Radiator problems of the 2004 Toyota Sienna

Radiator failure resulting in coolant leakage in the transmission fluid and transmission is failing. I noticed my 2004 Toyota Sienna had some belt noise that got worse. The van was due for a water pump/timing belt change. Later the engine temperature gauge read high and after checking the fluids noticed the antifreeze level to be low and topped it up. A week later while driving on the highway steam started coming out of the hood. I noticed the pink fluid had also leaked out of a tube (looked like a relief tube) on the driver side. Radiator level was low. The transmission fuel looked pinkish and read about six inches above the max level on the dipstick. Trans fluid was milky pink, thick, and had grainy deposit. Took the van to the autoland dealer in springfield, NJ to diagnose the problem and to have the water pump and timing belt change at the same time. Had to leave the van overnight. I picked up the vehicle with a nearly $2000 bill for repairs (brakes, tire rotation, timing belt and water pump) other than changing the trans. Fluid or telling me what was wrong. Dealer said someone put additive to the fluid???. Note that only autoland had been servicing the vehicle. They refused to change the trans fluid. "I am not touching that. " the dealer said. I now know from a local trans repair shop that the radiator was leaking coolant into the trans fluid. A known problem with radiators on Toyota vehicles that had a recall. I never received notice of the recall. I now have an estimated $4,000 problem to replace the radiator and transmission that could have been prevented if autoland had done its job properly and not refused to change the trans. Fluid. I am very disappointed with Toyota and with autoland's service.

My wife and I purchased a 2004 Toyota siena with 25,000 mi. It was a used vehicle when we purchased it. When we purchased the vehicle we also purchased a 7 year, 100,000 mile bumper to bumper extended warrantee that has currently expired. Approximately three months ago we notices that when coming to a stop there was a thump below the vehicle which we originally thought was the transmission. My wife and I brought it to a local shop and explained that when the vehicle hits approximately 15 mph we feel a thump below the vehicle towards the center. Regardless of breaking, accelerating or coasting we felt a thump. We had problems with the transmission while the vehicle was under warrantee. We brought it to Toyota for repair. Toyota replaced the transmission “under warrantee” at approximately 95,000 miles with a brand new transmission. We currently have the vehicle at a local repair shop. They have informed us that the way that the Toyota transmission works is that they have a pipe that runs through the radiator. That allows for cooling for the transmission fluid. We were informed that due to age, the pipe simply corroded and cracked causing coolant to leak into the transmission and transmission fluid to leak into the radiator. We requested the simplest solutions and we were told to replace the radiator and flush the tranny and hope for the best. The repair shop has had the vehicle for approximately a month because the ordered an aftermarket radiator in an effort to save us money. The after marker radiator did not fit. I was informed this past weekend that after speaking with Toyota, Toyota has recognized this issue and has discontinued the standard radiators and a new model with mounts now needs to be ordered. Our feeling is that this is a safety issue as well as a design flaw. What can be done?.

There is a crack in my Toyota Sienna 2004 radiator and the coolant is leaking. I received a letter from Toyota with information that they had received reports of cracks in radiators in 2004 and 2005 Toyota Siennas. As a result of these reports Toyota was extending the warranty on these radiators to 6 years or 72,000 miles from the in-service date. Since I noticed the crack in the radiator in my 2004 Toyota Sienna when it had 85,000 miles, Toyota has refused to pay even a % of the cost of replacing the radiator. I bought the Toyota Sienna and paid the higher price because of Toyota's reputation for using very high quality parts in its cars. I previously owned a Toyota camry and had almost 200,000 miles on it. I did not have any problems with the radiator in my Toyota camry. I called Toyota's customer service department about this problem and they refused to do anything about it, saying that the car is out of the warranty period since it has 85,000 miles. Clearly, the crack in my 2004 Toyota Sienna is directly due to the defective radiator. So many 2004 and 2005 Toyota owners are having problems of cracked radiators after the expiration of the extended warranty period of 6 years or 72,000 miles. The arbitrary extended warranty period of 6 years and 72,000 miles does not protect the Toyota Sienna owners from the defective radiator because in most cases the radiator will crack just after the extended warranty has expired. Toyota should take responsibility for using a defective radiator and at least reimburse owners 50% to 70% of the cost of replacing the defective radiator when it cracks after 72,000 miles.

