Toyota Sienna Reliability by YearBest & worst years, problems & recalls — NHTSA data
Comparing used Toyota Sienna options? We analyzed 10 model years (2017–2026) using real NHTSA complaint and recall data so you can spot stronger years, avoid riskier ones, and know what to inspect before buying.
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- Accident & damage history
- Odometer rollback records
- Open recalls & title brands
Based on NHTSA complaint data, the Toyota Sienna has 769 owner complaints and 44 safety recalls across model years 2017–2026. The most reported issue area is SEATS. 2017 drew the most complaints; 2022 drew the fewest.
- Make
- Toyota
- Model
- Sienna
- Model years analyzed
- 2017–2026 (10 years)
- Total NHTSA complaints
- 769
- Safety recall campaigns
- 44
- Crash-related complaints
- 36
- Fire-related complaints
- 6
- Worst model year (by complaints)
- 2017 (153 complaints)
- Best model year (fewest complaints)
- 2022 (15 complaints)
- Top reported issue area
- SEATS
- Reliability signal
- Poor
By model year
Toyota Sienna: which years to avoid & which to buy
Based on total NHTSA owner complaints per model year. Higher complaint counts indicate a riskier year to buy used — lower counts suggest a cleaner reliability record.
These years have the most owner complaints. Inspect carefully and always run a VIN check.
These years have the fewest owner complaints on record — lower risk starting points.
Crash test ratings
NHTSA NCAP crash test ratings
New Car Assessment ProgramNCAP crash tests measure how well a vehicle protects occupants in controlled frontal crash, side crash, and rollover scenarios. Stars are awarded per category (5 = safest). These laboratory results are independent of owner complaints and are performed by NHTSA engineers on new production vehicles.
NCAP crash test ratings for this model are not yet loaded or this vehicle was not tested in the years analyzed. NHTSA tests a subset of new vehicles each year. Check nhtsa.gov/ratings directly for the latest results.
What the complaint data suggests
PoorThe TOYOTA SIENNA has 769 NHTSA complaints and 44 recalls on record. 36 complaints involve crash-related incidents. This data reflects owner-reported issues submitted to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
- 769 total complaints filed with NHTSA
- 44 federal recall campaigns
- 36 crash-related complaints on record
- Review NHTSA complaint history for the most-reported components
- Check recall completion status at nhtsa.gov/recalls
- Verify service records for frequently complained components
Consult the by-year breakdown to identify model years with elevated complaint rates.
Consult the by-year breakdown to identify model years with fewer reported issues.
- Run a VIN check on the specific vehicle you are considering
- Verify all open recalls are completed at nhtsa.gov/recalls
- Request service records for the most-reported complaint components
- Have a certified mechanic inspect the vehicle before purchase
Problems by model year (best vs. worst)
Source: NHTSA public complaints database. Updated: Sep 2026
Safety recalls
NHTSA safety recalls
44 recalls foundSafety recalls are mandatory repair campaigns ordered by NHTSA when a vehicle defect poses an unreasonable risk to safety. Manufacturers are required to fix recalled vehicles free of charge. Always verify open recalls before buying a used car.
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS
STEERING
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
STEERING
EQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELS
EQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELS
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP
STEERING
EQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELS
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS
WHEELS
SEATS:MID/REAR ASSEMBLY:RECLINER
SEAT BELTS:REAR/OTHER:ANCHORAGE
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC):CONTROL MODULE:SOFTWARE
EQUIPMENT ADAPTIVE/MOBILITY:WHEELCHAIR RESTRAINTS/SECUREMENT:LATCH/ANCHOR:
Source: NHTSA Recalls Database. Data covers model years 2017–2026. Always run a VIN-specific check below for the most up-to-date open recall status.
Common problems
What goes wrong most often
The vehicle systems owners complain about most, ranked from all 769 NHTSA complaints — these are the areas to inspect first on a used car.
Owner complaints
NHTSA complaint reports
769 totalThese are consumer-submitted safety complaints filed directly with NHTSA. Each complaint describes a real owner's experience. Complaints flagged as crash-related or fire-related are highlighted.
The contact owns a 2026 Toyota Sienna Hybrid. The contact stated that while the vehicle was occupied and parked in the driveway, the sunroof exploded outward without impact. The sunroof shade was closed during the failure. There was no reported injury. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where the contact was informed that a similar failure was previously reported; however, the failure was not covered under warranty. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer referred the contact to the manufacturer, who then referred the contact to the sunroof glass manufacturer for assistance. The sunroof glass manufacturer informed the contact that the vehicle manufacturer was responsible for the repair because the sunroof glass was installed on the vehicle. The failure mileage was approximately 2,000. The VIN was unavailable.
