2008 Toyota Sienna

MY TOYOTA SIENNA WITH 82,000 MILES ON IT SUSPENSION HAS SEVERAL NOISES AND THE RACK AND PINION STEERING BOOTS ARE LEAKING, ON THE TOYOTA NATION WEB SITE AND TOYOTA SIENNA OWNERS WEB SITE, THERE ARE ABOUT 75 TO 90 OTHER PERSONS WITH THIS PROBLEM, PLUS THE ONES THAT DO NOT BOTHER TO POST LIKE US. WHEY HAVEN'T THE GOVERNMENT FORCE TOYOTA TO RECALL THIS VEHICLES? I HAVE CHANGED STRUTS, SHOCKS, THE TIRES ARE NEW AND IT IS ALIGNED. TOYOTA IS RISKING THE LIVES OF ITS CLIENTS AND NO ONE CAN DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT, DUE TO THE APATHY AND HUMAN DISREGARD OF LIVES.!

WHEN MY SIENNA WAS 3 1/2 YRS OLD WITH MILEAGE 51,500 IT NEEDED A NEW POWER RACK & PINION DUE TO STEERING FLUID LEAK. IT WAS REPLACED IN DECEMBER 2011 AT THE DEALERSHIP AND COST ME $1,200. NOW RECENT VISIT TO HAVE THE OIL CHANGED ON MARCH 25, 2016, THE TECH DISCOVERED AGAIN LEAKING STEERING FLUID AND ANOTHER NEW POWER RACK & PINION REPLACEMENT IS REQUIRED. THIS TIME IT'S 4 & 1/2 YEARS LATER AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE OF THE VAN IS 109,600. LOOKS LIKE THERE IS SOME TYPE OF DEFECT WITH THE PARTS AND ONLY LAST APPROX. 50,000 MILES. I DO HEAR A PERSISTENT KNOCKING SOUND WHICH IS ONE OF THE SYMPTOMS OF RACK & PINION GOING BAD.

WE HAD BEEN NOTICING A SMALL LEAK UNDER OUR 2008 TOYOTA SIENNA FOR A FEW MONTHS SO WE TOOK IT IN TO THE TOYOTA SERVICE CENTER TO HAVE IT CHECKED OUT. A TOYOTA SERVICE TECHNICIAN TOLD US THAT THE PASSENGER SIDE POWER STEERING RACK BOOT IS TORN AND THE SEAL IS LEAKING, SO IT NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. HE SAID THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM/DEFECT WITH 2008 SIENNAS ON THE PASSENGER SIDE.

NOTICED SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN TURNING RADIUS OVER TIME. VEHICLE TENDS TO DRIFT TO THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE ROAD. NOTICED FLUID LEAKING FROM UNDER PASSENGER SIDE OF VEHICLE. VISUAL INSPECTION IDENTIFIED THAT PASSENGER SIDE POWER STEERING RACK SEAL IS LEAKING. VEHICLE MILEAGE IS 67K, ROUTINELY MAINTAINED, GARAGE KEPT WITH NO COLLISIONS.

SINCE, I'VE BOUGHT THIS VAN IN LATE 2009, I HAVE ALWAYS FELT A CLICKING NOISE IN THE STEERING WHEEL DURING TURNING. NOW THAT THE NOISE IS GETTING WORSE, I AM READING ONLINE THAT THERE'S SOME KIND OF MANUFACTURING DEFECT AND TSB'S ISSUED ABOUT THE INTERMEDIATE STEERING SHAFT AS CORROSION SETS IN THOSE WITH TIME. ALSO, IT SEEMS LIKE THAT OIL FROM STEERING RACK IS LEAKING AND THAT SEEMS TO BE A PROBLEM WITH MULTIPLE TOYOTA SIENNAS STARTING FROM 2006. TOYOTA SHOULD TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THESE MANUFACTURING DEFECTS AND CORRECT THE ISSUES AS THESE CAN LEAD TO STEERING FAILURE & CAN BE FATAL. *TR

