Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| SERVICE BRAKES | |||
| 01/04/2013 | 63000 | 1 | |
| I was driving the car and noticed it was a bit sluggish. the next thing i know, the brake pedal is on the floor even though i am not pressing it, and the car is still moving. i had my three children in the car, so i drove carefully to a safe stopping place, used the emergency brake, and exited the car. i then noticed that all four brakes or tires were smoking and there was a very strong burning smell. if there had been a need for me to stop suddenly while i was still moving, my brakes would not have worked! after getting the car towed and replacing both the abs actuator and the master cylinder, my mechanic diagnosed the source of the problem: the brake light switch and bracket had been knocked out of alignment and were causing brake application even when the pedal was not depressed by the driver. this caused abs and vehicle stability control failures when the brakes overheated. i searched toyota's recalls and found a recall for this exact problem was issued for 2011 siennas only, but i had experienced precisely the same problem in a 2005 sienna. i called toyota and got nowhere; because no recall had been issued for my model year, they would not help me at all with covering the tremendous cost i had incurred. *tr | |||
| 01/04/2013 | 63000 | ||
| I was driving the car and noticed it was a bit sluggish. the next thing i know, the brake pedal is on the floor even though i am not pressing it, and the car is still moving. i had my three children in the car, so i drove carefully to a safe stopping place, used the emergency brake, and exited the car. i then noticed that all four brakes or tires were smoking and there was a very strong burning smell. if there had been a need for me to stop suddenly while i was still moving, my brakes would not have worked! after getting the car towed and replacing both the abs actuator and the master cylinder, my mechanic diagnosed the source of the problem: the brake light switch and bracket had been knocked out of alignment and were causing brake application even when the pedal was not depressed by the driver. this caused abs and vehicle stability control failures when the brakes overheated. i searched toyota's recalls and found a recall for this exact problem was issued for 2011 siennas only, but i had experienced precisely the same problem in a 2005 sienna. i called toyota and got nowhere; because no recall had been issued for my model year, they would not help me at all with covering the tremendous cost i had incurred. | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, AIR - CONTROLS - FOOT CONTROL | |||
| 05/25/2005 | 600 | 2 | 04/30/2005 |
| I was backing out of a parking space in a parking lot. i put the car in reverse, place my foot on the brake, put the car into drive, lifted my foot off of the brake and the car immediately began to accelerate without my foot even touching the accelerator. when i put my foot on the brake, the brake pedal went all the way down to the floor without stopping the vehicle. the van struck another vehicle that was parked in the parking lot, went over the curb of the parking lot, down an embankment into a ravine and headed towards a tree. the passenger that was in the front seat then reached over and put the car into park, which brought the car to a stop. the whole time the car was moving i was trying to stop the car by pumping the brakes, but they did not work. the car was accelerating the entire time until the passenger stopped it by shifting into park. the airbags did not deploy. damage was done to the front passenger bumper and side of the car, the driver's side front tire exploded. after the accident, the brakes did function. | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, ELECTRIC | |||
| 01/05/2011 | 75000 | ||
| My wife was driving our 2005 toyota sienna van to pick up our son from school. as she was pulling into a parking space, she pushed on the brakes to slow down further. however, the van did not slow down, but instead accelerated, causing the van to hit a tree at the end of the parking space and the car on the other side of the tree. she confirmed that she only hit the brakes, and not the accelerator. after reading multiple online reports of others pushing on the brakes and the toyota sienna vans accelerating, i decided to file this report. | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC | |||
| 02/24/2012 | 62005 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2005 toyota sienna. the contact was driving 5 mph when the vehicle abnormally accelerated. the contact was unable to control the vehicle and crashed into the rear of another vehicle. there were no injuries reported. the vehicle was towed to the dealer where the contact was awaiting diagnosis. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not contacted. the failure and the current mileage was 62,005. kmj | |||
