2004 Toyota Sienna Driver assistance Problems

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.

NHTSA ID

11659970

Incident

Mar 1, 2025

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

NHTSA ID

11649266

Incident

Mar 2, 2025

Was driving on highway at 60-65 mph. The car continued to accelerate. Pressed on brake and wasn't slowing the vehicle. The driver was weaving in and out of cars as the van started to creek up to 92 mph. The driver and passengers thought they were going to crash and possible die. The driver tried the brake multiple times and nothing. The driver said the accelerator pedal wasn't pressed all the way down to the floor. It was half way and driver had to go down and pull up on the pedal while driving. The van then started to slow and driver was able to pull over to have the van evaluated . The throttle body was reached and cleaned of carbon because it said that this may have been part of the issue. Never has this van taken off like this. The throttle body cable wasnt loose or disconnected either. So far we havent been able to recreate but 3 people could have been killed.

NHTSA ID

11635166

Incident

Dec 31, 2024

The contact owns a 2004 Toyota Sienna. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 MPH the vehicle suddenly experienced unintended acceleration and the speed of the vehicle increased to over 90 MPH. During the failure, the braking system had failed and would not stop the vehicle while pressing the brake pedal. The front passenger was able to view the fuel pedal was stuck to the floor and was able to physically pull the fuel pedal up from the stuck position and the vehicle's speed was reduced. The incident lasted for approximately 10 minutes. During the incident, the police were on the scene. A police report was later filed at the scene and the vehicle was towed to the local dealer. The contact was informed by the dealer that the failure was due to a missing fuel pedal pen. No further information was available. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The contact expressed experiencing emotional stress and anxiety during and after the incident. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 200,000. The VIN was not available.

NHTSA ID

11576843

Incident

Dec 16, 2023

Mileage

200,000 mi

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

NHTSA ID

11533834

Incident

May 30, 2023

- 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

NHTSA ID

11498401

Incident

Oct 18, 2022

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.

NHTSA ID

11479980

Incident

Aug 18, 2022

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

NHTSA ID

11450254

Incident

Dec 18, 2021

Toyota VSC and ABS engaging and activating for no reason on dry pavement causing loss of proper control of the vehicle. The have been multiple occurrences on dry pavement between 30 and 65 mikes per hour. The car pulls to one side as the computer takes control of the car end engages the brakes suddenly for no reason. VSC Skid light goes on on the dash and there is a beeping sound while this happens. Very dangerous. Toyota USA notified and assigned case number 220201001364. They refuse to take any responsibility for this dangerous failure.

NHTSA ID

11449974

Incident

Jan 30, 2022

I had the control arms replaced, then one of the bolts came out after a few thousand miles. I had that bolt replaced and the problem started happening intermittently after that. Everything will be functioning fine and then the speed of my vehicle is inhibited and it is hard to accelerate. It is very difficult to get from 40 MPH up to 50 MPH. On slight curves, not always, it will beep and the slip indicator light comes on and will apply the brakes on what feels like one side. This has happened at 35-60 MPH. The slip indicator will beep sometimes until I decrease my speed to under 25 MPH. I took it into a reputable tire and front end shop and they replaced a wheel bearing with sensor, and 2 front tires. The problem happened again within 5 miles and the shop said I need to take it to Toyota dealer to have it the steering angle sensors recalibrated. The Toyota dealership said that this is something that the vehicle does itself. They inspected it and took it for a test drive and said nothing is wrong. The problem happened again within a few miles of leaving the dealership. I have read countless forums of people experiencing the same thing in their Toyota Sienna and having the dealership telling them there is not a problem. I have also found that the solution could very well be worn rack and pinion bushings that are creating the play that are triggering the sensors. I don't think they gave it a proper inspection. This is a very dangerous problem, and even more so when the dealership is saying there isn't a problem. I am feeling very lost on what to do with my van right now. I have spent $1100 and 3 days of my time with the same thing happening. I

NHTSA ID

11426725

Incident

Jul 8, 2021

While driving at approximately 30 to 50 MPH, on dry and smooth pavement, usually going on or off ramp to the left, the skid control engaged and warning sound came on, automatic brake takes over and start braking the van uncontrollably, pulling the vehicle to the right and nearly causing accidents.

