What breaks most · 1996 to 2019 model years
Toyota Sienna problems by year
Owners have filed 7,642 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Toyota Sienna across model years 1996 to 2019. Three years stand out: 2004 for body and structure complaints, 2005 for body and structure complaints and 2006 for air bags complaints. The quietest years are 1997, 1996 and 2017.
- Years to check closely: 2004, 2005, 2006
- Fewest complaints: 1997, 1996, 2017
- Complaints on file
- 76421996 to 2019, all trims
- Worst year
- 20042001 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 37966 fires · 610 injuries · 9 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 68kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 151Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 0 | 0 | Air bags (1) | |
| 2 | 1 | 0 | Air bags (1) | |
| 292 | 18 | 3 | Latches and locks (40) | |
| 214 | 14 | 3 | Engine and cooling (39) | |
| 359 | 21 | 1 | Powertrain and transmission (67) | |
| 179 | 14 | 2 | Body and structure (35) | |
| 177 | 16 | 1 | Body and structure (42) | |
| 104 | 12 | 1 | Latches and locks (21) | |
| 2001 | 50 | 10 | Body and structure (952) | |
| 1074 | 37 | 12 | Body and structure (491) | |
| 949 | 33 | 11 | Air bags (301) | |
| 337 | 28 | 10 | Body and structure (97) | |
| 372 | 36 | 9 | Body and structure (113) | |
| 191 | 15 | 10 | Body and structure (92) | |
| 149 | 14 | 8 | Body and structure (51) | |
| 539 | 32 | 14 | Air bags (208) | |
| 203 | 8 | 9 | Air bags (80) | |
| 118 | 4 | 6 | Body and structure (40) | |
| 112 | 5 | 6 | Body and structure (35) | |
| 145 | 10 | 6 | Body and structure (47) | |
| 56 | 4 | 5 | Body and structure (20) | |
| 50 | 6 | 10 | Wheels (11) | |
| 14 | 1 | 7 | Powertrain and transmission (4) | |
| 2 | 0 | 7 | Fuel system (1) |
What fails on the 2004 Toyota Sienna
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Body and structureDoors, latches and body hardware | 48% |
952 | 0 | Shop body and structure parts for the 2004 Toyota Sienna |
| Latches and locksDoor latches and actuators | 15% |
308 | 0 | Shop latches and locks parts for the 2004 Toyota Sienna |
| SteeringPower steering pumps, racks and hoses | 7% |
141 | 0 | Shop steering parts for the 2004 Toyota Sienna |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 6% |
127 | 0 | Shop electrical system parts for the 2004 Toyota Sienna |
| Tires | 6% |
123 | 2 | — |
| Speed control and throttleThrottle and pedal sensors | 5% |
102 | 26 | Shop speed control and throttle parts for the 2004 Toyota Sienna |
| Seat belts | 5% |
93 | 1 | Check recalls for seat belts on NHTSA.gov |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 4% |
85 | 3 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
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Toyota sienna fractured defective left front door check pocket popping noise. It's a broken weld, the whole door has to be replaced at the cost of close to $2000. Obviously it's a manufacturing defect.
-
In my toyota sienna 2005 van, the liftgate would go up and then suddenly drop about a foot and then continue to close. This happens in the winter more than in the summer.
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2006 toyota sienna. Consumer writes in regards to electric doors safety recall. *ld the consumer stated the doors failed after having the recall repair performed.*js
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 30, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Toyota Sienna years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2004, 2005, 2006 carry the most filings on the Toyota Sienna. The 2004 alone has 2001 complaints, led by body and structure.
What is the most common Toyota Sienna problem?
On the 2004 model year, the most-reported component is body and structure with 952 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Toyota Sienna problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Toyota Sienna complaints that include mileage is about 68,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.