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1.4

hardly worth mentioning
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
124,502 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2004 Toyota Sienna brakes problems

brakes problem

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2004 Toyota Sienna Owner Comments (Page 1 of 4)

problem #68

Jan 302022

Sienna

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Toyota VSC and ABS engaging and activating for no reason on dry pavement causing loss of proper control of the vehicle. The have been multiple occurrences on dry pavement between 30 and 65 mikes per hour. The car pulls to one side as the computer takes control of the car end engages the brakes suddenly for no reason. VSC Skid light goes on on the dash and there is a beeping sound while this happens. Very dangerous. Toyota USA notified and assigned case number 220201001364. They refuse to take any responsibility for this dangerous failure.

- Hillsborough, CA, USA

problem #67

Oct 082020

Sienna

  • 260,000 miles
In motion, on dry, off-camber highway curves, with slight acceleration, the ABS/vsc /trak engages, briefly jerking the steering to one side. Dash warnings: "vsc" "trak off" + "check engine". reducing mechanical "slop" (wheel bearings, steering rack & pinion, etc.) tends to reduce frequency of occurrence. Toyota dealer diagnosis: "steering control system fault". >"Toyota knows about -- but, does not know how to fix this problem."< dealer-suggested workaround: "pull fuzes to disable vsc and ABS systems..." dealer repair documents are with previous owner...

- Bivins, TX, USA

problem #66

Jun 212020

Sienna 6-cyl

  • 185,000 miles
This vehicle has a traction control feature which helps keep it from skidding out of control in icy, wet, or otherwise unstable conditions. It can help an out of control vehicle get back into control by doing a variety of things, including braking. Previously this feature had only kicked on when I would slide on the snow during a low speed turn and would slide in the snow (which was good). But over the past few months, there have been two times that this feature has kicked on at high speeds (once at 40mph and once at 65mph) on dry roads, both while turning around a curve. Suddenly the braking system is applied without any warning and the vehicle swerves slightly and does what it wants for a few seconds. Then it stops. If this were to happen on an icy road at those speeds, the vehicle could certainly spin out of control. The vehicle could also swerve into an oncoming lane of traffic. I have seen many forums online where other Sienna owners are having the same issue and Toyota dealers say they can't replicate or fix the issue. This is certainly a safety issue that needs to be looked into by Toyota to see what is causing this issue. Thank you!

- Great Falls, MT, USA

problem #65

Feb 032020

Sienna

  • 178,311 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

While driving at or below the speed limit, under dry conditions, on curvy roads, the vsc dash light comes on and engages with beeping and automatic braking. The rapid deceleration and skidding, as the tires lock-up, makes control of the vehicle difficult and cars following must panic brake to avoid rear-ending my vehicle. Increasing occurrences over the past year.

- Altadena, CA, USA

problem #64

Sep 172019

Sienna

  • 95,000 miles
When driving under normal conditions the vehicles' vsc will engage. The dashboard lights go off, there is a loud interior beeping sound, the ABS engages, the car slows down drastically at once. The roads are dry. At first this happened while driving normal speed exiting or entering an hwy off/on ramp. Then happened yesterday as I was driving on neighborhood streets at about 25-30 mph. I could hear a rubbing on the back tires as if the brakes were on.

- Chandler, AZ, USA

problem #63

Jul 292019

Sienna

  • 170,000 miles
When driving in dry conditions at various speeds over 25 mph, the vsc warning light comes on, an alarm sounds and the antilock brakes engage for no reason. This is a terrifying and extremely dangerous issue that is well documented by so many Toyota Sienna owners but to date has not been addressed or acknowledged by Toyota. When taken to a dealership, they claim (as other owners have also stated) that they cannot replicate the problem and it does not register through the obd2 sensor so there is no record of it happening. With as many people as this is happening with, it is not a question of whether there will be accidents, injuries and ultimately deaths caused by this issue. The only question is when and how many have to occur before Toyota acknowledges this is a problem. Driving down the road, in traffic at 65 miles an hour when for no reason, the car slams on the brakes without warning. It is happening all the time at this point making the car completely unsafe to drive for the owner, the vehicle's occupants and any unsuspecting vehicle in the vicinity. I am begging you. Please get Toyota to issue a recall before tragedy strikes. Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter. I am submitting the date below as today's date as the car is now sitting in my driveway until I can figure out what needs to be done. It has happened over the past 6 months every time I drive it and the $750 steering position sensor that Toyota replaced did nothing to address the problem.

- Summit, NJ, USA

problem #62

Mar 082019

Sienna

  • 207,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The anti skid control light comes on from time to time when I am driving, especially on the highway. In addition to the light, there is warning beeping, as if I'm sliding on ice. At the same time, I completely lose control of the acceleration and braking. It's very scary, and I am concerned for my safety and my family's. this has happened multiple times on clear, dry days, so it's definitely not caused by the road being wet or icy.

