2004 TOYOTA SIENNA Complaints

SUDDEN DECELERATION OF VEHICLE: 2004 TOYOTA SIENNA XLE. THE VSC ENGAGES, WITHOUT WARNING, ON SMOOTH, DRY ROADS AND WHEN CORNERING OR NEGOTIATING A CURVE. WE ARE THE ORIGINAL OWNERS AND HAVE NEVER EXPERIENCED THIS UNTIL THE FIRST INCIDENT IN LATE OCT. 2014. WE DID NOT TAKE ANY ACTION BECAUSE ALTHOUGH ROAD CONDITIONS GOOD, WE WERE ROUNDING A SHARP BEND IN THE ROAD AND ASSUMED THIS HAD SOMETHING TO DO WITH THE INCIDENT. VEHICLE SPEED WAS APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH AS THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY DECELERATED, THE VSC LIGHT CAME ON AND A RAPID BEEPING ALARM SOUNDED. THE VEHICLE PULLED TO ONE SIDE AND STEERING THE VEHICLE BECAME EXTREMELY DIFFICULT. THE WHOLE INCIDENT, START TO FINISH, LASTED APPROXIMATELY 5 SECONDS. THE NEXT INCIDENT HAPPENED IN EARLY DECEMBER 2014. AGAIN, ALL THE ABOVE DESCRIBED THINGS HAPPENED, EXCEPT VEHICLE SPEED WAS APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH GOING AROUND A GENTLE CURVE IN THE ROAD. I DID SOME RESEARCH AND FOUND MANY COMPLAINTS CONCERNING THIS ISSUE BUT DO NOT SEE ANY RECOMMENDATIONS OR RECALLS OFFICIALLY ISSUED BY TOYOTA. IT APPEARS MOST OF THE DEALER RECOMMENDED REPAIRS DID NOT CORRECT THE PROBLEM. TODAY (DECEMBER 26, 2014), THIS SAME ISSUE HAPPENED FIVE TIMES WITHIN 40 MINUTES. MY WIFE MANAGED TO GET THE VEHICLE HOME AND WE CALLED OUR LOCAL TOYOTA DEALER, DESCRIBED THE ISSUE AND THEY INFORMED US THEY HAVE NEVER RECEIVED ANY COMPLAINTS CONCERNING RAPID DECELERATION OF THIS MODEL YEAR, BEFORE OUR PHONE CALL. I'VE SCHEDULED AN APPOINTMENT FOR DECEMBER 30, 2014 TO HAVE THE VEHICLE CHECKED OUT AND HAVE RECALL WORK DONE CONCERNING THE "SHIFT LOCK SOLENOID ASSEMBLY". WILL UPDATE AFTER APPOINTMENT. *TR

THE AUTOMATIC DOORS DO NOT FUNCTION. IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO OPEN ONE AND THE OTHER ONLY FROM OUTSIDE. I BROUGHT THIS IN AFTER THE CABLE SNAPPED AND WAS TOLD THE RECALL ON THE CABLE WAS ONLY GOOD UP TO 100000 MILES NOT THE 150000 I HAD. THEY THEN TOLD ME IT WAS AN OLD CAR WHAT DID I EXPECT. I WOULD LIKE MY PASSENGERS TO BE ABLE TO EXIT THE VAN IF SOMETHING WERE TO HAPPEN TO ME. THIS VAN HAS HAD 3 RADIATORS THE LAST ONE COSTING OVER $600 TO REPLACE. WHEN DOES TOYOTA NEED TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR BUILDING A $38000 DEAD TRAP? *TR

