general problems of the 2004 Toyota Sienna - part 2

The following has happened several times over the past couple years. The latest 2 times were on a ramp at about 25mph coming off an interstate and at about 65mph an interstate. While cornering to the left a fair amount, but well under control, the vsc started alarming and kicked in. When it kicked in, it caused the vehicle to swerve hard to the right as if it had locked up the brakes on the right side of the vehicle. In both cases, the vehicle swerved into an adjacent lane. Had anything been in that lane or had we been in an outside lane, the vcs would have caused a serious accident. Whatever the cause, the vsc in this vehicle is very dangerous. Over the 12 years we've owned the vehicle, it's unlikely that the vsc has come on more than 5 times. Since it's so rare, we drivers have no experience with the behavior and the vehicle is compliant until the vsc kicks in. When it kicks in, the car has presumably determined that some stabilizing action needs to happen, yet, instead of providing safety - the very purpose of vcs, it unexpectedly locks up the brakes on one side of the vehicle and causes it to swerve out of its lane. Note, the vehicle has recently had a brake job. Under hard braking, the vehicle stays in its line, and does swerve at all, so it's whatever the vsc is doing to "provide stability" that's causing the lockup/swerve issue. Finally, from the internet, a couple quick queries led me to postings by other Sienna owners who'd experienced very similar behavior, so this is not an isolated incident.

Every time the speed of the car reached 33 mph, the vehicle skid control light would start flashing with a continuous beeping sound. When I continued to drive it and took a turn, the car braked and the steering wheel was not responsive. A very dangerous feeling on the windy roads I live on.

Purchased 2004 Sienna xle awd limited 2/18/15. While commuting to work the traction control system randomly activates in dry conditions (usually on downhill angled turn) causing loss of power, activation of front right brakes, and the steering wheel jerked from my hands (resulting in transient overall loss of control of vehicle). This defect has occurred 6 times in 2 days and I am currently afraid to drive the car, especially with a 3 month old. There have been multiple reports on edmunds. Com and other Toyota forums that support this is an ongoing problem with this model/year vehicle. This is a safety defect and the vehicle should be recalled to prevent injury or fatality and to resolve the issue with the tcs. There is no way to turn off the tcs manually and this issue can cause an accident.

Driving along on 210 freeway east bound in pasadena doing 60, the traction control kicked in, the van braked, and the traction control light on dashboard came on with a beeping sound, and the steering wheel shuttered and car lost power. Lasted about 5 seconds and then back to normal. Could have been rear-ended or could have swerved into other lanes. Also happened on 110 fwy northbound in pasadena, 60 mph, on slight turn, same thing happened, traction control kicked in, the van braked, and the traction control light on dashboard came on with a beeping sound, and the steering wheel shuttered and car lost power. I came close to hitting fwy divider and swerving into car in adjacent lane. Roads were dry and no slippage of wheels felt. Took it to dealer wondries Toyota in alhamba,CA twice and were unable to duplicate.

Sudden deceleration of vehicle: 2004 Toyota Sienna xle. The vsc engages, without warning, on smooth, dry roads and when cornering or negotiating a curve. We are the original owners and have never experienced this until the first incident in late oct. 2014. We did not take any action because athough road conditions good, we were rounding a sharp bend in the road and assumed this had something to do with the incident. Vehicle speed was approximately 25 mph as the vehicle suddenly decelerated, the vsc light came on and a rapid beeping alarm sounded. The vehicle pulled to one side and steering the vehicle became extremely difficult. The whole incident, start to finish, lasted approximately 5 seconds. The next incident happened in early December 2014. Again, all the above decribed things happened, except vehicle speed was approximately 35 mph going around a gentle curve in the road. I did some research and found many complaints concerning this issue but do not see any recommendations or recalls officially issued by Toyota. It appears most of the dealer recommended repairs did not correct the problem. Today (December 26, 2014), this same issue happened five times within 40 minutes. My wife managed to get the vehicle home and we called our local Toyota dealer, described the issue and they informed us they have never received any complaints concerning rapid deceleration of this model year, before our phone call. I've scheduled an appointment for December 30, 2014 to have the vehicle checked out and have recall work done concerning the "shift lock solenoid assembly". Will update after appointment.

