The glide pins in the calipers came loose and one of the pins fell out (left front drivers side). As a result it caused the caliper to seize and smoke. It got hot and mangled the lower left control arm bushing. I bought a new glide pin and that one stayed it, but the right side (original part) came loose again, even after tightening it. We replaced the calipers with a different brand and it had no issues.
Toyota Sienna ball joint problems
28 of the 8,561 owner complaints about the Toyota Sienna describe ball joint or control arm failure, most of them for the 2004 model year.
- owner complaints
- 28
- worst model year
- 2004
- typical repair cost reported
- $1,100
- typical mileage
- 75,000
By model year
- 20151
- 20142
- 20132
- 20121
- 20111
- 20101
- 20081
- 20064
- 20051
- 20048
- 20031
- 20021
- 20011
- 20003
Often reported together
Pulling 1Premature wear 1Harsh shifting 1Knocking 1Door locks 1ABS 1
What owners say
My 2012 Toyota Sienna having problem while braking on highway 65mph or above, when i hit brake it's start shaking so bad and brake doesn't work properly. i believe it is sway bar link or lower control arm. even i had replaced once, it didn't helped and again i claimed warranty and replaced other set, but still having same issue.
Driving on dry pavement in mountainous terrain the slip indicator light/sound activates temporarily and the brakes can engage by themselves! Usually happens during right turns. I've been to several automotive specialists for mechanical & electronic diagnosis. I've replaced the lower control arm & the clock spring behind the steering wheel but the issue persists. Online searches indicate this is a common problem with Toyota siennas that is extremely difficult to diagnose & very costly to replace all the possible problematic components! I've had this problem since buying the car used several months ago.This should be a recall issue!!!!!!!!!!!
The van seems to prematurely wear tires out before their service life expectancy. I've owned the van for seven years, and I've had to purchase over five complete sets of tires. The front tires wear-out much faster than the rear tires, and do not last more than 15K miles. I've had several alignment jobs done, both (L&R) control arms replaced, ball joints, and struts - the van still wears out tires regardless of tire brand. I suspect the must be a design flaw causing premature wear and tear on tires on the front of the van, as I just replaced another set of tires from the Yokohama brand recommended for the van. I've asked Toyota, and they claim ignorance of such a problem. It is my desire to make this problem known, and to have the Government investigate if there is an design flaw in the Sienna van which is causing rapid part failures.
I have a 2015 Toyota Sienna LE that I purchased new from the dealer. The original Michelin tires had excessive wear after less than 2yrs and ~28K miles. I replaced these with Continental tires(rated for 70K miles) and after 2years and at ~63K on the vehicle miles I had to replace those with General Altimax (rated for 75K miles). Each time tires were replaced it received and alignment. I now need to replace the third set of tires at ~88k for set number four. Additionally I had to replace the Rank and Pinion (Complete unit), both tie rods and both suspension control arms and ball joint assembly and a wheel alignment. Can is adult driven mostly in town but has one long road trip on it (6K miles). This will be the fourth set of tires on a vehicle with less than 100K miles along with 5-6 alignments. All tires have been maintained and rotated. This has to be a vehicle defect as I have multiple tire manufactures, all rated for more than double the tire life I'm getting. I have $2000 in tires so far (not counting the originals) $1250 in replacing the front end components noted and now have to spend another $1k on tires.
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
During my 60k service (57k miles run) on apr 20, the local toyota dealership (piercey toyota) identified a major service related to suspension which is expect to cost around $3000. My vehicle usage is minimal which is quite evident from barely 57000 miles run during last 8 years. I'm extremely disappointed that the suspension control arm has failed with such limited use which clearly suggests defective quality from toyota. Researching on the internet (search string - sienna control arm problem) I found out that this is common issue on sienna to the point it leads em to believe this should have been a recall e.g. Https://www.siennachat.com/threads/2011-sienna-se-dealer-recommends-replacing-control-arms-lower-ball-joints.62597/. This appears to be recurring issue with sienna, hence I'm filing this recall request/complaint.
When traveling around 30 to 35 MPH (well under speed limit) on dry clear roads, on left turns (often slightly downhill) suddenly the vsc and slip/trac lights up, the ABS system is activated / brakes engage. Foot is not on the brake and speeds are not excessive. I am not using run-flat tires, but that doesn't seem to make a difference for others online. I see dozens of similar complaints online about this same thing from 2001 to 2015 siennas. Two say that replacing rack & pinion fixed it; 1 says it does not. This started happening about 3 months ago, but is now happening more often. Approx 156k miles. Other fixes that have not worked: replace front speed sensors, changed all pads and rotors, and replacing the steering angle sensor. None of those worked. On person says, "most common prob seems to be the rack bushing where the rack is mounted. They wear out and cause the rack to move when turning...bushings are hard to replace so just replace the rack and it will solve the problem if it is loose. ( although its a bit expensive) the yaw sensor or steering sensor has also been the culprit in some cases." another says, "steering linkages could be another culprit - control arm bushings were severely worn and could potentially be another source. Alignment and zero-point calibration sometimes help, but not for long." I don't feel safe driving myself or my children in this car, but can't afford another. And can't afford a $1k fix - especially if others have this issue. What can I do?
Passenger side rack and pinion seal started leaking and required replacement. Had to have rack and lionizing, tie rod ends, and linkage replaced for over $1,100.
The traction control is malfunctioning and turning on during normal driving conditions. There is a loud beeping and the traction control light turns on while turning. This has happened at various speeds from 35 MPH on a city street to 65 MPH on freeways. What is really alarming is that sometimes while the light turns on the system applies the brakes to one wheel pulling the vehicle suddenly to one side. This is very dangerous at high speeds. I have replaced many parts- shocks, control arms, joints and taken it to multiple mechanics. This is a common problem when searching the web but nobody is able to find a solution.
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the Toyota Sienna ball joint
Which Toyota Sienna years have ball joint or control arm failure problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2004 (8 complaints), 2006 (4 complaints) and 2000 (3 complaints).
How much does it cost to fix ball joint or control arm failure on the Toyota Sienna?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $1,100 (median of 11 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
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