Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (battery, alternator, wiring, ignition, instrument cluster, infotainment).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2004 Toyota Sienna owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
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 failing component is the VSC/ABS system. It puts the occupants of the van and other motorists at risk of either causing a collision or causing the driver of vehicle in question to be unable to control the vehicle . The failure appears when going in a curve in the road at low speed causing the abs to engage lock the brakes and steering wheel rapidly decelerating the car and causing the car to jerk to one side or the other and go into a skid where the driver is unable to control the wheel due to steering wheel locking up when it happens the VSC and TRAC lights come on and there is a loud and rapid beeping that can be heard inside the vehicle. The issue usually appear when going between 25-40mph in banking curves
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.
Electrical fire inside parked van occurred overnight and burned driver and passenger front seats, dash, and all air vents and all plastic component located near all vents. Van was parked on street in front of my house.
Toyota (2004 Sienna) seat heater burned a hole through the leather on drivers seat. Toyota (judy faul) interviewed me/my case and submitted to terrence chu (regulatory affairs). He wrote me a letter 3 months later and said Toyota was not at fault because I had a towel (8"x8" baby burp cloth) adjacent to my leg (left outer thigh) and the owners manual states "not to use an insulating object" with the seat heater operating. He never contacted me for clarification on the incident. I have been denied access to anyone at Toyota. The dealer (peoria, il) said they will repair for $1337, but will not support me to repair the damage the faulty heater created. I can see their logic if sitting on a stack of towles, but not a rag, of which the consistency is less than the ski pants worn (with the heater operating) or my wife sweater dresses in the same manner. …
On August 29, 2016 we were awoken by the fire department at 3:30 am letting us know our 2004 Toyota Sienna was on fire in the driveway. They were able to break into the van and contain the fire but the vehicle was completely burnt up on the front right side and a total loss for our family. It appeared to be an electrical fire under the dashboard. We filed a complaint/claim with Toyota the following week and as of December 2, 2016, still have not gotten a resolution and have not been cleared by Toyota to even tow the vehicle. We have placed numerous calls to their customer service division. Initially, we were told claims department has up to 30 business days to respond to the claim. Once we exceeded the 30 business days ' we contacted again and were then told they 'typically' take 30 days but it could be longer. Previously - Toyota sent out a fire investigator in October. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 Toyota Sienna. While attempting to open the vehicle's automatic doors, the contact heard an abnormal noise. While trying to close the doors, the driver side sliding door would not close. The contact took a closer look and noticed that there was a frayed cable on the top side of the automatic door. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the cable was cut for the contact to be able to close the door manually. The contact stated that the passenger side sliding door became inoperable approximately three weeks later with the cable being frayed at the top of the door and would not close. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where the cable was cut and the door was closed. The contact stated that the mechanic stopped electricity from going to the door so that the door could be opened and closed manually as an interim repair. …
In grocery store parking lot ,put groceries in driver side back power sliding door . Went to shut and door would not shut all the way . It was stuck .finely got it shut after ,about 30 minutes .got home power cable had broken rusted and frayed .recall was found ,but Toyota will not fix !!! This happen 2yrs. Ago 2014 & still trying to get this recall fixed ..they said I had to many miles on the van ,that I got in 2011.. It had 146,892 miles when the door cable broke & was inspected . This is very dangerous .I will not let any children sit next to that broken powered back driver sliding door !! This should be a mandatory recall !! Miles should not be a concern ! Life of a person should be . I'm still fighting to get this fixed & it's 2016 .. Broken ,rusted & frayed power cable not functional & inoperative & can be very dangerous ! …
Rear passenger electric sliding door does not open or close and failed one day. The door latch assembly is electrically operated and there is no manual override. The door can only be operated electrically and cannot be opened manually at all with out making a $1500 - $3500 repair to replace the faulty electrical system (door latch assembly and door motor) of the vehicle. This is a potentially life threatening situation for small children since if there is an accident how are you going to get the children out of the vehicle since the door cannot be operated manually? This issue needs to be investigated and a total recall of all electrical door assemblies need to be made for all years affected and a manual override needs to be engineered such that children's lives are not at risk due to faulty engineering.
Power sliding side doors, both passenger and drive sides, do not work. I had the dealer repair the driver's side a few years ago for about $1,600. Last year, the passenger side door stopped working. I don't want to pay another $1,600 to have this door replaced given all the complaints that I see on the web regarding this issue as I am concerned this will break again. Basically, we don't use the passenger side door anymore, because we are afraid it will get stuck and we won't be able to close it; which is what happened with the driver side door. This seems to be a serious safety issue. Many people are clamoring for a safety recall; 1) https://www.facebook.com/Toyota-Sienna-faulty-power-sliding-doors-233250320033754/; 2) http://repairpal.com/problem-with-door-mechanism-in-electric-sliding-doors-992
Electrical complaints in other Sienna years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 2004 Toyota Sienna?
NHTSA has 132 complaints about the electrical system of the 2004 Toyota Sienna, 6% of the model year's 2,062 complaints. The component named most often is 12v/24v/48v battery (7 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2004 Toyota Sienna electrical problems?
No. NHTSA lists no electrical system recall for the 2004 Toyota Sienna, though it has 10 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2004 Toyota Sienna electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 82,000 miles, and 15% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 5 fires and 4 injuries to electrical system problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
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.