Toyota stepped up its reach in the US car market by introducing the Sienna minivan and it stands as the only passenger van to offer an optional AWD layout. The van’s reliability took a toll since this year’s redesign and it has been recalled 14 times for several issues. The issues include a faulty drive shaft, inaccurate load carrying capacity label, occupant sensor malfunction, and passenger side airbag inflator rupture. In the complaint section, a lot of owners faced issues with the electrically-operable sliding doors which were covered under a dedicated recall. In comparison, last year’s model has seen only 8 recalls and 169 complaints whereas the current model has faced over 500 complaints to date. The rivals of the Toyota Sienna are the Nissan Quest, the Honda Odyssey, and the Dodge Grand Caravan.
Toyota Sienna user complaints and problems
Powertrain problems
- Unexpected slowdown: While the owners were driving under various scenarios, the affected vehicles slowed down suddenly and rapidly. In one instance, the transmission shifted to a lower gear suddenly while the engine rpm went up.
- Sudden acceleration: In several cases, the owners faced the problem of sudden accelerations with their vehicles. While slowing down or entering a parking spot, the vehicles refused to slow down despite depressing the brake pedals. In a lot of cases, the engine rpm went high too. While reversing in one instance, the affected unit accelerated suddenly and crashed.
- Engine fire: One case of engine fire has been reported against the 2011 Toyota Sienna minivan. The owner states that while driving the vehicle stalled and smoke was coming out from under the hood. After a brief moment, the engine caught fire.
Safety problems
- Brake failure: The brake failure issue has been reported by plenty of owners of the 2011 Sienna. While coming to a stop, the brake pedals of the affected vehicles went all the way to the floor and the vehicles failed to stop. Some of the vehicles crashed too due to not being able to stop.
Miscellaneous problems
- Electronically operated rear sliding door issue: The electronically operated rear sliding doors of several 2011 Toyota Sienna failed to work prematurely. The prime reason was a design defect that caused the electrical control wires of the doors to come in the way of the sliding mechanism and break. Due to the breakage, the doors would fail to operate suddenly or would get jammed while operating.
- Excessive wearing of tires: Due to the faulty load carrying capacity label of the tires, the affected vehicles faced premature tire wear. The premature wearing of the tires resulted in potentially risky driving situations with the Sienna being a family hauler.
2011 Toyota Sienna recalls
|
S.No. |
Recall Date |
NHTSA Campaign ID |
Issues noticed |
Additional remarks |
Remedy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
February 3, 2010 |
10V036000 |
Load carrying capacity modification labels |
A driver may overload a vehicle which may increase the risk of a crash. |
Dealers will mail to consumers the corrected label or the customer will have the option for dealers to install the label free of charge. The safety recall began on May 27, 2010. |
|
2 |
December 13, 2010 |
10V620000 |
Stop lamp switch bracket |
This could result in brake drag with associated brake noise, vibration, and/or illumination of the brake warning light. Braking effectiveness could be reduced, increasing the risk of a crash. |
Dealers will replace the bracket assembly free of charge. Toyota plans to mail an interim owner notification in the middle of January 2011, to advise owners of the recall. A second letter will be mailed when parts are available to complete repairs. |
|
3 |
June 1, 2011 |
11V306000 |
Drive shaft breaks |
Should the drive shaft break during vehicle operation, the vehicle will lose power without prior warning. Loss of motive power without warning may increase the risk of a crash. |
Toyota will notify owners and dealers will inspect the drive shaft, and, if the drive shaft is identified as one that may not have been correctly manufactured, it will be replaced with a new one at no charge. The safety recall began on June 22, 2011. |
|
4 |
November 22, 2011 |
11V566000 |
A-Pillar Trim Panel Retention Clip |
A damaged a-pillar trim panel retention clip may allow the trim panel to come loose and injure an occupant in the event of a crash. |
Dealers will inspect the a-pillar trim panel retention clip and replace it if necessary free of charge. The safety recall began on December 30, 2011. |
|
5 |
November 30, 2011 |
11V560000 |
Load carrying capacity information |
Incorrect information on the vehicle placard may lead to tire overloading and possibly cause tire failure, increasing the risk of a crash. |
Toyota will notify owners and will provide a remedy when it is available. Toyota will mail out a corrected placard to customers along with revised owner manual information. This service will be performed free of charge. The safety recall began on June 27, 2013. |
