2004 TOYOTA SIENNA Complaints

AFTER 5 MONTHS OF PURCHASING A 2004 TOYOTA SIENNA THE TRANSMISSION WENT OUT AND WAS REPLACED. THE VEHICLE CONTINUES TO LAG AND LURCH.*AK

LASER CRUISE CONTROL SENSOR LENS IS ROAD LEVEL MOUNTED AND A SMALL STONE CHIPPED THE PLASTIC LENS CAUSING SYSTEM SHUT DOWN IN DAYLIGHT. SYSTEM WIL NOT FUNCTION EXCEPT IN DARKNESS. REPAIR COST IS ESTIMATED TO BE $2000.00. *AK

I AM HAVING THE BRAKES ON MY NEW TOYOTA SIENNA REPLACED AND THE ROTORS RESURFACED AT 24,000 MILES THIS SEEMS QUITE EARLY TO ME. THE CONSEQUENCE IS THE PRICE TO DO THIS IS $195 OR I COULD GET THE NEW "TYPE" OF BRAKE PAD BUT THAT COST $235 (THEY ALSO DIDN'T HAVE IT IN STOCK). I HAVE READ OTHER COMPLAINTS OF PERSONS GETTING THEIR DONE AS EARLY AS 10,000 MILES. THIS IS NOT RIGHT!*AK

AS I WAS DRIVING ON A DRY ROAD AT ABOUT 30 MPH THE VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL (VSC ) INDICATOR LIGHT WENT OFF, FOLLOWED BY A CONTINUOUS BEEPING FROM THE DASHBOARD, BY A VIBRATION OF THE VEHICLE (MORE THE LEFT SIDE) AND BY AN AUTOMATIC INTERMITTENT APPLICATION OF THE BRAKES ON SELECTED TIRES AS IF THE MINIVAN WAS TRYING TO REGAIN CONTROL AND PULLING TOWARDS THE LEFT. THE MINIVAN IMMEDIATELY SLOWED ITS SPEED TO LESS THAN 5 MPH AND WHEN TRIED TO REAPPLY FOR ACCELERATION, AS SOON AS EXCEEDED 5 MPH THE BEEPING RESTARTED, THE LIGHT WENT OFF AGAIN AND THE PULLING TO THE LEFT AND THE AUTOMATIC BREAKS WERE APPLIED. THE VEHICLE HAD TO BE TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP WHERE IS STILL UNDER REPAIR. APPARENTLY THEY INDICATE THERE IS A TSB RELATED TO THIS MATTER. *AK

DRIVING APPROXIMATE 45 MPH ON STRAIGHT, DRY AND CLEAR RESIDENTIAL ROAD WHEN VSC INDICATOR ILLUMINATED AND RAPID BEEPING OCCURRED. ABS PROCEEDED TO KICK IN CAUSING VEHICLE TO LURCH WHILE MOVING. THE BRAKES WILL APPLY THEMSELVES WHILE DRIVING AT A PARTICULAR SPEED. WHICH THEN ENALBE YOU FROM DRIVING AT ALL. THIS IS THE THIRD TIME THIS HAS HAPPENED. THE FIRST TWO TIMES THE DEALER COULD NOT REPRODUCE THE PROBLEM ,AND THERE WAS NO ERROR CODE ON THE ONBOARD COMPUTER SO NO FIX COULD BE MADE. THE FINAL TIME WE CITED TSB BR08-04 (AFTER MUCH SEARCHING ON THE WEB) AND THEY AGREED TO REPLACE THE STEERING ANGLE SENSOR.*AK

I HAVE A 2004 TOYOTA SIENNA WITH A TRANSMISSION HESITATION PROBLEM. (A PROBLEM TOYTOA DENIES BUT THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF COMPLAINTS ABOUT IT TO DEALERS) IT IS DANGEROUS IN SNOWY CONDITIONS AS THE 2 SECOND HESITATION RESULTS IN A SLOWING DOWN BEFORE AN ABRUPT UPSHIFT/POWER SURGE THAT BREAKS THE WHEELS LOOSE IN THE SNOW. THIS THEN CAUSES THE TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM TO ENGAGE. I WAS STUCK REPEATEDLY AND IN MANY DANGEROUS CONDITIONS IN THE MOUNTAINS IN AN ATTEMPT TO GET TO A SKI AREA DUE TO THIS PROBLEM. TOYOTA NEEDS TO HAVE SOME PRESSURE PUT ON THEM. *AK

VSC ACTIVATES WHILE VEHICLE IS TRAVELING STRAIGHT. THIS CAN AND HAS CAUSED THE VEHISCLE TO SHIFT LANES AND STOP SHORT. IT HAS HAPPENED A DOZEN TIMES AND THE DEALER IS NOT ABLE TO DIAGNOSE THIS.*AK