NHTSA ID

11424244

Incident

Jul 10, 2021

IN MOTION, ON DRY, OFF-CAMBER HIGHWAY CURVES, WITH SLIGHT ACCELERATION, THE ABS/VSC /TRAK ENGAGES, BRIEFLY JERKING THE STEERING TO ONE SIDE. DASH WARNINGS: "VSC" "TRAK OFF" + "CHECK ENGINE". REDUCING MECHANICAL "SLOP" (WHEEL BEARINGS, STEERING RACK & PINION, ETC.) TENDS TO REDUCE FREQUENCY OF OCCURRENCE. TOYOTA DEALER DIAGNOSIS: "STEERING CONTROL SYSTEM FAULT". >"TOYOTA KNOWS ABOUT -- BUT, DOES NOT KNOW HOW TO FIX THIS PROBLEM."< DEALER-SUGGESTED WORKAROUND: "PULL FUZES TO DISABLE VSC AND ABS SYSTEMS..." DEALER REPAIR DOCUMENTS ARE WITH PREVIOUS OWNER...

NHTSA ID

11363702

Incident

Oct 8, 2020

Mileage

260,000 mi

THIS VEHICLE HAS A TRACTION CONTROL FEATURE WHICH HELPS KEEP IT FROM SKIDDING OUT OF CONTROL IN ICY, WET, OR OTHERWISE UNSTABLE CONDITIONS. IT CAN HELP AN OUT OF CONTROL VEHICLE GET BACK INTO CONTROL BY DOING A VARIETY OF THINGS, INCLUDING BRAKING. PREVIOUSLY THIS FEATURE HAD ONLY KICKED ON WHEN I WOULD SLIDE ON THE SNOW DURING A LOW SPEED TURN AND WOULD SLIDE IN THE SNOW (WHICH WAS GOOD). BUT OVER THE PAST FEW MONTHS, THERE HAVE BEEN TWO TIMES THAT THIS FEATURE HAS KICKED ON AT HIGH SPEEDS (ONCE AT 40MPH AND ONCE AT 65MPH) ON DRY ROADS, BOTH WHILE TURNING AROUND A CURVE. SUDDENLY THE BRAKING SYSTEM IS APPLIED WITHOUT ANY WARNING AND THE VEHICLE SWERVES SLIGHTLY AND DOES WHAT IT WANTS FOR A FEW SECONDS. THEN IT STOPS. IF THIS WERE TO HAPPEN ON AN ICY ROAD AT THOSE SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE COULD CERTAINLY SPIN OUT OF CONTROL. THE VEHICLE COULD ALSO SWERVE INTO AN ONCOMING LANE OF TRAFFIC. I HAVE SEEN MANY FORUMS ONLINE WHERE OTHER SIENNA OWNERS ARE HAVING THE SAME ISSUE AND TOYOTA DEALERS SAY THEY CAN'T REPLICATE OR FIX THE ISSUE. THIS IS CERTAINLY A SAFETY ISSUE THAT NEEDS TO BE LOOKED INTO BY TOYOTA TO SEE WHAT IS CAUSING THIS ISSUE. THANK YOU! *TR

NHTSA ID

11330061

Incident

Jun 21, 2020

Mileage

185,000 mi

WHILE DRIVING AT OR BELOW THE SPEED LIMIT, UNDER DRY CONDITIONS, ON CURVY ROADS, THE VSC DASH LIGHT COMES ON AND ENGAGES WITH BEEPING AND AUTOMATIC BRAKING. THE RAPID DECELERATION AND SKIDDING, AS THE TIRES LOCK-UP, MAKES CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE DIFFICULT AND CARS FOLLOWING MUST PANIC BRAKE TO AVOID REAR-ENDING MY VEHICLE. INCREASING OCCURRENCES OVER THE PAST YEAR.

NHTSA ID

11307030

Incident

Feb 3, 2020

Mileage

178,311 mi

WHEN DRIVING UNDER NORMAL CONDITIONS THE VEHICLES' VSC WILL ENGAGE. THE DASHBOARD LIGHTS GO OFF, THERE IS A LOUD INTERIOR BEEPING SOUND, THE ABS ENGAGES, THE CAR SLOWS DOWN DRASTICALLY AT ONCE. THE ROADS ARE DRY. AT FIRST THIS HAPPENED WHILE DRIVING NORMAL SPEED EXITING OR ENTERING AN HWY OFF/ON RAMP. THEN HAPPENED YESTERDAY AS I WAS DRIVING ON NEIGHBORHOOD STREETS AT ABOUT 25-30 MPH. I COULD HEAR A RUBBING ON THE BACK TIRES AS IF THE BRAKES WERE ON.