- Midwest City, OK, USA

problem #61

Mar 082019

Sienna

  • 180,000 miles
Traction control all of a sudden started turning on at every turn automatically making the car lock its brakes I'm pretty sure this is not the first you guys have heard of this

- San Bernardino, CA, USA

problem #60

Feb 102019

Sienna

  • 188,000 miles
When on a curve the traction control engages affecting the brakes and steering of the vehicle. Speed does not seem to matter, it has engaged at 10mph and at 65 mph. Last straw was when it engaged on the straight away on the highway at 65mph in the high speed lane dropping the speed down to 35mph almost causing a serious accident. It's been happening for a couple of months and two independent mechanics were not able to figure out the problem even after running a moving vehicle diagnostic. It went off a total of 18 times in a aproximate 15 minute, three mile drive with the mechanic. After watching many videos, and complaints online, why hasn't something been done on this issue that has been going on for over eight years now? I'm afraid to take this vehicle on the highway anymore!!!

- Fairhaven, MA, USA

problem #59

Dec 302018

Sienna

  • 138,000 miles
Traction control malfunction. While driving on curvy roads there is a beeping alarm, steering locks up, brakes engage. The car seems to think that the traction is off. This has been a problem for over a year. No problems driving in city. Only happens on curvy roads.

- Seattle, WA, USA

problem #58

Apr 012018

Sienna

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Knock sensor and vsc are malefunctioning.

- Rossville, GA, USA

problem #57

Oct 072018

Sienna

  • 170,000 miles
The anti-skid control engaged when turning slightly on the freeway. When it engaged at highway speed (roughly 55mph) it pulled me into oncoming traffic. This is a known problem with this vehicle that should have been recalled.

- Birmingham, AL, USA

problem #56

Aug 262018

Sienna

  • 87,000 miles
The anti skid control light comes on from time to time when I am driving, especially on the highway. In addition to the light, there is warning beeping, as if I'm sliding on ice. At the same time, I completely lose control of the acceleration and braking. It's very scary, and I am concerned for my safety and my family's. this has happened multiple times on clear, dry days, so it's definitely not caused by the road being wet or icy.

- Oak Park, IL, USA

problem #55

Aug 042018

Sienna

  • 125,000 miles
I have a 2004 Sienna with ~125,000 miles on itand this problem has been going on for about 2 months. It happened twice in a span of 5 minutes, and then didn; since then it has occurred with greater frequency and intermittent severity. In almost all cases, it occurs when driving 55-70 mph and while going around a right hand bend in the road, the "skid" light will come on, beep, and then the brakes will suddenly engage, causing the car to pull one way or the other (often left towards oncoming traffic). As soon as you exit the curve, the light goes off and you can accelerate back to speed.

- Louisville, KY, USA

problem #54

May 112017

Sienna

  • miles
Traction control kicks in for no reason, tration beeping and tires lock, at freway speed traction control activates and cuts off speed dramatically.very unsafe to drive.

- Santa Clara, CA, USA

problem #53

May 172018

Sienna

  • 150,000 miles
When traveling at highway speeds and usually on a slight curve to the right, the traction control alarm and breaks go off causing the van to jerk and shake. We have been told this might be low tire pressure but the tires are fine. We have had an alignment, new tires this problem happens randomly and we have not been able to reproduce it for the mechanic. We have been dealing with this for a couple of years maybe happening 20 times. I feel it is just not safe enough to drive or pass this problem on to someone else. I wouldn't want the car on the road with me either I have read online of other Toyota Sienna's with the same exact problem. This is not isolated and is a safety concern.

- Elizabeth, CO, USA

problem #52

Jun 032018

Sienna

  • 150,000 miles
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.

- Bensalem, PA, USA

problem #51

Feb 112018

Sienna

  • 38 miles
Driving on a dry straightaway highway traveling 67mph and skid light starts blinking with chime sound and van starts breaking and jerking to left alomost getting rear ended by tailgater..

- Newman, CA, USA

problem #50

Apr 102016

Sienna

  • 50 miles
I have experienced the issue with 2004 Sienna le with 130,500 miles. Traction control kicks in at 45-60 miles per hour on straightaway, clean pavement, no rain, no snow, and brakes car and cuts power. Almost lost control of vehicle when it happened, steering into other lanes. It happens frequently and is very possible to have the car rear ended if a car behind me is closing on as the speed suddenly slows down. Apparently this is a big issue that I found lot of other Sienna owners is sharing from the forum. As far as I know that many Toyota dealership is not intend to acknowledge such issue and able to fix them.

- W Hempstead, NY, USA

problem #49

Oct 012017

Sienna

  • 140,000 miles
For no reason the vsc and traction alarm goes off the vehicle brakes on its own dangerously. It is happening daily. Usually when going high speed and around a left bend. I went and had the system reset as is called for after alignment. That didn't fix it. I had the steering angle sensor replaced and that didn't fix it. The yaw replaced and that didn't fix it. So now what? this is dangerous for my family.

- Angelica, NY, USA

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