2005 Toyota Sienna Steering Problems

When driving on the highway, the van will suddenly brake and the steering will lock up for about 10 seconds. It is truly frightening. It has happened many times, even with the anti-lock button off. I love this vehicle otherwise, but cannot drive it for safety reasons. And I feel bad selling it to anyone else because I don't want anyone to die! The scariest part when it's on a windy 2 lane road. It really becomes non responsive and also the brakes come on when you are going 60+ miles an hour! HELP! I DONT WANT TO DIE

I was driving on a dry road, going 70mph when my car began flashing the abs indicator and it began breaking and controlling my steering taking me into another lane. The car slowed my vehicle suddenly down to 60 mph and then went off like it never happened. I then had control. There was no reason for the car to do this. There was nothing in the road and luckily no one was to close to me or there would have been an accident. I almost over corrected due to the pulling of the steering and the breaking of the vehicle.

Stability light comes on, decelerates independently, vehicle shakes and steering is somewhat compromised. This has happened rounding curves between 40-50 MPH. Has happened twice on straight road, 8/24 and 8/25/2021, traveling at 70MPH, vehicle decelerated 2-5 miles independently. I put signal on and did smooth lane change to the right to get out of fast lane, and stability light came on, vehicle shook and steering was somewhat compromised. Neither local mechanic or dealership can retrieve any codes with diagnostic equipment. Dealership told me today the light has to stay on for them to retrieve code. This has happened irregularly over the last 6-8 months but always on curves. It has occurred 4 times in 6 days last week, twice on curves, 8/23 & 8/28/2021, and the 2 lane changes above. I am concerned with the increased frequency. There is a great deal of information on the web at https://www.siennachat.com/threads/traction-control-malfunctioning.44474/ so this is not an unknown issue.

A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO, MY 2005 SIENNA'S VSC WARNING LIGHTS, ALARMS AND BRAKING WOULD COME ON WHILE GOING AROUND TURNS. MY CAR HAD NEW TIRES, WHEELS WERE BALANCED AND ALIGNED. IT'S SCARY AND DANGEROUS WHEN THE BRAKES ENGAGE. I'M NOT GOING AROUND SHARP TURNS AT HIGH RATES OF SPEED. DOZENS OF OTHER PEOPLE HAVE EXACTLY THE SAME EXPERIENCE, AND WHEN THE BRAKES ENGAGE, IT YANKS THE CAR HARD, AND HAS ALMOST CAUSED ACCIDENTS TO ME AND OTHERS. THIS HAPPENS TO ME ON A REGULAR BASIS. THE ONLY WAY TO AVOID IT IS TO SLOW DOWN TO LESS THAN 40MPH ON SOME TURNS, WHICH IS DANGEROUS WHEN THE SPEED LIMIT IS 65. HERE'S A LINK TO THE MANY OTHER PEOPLE'S EXPERIENCE WITH THIS EXACT SAME THING. THIS IS A LIABILITY AND TOYOTA REALLY NEEDS TO TAKE ACTION HERE. HTTPS://WWW.CARGURUS.COM/CARS/DISCUSSION-C9152_DS656326?SNTEMLID=4322597535#MSG1051125

When driving the speed limit, going downhill, uphill, straight, around a curve, in the rain or dry weather, the vsc and slip/trac lights up, the abs system is activated / brakes engage. I loose complete control of the van. I can no longer steer or break. The breaks engage, but it causes the car to veer to the right. I have taken the car to the mechanic 5 times now and no codes show, even after he is able to the vehicle to repeat this behavior. It seems to happen a lot on off/on ramps. It happens mostly on highways, but it has happened on two lane roads. The vehicle is completely dangerous to drive. It has almost caused several accidents. I have replaced the Yaw sensors and had several alignments and this still happens. After a lot of research, we have found that this is actually really common in Toyota Sienna. People are saying that the bushings in the rack in pinion wear out and the entire rack and pinion system needs to be replaced. Some people have replaced the rack and pinion and claim that there is still a problem. But the majority say after the rack and pinion is replaced there is not further problems.

