2021 TOYOTA REDUNDANT SIENNA Recalls, Complaints & Safety

This complaint is submitted to supplement and clarify a prior NHTSA submission regarding Safety Recall 23TA15 for VIN [XXX] . The prior submission was brief and did not fully capture the timeline and circumstances described below. I purchased a 2021 Toyota Sienna (VIN [XXX] ) from Avondale Toyota on [XXX]. At the time of purchase, I was not informed of any active or pending safety recall affecting the vehicle. After returning from Arizona to San Diego with my family, I attempted to list the vehicle on a rental platform on December 26, 2026. At that time, the platform flagged the VIN as having an active safety recall (Safety Recall 23TA15) and prevented the listing. This was the first time I became aware that the vehicle was subject to a safety recall. Despite multiple attempts to obtain clarification from Toyota Brand Engagement regarding the VIN-specific recall activation date, Toyota declined or failed to provide written confirmation. Whether the recall was active prior to the sale or applied shortly thereafter, the vehicle was placed into use without proper disclosure, warning, remedy, or guidance. As a result, my family and I unknowingly operated the vehicle, including interstate travel from Arizona to San Diego, without awareness of a potential safety risk. Had appropriate disclosure or timely notification been provided, I would not have used the vehicle or exposed my family to potential harm. In addition, the recall rendered the vehicle unavailable for its intended business use, resulting in loss of use and financial impact while the remedy was unavailable. I am submitting this supplemental complaint to ensure the full timeline, safety exposure, and lack of disclosure related to Safety Recall 23TA15 are accurately documented. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Subject: Vehicle Safety Complaint – Recall 23TA15 | VIN [XXX] Hello, I am submitting a formal vehicle safety complaint regarding Safety Recall 23TA15 for my 2021 Toyota Sienna (VIN [XXX] ). Please find my detailed complaint and supporting documentation attached. This matter involves lack of disclosure and/or delayed notification of a safety recall, resulting in family safety exposure and loss of use. Thank you for your review and assistance. Sincerely, [XXX] [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

I was driving my Toyota Sienna on a busy 6 lane highway in the second to the left lane, on a bridge. Suddenly without any warning AT ALL, my vehicle lost all power and came to an abrupt halt in the middle of high speed traffic. My wife and children were all in the car and we were in imminent danger of getting hit by another vehicle. It took the police approximately 10 minutes to arrive during which we were in life threatening danger. After the vehicle stopped a message on the dashboard read Hybrid System Failure. The police tried to push our vehicle to a safe spot but the wheels wouldn't turn and the car had to be towed. Upon inspection by the mechanic it appears that there is a broken shaft in the transmission that may have caused this problem. I want to emphasize that there was NO WARNING at all and we did not have a chance to move to safety.

I turned on my minivan to drive my kids to school when I heard a sudden loud metal shredding/knocking and shut my van off. All maintenance was performed regularly on the van and no lights were on. I have a hole in my engine block now caused by a thrown rod, and no mechanic can explain why this happened. Oil was in good condition, and nothing indicated this should have happened.

I purchased a 2021 Toyota Sienna from United Access Mobility in Sacramento. The vehicle was sold and delivered with multiple serious pre-existing safety defects. The exhaust system was unsafe. The catalytic converter had been stolen prior to sale and replaced with a non-OEM catalytic converter that was improperly welded and mounted too low. This caused exhaust leaks, loud exhaust noise, poor acceleration, and safety concerns including potential exhaust exposure. Multiple professional repair facilities confirmed the exhaust system defect. The electrical system was defective. The vehicle was sold with the wrong size battery that was not properly secured. This caused electrical instability, warning lights, and vehicle failure. The battery was not adequately supporting the vehicle’s electrical system. The airbag and restraint system showed warnings caused by third-party wiring, indicating potential airbag or seatbelt malfunction. The fuel system was defective. The gas cap was broken and required tools to refuel the vehicle. Structural and body components were unsafe. A bumper bracket was loose and flapped while driving, and the passenger seat was unstable. Accessibility systems were also defective, including lift and door malfunctions affecting safe operation. United Access was notified immediately but did not correct these safety defects. Instead, they attempted to have the vehicle repaired using an extended warranty for pre-existing conditions. The vehicle was not safe to operate at the time of sale.

The driver’s side door mirror shakes when going down the road. The image in the mirror becomes shaky. The passenger side is fine, this is only on the driver side. I have brought this into the dealer, but they said it is normal. In 30+ years of driving cars, I have never had a car mirror do this.

The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Sienna. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V865000 (AIR BAGS). However, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the air bag sensor turned off and failed to function as intended. The local dealer was not contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue but offered no assistance. The manufacturer advised the contact to stop driving the vehicle. The failure mileage was approximately 30,000.

