2004 Toyota Sienna steering binding, does not return to neutral position. NHTSA PE08041 addresses this problem as corrosion of universal joint on intermediate steering shaft. Muller Toyota of Washington, NJ 908-638-4100 confirmed intermediate shaft needs to be replaced, cost $575 invoice #L75877. Have not replaced shaft yet, is Toyota going to recall this defect?

- Washington, NJ, USA

I began experiencing a stiffness in my power steering on 12-15-08. I checked the power steering fluid level and it appeared to be low. I added a few ounces. Two days of driving later and there was no change. I took the van to the Toyota dealership today, 12-18-08, and they identified the problem as corrosion to the flex joint of the intermediate shaft of the power steering rack and pinion. They did tell me that the situation could degrade to the point where power steering could fail. Cost of repair was quoted as $500 plus $70 for related/required front-end alignment. The root cause was said to likely be water entering the seal of the joint, causing rust to form on/around the bearings. Other reports of road salt being the cause, seem to suggest that under-carriage cleaning would, in fact, prevent the corrosion. This dealers position is that the high-pressure spraying of the under-carriage was, itself, causing the corrosion to begin.

- Erie, PA, USA

The contact owns a 2004 Toyota Sienna. While driving 15 mph and turning the vehicle, the steering column began to fail. The steering became stiff and then loosened too much. As a result, a crash could have occurred. The dealer stated that they were unaware of any failures with the steering column. The contact inspected the vehicle himself and determined that the lower universal joint on the intermediate shaft was failing and covered with rust. The vehicle has not been taken to a dealer for inspection and repairs. The manufacturer stated that the vehicle needed to be taken to the dealer for inspection. The failure mileage was 100,000 and current mileage was 102,000.

- Killingworth, CT, USA

Just over a year ago I started hearing a sporadic sound when making a left hand turn. When I brought it to the attention of the dealer' service department during regular maintenance, they said they found no problem and unfortunately did not indicate the complaint on the service record. I don't believe they took my description seriously at the time. The sound disappeared for a while but reappeared consistently when cold weather arrived this fall. Three weeks ago the steering started to become very hard. It took a week to schedule an appointment, 4 days to receive a part and 5 more days to "fit" the repair in with an estimated cost of $500. They wanted us to wait an additional four days and at first implied there would be no option for a loaner car. Our car has 47000 miles on it and unfortunately we do not have extended warranty. When I presented the original noise, it would have been under warranty. I refuse to drive the car as I nearly had an accident when I tried to turn the wheel and had difficulty. We are still making payments and combined with nearly annual run flat tire replacement issues, this seems a unreasonable repair.

- Plymouth, NH, USA

The steering has become stiff on my 2004 Sienna causing unexpected response when steering. My mechanic tells me it is the steering intermediate shaft and that there is a bulletin ( ST001-07) on this. The Toyota dealership states that this is not a safety concern. The vehicle is at 88,000 km and exceeds the 36 month 36,000 mile limits. When I purchased this used vehicle (in January 08) from the dealership it came with their total satisfaction warranty which does not seem to clearly state anything that is covered.

- London, 00, USA

I had taken my Sienna to the dealer to fix the last recall for the liftgate. They must have done an inspection and told me I needed to replace the warn control arms at a cost of $1,755 and the high pressure power steering hose at a cost of $699. I was there in April to have work done and none of this was mentioned. I have 54,473 miles and asked at what mileage do the control arms usually break down and I was told simply at any time.

- Bayonne, NJ, USA

"clunking" noise noted on steering the 2004 Toyota Sienna just a few months after it was bought. It had gone through 3 recalls already when first the fuel tank, then the door sills, then the middle row seatbelt bezel, and finally recently, the rear hatch struts were all replaced. Vehicle was test driven, but no mention of "clunking" documented. However, all this time, the clunking had become more noticeable, and vehicle had gone through 2 alignments already, with only about 42,000 miles on it. Last serviced for alignment, dealer did note clunking and recommended replacement of intermediate steering shaft. It is now becoming more difficult to steer the vehicle, especially at low speeds, and "K-turns" now require more maneuvers, and the steering radius has increased potentially causing collisions with objects or pedestrians if compensatory action is not initiated. (steering output has sometimes been unpredictable). Second component is lack of TPMS sensors when tires were changed at a facility, and I had the facility document the lack of sensors.

- Dover, DE, USA

While making a sharp left turn, I can hear clunk, clunk from the steering column. Dealer says the steering column (rack-pinion) joint is bad, need replacement, not under warranty, will cost 500 to 600 $, not an immediate safety threat, can wait until the noise gets too bad. I am not happy that such things break down at 45,000 miles.

- Avenel, NJ, USA

On septmber 9, 2008 I was told at the that I needed to replace all four of my run flat tires after doing so, when I left the dealer I noticed that the steering did not feel the same as it did prior to my visit. Initially, I thought because I had four new tires that the steering felt tight because the tires were hugging the road. Over the past few weeks the steering had become progressively worse. Driving straight the car felt like it pulled towards the left, making turns was difficult because the steering wheel would move intermittently as if I had no power steering. I called the dealer on October 3, 2008 to make an appointment and they told me they could look at it on October 8, 2008. The car sat over this past weekend and when I drove it first thing Monday morning I could barely move the wheel so I brought the car to the dealer on October 6, 2008 to make sure it was safe to drive. They diagnosed the problem as, "steering shaft U-joint failure, " and told me that the steering could cease. They ordered the part and replaced the steering shaft U-joint the following day on October 7, 2008. I inquired how often they saw this issue and decided to research this part which brought me to this website. I was curious since my family has owned many Toyota and never heard of this issue. In addition, the dealer had just replaced the same part on another Sienna this past Saturday. I requested that they give me the defective part which I have.