I TOOK MY 2004 SIENNA IN FOR TWO RECALLS TO A TOYOTA DEALERSHIP LAST SATURDAY. UPON DOING THEIR STANDARD INSPECTION ON THE ENTIRE VEHICLE, THE SERVICE ADVISOR INFORMED ME OF A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE WITH A CORRODED UNIVERSAL JOINT ON THE STEERING SHAFT THAT COULD SEIZE. I DECLINED THIS SERVICE AND AM INVESTIGATING WHAT TO DO. I CAME ACROSS TOYOTA TSB ST001-07 THAT STATES 'IN AREAS WHERE ROAD SALT IS USED DURING WINTER MONTHS, SOME CUSTOMERS MAY EXPERIENCE A SLIGHT INCREASE IN STEERING EFFORT, WHICH MAY GRADUALLY BECOME MORE NOTICEABLE OVER TIME'. THIS DESCRIBES MY SIENNA'S OPERATION FOR PAST WINTERS, BUT I NEVER GAVE IT MUCH THOUGHT. WHAT TROUBLES ME IS THAT THE SERVICE ADVISER INSISTED I REPLACE THE SHAFT RIGHT AWAY, WHEREAS NHTSA ACTION NUMBER PE08041 STATES THAT 'TOYOTA HAS NOT DETERMINED THAT A SAFETY DEFECT EXISTS IN THE STEERING SYSTEM OF THE TOYOTA SIENNA VEHICLES AND PROVIDED TEST DATA SHOWING THAT THE EFFECT ON THE STEERING EFFORT IS MINIMAL, EVEN FOR PARTS WITH RELATIVELY SEVERE CORROSION.' AS AN INTERIM SOLUTION, I WILL SPRAY THE UNIVERSAL JOINT WITH A PENETRANT, A RECOMMENDATION I READ ONLINE. *TR

WHILE DRIVING ON INTERSTATE VSC WARNING LIGHT CAME ON, BEEPING AND ALARMS HEARD. ENGINE SLOWED DOWN AND I FELT LIKE THE VEHICLE WAS OUT OF CONTROL. THE VEHICLE SWERVED LIKE IT WAS HYDROPLANING ON A DRY HIGHWAY. CALLED OUR REPAIR SHOP IMMEDIATELY. CAR WAS TOWED AND RESEARCH WAS DONE ON THE HISTORY OF THE PROBLEM IN OTHER TOYOTA MINI VANS. I WAS TOLD THERE WERE REPORTS OF THIS HAPPENING IN OTHER VEHICLES BUT NOT ENOUGH FOR A RECALL TO BE ISSUED BY TOYOTA, RECOMMENDATION BY THE REPORT THEY FOUND WAS TO REPLACE A SENSOR WHICH IS WHAT WAS DONE. THAT WAS JUST OVER A MONTH AGO AND THE SAME PROBLEM OCCURRED AGAIN TONIGHT ON A SIDE ROAD GOING APPROX 30 MPH ON DRY ROAD. VAN IS BACK AT SHOP AGAIN TONIGHT. I WILL BE CALLING THE 1-800 NUMBER FOR TOYOTA, I DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHY THERE IS NOT A RECALL ON THIS ISSUE. BOTH INCIDENCES COULD HAVE RESULTED IN AN ACCIDENT. TONIGHT I WAS DRIVING WITH MY CHILD IN THE VAN. THIS ISSUE COULD HAVE PLACED HER LIFE IN DANGER HAD THERE BEEN AN ACCIDENT. *TR

CAN NOT CLOSE REAR SLIDING DOOR OR DRIVER IT HAS 2 LATCHES THE FRONT ONE LOCKS AND THE REAR ONE DOES NOT BECAUSE OF THE WELD BRAKING LOOSE ALSO THE REAR HATCH DOOR WHERE THE LATCH HOLDS ON THE BRACKET THE WELD CAME LOOSE CAN NOT KEEP DOOR CLOSED I TOOK IT THE DEALER AND THEY SAID THAT NO RECALL HAS BEEN ON FILE. *TR

SLIDING DOORS FREEZE SHUT DURING COLD WEATHER, HANDLE OF SLIDING DOOR PULLED RIGHT OFF DURING COLD WEATHER. IN A CAR ACCIDENT THE PASSENGERS IN THE BACK SEATS WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO BE SAFELY AND QUICKLY PULLED OUT OF THE CAR. THIS IS THE 2ND TIME THE DOOR HANDLE PULLED OFF. WE REPAIRED THE HANDLE OF THE DOOR EARLIER THAN 2014 AND THE HANDLE PULLED OFF AGAIN AT THE DATE STATED ON THIS REPORT. THE DOORS FREEZE SHUT IN ALMOST ANY WINTER COLD WEATHER SINCE THE CAR WAS PURCHASED. *TR