The contact owns a 2026 Toyota Sienna. The contact stated that while driving at 35 MPH, an abnormal, shattering sound emitted from the vehicle. The contact immediately pulled over and discovered that the rear window had shattered without incident as glass debris had spread all over the truck of the vehicle. The contact was able to flag down a police officer in the area who assisted the contact with the failure. A police report was not filed as no evidence of a crime or nefarious dealing was discovered. The contact managed to drive the vehicle home to drop off her granddaughters and drove the vehicle to the dealer. The dealer inspected the vehicle and stated that the windshield failure was caused by an unknown impact which the contact disputes. The manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. The vehicle had yet to be repaired and remained in the dealer's possession. The failure mileage was approximately 3,000.
Seat height not adjusting is ludicrous and a hazard! My husband is 6'4", my sons, 6'1", they seat height is not safe and braking/turns cause them to hit their heads. This could be life threatening in a real accident. There should be a lower profile seat that could be installed by Toyota. This is not safe!
Van doors sensors not functioning correctly. Child was in the way and got pinned between doors. The door didn’t stop when it touched the child, cont to close with the child in the way. Child ended up with a bruise on right thigh. The door had to manually be pulled back off of the child..
While driving my new 2026 Toyota Sienna Woodland Edition home from the dealership on the day of purchase (XXX), I applied routine braking to stop at a yellow light. Both second-row captain's chairs, which had been slid fully rearward and left in the upright position during the dealer's cargo-space demo, and which I assumed had been properly locked, suddenly slammed forward with extreme force into the back of the front seats, and the seatbacks self-folded on impact. Notably, both chairs failed identically and simultaneously, which suggests a systemic design or manufacturing issue rather than an isolated event. Had a person or object been positioned between the chairs and the front seats, they would have been struck or crushed; any item on top of the chairs could have become airborne. My canvas bag in the cargo area was compressed by the force. Summary: the seats appeared to fail to latch/lock securely in their rearward track position. After the incident I was unable to move or release the chairs from the collapsed position, though this could have been due to my own lack of expertise on how to operate the chairs. No injuries occurred because the seats were unoccupied at the time, but this presents a serious injury risk to occupants under normal braking conditions. On XXX I took the vehicle to a second dealership, Bev Smith Toyota in [XXX], for inspection. The tech's video and resulting service invoice incorrectly claimed the seats were "unlocked" and not in the upright position at the time of the incident, stating "No problem found." I disputed this in writing, since the seats were indeed upright. I asked Bev Smith to conduct a safety test drive but the invoice does not show this was done. I asked for a demo of the seats and was shown how to lock and confirm stability, a step the average consumer might skip entirely, simply pulling the seats back and assuming they were latched, as Palm Beach Toyota had done. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Less than 1000 miles on my car i do not remember exact dates hence i have added todays date for incident date.All three incident happend in three different days. Scenario 1 two times. Scenario 2 one time --- SCENARIO 1: Curved Road / No Lane Markings --- Conditions: ACC set at 25 MPH on an undivided two-way road with no lane markings. Parked vehicles present at curves; oncoming traffic at safe distance. Issue: On two separate occasions, the vehicle applied sudden, significant braking without driver input while navigating curves. No imminent collision risk existed. The abrupt speed reduction created a rear-end hazard from following traffic. Reported to Toyota support: YES --- SCENARIO 2: Michigan Left Turn Lane / 40 MPH --- Conditions: ACC active at 40 MPH on a multi-lane road with a dedicated Michigan Left turn lane. Forward path in my lane was clear. Issue: A vehicle ahead moved into the Michigan Left turn lane and began decelerating. As my vehicle accelerated (path now clear) and was still slightly behind — approaching but not yet parallel to — the turning vehicle, the system applied brief unexpected braking. The turning vehicle then moved further forward to complete its Michigan Left maneuver ; my vehicle resumed normal speed when some diagonal distance had been seen. Reported to Toyota support: NO ACTION REQUESTED: Investigate whether Toyota Sienna's PCS/ACC (1) miscalibrates object detection on unmarked curved roads and (2) fails to distinguish lateral vehicles from forward obstacles. Software update or remedy may be warranted.
