The Traction Control System commonly malfunctions while making turns on curving road sections. I will lose power through turns as the TCS light blinks on my dashboard and makes a beeping sound. On some occasions the brakes will automatically engage in the tire that the car perceives as experiencing slippage. This problem is continuously worsening and commonly endangers me and my passengers, as the car engages brakes or cuts power to the engine at unexpected and in opportune times.
2004 Toyota Sienna steering problems
159 complaints (8% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 81,000.
- owner complaints
- 159
- of this car's complaints
- 8%
- typical mileage
- 81,000
- crashes
- 0
- recalls
- 0
Which part fails
- Column4
- Linkages2
- Electric power assist system2
- Rack and pinion1
- Hydraulic power assist: hose, piping, and connections1
- Hydraulic power assist system1
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 steering problems in other years
Specific symptoms reported on the 2004 Toyota Sienna steering
Phrases found in the owners' own descriptions, so one complaint can mention several symptoms.
Power steering loss 20Pulling 10Steering lock-up 7Steering noise 5
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Related investigations
Steering intermediate shaft binding
Odi's analysis of warranty data shows that the alleged defect has occurred in just 0.2 percent of the subject vehicle population.when the analysis is limited to salt-belt states, the rate is still well below one percent of the population (0.4 percent).in addition, tests conducted by odi and toyota have shown that the alleged defect has a minimal affect on steering efforts.odi interviews of owners who experienced the alleged defect indicated that in most cases the problem was preceded by months or years of noise or a gradual increase in steering efforts in the initial steering maneuvers after first starting a cold vehicle.the subject vehicles have been in service for 4 to 5 years with no crashes or injuries associated with the alleged defect.toyota's technical service bulletin provides assistance to service technicians in the early diagnosis and repair of the alleged defect condition. Accordingly, this investigation has been closed. The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by the federal safety agency that a safety-related defect does not exist.the agency will continue to monitor complaints and other information relating to the alleged defect in the subject vehicles and take further action in the future if warranted.for additional information regarding this engineering analysis refer to the ea08-024 closing report.
EA08024
Steering intermediate shaft binding
The office of defects investigation (odi) opened a preliminary evaluation, pe08-041, to investigate allegations of steering binding or increased steering effort caused by corrosion of steering intermediate universal joints in model year (my) 2004 toyota sienna vehicles.toyota's response to odi's request for information in pe08-041 indicated that toyota has been investigating reports of increased steering effort in my 2004 through 2006 sienna vehicles since 2005. Toyota determined that a combination of thermal damage and subsequent water intrusion could lead to corrosion of the lowermost universal joint installed on the steering intermediate shaft of the subject vehicles. Toyota has made production changes since september 2006 to address these concerns and has issued two technical service bulletins to its dealerships to provide instructions on diagnosing and repairing complaints related to corrosion of the intermediate shaft. 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 steering effort is minimal, even for parts with relatively severe corrosion. Odi analyzed complaint and warranty data relating to the following symptoms: (1) steering intermediate shaft binding or locking; (2) corrosion of the steering intermediate shaft universal joint; (3) complaints of increased effort to turn the steering wheel from neutral or return to neutral after turning (e.g., hard steering or steering binding); or (4) noise while steering.these analyses revealed that the subject vehicles have experienced a total complaint rate of 81.0 per 100,000 vehicles and a total warranty claim rate of 3.0 percent.odi's analysis found that approximately two-thirds of complaints were for noise only.similar analysis of the warranty data showed that 91 percent were related to noise concerns. Odi has upgraded this investigation to an engineering analysis (ea08-024) to conduct testing to assess the effect of the alleged defect on steering effort in the subject vehicles.
PE08041
What 2004 Toyota Sienna owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
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
While driving typically around 35 mph and either left or right turn the vehicle traction control engages and the van brakes and steering is affected. The roads have always been dry and in each instance the speed of the van was at or below the speed limit - traction was never lost and yet the traction control engaged as if we were in a skid. This occurred at least 12 times while driving to and from a day trip in the mountains (windy road). It has also happened multiple times at around 50 mph while turning left on a nearby flat freeway. An independent service shop has not been able to replicate the problem. The safety of the driver and passengers were at risk when it occurred on the freeway as a driver behind us got close to rear ending the van while it was in its brake mode.
The trac control is activated while the car is driving variable speed and brake the car and and the driver loose control of acceleration.
The slip indicator light and alarm comes on sporadically, engaging the ABS suddenly and unexpectedly, when we are on completely dry roads. Happens while driving 40-80 mph. And doesn’t matter if I’m going straight or turning.
- 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
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.
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
While driving on dry freeway or other stable road conditions, the Electronic Stability Control kicks in, braked hard, causing the van to swerve, and the lights on the dash started flashing, accompanied by a loud beeping. This has happened multiple times now. There is no reason for this to be occurring. It is involuntary, sudden, and random. If someone were close behind me, they could rear-end the vehicle. It also sometimes pulls the steering so hard that it swerves into the other lane. This is a serious safety issue that Toyota needs to deal with.
Unknown
Questions about the 2004 Toyota Sienna steering
Does the 2004 Toyota Sienna have steering problems?
Owners have filed 159 complaints about the steering of the 2004 Toyota Sienna, 8% of all its complaints.
At what mileage do 2004 Toyota Sienna steering problems start?
The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 81,000 miles.
Was there a recall on the 2004 Toyota Sienna steering?
There is no recall for this problem on this model year.
What year does the Toyota Sienna have bad steering?
The Toyota Sienna model years with the most steering complaints are 2004 (159 complaints), 2005 (79 complaints) and 2006 (61 complaints).
Other 2004 Toyota Sienna problems
Body 962Locks 308Electrical 132Tires 124Acceleration 111Seat belts 98Transmission 89Brakes 88Driver assistance 81Engine 58Fuel system 49Lights 42Airbags 35Visibility 24Wheels 22Seats 18Suspension 16
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