2004 Toyota Sienna acceleration problems

111 complaints (5% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 63,000. 26 crashes reported.

owner complaints: 111
of this car's complaints: 5%
typical mileage: 63,000
crashes: 26
recalls: 1

Which part fails

Accelerator pedal
7
Cruise control
4

At what mileage

Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.

0k-25k

25k-50k

50k-75k

75k-100k

100k-125k

125k-150k

150k-175k

175k-200k

200k+

Toyota Sienna acceleration problems in other years

Specific symptoms reported on the 2004 Toyota Sienna acceleration

Phrases found in the owners' own descriptions, so one complaint can mention several symptoms.

Sudden acceleration 22

Related recalls

Vehicle speed control: accelerator pedalReported January 16, 2009 · 26,501 vehicles affected

What is wrong: Toyota is conducting a safety improvement campaign involving 26,501 early 2004 my sienna vehicles. In the event the retention clip used to secure the floor carpet cover is missing, the cover can interfere with the operation of the accelerator pedal if the acceleration pedal is depressed to nearly the full throttle position.
Risk: If this occurs, the accelerator pedal can become stuck which could result in a vehicle crash.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the retention clip and floor carpet cover at no charge. The campaign began on january 26, 2009. Owner notification is expected to be completed by early april 2009. Owners may contact toyota at 1‑888‑270‑9371, if they have any further questions.

Recall number 09V023000 · Recall details

Related investigations

Accelerator pedal interferenceOpened August 8, 2008, closed January 26, 2009

In a june 25, 2008, letter responding to an information request from odi, toyota provided information about an accelerator pedal interference incident that occurred during production dynamometer testing at the assembly plant for an early production my 2004 sienna minivan.the incident was caused by a missing retaining clip that allowed the center console trim panel to interfere with (trap) the accelerator pedal after it had been depressed.toyota subsequently implemented an 100% inspection requirement for the retaining clip.in june 2003, toyota changed the original design of the trim panel to eliminate the potential for pedal interference in the event the retaining clip is not present.analysis of complaints and warranty data show that a few (4) incidents of interference by the trim panel have occurred in service.in at least three of the incidents, the interference occurred after service was performed that required removal and reinstallation of the subject trim panel and retaining clip. On january 14, 2009, toyota notified odi that they would recall subject vehicles built between january 10, 2003 and june 11, 2003, when the original design floor carpet cover was used in production (the federal safety agency recall no. 09v‑023).toyota's recall will instruct dealers to replace the original floor carpet cover with the newer design floor carpet (and retention clip) at no charge to the owner.the repair will reduce the potential for trim panel interference with the accelerator pedal travel should the retaining clips become missing because of improper service or other reasons.the recall will be conducted as a safety improvement campaign.

EA08014

Accelerator pedal interferenceOpened April 10, 2008, closed August 8, 2008

In a june 25, 2008, letter responding to an information request from odi, toyota reported an april 2003 unwanted acceleration incident that occurred during production dynamometer testing.according to the letter the incident was caused by a missing retaining clip that allowed the center console trim panel to interfere with (trap) the accelerator pedal after it had been depressed.in the aftermath, toyota reviewed their manufacturing processes and other data and concluded this was an isolated incident.as a secondary measure in june 2003, toyota changed the design of the trim panel to eliminate the potential for pedal interference in the event the retaining clip is not present. During a july 2008 meeting with odi, toyota demonstrated how an unrestrained early design level trim panel interacts with the accelerator after pedal depression.toyota also advised that they were conducting a field survey to examine panel retention and that preliminarily one vehicle had been identified with a concern. The federal safety agency's vehicle research and test center is also conducting a survey of subject vehicles; preliminarily two responses allege a concern.before opening pe08-025, odi staff also found a subject vehicle with a missing retaining clip during a field evaluation.note that odi is no longer counting the single complaint that was in the opening resume for pe08-025 as it was determined that the vehicle involved was not equipped with the subject trim panel. Pe08-025 has been upgraded to an engineering analysis (ea08-014) to gather additional information about how many subject vehicles may currently have issues with the retaining clip and assess the future risk of pedal interference incidents due to missing clips.

PE08025

What 2004 Toyota Sienna owners say

Most recent owner complaints, unedited.

Filed Mar 19, 2025 · Acceleration, Brakes · AZ

Vehicle often applies brakes on its own . At first it was only in turns . However now it does it when driving straight on the the freeway or just down the street at 45mph. I have fixed my alignment ,new tires, all of the front suspension and nothing prevents the car from trying to brake for me. it is a safety feature that is not safe at all. a car slamming on your brakes at any speed is dangerous in addition to that it seems to cut off your fuel , leaving you unable to accelerate until its done beeping which can take a long time. the vsc , chenk engine and trac off flash there is no crash to report I have been lucky so far

Filed Jan 9, 2025 · Acceleration, Fuel system · CA

Was driving on highway at 60-65 mph. The car continued to accelerate. Pressed on brake and wasn't slowing the vehicle. The driver was weaving in and out of cars as the van started to creek up to 92 mph. The driver and passengers thought they were going to crash and possible die. The driver tried the brake multiple times and nothing. The driver said the accelerator pedal wasn't pressed all the way down to the floor. It was half way and driver had to go down and pull up on the pedal while driving. The van then started to slow and driver was able to pull over to have the van evaluated . The throttle body was reached and cleaned of carbon because it said that this may have been part of the issue. Never has this van taken off like this. The throttle body cable wasnt loose or disconnected either. So far we havent been able to recreate but 3 people could have been killed.