| 02/24/2012 | 62005 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2005 toyota sienna, the contact stated while driving 5 mph the vehicle accelerated in fasted speed where a the vehicle rear end another vehicle where the vehicle came to a complete stop. no one was hurt the other vehicle had no one in the vehicle.the vehicle was towed to the dealer were they diagnose the vehicle. the dealer stated that the vehicle had electrical gas and brake. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacture was not contacted. the failure and current mileage 62,005.jp | |||
| 03/12/2011 | 92051 | ||
| 2005 toyota sienna brake failures. this seems to be an intermittent problem - step on brake pedal - car does not stop. brakes have been changed and reinspected. a search on the web shows that this is a known problem and many complaints have been filed regarding this issue. | |||
| 08/15/2010 | 114672 | ||
| Toyota sienna 2005 was taken into dealership for regular maintenance service which included a check of the brakes. was told rear brakes needed to be replaced and that was performed. was told by dealer that front brakes were fine. 1 month later having problems with brakes still. took it to private mechanic and was told that master brake cylinder needed to be replaced. i would think this problems would have been detected when it was at the dealership. i am lucky that my brakes did not fail and cause an accident. other issues with this 2005 toyota sienna include having to replace the a/c compressor twice, rack and pinion replaced, and now the rear struts on the tailgate have failed. this vehicle is a serious safety risk. | |||
| 04/18/2009 | 28000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2005 toyota sienna. the contact stated that while driving approximately 30 mph, the brake indicator lights illuminated, the vehicle began to shake, and move to the left without assistance. whenever driving over a bump or a pot hole, the brake indicator lights illuminated on the instrument panel. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. the technician advised the contact that the recall notice must be presented for recall repairs. the vehicle had not been repaired for the malfunction. the contact was uncertain of the remedy for the recall defect, and stated that the vehicle could possibly need an alignment. the failure mileage was 28,000. the current mileage was 33, 000. | |||
| 09/08/2009 | 78800 | 1 | |
| Vehicle was a 2005 toyota sienna van. vehicle has always been serviced by toyota dealers.on 8/29/09, i had rear brakes replaced by local toyota dealer with 77,410 miles on the vehicle. 10 days later, on 9/8/09, my roommate was picking up children at school. driving on a 4 lane road in town going 35-40mph. two h.s. students abruptly stopped in her lane. my roommate stated she applied brakes but could tell vehicle was not stopping or slowing. ran into rear end of a toyota tacoma p/u which in turn rear-ended a honda crv. no injuries in any involved vehicle. however, due to the extent of damage, my sienna van was a total loss. airbags did deploy on impact. my roommate stated from the beginning that she had applied the brake to the floor and the van did not brake or slow down. there were no braking/skid marks on the pavement at area of accident. either the brake system totally failed or there was faulty work done during brake replacement 10 days earlier. *tr | |||
| 02/26/2010 | 63000 | 1 | |
| Brake failure in a 2005 toyota sienna. i see other reports of this problem in siennas based on an on-line google search. the problem, in my case, is intermittent. brake failure has happened two times when attempting to stop at intersections. once to my wife and once to me. the pedal does not go all the way down to the floor, but pressing hard on the pedal is ineffective to stop the car in a normal distance. the abs system does not engage despite the amount of strong force on the pedal that i exerted. the car eventually came to a stop, but it feels as though there is no vacuum assist. pumping the brake did not help. the pavement was not slick. the brakes appear to work normally at other times. *tr | |||
| 07/15/2005 | 12000 | 1 | |
