Most common 2004 Toyota Sienna problems
Share of the 2,062 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
Toyota Sienna complaints by model year
Best Sienna years: 2020, 2019, 2018. Years to avoid: 2005, 2006, 2011, 2008, 2007. Compare all years →
2004 Toyota Sienna recalls (10)
Tires › Temporary/emergency spare tire
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2004-2011 Sienna vehicles originally sold in, or currently registered in, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode…
Remedy: Toyota sent owners in August 2014 an interim notification to advise owners of the recall and that dealers will perform an interim remedy to remove the spare tire and relocate it to the luggage compartment, free of…
Power train › Automatic transmission
Toyota is recalling certain model year 2004-2005 Sienna vehicles manufactured January 10, 2003, through August 10, 2005; and model year 2007-2009 Sienna vehicles manufactured February 20, 2007, through December 12, 2008.
Remedy: Toyota will mail interim notifications to owners beginning in late October 2013. When parts are available, owners will be sent a second notice and dealers will replace the shift lock solenoid, free of charge.
Engine and engine cooling
Toyota is recalling certain model year 2004 avalon vehicles; 2004 and 2005 camry, camry solara, highlander, and sienna vehicles, 2006 highlander hybrid; 2004 and 2005 Lexus es330 and rx330; and 2006 Lexus rx400h vehicles manufactured from June 1, 2004 through March 31, 2005, equipped with the 1mz-fe or 3mz-fe engine.
Remedy: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will check the crankshaft pulley to identify whether it was produced by the U.S. Supplier. If so, the dealer will replace the pulley with a new one at no charge.
Structure
Toyota is recalling certain model year 1998 through 2010 sienna passenger vehicles manufactured between August 7, 1997 and January 4, 2010, currently registered in or originally sold in connecticut, delaware, illinois, indiana, kentucky, maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, new hampshire, new jersey, new york,…
Remedy: Toyota will notify owners with an interim letter initially instructing them to bring their vehicle to authorized dealers to inspect for corrosion. A second notice will be sent when the permanent remedy is available.
Equipment › Other › Labels
Southeast Toyota is recalling certain model year 2005-2011 passenger vehicles for failing to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 110, "tire selection and rims." these vehicles were sold without the requisite load carrying capacity modification labels.
Remedy: Dealers will mail to consumers the corrected label or the customer will have the option for dealers to install the label free of charge. The safety recall began on May 27, 2010.
Equipment › Other › Labels
Toyota is recalling certain model year 2006 through 2009 sienna and 2009 Lexus gx passenger vehicles. The vehicle capacity weight on the tire and loading information label and the gvwr on the certification label is insufficient for certain vehicles.
Remedy: Toyota will notify owners instructing them to return their vehicle to a Toyota or Lexus dealer for an exchange of the certification label and the tire and loading information label, an installation of the load carrying…
Show 4 more recalls
Vehicle speed control › Accelerator pedal
Toyota is conducting a safety improvement campaign involving 26,501 early 2004 my sienna vehicles. In the event the retention clip used to secure the floor carpet cover is missing, the cover can interfere with the operation of the accelerator pedal if the acceleration pedal is depressed to nearly the full throttle position.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the retention clip and floor carpet cover at no charge. The campaign began on January 26, 2009. Owner notification is expected to be completed by early April 2009.
Structure › Body › Hatchback/liftgate
Toyota is conducting a safety improvement campaign involving 196,222 my 2004-2006 Toyota sienna vehicles equipped with power rear liftgate struts. The gas struts used to help lift and support the rear power liftgate could wear out sooner than expected.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the gas struts with newly designed gas struts that have a longer service life. The campaign began on August 8, 2008, and will be mailed in three phases ending in late December 2008.
Seat belts
On certain Mini vans, in the middle row seating position, the shoulder portion of the seat belt May bind in the bezel trim piece. The affected seat belt bezel is located on the shoulder portion of the seat in the right side seat of the seven passenger models and the center seating position in the eight passenger models.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the seat belt bezel and clip. The recall began August 5, 2005. Owners May contact Toyota at 1-800-331-4331.
Fuel system, gasoline › Storage › Tank assembly
On certain sport utility vehicles, a part of the fuel tank May become damaged when crashed in the insurance institute for highway safety's (iihs) 40 MPH frontal offset crash test conditions, due to the severe impact forces generated.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the fuel tank. Owner notification began August 1, 2003. Owners should contact Toyota at 1-800-331-4331.
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal safety investigators have looked into 10 possible defects involving the 2004 Toyota Sienna:
Steering intermediate shaft binding
The office of defects investigation (odi) opened a preliminary evaluation, pe08-041, to investigate allegations of steering binding or increased steering effort caused by corrosion of steering intermediate universal joints in model year (my) 2004 Toyota sienna vehicles.Toyota's response to odi's request for information in pe08-041 indicated that Toyota has been investigating reports of increased steering effort in…
Accelerator pedal interference
In a June 25, 2008, letter responding to an information request from odi, Toyota reported an April 2003 unwanted acceleration incident that occurred during production dynamometer testing.according to the letter the incident was caused by a missing retaining clip that allowed the center console trim panel to interfere with (trap) the accelerator pedal after it had been depressed.in the aftermath, Toyota reviewed…
Unexpected liftgate closing
The liftgate gas struts for the subject vehicles May have damaged gas seals that allow the liftgate to drop unexpectedly.the rates for complaints, alleged injuries and warranty claims are higher for vehicles with the power liftgate option.the power liftgate May automatically power-close at the completion of a power-open command without input from the operator.some owners are caught unaware of the power-close…
Tire pressure warning system failure
Odi opened pe06-010 based on 12 reports of alleged tire pressure warning system (tpws) failure on the subject vehicles.all reports alleged that the tpws warning light did not illuminate on the driver information panel when the tire pressure was low or the tire was flat.in some incidents, the consumer reported that tpws light did not illuminate when the tire pressure in 1 tire was at 15-20 psi and the other tires…
Seatbelt malfunction
Odi received ten consumer complaints alleging that the middle-row passenger seatbelt webbing frequently jams in the integrated seatbelt guide housing slot.during normal body movement of the occupant, the webbing jams in the slot due to a dislodged cover plate, thus causing excess slack in the seatbelt assembly.Toyota?s letter response to the agency identifies 40 other consumer and field reports and 3,073 warranty…
Stabilus Rear Liftgate Struts Failing
Please see the attached closing resume summary.It has been attached to this document as a PDF.