Filed Mar 12, 2024 · Acceleration · 200,000 miles · GA · 1 injury

The contact owns a 2004 Toyota Sienna. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 MPH the vehicle suddenly experienced unintended acceleration and the speed of the vehicle increased to over 90 MPH. During the failure, the braking system had failed and would not stop the vehicle while pressing the brake pedal. The front passenger was able to view the fuel pedal was stuck to the floor and was able to physically pull the fuel pedal up from the stuck position and the vehicle's speed was reduced. The incident lasted for approximately 10 minutes. During the incident, the police were on the scene. A police report was later filed at the scene and the vehicle was towed to the local dealer. The contact was informed by the dealer that the failure was due to a missing fuel pedal pen. No further information was available. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The contact expressed experiencing emotional stress and anxiety during and after the incident. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 200,000. The VIN was not available.

Filed Jul 22, 2023 · Acceleration, Brakes · UT

The trac control is activated while the car is driving variable speed and brake the car and and the driver loose control of acceleration.

Filed Dec 21, 2022 · Acceleration, Brakes · NC

- Traction control engaged at high speed(70 mph on interstate) causing the vehicle to brake abruptly and pull the vehicle to the right. Had I been traveling in the left hand lane, I could have been forced into the right hand lane causing a collusion with another vehicle. Also occurred at lower speed(30 mph on a windy road) causing the same issue as described above, almost causing the vehicle to leave the paved surface. - Mechanic was able to duplicate the issue - Mechanic diagnosed intermittent traction control activation, scanned computer for codes. Yaw rate/steering angle correlation causing false activation ABS/traction. Replaced hub bearing and spindle. Four wheel alignment, including check castor, camber and adjust toe. Performed zero point calibration and reset ABS memory. - Traction control lights up briefly

Filed Aug 18, 2022 · Acceleration, Brakes · CA

About a year ago the Vehicle Stability Control warning light along with an audible alarm started coming on intermittently while turning on highways going uphill or downhill in dry weather and with no risk of any tire slipping. At first this only happened at higher speeds 65+mph. Over time, it has occurred more and more frequently and can occur at speeds down to 25 mph. At times, the Anti-lock Braking System is also activated resulting in jerky braking and loss of throttle. When people have been following me too closely, this has almost caused accidents. When these symptoms occur, it is always on a curve (of any degree, even slight curves) and while driving at least 25 mph, and even happens on flat turns now. The weather has always been dry with no risk of tire slippage.

Filed Feb 3, 2022 · Acceleration, Brakes · CO

Sometimes when I take turns in my Sienna, the VSC starts going off and braking individual wheels without my control. This happens unexpectedly on highway bends at speeds of 60+ mph and it is difficult to control the car and keep from swerving into another lane. If the roads were icy when this happens, it would probably cause a dangerous accident. Toyota has a technical service bulletin for this, but not a recall - which it should since this is a significant safety issue. The TSB is BR008-04. There are many others experiencing this same issue: https://forums.edmunds.com/discussion/13855/toyota/sienna/vsc-sudden-activation-2004-toyota-sienna

Filed Jul 27, 2021 · Acceleration, Driver assistance · CA

I had the control arms replaced, then one of the bolts came out after a few thousand miles. I had that bolt replaced and the problem started happening intermittently after that. Everything will be functioning fine and then the speed of my vehicle is inhibited and it is hard to accelerate. It is very difficult to get from 40 MPH up to 50 MPH. On slight curves, not always, it will beep and the slip indicator light comes on and will apply the brakes on what feels like one side. This has happened at 35-60 MPH. The slip indicator will beep sometimes until I decrease my speed to under 25 MPH. I took it into a reputable tire and front end shop and they replaced a wheel bearing with sensor, and 2 front tires. The problem happened again within 5 miles and the shop said I need to take it to Toyota dealer to have it the steering angle sensors recalibrated. The Toyota dealership said that this is something that the vehicle does itself. They inspected it and took it for a test drive and said nothing is wrong. The problem happened again within a few miles of leaving the dealership. I have read countless forums of people experiencing the same thing in their Toyota Sienna and having the dealership telling them there is not a problem. I have also found that the solution could very well be worn rack and pinion bushings that are creating the play that are triggering the sensors. I don't think they gave it a proper inspection. This is a very dangerous problem, and even more so when the dealership is saying there isn't a problem. I am feeling very lost on what to do with my van right now. I have spent $1100 and 3 days of my time with the same thing happening. I

Filed Sep 18, 2019 · Acceleration, Driver assistance · 95,000 miles · AZ

When driving under normal conditions the vehicles' vsc will engage. The dashboard lights go off, there is a loud interior beeping sound, the ABS engages, the car slows down drastically at once. The roads are dry. At first this happened while driving normal speed exiting or entering an hwy off/on ramp. Then happened yesterday as I was driving on neighborhood streets at about 25-30 MPH. I could hear a rubbing on the back tires as if the brakes were on.

Filed Aug 8, 2018 · Acceleration, Brakes · CA

Traction control kicks in for no reason, tration beeping and tires lock,at freway speed traction control activates and cuts off speed dramatically.very unsafe to drive.

Questions about the 2004 Toyota Sienna acceleration

Does the 2004 Toyota Sienna have acceleration problems?

Owners have filed 111 complaints about the acceleration of the 2004 Toyota Sienna, 5% of all its complaints.

At what mileage do 2004 Toyota Sienna acceleration problems start?

The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 63,000 miles.

Was there a recall on the 2004 Toyota Sienna acceleration?

Yes, 1 recall: 09V023000. Check your VIN to see if your car still needs the free repair.

What year does the Toyota Sienna have the most acceleration problems?

The Toyota Sienna model years with the most acceleration complaints are 2004 (111 complaints), 2005 (62 complaints) and 2008 (51 complaints).