| I bought a new 2005 toyota sienna van in january 2005. my complaint is about the brakes. every 10,000 miles the brakes are completely grinding metal to metal and the rotors need to be replaced. when i had just 12,000 on my car toyota stated that i needed new brakes and rotors. it is now 2010 and i have changed the rotors at least twice and the brakes still go out approx. every 10,000 miles. the toyota rep himself told me that toyota is aware of the braking problems with there vans and that the van is to heavy for the small braking system on these vans. that revelation came from the toyota service rep. i believe there is both a danger and a defect with these brakes especially if the van brakes can not support the weight of the vehicle and 7 passengers. i believe the facts today show that toyota knew about it's brake and pedal problems and never did anything about it. if dot researched the amount of complaints against toyota van brakes you would see a clear pattern. subpoena toyota and ask for these customer complaints/internal memos and see how many there are. thanks for your attention to this matter. i am confident that dot will conduct a complete investigation regarding this matter. *tr | |||
| 06/20/2008 | 43000 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2005 toyota sienna. the contact stated that when she was driving over rough surfaces, bumps or potholes and trying to depress the brake pedal, she noticed a grinding sound and the brake would not seem to engage immediately. she stated that the condition seemed to exist on extremely bumpy roads. she took the vehicle to the dealership 3-4 times and the brake pads were replaced and rotors were resurfaced. however, the issue was still present after the repairs. she had not spoken with the manufacturer to-date. the current mileage was approximately 76,500. the failure mileage was approximately 43,000. | |||
| 12/23/2009 | 40000 | 1 | |
| I was involved in an accident which should just be a minor fender bender but lost all brakes and caused my 2005 toyota sienna limited awd to just keep on going until i hit a house and that made my van stop. i was running 25mph. my sienna was totaled not because of the initial impact but because of the van hitting the house. *tr | |||
| 12/25/2009 | 34000 | 1 | |
| Brakes fail to work properly. when approaching a stop sign and applying the brakes to slow to a stop, the brakes fail to engage properly so it's like you're floating uncontrollably while approaching the intersection and it feels like you will not be able to stop in time then all of a sudden it will stop, causing everyone and everything within the vehicle to lurch (or fly) forward. in cold weather, when applying the brakes to slow to a stop, the brakes shudder and fail to engage causing one to lose control of the vehicle briefly i.e. can't brake, can't steer, can't stop even though there's no ice. i have had these problems periodically since purchasing the vehicle in 2005. i thought it was something i was doing wrong until recently when i read about other people experiencing the same problems. i am concerned i will be unable to stop in time at some point causing an accident. *tr | |||
| 01/30/2010 | 49400 | 3 | |
| Slowing as i approached a four-way stop, my brakes failed to stop. i heard a loud noise (my husband, a mechanical engineer says it is the anti-lock brakes) and the brakes don't work. on the fourth braking attempt they worked. this is the third time this has happened. each time was at a slow speed, after a rain, but not raining. *tr | |||
| 05/18/2009 | 35000 | 1 | |
| Last year i was driving my 2005 toyota sienna, and a line of ducks walked out in front of my car. i slammed on the brakes but the car just kept going, running over a duck and stopping about 30 ft later. i thought maybe i was too slow to brake. then a couple of weeks later a man walked out from behind a trailer and i tried to slam on the brakes (i was only going about 20 mph). the man saw me and had time to get out of the way thankfully since the car didn't stop until 10 ft afterwards. i brought the car to my dealer and they said 'the master cylinder is bypassing' and replaced it. i don't have the old part. however, i wanted to make sure you knew about it, because it was not obvious during normal driving, only when i had to stop quickly. and someone could easily have been killed. *tr | |||
| 01/13/2010 | 15000 | 1 | |
| I purchased a new 2005 toyota sienna minivan from a local dealer in 2005. at 15,000 miles the dealership replaced all 4 rotors/brake pads/tires under warranty. since then about every 10,000 - 20,000 miles the vehicle needs new rotors and brake pads. we now have 61,000 miles on it and are on our fourth set of pads and rotors. the dealer claims this is normal wear and tear, but this is the worst performance i have ever heard of from a braking system. *tr | |||
| 07/21/2009 | 52000 | 1 | |
| We have a 2005 toyota sienna mini-van. at 16000 miles, it had a routine check and was found to have a stuck caliper in the front and so the dealer replaced all four rotors, brake pads, and tires. now at 52000, the van was taken in for inspection and found to need all four rotors, brakes pads, and tires replaced again. we checked some web sites and found many people with similar issues with the sienna. i contacted toyota and their response is that this is normal wear and tear. i have had many vehicles and have never had to replace these items every 30,000 miles or so. *tr | |||
