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VSC sudden activation. 2004 Toyota Sienna.

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Comments

  • kentsengkentseng Member Posts: 1
    My car experienced this VSC sudden activate problem also since a year ago. I brought my 2005 Sienna to a dealer for diagnose, they ran a zero point calibration, and suggest to change the Steering sensor. They also noted that even with the sensor replacement, further analysis is need. It is not a guarantee repair. After the zero point calibration done, the VSC sudden activate was gone for few month. Few month later, the problem come back again. I then bring my car to my local mechanic to replace the steering sensor. After the sensor replace, the problem is the same. The mechanic recommend to replace the cable. Now the cable also changed, the problem is still there. I call the Toyota Corp. customer relation and they suggest to do farther analysis to other dealer, get 2nd opinion how and what to fix. The only ward they said is that the car is out of warranty, and there is no recall for this issue. Since the dealer cannot recreate the problem, it is difficult to really suggest what to repair.

    I called the NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) to file a complaint. They suggested to get more people who experienced the same situation file the complaint, so Toyota may recall for this issue. So for I am still stuck with my unsafe car. I am still considering I should bring to another dealer for another possible worthless checkup. I have already spend more than $1200 on my repair, still no improvement……
  • eeguru6677eeguru6677 Member Posts: 3
    Replaced the rack and pinion - the mounting bushings were shot! That cleared up the VSC problem, I have ABS (and VSC) back, the car drives a lot better and everything is Awesome! Bad news is I broke the Spiral Cable in the steering column :'( - make sure the rack and pinion is centered before you put it in! This is definitely the cause of my VSC false activation!
  • fxparisifxparisi Member Posts: 1
    Yes I agree with eeguru..... I've read ALL these posts because I had the same problem with my 2004 Toyota Sienna XLE limited. It has 176000 miles. That stupid alarm would go off at the same spot coming down the 4-lane from shaver lake. There's a quick left right "yaw" with an elevation drop on that road that would make this thing go off every time. I noticed that no one had a solution, just complaints. Plus, there were a lot of 'Mickey Mouse' solutions that didn't fix the problem. The Toyota dealer wanted to charge too much and I didn't feel like they new what the problem was. My trusted local mechanic at F&B Auto in Fresno did however. He replaced the Rack & Pinion and lower control arms as we could clearly see there was a ton of 'play' in these parts and they were clearly worn out. He replaced these things at a fraction of the cost of a typical dealer. He made sure everything was centered and "zeroed". Yesterday we tested the van on that road (he fixed it 2 months ago BTW) and it ran perfectly! No VSC alarms or automatic braking. The van feels way more stable after replacing these parts.

    Frank
  • bmwk75sbmwk75s Member Posts: 21
    My 2006 Sienna LE AWD had no issues until a front wheel bearing was replaced. Ever since I have experienced the following...
    • Upon pulling away from a stop, the rear brakes will apply and the rear end will "sit" down repeatedly.
    • If I accelerate hard from a stop, it will cut the throttle so there is no acceleration until I left my foot and reapply the throttle.
    • Occasionally when accelerating from a stop when it doesn't do either of the above, the Stability Control light will flash and beep.
    Recently the Stability Control and check engine lights stayed on. It gave me an O2 sensor fault code along with some others. When my service guy went to search it, it was one of the top 5 fault codes in the system.

