Steering Column problems of the 2004 Toyota Sienna

Our 2004 Toyota Sienna developed a clicking or popping sound in the steering column when turning left or right after about 3 seasons of winter driving in minnesota. The dealer said that they did not hear/feel the problem. Each consecutive winter the symptoms would get worse and the Toyota dealer claimed they could not duplicate the noise or hear a problem. About 4 months ago, the steering became erratic and felt un-boosted at times requiring a great deal of effort to turn the wheel. I did some research online and came across a Toyota technical service bulletin st003-04 where they describe a shaft noise that is caused by corrosion. The NHTSA investigation concluded that Toyota's claims that the noise was minor, not a safety hazard, and occurred infrequently. We took the Sienna back to the dealer and I specifically asked them to examine the intermediate shaft and showed them the TSB. They reported back that I had a severely corroded intermediate shaft from road salt and it had siezed at one end of the connection. The TSB campaign was only good for the first 36,000 miles (our van had about 82,000 miles at the time of the repair) so the out of cost expense to make the vehicle safe to steer again was $527. I can not speak to the frequency this defect affects other 2004 Siennas, but I can attest to a number of near misses on the road caused by the erratic and lack of power steering assist caused until the repair was finally diagnosed and fixed. Corrosion resistance of steering components should be a fundamental attribute of any vehicle as the loss or diminished capacity of that function instantly creates a hazard to the vehicle occupants and others on the road.

The contact owns a 2004 Toyota Sienna. When the contact started the vehicle, she noticed that the steering column became very stiff and difficult to maneuver when turning. There were no warning indicators illuminated prior to the failure. The vehicle was taken to a local repair shop and the mechanic stated that a shaft was failing. The repair would cost $375. The contact is currently waiting for the parts to arrive for the repair. She is in the process of notifying the manufacturer. The failure mileage was 111,000 and current mileage was 112,000.

Large noise in the steering column while turning left.

The contact owns a 2004 Toyota Sienna. While driving 10-15 mph, the steering wheel vibrated and he heard a clunking noise when he made a turn. The dealer stated that there was a defect for the intermediate steering shaft. The steering shaft was replaced with an upgraded part. There had been no other occurrences since the replacement. The current and failure mileages were 68,000. The VIN was unavailable.

Our family is deeply troubled and worried about the safeness of our 2004 Toyota Sienna le-8 every time we use it on the road. Our van has been having intermittent vsc, kicking which started early this year. First, it will hesitate to accelerate followed by vsc kicking then automatic braking engages then sudden pull of the steering to the left. The vsc keeps flashing and beeps continuously unless I slow down to around 20mph. I even showed the dealer copies of Sienna owners complaints with similar problem and tsbs regarding yaw rate sensor and steering column sensor. But still could not fix or duplicate the problem. Nothing was done to correct the problem and no parts replaced or repaired.

We noticed that the steering for the 2004 Toyota Sienna was beginning to get hard. Sometimes it felt like there was no power steeing, then it would become easier. I thought it was a lack of power steering fluid, but found out it was the intermediate steering shaft. The switching from hard-to-turn steering to regular power steering made driving difficult and unpredictable. Toyota issued two TSB's on this steering shaft component, and, I understood had recalled the same component in its prius model. Something should be done about this danger.