While driving on interstate vsc warning light came on, beeping and alarms heard. Engine slowed down and I felt like the vehicle was out of control. The vehicle swerved like it was hydroplaning on a dry highway. Called our repair shop immediately. Car was towed and research was done on the history of the problem in other Toyota Mini vans. I was told there were reports of this happening in other vehicles but not enough for a recall to be issued by Toyota, recommendation by the report they found was to replace a sensor which is what was done. That was just over a month ago and the same problem occurred again tonight on a side road going approx 30 mph on dry road. Van is back at shop again tonight. I will be calling the 1-800 number for Toyota, I do not understand why there is not a recall on this issue. Both incidences could have resulted in an accident. Tonight I was driving with my child in the van. This issue could have placed her life in danger had there been an accident.

While driving the vsc activates, the brakes engages, the cars slows down and it make it difficult to control. It has happened to me more than 10 times. Mind you its on a dry surface and no curves. Very scary I drive it with nobody inside just in case. . . Thanks.

It started a year or so ago the while driving on dry road above 50miles the vsc light would lit with a alarm sound, the van will automatically apply brakes and slow the Sienna. Since this was extra van and we were driving mostly sedans we had and due to business I could not spend any time on it. . Now it happens more frequently and it risk our lifes on highway. Upon searching internet various forums came with with problems pertaining only to this year and model, please search (sudden vsc activation) and you will find multiple owner only of 2004 complaining for same issue. . In fact there are to two TSB articles to point to this problem ( TSB-br001-04 and TSB-br004-03) . I would kindly request to investigate the sudden vsc activation in middle of highway. I have spent money to replace tires, aligment balancing to find the issue is widespread.

Tl-the contact owns a 2004 Toyota Sienna. The contact stated that while attempting to back the vehicle out of her garage, she put the vehicle in rear drive and accelerated, but the vehicle went forward. The contact put her foot on the break and, applied the parking brake, and turned the vehicle off. After eight hours the contact attempted to restart the vehicle. The vehicle would not restart and was stuck in second gear even though the instrument panel read that the vehicle was in park position. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 160,000. Cs.

On clear, dry pavement at moderate (50mph -60 mph) highway speeds, the traction control has unexpectedly engaged. This has occurred multiple times on both slight banking turns and on straight sections of roadway. Previous to each incident the vehicle was under predictable driver control with no sudden steering changes; yet the traction control activated causing sudden braking, difficulty steering, audible alarm sounds, and dashboard traction control light illumination. The vehicle is difficult to control during the 5- 10 second durations. Continued safe driving can only be done by manually disengaging the traction control system. I note that tires were recently replaced and front end wheel alignment was performed.

Starting from a stop and accelerating up to approx 20 mph, abs tracs vsc lights illuminated with beeping alert, and activation of brakes causing a sudden deceleration. The road was dry, level pavement, no ice, no gravel, driving straight and the brakes were not being applied. There were no conditions that would necessitate the traction control. As the brakes were not being applied at the time of the incident, the rear brake lights would not have illuminated. Therefore, any driver behind our vehicle would not have been alerted to the sudden deceleration which could have resulted in a collision. Fortunately this was not the case. This is the 2nd time that this issue has occurred with this vehicle. The first was in Nov. 2007 (46000 miles in the vehicle). Toyota service was not able to find a fault, no codes stored and not able to replicate at that time. They said that they would have a corporate contact get in touch with me. I never heard from them. Nothing was resolved. There are at least two tsbs related to the vsc issue (TSB br004-03 and br008-04). Neither was implemented.