Steering intermediate shaft binding
Odi's analysis of warranty data shows that the alleged defect has occurred in just 0.2 percent of the subject vehicle population.when the analysis is limited to salt-belt states, the rate is still well below one percent of the population (0.4 percent).in addition, tests conducted by odi and Toyota have shown that the alleged defect has a minimal affect on steering efforts.odi interviews of owners who experienced the…
Accelerator pedal interference
In a June 25, 2008, letter responding to an information request from odi, Toyota provided information about an accelerator pedal interference incident that occurred during production dynamometer testing at the assembly plant for an early production my 2004 sienna minivan.the incident was caused by a missing retaining clip that allowed the center console trim panel to interfere with (trap) the accelerator pedal after…
Unexpected closing of power liftgate
On May 30, 2008, Toyota initiated a safety recall to replace the liftgate struts in approximately 196,000 model year 2004-2006 Toyota sienna vehicles equipped with power liftgates (recall 08v-244).the recall will provide the opportunity for vehicle owners to obtain new struts that are more robust.based on these actions, the agency has decided to close the investigation.while Toyota has not made a decision that the…
Seatbelt malfunction
The shoulder portion of the middle-row seatbelt webbing feeds through an opening in the seatbelt bezel located at the top of the seat.the bezel also contains a clip that covers a narrow slot in the bezel.the clip May become dislodged from use and allow the seat belt to become stuck in the narrow slot exposed by the dislodged clip.
What 2004 Toyota Sienna owners say
Body & structure all 962 →
The contact owns a 2004 Toyota Sienna. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the tailgate inadvertently opened, then closed independently. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the tailgate hydraulic struts needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The contact stated that she noticed that the failure had reoccurred in 30-degree temperatures on two occasions. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000.
The contact owns a 2004 Toyota Sienna. The contact stated that while the liftgate door was opened, the door had erroneously closed and failed to remain opened. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the rear hatch door struts were faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was informed that the VIN was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 08V244000 (STRUCTURE); but parts were on back order. The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was 150,000.
Locks & latches all 308 →
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 Toyota Sienna. While driving approximately 50 MPH, the traction control warning indicator illuminated and a warning chime sounded. The vehicle lost steering and braking ability, and the steering wheel started to jerk from left to right. The contact continued to drive and the failures went away after thirty seconds. The contact stated that the failures randomly started approximately one year ago and grew worse. The contact also mentioned that the lock on the sliding door showed that it was unlocked; however, no one could exit the vehicle when attempting to open the door from the inside or the outside. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing. The manufacturer was notified of the failures. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 150,000.
Relating to current investigation of 2004 Toyota Sienna rear liftgate strut failure NHTSA recall campaign number: ea06020). My wife has a 2004 Sienna xle with the power liftgate and the struts just failed, causing the liftgate to close and requiring help from a friend standing nearby to help her hold it up to remove our children's stroller. I looked at it this evening and noticed grease around one of the cylinders where the seal had obviously failed. While I was looking at the struts I took my hand off of the hatch for a second mistakenly thinking that the power assembly would hold it up and it immediately came down and hit me in the head, causing luckily only a headache. After researching the problem and finding the ongoing investigation I wanted to add my name to the list of complaintants and suggestions that Toyota be required to fix the defect and replace the struts. …
Steering all 159 →
- 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
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.
2004 Toyota Sienna engines & fuel economy
| Engine | Transmission | Drive | MPG city / hwy / combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3.3L 6-cyl | 5-speed automatic | FWD | 17 / 25 / 20 |
| 3.3L 6-cyl | 5-speed automatic | 4WD/AWD | 16 / 22 / 18 |
EPA ratings. Class: Minivan.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2004 Toyota Sienna a good car?
Based on 2,062 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2004 Sienna rates avoid: 8.9× as many complaints as a typical year of the Sienna at the same age. It is one of the Sienna years we suggest avoiding. Complaint counts don't account for sales volume or individual maintenance, so have any used car inspected before buying.
What is the most common problem with the 2004 Toyota Sienna?
The body & structure — 962 complaints, 47% of all complaints for this model year, most often about body › door. Next are the locks & latches (308) and steering (159).
How many recalls does the 2004 Toyota Sienna have?
There are 10 recalls for the 2004 Toyota Sienna, the most recent from May 22, 2014 (temporary/emergency spare tire). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer — check whether yours has been done with the VIN recall check.
What are the best and worst years of the Toyota Sienna?
The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2020, 2019 and 2018. Years to avoid or approach with caution: 2005, 2006, 2011, 2008 and 2007. See the full Toyota Sienna years comparison.
At what mileage do 2004 Toyota Sienna problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 75,000 miles; 28% of problems with a recorded mileage started before 50,000 miles.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.