WHEN DRIVING AT ANY SPEED ABOVE 25 MPH, THE TRACTION CONTROL LIGHT ON THE DASHBOARD WILL COME ON, IT WILL BEEP AND THE BRAKE WILL ENGAGE WITHOUT THE DRIVER PRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL (THESE ALL HAPPEN AT THE SAME TIME). THIS IN TURN LOCKS THE BRAKES AT TIMES AND THE CAR VEERS TO THE RIGHT. THERE IS NO REASON THAT WE CAN FIGURE OUT THAT THIS HAPPENS. IT HAS HAPPENED MANY TIMES AND THREE DAYS AGO, IT HAPPENED TWICE IN ONE DAY. WE HAVE TAKEN OUR VEHICLE TO HENDRICK TOYOTA IN WILMINGTON NC AND PROVIDED THEM A VIDEO WHERE TWO OWNERS TOOK VIDEOS EACH TIME IT HAPPENED IN THEIR VEHICLE. I ALSO PROVIDED THEM WITH EMAIL DISCUSSIONS FROM TWO DIFFERENT WEB SITES WHERE OWNERS WERE DISCUSSING THE ISSUE. WE BELIEVE THIS SHOULD BE A RECALL FOR TOYOTAS.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 TOYOTA SIENNA. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 30 MPH, THE STABILITY CONTROL WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE DECELERATED AND THE REAR END SWERVED SIDEWAYS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FAILURE OCCURRED FOR APPROXIMATELY 30 DAYS AND ONLY WHEN DRIVING ABOVE 30 MPH. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER OR AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING OR REPAIRS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 143,000.

TAKATA INFLATORS - WHEN DRIVING IN CITY 30MPH OR FREEWAY 50-60MPH IN CURVY PATH, THE UNTI-SKID LOCK TURNS OFF EVEN IF THE ROAD WAS DRY. WHEN IT HAPPENED FREQUENTLY AND A MOTORCYCLE ALMOST SLAMMED FROM BEHIND, I BROUGHT MY VAN TO THE DEALER AND IT SHOWS NO RECORD OF THE UNTI-SKID LOCK BEING ON. I INSISTED TO TAKE PRECAUTIONS AND THEY DID A ZERO CALIBRATION, CHANGED NEW TIRES AND REALIGNMENT BUT PROBLEM PERSIST. I BROUGHT IT BACK WITH THE SAME COMPLAINT BUT THEY CLAIMED THE THEY NEVER HAD ANY OTHER CUSTOMER WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. I REACHED ONLINE YET THERE WERE MANY OTHERS. I HOPE YOU CAN HELP ME ON THIS. THE DEALER CAN'T FIGURE OUT THIS PROBLEM AND JUST WASHED THEIR HANDS. THIS HAPPENED MULTIPLE TIMES ALREADY AND AFRAID TO DRIVE MY VAN.

CRANKSHAFT PULLEY SAFETY RECALL - 2005 TOYOTA SIENNA -RECALL # 11V539000 MORE VEHICLES POSSIBLY AFFECTED THAN STATED IN RECALL NOTICE. DEALER STATED VIN DID NOT FALL IN RANGE OF RECALL, ALTHOUGH THE DEFECTIVE CRANKSHAFT PULLEY PART STAMPED WITH MARK HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED ON MY VEHICLE. BURNING SMELL RELATED TO DRIVE BELT WHILE DRIVING AND ABNORMAL ENGINE NOISE. UPON REPLACING NEW DRIVE BELT, THE CRANKSHAFT PULLEY WAS INSPECTED AND SHOWN TO FAIL DUE THE INADEQUATE ADHESIVE STATED IN THE RECALL. NOTIFIED DEALER, CALLED TOYOTA REPRESENTATIVE AND OPENED CASE#1611070038. BOTH DEALER AND TOYOTA REFUSED RECALL SINCE VIN WAS NOT IN RANGE. TOYOTA REPRESENTATIVE STATED NO PHOTOS OR EVIDENCE WERE REQUIRED TO SHOW THE FAILED CRANKSHAFT PULLEY. PLEASE USED THE DETAILS AND PHOTOS ATTACHED FOR ODI# 10924632

MY STEERING HAS BEEN GETTING STIFF FOR THE PAST FEW WEEKS. ABOUT A MONTH I NOTICED THAT MY STEERING WAS STIFF AND THEN SMOOTH A FEW DAYS LATER. NOW IT FEELS STIFF AT COLD START AND EVEN AFTER WARM UP FROM NORMAL DRIVING. I HAVE NEW BELTS AND NO POWER STEERING FLUID LEAK. I'VE READ MANY BLOGS ONLINE AND PEOPLE CLAIMING THAT THE (U-JOINT) AKA "STEERING KNUCKLE" IS THE CAUSE. DUE TO WATER/DIRT/SALT FROM THE ROAD - CAUSING RUST ON THE U-JOINT. TOYOTA MANUFACTURER SHOULD HAVE THOUGHT OF INSTALLING A RUBBER BOOT TO PROTECT THE U-JOINT FROM EXPOSURE OF WEATHER ELEMENTS. IF THE U-JOINT IS BADLY RUSTED, IT CAN BREAK OFF AND CAUSE AN ACCIDENT. THIS SHOULD BE CONSIDERED AS A SAFETY RECALL.

