general problems of the 2005 Toyota Sienna - part 1

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. . Read more...

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. . Read more...

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. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30 mph, the vehicle stability control warning indicator illuminated, the vehicle lost speed and the rear skitted sideways. The contact also stated that the failure occurred for approximately 30 days and only when going above 30 mph and getting more frequent. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic for a diagnosis. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 143,000. Bp.

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.

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!.

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 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.

2005 Toyota Sienna. Consumer writes in regards to vehicle brakes malfunction. The consumer stated while driving down the highway at normal speed, the anti-skid activated on a dry road. The consumer stated the incident happened several more times, each time as the road curved to the right. The vehicle was taken to a mechanic. However, he was unable to find a problem, except for over-inflated tires. The consumer took the vehicle to another mechanic, but to no avail. The abs continued to activate. After doing some research, it was determined the issue was the steering sensor. It was replaced at a cost of $ 850. As the consumer left the shop, the left rear brake was not working properly, making odd sounds.

The contact owns a 2005 Toyota Sienna. The contact stated that while driving approximately 45 mph, the traction control warning light illuminated and an audible alarm was activated before the steering suddenly jerk the vehicle to the left and right. The contact indicated that the failure had occurred on multiple occasions and would only last a few seconds. The cause of the failure was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 185,000.

The contact owns a 2005 Toyota Sienna. While driving at 25 mph, the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The contact had to apply force to the steering wheel in order to steer the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure recurred on numerous occasions. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 139,350.

Car difficult to turn at all speeds. Dealer states bad power steering rack and shaft may also be bad.

I noticed a clunking noise when turning into a parking spot. It also felt like my van was diving into the parking spot. I took my van into Toyota for another reason and was told at the time it was leaking at the rack and needed a new drive shaft and boot to the tune of 1200 dollars. We are still debating what to do and are very disappointed in Toyota. We purchased this vehicle based on Toyota's reputation for quality but have found this vehicle particularly repair prone. We have already replaced the radiator, parking brake and had a very expensive serpentine belt replacement due to the fusion of dissimilar metals. It seems to me that Toyota's engineers should have understood the consequences of designing a vehicle with dissimilar metals that come into direct contact. We have never owned such a repair prone vehicle.

Steering problem involving a "freezing" of the wheel and then a gradual ability to resume steering. Problem increasingly happening while making a turn and not just at start up.

Steering wheel would suddenly be hard to turn at certain spots while driving.

On hwy 1 from pacifica to santa cruz, driving approx, 45-50mph around the bends and curves, the van's vsc light would come on along with warning beeping and the car would try to "correct" itself by steering straight when I needed it not to. This happened again approx. 1-2 months later while driving along hwy 50, at approx. 45-50mph up to south lake tahoe on the same dry, but winding/curvy roads, the car would try to "correct" itself by steering straight. Again, on June 17th, along hwy 50 approx. 45-50mph just taking the exit off of the freeway, steering into the right hand turn lane, the car vsc light, beeping and steering "correction". This is very dangerous!!!! I am surprised that it has not caused an accident yet!. I need the car to turn for a reason!! please feel free to contact me for further information. I took it to the Toyota dealership and they said that the van had no logs from the sensors (steering angle or yaw). We asked them to recalibrate it (set it back to zero), but that obviously hasn't worked. I have ordered a new steering angle sensor and I am having it installed and the system recalibrated, in hopes that will fix the issue.

Vehicle's traction control engages without cause when traveling more than 35 mph on a curve or bend. Road speed limit is somewhere between 55-60 mph. If vehicle is traveling more than 40 mph, car's traction control and brakes engage, slowing car down to 35 mph. Road conditions are normal. Vehicle has been seen by local Toyota dealership over 5 times in the last year. They are unable to diagnose issue or reproduce it. We have been almost been rear ended due to this faulty issue.

Steering problem involving a "freezing" of the wheel and then a gradual ability to resume steering. Today the problem occurred while making a turn and not just at start up.

My wife started the car and claimed how hard it was to turn the steering wheel. We drove to a location using the expressway and the problem continued. It made turning under motion very difficult. I took the wheel on our return and confirmed how awkward it was. So we drove to our garage. They called us later and said the input shaft malfunctioned. Cost of part from Toyota $374. 19 plus tax and labor. Only one left in stock. Is it possible that Toyota has a problem that needs to be recognized and recalled before there are serious accidents?.

Upon routine oil change appointment, vehicle was found to need the power steering rack replaced. It appears this has been a common problem in Toyota Sienna minivans model years 2004 through 2006. Repair requires replacing power steering rack and aligning car, totaling more than $1000. 00.

2005 Toyota Sienna's vehicle stability control engaged for no reason while in many different conditions (dry, wet, curve, straight, it didn't matter) making me lose control of the car. The vsc, trac off and check engine lights came on and a beeping sound engaged while the care took over not allowing driver input. I had to put it in neutral until it turned off. I have read many accounts online of other Toyota Sienna drivers experiencing the same dangerous problem. Thank goodness when it has happened, I haven't had a truck or semi next to me. This is my family car in which I need to drive my kids and other people's kids, and I cannot drive it anymore. Toyota has to fix this problem, since it is a manufacturer problem.

While I was driving, my steering started locking on me. I was going thru mountain driving and as I try to get control on situation it started to become much harder to control. To avoid any unpleasant incident I decided to move over in right lane and slow down significantly to keep control on the car. Once the mountain driving was over I tried to find reliable shop to get this issue fixed as this was getting worst. We were fortunate to come out without injury but next family facing this issue might not be. I did research regarding this issue on internet and it appears that many more consumer has experience similar problem with same model. I would like to request a proper investigation for consumer safety. Thank you.

The steering on this vehicle has become very hard. At variuos speeds the steering goes from fluid to hard, and feels as though it's turning on a flat tire.

Steering very hard and "bumpy" during low speed maneuvering when first driven for the day. Internet search revealed many others have very similar problem that improved after spraying "steering knuckle" with penetrating type oil. Appears steering link is becoming corroded and sticky. Vehicle is always garaged when not being driven. Called Toyota dealer, they are aware of problem but say Toyota hq has not authorized them to do any work without full pay. Appears lots of people are having belts, power steering pumps, etc replaced at great expense at independent and dealer repair shops without solving the problem or the problem even being correctly diagnosed. Lucky I have internet and refer to it in these situations. Guess I can now have mine repaired for $1-2000 or do the temporary oil fix. Lots of money when its a manufacturing design defect and they won't help.

Vehicle did feel safe to drive because it was very hard to turn and driving was like there was a loose wheel. My wife almost climbed curves when she tried to make turns. Brought the car to the dealer and they replaced the binding steering shaft shaft and binding steering rack. The 2005 Toyota Sienna had only 41,000 milea on it. The car was not involved in any accident or major repair. I believe this is a safety issue and a recall need be issued.

Steering has become difficult on 2005 Sienna. Feels like it is binding and releasing. It is intermediate and can happen during turning or a sticking when adjusting down a straight away. Thru the internet, it seems the intermediate shaft assembly with a universal joint that fails from corrosion is to blame and I will be replacing it soon. After documented cases here and several Toyota tsbs this isn't getting as much consideration as it deserves.

Steering leaking.

I noticed that occasionally the steering would be a little stiff. Then the steering became very stiff when turning. Often the steering would jerk to one side or another leading to the car moving suddenly. The car is not drivable now. The entire steering shaft is being replaced at an approximate cost of $1500.