[Firstvan]

TSB # TS-B-0045-14 has been updated to include both 2015 and 2016 Sienna's.

It applies only to vehicles with less than 36,000 miles or during the first 36 months of warranty.

https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2016/SB-10084304-5448.pdf

As for your glazed disk, that does not mean it is warped. It has become polished so the braking effect is reduced.
Glazing can happen in localized areas on the disk which could cause a pulsation or "vibration" to be felt but this is very unlikely.

Fixing a glazed disk is as simple as using a very rough sandpaper like the black silicone carbide wet/dry paper and running it across the faces of the disk from a outside to inside or inside to outside direction. Both sides of the disk need to be sanded.

One of the benefits of using the sanding method rather than actually having the disk "turned" is it removes almost no material at all so it doesn't shorten the life of the disk.

 

[fibber2]

From a metallurgical standpoint, it's not a good practice to use silicon carbide or aluminum oxide paper on an iron disk brake. Garnet sand paper is a better choice. Silicon carbide can contribute to carbide inclusion formation at surface pores that cause local hot spots and further damage to the rotor. Aluminum oxide can reportedly have a similar effect. You can get various grades of garnet paper at a good old fashion Hardware store.

 

[snopyro]

Thanks for tips on correcting my "glazed/hotspot rotors". I'll find some of the garnet sand paper that fibber2 suggested to clean it up. Had my sliding door recall done and hoped they would cover the pad/rotor/trim vibrating brake TSB, but they claimed that since my van was lowered (on RSR springs for ~1" drop) that they would not cover it. Dealership is claiming that the lowered van does not promote air flow. Trimming both air dam flaps *should* increase air flow to the rotors. But Toyota won't work on it because of the lowering springs. I told them that the suspension is not going to affect braking. My argument- why are normal height Sienna vans still experiencing this overheating rotor issue? Opened a case with Toyota corporate just to see where it goes.

 

[sbihue]

For anyone past the warranty period, this is a very eezy-beezy job and can be done with the van on the ramps in less than 10 minutes. I had these snips lying around and they worked perfect. Any shear that will cut through hard plastic will work.

With the air dam trimmed and the Van on new shoes, I just took a 900 mile trip and the brakes worked as expected, in-fact the braking experience was better than when the Van was new and no more shudder/vibration when braking.

 

[fibber2]

I wish I was that lucky.... I did the airdam trim back a few months back and still have plenty of pad material left on the originals even at 50k miles. I'd like to believe that it helped a bit and the van is fine in ordinary driving but develops the shudder whenever it's loaded up and subject to increased downhill braking. When I get the time, I'll probably just invest in new pads and be done with it.

 

[h4ldol]

My 2014 XLE AWD is 3.5 years old and has about 23k miles. Will it still qualify for this TSB, or is it the shorter of 3 years/36k miles? Also, will it likely be refused if the issue is not reproducable? It just seems like something that will eventually become a problem over the years and that it should be honored with or without the issue having happened already yet, since it seems to be a design flaw and unless you cut the air dams early on you probably have increased the likelihood of this issue developing down the line.

 

[sbihue]

My 2014 XLE AWD is 3.5 years old and has about 23k miles. Will it still qualify for this TSB, or is it the shorter of 3 years/36k miles

It is either of the two so technically it doesn't apply to you any more. Depends on your relationship with the dealer i.e. if they deny you outright citing 36+ months or are willing to push it to Toyota.
If you are denied, try calling Toyota customer care directly, you never know

 

[h4ldol]

It is either of the two so technically it doesn't apply to you any more. Depends on your relationship with the dealer i.e. if they deny you outright citing 36+ months or are willing to push it to Toyota.
If you are denied, try calling Toyota customer care directly, you never know

Thanks, I might try that since I always go to the same Toyota dealership and their sister Honda dealership for all three of our cars.

If I just report the "symptoms" that others have reported above, will that probably be enough or will they need to reproduce in some way (I don't know how they would do that but presumably with a testing machine?) first?

 

[Geezer1]

If I just report the "symptoms" that others have reported above, will that probably be enough or will they need to reproduce in some way (I don't know how they would do that but presumably with a testing machine?) first?

The Toyota dealer would have to experience the problem by driving your Sienna.

We've been through something similar with my wife's 1998 Camry which she bought new. A TSB about defective front strut mounts was issued but her Camry didn't experience the problem before the 36 month warranty expired since she drove the car barely 5,000 miles per year. By the time the strut mounts started rattling, the car was still below 36,000 miles but beyond the three years warranty.

Toyota wouldn't budge on fixing the problem since the car was out of warranty based on time. We had the problem fixed at our own expense of several hundred dollars. My wife drove the Camry for another seven to nine years without the problem reoccurring and then passed the car on to a nephew who is still driving it.

 

[h4ldol]

The Toyota dealer would have to experience the problem by driving your Sienna.

We've been through something similar with my wife's 1998 Camry which she bought new. A TSB about defective front strut mounts was issued but her Camry didn't experience the problem before the 36 month warranty expired since she drove the car barely 5,000 miles per year. By the time the strut mounts started rattling, the car was still below 36,000 miles but beyond the three years warranty.