    Has anyone else experienced a similar issue?
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    edited July 2016
    Sounds like this might be related to the wheel bearing repair. The technician has to be able to access ABS codes with his scan tool, and start the diagnosis from that point. If the ABS system thinks one wheel is dragging or slipping, it's going to react accordingly.
  • chris2345chris2345 Member Posts: 1
    Having the same issue. 2004 Sienna VSC engaging on a curve at 35 mph consistently and two incidents of engaging at 65 mph going down freeway. Plus a few other random times going around a curve. Brakes come on and it pulls car to the right. On freeway it pulled us half off road, luckily we had just moved to the right lane or might have been a serious accident.This is the family car and the car my teenagers drive. Have had the car in the Toyota dealership service 5 times! Once calibration of system, 2 times cannot get it to go off when they drive it, 4th time changed sensor for $900 and they discounted the $150 I payed first time. Still going off. Took to other Toyota dealer near me to test on hill that it goes off consistently. They recreated it with me driving and again with computer hooked up. Now they are saying it's the bushings in the steering rack and shaft, cost $2000. If that does not work then try both front lower control arms, $1191. If that does not work then front brakes and rotors, $500. And they can't guarantee that any of that will fix it. I am not knowledgeable of the workings of car, so any ideas if any of these repairs will work? This could cost me $4500 and no guarantees it will work. This is a serious safety issue! We bought car new in 2003 from the dealer and always have it serviced at their shop. Anyone higher up that might give me a break on paying for all the guesswork to find the problem?
  • laxboy13laxboy13 Member Posts: 2
    Had this happen to me 4 months ago, twice in 5 minutes and then no issue until it happened to my wife yesterday. Looks like this is a well documented issue. Thanks for the help.
  • robear777robear777 Member Posts: 1
    I don't know what others will think of this solution, (the idea scares the heck out of my wife), but I'm using it as a stopgap until I have time to take my car in and get it worked on... My car is a Toyota Sienna XLD FWD and it has the same two relays this DIY family described: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eW401gpFzMc&sns=em
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    It's a "solution" but not a great one....VSC and ABS, especially for the less experienced driver, are very useful. The gentleman in the video is not correct about these systems being "only good in the snow"---that's simply not true.
  • laxboy13laxboy13 Member Posts: 2
    I have filed my complaint wit the NTSA, complaint 10940130.
    I have a 2004 Sienna with ~146,000 miles on itand this problem has been going on for about 6 months. It happened twice in a span of 5 minutes, and then didn;t start happening again until about 2 months ago. Since then it has occurred with greater frequency and intermittent severity. In almost all cases, it occurs when driving 55-70 mph and while going around a right hand bend in the road, the "skid" light will come on, beep, and then the brakes will suddenly engage, causing the car to pull one way or the other (often left towards oncoming traffic). As soon as you exit the curve, the light goes off and you can accelerate back to speed.

    My dealership in San Luis Obispo is stumped. They do not know what to do and will not warranty work that involves guessing and trying to fixthe issue by replacing parts that they do not know are not working. We have driven the car with them and a data logger, got the VSC to go off and they sent the data to Toyota headquarters for analysis to see if they could determine where the problem is. Toyota headquarters said, "You are drivng too fast, and should slow down on corners.".... I'm driving a reasonable amount of speed at the speed of traffic at no more than 0-10 over the speed limit. I am so pissed by that response.

    So it seems my options are:
    1. Replace Yaw Sensor
    2. Replace steering sensor
    3. Replace Steering rack

    I too am an engineer with an understanding of instrument errors, control logic, mechanical wear, and troubleshooting. It's interesting to me that the issue is repeatable, (right hand turns only), happening more often, seems to be happening at a lower and lower mph threshold.

    Any ideas on where I should start throwing money?
  • bmwk75sbmwk75s Member Posts: 21
    laxboy13 said:

    I have filed my complaint wit the NTSA, complaint 10940130.
    I have a 2004 Sienna with ~146,000 miles on itand this problem has been going on for about 6 months. It happened twice in a span of 5 minutes, and then didn;t start happening again until about 2 months ago. Since then it has occurred with greater frequency and intermittent severity. In almost all cases, it occurs when driving 55-70 mph and while going around a right hand bend in the road, the "skid" light will come on, beep, and then the brakes will suddenly engage, causing the car to pull one way or the other (often left towards oncoming traffic). As soon as you exit the curve, the light goes off and you can accelerate back to speed.

    My dealership in San Luis Obispo is stumped. They do not know what to do and will not warranty work that involves guessing and trying to fixthe issue by replacing parts that they do not know are not working. We have driven the car with them and a data logger, got the VSC to go off and they sent the data to Toyota headquarters for analysis to see if they could determine where the problem is. Toyota headquarters said, "You are drivng too fast, and should slow down on corners.".... I'm driving a reasonable amount of speed at the speed of traffic at no more than 0-10 over the speed limit. I am so pissed by that response.

