2004 Sienna, sounds like brakes locked

My wife just called...Her 2004 Sienna has stopped...she says she can creep with the car but any faster and there is a warning tone and it feels like the brakes lock....there are no warning lights on the dash to indicate a problem.....and of course here in Arizona it's likely

115 degrees....Any advice would be appreciated.

Chuck

Reply to
chuck
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It could be brakes or a transmission problem. She should make sure her emergency/parking brake is off. She should probably have it towed on dollies or put on a rollback.

Jeff

Reply to
Jeff

Your message came not a minute too soon...flat bed truck just arrived as I was on the phone to my wife...she will have it taken to Big 2 Toyota, a new facility in Chandler.

Thanks,

Chuck

Reply to
Chuck

Let us know what the problem was. I'm a 04 Sienna owner. hope it's nothing too serious.

Reply to
dbu,.

That's a 2003 Sienna. Sorry for scaring the owner of the 2004 Sienna..

Anyhow...when the service techs ran the on board computer, no fault appeared....after waiting for a long time I called Toyota's head office and had regional advise the local dealer...The end result was that they reprogrammed the ABS system. Service personnel are driving the car now to make sure nothing goes wrong such as the brakes applying at freeway speed.

Ray, do you know why there was no indication of the fault on the onboard computer? Is this a known issue with this van? Should we be looking elsehwere for other problems? This is my wife's car and she is concerned that there is a bug somewhere because although there was an audible tone no dash icon appeared. I am open to any information on this subject.

Thanks,

Chuck

(e-mail address is bogus)

Reply to
Chuck

Toyota dealer called...they were unable to ge the car going...they had reprogrammed the ABS but the car is still inoperable...this looks like the beginning of a horror story....only 46K on this vehicle....this is time for a group like this....help would be appreciated.

Chuck

Reply to
Chuck

I have an 04 Sienna and never had anything like that happen, in fact nothing much has happened thankfully. Please keep us posted as to what you find out.

Reply to
dbu,.

Correction - go to the top dog and politely but very firmly DEMAND a loaner car. Go to a lower person and the top dog will need to back their denial.

m

Reply to
mike

Get a loaner, yes, but don't get militant and start screaming unless they can't figure it out. They should be able to pinpoint it fairly quickly and easily IF there's an old-timer around that's used to tracking down odd sh*t without having a computer point the way. ;-)

If the brakes are locking, there are a few things that can cause it besides the ABS control unit, and they are things that probably won't set an ABS fault code.

The most common failure I'd check is the one that has happened to cars since the invention of hydraulic brakes, the Master Cylinder pushrod does not fully retract and open the fluid return ports. This can happen if the pedal is blocked from returning to the fully released position, or the master cylinder pushrod gets out of position. Install a rebuilt MC to make sure it isn't faulty internally, make sure the pedal linkage is set up properly, and it will be fixed.

Another failure is a bad rubber brake hose from the chassis to the rear axle or a front wheel. But that usually only causes one front wheel or both rear wheels to lock, not all four of them at once - you can drive forward, but the brake on the wheel that is locked is going to get Real Hot, Real Fast.

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Reply to
Bruce L. Bergman

Here's where this now stands....(changed heading to reflect 2003 Sienna not 2004)

They offered a loaner up front without any problem...they are trying to be professional here and so far it's working....Toyota Regional has stepped in...I have a case number now. I'm wondering if there are other Siennas with the same issue...This won't be resolved with yelling or other stuff...we will let it run its course...I don't know if it's possible that such a glitch will fail to be resolved...As it stands right now, the car can't be driven...I hope its a warranty item otherwise the cost is gonna be high.....Does anyone know of issues that have never been resolved at the dealer level? How high up can a car owner go in terms of finding a Toyota mechanic either through the dealer or regional?

This has been a fine car with no prior problems. It is not driven hard either...

I do appreciate all the suggestions and will pass them on to the dealer.

Sincerely,

Chuck

*as before the e-mail addy is bogus
Reply to
Chuck

I'm sorry for mixing all this up...it really is a 2004 Sienna...it's my wife's car and I seldom if ever drive it...I am a little stressed out also....

The dealership offered a loaner up front without any problem...they are trying to be professional here and so far it's working....Toyota

At my request the regional office has stepped in...I have a case number now. I'm wondering if there are other Siennas with the same issue...This won't be resolved with yelling or other stuff...we will let it run its course...I don't know if it's possible that such a glitch will fail to be resolved...As it stands right now, the car can't be driven...I hope its a warranty item otherwise the cost is gonna be high.....Does anyone know of issues that have never been resolved at the dealer level? How high up can a car owner go in terms of finding a Toyota mechanic either through the dealer or regional?

This has been a fine car with no prior problems. It is not driven hard either...

I do appreciate all the suggestions and will pass them on to the dealer.

Sincerely,

Chuck

*as before the e-mail addy is bogus
Reply to
Chuck

You need a Ray O type who is ABLE and willing to read and study issues. I have been there done that. Ask yourself - why should a 'mechanic' study, read or listen to or accept advice or instructions from anyone 'it is his workspace' and he is there to make money and not to read books and play with puters or make phone calls. If he can throw some major parts and labor at a problem say to the tune of $350

- $750 range "any number of times" that would make him very happy. They will typically say something like: "It could be ..." but I/we will not know until I get to it. "but I/we can not guarantee anything". "Is this what you want to do???". You say that you are not a mechanic

- what is the alternative??? Lots of blank stares - so you go ahead - you think it is fixed and it comes right back and bite you again and again. After a few times of that you either buy a new car or stop using it.

It is nice that they gave you a loaner and that they have been nice so far. BE PREPARED for a change any time. You are basically dealing 'homeless type people'.

Best of luck. mike

Reply to
mike

Go away troll! Toyotas do not fail before 200K ;)

mike

Reply to
Mike Hunter

Sorry for the delay in responding, I've been on vacation out in the wilderness where there is no internet service.

I spent a week evaluating Big 2 Olds/Toyota's service operation back around

1990, and IMO, they were a class act at the time. Assuming it is under the same ownership, it should still be the case.

Not all faults are stored in the onboard computer, especially if a sensor gives a signal to the computer that falls within the normal operating range, even though the signal may not be the correct value. If the regional office in Denver is involved, there are people who are much more current working on the problem than I am.

If I were working on the car, I would check the master cylinder pushrod to make sure it is not out of adjustment. Also check the condition of the brake hoses if there was any recent brake work done on the car and the hose got kinked. I'm thinking that it is something mechanical or hydraulic rather than electronic.

Reply to
Ray O

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