On numerous occasions, (the first incident occurring November 2013 and most recent 6/23/2014), the stability//traction control system suddenly engaged. Most of the incidents occurred while on the freeway with speeds between 50-55 mph, usually on straightaway sections, sometimes during a gentle bank usually toward the right. On all occasions, the roads were dry and the driver was not applying the brakes at the time. Without warning, the brakes suddenly engage causing the van to feel like it was lunging forward and making it difficult to control the vehicle. A series of rapid beeps would occur and the traction sensor would illuminate. The entire episode would last for several seconds. During these episodes, the vehicle is difficult to control and passengers/other drivers are in danger.

The vehicle stability system activated while travelling 75 mph on the interstate. The car was travelling on a section of road that curved to the left. Due to the braking action induced by the vsc at the highway speed, the car swerved and almost hit vehicles in the other lanes. The car has exhibited this behavior many times, and there are at least two sections of road where I can make it happen at will. Due to the extreme danger of losing control of the car while it is applying the brakes, I have disabled the vsc system, causing loss of anti-lock brakes, vsc, etc. This is a common problem with a lot of complaints on multiple web sites.

In the early summer of 2013, I was traveling north on I-15, approx 5 minutes to st. George, utah on a beautiful clear day when the car began to swerve and the yellow skid light came on and the emergency beeping sound alarmed and the car slows down on its own--I no longer have control over accelerating the speed of the car. It frightened and alarmed me and my passengers. Within about 5 seconds the light went off and the alarming beeping sound stopped and now I have control of the speed of the car. I have traveled that road several times since and the same incident has occurred at approx the same spot. However, in 2014, during my travels to and fro on this same highway where the speed limit is 65-75mph, the incident occurs in several other spots along I-15 north and southbound. The skid light and the alarming beeping sound even went off when coming to a stop going approx. 5mph. The indicator light and alarm sound seems to be getting more and more sensitive. The same incident has been occurring this year every day on my way home from work at the same spot on I-215. Even though the speed limit is 65mph, I have to slow down to less than 50mph in order to avoid this occurrence. This creates a very hazardous situation since I am slowing down for apparently no reason to the cars behind me who are traveling at the speed limit.

My car is a 2004 Toyota Sienna awd xle limited. The vehicle will activate the vehicle skid control (vsc) without warning while driving on smooth dry roads. The effect is for the vehicle to apply brakes strongly to specific wheels pulling the car strongly to one side. This happens most frequently while driving winding roads and in corners. It has become more regular it it's occurnce and has happened on relatively straight sections of highway most recently. A similar situation occured approx 2 years ago. At that time the retailer repaired it by adusting the steering sensor used by the vsc and stated that this should be done periotically dependant on alignment work done on the vehicle. This solved the issue at that time. It is very dangerous both to the vehicle which requires great effort to maintain control and the vehicles following it which are at risk of rear ending the effected car. The Toyota retailer initially indicated that a catalyst failure was the cause (yes they said this). I was told that the cat failure could induce other brake and engine related failures. The cat was replaced and the vsc failure has resumed. At this time no failures of any kind are indicated. I have researched this topic and find about a dozen identical failures on 2014 Toyota Siennas documented in various user forums. As there are only a few documented on the NHTSA site I am concerned that the situation is under reported. Many of these user forums indicate that the symptoms were reported to the manufacturer. My most recent trouble report case number from Toyota is 1308160316.

This has been happening regularly for at least two years: traction control seizes control of car when traveling anywhere from 35-65mph, but it happens most frequently on freeway at about 60mph. The car is usually on a gradual curve but it also happens when the vehicle is traveling on a straightaway. Vehicle becomes difficult to control, steer, accelerate, lights on the dash light up and a terrible noise ensues. One independent mechanic and two Toyota dealers have attempted to troubleshoot the problem and have been unsuccessful. When traction control is manually turned off at engine power-on, the lights still light up showing it is attempting to seize control, and in one instance, control was seized despite the system supposedly being shut down. It is terrifying for the driver as well as any passengers.