Toyota wouldn't budge on fixing the problem since the car was out of warranty based on time. We had the problem fixed at our own expense of several hundred dollars. My wife drove the Camry for another seven to nine years without the problem reoccurring and then passed the car on to a nephew who is still driving it.

Thanks, Geezer1, guess I won't bother with trying to get it done then.

However, should I then just cut the air dams on my own like detailed in previous posts to help prevent the problem? It seems it's a design flaw and that without cutting the air dams there will continue to be inadequate air flow to the brakes leading to the likelihood (inevitability?) of the same future problems that will probably lead to costly repairs (another $1k repair I guess).

 

[Geezer1]

Thanks, Geezer1, guess I won't bother with trying to get it done then.

However, should I then just cut the air dams on my own like detailed in previous posts to help prevent the problem? It seems it's a design flaw and that without cutting the air dams there will continue to be inadequate air flow to the brakes leading to the likelihood (inevitability?) of the same future problems that will probably lead to costly repairs (another $1k repair I guess).

The subject problem doesn't necessary occur on all Siennas. My 2014 is just short of 60,000 miles and I'm not feeling brake pulsing or at least no more than a hint of it. I may cut the air dams myself at some point. Based on a visual check of the brake pads when I mounted the winter wheels last week, I'm thinking that the front brake pads will last until at least 90,000 miles assuming that the minimum acceptable pad thickness is the same 1 mm as on my Lexus vehicles.

I'm halfway looking forward to a Toyota dealer service writer trying to scam me into a premature brake job next week when I take the van in for the 60K service. Every time that happens, I ask them what the current pad thickness is and what is the minimum acceptable thickness - they usually have a "deer in the headlights" look when I do that and just stutter.

 

[fibber2]

My go-to guy at my local dealer said he didn't even feel the need to verify the situation when I told him we'd crossed Skyline Drive with the brakes chattering like a set of mechanical false teeth. But after calling to get my radio replacement, side mirror replacement and brake pad replacement authorized, he came away with 2 out of 3. We were well beyond the original 3/36, and the Extended Warranty wouldn't cover pads. Considering this is an inexpensive driveway job if I feel so inclined, I laughed it off and let it go. Pick your battles!

Cut away the airdams to increase the airflow. That's your first defense against overheated brakes.

 

[h4ldol]

Thanks guys, I think I will just cut them at some point to be on the safe side.

 

[mpasadena]

Got this TSB done today at Longo Toyota in Los Angeles. The service advisor took the notes and attached the TSB with the paperwork for the tech to look into it, The van was in for the sliding door recall, The tech must have been able to replicate the issue and did complete this TSB to install a set of new rotors and new brake pads. Thank you for the information in this thread.

 

[Dolph1]

Can anyone tell me the date of this tsb? Looks like sometime in 2014 based on the numbers in the name. I have a 13 limited awd and the air dams were not cut. I purchased this car certified in aug 15 and have the platinum extended warranty. When I looked at the service records I have access to from before my ownership I noticed the pads and rotors were replaced at 10k in front and back because of noise/warping. This was done in October 13 under warranty. Possibly this was one of the many warranty claims that contributed to this tsb being written. I’ll be doing the 45k service next month and I will be sure to mention this tsb with the hope they cut the plastic parts out for me at least. I don’t have much hope for brake pads under warranty though.

 

[fibber2]

If you download it from the link I provided in one of the earliest posts (and I'll bet you haven't...), you'll see that it was updated in 2016 to include all vehicles from 2011 thru 2016. Remember, that its an advisory to dealerships on how to fix a problem. It's not a recall, so they won't pay for it unless you are within the 3/36 warranty. Even with my Platinum Extended plan, I couldn't get them to bite.

 

[Dolph1]

You guessed right! The original date is July 2014. This will help my case to have at least the air dams cut for me as dealer goodwill, I hope. My warranty work was done prior to the tsb being issued so they wouldn’t of known to cut the air dams. I will suggest to them the warranty repair was not fully completed. I’ll see if they nibble. Interesting about the downhill braking cause, the car lived in a hilly part of Connecticut before I took it back to my flat part of Long Island, so It makes sense the first owner had this vibration problem for real.

 

[fibber2]

With the removal of 3 small fasteners per side you can take them off and cut them nicely on your workbench. Or, do as I did and just reach under and cut them in place with a pair of shears. The plastic is pretty soft. Don't sweat it if the cut isn't perfect. A 5 minute job....

 

[Dolph1]

Thanks Fibber2. I will just cut the air dams myself when I find the time-I’ll just cut them while they are on the car too. When I was at the dealership today and I mentioned this TSB, they came back to me and confirmed what has been said before-no warranty coverage is provided under the platinum extended warranty that I have.

 

[h4ldol]

I've been putting this off for a while but it looks easy enough to do at home if you have some ramps. I have some ramps that will raise it by a foot or so, should that be enough space to get under the car to use my Dremel tool to cut the air dams? I assume a Dremel will do the trick...