When braking to a stop at low speed (stopping at stop sign or at light), then car accelerates forward even though my foot is on the brake attempting to slow the car down. This unintended acceleration is dangerous and can cause an accident.

2nd row passenger seat recline does not work. My seat is very reclined now causing the 2nd row passenger to not be in the optimal position for SRS airbag performance that may result in possible death due to head impact during a side collision. Toyota likely has enough data to issue a TSB to resolve this issue preventing serious injury or death to one of my children.

It has been 22 months since the recall (NHTSA Number 23V865) and over a year since the expected remedy date. What is the status update? What is causing the delay?

While driving my 2021 Toyota Sienna Hybrid, the vehicle suddenly displayed a low oil pressure warning, immediately lost power, and entered limp mode. I was able to pull over safely, but the engine then suffered a catastrophic failure — a connecting rod blew through the engine block, leaving large metal fragments inside the engine compartment. The vehicle is completely inoperable. Prior to this event the van sometimes idled rough and shook slightly on startup when transitioning from battery to gasoline engine after sitting, but it drove normally otherwise. I have performed regular oil changes and routine maintenance according to Toyota’s schedule. Safety Concern: This failure happened suddenly and without warning. If it had occurred at highway speeds, it could have caused a serious crash due to loss of power or debris from the engine. This presents a significant safety hazard for drivers and passengers. Toyota has issued TSB T-SB-0104-21 for the 2021 Sienna Hybrid’s A25A-FXS engine addressing “MIL ON with Low Oil Pressure” conditions and DTCs P05202A/P052477 with milky or discolored oil. This suggests Toyota is aware of oil pressure and lubrication issues on this engine family. My catastrophic failure appears consistent with a loss of oil pressure or lubrication. I am filing this complaint to alert NHTSA of a possible defect or safety issue affecting 2021 Toyota Sienna Hybrid engines that can result in sudden catastrophic engine failure.

2021 Sienna Hybrid Platinum AWD ~65K miles. Safety Issue: Fogging of windows increased, as AC was not working properly. Believe rear AC lines had galvanic corrosion from differing metals, steel bracket with aluminum line-sets causes corrosion hole in refrigerant line set, and leak causing loss of all Freon. No warning lights or messages, AC just stop blowing cold. Vehicle is driven in Michigan on winter roads with road salt, but stored in garage and only 4 years old. $1742 fix to replace line-sets, which can corrode again without proper design fix. Problem confirmed by dealer, and seen in other similar year Sienna's.

I purchased a 2021 Toyota Sienna (VIN: [XXX] ) from an authorized Toyota dealer in June 2024. At the time of sale, I was assured that the open safety recall (23TA15) would be repaired soon. More than a year later, no remedy has been offered, leaving me and my family driving an unsafe vehicle. Toyota’s own phase schedule indicates repairs should already be available in Washington State, yet I have been repeatedly told no repair exists. This has caused serious safety concerns, financial hardship, and loss of trust. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

When braking downhill, the car will lurch forward causing me to have to break harder.

It has been almost 2 years and a remedy is not yet available?? I don’t feel safe in this car without this being fixed!

sound coming from engine / transmission other issues with the 2 ruber seals on the minivan keep worping out i looked on all the forms everyone is making the same complaint i toook it to toyota they just put tape and its off again they didnt help for a perminent fix back door is miss alined pasanger side sliding door sometimes does not close takes 3-4 atempts pressing the button

Brake Transition Issues: I have noted frequent jolts of power when braking, which creates at least the sensation of, if not actual acceleration while breaking. Web research suggests this may be linked to the vehicle switching between regenerative and mechanical braking systems, and that the problem is acute with 2021 and 2022 Toyota Siennas, which, if accurate, means Toyota has applied a fix to subsequent model years, but has not systematically addressed the first two years of the current Sienna generation.

Occasionally the brakes seem to stop working briefly, and the van even accelerates while the brakes are engaged. It happened again today but has happened since we got the van new in 2021. The dealer cannot replicate the problem. The problem is discussed on this thread: [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

When braking, the brakes will unexpectedly slip. There is generally a loss of brake and a split-second surge that is rather like acceleration (since the car is no longer being slowed down by the brakes). This occurs unexpectedly, unpredictably and without any warning. Having the car suddenly move forwards without brakes is dangerous and could cause the car to hit a pedestrian or another car. This has also happened multiple times while angle parking which almost caused a collision. Two Toyota dealers and a Firestone Tire Center have been unable to replicate the braking issue and tell me that there is no problem with the braking system. I have had both of them inspect the car multiples times, and the issue continues to happen.