Vsc (vehicle stability control) is activated in curves at speeds between 25 mph and 60 mph. Surface is dry and curves are gradual with appropriate and safe driving speeds. The vsc light goes on and warning buzzer goes off. The brakes shudder and the vehicle is DE-throttled. Vehicle control is reduced for 3 to 5 seconds and then the vsc deactivates. Concerned that this will be a problem when the road surface is slick. Dealer could not find malfunction codes and could not duplicate problem so no fix. This situation occurs almost every day at least once. Keeping incident log. Web sites indicate this could be steering sensor calibration. Dealer cleaned sensor parts and this did not resolve problem. Contacted Toyota and they said to continue working with the dealer. TSB is out for yaw sensor failure and steering calibration.

The contact owns a 2004 Toyota Sienna. The contact stated that while driving between 20-30 mph, the traction warning light illuminated as the vehicle began to jerk violently. The contact also stated that the steering wheel would become very hard to steer. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the failure could not be duplicated. The manufacturer was contacted and no assistance was offered to the contact. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unknown and the current mileage was 98,000.

As car was being driven in a parking lot the brakes were suddenly applied as the vsc dashboard light was lite. The car vibrated and slowed in a near stop. Brake pedal was nearly useless. The conditions were clear with a dry mostly level pavement. Attempted to drive vehicle about one mile to home not knowing if incident would be repeated. However, it was repeated without warning about every 5 to 10 seconds. Speed never exceeded about 10 miles per hour.

The contact owns a 2004 Toyota Sienna. The contact stated that while driving 35 mph, the vsc and the traction off light illuminated causing the brake to engage independently. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for inspection. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 20,000.

The vehicle stability control has been engaging when it should not be. While driving at moderate speeds, into a slight turn, the vsc engages for a few seconds slowing down the car. It has been doing this now for the past few months while driving at moderate speeds when it should not be engaging. It is a little disconcerting when this happens being I know that it should not be doing this at that time.

Driving my 2004 Toyota Sienna 65mph on the highway on dry pavement the vsc light went on, a buzzer sounded, and I was unable to steer or brake the vehicle. The steering wheel started moving rapidly right and left causing the car to fishtail and the brake pedal went going in and out on its own. Everything went back to normal after about 20 seconds or so, and I pulled off into the breakdown lane. I then pulled out again slowly to get my car in a safer area and it happned again. This time I was going much slower but it was horrifying none the less. I then pulled off the road and had the car towed to the Toyota dealer. I found that a technical service bulletin had been issued on my car in 2005 and that the steering angle sensor was the culprit. The bulletin says that "some customers may experience an intermittent vsc activation. " owners of the 2004 Sienna have not been notified of this problem, which after experiencing is clearly a safety issue, and there should have been a recall rather than a TSB. The TSB seems cleverly worded to avoid the fact that a driver could loose all control of the steering wheel and brakes which is clearly a safety issue.

2004 Toyota Sienna van, the vehicle stability control system (vsc) goes into skid prevention mode and automatically applies the brakes, disconnects the accelerator, and selects one side or wheel to apply braking force to. This has the effect of causing the car to shudder, skid and move dangerously close to the outside edge of a curve. This has occurred 15-20 times in my car since its purchase. I have taken it for repair by the dealer three times. Some "rusted" parts were replaced the first time. The next two times, I was told the vehicle was working properly. The vsc activated at speeds that were at or below the speed limit and in conditions where no realistic possibility of a skd was present. The problem is intermittent as I have driven over the same roads at the same or higher speeds for years without activation of the vsc. When it does activate it is frightening, and it causes a significant danger of losing control of the car or veering out of your lane. After a period of no activity, I have suddenly had 7 incidents in the last week occurring between Dec. 24, 2010 and January 2, 2011. The problem first arose approximately three years ago. There have been 4 or 5 isolated incidents, but now there has been a serious and dramatic increase in the frequency of the vsc failure.