Read 14 more owner reports
The center console between the front seats has a design defect. When small objects such as a credit card, key fob, or coin are left on the flat surface of the console, they can slip through a gap into the internal storage compartment. Once inside, the object becomes lodged and physically blocks the console lid from opening, locking the owner out of the storage compartment. The console must be partially disassembled to retrieve the object. This is a design flaw, not operator misuse. The flat surface visually appears usable, and the owner's manual does not warn against placing objects there. This defect is widely reported in the "Toyota Sienna 2025+" Facebook group (the largest online community of current Sienna owners), where multiple owners report the same problem. The defect is therefore not isolated. The vehicle was purchased new on 01/22/2026 from Nourse Toyota. The dealer declined to repair and referred me to Toyota. Toyota Customer Experience (Case ID XXX, contact: [XXX], 06/04/2026) declined to offer a remedy. On 06/10/2026, the Toyota Brand Engagement Center (Case #XXX) confirmed in writing that no recall or Customer Support Program covers this issue, and that the diagnosis does not indicate a manufacturer defect. No warning lamps or messages appeared. The defect is mechanical. I request NHTSA review this defect for investigation and potential recall action. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
While slowing to a stop sign at a normal speed, the 3rd row, which does not lock into place, flew into the upright position. Thankfully it had nothing on top of it, but if it did my children in the second row would have been seriously injured.
The contact owns a 2026 Toyota Sienna. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the rear window glass shattered. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken back to the residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 6,442.
2dark areas on driver's side with low beams on. Very distracting when driving and almost hit road debris not visible due to dark areas. Having this as a standard feature on lights is dangerous for driving at night.
The sun roof glass spontaneously combusted
The back up camera freezes. It will show old image not the live image. This creates a safety hazard when parking and reversing in school around kids and other people.
This minivan has the entertainment system, when using the TV screen, it blocks the rearview mirror where you are unable to see out of the back window. I have not seen any warning labels. I am unsure if it has been inspected by the manufacturer, and police and insurance reps have not inspected mine.
Power sliding door on driver side cable snapped. After closing door and trying to use the door without power unable to open or close the door at all. Passengers forced to use alternate door for exit of vehicle.
Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2020 Toyota Sienna. The contact discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy after the purchase. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 88,044. It was later discovered upon checking with the local DMV that the mileage was 288,044.
We had our van parked on a driveway with a front facing slope, we had hard rains went we where going away there was water coming out of the seat belt on the passenger side and the panel above the window was stained down to the window support where the air bag is. I've been reading reports as far back as 2008 we have a 2020, went taken to the dealer they want 1000 to 2700 to remove the head liner and try to fine the problem, which what was reported didn't help. The dealer recommended to not park with the front of the van facing down hill if rain is forecast, my problem is that Toyota has not been required to fix the leaks. I'm calling my local dealership tomorrow about are leak.
My Toyota sienna is a 2020, has 83,000 miles and has recently been squealing when I accelerate. I took the van to a local body shop and they said it seems to be my transmission. I called Toyota immediately and they knew that the transmissions were faulty and that they would try to work with Toyota to get it fixed. There is no way I can pay 9k for a new transmissions because they put in faulty ones.
The vehicle is a 2020 Toyota Sienna. While driving, the engine suddenly shut off without warning, creating a dangerous situation and loss of power. This occurred while transporting children, increasing the safety risk. A mechanic inspected the vehicle and diagnosed a failure of the low-pressure fuel pump. The problem appears intermittently — sometimes the vehicle runs normally, and other times it stalls or loses power. The check engine light has turned on and off. This issue matches the known defect related to the Denso fuel pump recall affecting many Toyota vehicles from similar model years. However, my VIN is not included in the recall. This is a serious safety concern because the engine can shut off unexpectedly while driving, which could lead to an accident. I believe this vehicle may have the same defective component as those included in the recall, even though it is not currently listed. The issue has been confirmed by an independent mechanic and the vehicle is available for inspection if needed.
cable broke on sliding door and unable to open or access cabin on that side. turned off power to door and still unable to force door open making it difficult to unlatch car seat on that side. safety hazard in accident or rollover
The power sliding door assembly failed, and the driver side rear sliding door was bound shut, and could not be opened. Disabling the power door system did not resolve the issue. The cable for the power door mechanism was hanging below the rear vent windows; but for some reason the door still would not open. I ultimately with a lot of gentle force was able to get the door open enough to see the retract side of the cable was bound up, and was able to cut it with wire cutters, and ultimately get the door to work normally as a non-powered manual sliding door. Since the original NHTSA BULLITIN on this was published in 6/2019 before my 2020 Sienna was manufactured, and Toyota did not change the mechanism until the 2021 model redesign, I believe that RECALL should be extend to all 2019 and 2020 vehicles. This seems dangerous that the door does not default to manual operation in error.