- Lexington, MA, USA

Steering problems with my 2004 Toyota Sienna. The turning of the steering wheel has become tougher. Taking turns is extremely difficult and loss of steering control dealer is repairing at a cost of $598 and it could be more.

- Billerica, MA, USA

The steering began to get hard to turn. The problem progressed to the point where it began to interfere with driving. The dealer told me it was a due to corrosion on a steering shaft and if it failed completely, I would not be able to steer the vehicle. I believe the repair cost $700 with the part and subsequent alignment.

- Framingham, MA, USA

The contact owns a 2004 Toyota Sienna. While driving and attempting to turn the vehicle at approximately 35-45 mph, the steering would tighten and hesitate to the point where it felt like it would not turn. The dealer believed that the U joint needed to be replaced and had lots of "play". the estimated repair cost was $523.71. The failure mileage was 78,000 and current mileage was 84,208.

- Kingston, NH, USA

On April 18, 2008 the steering on my Toyota Sienna began to feel difficult. It was very hard to turn the steering wheel. The intermediate steering shaft had failed and was replaced on May 6, 2008.

- Londonderry, NH, USA

About 15 minutes into a half hour drive the steering suddenly felt like it was sticking during turns. The force required to turn the steering wheel became unpredictable, making the vehicle difficult to control. Did not drive the vehicle until local garage (not affiliated with Toyota) could inspect steering. They reported that the intermediate steering shaft needed to be replaced due to corrosion from road salt, but that the part was on national back order. Found on NHTSA website that Toyota had issued a tsb on this problem in January 2007. Given the rapidity of the onset of this problem, suggest that owners in high salt areas should be notified by manufacturer. Total mileage on vehicle is 56,000. Will keep damaged part when replacement arrives.

- Plainfield, NH, USA

We had a steering problem with this car for a number of months. The steering would become very difficult and felt as if it was locking up, especially in the middle of a turn. It was extremely difficult to control the car and required much effort. Towards the beginning, it was a bit intermittent. At the first visit to the Toyota dealer, we paid for other service in a vain effort to address the problem at the recommendation of the service advisor, as they said they were unable to reproduce the problem; no mention was made of this problem, and no indication was made that an inspection was made to see if this was the source of our complaint even though a tsb had existed for well over a year and numerous complaints had been logged through NHTSA and on the internet. The technicians said they could not reproduce the problem. On the second visit, I referenced the Toyota tsb (#10020994 from 01/2007) and they replaced the intermediate steering shaft (I have the original) at my cost! (total of ~$700 for 2 visits). We came close to having accidents in the car before the repair was made. This is an extreme hazard which will likely cause bodily or property harm if Toyota does not recall these vehicles soon. A number of similar complaints already exist in your database: 10221808 10220841 10220825 10220825 10189743 10162602 10159496.

- Wilmington, MA, USA

A shaft in the power steering began to fail due to corrosion caused by road salt. Complete failure would have caused the steering to lock up. I replaced the part prior to failure.

- Framingham, MA, USA

Steering became hard and would catch in certain turning situations so the car felt as if steering locked up. Needs intermediate steering shaft replaced. Car went into shop on Friday 3-7-08. Part is on national back order. None are available in usa. A tsb was issued 1-2007 concerning replacement of intermediate steering assembly with modified part in high salt areas. The original design allows salt to get in the universal joint and corrode it causing steering to become difficult. Toyota has come out with a new design. Their failure rate must be high if they have no replacement parts in the usa for 2 weeks and only states with road salt are affected.

- New Philadelphia, OH, USA

The contact owns a 2004 Toyota Sienna. While driving 24 mph, the steering wheel froze. The contact experiences difficulty when driving. He took the vehicle to the dealer and they stated that the parts for the repair were on a national back order. There is a tsb (number 10020994) regarding the steering intermediate shaft in high road salt areas. The current and failure mileages were 55,000. Updated 4/2/08 updated 04/02/08

- New Philadelphia, OH, USA

The contact owns a 2004 Toyota Sienna. The contact stated that when turning the steering wheel in either direction, it becomes difficult to turn, jams, and fails to turn back to the correct driving position. The dealer stated that the vehicle needs an intermediate shaft, steering gear, and a steering column flex coupling. The dealer also stated that it is not safe to drive the vehicle because the steering may fail. The current and failure mileages were 48,000.

- Rockvile Centre, NY, USA

2004 Toyota Sienna with 39,000 miles. Steering shaft assembly failed - nearly impossible to maneuver car. Failure occurred suddenly, as if power steering system failed. Failure blamed on rubber boot. Corrective action: Steering shaft assembly replaced at consumer cost. Old part is available for government viewing. Sudden failure could have caused loss of vehicle control and accident at high speeds. Toyota refused to cover repair due to my not having 30,000 miles service performed at local Toyota dealership!

- Acton, MA, USA