2004 Toyota Sienna xle minivan was at a body shop for another problem. The technician drove the van around and noted some strange feel in the steering and examined the front suspension. The rubber bushings in both control arms were cracked and falling apart leading to slop in the steering and movement of the front end. The shop advised that this could lead to loss of control and was a danger to driving. Repairs had to be made that included replacement of both control arms since they come as an assembly. There are other reports of similar rubber bushing failures from other 2004 Toyota Sienna owners. This is a critical safety and quality problem a the vehicle should be subject to a manufacturer recall for repair. Other symptoms are that the front tires (80K mileage warranty) are worn out after just 25K.

- Union City, CA, 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

Run flat tires are unsafe. 2004 Toyota Sienna xle AWD has oe dunlop sp sport 4000T dsst 'run flat' tires. Car has 19,500 miles of moderate driving. Dealer refused to rotate and perform alignment at 19,000 miles because tires were too worn. Referred to dunlop who elected to do nothing. Now, at 21,500 cords are visible on inside edges of front tires. A. the only available replacements (from tirerack.com) are $845 plus mounting and balancing ($142). B. 'run-flat' cars do not have spare tires, jacks or tire well for storage, so there is no practical way to switch to regular tires. C. dealer says that Toyota will sell a kit that includes a MINIspare. Requires reconfiguring rear of van. Result means that there is no more storage well under rear seats. Toyota will not give the kit to affected owners. They sell it for $1,300. D. a decision to stay with (and replace) the 'run flats' means an out-of-pocket expense of ~$1,000 every year. E. if Toyota abandons the 'run flat' consumer is absolutely victimized. F. if the suspension is a culprit, it is a serious safety hazard to a class of owners who generally have infants or young children. NHTSA should act to require Toyota to issue recall and retrofit all affected Siennas with standard tires and the components to fix flats!.

- Potomac, MD, USA