| 05/01/2009 | 65793 | 1 | |
| Our passenger-side sliding rear door has frozen in place and will not open. it is a 2005 toyota sienna c model. we have had other issues as well, such as the rear hatchback supports failed within 3 years, our drivers-side front door makes a popping sound when opened, we have replaced the front brakes three times within 65,000 miles, and seat belts that constantly stick. *tr | |||
| 04/09/2009 | 40000 | 1 | 02/21/2005 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2005 toyota sienna. while driving between 5-6 mph, another vehicle ran a stop sign and struck the left rear driver's side of the contact's vehicle. her vehicle fish-tailed and turned to the left. the vehicle accelerated and struck another vehicle. the contact had no control over the vehicle. she attempted to place the vehicle into park, but was unsuccessful. the engine revved and the vehicle accelerated again. the vehicle struck a curb, a boulder, and then a palm tree before coming to a complete stop. the brakes failed to operate during the incident. a police report was filed and there were no injuries. the vehicle was towed to a gmc dealer and they test drove the vehicle, but were unable to duplicate the failure. the vehicle is still at the gmc dealer and will be appraised. the failure and current mileages were 40,000. updated 5/7/09 *cn updated 05/11/09.*jb | |||
| 01/15/2007 | 1 | 05/01/2005 | |
| I brought my 2005 sienna in for normal service at 7500 miles. the technician informed me that i needed my brakes replaced. this is outrageous to me. way below what is to be expected. *nm | |||
| 09/21/2006 | 18825 | 3 | 08/03/2005 |
| Dt*: the contact stated while driving 40 mph and depressing the brake pedal, the vehicle did not stop. the problem occurred on three occasions. it was maneuvered off the road and coasted to a stop. the vehicle was towed to the dealer who could not duplicate the problem. | |||
| 03/14/2006 | 10 | ||
| I have a 2005 sienna xle limited awd and noticed for the past two winters that when i start driving the car after a cold night, the first few times i use the brakes they're not responsive. in fact i cannot seem to be able to apply the brakes sufficiently hard to bring the car to a stop if needed (from my house i have a steep downhill and then a stop sign before continuing on a larger street.) have noticed this also in other places/different circumstances. brought up this issue with the service advisor who told me that they could not replicate the problem (left the car overnight at the dealership twice already). he said that the brakes function properly. nevertheless, every cold morning i notice the same problem. *nm | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - ANTILOCK | |||
| 01/30/2010 | 49400 | 3 | |
| Slowing as i approached a four-way stop, my brakes failed to stop. i heard a loud noise (my husband, a mechanical engineer says it is the anti-lock brakes) and the brakes don't work. on the fourth braking attempt they worked. this is the third time this has happened. each time was at a slow speed, after a rain, but not raining. *tr | |||
| 08/13/2005 | 1355 | 1 | 02/04/2005 |
| I consumer owns a sienna ce 2005. bought it at toyota of orange on march 4,2005. van had a oil change service on august 13,05. although my van has low mileage, about 1, 355 miles after oil change. went shopping at ralph supermarket in front of toyotya dealer. when were about to go home suddenly brakes did not work. luckily van was still in parking lot of ralph supermarket. imagine that if this happened on the street consumer and children could get hurt or killed. then consumer carefully back to dealer and left van for service. it's about 7:30 pm - 08/13/05. currently, van was still in service dept for waitting for part. already reported brake problem to the toyota manufacturer. wondered why system didn't show the brake failure? w van had brake problem whlie it was 5 months old and still had low mileage? after fixing the brake problem is it safe to drive that van? wished did not have that serious problem again. that's all was consumer's concerns. thank you very much for listening. tu le.714-542-4782. p.s: idon't know exact mechanical term to describe the brake problem at the bottom of this complaint. only know van has no brakes at that incident*ak. | |||
| 04/02/2005 | 2920 | 3 | 02/15/2005 |
| When braking hard at highway speed brakes apply to much back pressure, causing the vehicle brakes to seem defective. i almost crashed. *ak | |||
| 02/28/2005 | 20 | 6 | |