    So it seems my options are:
    1. Replace Yaw Sensor
    2. Replace steering sensor
    3. Replace Steering rack

    I too am an engineer with an understanding of instrument errors, control logic, mechanical wear, and troubleshooting. It's interesting to me that the issue is repeatable, (right hand turns only), happening more often, seems to be happening at a lower and lower mph threshold.

    Any ideas on where I should start throwing money?

    Have you replaced or checked any of your wheel bearings? The wheel speed sensors are located within the wheel bearing housing and if it detects a change when in a curve, it could trigger the VSC to kick in.
  • eeguru6677eeguru6677 Member Posts: 3
    The mounting bushings in 2004 Toyota Siennas (and others) get soft with age. When you are in a turn, the rack moves against the soft bushings and you correct by turning the steering wheel. The VSC system interprets this correction as a skid and applies the brakes. This is no fun (as my wife found out) if this VSC-caused brake application happens at 70 mph on the interstate in semi-laden, heavy traffic. Almost sure this is the problem, but you can verify in the driveway by turning the steering wheel to one side so you can watch the rack and pinion bushings while someone else turns the steering wheel. The rack should not move at all against the bushings! If it does, replace the rack and pinion.
  • danielle31784danielle31784 Member Posts: 1
    I've been having this same issue with the VSC kicking in at 30-35 mph around corners..was  almost pulled into oncoming traffic due to the issue. Also it happened on the freeway going 70... really thought we were gonna wreck. Has anyone had any success in resolving the issue? I've been to the dealership and since "no codes" show on regular reading or live reading while the dealership had it, they said to replace the steering sensor, did that and still having the VSC, TRAC OFF kick on under normal driving conditions. They did diagnostics on everything and everything is apparently fine to them... any help from anyone would be greatly appreciated since Toyota is not concerned that we could die in this damn van. 
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    They might have a point if no hard codes are stored---the point being that their instruments might have to be hooked up at the time of failure. How often does this happen?
  • cxm_1234cxm_1234 Member Posts: 1
    Hello. I realize I'm about five years late to this conversation, but was anyone able to get this issue resolved? It happened to us recently and I am furious to see that it is a common problem and has not been recalled. We were very close to either a) flying off a cliff, or b) being smashed by a semi, this weekend with my entire family in the car. Called the dealer and they said they have never heard of it, which is most likely BS.
  • nenaeh1nenaeh1 Member Posts: 1
    edited June 2018
    Hello I am also having this issue with my '04 Sienna . The traction control kicks in when it shouldnt jerking my steering left and right and pumping the brakes harshly on its own. I have reported it to Toyota corporate and they claim this is the first they have heard of it....which I seriously doubt! PLEASE report your issue to NHSP (National Highway Safety patrol) as I did. We NEED to force them to take this seriously before someone loses a life. You can file a complaint here or call: https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/VehicleComplaint/
    I also have a issue where the sliding doors appear unlocked but you cannot get out from the inside or in from the outside randomly. Noting like feeling like I am driving around in a DEATH BOX. If enough reports are made they will force Toyota to do a recall.
  • dmadma Member Posts: 1
    hi i am having this same problem on a 2004 4x4 toyota tundra limited all stock.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    These are probably sensor issues, which over the course of 14 years have been subjected to weather, vibration and aging. A professional scan tool should be able to pinpoint the problem.
  • itsmommagitsmommag Member Posts: 1
    Mr_Shiftright, I am wondering if you read the entire thread? Professional scan tools have not been able to locate or help diagnose this problem.
    I have a 2004 Toyota Sienna we have had since 2007. 255K miles on it, we have taken good care of it & it has been a very reliable vehicle. Until 2017. We were on a road trip through the redwoods & the VSC went off, alarm sounding, VSC light flashing on dash, steering wheel pulling & brakes gently pumping themselves. It lasts 3-5 seconds. It is really frightening when this happens out of nowhere. We were on a windy road, traveling under the speed limit. It didn't happen again for at least 6 months. Each time we are shocked, since we aren't driving fast & the road conditions are dry. And this has never happened in expected conditions, even driving in snow, very bad weather, etc. Fast forward to our 25th anniversary trip to Caramel Valley July 2018. We had been on the road close to 4 hours, mostly straight freeway driving. As we were driving Laureles Grade, barely 20 minutes from our destination, the VSC went off, pulling the steering wheel & pumping the brakes. This is a very windy road, but we were going pretty slow. We have to, because I get car sick if we go through the turns fast. It's frightening, there were cars behind us, tail gating because we weren't speeding through. This happened repeatedly as we were trying to get to our destination. We tried driving at 15mph, but every time we turned it went off. We tried braking when it started, slowing down more, nothing stopped the process. We finally made it to our destination. The problem couldn't be found at a local shop so we had to have our vehicle brought back home on a flat bed tow truck.
    So to date we have replaced the YAW sensor & replaced lower control arms. Our vehicle has been to 3 different shops & no one can figure out what is wrong. They can't even get it to go off when they drive it. One mechanic said he was practically spinning donuts & nothing. But I take it home & it does it again. One replaced the YAW on our request, but warned us it was a 50/50 chance of being the problem. I have shared all the info from this thread with the shop(s). There are no codes to read, and all components are in good working order.
    We really like our van, and it is in great condition. But now we can't drive it because of an undetectable electronic malfunction. Hubby is not willing to spend any more money on it.
    Professional scan tool? Nope.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    If there's a VSC light, then the scan tool should find it. Of course, any tool is only as good as the technician using it. This problem is solvable, but apparently the problem and the problem solver have yet to meet, or....(see below)

