Toyota Sienna Complaints (2012)

247 consumer complaints on file.

#11750350July 14, 2026
STRUCTURE:BODY:DOOR, STRUCTURE:BODY:DOOR:HINGE AND ATTACHMENTS
The automatic side doors of this Toyota sienna le have malfunctioned twice between expensive repairs. When the hardware comes off the guide rail, it hits the window behind the door and shatters in covering the interior and occupants with glass. I had the window repaired after I had the door hardware replaced after its first failure in spring of 2024. The door gave no indication it was failed until I noticed the window bulging and nearly broke again. The Toyota dealer didn’t seem very interested in covering the cost of the repairs I made in 2024 and can’t get me in until mid August which leaves me without transportation for a month.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11714163January 29, 2026
STRUCTURE
The contact owns a 2012 Toyota Sienna. The contact was unable to use the driver's side cargo door. The contact stated that the door was possibly frozen; however, while driving at an undisclosed speed, the door opened unexpectedly. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V858000 (Structure); however, the VIN was not associated with the recall. The dealer was not contacted, and the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 201,235.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11691968October 7, 2025
ENGINE
Coolant leaking from rear of the engine through the head gasket. Vehicle struggles to accelerate beyond 55mph or 80kmph. A quick search on the internet shows that this is a frequent occurrence in this 3.5L V6 engine from Toyota model years 2011 through 2017.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11687324September 15, 2025
STEERING
The battery light came on suddenly and the power steering went out making it extremely difficult to steer the vehicle. An accident was narrowly avoided. We replaced the battery, alternator, and serpentine belt. The problem resolved for over 6 months, then reappeared. It starts with no issue, is charging properly, the serpentine belt is intact. The power steering will come on and go off sporadically, the only warning being the battery indicator on the dash that comes on first. This creates a substantial hazard and risk as the steering is severely impacted with little warning.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11686996September 12, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:INSTRUMENT PANEL:SPEEDOMETER/ODOMETER
Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2012 Toyota Sienna. The contact discovered a mileage discrepancy after the purchase. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 48,230. It was later discovered that the mileage on the Title was 241,080.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11674183July 17, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The power sliding door cables snap by itself and unable to open or closed. While my children and I were in the vehicle.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11674058July 16, 2025
SERVICE BRAKES, SUSPENSION, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
My 2012 Toyota Sienna having problem while braking on highway 65mph or above, when i hit brake it's start shaking so bad and brake doesn't work properly. i believe it is sway bar link or lower control arm. even i had replaced once, it didn't helped and again i claimed warranty and replaced other set, but still having same issue.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11657784April 30, 2025
TIRES
The contact owns a 2012 Toyota Sienna equipped with Michelin Tires, Tire Line: Cross Climate 2, Tire Size: 235/60/R17, DOT Number: (N/A). The contact stated sidewalls on all four tires were expanding, causing the tires to bubble and bulge outwardly. The dealer was not contacted. The contact informed the tire shop where tires were purchased of the failures, and two tires were replaced. The contact was unsure what two tires were replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle failure mileage was approximately 152,000 and the tire failure mileage was approximately 1,000. The VIN was not available.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11601985July 14, 2024
WHEELS
On 8/22/2022 I had to replace the 2 front tires with MIM-Supreme Tour 18 inch tire 235/55R18. On 8/22/2022 I had 162,323 miles on the 2012 Toyota Sienna XLE 4 months later and 17,252 miles driven - the 2012 Toyota Sienna now has 179,575 miles and on 12/28/2023 the 2 front tires again have to be replaced - Matrix Toyr RS 11 on 18 inch rims. Now its July 2024 - again 6 months and now 6,700 miles and just the front tires are bald and dangerous to drive if any moisture on the road. All these tires are slated for 50,000 miles and I and not getting even half the mileage. Most driving is on highways and regular maintenance occurs on the car. this car should be designed to go at least 25,000 miles ( so once a year ) on a set of tires. I do not drive fast nor aggressive.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11554727November 12, 2023
SEATS
The third row passenger side split was stored and then put back up. Upon lifting the seats, pieces fell out (spring, washer, and screw) and the locking mechanism would not lock the seats into place. I am not sure how long these parts were loose, but it is a major safety hazard as the vehicle seat was not secured to the car as intended. We plan to to follow up with Toyota, but upon investigating, it seems that this is an issue for several 2011 Siennas. My Sienna was manufactured 4/2012. This is the smaller of the split seats, but out of an abundance of caution, we don't plan to use the 3rd row at all until a remedy is produced. Unfortunately, I saw only consumer complaints in regards to the 2011 3rd row seating issue and didn't see any solutions.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11528362June 22, 2023
STEERING
My wife let me know that when turning to the right (not an aggressive turn, but a normal turn from one lane to the next), the whole electrical system of the minivan would shut down and then come back on. I had a mechanic check it out and they say that this is due to the electrical steering system and will have to be replaced by the dealer. He was able to reproduce the same condition where he was able to get the minivan to lose power when changing lanes. He STRONGLY advised that we should have the vehicle towed to the dealer as he felt that it wasn't safe to drive due to this. I feel that this will end up causing a lot of crashes and also that this should be covered by the manufacturer under a recall.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11518928April 25, 2023
POWER TRAIN
Rear axle coupler assembly (part number 41303-28013) making very loud noise and vibration.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11513986March 27, 2023
SERVICE BRAKES
The vehicle stability control activates and causes the car to slow and brake randomly. This occurs at low speeds and when the car is not skidding.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11512431March 17, 2023
STRUCTURE, LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH
The contact owns a 2012 Toyota Sienna. The contact stated that the rear passenger side power sliding door cable broke. The driver-side power sliding door was malfunctioning. There was an abnormal clunking noise detected. The door failed to close with the automatic button. The contact had to manually close the door. There were no warning indicator lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that the door needed to be replaced and was informed the repair coverage had expired. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was unknown. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V858000 (Structure).