DRIVERS SEATBELT FOLD OVER AND BECOMES STUCK IN ITS RETRACTION SLOT. SEATBELT IS UNUSABLE. I NEED TO DRIVE WITHOUT A SEATBELT. UNABLE TO FIX BY SELF. I THEN NEED TO TAKE TO DEALER OR MECHANIC TO HAVE SEATBELT UNTWISTED. THIS HAS OCCURRED NUMEROUS TIMES OVER THE PAST 3-5 YEARS. [INTERNET SEARCH FINDS NUMEROUS PERSONS COMPLAINING ABOUT THIS ISSUE FOR 2004 SIENNA]. *TR

THE POWER SLIDING DOOR ON OUR 2004 TOYOTA SIENNA IS FAULTY. IT FAILED IN THE OPEN POSITION. MY WIFE HAD TO DRIVE MY KIDS PLUS NEIGHBOR KIDS HOME WITH THE DOOR STUCK OPEN. THIS IS TRULY A SAFETY CONCERN. NOW, ONLY A STRONG ADULT CAN GET THE DOOR OPEN OR CLOSED. ALSO, THE CENTER HINGE ON THE DOOR IS FAULTY AND HAS GROUND AWAY THE PAINT AND METAL ON THE BODY RIGHT BELOW THE TRACK THE DOOR USES TO OPEN. APPARENTLY, TOYOTA SORT OF RECOGNIZED A PROBLEM WITH THIS (THERE HAVE BEEN MANY COMPLAINTS ABOUT IT) BECAUSE THEY ISSUED AN EXTENDED WARRANTY TO COVER THIS VERY PROBLEM. HOWEVER, THE WARRANTY EXPIRED A YEAR AGO, AND MY DOOR DIDN'T FAIL UNTIL VERY RECENTLY. I CALLED AND THEY SAID THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN DO. THE WARRANTY PERIOD IS OVER. THE PROBLEM WITH THE WARRANTY IS THAT IT PUTS THE ONUS ON THE OWNER TO RECOGNIZE THE PROBLEM (PAINT BEING RUBBED OFF AND THEN METAL) OR A MAJOR FAILURE (THE DOOR BEING STUCK OPEN). WILL IT TAKE A SERIOUS INJURY OR SOME CHILD FALLING TO HER OR HIS DEATH THROUGH THE OPEN SIDE DOOR BEFORE TOYOTA ACTS RESPONSIBLY AND ISSUES AN ACTUAL RECALL? *TR

THE STEERING ON MY 2004 TOYOTA SIENNA WAS NOT WORKING CORRECTLY. THE STEERING WAS BINDING, REQUIRING AN INCREASED EFFORT TO TURN THE STEERING WHEEL FROM NEUTRAL OR RETURN TO NEUTRAL AFTER TURNING. I CHECKED THE POWER STEERING FLUID. IT WAS FINE. I LOOKED UP THE ISSUE AND REALIZED THAT THIS HAS BEEN INVESTIGATED. ACCORDING TO THE REPORT, MY PROBLEM HAS BEEN CAUSED BY THE STEERING INTERMEDIATE SHAFT. IT IS BINDING/LOCKING BECAUSE OF THE CORROSION OF THE STEERING INTERMEDIATE SHAFT UNIVERSAL JOINT. *TR

WHILE MAKING A U-TURN THE STEERING DID NOT RECOVER TO STRAIGHT AHEAD POSITION. THE STEERING FELT LIKE IT WAS BINDING. THE VEHICLE KEPT TURNING, LEAVING THE ROAD SURFACE, ALMOST STRIKING A STONE WALL. NOTHING WAS HIT. MORE EFFORT THAN NORMAL WAS NEEDED TO CORRECT THE STEERING. AIR TEMP. APPROX. 20F. ONCE HOME I INSPECTED THE TIRES, POWER STEERING FLUID, POWER STEERING BELT, ALIGNMENT, LEAKS. ALL WERE NORMAL. I GOOGLED THE PROBLEM AND FOUND THE TSB FILE ON THE STEERING SHAFT KNUCKLE (U-JOINT) CORROSION PROBLEMS. I CRAWLED UNDER THE VEHICLE AND FOUND THE STEERING SHAFT AND KNUCKLE CORRODED. I LIBERALLY SPRAYED THE KNUCKLE AND SHAFT WITH WD-40 WHICH CORRECTED THE PROBLEM. *TR