2004 TOYOTA SIENNA Complaints

MY FAMILY AND I WERE TRAVELING ON THE HIGHWAY AT APPROXIMATELY 70 MPH WHEN THE TRACTION CONTROL/VEHICLE STABILITY CONTROL ACTIVATED CAUSING A BEEPING SOUND ALONG WITH THE DASH ICON BLINKING. THIS IN TURN LOCKED UP THE LEFT FRONT TIRE. THE VAN VIOLENTLY SWERVED TO THE LEFT AND I LUCKILY GAINED CONTROL AND PULLED TO THE SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY. I THOUGHT I HAD JUST EXPERIENCED A TIRE BLOW OUT, BUT TO MY SURPRISE NOTHING WAS AMISS. MY WIFE WAS DISTRAUGHT AT WHAT HAD JUST OCCURRED CONSIDERING THE CONSEQUENCES IF A VEHICLE HAD BEEN NEXT TO US AT THE TIME. NOW, DRIVING MUCH SLOWER AND WHITE-KNUCKLING THE STEERING WHEEL, WE PROCEEDED TO THE NEAREST TOYOTA DEALER WHICH WAS ROUGHLY 20 MILES AWAY IN ASHEVILLE, NC. ALONG THE WAY, THE INCIDENT OCCURRED TWO MORE TIMES. KEEP IN MIND THAT THE SKIES WERE SUNNY AND THE ROAD DRY. ARRIVING AT THE DEALERSHIP WE WAITED WHILE THE CAR WAS LOOKED OVER. AFTER FIVE HOURS WE WERE TOLD THEY COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG. I DID NOT ACCEPT THIS AND TOLD THEM THAT I FOUND HUNDREDS (IF NOT MORE) OF POSTINGS ON THE INTERNET WITH PEOPLE HAVING THE SAME INCIDENT. I ALSO INFORMED THEM THAT TOYOTA HAD REDESIGNED THE STEERING ANGLE SENSOR (YAW) IN 2005 AND ASKED IF THAT COULD BE THE PROBLEM. THE SERVICE WRITER EXCUSED HIMSELF AND TWENTY MINUTES LATER RETURNED WITH A TOYOTA SERVICE BULLETIN REFERRING TO THE SENSOR. THEY THEN ORDERED THE NEW SENSOR AND WE RENTED A CAR TO CONTINUE OUR TRIP. RETURNING FIVE DAYS LATER TO PICK UP THE VAN, WE WERE TOLD THE NEW SENSOR WAS INSTALLED AND A ZERO POINT CALIBRATION/ALIGNMENT PERFORMED. I PAID THE $692.00 AND DROVE AWAY. MY WIFE AND SON STAYED IN THE RENTAL CAR, SINCE THE A/C HAD MYSTERIOUSLY STOPPED WORKING WHEN THE INITIAL INCIDENT OCCURRED. WHILE FOLLOWING THEM HOME, THE TRACTION CONTROL/VSC ACTIVATED A TOTAL OF FOUR MORE TIMES. NO ONE KNOWS HOW TO FIX THIS PROBLEM. TOYOTA SHOULD RECALL AND FIX THIS.

AT 108190 MILES I HAD THE FRONT END ALIGNED. THEY ATTACHED A SNAP ON ANALYZER AND DID A CODE LINK COMPUTER RESET. AS I LEFT, THE VSC LIGHT CAME ON AND WOULD NOT TURN OFF IN SPITE OF DOING A ZERO POINT CALIBRATION. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE TOYOTA DEALER WHERE I BOUGHT THE VAN NEW ON 5/8/2003, HE RAN HIS DIAGNOSTICS, GOT NO ERROR CODES, AND CLAIMED THAT I NEEDED TO REPLACE BRAKE ACTUATOR ASSEMBLY AT A COST OF $2721. OUT OF WARRANTY. NO RECALL ON THIS MODEL. TOO BAD. OTHERS HAVE SEEN THIS PROBLEM ON OTHER 2004 TOYOTA'S. THE DANGER IS THAT AFTER THE LIGHT IS ON THE VEHICLE MAY DECIDE TO APPLY HARD BRAKING AT ANY TIME AND AT ANY SPEED. TOYOTA REDESIGNED THE SYSTEM IN 2005. I AM CONCERNED THAT THIS WILL HAPPEN TO ME. TOYOTA RECALLED SOME VEHICLES WITH THIS PROBLEM WITH THE VSC SYSTEM IN LATER MODELS, WHY NOT THE FIRST YEAR OF THE PROBLEM? I HAVE HEARD THAT THERE IS A SOFT RECALL FOR THIS PROBLEM.

THE VSC SENSOR IS ACTIVATING DURING NORMAL DRIVING CONDITIONS WITHOUT WARNING. THIS IS CAUSING THE VAN TO AGGRESSIVELY APPLY THE BRAKES AND LOSE ACCELERATION. THIS ISSUE MAINLY OCCURS WHEN TURNING DOWN WHILE GOING DOWN HILL, HOWEVER IT HAPPENS RANDOMLY IN OTHER INSTANCES AS WELL. I HAVE BEEN IN SEVERAL LIFE THREATENING INSTANCES WHERE THE BRAKES ARE BEING APPLIED WHILE TRAVELING THROUGH MOUNTAINS WITH LARGE SEMI TRUCKS BEHIND ME.. NEARLY CAUSING SEVERAL ACCIDENTS. MY RESEARCH POINTS TO A FEW THINGS THAT COULD POSSIBLY BE THE CULPRIT: THE YAW SENSOR STEARING WHEEL ROTATIONAL POSITION SENSOR VSC COMPUTER MODULE THIS VIDEO CAPTURES EXACTLY WHAT IS HAPPENING TO MY VEHICLE. HTTPS://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=TGMJAFPIFKO I CANNOT FIND ANY INSTANCES WHERE THIS ISSUE WAS FIXED ONLINE