NHTSA ID

11256542

Incident

Sep 17, 2019

Mileage

95,000 mi

WHEN DRIVING IN DRY CONDITIONS AT VARIOUS SPEEDS OVER 25 MPH, THE VSC WARNING LIGHT COMES ON, AN ALARM SOUNDS AND THE ANTILOCK BRAKES ENGAGE FOR NO REASON. THIS IS A TERRIFYING AND EXTREMELY DANGEROUS ISSUE THAT IS WELL DOCUMENTED BY SO MANY TOYOTA SIENNA OWNERS BUT TO DATE HAS NOT BEEN ADDRESSED OR ACKNOWLEDGED BY TOYOTA. WHEN TAKEN TO A DEALERSHIP, THEY CLAIM (AS OTHER OWNERS HAVE ALSO STATED) THAT THEY CANNOT REPLICATE THE PROBLEM AND IT DOES NOT REGISTER THROUGH THE OBD2 SENSOR SO THERE IS NO RECORD OF IT HAPPENING. WITH AS MANY PEOPLE AS THIS IS HAPPENING WITH, IT IS NOT A QUESTION OF WHETHER THERE WILL BE ACCIDENTS, INJURIES AND ULTIMATELY DEATHS CAUSED BY THIS ISSUE. THE ONLY QUESTION IS WHEN AND HOW MANY HAVE TO OCCUR BEFORE TOYOTA ACKNOWLEDGES THIS IS A PROBLEM. DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD, IN TRAFFIC AT 65 MILES AN HOUR WHEN FOR NO REASON, THE CAR SLAMS ON THE BRAKES WITHOUT WARNING. IT IS HAPPENING ALL THE TIME AT THIS POINT MAKING THE CAR COMPLETELY UNSAFE TO DRIVE FOR THE OWNER, THE VEHICLE'S OCCUPANTS AND ANY UNSUSPECTING VEHICLE IN THE VICINITY. I AM BEGGING YOU. PLEASE GET TOYOTA TO ISSUE A RECALL BEFORE TRAGEDY STRIKES. THANK YOU FOR YOUR PROMPT ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER. I AM SUBMITTING THE DATE BELOW AS TODAY'S DATE AS THE CAR IS NOW SITTING IN MY DRIVEWAY UNTIL I CAN FIGURE OUT WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE. IT HAS HAPPENED OVER THE PAST 6 MONTHS EVERY TIME I DRIVE IT AND THE $750 STEERING POSITION SENSOR THAT TOYOTA REPLACED DID NOTHING TO ADDRESS THE PROBLEM.

NHTSA ID

11240388

Incident

Jul 29, 2019

Mileage

170,000 mi

THE ANTI SKID CONTROL LIGHT COMES ON FROM TIME TO TIME WHEN I AM DRIVING, ESPECIALLY ON THE HIGHWAY. IN ADDITION TO THE LIGHT, THERE IS WARNING BEEPING, AS IF I'M SLIDING ON ICE. AT THE SAME TIME, I COMPLETELY LOSE CONTROL OF THE ACCELERATION AND BRAKING. IT'S VERY SCARY, AND I AM CONCERNED FOR MY SAFETY AND MY FAMILY'S. THIS HAS HAPPENED MULTIPLE TIMES ON CLEAR, DRY DAYS, SO IT'S DEFINITELY NOT CAUSED BY THE ROAD BEING WET OR ICY.

NHTSA ID

11192282

Incident

Mar 8, 2019

Mileage

207,000 mi

TRACTION CONTROL ALL OF A SUDDEN STARTED TURNING ON AT EVERY TURN AUTOMATICALLY MAKING THE CAR LOCK ITS BRAKES I'M PRETTY SURE THIS IS NOT THE FIRST YOU GUYS HAVE HEARD OF THIS

