Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (power steering, steering column, rack and pinion).
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. …
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 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
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. …
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. …
Very dangerous situation: Toyota Sienna 2005 vsc (anti skid system) kicks in unexpectedly for no reason. Numerous times I have been driving straight along dry roads only to have my ABS (antilock braking system) suddenly come on, the van slow down, with the vsc alarm going off, and the vsc light blinking. It's very scary, especially on the highway, and it becomes hard to control the van. This has happened at high (~55 MPH) as well as low (~25-30mph) speeds. I drive 90% on smooth, well-paved suburban roads, and about 10% on highways. The frequency of this defect is definitely increasing. One day it happened 4 times in one trip! All for no reason, and all under dry, normal driving conditions on smooth, suburban roads. My van has 113K miles on the odometer. …
A couple of years ago, my 2005 Sienna's vsc warning lights, alarms and braking would come on while going around turns. My car had new tires, wheels were balanced and aligned. It's scary and dangerous when the brakes engage. I'm not going around sharp turns at high rates of speed. Dozens of other people have exactly the same experience, and when the brakes engage, it yanks the car hard, and has almost caused accidents to me and others. This happens to me on a regular basis. The only way to avoid it is to slow down to less than 40mph on some turns, which is dangerous when the speed limit is 65. Here's a link to the many other people's experience with this exact same thing. This is a liability and Toyota really needs to take action here. Https://www.cargurus.com/cars/discussion-c9152_ds656326?sntemlid=4322597535#msg1051125
I noticed a clunking noise when turning into a parking spot. It also felt like my van was diving into the parking spot. I took my van into Toyota for another reason and was told at the time it was leaking at the rack and needed a new drive shaft and boot to the tune of 1200 dollars. We are still debating what to do and are very disappointed in Toyota. We purchased this vehicle based on Toyota's reputation for quality but have found this vehicle particularly repair prone. We have already replaced the radiator, parking brake and had a very expensive serpentine belt replacement due to the fusion of dissimilar metals. It seems to me that Toyota's engineers should have understood the consequences of designing a vehicle with dissimilar metals that come into direct contact. We have never owned such a repair prone vehicle.
Crankshaft pulley safety recall - 2005 Toyota Sienna -recall # 11V539000 more vehicles possibly affected than stated in recall notice. Dealer stated VIN did not fall in range of recall, although the defective crankshaft pulley part stamped with mark has been identified on my vehicle. Burning smell related to drive belt while driving and abnormal engine noise. Upon replacing new drive belt, the crankshaft pulley was inspected and shown to fail due the inadequate adhesive stated in the recall. Notified dealer, called Toyota representative and opened case#1611070038. Both dealer and Toyota refused recall since VIN was not in range. Toyota representative stated no photos or evidence were required to show the failed crankshaft pulley. Please used the details and photos attached for odi# 10924632
NHTSA investigations
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…
Steering complaints in other Sienna years
Frequently asked questions
How common are steering problems on the 2005 Toyota Sienna?
NHTSA has 79 complaints about the steering of the 2005 Toyota Sienna, 7% of the model year's 1,130 complaints. The component named most often is column (2 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2005 Toyota Sienna steering problems?
No. NHTSA lists no steering 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 steering problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 90,000 miles, and 4% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 1 fire and 0 injuries to steering 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.