2023 Toyota Sienna Owner Complaints

While driving slowly into a parking slot, the brakes released and the vehicle surged over a parking block and into a sign. On a couple of time previously, I have encountered similar situations but never when parking at slow speed.

6/22/2023

UNKNOWN. Randomly, while lightly braking, the vehicle will lunge forward. Does not always happen and unable to recreate it but has almost caused a few accidents. Van lunges forward for a second or so and then the brakes will re-catch or work again and the vehicle slows again. Scary. Have gone to toyota dealership but they insist nothing is wrong and they haven't heard of this issue. Forums with other Sienna hybrid owners state the same issue. Unsafe. Has happened multiple times, happened twice this last week.

2/9/2024

No system is failed in our sienna. Only safety problem we have is the rear view mirror completely block off when kid use the entertainment system. When I talk to the deanship, they told me they can't add any rear view camera due to the electrical harness problem. Not sure if anything can be done, please let me know what you guys think.

1/22/2023

We recently got a Sienna 2023, 25 anniversary, and added the multimedia package. Once received the car we notice that the usage of this rear entertainment blocked the vision through the rear view mirror becoming a major safety hazard.

2/12/2023

Driving along a rural road under 40 mph at 11:30 at night with no other traffic present. There was a slight transition in pavement from a possible small culvert replacement. The defrost was on high and it was 22 degrees outside. The windshield cracked just above the defrost vent.

12/21/2022

The entertainment screen is completely blocking the rear view when in use which is very dangerous when backing out. Also, I can’t see ambulances, fire trucks, police, etc. are coming behind me to pull over. This is a very serious safety issues for driver. Toyota said that I need to close the screen when this happens but it’s more dangerous for the driver to turn around to close the screen while driving.

4/25/2023

On July 7, 2023 I paid in full and was given possession of the 7 passenger seating Toyota van. The car has automatic door locking mechanism as part of the electrical system and can be locked from inside the car. The van is used to transport 2 children in car seats who can touch car components. We were given one Keyfob by the dealership and we were told that Toyota manufacturer did not have a second Keyfob to give at that time; we were told that we would get the second Keyfob within a few weeks. We were not told prior to purchasing the car that only one Keyfob would be given or else we would not have purchased the car; there was a failure to disclose this. It has now been close to 3 months that we have driven with only one Keyfob. With children who can touch inside controls, they could lock themselves inside the van with the windows closed and the single Keyfob left inside the car. We do not have a second Keyfob to prevent possible deaths and injuries that could occur from the manufacturer's negligence and faulty car electrical system design. Toyota vans aimed at parents with children are unsafe for use when only one Keyfob is issued. It is the responsibility of the NHTSA to help protect the safety of these children and parents as Toyota cares more about making a short-term profit from getting the full cash from the sale of the van instead of delaying the sale of the van until both Keyfobs are available to purchasers at the time of sale of the vehicle. It is estimated that this is not an isolated incident as my multiple contacts with Elmore Toyota dealership and Toyota of America headquarters result being told that it is a "Toyota wide problem with several other purchasers waiting also." This should be a class action lawsuit with both compensatory damages awarded along with punitive damages to discourage Toyota and other Auto manufacturers from placing profits above the safety of children who cannot speak or defend themselves from such gross negligence.

9/27/2023

Our family bought a 2023 new Toyota Sienna [VIN [XXX] ] on July 7, 2023 paying the full price plus premium dealer markup from Elmore Toyota in Westminster, Orange County, California on January 7, 2023 and only received one keyfob for the 7 seater van. I was told that I would get a second keyfob within 2-3 weeks. I have constantly contacted Elmore Toyota and they have said that the keyfob has still not arrived as of December 5th, 2023. As we have three adult drivers using the vans and children who are seated in their car seats in the van, it is imperative that we get our second keyfob as soon as possible. If we were told that we would only get one keyfob and would have to wait over 5 months to get a second keyfob, we would not have bought this vehicle. It is a safety issue as the possibility exists that the single keyfob could be in the car when a child pushes a lock button for the van, there would be no second keyfob to free the trapped children. Please contact me to resolve this risk. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

12/6/2023

We had a "hybrid system malfunction" warning on the dashboard and the van slowed down to 20 mph on a climb. With the flow of traffic at 50mph on a two lane road and no shoulder to pull off, this cause a serious risk to us and other drivers. Stopping and starting the car several times did not cause the warning to go away and the owner's manual says to stop driving. There were no warning lights prior to this happening. The warning and the MIL came on at the same time as the van started slowing. The local dealer now has the van and are not able to exactly diagnose the problem. They are contacting the manufacturer. They said the warning is no longer on.