NHTSA ID

11190541

Incident

Mar 8, 2019

Mileage

180,000 mi

WHEN ON A CURVE THE TRACTION CONTROL ENGAGES AFFECTING THE BRAKES AND STEERING OF THE VEHICLE. SPEED DOES NOT SEEM TO MATTER, IT HAS ENGAGED AT 10MPH AND AT 65 MPH. LAST STRAW WAS WHEN IT ENGAGED ON THE STRAIGHT AWAY ON THE HIGHWAY AT 65MPH IN THE HIGH SPEED LANE DROPPING THE SPEED DOWN TO 35MPH ALMOST CAUSING A SERIOUS ACCIDENT. IT'S BEEN HAPPENING FOR A COUPLE OF MONTHS AND TWO INDEPENDENT MECHANICS WERE NOT ABLE TO FIGURE OUT THE PROBLEM EVEN AFTER RUNNING A MOVING VEHICLE DIAGNOSTIC. IT WENT OFF A TOTAL OF 18 TIMES IN A APROXIMATE 15 MINUTE, THREE MILE DRIVE WITH THE MECHANIC. AFTER WATCHING MANY VIDEOS, AND COMPLAINTS ONLINE, WHY HASN'T SOMETHING BEEN DONE ON THIS ISSUE THAT HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR OVER EIGHT YEARS NOW? I'M AFRAID TO TAKE THIS VEHICLE ON THE HIGHWAY ANYMORE!!!

NHTSA ID

11176109

Incident

Feb 10, 2019

Mileage

188,000 mi

TRACTION CONTROL MALFUNCTION. WHILE DRIVING ON CURVY ROADS THERE IS A BEEPING ALARM, STEERING LOCKS UP, BRAKES ENGAGE. THE CAR SEEMS TO THINK THAT THE TRACTION IS OFF. THIS HAS BEEN A PROBLEM FOR OVER A YEAR. NO PROBLEMS DRIVING IN CITY. ONLY HAPPENS ON CURVY ROADS.

NHTSA ID

11164475

Incident

Dec 30, 2018

Mileage

138,000 mi

KNOCK SENSOR AND VSC ARE MALEFUNCTIONING.

NHTSA ID

11141525

Incident

Apr 1, 2018

THE ANTI-SKID CONTROL ENGAGED WHEN TURNING SLIGHTLY ON THE FREEWAY. WHEN IT ENGAGED AT HIGHWAY SPEED (ROUGHLY 55MPH) IT PULLED ME INTO ONCOMING TRAFFIC. THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM WITH THIS VEHICLE THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN RECALLED.

NHTSA ID

11138911

Incident

Oct 7, 2018

Mileage

170,000 mi

THE ANTI SKID CONTROL LIGHT COMES ON FROM TIME TO TIME WHEN I AM DRIVING, ESPECIALLY ON THE HIGHWAY. IN ADDITION TO THE LIGHT, THERE IS WARNING BEEPING, AS IF I'M SLIDING ON ICE. AT THE SAME TIME, I COMPLETELY LOSE CONTROL OF THE ACCELERATION AND BRAKING. IT'S VERY SCARY, AND I AM CONCERNED FOR MY SAFETY AND MY FAMILY'S. THIS HAS HAPPENED MULTIPLE TIMES ON CLEAR, DRY DAYS, SO IT'S DEFINITELY NOT CAUSED BY THE ROAD BEING WET OR ICY.

NHTSA ID

11123020

Incident

Aug 26, 2018

Mileage

87,000 mi

I HAVE A 2004 SIENNA WITH ~125,000 MILES ON ITAND THIS PROBLEM HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR ABOUT 2 MONTHS. IT HAPPENED TWICE IN A SPAN OF 5 MINUTES, AND THEN DIDN; SINCE THEN IT HAS OCCURRED WITH GREATER FREQUENCY AND INTERMITTENT SEVERITY. IN ALMOST ALL CASES, IT OCCURS WHEN DRIVING 55-70 MPH AND WHILE GOING AROUND A RIGHT HAND BEND IN THE ROAD, THE "SKID" LIGHT WILL COME ON, BEEP, AND THEN THE BRAKES WILL SUDDENLY ENGAGE, CAUSING THE CAR TO PULL ONE WAY OR THE OTHER (OFTEN LEFT TOWARDS ONCOMING TRAFFIC). AS SOON AS YOU EXIT THE CURVE, THE LIGHT GOES OFF AND YOU CAN ACCELERATE BACK TO SPEED.

NHTSA ID

11119388

Incident

Aug 4, 2018

Mileage

125,000 mi

TRACTION CONTROL KICKS IN FOR NO REASON, TRATION BEEPING AND TIRES LOCK,AT FREWAY SPEED TRACTION CONTROL ACTIVATES AND CUTS OFF SPEED DRAMATICALLY.VERY UNSAFE TO DRIVE.

NHTSA ID

11118437

Incident

May 11, 2017