    Another issue here is that if the light goes on and then the problem disappears, then it may be necessary for diagnostic equipment to be hooked up at the time the problem is occurring. If the codes clear, then there's no freeze frame or real time data for the scan tool to read.

    Once a car has exceeded its statistical lifespan, as yours has, that's another set of variables in the mix, as the source of the issue could be very peculiar, like deterioration of wiring harness, rodent damage, intrusion of moisture into fuse boxes or modules.

    Chasing a "ghost" like this isn't easy, and is very frustrating for owners.
  • pc_doc2001pc_doc2001 Member Posts: 1
    chris2345 said:

    Having the same issue. 2004 Sienna VSC engaging on a curve at 35 mph consistently and two incidents of engaging at 65 mph going down freeway. Plus a few other random times going around a curve. Brakes come on and it pulls car to the right. On freeway it pulled us half off road, luckily we had just moved to the right lane or might have been a serious accident.This is the family car and the car my teenagers drive. Have had the car in the Toyota dealership service 5 times! Once calibration of system, 2 times cannot get it to go off when they drive it, 4th time changed sensor for $900 and they discounted the $150 I payed first time. Still going off. Took to other Toyota dealer near me to test on hill that it goes off consistently. They recreated it with me driving and again with computer hooked up. Now they are saying it's the bushings in the steering rack and shaft, cost $2000. If that does not work then try both front lower control arms, $1191. If that does not work then front brakes and rotors, $500. And they can't guarantee that any of that will fix it. I am not knowledgeable of the workings of car, so any ideas if any of these repairs will work? This could cost me $4500 and no guarantees it will work. This is a serious safety issue! We bought car new in 2003 from the dealer and always have it serviced at their shop. Anyone higher up that might give me a break on paying for all the guesswork to find the problem?

    That is utterly rediculous! I run a successful auto repair shop. I've seen this issue before on Sienna's. Almost always 2004.
    I take this issue VERY seriously. I kept the car for several days each time and each time I was able to reproduce the problem several times. Each time that it happened it was a serious risk.
    If steering rack bushings were causing this I would be easy to show the customer. Also, I've never seen steering rack bushings cause this, (though it might theoretically be possible, it's seems like a reach)
    I've advised each and every customer that experienced this to seek an attorney.
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