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11504867February 1, 2023
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
We have had problems with our 2011 Sienna's electromagnetic coupling and the rear differential. Through my research, I have learned this is a very common problem with the Toyota Sienna. Appears the same problem occured in the RAV4 and a recall was issued, however an recall was not issued with the Sienna. The repair is very expensive, upwards for $4,000 and we had two electromagnetic couplings fail. Are there any potential action items we can take with Toyota. Kind regards,
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11502539January 19, 2023
TIRES:SIDEWALL
10-01-2022 new tire blew out at I-10 , Columbus TX78934 4 new tires installed at 07-07-2022; YOKOHAMA YK-CTX; 235/60 R17 Invoice total cost $1085.76
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11499482December 30, 2022
TIRES
Costco installed 4 tires on my 2012 Toyota Sienna on 11/10/2021. The tire had 80,000 mile warranty. At the time of Tire installation, the mileage on my vehicle was 253,405. I did my tire rotations every 5000 mile at Suburban Toyota in Farmington Hills. I took the vehicle for tire rotation at 283,618 miles and the dealership refused to rotate the tires because the tread was below 3/32 seconds. I thought that this was a mistake and went again to rotate the tires at 288,789 miles. I went to Costco on the same day and told Costco representative at the counter [XXX] that the tire needs to replaced under warranty. I informed him that I drove only 30,000 mile on the tires. He checked all my mileage papers when I did the tire rotations. He went inside and talked to [XXX] (Tire section manager) and told me that the tire need to be under 2/32 seconds for Michelin Warranty to work. I asked him to arrange a tire rotation and scheduled the tire rotation on 12/20/2022. I took the vehicle to Costco on 12/20/2022. The mechanic called me after 30 minutes and informed me that the tire tread is under 2/32 second and cannot be rotated. I talked to [XXX] about it and he went to talk to [XXX]. He told me that the mechanic is going to rotate the tires and I can come back after one month to check the tires again. I informed [XXX] that he, Costco, and Michelin are playing with the safety of my family. He told me that Costco is not concerned about the safety of my family. If I am concerned about the safety of my family, I should change the tires without the warranty. I believe that Costco and Michelin are installing 30,000 mile tires as 80,000 mile warranty tires. I drive most of my driving on the freeway and on cruise control. So there should not be any issue with my driving. I got tires from Discount Tire Company before and had no issue like this. I request NHSTB to investigate the issue and warn people of this issue before people die. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11499500December 30, 2022
AIR BAGS, UNKNOWN OR OTHER, BACK OVER PREVENTION: WARNINGS
I was at a full stopped and rear Ended at 30 miles an hour and the air bags did not deploy and I am suffering many injuries pain and loss The air bags didn’t deploy at all
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
1
Deaths:
0
#11468008June 7, 2022
ENGINE, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The engine stalled, power steering frozen then engine shut off while driving in an intersection. Replaced new battery, dove home upon arrival the engine stalled again, power steering frozen and engine shut off again. I don’t know what’s going on.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11464206May 11, 2022
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Vehicle has a whining grinding noise, after having it serviced at Toyota Dealership, the finding has been a known issue for a few years: Rear Differential Viscous Coupling gone bad. If this is the same set up as the Toyota Rav and they issued a recall on it, What is the issue with not calling it for the Sienna's, especially when its a very known problem? Its a complete RIPOFF to the public, and something truly must be done. Thank you.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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