Traveling between 35-45 mph on dry, straight roads, the vsc (vehicle skid control) engaged without cause. Alarm sounded, vehicle skid light turned on, vehicle automatically applied brakes to the point that they made some squealing noise, throttle was unresponsive, and vehicle steering pulled to the left. We pulled over and stopped the vehicle, in hopes that it would clear the problem. We started up again only to have the same problem a couple of minutes later. This happened four times on the way home. Would hate to see what would have happened at highway speed while pulling our popup camper.

Just over 1 year ago, the vsc warning indicator came on and it was found that one of the steering sensors was bad. I had it replaced. Two days ago, the vsc warning light came on again. From all of the research that I have done, this seems to be a reoccuring problem for Toyota on the Sienna's and sequoia's.

I have a 04 Sienna w/ 49,000 miles. The check engine light, vsc and trac control light came on several times since I purchased my car back in 04. They would just turned off after the car was shut off.

The vsc has activated multiple times on my van for no apparent reason. While driving at any speed and usually in a turn, the vsc light will flash, the warning beep will beep, and the abs brakes will automatically be applied and the engine will quickly decelerate. I have almost been rear-ended several times because the van will suddenly decide to decelerate. I have no control over when this happens and no control of the van when it does!.

I have 2004 awd Sienna. A week ago, when I started the car in a freezing morning and drove in subdivision road, the slippery light and beep came on and the brake acted here and there on the wheels. At the very beginning, I thought the road was slippery. But it was not the case. There was no way my van was skidding all the time. I was only driving at 10 mph. Then I realized the vsc was wrongly activated. Whenever I get to more than 10mph, vsc got activated and broke the speed down to 5 mph. I could only drive at 5mph without getting vsc activated. Then I realized I could not drive this van on the road. I parked it back in garage. The next day, my wife drove it out of the garage and got the same symptom. We put the van back to garage for another 3 days before I was about to call a tow truck to tow it to a dealer for examination. I tried it again. Miraculously, the problem went away. I went to the dealer and talked to the service adviser, he said he knew nothing about the problem (recall etc. ) and asked me to bring the van back for service once the problem happens again. My van appears to be working correctly now, but I dare not drive it far away from home. I know the problem is not gone. It will come back at the most inconvenient time. I do not want to be stranded in a snow storm at -30 degrees f that I can only drive at 5mph (that is what the weather is like here in chicago at this time of the year). I do not want to be thousand miles away from home when the problem happens again. It would be nightmare if vsc wrongly comes on at high way speed.

2004 Toyota Sienna xle limited- uncontrolled cruise control acceleration/deceleration. The problem has continuously occurred since purchase in September 2004. Dealership denies problems. Dynamic cruise controlsystem causes my car to dangerously accelerate and decelerate. When laser detects nearby vehicle, the car will brake abruptly. Likewise, once the nearby car is no longer in laser range, the car will accelerate abruptly to return to the set cruise control speed. I have almost been hit from behind multiple times on freeways because of the abrupt deceleration. I have been caught off guard several times by the acceleration and nearly lost control of the vehicle. The only way to stop the rapid acceleration and deceleration is to press the brake in order to disengage the cruise control system. I have never driven a car with such a dangerous cruise control system. I no longer use my cruise control system because I fear that I'll be unable to disengage the system and lose control of the vehicle.

Vsc engages at highway speeds: vehicle alarm sounds, brakes deploy abruptly and unexpectedly, steering pulls, accelerator goes dead (pulse races, adrenaline courses). First complained to dealer after four incidents in first 20k miles: had online testimonials of yaw sensor, steering angle sensor and ecm replacements as possible remedies; dealer rebuffed my complaints, denying service to sensors, and suggested my tires had 'gone square'. I have lived with the condition for a total of seven years. The car now 'goes off' maybe three times per every 20 miles driven, unpredictably and always shockingly. My family refuses to ride in the car. I cannot sell it in good conscience, as the defects cannot be confirmed by the dealer (and apparently therefore do not exist), so there is no way for it to be 'made safe' for a succeeding owner. Its remaining $10k+ equity has been nullified by this defect.