Steering Problems of Toyota Sienna - part 1

Purchased a **2025 Sienna xse** with severe alignment issues since new. After * failed repair attempts** at fort bend Toyota, the steering is now worse, and they damaged my wheel without offering solutions. This is a **safety hazard**—the car drifts dangerously at slow and highway speeds. The dealership dismissed my concerns, forcing me to escalate to **NHTSA** and **Toyota corporate**. Avoid for serious mechanical issues—safety clearly isn’t their priority.

Vehicle often applies brakes on its own . At first it was only in turns . However now it does it when driving straight on the the freeway or just down the street at 45mph. I have fixed my alignment ,new tires, all of the front suspension and nothing prevents the car from trying to brake for me. It is a safety feature that is not safe at all. A car slamming on your brakes at any speed is dangerous in addition to that it seems to cut off your fuel , leaving you unable to accelerate until its done beeping which can take a long time. The vsc , chenk engine and trac off flash there is no crash to report I have been lucky so far.

See all problems of the 2004 Toyota Sienna 🔎.

The traction control system commonly malfunctions while making turns on curving road sections. I will lose power through turns as the tcs light blinks on my dashboard and makes a beeping sound. On some occasions the brakes will automatically engage in the tire that the car perceives as experiencing slippage. This problem is continuously worsening and commonly endangers me and my passengers, as the car engages brakes or cuts power to the engine at unexpected and in opportune times.

I have had the traction control go on while driving on the highway even when I turn it off. Sometimes the vsc and trac off lights go on while driving. The roads are dry. Whenever I take it in to the mechanic, all the lights are off. They pulled a zero calibration code and recalibrated. It still kept happening. Then I was driving around a curve on highway speeds when the traction control light went on and the van suddenly braked on its own and I almost lost control. The tires are new and the roads were dry.

See all problems of the 2008 Toyota Sienna 🔎.

While driving typically around 35 mph and either left or right turn the vehicle traction control engages and the van brakes and steering is affected. The roads have always been dry and in each instance the speed of the van was at or below the speed limit - traction was never lost and yet the traction control engaged as if we were in a skid. This occurred at least 12 times while driving to and from a day trip in the mountains (windy road). It has also happened multiple times at around 50 mph while turning left on a nearby flat freeway. An independent service shop has not been able to replicate the problem. The safety of the driver and passengers were at risk when it occurred on the freeway as a driver behind us got close to rear ending the van while it was in its brake mode.

I was driving around 30 mph when the vehicle suddenly turned off. The engine stopped running, all instrumentation turned off, no power steering and no brakes. The car became uncontrollable until it coasted to a stop.

See all problems of the 2017 Toyota Sienna 🔎.

In the 2-1/2 years than I have owned and driven this vehicle, I've had no problems. On Saturday, March 16,2024, driving home from a 80 mile trip, as I deaccelerated to make a left turn onto my street (speed was 7mph) I tapped the break pedal and the vehicle went bonkers! the Sienna veered right at a high rate of speed that the front end cleared the curb; the back end smashed into the curb flattening both rear tires and damaging the metal hubcaps; the vehicle speed tore off the bumper and both rear panels. I was able to steer the vehicle: missing a large 2-foot high tree stump; two other large trees; a 10-foot high solid fence at the yard back. I then drove down the sidewalk to the next intersection and was finally able to slow down. This entire time, my foot was on the break, but the vehicle would not stop. The Sienna is now at faulkners collision center in mechanicsburg with virtually no front end damage but colossal rear damage. The vehicle had 5-full maintenance checks since purchase. I was not told of any suspected problems and never received a vehicle recall. I could have been killed or may have killed others as there is a playground on the corner of this block. .

See all problems of the 2021 Toyota Sienna 🔎.

My vehicle steering/control has frozen a few times in the past 18-24 mos. This happens for me in wet conditions at slow speeds while trying to turn, usually to the right. The car also seems to slow on its own and pull to the side at these times. This has also happened while reversing out of a parking spot. I do not recall seeing any lights engage but I am more focused on steering the car safely and exterior factors at these times so I haven't noticed the dashboard. It feels like the power steering fails, and I have no control. Thankfully, I have not been moving at high rates of speed, nor been in a position to go into the lane of on-coming traffic or had someone in a lane near me, and have been able to hold in position or manually turn as much as needed. Steering seems to return once the turn is complete. I have been fearful of hitting someone or being hit from behind each time. My mechanic has been unable to recreate the experience and was unable to suggest a direct answer. I see others have had similar experiences and the same lack of answers from even Toyota. Having come across this website and seeing responses here to this exact problem I have had, I am hoping for more information or a recall soon!.