5/22/2023

In a couple of instances the latch mechanism in 2 different seats became loose during trip. In one ocassion there was an alarm while in the second ocassion we realized when removing the car seat of an infant.

8/16/2023

The 3rd row seats in the Sienna do not stay stowed as there is no lock. This creates a very dangerous situation when braking. I just got this car a few days ago and already have issues. When I brake or go over bumps, the stowed 3rd row seat pops up a little. That's okay, until you brake. In one instance, I had to brake harder than usual during a traffic incident in front of me, and the 3rd row seats flew forward (up and out of the stowed position) and slammed into the 2nd row seats. It was loud and scary. My child was sitting in the 3rd row (split 3rd row so only one side was stowed) and the seat flying up and forward almost broke her leg as she was sitting with one leg out to the side. We even had items on top of the seat to keep the 3rd row from bouncing and popping up, but that is not a safe solution either. This is an issue reported for recent years on Toyota forums. I called Toyota to report it. I have read the owner's manual to make sure I am stowing the seats correctly. Any animals or children near a stowed 3rd row seat could be seriously injured.

8/18/2023

I parked the car in the garage and my child left the passanger side sliding door open. Then, the door malfunctioned because it would not electronically close after being left open more than 80 minutes. I tried to manually close the door, but encountered resistance. Afterwards, I pushed the "power door main switch" and was able to close the door manually. Our safety was at risk because if a dangerous person or aniaml was approaching, there is no intuitive way to quickly close the door. The vehicle DID NOT provide any warning messages about the door malfunction.

9/6/2023

Air bags did not deploy during a major crash took place on 9-25-2024 the vehicle was a total loss.

10/2/2024

The (PCS) Precollision System has been already set to LOW sensitivity, but every once in awhile when pulling in to oncoming traffic the vehicle would think there's still a car and just stalls for a few seconds (nonresponsive to acceleration pedal) leading to a dangerous occurrence where I could be hit by a vehicle because I've basically stopped in an active intersection. My vehicle is clean, so no dirt blocking the sensors, and I also own a 5th gen RAV4 without this issue.

4/16/2025

The (PCS) Precollision System has been already set to LOW sensitivity, but every once in awhile when pulling in to oncoming traffic the vehicle would think there's still a car and just stalls for a few seconds (nonresponsive to acceleration pedal) leading to a dangerous occurrence where I could be hit by a vehicle because I've basically stopped in an active intersection. My vehicle is clean, so no dirt blocking the sensors, and I also own a 5th gen RAV4 without this issue.

4/16/2025

multiple times this has been an issue. I stepped on the break and the car essentially leaps forward typically when going up down or straight. In November 2024 it happened while going up a hill slowly and I bumped into the vehicle ahead of me. My vehicle had no damage, but the car in front of me had to get a new skid plate and my insurance doubled because of it. Since the incident in November 2024, my car has unintentionally accelerated intermittently. finally, April 2025 this happened my car started shaking jolted forward, engine revving, and then my check engine light came on then immediately contacted my local dealership and scheduled an appointment to get my car in. They have had my vehicle since then and have said it is not safe to give it back to me so I am currently driving a loaner vehicle.

5/14/2025

The contact owns a 2023 Toyota Sienna. The contact stated that while driving, the fuel gauge indicated there was 121 miles of fuel available. The contact stated that within twenty miles, the fuel gauge indicated that the fuel tank was empty. The contact stated that when the gauge indicated 170 miles available, the fuel usage decreased quickly. In addition, the contact stated that the failure had occurred several times. The contact stated that the vehicle was purchased and modified for transporting the contact’s disabled son. The Freedom Motor company provided the modification requests. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to the modification company several times, however no assistance was provided. The contact was advised to always keep the fuel tank full. The contact stated that it was very hot and dangerous to be driving a vehicle and running out of fuel while transporting her disabled son. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

8/14/2025

The contact owns a 2023 Toyota Sienna. The contact stated that while driving 65 MPH, there was a popping sound coming from the sunroof, and the contact discovered that the sunroof had shattered. Neither the dealer nor an independent mechanic was contacted. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 70,000.

9/9/2025