrosion and motor failure serious on a Toyota Noah?

We rate it major and common on the Toyota Noah. The dual-motor power sliding door system relies on a steel drive cable routed along the door rail that is prone to surface rust and eventual fracture, particularly on grey import vehicles that have operated in wet NZ/AU coastal conditions. A corroded or snapped cable causes the door to stop mid-travel, attempt to reverse direction without cause, or become inoperable. The door motor itself can also burn out trying to overcome a stiff rusted rail, turning a cable-only repair into a combined motor-and-cable job.

How much does it cost to fix on a Toyota Noah?

$400 to $1,800 at New Zealand independent workshop rates. That figure is for this job on its own. A car showing the symptoms on this page is usually worth either walking away from or negotiating down by at least the repair figure.

Which Toyota Noah years are affected?

Our research records this fault on the 2014 onward Toyota Noah. Build dates move around, especially on imported cars, so treat the range as the years to look hardest at rather than a guarantee either way. The official records tell you the exact build and first registration date for the car in front of you.