See all problems of the 2006 Toyota Sienna 🔎.

The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Sienna. The contact stated while driving approximately 50 mph, the rear-end of the vehicle started to sway to the left and the right. The contact attempted to steer the vehicle however, the steering wheel was very difficult to turn. Additionally, the contact depressed the brake pedal, and the pedal was very loose and depressed to the floorboard. The contact pulled over and had the vehicle towed to a dealer. The contact stated that the dealer was not able to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 73,000.

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.

See all problems of the 2005 Toyota Sienna 🔎.

Issues with vsc. The sensor alarm goes off when driving at more than 50 mph and slightly turning the steering wheel. The car brakes itself and this is dangerous. It happens all the time, it has been more than 5-6 years and we are to the point of not using the car on the freeway to prevent a potential fatal accident. I found posts describing the same issue with this model of Toyota. Car should be recalled to get this fixed.

The slip indicator light and alarm comes on sporadically, engaging the abs suddenly and unexpectedly, when we are on completely dry roads. Happens while driving 40-80 mph. And doesn’t matter if I’m going straight or turning.

My wife let me know that when turning to the right (not an aggressive turn, but a normal turn from one lane to the next), the whole electrical system of the minivan would shut down and then come back on. I had a mechanic check it out and they say that this is due to the electrical steering system and will have to be replaced by the dealer. He was able to reproduce the same condition where he was able to get the minivan to lose power when changing lanes. He strongly advised that we should have the vehicle towed to the dealer as he felt that it wasn't safe to drive due to this. I feel that this will end up causing a lot of crashes and also that this should be covered by the manufacturer under a recall.

See all problems of the 2012 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.

See all problems of the 2011 Toyota Sienna 🔎.

Bought the van used last year. Previous owner said mechanic could not diagnose the issue. On slight curves similar to on-ramps while accelerating the vehicle stability control (vsc) will engage unexpectedly, sound an alarm and jerk the steering wheel. Some times to the point of pulling the vehicle out of its lane. Road speed is decreased dramatically as it feels as though the abs is engaging. This has happened to me at least half a dozen times since June 2023. The condition will continue for maybe five or ten seconds until the wheel is straightened and speed reduced. Searching the internet seems it's a fairly common problem. The fix might be to replace the steering rack or disable the vsc system. It's reported by those experiencing the issue get little to no help from the dealerships which strikes me as quite strange. . . From what I've read it seems to affect 2004-2009 Siennas.

The trac control is activated while the car is driving variable speed and brake the car and and the driver loose control of acceleration.

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.

On my 2009 Toyota Sienna xle v6 fwd. The anti-slip indicator light improperly turns-on on dry roads at safe speeds. This causes a distraction to the driver.

See all problems of the 2009 Toyota Sienna 🔎.

The vehicle vsc engaged multiple times even at low speed of 30 mph under the road speed limit. The brake applied and even the vehicle stop to respond to the acceleration. We have 3 little kids and old parents in this vehicle. Toyota should own this problem and fix it free of charge as a factory recall.

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

- traction control engaged at high speed(70 mph on interstate) causing the vehicle to brake abruptly and pull the vehicle to the right. Had I been traveling in the left hand lane, I could have been forced into the right hand lane causing a collusion with another vehicle. Also occurred at lower speed(30 mph on a windy road) causing the same issue as described above, almost causing the vehicle to leave the paved surface. - mechanic was able to duplicate the issue - mechanic diagnosed intermittent traction control activation, scanned computer for codes. Yaw rate/steering angle correlation causing false activation abs/traction. Replaced hub bearing and spindle. Four wheel alignment, including check castor, camber and adjust toe. Performed zero point calibration and reset abs memory. - traction control lights up briefly.

The contact owns a 2020 Toyota Sienna. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle lost power steering assist. Additionally, the "check vehicle stability control system", "pre-collision system malfunction", and "lane departure alert" messages were displayed. The vehicle was initially taken to an independent mechanic where the rack and pinion was replaced; however, the failure persisted. The dealer was then notified of the failure and informed the contact that there were no open recalls on the VIN. Upon investigation, the contact discovered NHTSA campaign number: 19v532000 (steering) which he linked to the failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.

See all problems of the 2020 Toyota Sienna 🔎.