|
6 |
January 16, 2013 |
13V014000 |
Occupant Sensing System Calibration |
If the front passenger seat occupant sensing system is out of calibration, the front passenger airbags may not deploy or they may deploy inappropriately for the passenger's size and position. This could increase the risk of personal injury during the event of a vehicle crash necessitating airbag deployment. |
Southeast Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will test the sensitivity of the occupant detection sensors and recalibrate them as necessary. The recall began on March 21, 2013. |
|
7 |
April 9, 2013 |
13V123000 |
Inaccurate Load Carrying Capacity Labels |
An inaccurate label could lead to owners overloading their vehicles and tires. An overloaded vehicle can result in a tire failure which may result in a vehicle crash, personal injury, or property damage. |
Southeast Toyota will notify owners and provide a corrected label with instructions concerning its installation. A small group of the affected vehicles will need additional remedies which are still being developed. The recall began on May 28, 2013. |
|
8 |
May 22, 2014 |
14V273000 |
Spare Tire Assembly may Corrode and Detach |
If the carrier cable is corroded due to road salt, the spare tire may separate from the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash. |
Toyota sent the owners an interim notification in August 2014 to advise owners of the recall and that dealers will perform an interim remedy to remove the spare tire and relocate it to the luggage compartment, free of charge. Owners are being mailed a second letter as parts become available and dealers will replace the spare tire carrier assembly with an improved one, free of charge. The remedy campaign is being performed in phases. The first phase of the recall began on July 7, 2015. |
|
9 |
November 19, 2014 |
14V743000 |
Seat Heater Electrical Wiring |
Damage to the seat heater wiring could cause the wires to short, increasing the risk of the seat burning and causing personal injury to the occupant. |
SET will notify owners, and dealers will disconnect the heaters with copper strand heating elements and refund the purchase price of the seat heater accessory, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin in January 2015. |
|
10 |
May 23, 2016 |
16V340000 |
Passenger Frontal Airbag Inflator May Rupture |
An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death. |
Toyota will notify the Toyota and Lexus owners. General Motors will contact the Pontiac owners. Depending on the model, dealers will replace the passenger frontal airbag inflator or the airbag assembly, free of charge. The recall began on December 6, 2016. |
|
11 |
June 2, 2016 |
16V396000 |
Seat Heater Electrical Wiring |
If damaged, the copper strand heating element may short circuit, increasing the risk of a fire. |
SET will notify owners, and dealers will disconnect the seat heaters, free of charge, and refund the purchase price of the seat heater accessory. The recall began on July 14, 2016. |
|
12 |
November 29, 2016 |
16V858000 |
Power Sliding Door May Open while Driving |
If the door opens while the vehicle is moving, there would be an increased risk of injury to the vehicle occupants. |
Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the junction block, rear sliding door wire harnesses, and install two sub wire harnesses, free of charge. The recall began on July 28, 2017. |
|
13 |
January 9, 2019 |
19V005000 |
Passenger Frontal Airbag Inflator may Explode |
An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death. |
Toyota will notify the owners. Depending on the vehicle model, dealers will replace the front passenger airbag inflator, or replace the airbag assembly. The recall began on February 15, 2019. |
|
14 |
October 17, 2019 |
19V741000 |
Frontal Airbag Inflators May Explode |
An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death. |
Toyota will notify the owners. Depending on the vehicle model, dealers will replace the front driver inflator, front passenger airbag inflator, the airbag assembly, or the front passenger airbag sub-assembly and inflator. The recall began on November 20, 2019. |
Should you buy a used Toyota Sienna?
The 2011 Toyota Sienna brings a whole lot of changes in its class and stands as a go-to van for potential family people. In the reliability department though, it struggles to stay true to Toyota’s reputation for reliability since the issues faced by the users indicate a lackluster quality control from the brand’s end. The brand did issue several recalls to fix the reported problems but a lot of affected owners are still left without any resolution due to a lack of parts at the dealerships. Getting a used Dodge Grand Caravan or a Honda Odyssey would make a better option than a used Sienna.