MY 2008 TOYOTA SIENNA LE WAS BOUGHT BRAND NEW, HAVE IT SERVICED AT TOYOTA DEALERS, ON JUNE 5TH, 2014, L TOOK THE VAN TO A DEALER FOR A REGULAR SERVICE L WAS TOLD MY STEERING RACK WAS LEAKING AND WILL NEED TO HAVE THE WHOLE STEERING RACK REPLACE. THE VAN ONLY HAS 57,000 + ON IT AND SERVICED REGULARLY. WITH THE HISTORY OF SEVERAL RECALL ON SIENNA, L BELIEVED THIS MIGHT BE A DEFECT FROM TOYOTA. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE WHICH THE DEALER REFUSED TO ACKNOWLEDGE CAUSED THE VAN WARRANT HAS RAN OUT EVEN THOUGH L BOUGHT AN EXTENDED WARRANTY (COST GUARD) WHICH L WAS TOLD AGAIN THAT THE COST GUARD WARRANTY HAS EXPIRED TOO. I HAVE REPORTED THIS ISSUE TO TOYOTA BUT NOTHING WAS DONE. I AM APPEALING TO YOUR HONORABLE OFFICE TO INVESTIGATE AND ASK TOYOTA TO TREAT THIS AS A DEFECT AND SAFETY ISSUE. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

IN MAY OF 2013, I WAS TOLD BY ROSNER TOYOTA OF STAFFORD VA, THAT MY VEHICLE, WITH LESS THAN 60,000 MILES ON IT, WOULD NOT PASS A SAFETY INSPECTION BECAUSE THE RACK AND PINION STEERING SYSTEM WAS LEAKING FLUID. NOT WANTING TO DRIVE AN UNSAFE VEHICLE, I HAD NO CHOICE BUT TO FIX IT. I PETITIONED TOYOTA HEADQUARTERS ABOUT THIS, AND THEY AGREED TO COVER $900.00 OF THE $1,300.00 BILL. I THINK THEY SHOULD HAVE COVERED THE ENTIRE AMOUNT, BUT I ENDED UP SHELLING OUT $300.00 FOR A NEW BOOT TO TEMP FIX THE PROBLEM, AND THEN THE REMAINING $400.00 TO REPLACE THE RACK AND PINION. NOW, LESS THAN 1 YEAR FROM THE REPLACEMENT OF THE RACK AND PINION, ROSNER OF TOYOTA TELLS ME THAT THE SAME SIDE OF THE RACK AND PINION IS AGAIN LEAKING FLUID AND THAT IT NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. ROSNER REPLACED THE PARTS, BUT I AM CONCERNED THAT THIS IS JUST A TEMPORARY FIX TO A MUCH BIGGER PROBLEM. THIS IS THE THIRD RACK AND PINION FOR THIS VEHICLE IN LESS THAN 6 YEARS. I AM CONCERNED THAT THIS VEHICLE IS NOT SAFE FOR OPERATION. PLEASE ADVISE AND THANKS. *TR

2008 SIENNA HAS DEVELOPED STEERING ISSUE AND ALMOST LOST STEERING CONTROL OF VAN. PROBLEM APPEARS TO BE FAILURE OF STEERING INTERMEDIATE SHAFT THAT RESULTED IN INTERMEDIATE ABILITY TO STEER VEHICLE. VERY CHOPPY STEERING. THIS IS A VERY COMMON ISSUE WITH TOYOTAS. CONTACTED TOYOTA CUSTOMER SERVICE AND WAS INFORMED THERE ARE TSB'S FOR PRIOR AND POST YEAR VEHICLES BUT NOT FOR 08 SIENNA. TOYOTA NEEDS TO FURTHER INVESTIGATE AS FAILURE OF STEERING COMPONENT IS NOT ACCEPTABLE. TSB IS NOT ACCEPTABLE.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 TOYOTA SIENNA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE STEERING WAS DEFECTIVE. THE TIRES WERE PROTRUDING IN DIFFERENT ANGLES INWARD AND OUTWARD. THE ABS SYSTEM WOULD ENGAGE INDEPENDENTLY, THE AIR CONDITIONER WAS LEAKING INSIDE THE VEHICLE AND THE DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT BELT WOULD NOT WORK BECAUSE THE SEAT WAS ACTUALLY DESIGNED FOR THE PASSENGER SIDE, BUT WAS INSTALLED TO THE DRIVER'S SEAT . THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT THE RACK AND PINION WAS LEAKING GREASE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 2,000.