2005 Toyota Sienna brake failures. This seems to be an intermittent problem - step on brake pedal - car does not stop. Brakes have been changed and reinspected. A search on the web shows that this is a known problem and many complaints have been filed regarding this issue.

- Norman, OK, USA

Toyota Sienna 2005 was taken into dealership for regular maintenance service which included a check of the brakes. Was told rear brakes needed to be replaced and that was performed. Was told by dealer that front brakes were fine. 1 month later having problems with brakes still. Took it to private mechanic and was told that master brake cylinder needed to be replaced. I would think this problems would have been detected when it was at the dealership. I am lucky that my brakes did not fail and cause an accident. Other issues with this 2005 Toyota Sienna include having to replace the A/C compressor twice, rack and pinion replaced, and now the rear struts on the tailgate have failed. This vehicle is a serious safety risk.

- Viera, FL, USA

I have an intermittent failure with the anti-skid. Once or twice a month I will be turning without any brakes on and the anti-skid light comes on and the car behaves like it is trying to compensate for a skid.

- Santa Rosa, CA, USA

The contact owns a 2005 Toyota Sienna. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30 mph, the brake indicator lights illuminated, the vehicle began to shake, and move to the left without assistance. Whenever driving over a bump or a pot hole, the brake indicator lights illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The technician advised the contact that the recall notice must be presented for recall repairs. The vehicle had not been repaired for the malfunction. The contact was uncertain of the remedy for the recall defect, and stated that the vehicle could possibly need an alignment. The failure mileage was 28,000. The current mileage was 33, 000.

- Corona, NY, USA

Vehicle was a 2005 Toyota Sienna van. Vehicle has always been serviced by Toyota dealers.on 8/29/09, I had rear brakes replaced by local Toyota dealer with 77,410 miles on the vehicle. 10 days later, on 9/8/09, my roommate was picking up children at school. Driving on a 4 lane road in town going 35-40mph. Two H.S. students abruptly stopped in her lane. My roommate stated she applied brakes but could tell vehicle was not stopping or slowing. Ran into rear end of a Toyota Tacoma P/U which in turn rear-ended a Honda CRV. No injuries in any involved vehicle. However, due to the extent of damage, my Sienna van was a total loss. Airbags did deploy on impact. My roommate stated from the beginning that she had applied the brake to the floor and the van did not brake or slow down. There were no braking/skid marks on the pavement at area of accident. Either the brake system totally failed or there was faulty work done during brake replacement 10 days earlier.

- Canton, GA, USA

Brake failure in a 2005 Toyota Sienna. I see other reports of this problem in Siennas based on an on-line google search. The problem, in my case, is intermittent. Brake failure has happened two times when attempting to stop at intersections. Once to my wife and once to me. The pedal does not go all the way down to the floor, but pressing hard on the pedal is ineffective to stop the car in a normal distance. The ABS system does not engage despite the amount of strong force on the pedal that I exerted. The car eventually came to a stop, but it feels as though there is no vacuum assist. Pumping the brake did not help. The pavement was not slick. The brakes appear to work normally at other times.

- Long Beach, NY, USA

I bought a new 2005 Toyota Sienna van in January 2005. My complaint is about the brakes. Every 10,000 miles the brakes are completely grinding metal to metal and the rotors need to be replaced. When I had just 12,000 on my car Toyota stated that I needed new brakes and rotors. It is now 2010 and I have changed the rotors at least twice and the brakes still go out approx. Every 10,000 miles. The Toyota rep himself told me that Toyota is aware of the braking problems with there vans and that the van is to heavy for the small braking system on these vans. That revelation came from the Toyota service rep. I believe there is both a danger and a defect with these brakes especially if the van brakes can not support the weight of the vehicle and 7 passengers. I believe the facts today show that Toyota knew about it's brake and pedal problems and never did anything about it. If dot researched the amount of complaints against Toyota van brakes you would see a clear pattern. Subpoena Toyota and ask for these customer complaints/internal memos and see how many there are. Thanks for your attention to this matter. I am confident that dot will conduct a complete investigation regarding this matter.

- Aliso Viejo, CA, USA

The contact owns a 2005 Toyota Sienna. The contact stated that when she was driving over rough surfaces, bumps or potholes and trying to depress the brake pedal, she noticed a grinding sound and the brake would not seem to engage immediately. She stated that the condition seemed to exist on extremely bumpy roads. She took the vehicle to the dealership 3-4 times and the brake pads were replaced and rotors were resurfaced. However, the issue was still present after the repairs. She had not spoken with the manufacturer to-date. The current mileage was approximately 76,500. The failure mileage was approximately 43,000.

- Lafayette, NY, USA

I was involved in an accident which should just be a minor fender bender but lost all brakes and caused my 2005 Toyota Sienna limited AWD to just keep on going until I hit a house and that made my van stop. I was running 25mph. My Sienna was totaled not because of the initial impact but because of the van hitting the house.