2004 TOYOTA SIENNA. THE VAN CURRENTLY HAS ONLY 5,660 MILES. ODOR PROBLEMS FROM BEGINNING AND EVENTUALLY, IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT WATER HAS BEEN CONTINUALLY FLOODING INTO THE VAN FROM UNDERNEATH. WATER PROBLEM WAS SUPPOSEDLY CORRECTED, BUT THE VAN STILL HAS A STRONG MOLDY ODOR AND PEOPLE DEVELOP CONSTANT HEADACHES WHEN DRIVING IN VAN. VAN WAS BOUGHT AT 2,330 MILES AND MISREPRESENTED AS A DEMO VAN, WHEN ACTUALLY IT WAS PRE-OWNED. APPARENTLY PREVIOUS OWNERS WERE UNABLE TO USE VAN BECAUSE OF BEING SICKENED BY ODOR AND NOW VAN IS STANDING FOR SAME REASON. CURRENTLY IN TALKS WITH DEALER AND MANUFACTURER REGARDING PROBLEM. VAN NEEDS TO BE RETURNED TO DEALER/MANUFACTURER. THIS IS A PROBLEM THAT CANNOT BE CORRECTED SINCE APPARENTLY THERE IS MOLD FROM THE WATER THAT WAS ALLOWED TO STAND FOR ALMOST A YEAR, AND THIS IS A HEALTH ISSUE.*AK

ALL FOUR DUNLOP SP SPORT 4000T DSST RUN-FLAT TIRES ON MY 2004 TOYOTA SIENNA XLE AWD ARE COMPLETELY WORN AFTER 20,000 MILES AND NEED TO BE REPLACED IMMEDIATELY ACCORDING TO THE TOYOTA AND DUNLOP DEALERS. THESE TIRES WERE THE ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT ON THE MINIVAN. DUNLOP INFORMED ME THAT THESE TIRES HAD NO MILEAGE RATING. I HAVE SEEN A NUMBER OF CONSUMER COMPLAINTS REGARDING THIS TIRE (SEE COMMENTS ON WWW.TIRERACK.COM). I HAVE SPOKEN WITH TOYOTA NORTH AMERICA AND WAS TOLD THEY DO NOT WARRANTY TIRES AND THIS IS NOT THEIR PROBLEM. I BELIEVE IT IS A SERIOUS DESIGN FLAW TO PUT THIS PARTICULAR TIRE ON A MINIVAN IN THE FIRST PLACE. I HAVE BEEN TOLD BY DUNLOP AND A TIRE DEALER THAT THIS IS A HIGH PERFORMANCE, SHORT LIFE TIRE. THIS MINIVAN DOES NOT COME EQUIPPED WITH A SPARE TIRE AND THERE IS NO PLACE FOR A SPARE TIRE IN IT, WHICH IS LIKELY WHY TOYOTA CHOSE TO EQUIP IT WITH A RUN-FLAT TIRE. CONSUMERS HAVE VERY LIMITED ALTERNATIVES FOR REPLACING THIS TIRE AND THEY ARE EXTREMELY EXPENSIVE. ACCORDINGLY, IN MY VIEW, TOYOTA SHOULD HAVE (I) SELECTED A MORE DURABLE TIRE FOR THIS VEHICLE (II) CLEARLY DISCLOSED THE TIRES EXPECTED USEFUL LIFE TO CONSUMERS OR (III) INCLUDED A SPARE TIRE AND WELL IN THE VEHICLE. I VIEW THIS SITUATION AS POTENTIALLY VERY DANGEROUS BECAUSE DRIVERS MAY NOT BE CHECKING THESE TIRES FOR WEAR AT 15,000 MILES AND COULD EASILY HAVE TIRE FAILURE WHILE DRIVING. *JB

ATTENTION: SAFETY PROBLEM / DESIGN FLAW IN ORDER TO LISTEN TO THE STOCK TOYOTA DVD PLAYER THAT COMES FACTORY INSTALLED THROUGH THE VAN'S CABIN SPEAKERS, THE VOLUME OF THE STEREO MUST BE TURNED ALMOST ALL THE WAY UP TO A VOLUME OF OVER 53. THE OTHER AUDIO SOURCE (CD, RADIO, TAPE) ARE NORMALLY LISTENED TO AT A VOLUME OF ABOUT 34. WHEN THE DVD PLAYER IS STOPPED AND ANOTHER AUDIO SOURCE (CD, RADIO, TAPE) IS PLAYED , THE VOLUME LEVEL IN THE VAN INSTANTLY BECOMES DEAFENING AND STARTLING. THIS HAS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES IN WHICH THE DRIVER HAS BEEN STARTLED TO THE POINT OF ALMOST LOOSING CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE AND TEMPORARY HEARING DAMAGE OF SEVERAL OCCUPANTS HAS ALSO RESULTED. THIS DESIGN FLAW HAS BEEN BROUGHT TO THE ATTENTION OF THE LOCAL TOYOTA DEALERSHIP ON TWO OCCASIONS. THEY HAVE BEEN IN CONTACT WITH THE TOYOTA FACTORY ENGINEERS AND THEY WERE TOLD THAT THIS IS "NORMAL" OPERATION AND NO CORRECTIVE ACTION BY TOYOTA HAS BEEN INDICATED. THIS IS DEFINITELY NOT "NORMAL" AS A VEHICLE COLLISION OR HEARING DAMAGE SHOULD NEVER BE THE DIRECT RESULT OF CHANGING THE AUDIO SOURCE. THIS IS A SERIOUS PROBLEM T THAT SHOULD RESULT IN A EXPEDITIOUS RECALL THAT RESULTS IN THE EQUALIZATION OF THE VOLUME LEVELS FOR ALL AUDIO SOURCES (DVD, CD, RADIO, TAPE) IN THE VEHICLE.*JB