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What 247 owners told NHTSA about the 2012 Toyota Sienna

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (247)Crash / fire / injury (16)Airbags (84)Body & structure (72)Electrical system (27)Transmission & drivetrain (17)Steering (15)Wheels (12)Brakes (11)Speed control (11)Engine (9)Tires (8)

4 of 247 complaints match · Engine · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

Sep 11, 2018Electrical systemVisibility & wipersEngineFire

THIS CAR CAUGHT ON FIRE FEW MINUTES AFTER SOME ELECTRICAL ISSUES- WHILE DRIVING THE CAR WITH EVERYTHING LOOKING JUST FINE , THE A/C FAN FLUCTUATED ON AND OFF -CAR BLUE TOOTH ALSO KEPT DISCONNECTED AND RECONNECT FOR A FEW SECONDS THEN ALL DASHBOARD LIGHTS ILLUMINATED ON AND OFF FEW TIMES . AFTER MAYBE 2 MINUETS I REACHED HOME ,MAY FAMILY GOT OFF THE CAR WHEN I NOTICED SMOKE COMING FROM THE HOOD . I OPENED THE HOOD TO FIND A MEDIUM SIZE FIRE COMING FROM THE DRIVER SIDE OF THE ENGINE, I CALLED 911 RIGHT AWAY . IN LESS THAN 10-15 MINS MOST OF THE CAR MELT FROM THE FIRE PLUS THE WHOLE GARAGE.

NHTSA ODI 11128824

Sep 10, 2017Body & structureBrakesEngineCrash

I MET AN ACCIDENT WHEN A CAR (AT SPEED AROUND 65 MPH) CROSSING THE RED LIGHT COMING FROM MY RIGHT HIT MY CAR AT MY RIGHT FRONT AND NONE OF THE SRS BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. WE WERE 4 PASSENGERS AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT AND WE ALL HAD MINOR INJURIES. ALL THE SRS BAGS FOR OTHER CAR HAS BEEN DEPLOYED THAT HIT MY CAR. I AM REALLY CONCERNED WE ALL 4 WOULD HAVE BEEN KILLED AND IT HAS BEEN CONSIDERED AS THE FATAL ACCIDENT BY POLICE REPORT.

NHTSA ODI 11022513

Sep 21, 2016Body & structureEngineCrashFire3 injuries

ON AUGUST 27, 2016 I WAS DRIVING OUR 2012 TOYOTA SIENNA ON AN INTERSTATE HIGHWAY. TRAFFIC WAS TERRIBLE AND I REAR-ENDED ANOTHER VEHICLE IN STOP-AND-GO TRAFFIC. THE IMPACT WAS MINOR, BUT THE ENGINE CAUGHT FIRE AND BURNT THE CAR TO THE FRAME. MY WIFE AND I WERE ABLE TO EXIT THE CAR BEFORE IT BURNED. WHEN I EXITED THE CAR, I TOOK MY KEYS WITH ME. HOWEVER, I WAS NOT ABLE TO OPEN ANY OF THE DOORS AND EVERYTHING I HAD IN THE BACK OF THE VAN BURNED. THANKFULLY, OUR CHILDREN WERE NOT IN THE CAR. IF THEY HAD BEEN, I WOULD HAVE NEEDED TO BREAK WINDOWS TO ATTEMPT TO REMOVE THEM FROM THE CAR.

NHTSA ODI 10908557

Jul 24, 2013EngineCrashFire

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 TOYOTA SIENNA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 75 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THERE WAS NO BRAKING POWER AND AS THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO GUIDE THE VEHICLE OFF THE ROADWAY, HE CRASHED INTO A CURB. THE HORN THEN BEGAN TO SOUND AS SMOKE FILLED THE INTERIOR CABIN. THE SIX OCCUPANTS OF THE VEHICLE BECAME TRAPPED INSIDE AND WERE ABLE TO CLIMB OUT OF A PARTIALLY OPENED WINDOW AS THE VEHICLE BECAME ENGULFED IN FLAMES WITHIN MINUTES. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED, THERE WERE NO INJURIES AND A POLICE REPORT WAS NOT FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INSPECTED TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE OR THE FIRE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 23,000.

NHTSA ODI 10531559

Working with the data? Download all 247 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 19, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2012 Toyota Sienna verdict →