Toyota Sienna Maintenance and Repair (2003 earlier)

desert7650

I have a 2002 Toyota Sienna Symphony V6 with about 135,000 miles on it. On long trips (about 450 miles) at freeway speeds, it will start to vibrate at some point on the trip. The vibration starts gradually in the steering wheel and builds until the car shakes so much one cannot see anything in the rearview mirrors, the car is shaking so badly. If we apply the brakes to pull over and stop, the vibration gets much worse. However, once the car has come to a stop, we can start driving again immediately and the car will drive as smooth as can be with no vibration at all. This has been going on for over a year and several thousand miles. The dealer can find nothing wrong with the car. We have rebalanced the tires, and then replaced and balanced the tires. We bought the car new and it has had all the scheduled maintenance. The car still vibrates. What is the likely cause?

yatesjo

If it takes 450 miles to develop the vibration. That's like 6hrs driving minimum so no wonder the dealer can't duplicate. Take a hint and get out, walk around, relieve yourself and drink more water.

Now, if it takes something less than 6 hours, like say 1 hour, then here are some thoughts off the top of my head:
How long is immediately, 5s or 5 minutes? If it were something like brakes brakes overheating, I would think that it would take some time to cool down before the situation cleared itself. Do you get any vibration when you brake normally that might indicate a warped rotor?

Resonance building up might indicate a worn out damper in the strut. Have you had the struts and suspension checked out?

clayn

I have a 2002 Sienna with the same problem. Spent $100 on new rotor, pads and caliper but still no fix. Happens randomly and more often when the weather is hot. Did you ever figure out what the problem is? Something seems to be applying the brakes on this one wheel enough to cause the problem but what, the ABS? Also took it to the dealer and they can't find the problem!

howard_yehti

Cartalk.com from PBS (Public Broadcasting Service) which is like public TV (the folks who do Sesame Street) but for the radio. They are AWESOME and if you go to their website, they have a link to justanswer.com which offers you advice from a mechanic. It says you only pay if you are satisfied. I have never heard of them and cartalk never mentions them during their radio show...but I don't think that car talk would have that ad if they were a scam. Also, my antivirus program gives that website a "green" rating meaning that it is safe.

If you click on the contact us link of cartalk, it shows that you can e-mail them. I don't know if this is for car advice or just send in a comment.

Also, you could listen to cartalk on your local PBS radio station. It is EXTREMELY entertaining. It is like a comedy show but the info is super accurate and often amazing.

howard_yehti

louva

I have this exact same issue with my 2002 Sienna. I'd like to sell my car, but I feel that this vibration will occur. I've had so many different opinions on this, from replacing the entire braking system to suspension. There has to be an answer. My car too has about 135K miles on it. Did anyone get a true answer on this? I'm desparate!

gedgoudasl

Sienna has 112K miles. Tires, brakes, rotors are fine. Has vibration even with slight throttle between 30-50 MPH. Back off throttle vibration disappears. Anyone have any half shaft replacement or problems.

bee247

I do have the same problem, mine vibrates really bad at 65-70 mph, in the steering wheel and floor board, no shop seems to know what is causing it. I did everything like control arms, links, outer tie rods,ball joints,axles, mounts, alignment, tire balance, rotated, even swap it wit a different van and its still there. My van has 174k on it.My van is at a shop right now and they can't determine wat the cause is.I would like to know the answer to this also if anyone knows, I will update if shop finds my answer. Thanks

kitcloudkick3r

I hope you have figured this out by now.. But this can be an issue that can be caused by corrosion in the brake fluid.. this can be fixed by replacing the rubber seals and replacing the fluid.. if there is corrosion in the fluid what will happen is, on long trips the fluid will expand causing the calipers to drag, which will heat up the brakes, the rotors, the hubs, and cause bearing wear as well.. over time it will cause a violent vibration due to the increased heat.. which makes sense why when you stop, then go again it takes place after a shorter amount of time.. I would have your brake system rubber bushing, washers, and grommets replaced. I would also have your brake fluid flushed, and have your wheel bearings checked if you have not found the issue yet.. Best of luck..

abbotabad786

Hello everyone, i'm actually having the same exact issue. Was wanting to know what actaully took care of the issue. Desperate to get this fixed. Thanks.

gedgoudasl

See #7. Replaced CV joints rides like new. Vibration gone.

abbotabad786

Thanks for the respond geogoudasl; but my issue is similar to desert7650 and bee247, instead of you. If any can please provide a solution. Thanks again.

desert7650

desert7650

We finally did find the problem and it may have been caused by the brake fluid having corrosion in it as suggested by kitcloudkick3r. However, by the time we flushed and replaced the brake fluid, it did no good, in fact things got worse. Perhaps too much damage had already been done. What the dealer finally decided was that the master cylinder was locking up after applying the brakes. By this time the pads, rotors, shoes, and drums were badly worn. He replaced the master cylinder, brake pads, rotors, rear brake shoes and I don't remember what else, and turned the rear brake drums. He also replaced the brake fluid although a mechanic friend and I had done that a month before. This was done at the beginning of March 2012. We have not had any problems since.