STEERING HAS BECOME INTERMITTENTLY STIFF. STEERING WHEEL DOESN'T SELF CENTER. IT'S DIFFICULT TO TURN THE WHEEL EITHER WAY. AFTER TURNING THE WHEEL VERY HARD, IT SUDDENLY BECOMES EASY. THIS PHENOMENON OCCURS WHEN THE VEHICLE IS STATIONARY, AND AT ALL SPEEDS. THE PROBLEM STARTED APPROXIMATELY TWO MONTHS AGO, AND HAS GOTTEN PROGRESSIVELY WORSE. THE POWER STEERING PUMP IS WORKING PROPERLY, THE BELT IS IN GOOD CONDITION, THERE ARE NO POWER STEERING FLUID LEAKS AND THE POWER STEERING FLUID LEVEL IS CORRECT.

WHILE DRIVING AROUND CURVES WITH DRY PAVEMENT ON HIGHWAYS AND EXIT/ENTRANCE RAMPS AT HIGHWAY RATES OF SPEED (55-65 MILES PER HOUR OR LESS) THE ANTI-LOCK BRAKE SYSTEM ENGAGE,S CAUSING THE VAN TO PULSE AND SLOW DOWN UNEXPECTEDLY. IT DISENGAGES ONCE THE WHEEL STRAIGHTENS. WE FIRST TRIED TO TROUBLE SHOOT WITH OUR LOCAL MECHANIC WITH NO SUCCESS, PROMPTING US TO HAVE OUR LOCAL TOYOTA SERVICE DEPARTMENT ATTEMPT TO DIAGNOSIS. INITIALLY THEY SAID THEY WERE NOT ABLE TO DIAGNOSIS THE PROBLEM OR REPLICATE IT ON A LOCAL HIGHWAY (AS IT DOES NOT OCCUR ON EVERY CURVE ENCOUNTERED) AND WERE READY TO SEND US HOME WITHOUT ANY REMEDY. THIS WAS UNACCEPTABLE. WITH OUR PERSISTENCE THEY HOOKED IT UP TO A COMPUTER AND DETERMINED(WITHOUT GUARANTEEING) IT WAS THE STEERING ANGEL SENSOR AND REPLACED IT. NOW WITHOUT RETURNING THE VAN TO US, THEY WANT US TO REPLACE THE RACK AND PINION SYSTEM FOR EVEN MORE COST, AGAIN, WITHOUT GUARANTEEING THIS WILL ALLEVIATE THE PROBLEM. PER OUR READING UP ON THIS PROBLEM, WE HAVE FOUND THAT THIS APPEARS TO BE PROBLEM FOR OTHER 2005 TOYOTA SIENNA MINIVANS.

ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS THE VEHICLE STABILITY CONTROL ON MY 2005 TOYOTA SIENNA XLE IS ACTIVATED SUDDENLY AND FOR NO REASON. IT HAS HAPPENED CHANGING LANES ON THE FREEWAY, ON OFF RAMPS, AND CITY STREETS. I WAS NEVER GOING OVER THE SPEED LIMIT, TURNING SHARPLY, AND THE ROAD WAS NOT WET OR SLIPPERY. THE ACTIVATION CAUSED MY CAR TO RAPIDLY DECELERATE FROM 50 MPH TO 20 MPH IN A MATTER OF SECONDS AND CAUSED MY WIFE, CHILDREN, AND I TO LURCH FORWARD. VSC ALSO CAUSED MY VEHICLE TO SWERVE SHARPLY TO THE RIGHT. I HAD IMMEDIATELY LOST CONTROL! THIS PUT ME AND MY FAMILY IN MORTAL DANGER ALONG WITH THE OCCUPANTS OF VEHICLES AROUND US. THEY WERE COMPLETELY UNPREPARED FOR MY SUDDEN AND UNWARRANTED STOP! I BELIEVE TOYOTA HAS SOLD A VEHICLE THAT HAS A HARDWARE AND/OR SOFTWARE ERROR IN IT THAT CAN RESULT IN FATAL INJURIES TO THE DRIVER, PASSENGERS AND OCCUPANTS OF SURROUNDING VEHICLES. THIS IS WHY I BELIEVE THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRANSPORTATION SAFETY ADMINISTRATION SHOULD REQUIRE TOYOTA TO ISSUE A SAFETY RECALL THAT PERMANENTLY ELIMINATES THIS PROBLEM FOR TOYOTA OWNERS LIKE ME. LIKE OTHERS I BELIEVE THIS SITUATION IS FAR MORE SERIOUS THAN YOUR RECENT RECALL OF THE TOYOTA SHIFT LEVER ASSEMBLY TO PREVENT AN ACCIDENTAL ROLL AWAY. (NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 13V429000). IN OUR CASE WE ARE DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS WHEN WITHOUT WARNING THE CAR SUDDENLY SLAMS ON THE BRAKES AND VEERS TO THE LEFT. I HAVE READ OTHERS COMPLAINTS THAT ARE ALMOST IDENTICLE. PLEASE DO NOT WAIT FOR INJURIES AND DEATHS TO RESOLVE THIS ISSUE!