| Ever since this vehicle was brand new it has continued to exhibit occasional problem with brake pedal becoming hard, with little or no play, necessitating the need to push very hard on the brake pedal to affect stopping. normally the brakes are very good. there does not appear to be any particular cause for this i.e. pads being wet, road salt, etc. it only occurs occasionally and seems to go away after driving for 20-30 miles. when it does occur though it is difficult to stop. | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - FOUNDATION COMPONENTS | |||
| 12/12/2004 | 4000 | 12 | 11/07/2004 |
| I have a 2005 toyota sienna van that has intermittent brake failure. it normally occurs when the car is cold. i have run several red lights with the brake pedal pressed completely to the floor and my wife has driven through two yards. the brakes function normally on the first several applications but on the third or fourth application they will occasionally fail. my dealership has replaced the master cylinder and done diagnostics at least 8 different times but consistently find nothing. they did tell me that other vehicles were experiencing the same sorts of problem and it had something to do with a new valve timing on the 2005 model and the vacuum was insufficient until the car was warm and that i should idle for 5 minutes before driving. this seems to work more consistently but i still have episodes of poor braking. we have been attempting to have this resolved for almost 18 months. *jb | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - FOUNDATION COMPONENTS - DISC | |||
| 12/10/2006 | 20680 | 2 | 08/03/2005 |
| Rear brakes, both, pads completely worn away or separated from backing plate. the vehicle has only 22000 miles on it. in my type of driving, brakes normally last at least 40,000 miles. front brakes appear to be ok, wearing normally. *nm | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - FOUNDATION COMPONENTS - DISC - PADS | |||
| 05/01/2007 | 29875 | 1 | 12/22/2005 |
| I was traveling this past tuesday, may 1st, and i notice a slight noise from the inside of my van when i had reached my destination. it happened when i applied my brakes but when i roll down my window i hadn't noticed any noise from the outside of the van. i was alone and did get out and i hadn't noticed anything in or around the front left tire. i had to travel another 1 and a half back home and by this time my car was making a horrible noise. i had a mechanic look at the car and informed me that the rotor was messed up and the brakes where metal to metal. i only have 29,000 miles on my van and he told me that this shouldn't be doing this until its due to a defect such as a bad caliper or the brakes where getting hung up. i called toyota and they told me that they would correct this problem until i arrived and then they told me that this is normal for toyota sienna minivans. i am concerned that there is more to the problem because my brakes never squealed or squeaked and its only on the left side. *tr | |||
| 12/10/2006 | 20680 | 2 | 08/03/2005 |
| Rear brakes, both, pads completely worn away or separated from backing plate. the vehicle has only 22000 miles on it. in my type of driving, brakes normally last at least 40,000 miles. front brakes appear to be ok, wearing normally. *nm | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - FOUNDATION COMPONENTS - DISC - ROTOR | |||
| 05/01/2007 | 29875 | 1 | 12/22/2005 |
| I was traveling this past tuesday, may 1st, and i notice a slight noise from the inside of my van when i had reached my destination. it happened when i applied my brakes but when i roll down my window i hadn't noticed any noise from the outside of the van. i was alone and did get out and i hadn't noticed anything in or around the front left tire. i had to travel another 1 and a half back home and by this time my car was making a horrible noise. i had a mechanic look at the car and informed me that the rotor was messed up and the brakes where metal to metal. i only have 29,000 miles on my van and he told me that this shouldn't be doing this until its due to a defect such as a bad caliper or the brakes where getting hung up. i called toyota and they told me that they would correct this problem until i arrived and then they told me that this is normal for toyota sienna minivans. i am concerned that there is more to the problem because my brakes never squealed or squeaked and its only on the left side. *tr | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - FOUNDATION COMPONENTS - HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS | |||
| 08/04/2005 | 2970 | 1 | 04/21/2005 |
| When trying to stop brake petal went to the floor. *ts the vehicle would not stop and the consumer vehicle collided with another vehicle which was stopped at the stop light. the vehicle was towed to the dealer and the brake shoes and pads were inspected. the dealer also bled the brakes and found air in all the lines except the right rear. the consumer asked the dealer how air got in the lines and they replied that they didn't know. *nm | |||