About a year ago the vehicle stability control warning light along with an audible alarm started coming on intermittently while turning on highways going uphill or downhill in dry weather and with no risk of any tire slipping. At first this only happened at higher speeds 65+mph. Over time, it has occurred more and more frequently and can occur at speeds down to 25 mph. At times, the anti-lock braking system is also activated resulting in jerky braking and loss of throttle. When people have been following me too closely, this has almost caused accidents. When these symptoms occur, it is always on a curve (of any degree, even slight curves) and while driving at least 25 mph, and even happens on flat turns now. The weather has always been dry with no risk of tire slippage.

The traction control light is coming on during low speed turns on dry pavement.

The contact owns a 2010 Toyota Sienna. The contact stated while driving approximately 15-20 mph, the vehicle stalled inadvertently. The check engine warning light, the traction control warning light, and other unknown warning lights illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated that the steering wheel lost power steering functionality. The contact was able to veer to the side of the road. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to restart while in park; however, the vehicle restarted when he shifted into neutral. The contact drove the vehicle to his residence. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that they could not assist as there were no open recalls associated with the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 115,000.

See all problems of the 2010 Toyota Sienna 🔎.

Unknown, steering wheel turns several inches when you engage the steering wheel lock. Causes the steering wheel to be off centered. Which in turn cause the alignment not centered. Dealer confirmed that it needs a steering shaft replacement.

Sometimes when I take turns in my Sienna, the vsc starts going off and braking individual wheels without my control. This happens unexpectedly on highway bends at speeds of 60+ mph and it is difficult to control the car and keep from swerving into another lane. If the roads were icy when this happens, it would probably cause a dangerous accident. Toyota has a technical service bulletin for this, but not a recall - which it should since this is a significant safety issue. The TSB is br008-04. There are many others experiencing this same issue: https://forums. Edmunds. Com/discussion/13855/Toyota/sienna/vsc-sudden-activation-2004-Toyota-sienna.

While driving on dry freeway or other stable road conditions, the electronic stability control kicks in, braked hard, causing the van to swerve, and the lights on the dash started flashing, accompanied by a loud beeping. This has happened multiple times now. There is no reason for this to be occurring. It is involuntary, sudden, and random. If someone were close behind me, they could rear-end the vehicle. It also sometimes pulls the steering so hard that it swerves into the other lane. This is a serious safety issue that Toyota needs to deal with.

My Toyota Sienna xle 2006 vsc and abs comes on when I drive uphill or downhill mostly when I steer to the left. This is a situation common on freeway ramps in or out. When this happens the car slows down abruptly beeps a loudly. This is an issue reported by many owner of that vehicle model across several years.

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...

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...

En ocasiones el vehículo no frena adecuadamente, tiene ruido en la parte delantera y se aselera bruscamente cuando está en descenso por aproximadamente 5 minutos.

When driving on a curve traveling about 30 to 45 mph. The traction control engages in perfectly dry road conditions. It automatically brakes and jerks the car one way or the other. Very dangerous, especially since you're traveling on a curve when it most often happens and you basically lose your ability to control the vehicle. I won't even let my wife drive the car. There's no known remedy for this problem and I can't even sell the car.

Slip light indicator comes on and alarm goes off, while anti-lock brakes engage. This is happening while I'm driving on the highway never in the city. The car starts pulling to the right sometimes almost pulling me off the road. The road conditions are completely normal and dry no gravel in it no reason whatsoever for the anti-lock brakes to start engaging. When this first started happening it only happens on curves while I was driving approximately 35 mph. After a couple of months it started happening also while I was driving approximately 70 miles an hour going straight on a dry road. It almost pulled me off into a ditch. The steering is affected I can barely steer but I have managed to keep the car on the road. This is now happening more frequently. I was almost pulled into another car to my right once. At first it was only every couple of months but now I had it happen twice in about a hundred mile trip. There's no way I can get a mechanic to have this happen because you can't predict when it will happen and many miles it won't happen. It is very very dangerous and I'm afraid to take my Toyota Sienna on the highway now. After researching it I have found that many people are having this trouble with their Toyota Sienna's there needs to be a recall or a repair. Apparently Toyota mechanics have replaced all kinds of things in the Sienna's but nothing has fixed the problem.

Vcs lights activate, alarm sounds and auto breaking while traveling at posted speeds while going around curved roads. Creates loss of control. Dealer has no remedy, mechanic has no remedy. Many similar issues found on on-line forums.