general problems of the 2011 Toyota Sienna

Power steering light came on while driving causing the steering system to lose power suddenly. Almost got into an accident because I couldn't effectively turn the wheel. Mechanic inspected and found the steering motor was bad and that cpu needed to be replaced costing almost $4000 in repairs. Now my car is not driveable unless this is fixed. Car has only 140k miles. This is a very common problem with Toyota Siennas around these model years.

The intermediate shaft makes a clunking noise when turning the steering wheel.

8/27/21 Friday, 5:30pm the steering wheel tightened up, making it extremely hard to maneuver, while the vehicle was in motion. Almost got into an accident when I couldn't turn in time to avoid drifting into adjacent lane. Brought it to my local dealer and they claimed the motor failed, needed to be replaced and since it's attached to the steering column and shaft, I would need to replace the complete system, $4600 before nys tax, which means it will cost me over $5000 before I can get my vehicle back. The vehicle has not been inspected by any other entity or agency. The issue happened on Thursday night, 8/26/21, very suddenly, as I was pulling out of a parking space, suddenly the steering got really hard, almost hit another vehicle as I pulled out, then the steering wheel light came on as I was avoiding the other vehicle. 8/27/21, Friday, this morning, I dropped off the vehicle dropped off with the dealer's service dept. My service adviser called me this afternoon, about 2 hours ago, and gave me this bad news. I checked online and found other owners of the Sienna model having the same exact issues. Also found out other Toyotas models with same issues had recalls over the years, only the Sienna was never recalled. This is too dangerous an issue not to be recalled by Toyota. . Read more...

The steering wheel is too lose. Even with all the full suspension replace. It not safe at all. It need to recall the steering shaft , and the rack and pinion. Some time it feel hard, sometimes it very loose, uncontrollable. Please recall the steering system.

2011 Toyota Sienna, front suspension making noises and clicking. Air conditioning not working when car is idling. Rear backing camera does not work only in the night time. . And it has been at the multiple Toyota dealerships and they can. Not figure it out.

Steering component keeps getting loose. I have had to replace twice in 2 years. I am afraid that this, if not corrected, can lead to accidents.

The contact owns a 2011 Toyota Sienna. While making a right turn, the contact heard an abnormal popping sound and the air bag warning indicator illuminated. When the contact attempted to turn the steering wheel left, it was manual/stiff and the horn failed. The vehicle was driven to the local dealer (fred anderson Toyota of sanford, 3321 nc hwy 87 s, sanford, nc, 27332) where it was diagnosed that the steering spiral cable assembly failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired because the parts had to be ordered. The manufacturer was contacted and provided case number: 1710102139. The manufacturer stated that only canada was included in a recall for the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 115,000.

The contact owns a 2011 Toyota Sienna. The contact stated that while reversing from a parking space, the steering seized without warning. The contact was not able to turn in either direction and had to restart the vehicle to regain steering capabilities. The contact also stated that on a separate occasion, the key could not be turned in the ignition. The contact had to call roadside assistance to get the vehicle started. The vehicle was taken to the dealer however, they were unable diagnose the failure. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 24,000.

Started to notice this back in Nov 2013 when going downhill or 65 mph. My van steering wheel started to shake and rattle. Brought over to dealership and they didn't find anything except to charge me $125 for diagnostics. Says more likely rotor need resurface. My van still under btob warranty but we're told not covered under warranty. That's ridiculous. Time past 4 months later, still rattling. Brought over to dealership to get it brake/rotor replaced and resurface 3/27/14. Still rattling. . . . . . Very disappointed with Toyota knowing they know the workmanship defects and not accepting it.

We were infomed by Toyota service that the tires are balding and need replacement. They informed us that this is a tire issue. We contacted firestone, and they informed us that there are issues with the Sienna prematurely wearing out tires due to alignment issues with the design of the Sienna. Firestone agreed to pay for half the cost of new tires. Toyota on the hand has given us the run around and is not taking ownership. We have found that through blogs there are customers that are replacing tires after less than a year of use (<15k miles). We have the entire thread of conversations and maintenance records that show that there is a problem with the design and manufacture of the vechicle's alignment as verified by Toyota service and other repair shops. This is the 5th new car we have owned, and tires last at least 40k miles. Toyota should own up to this and inform customers that they will need to replace tires every 15k miles!.

For every maintenance service through Toyota care, I pointed my concerns on a steering "pop" sound while making u-turns under very low speed, and a sense of steering unstability on highways under windy conditions, as well as wearing tires rapidly. All the time the dealer´s technicians answer was: "a green report for every safety point, suspension and aligmment was proof of no problems at all". I am replacing 4 tires (to serve 65 000) at 45 000 miles totally worn out with uneven patterns specially the ones at front wheels, even following regular rotation program. I think would be good to post this imformation, knowing others concerns in the same matter and to bring the manufacturer´s attention for possible recall in this issue.

We bought our first minivan - a Toyota Sienna xle 2011- barely two weeks ago from Toyota laurel, MD. The second day, the steering started to creak when making turns. Now, the trunk door has stopped working and the local new jersey dealership dch Toyota is telling us it has been "bent". They are refusing to fix it or replace the vehicle and are telling us our insurance company needs to pay to fix it. The door is not damaged or dented/dinged in any way. It's perfectly fine, except it doesn't close anymore with the remote closing/opening buttons. We believe something is wrong with the electronics, or that the door was not correctly put in when the car was being manufactured. We have a child and would like to know what else is going to break down in this new car through no fault of our own.