What 246 owners told NHTSA about the 2012 Toyota Sienna Hybrid

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.

NHTSA ODI 11714163

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.

NHTSA ODI 11691968

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.

NHTSA ODI 11687324

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.

NHTSA ODI 11686996

The power sliding door cables snap by itself and unable to open or closed. While my children and I were in the vehicle.

NHTSA ODI 11674183

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.

NHTSA ODI 11674058

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.

NHTSA ODI 11657784

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.

NHTSA ODI 11601985

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.

NHTSA ODI 11554727

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.

NHTSA ODI 11528362

Rear axle coupler assembly (part number 41303-28013) making very loud noise and vibration.

NHTSA ODI 11518928

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.

NHTSA ODI 11513986

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).

NHTSA ODI 11512431

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,

NHTSA ODI 11504867

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

NHTSA ODI 11502539

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).

NHTSA ODI 11499482

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

NHTSA ODI 11499500

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.

NHTSA ODI 11468008

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.

NHTSA ODI 11464206

The contact owns a 2012 Toyota Sienna. The contact stated that the rear differential was making an abnormal whirling and grinding sound. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact called the local dealer but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to NHTSA. The approximate failure mileage was 79,000.

NHTSA ODI 11461296

Vehicle began 'whirring' metal noise from underneath. Local mechanic said it was coming from rear differential. I took it to a Toyota dealer, they said rear differential coupler needs replacing ($2159) and drive shaft ($992). It seems the bearing ring inside this sealed unit has failed. Noise is continuous while driving, concern of part failure - we are taking vehicle on family vacation. Researching on - line it appears to be common problem with the Sienna's. Toyota had same issue with RAV 4's and issued recall but have not for the Sienna's. I called Toyota corporate in TX (got up 3 levels) to no avail, and it curt tone, they said they cannot help. Based on other similar stories on line from other Sienna owners, this seems to be a common very expensive design flaw problem with this vehicle.

NHTSA ODI 11426247

WE REALIZED THAT OUR VEHICLE HAD A FLAT TIRE. WHEN WE WENT TO ATTEMPT TO PUT ON THE SPARE, WE NOTICED THAT ALL OF THE LUG NUTS HAD "SWOLLEN" AND NONE OF THE LUG NUTS WOULD FIT IN THE CORRESPONDING SOCKET. ULTIMATELY, THE LUG NUT CAPS DELAMINATED, AND IT TOOK OVER AN HOUR TO TEAR THE CAPS FROM THE NUTS. IF THIS HAD HAPPENED ON THE SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY, ADDRESSING THIS ISSUE WOULD HAVE BEEN INCREDIBLY DANGEROUS. IT DOES NOT SEEM TO MAKE SENSE TO CONTINUE USING LUG NUTS WITH DECORATIVE CAPS FOR AESTHETIC REASONS WHILE IMPACTING THE SAFETY OF DRIVERS WITH FLAT TIRES.

NHTSA ODI 11414122

FRONT TIRES WEAR OUT TOO FAST ON THIS VEHICLE. I PURCHASED VEHICLE AROUND 60K MILES. NOW AT 130K AND ON 4TH SET OF TIRES. ALL MICHELIN/TOP QUALITY FROM COSTCO. ROTATIONS AT 5-7K RELIGIOUSLY. FRONT END SUSPENSION/STEERING IN GOOD SHAPE/PARTS REPLACED WHEN WEAR IS SEEN. ALIGNMENT GOOD. HORRIBLE. WEAR IS ON OUTER EDGES OF BOTH FRONT TIRES.

NHTSA ODI 11386528

MY SPARE TIRE CABLE RUSTED AND THE TIRE FELL OF AND I RAN OVER IT.

NHTSA ODI 11386135

SUNROOF SHATTERED WITHOUT WARNING OR KNOWN CAUSE WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD. IT WAS PRECEEDED BY A LOUD 'BANG' SOUND.

NHTSA ODI 11378022