Engine overheated on numerous occasions, slow loss of radiator coolant noted, and 2 engine thermostats replaced before cracked radiator was discovered. While owner was investigating problem, it was discovered that Toyota issued a couple of years ago a TSB and a limited warranty extension to replace radiators from this year (2004) and the next (2005) of the Sienna van. However, we have been only owner of this van and have received every other notice from Toyota regarding this model year of van including the bad door hinges (replaced under warranty), gas struts on rear hatch (replaced under warranty), and bad seat belt bezel (replaced under warranty) - but we never received any notice of the radiator issue - our radiator is now damaged beyond repair and needs replacement and Toyota will not replace even though this is apparently a well known issue at Toyota. There should be a full recall on this item given the amount of known bad radiators out there. This is a safety issue as the radiator is prone to sudden and catastrophic failure. The only known repair is to replace the radiator. There is extensive online documentation of this issue - but Toyota continues to stonewall most owners on this problem due to the expense (this is much more expensive to fix than the bad hinge, gas strut, and seat belt bezel that did have safety bulletins issued on them. . Read more...

The contact owns a 2004 Toyota Sienna. While driving under 40 mph, the air conditioner failed to work properly. The air conditioner stopped working and the temperature on the thermostat continued to rise the following day. The contact checked the coolant and noticed that there was no antifreeze; therefore, she refilled the radiator. This did not keep the vehicle from overheating. She took the vehicle to a local dealer and they stated that there was a leak in the radiator core. The vehicle has not been repaired. The VIN was unknown. The failure and current mileages were 93,000.

Overheating radiator, I was told it was a product recall from Toyota,I was never notified, nor do I see the recall mentioned anywhere,I was also treated very rudely at boch Toyota in norwood MA when I complained about it.

The vehicle overheated and caused the engine to seize while driving 45 mph. Consumer and his children were left strained for several hours before help arrived. Vehicle was towed to the dealer, who d replaced the radiator, which was covered under a recall. Consumer stated he was never notified of this recall.

Radiator ruptured and the engine overheated; hose replaced in steering column recall; rust protective tape recall; dvd screen replaced and the entire dvd player replaced(screen still not easily visible in middle row); passenger seat belt replaced; middle passenger seat belt failing; gasoline smell inside of car with ac on recirculation; driver's window fell inside door in snow storm and was not considered a safety issue to get a loaner vehicle even though the vehicle could not be locked; tires completely bald and leaking under 30,000 miles, dvd player must be at a high db volume and when returned to radio/cd will almost deafen you; interior lights have to be manually over ridden or will drain battery; car hesitates 1-2 seconds when trying to quickly accelerate and then lurches forward alarmingly; cruise control is not functioning; waiting to have fuel mixture sensor replaced. I was not informed of first 2 recalls until I my engine overheated. I did get the rust recall and a sticker on my sliding door informing user of danger of having middle windows open while opening the middle door could catch a head or other extremity. Toyota dealer service manager says mine is the only 04 Sienna experiencing any problems except for the recalls on the radiator; the steering hose; the rust tape; and the middle seat belt. Not so according to all I have read here. Most of the problems have occurred between 22,000 and 34,000 miles; the dvd screen always failed to lock into a good position for the middle row viewers.

Email fm lisa dawn jones (ky) re her defective 2001 Toyota Sienna, the gas tank & radiator have been replaced & the engine gelled. The consumer recently purchased a 2004 Sienna after learning that it was totally redesigned including the engine. Immediately after purchasing the vehicle the consumer heard that there was a problem with the gas tank. The vehicle has been taken to the dealer several times. To date the consumer has had the gas tank replaced, the radiator replaced and is in the process of having the gas tank replaced a second time.

I bought the Toyota Sienna on July 4 2003. I received a recall notice within a month and had repair done on August 29, 2003. The gasoline tank repair was done incorrectly, resulting in me being stranded away from my home, with two kids in the car, with gasoline oozing all over the ground. This was a clear fire hazard. Then in October 2004, I was driving on the highway, the driver side window came out of the frame. The dealership agreed it was manufacturer's defect and fixed it. I felt very unsafe driving home in that car. E now have received a recall notice about steering fluid hose defect and radiator defect. With 5 defects in one year after buying a new car I feel it is a safety hazard to drive this vehicle with two kids. This is also the car I use for commuting. I cannot rely on this vehicle any more.