2004 Toyota Sienna: loss of power steering

Filed Jun 5, 2018 · Brakes, Driver assistance · 150,000 miles · PA

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 toyota sienna. While driving approximately 50 MPH, the traction control warning indicator illuminated and a warning chime sounded. The vehicle lost steering and braking ability, and the steering wheel started to jerk from left to right. The contact continued to drive and the failures went away after thirty seconds. The contact stated that the failures randomly started approximately one year ago and grew worse. The contact also mentioned that the lock on the sliding door showed that it was unlocked; however, no one could exit the vehicle when attempting to open the door from the inside or the outside. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing. The manufacturer was notified of the failures. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 150,000.

Filed Oct 19, 2016 · Engine · 96,321 miles · HI

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 toyota sienna. While driving approximately 55 MPH, the contact heard a loud noise and lost steering control. The vehicle was pulled over to the side of the road and towed to the contact's residence. The vehicle was later taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the crankshaft pulley failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 96,321.

Filed Jun 13, 2014 · Steering · 105,083 miles · VT

The steering became difficult at times. It was almost like losing your power steering from time to time. Intermediate steering shaft was replaced which corrected the problem.

Filed May 20, 2014 · Steering · 40,000 miles · MI

This happened about late 2006 to early 2007. I first observed that once in a while turning the steering was stiff and the wheel will not turn back to its neutral position, and the car will over steer. It felt like there was no power steering and you could hear some squeaking noise from the steering. Since at first it happens on and off during turning, everytime I took it to the dealer, they said was nothing wrong, it was still under warranty at that time.. After driving it for a couple of months there was an increase in the incidence and the steering at turn was getting harder and there was and increase in over steer that I would have to go slower than usual to avoid other vehicles. By that time I brought it back to the dealer, and they said that was some rusting and corrosion at the steering shaft and had to be replaced and by then the warranty had expired.

Filed Mar 19, 2014 · Steering, Visibility · 115,000 miles · CO

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 toyota sienna. The contact stated that while driving approximately 60 MPH, the power steering assist failed without warning. The steering wheel became hard to turn. The contact also stated that both passenger side windows were inoperable. The vehicle was taken to independent mechanic, who was unable to diagnose the vehicle. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was not aware of the problems. The approximate failure mileage was 115,000.

Filed Jan 3, 2014 · Steering · 117,000 miles · WA

Our 2004 toyota sienna began having difficulty steering while my wife was driving our kids to an event in october 2013. She stated the steering felt "lumpy" or intermittently difficult. The effect was more pronounced when the car was cold, but improved somewhat when warmed up. Now in december, the steering problem is such she will not drive the van anymore for safety reasons. The van was difficult to maneuver in traffic and posed a danger to my wife and other vehicles. I drove the van and confirmed this problem and do not want her driving the van either, as the steering was difficult for me and keeping the vehicle in the traffic lane was hard to do at times. Research on line indicates this is a known problem. Not sure what to do now except have the steering component replaced so van is drivable again.

Filed Jun 1, 2013 · Engine, Steering · OK

While driving there was a very loud screech from the motor, on and off, then the power steering went out, very hard to turn steering wheel, luckily I was able to force it the few miles left home. Then I noticed the A/C was not cold, this was intermittent, now, no A/C at all. Just hot air. This stalled of failed while in traffic, I could have had serious problems like getting hit because I could not turn the vehicle readily, or easily.

Filed Apr 24, 2011 · Steering · 60,000 miles · MD

I have a 2004 toyota sienna with approximately 60,000 miles. The steering seems to have lost power steering capabilities as well as over turning when going around curves and corners.

Filed Feb 22, 2011 · Steering · 81,964 miles · MN

Our 2004 toyota sienna developed a clicking or popping sound in the steering column when turning left or right after about 3 seasons of winter driving in minnesota. The dealer said that they did not hear/feel the problem. Each consecutive winter the symptoms would get worse and the toyota dealer claimed they could not duplicate the noise or hear a problem. About 4 months ago, the steering became erratic and felt un-boosted at times requiring a great deal of effort to turn the wheel. I did some research online and came across a toyota technical service bulletin st003-04 where they describe a shaft noise that is caused by corrosion. The federal safety agency investigation concluded that toyota's claims that the noise was minor, not a safety hazard, and occurred infrequently. We took the sienna back to the dealer and I specifically asked them to examine the intermediate shaft and showed them the tsb. They reported back that I had a severely corroded intermediate shaft from road salt and it had seized at one end of the connection. The tsb campaign was only good for the first 36,000 miles (our van had about 82,000 miles at the time of the repair) so the out of cost expense to make the vehicle safe to steer again was $527. I can not speak to the frequency this defect affects other 2004 siennas, but I can attest to a number of near misses on the road caused by the erratic and lack of power steering assist caused until the repair was finally diagnosed and fixed. Corrosion resistance of steering components should be a fundamental attribute of any vehicle as the loss or diminished capacity of that function instantly creates a hazard to the vehicle occupants and others on the road.

Filed Jan 20, 2011 · Driver assistance · 120,000 miles · PA

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 toyota sienna. The contact stated that while driving approximately 15-50 MPH, she noticed the traction control warning light illuminated on the instrumental panel. The ability to break was lost and the steering became difficult to maneuver. The failure was unable to be diagnosed by a local mechanic. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.

Filed Feb 23, 2010 · Steering · 68,600 miles · FL

We have a 2004 toyota sienna. We bought it new in 2004 from phillips toyota in leesburg fl. Three to four weeks ago, we started noticing a problem with the power steering when first starting in the morning. It feels like the power steering is jumping between working and not working with no warning indication of a problem. The feeling is that of having no power steering until the car has warmed for two to three minutes, there are no warning lights or audible sounds. It has been happening every morning.

Filed Feb 23, 2010 · Transmission · 70,000 miles · OH

I have a 2004 toyota sienna, with only 70,000 miles. I suddenly and intermittently lost power steering. It was not total loss--that I could have handled, but it would come and go, even within a single turn. When I turned the wheel, I could not predict how the car would respond. No accident, fortunately, but a couple of close calls. I drove immediately to a t dealer, and they diagnosed a failed u joint and replaced it today. There had been no prior signs of u joint failure. I wanted to submit this in case others are experiencing similar issues. Otherwise, I just consider it an isolated case. Thanks.