2004 Toyota Sienna: clunking or noise when steering

Filed Feb 6, 2012 · Steering · GA

Steering wheel presents vibration and strange noise when fully turned to any side. Complained to toyota during the extended warranty and service was denied, stating that is was functional and not broken. Now (feb 2012, extended warranty expired) it is really getting worse and worse. Would toyota wait for the part to fail and someone to be killed to address the problem? There is a premature wear in the steering column and steering system.

Filed May 1, 2011 · Steering · 93,000 miles · PR

2004 toyota sienna: having trouble with steering system: knocking noise while turning left. Also, a vibration like feel at the steering wheel while driving slowly.

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 Oct 23, 2008 · Steering, Transmission · 45,000 miles · NJ

While making a sharp left turn, I can hear clunk, clunk from the steering column. Dealer says the steering column (rack-pinion) joint is bad, need replacement, not under warranty, will cost 500 to 600 $, not an immediate safety threat , can wait until the noise gets too bad. I am not happy that such things break down at 45,000 miles.

Filed Jun 9, 2006 · Steering · 47,000 miles · MD

Problem with steering system in 2004 toyota sienna. Noise in steering. Toyota repair shop indicated steering intermediate needs to be replaced because it was bad. I believe steering system is a manufacturing defect.