Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (service brakes, ABS, rotors and pads, parking brake).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2005 Toyota Sienna owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
When driving the speed limit, going downhill, uphill, straight, around a curve, in the rain or dry weather, the vsc and slip/trac lights up, the abs system is activated / brakes engage. I loose complete control of the van. I can no longer steer or break. The breaks engage, but it causes the car to veer to the right. I have taken the car to the mechanic 5 times now and no codes show, even after he is able to the vehicle to repeat this behavior. It seems to happen a lot on off/on ramps. It happens mostly on highways, but it has happened on two lane roads. The vehicle is completely dangerous to drive. It has almost caused several accidents. I have replaced the Yaw sensors and had several alignments and this still happens. After a lot of research, we have found that this is actually really common in Toyota Sienna. …
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.
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
I was driving on dry road at approximately 65mph. There was a very slight curve in the road and the ABS system engaged without warning resulting in the van power immediately decreasing and fishtailing. Fortunately there was no one immediately behind or beside me or it would have resulted in a collision. I am afraid to use the vehicle. Used a code reader and there are no stored codes.
ABS brake pump module. Went out causing accident. No warning. ABS lights came on. Took to shop. Draining battery,causing brakes to fail. Shouod be recalled due to no warning,complete brake failure,causing vehicle to be dangerous, not road worthy.
On several occasions the vehicle stability control on my 2005 Toyota Sienna xle is activated suddenly and for no reason. It has happened changing lanes on the freeway, on off ramps, and city streets. I was never going over the speed limit, turning sharply, and the road was not wet or slippery. The activation caused my car to rapidly decelerate from 50 MPH to 20 MPH in a matter of seconds and caused my wife, children, and I to lurch forward. Vsc also caused my vehicle to swerve sharply to the right. I had immediately lost control! This put me and my family in mortal danger along with the occupants of vehicles around us. They were completely unprepared for my sudden and unwarranted stop! I believe Toyota has sold a vehicle that has a hardware and/or software error in it that can result in fatal injuries to the driver, passengers and occupants of surrounding vehicles. …
I've only had the van for 5 months and this problem has occurred over a dozen times, beginning with the day I bought it. And every time this problem has occurred I've been driving on dry roads. It usually happens when driving around a corner, anywhere from 35-65 MPH, far. All of a sudden the traction control light starts beeping, the brakes engage on their own, and then engine makes a loud noise (likely downshifting itself). It's as though the vehicle thinks it is slipping, even though it is not, I drive very cautiously so it's not me flying around a corner super fast, it also happens when my partner drives the van as well. I finally took the van to a mechanic and they told me it was the steering angle sensor that was faulty and needed to be replaced, so I spent $900 to have it replaced. …
Since 7/2019 to now, 10/2019, I've had intermittent hard brake pedal. Letting up on the gas pedal, the van begins to stop right away. There's no rhyme or reason for the hard brake pedal, its affecting the front right wheel, and it smells bad. There's a vibration at times, and wobble. After the van sits for an hour, the brakes are fine until next time. Today, backing out of a parking spot, it was difficult to put the van in reverse, and letting off the brake, the van wouldn't roll back. I had to give it quite a bit of gas to get it to move. The van didn't want to go more than 10mph in a 35mph zone. All of this has happened since a new brake booster was installed. There is a new caliper on that right side, and both front brakes got new brake lines. The pads still have a lot of meat on them. …
While driving around curves with dry pavement on highways and exit/entrance ramps at highway rates of speed (55-65 miles per hour or less) the anti-lock brake system engage,s causing the van to pulse and slow down unexpectedly. It disengages once the wheel straightens. We first tried to trouble shoot with our local mechanic with no success, prompting us to have our local Toyota service department attempt to diagnosis. Initially they said they were not able to diagnosis the problem or replicate it on a local highway (as it does not occur on every curve encountered) and were ready to send us home without any remedy. This was unacceptable. With our persistence they hooked it up to a computer and determined(without guaranteeing) it was the steering angel sensor and replaced it. …
Continuous issues with traction control system almost daily. Any time vehicle veers towards the right anti-slip indicator light, alarm sounds and ABS system activates. This happens almost daily, on dry roads, going downhill or on a curve, even while switching lanes now. This happens above 20 MPH. Driving becomes stressful and worry-some when alarm begins to sound and dash light come on. Fear of losing control becomes great, fear for your passengers safety as well as other drivers safety becomes real. During the past 3 months there have been 5 separate incidents in which the vehicle has lost acceleration, pulls steering in one direction and sudden break lock occurs. 2 of which took place on the freeway on ramp at a speed of 35mph, 1 driving downhill, slightly towards the right, at a speed if 20mph and the last 2 while switching lanes, 35 MPH. …
Brake complaints in other Sienna years
Frequently asked questions
How common are brake problems on the 2005 Toyota Sienna?
NHTSA has 68 complaints about the brakes of the 2005 Toyota Sienna, 6% of the model year's 1,130 complaints. The component named most often is antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip (5 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2005 Toyota Sienna brake problems?
No. NHTSA lists no brakes recall for the 2005 Toyota Sienna, though it has 12 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 2005 Toyota Sienna brake problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 88,000 miles, and 25% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 9 crashes, 2 fires and 3 injuries to brakes 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.