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 TOYOTA SIENNA. WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH, THE VEHICLE SHOOK WITHOUT WARNING. WHEN ACCELERATING OVER 40 MPH, THE SHAKING WORSENED. THE VEHICLE MADE A LOUD NOISE WHENEVER TURNING THE STEERING WHEEL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE RACK AND PINION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 157,000.

MY CAR HAS THE EXACT SYMPTOMS FOR A RECALL INVOLVING A CRANKSHAFT PULLEY, YET MY VIN IS APPARENTLY NOT INVOLVED WITH THAT RECALL. MY ENGINE MODEL 3MZ-FE IS INVOLVED WITH THE RECALL YET TOYOTA SERVICE DEALERSHIPS AND TOYOTA CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE BOTH SAY IT ISN'T. CURRENTLY MY CAR IS NOT SAFE TO DRIVE ACCORDING TO THE SERVICE DEALERSHIP AND A FEE OF ROUGHLY $800 AWAITS ME. I DO NOT UNDERSTAND HOW MY MAKE, MODEL, MODEL YEAR, ENGINE MODEL, CAN ALL BE RELATED TO A CERTAIN RECALL, AND YET BE TOLD THAT MY CAR DOES NOT QUALIFY FOR THAT RECALL. I'VE BEEN A LOYAL TOYOTA CUSTOMER FOR YEARS RECOMMENDING FRIENDS AND FAMILY. EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTED, AND MOST LIKELY WON'T PURCHASE ANOTHER TOYOTA.

EXTREMELY HARD STEERING HAS BEEN FREQUENTLY A PROBLEM (ACCOMPANIED BY A LOUD SQUEAL) DURING THE FIRST MINUTE AFTER START UP, PARTICULARLY IN THE COLD. NOW I HAVE NOTICED A SUDDEN STEERING DIFFICULTY ON A TURN WHILE DRIVING LONG AFTER START UP.

VERY STIFF WHEN TURNING. STEERING SEEMS TO LOCK AND MAKING A TURN AND RETURNING TO NORMAL DRIVING POSITION IS FAULTY, I TOOK IT TO TWO MECHANICS AND THEY BOTH SAID IT WAS THE RACK AND PINION THAT HAD TO BE REPLACED. IN LOOKING AT THE DATABASE I SEE THAT THIS PROBLEM DOES EXIST WITH THE TOYOTA SIENNA. RECALL SHOULD BE INITIATED AS THIS POSES A VERY SERIOUS PROBLEM.

VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION: TOYOTA SIENNA 2005 VSC (ANTI SKID SYSTEM) KICKS IN UNEXPECTEDLY FOR NO REASON. NUMEROUS TIMES I HAVE BEEN DRIVING STRAIGHT ALONG DRY ROADS ONLY TO HAVE MY ABS (ANTILOCK BRAKING SYSTEM) SUDDENLY COME ON, THE VAN SLOW DOWN, WITH THE VSC ALARM GOING OFF, AND THE VSC LIGHT BLINKING. IT'S VERY SCARY, ESPECIALLY ON THE HIGHWAY, AND IT BECOMES HARD TO CONTROL THE VAN. THIS HAS HAPPENED AT HIGH (~55 MPH) AS WELL AS LOW (~25-30MPH) SPEEDS. I DRIVE 90% ON SMOOTH, WELL-PAVED SUBURBAN ROADS, AND ABOUT 10% ON HIGHWAYS. THE FREQUENCY OF THIS DEFECT IS DEFINITELY INCREASING. ONE DAY IT HAPPENED 4 TIMES IN ONE TRIP! ALL FOR NO REASON, AND ALL UNDER DRY, NORMAL DRIVING CONDITIONS ON SMOOTH, SUBURBAN ROADS. MY VAN HAS 113K MILES ON THE ODOMETER. THIS DEFECT CREATES A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION WHERE THE VEHICLE SLOWS SUDDENLY AND UNEXPECTEDLY, AND SWERVES TO ONE SIDE WITHOUT WARNING. I CAN'T UNDERSTAND HOW THERE HASN'T BEEN A RECALL YET. A QUICK SEARCH ONLINE SHOWS MANY PEOPLE HAVE HAD THIS EXACT SAME EXPERIENCE.

STEERING PROBLEM.

DEVELOPER TESTING