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 2005 Toyota Sienna owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Stability light comes on, decelerates independently, vehicle shakes and steering is somewhat compromised. This has happened rounding curves between 40-50 MPH. Has happened twice on straight road, 8/24 and 8/25/2021, traveling at 70MPH, vehicle decelerated 2-5 miles independently. I put signal on and did smooth lane change to the right to get out of fast lane, and stability light came on, vehicle shook and steering was somewhat compromised. Neither local mechanic or dealership can retrieve any codes with diagnostic equipment. Dealership told me today the light has to stay on for them to retrieve code. This has happened irregularly over the last 6-8 months but always on curves. It has occurred 4 times in 6 days last week, twice on curves, 8/23 & 8/28/2021, and the 2 lane changes above. I am concerned with the increased frequency. …
I was pulling in my driveway when this incident happened. When exiting my vehicle and opening the driver side door this is what occurred. The driver side sliding door cable snapped and could have potentially hit the driver or me and which could have injured a body part especially the eye or hand. It also made a loud popping noise. There was no warning lights that this would happen and now the door will not open which causes a safety hazard because in case of an emergency this door may need to be opened to escape for safety reasons. Thank you for the investigation of this matter.
While driving on 4 lane highway, I began to smell burning rubber, then noticed that the battery discharge indicator light came on. Found that the serpentine belt driving the alternator and compressor had been shredded and was hanging to the ground. Upon a closer look, the crankshaft pulley had failed (it had come apart). It appeared that the outer ring had separated from the rubber inner ring of the pulley and the outer ring had become misaligned. The misalignment appeared to have caused the serpentine belt failure. It also caused damage to the timing belt cover, the timing belt and the power steering belt. The battery light came on because of the failed serpentine belt. Fortunately, I maintained power steering because the power steering belt had not completely failed when I pulled off the highway. …
Dashboard was replaced in a recall and after the service was performed the airbag inflated light remained on. The dealer said that it was something to do with a sensor and was not related to the work they had performed, yet said it needed to have a diagnostic performed and they wanted to charge for that and for any other work done as a result of it. How could they possibly know it's unrelated to the work they performed if they had not done the diagnostic and it had never had this problem before they worked on it?. I feel strongly that they are just trying to avoid having to do any extra work it's not covered by warranty or paid for. As a result this is creating a highly unsafe situation with a false reading and not knowing if the airbags will accidentally deploy or if they will function properly in an accident. This is putting my family and I at risk
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 Toyota Sienna. The contact stated that the vehicle power sliding door independently would open and close. In addition, the contact also stated that the power sliding door was not properly secured, a beeping noise occurred, the vehicle was unable to drive. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where a diagnostic testing was completed. The contact was not disclosured of the result of the diagnostic but was informed that parts needed to be ordered for the repair of the power sliding door. The vehicle was not repaired and was not taken to a dealer. The contact mentioned that when it gets cold the failure occurred. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 180,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 Toyota Sienna. Approximately five years ago, the rear passenger side sliding door failed to unlock. The contact mentioned that now the rear driver side sliding door would not unlock. Both doors were equipped with power locks. The vehicle was taken to dealer. The technician diagnosed that the pulley was broken and needed replacement, but the doors would not open manually either. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 190,000.
Rear passenger power sliding door. Problem started with only being able to open from the outside. Now we cannot open from the inside or outside with power or manual mode. We have children and feel this is a severe safety issue. From what I've been researching there was an extended warranty for this but ours is out of this range. Apparently this is a problem with a number of Toyota minivans. Apparently there's a cable issue involved. We don't feel safe with our children in the car
Airbag light for driver side blinks off and on during driving at speeds between 35-45 MPH. This occurred at 209,560 +/- miles. This is occuring with other issues in the electrical modules including ABS control malfunction, power supply voltage yaw/deceleration sensor and it loses communication with steering angle sensor module. This seems to not only be an issue with my vehicle but others as well from reading many forums on Toyota Sienna vans including ones just a few years old.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 Toyota Sienna. The contact stated that the sliding automatic rear door independently opened. When the failure occurred, there was an abnormal noise. The door was switched to manual mode, but the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 160,000.
Brakes ABS not working. Can't find out why. Sometimes I have brakes, sometimes I don't. Lighrs come on and off. Looked up recalls descriptions show tge same recalled issues but my car has zero recalls. Driving in traffic ,brake pedal goes to the floor. No brakes. I got out of traffic and parked car in driveway. Pebdemic came. Now I need to find a way to fix it.
Electrical complaints in other Sienna years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 2005 Toyota Sienna?
NHTSA has 65 complaints about the electrical system of the 2005 Toyota Sienna, 6% of the model year's 1,130 complaints. The component named most often is instrument cluster/panel (2 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2005 Toyota Sienna electrical problems?
No. NHTSA lists no electrical system 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 electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 85,000 miles, and 7% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 0 fires and 1 injury 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.