ON JUNE 17, 2016, I GOT INTO MY 2004 TOYOTA SIENNA XLE-IMS RAMPVAN (JOINT TOYOTA-IMS, FLOOR-LOWERED WHEELCHAIR VAN CONVERSION WITH RAMP). THERE WAS DEBRIS ON THE BACK SEAT (WHAT IN A NON-IMS SIENNA BE THE THIRD-ROW SEAT). I SAW TIRE BELTS STICKING UP FROM THE TREAD OF THE SPARE TIRE. THE TIRE HAD EXPLODED AND DEFLATED, STREWING DEBRIS FROM THE RUPTURED TIRE BELTS AND TREAD ON THE BACK SEAT. NOTE THAT IN THE IMS VERSION OF THE SIENNA, THE SPARE TIRE IS MOUNTED ON A BRACKET BEHIND THE BACK SEAT. THANKFULLY, NO ONE HAD BEEN IN THE VAN AT TIME OF EXPLOSION. THE RUPTURE OF THE TIRE COULD HAVE BEEN BEHIND THE HEAD OR NECK OF A PASSENGER SITTING IN THE LEFT-REAR POSITION. THE EXPLODED SPARE TIRE IS A FIRESTONE RADIAL TEMPA SPARE, T155/80R17 101M. IT IS THE ORIGINAL SPARE TIRE AND WAS INFLATED TO THE SPECIFIED 60 PSI. I STILL HAVE THE EXPLODED TIRE, WHICH I HAD DISMOUNTED AND REPLACED. I ALSO HAVE PHOTOS OF THE RUPTURED TIRED WHILE IT WAS STILL MOUNTED TO ITS BRACKET BEHIND THE BACK SEAT.

THE DRIVER'S SIDE FLAP WINDOW DETACHED FROM THE METAL FRAME, I CANT GET MY STATE INSPECTION TO PASS WITH THIS ISSUE, I HAVE MY WINDOW TAPED. IT IS SOMETHING A CANNOT FIX, IT IS UNBELIEVABLE THAT THIS COULD BE HAPPENING. THE FIX IS VERY EXPENSIVE AND I HAVE NO WAY TO PAY FOR THIS. IF THE WINDOW FALLS OFF COMPLETELY CAN CAUSE AN ACCIDENT. IT HAPPENED WHEN I WAS DRIVING TO WORK IN THE HIGHWAY I SUDDENLY HEARD AS IF MY WINDOWS WERE OPEN I LOOKED THORUGH MY REAR VIEW MIRROR AND THE WINDOW WAS WIDE APPART DUE TO THE WIND BUT BECAUSE IT WAS STILL ATTACHED TO THE HINGE AND THE SHADES WERE HOOKED TO THE GLASS IT DID NOT FALL OFF COMPLETELY.

PASSENGER SIDE POWER SLIDING DOOR STUCK HALF-WAY DUE TO FRAYED POWER CABLE. DOOR CANNOT FULLY OPEN NOR FULLY CLOSE.

BEGINNING IN WINTER OF 2014, MY STEERING WHEEL BEGAN TO SQUEAK WHEN I TURNED IT AND SEEMED HARDER TO TURN. MY STEERING WHEEL DID THE SAME THING THIS PAST WINTER,2015. NOTICED SQUEAKING AND MORE DIFFICULTY TURNING WHEN JUST BEGINNING TO BACK OUT AND BEGINNING TO DRIVE FORWARD AND FOR A FEW BLOCKS AFTER.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 TOYOTA SIENNA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FRONT DRIVER SIDE SEAT BELT FAILED TO PROPERLY RESTRAIN HER. WHILE DRIVING AND WHILE ALSO IN PARK, THE SEAT BELT WOULD RELEASE AND UNSECURED THE CONTACT. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE SEAT BELT ASSEMBLY NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 113,310.

UNEXPECTED VEHICLE STABILITY CONTROL ACTIVATION WHILE DRIVING RESULTING IN AUTOMATIC BRAKING AND UNEXPECTED STEERING PULL. I HAVE BEEN EXPERIENCING THIS ISSUE OVER THE PAST 4-5 YEARS. THERE HAVE BEEN TIMES WHERE THIS ISSUE HAS LED TO ALMOST STRIKING VEHICLES AROUND ME. I HAVE BROUGHT THE VEHICLE TO A TOYOTA DEALERSHIP, BUT THEY HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO FIX THE ISSUE. ON SEVERAL ONLINE BULLETIN BOARDS, OTHER OWNERS OF TOYOTA SIENNA HAVE COMPLAINED REGARDING THE SAME ISSUE. I JUST READ IN THE NEWS THAT SIMILAR ISSUES ARE OCCURRING ON 2001-2002 TOYOTA SEQUOIA.

MY REAR DOOR IS NOT WORKING, I HAVE VISITED TWO TOYOTA DEALERSHIP AND THEY TOLD MY THE REAR LIFT GATE AND REAR HATCH LATCH BOTH OF THEM NEEDS TO BE REPLACE. WE DID THAT RELAPACEMT . THE PROBLEM HAS NOT BEING SOLVED, WE TRIED TO MAKE THE DOOR WORKING MANUALLY INSTEAD OF AUTOMATICALLY ALSO THIS WAY IS NOT HELPFUL. IT LOOKS LIKE WE REACHING TO CLOSED WAY.