My toyota sienna has 80,000 miles and has gear hunting, when I go on a speed bump it surges and hesitates, I don't feel safe at all. I've previously owned other toyota's with problems not like this. Please help. I love toyota, but I value safety.
2005 Toyota Sienna: hesitation when accelerating
9 of the 1,130 complaints about the 2005 Toyota Sienna describe hesitation when accelerating.
- owner complaints
- 9
- of this car's complaints
- 1%
- typical mileage
- 8,600
- recalls
- 2
Is there a fix? There are 2 recalls and 8 service bulletins for this area of the car. See below
Hesitation when accelerating by model year
What owners say
2005 toyota sienna. Consumer states problems with transmission response. *tgw the first encounter the consumer had with the dealer with regards to the transmission was poor programming. So, the dealer re-calibrated the ECM. However, the transmission continued to hesitate before shifting up or down. The problem was most noticeable when slowing down.
Hesitation when downshifting to 1st, then when trying to accelerate it feels as if nothing is going to happen so you give it more accelerator and then it accelerates too fast, mostly noticeable as you turn a corner.
Dt*: the contact stated the vehicle had difficulty switching gears and caused acceleration issues. The service dealer stated the computer system adjusted to the driver and this was a normal function. However, the contact stated the gears did not shift properly. Updated 10/18/2006 - the vehicle would hesitate when picking up speed. The check engine light illuminated. The dealer found code for evap purge valve. The technician found the vacuum lines off at intake.
When accelerating from 5-10 MPH, van hesitates and then jerks forward trying to find correct gear or catch up. This is especially dangerous on snow/ice. Took to local dealer 3 times and was told all of toyota's 5-speed transmissions do this and my sienna wasn't as bad as others. The dealership did reprogram computer and I could tell no difference. I was told there was nothing else they could or /would do. I complained to toyota headquarters and still got nowhere.
On my 2005 sienna xle limited awd, I have noticed at 50+ miles an hour interstate or even downhill) that the car feels like there is excessive rolling resistance, and if I don;t accelerate, very soon it downshifts (have noticed this even on a downhill slope at 45 miles a hour). Service advisor said all toyota cars as designed to downshift as soon as you take your foot from the pedal (something which sounds very strange to me, since I'm driving other makes and models as well). Seems the transmission is not tuned well. On a separate matter, I noticed several times that the car hesitates to accelerate for a few seconds when I push the accelerator a bit harder at very low speeds, such as when I need to merge into heavy traffic from a side road. It also happened when I needed to change the lanes from a very slow moving lane to one where I needed to accelerate rapidly. Again, something feels wrong about the transmission.
Dt: contact owns a 2005 toyota sienna. The vehicle has severe hesitation, almost impossible to drive the vehicle on a wet road or on a snowy road. Gas pedal and transmission do not seem to connect. No crashes. No police reports. No fires. The vehicle has been to toyota dealer 5 times; the mechanic came back and said they found nothing wrong with vehicle. *ak (11/08/05) the transmission would down shift very harsh on turns and on hills. The service dealer placed an upgraded computer in the vehicle but the problem worsened.
Consumer states: his car hesitates when he accelerates. He just bought the car 2 weeks ago and it has been doing it since he bought the car. It mainly happens when he is slowing down, when he presses the gas pedal; it takes about 1 or 2 seconds to engage. He is concerned this will happen in congested traffic. He has not yet talked to the dealer. He has not yet talked to the manufacturer but he plans on doing that today. Consumer was only able to provide the city, state and phone number of the dealer.
Hesitation when accelerating. Particularly when already rolling at less than 5 miles an hour.
Service bulletins that may apply
- TechTip: Condition
- Region letter: toyota will be sending safety recall follow-up notices to remind owners whose vehicles have...
- The purpose of this service bulletin is to provide information regarding the installation of the correct...
- The purpose of
- The purpose of this service bulletin is to provide precautions to follow when installing an automatic...
- This bulletin contains general vehicle pulling diagnosis and repair procedures along with specific...
- Transmission shifter may become progressively difficult to move
- Engine control module (ECM) calibration - shifting enhancement
Related recalls
Power train: automatic transmission
- What is wrong
- Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2005-2007 and 2009-2010 Toyota Sienna vehicles. In the affected vehicles, due to a problem within the shift lock assembly, the shift lever may be moved out of the 'Park' position without depressing the brake pedal.
- Risk
- If the shift lever can be moved from the "Park" position without depressing the brake pedal and the parking brake is not applied, the vehicle may roll, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the shift lock solenoid and reapply the grease, free of charge. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1‑800‑331‑4331. Toyota's number for this recall is H0V. Vehicles that were previously recalled under campaign 13V‑429 are not affected by this recall.
Recall number 17V657000 · Recall details
Power train: automatic transmission
- What is wrong
- Toyota is recalling certain model year 2004-2005 Sienna vehicles manufactured January 10, 2003, through August 10, 2005; and model year 2007-2009 Sienna vehicles manufactured February 20, 2007, through December 12, 2008. In the affected vehicles, due to a problem within the shift lock solenoid, there is a possibility that the shift lever could be moved out of Park position without depressing the brake pedal.
- Risk
- If the shift lever is moved out of the Park position without the brake applied, the transmission will either engage a drive gear or Neutral, increasing the risk of a backover or roll away crash.
- Remedy
- Toyota will mail interim notifications to owners beginning in late October 2013. When parts are available, owners will be sent a second notice and dealers will replace the shift lock solenoid, free of charge. Owners may contact Toyota at 1‑800‑331‑4331.
Recall number 13V429000 · Recall details
Questions about the 2005 Toyota Sienna hesitation
Is hesitation when accelerating a common problem on the 2005 Toyota Sienna?
9 of 1,130 owner complaints about the 2005 Toyota Sienna (1%) mention hesitation when accelerating. The model year with the most reports is 2004.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2005 Toyota Sienna?
There are 2 recalls and 8 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2005 Toyota Sienna
Door locks 78Airbag light 35Seat belt 34Sudden acceleration 23ABS 22Jerking 22Grinding brakes 15Brake failure 12Adaptive cruise 11Fire or smoke 9Key fob 9Tire blowout 9No deployment 8Harsh shifting 8Pulling 7Check engine light 6Headlights 6Loss of power 6Overheating 6Power steering loss 6
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