- Daly City, CA, USA

Brakes fail to work properly. When approaching a stop sign and applying the brakes to slow to a stop, the brakes fail to engage properly so it's like you're floating uncontrollably while approaching the intersection and it feels like you will not be able to stop in time then all of a sudden it will stop, causing everyone and everything within the vehicle to lurch (or fly) forward. In cold weather, when applying the brakes to slow to a stop, the brakes shudder and fail to engage causing one to lose control of the vehicle briefly I.e. can't brake, can't steer, can't stop even though there's no ice. I have had these problems periodically since purchasing the vehicle in 2005. I thought it was something I was doing wrong until recently when I read about other people experiencing the same problems. I am concerned I will be unable to stop in time at some point causing an accident.

- Ames, IA, USA

Slowing as I approached a four-way stop, my brakes failed to stop. I heard a loud noise (my husband, a mechanical engineer says it is the anti-lock brakes) and the brakes don't work. On the fourth braking attempt they worked. This is the third time this has happened. Each time was at a slow speed, after a rain, but not raining.

- San Carlos, CA, USA

Last year I was driving my 2005 Toyota Sienna, and a line of ducks walked out in front of my car. I slammed on the brakes but the car just kept going, running over a duck and stopping about 30 ft later. I thought maybe I was too slow to brake. Then a couple of weeks later a man walked out from behind a trailer and I tried to slam on the brakes (I was only going about 20 mph). The man saw me and had time to get out of the way thankfully since the car didn't stop until 10 ft afterwards. I brought the car to my dealer and they said 'the master cylinder is bypassing' and replaced it. I don't have the old part. However, I wanted to make sure you knew about it, because it was not obvious during normal driving, only when I had to stop quickly. And someone could easily have been killed.

- Orlando, FL, USA

I purchased a new 2005 Toyota Sienna minivan from a local dealer in 2005. At 15,000 miles the dealership replaced all 4 rotors/brake pads/tires under warranty. Since then about every 10,000 - 20,000 miles the vehicle needs new rotors and brake pads. We now have 61,000 miles on it and are on our fourth set of pads and rotors. The dealer claims this is "normal wear and tear", but this is the worst performance I have ever heard of from a braking system.

- Binghamton, NY, USA

We have a 2005 Toyota Sienna mini-van. At 16000 miles, it had a routine check and was found to have a stuck caliper in the front and so the dealer replaced all four rotors, brake pads, and tires. Now at 52000, the van was taken in for inspection and found to need all four rotors, brakes pads, and tires replaced again. We checked some web sites and found many people with similar issues with the Sienna. I contacted Toyota and their response is that this is normal wear and tear. I have had many vehicles and have never had to replace these items every 30,000 miles or so.

- Binghamton, NY, USA

Our passenger-side sliding rear door has frozen in place and will not open. It is a 2005 Toyota Sienna C model. We have had other issues as well, such as the rear hatchback supports failed within 3 years, our drivers-side front door makes a popping sound when opened, we have replaced the front brakes three times within 65,000 miles, and seat belts that constantly stick.

- Orlando, FL, USA

The contact owns a 2005 Toyota Sienna. While driving between 5-6 mph, another vehicle ran a stop sign and struck the left rear driver's side of the contact's vehicle. Her vehicle fish-tailed and turned to the left. The vehicle accelerated and struck another vehicle. The contact had no control over the vehicle. She attempted to place the vehicle into park, but was unsuccessful. The engine revved and the vehicle accelerated again. The vehicle struck a curb, a boulder, and then a palm tree before coming to a complete stop. The brakes failed to operate during the incident. A police report was filed and there were no injuries. The vehicle was towed to a GMC dealer and they test drove the vehicle, but were unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle is still at the GMC dealer and will be appraised. The failure and current mileages were 40,000. Updated 5/7/09 updated 05/11/09.

- Port Charlotte, FL, USA

I brought my 2005 Sienna in for normal service at 7500 miles. The technician informed me that I needed my brakes replaced. This is outrageous to me. Way below what is to be expected.

- Los Angeles, CA, USA

: the contact stated while driving 40 mph and depressing the brake pedal, the vehicle did not stop. The problem occurred on three occasions. It was maneuvered off the road and coasted to a stop. The vehicle was towed to the dealer who could not duplicate the problem.

- Troy, MI, USA

I have a 2005 Sienna xle limited AWD and noticed for the past two winters that when I start driving the car after a cold night, the first few times I use the brakes they're not responsive. In fact I cannot seem to be able to apply the brakes sufficiently hard to bring the car to a stop if needed (from my house I have a steep downhill and then a stop sign before continuing on a larger street.) have noticed this also in other places/different circumstances. Brought up this issue with the service advisor who told me that they could not replicate the problem (left the car overnight at the dealership twice already). He said that the brakes function properly. Nevertheless, every cold morning I notice the same problem.

- Colorado Springs, CO, USA