Showing 20 of 769 total NHTSA complaints. Source: NHTSA Complaints Database
Check the exact car
Before you buy, check the exact Toyota Sienna
These pages show model-year patterns across 10 years. Enter a VIN to verify the exact vehicle's accident history, title brands, odometer records, and open recall status before purchase.
The basics
How to read this data
Complaints, recalls, investigations — here’s what each number actually tells you about a used Toyota Sienna, in plain English.
What is an NHTSA Complaint?
An NHTSA safety complaint is a report filed directly by a vehicle owner or driver describing a safety-related issue. Anyone can submit a complaint at NHTSA.gov. The number of complaints is a signal of how common a problem is — but complaints per model-year matter more than raw totals, since popular vehicles naturally receive more reports. The Toyota Sienna has 769 complaints on record across 10 model years.
What is a Safety Recall?
A safety recall is a mandatory campaign issued by NHTSA when a vehicle component poses an unreasonable risk to safety or does not comply with federal motor vehicle safety standards. Unlike complaints (which are owner-reported), recalls are formally investigated and confirmed by regulators. Manufacturers must fix recalled vehicles free of charge. The Toyota Sienna has 44 recall campaigns in the NHTSA database.
What Are Crash Complaints?
Crash complaints are NHTSA filings where the owner indicates a crash occurred as part of the incident. 36 of the Toyota Sienna's 769 complaints involved a crash. This metric is particularly important because it indicates how often defects resulted in actual collisions — a key safety signal beyond general reliability.
How Is the Reliability Verdict Calculated?
The reliability verdict (Poor) is generated by analyzing the vehicle's total complaints, recall history, crash complaint ratio, fire complaint ratio, and top component failures relative to class averages. This verdict gives buyers a quick interpretation before they review year-level details and VIN-level history. It should be treated as one decision input, not a substitute for a VIN-specific report.
Why Do Newer Years Have Fewer Complaints?
Newer model years appear to have fewer complaints because there has been less time for owners to file them. Complaints accumulate over years of ownership. A 2020 model year vehicle will typically show fewer complaints than a 2015 model year even if it is less reliable — simply because fewer owners have had time to report issues. Focus on complaints per year of market presence when comparing across model years.
Fleet Data vs. Individual VIN
Everything on this page reflects aggregated data across all Toyota Sienna vehicles on the road — not any specific car. Two Toyota Sienna vehicles of the same year can have very different histories: one may have been in three accidents and have an open recall; another may be clean. A VIN check gives you the individual car's history: accidents, title brands, odometer records, service history, and real-time recall status.
What Are NHTSA Investigations?
When NHTSA receives a pattern of related safety complaints, it opens a formal investigation. A Preliminary Evaluation (PE) is the first stage — NHTSA determines if a safety defect may exist. If evidence is strong, it escalates to an Engineering Analysis (EA), which can result in a mandatory recall. The Toyota Sienna has 0 investigations on record (0 active). Investigations listed above may have already led to the recalls shown on this page.
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Toyota Sienna reliability — frequently asked questions
Is the Toyota Sienna reliable?
Poor. The Toyota Sienna has 769 NHTSA owner complaints and 44 recall campaigns across model years. A commonly reported issue area is SEATS. Use year-level data as a pattern guide, then verify the exact car with a VIN check before purchase.
Which Toyota Sienna years to avoid?
Years with the most NHTSA complaints: 2017 (153 complaints), 2018 (69 complaints), 2019 (45 complaints). Use these years as a shortlist for deeper inspection, and always run a VIN check on the exact vehicle before purchase.
What are the most common Toyota Sienna problems?
Top reported issues: SEATS (236 complaints); UNKNOWN OR OTHER (119 complaints); POWER TRAIN (77 complaints).
Does the Toyota Sienna have recalls?
Yes — 44 NHTSA recall campaigns have been issued for the Toyota Sienna. Check nhtsa.gov/recalls or run a VIN check to see if your specific vehicle has open recalls.