Car accelerating when braking especially at slow speed. This has happend many times and dealership not aware of a solution for this issue. This acceleration do not happen all the time but happens radmonly. Concerned about safety and hence reporting.

When slowing down the brakes work at first, but the slip and the vehicle rolls freely, then once you press them harder it engages and brakes. But for about 2 seconds there is no breaking! This has happened several times prior to today.

My van been giving me some weird issues lately. When I’m going downhill, my brakes don’t seem to work well! I have to push it all the way down, like a spongy. It doesn’t break until I put on the emergency brake. the seat broke only weighed 185 pounds! the wiper blades don’t do a great job cleaning the driver’s side after I bought new ones. Dealership wipers

While driving at 60 mph with all windows up, the sunroof spontaneously exploded. No vehicles near me, no debris in roadway, 70 degrees and sunny.

When pulling into a shopping center parking space, my mother applied the brakes to slow down, but the vehicle seemed to surge and hit the car in front. It then surged again and pushed that car into another. No airbags deployed, and no one was injured, but someone could have been hurt either by the van itself or one of the other 2 vehicles. The dealer is scheduled to look at the vehicle, but stated on the phone that they "hadn't heard of this happening". There were no warning lights showing. My daughter stated that after the impact, she looked at my mother's feet, and her foot was clearly on the brake. I looked on the internet later, and found several threads of people complaining about their Toyota Sienna hybrids doing similar things.

Crash

When pulling into a shopping center parking space, my mother applied the brakes to slow down, but the vehicle seemed to surge and hit the car in front. It then surged again and pushed that car into another. No airbags deployed, and no one was injured, but someone could have been hurt either by the van itself or one of the other 2 vehicles. The dealer is scheduled to look at the vehicle, but stated on the phone that they "hadn't heard of this happening". There were no warning lights showing. My daughter stated that after the impact, she looked at my mother's feet, and her foot was clearly on the brake. I looked on the internet later, and found several threads of people complaining about their Toyota Sienna hybrids doing similar things.

Crash

I am writing to report a significant safety concern involving the second-row seat in the 2021 Toyota Sienna. The issue involves the seat base not locking securely into the floor. As a result, the seat remains unstable and sits at approximately a 45-degree angle, rendering it unsafe and unusable. This malfunction poses a serious risk to passengers, especially during braking or a collision, as the seat is not properly anchored. It also prevents the safe installation of a child car seat or booster. Despite this being a clear safety issue, there has been no recall issued by Toyota, and customer reports online suggest this is not an isolated incident. The inability of a seat to lock into its designated position is a fundamental failure in vehicle safety design. The vehicle has not been inspected and no warning of the issue was given.

Toyota Sienna has 3rd row seats recall already. While I was at dealership I explained that second seats are also rattling when they were fixing the 3rd row recall. My concern is that since they have safety concerns on that they should investigate all the seats for safety.because I’m experiencing second row issues with my vehicle. Terrible dealership! Called corporate office Toyota they were also no help! Please! please!. My request please have Toyota investigate the second row seats as well..

I was driving home from the grocery store going roughly 40 mph. I turned into a turn lane going into our neighborhood and started to press the break. Instead of breaking my car accelorated. It happened quickly, maybe 2 seconds. But it was very concerning. A warning flashed on my dash board that said, "break accelorating." I continued to push the break and started to slow down.

Child vomited in car seat. I removed cover to clean it and noticed seatbelt is torn in three places! It appears to have rubbed against some of the seam on the padding and slowly ripped.

Toyota has been aware of an occupant classification sensor defect since at least December 2023. Their automated systems state the remedy should be available by 2024 Q3. And yet we were in Feb 2025 and no remedy is available. I don’t think they intend to fix this at all, leaving me with a car that is not safe to use the passenger seat.

Recall 23TB15 was issued on Dec. 20, 2023. The remedy was supposed to be out by the 3Q24. I just called dealer service, and there is still not a remedy out. I am driving a car without knowing if the front passenger seat airbag would deploy in an accident. This is unacceptable to go this long with no corrective action plan yet issued. Can you take any action to get the manufacturer to correct this defect?

Turned on my minivan to begin backing out of the driveway when it began violently shaking and exploded. Was not due for an oil change, was not low on oil, passed an engine inspection 5 days prior. 2 holes through engine block caused by either connecting rod or piston

Our SRS airbag warning notification went on suddenly for no reason we could ascertain, and we're having to get it repaired outside warranty. The van has around 80,000 miles on it, but is only 3 years old.

Car lunges forward when braking. This occurs at low rates of speed and is particularly prone to occur when making right and left turns. This has been going on since I bought it in 2021. Dealer laughs at me

Rear Right tail light failure due to wire corrosion rendering tail light inoperable.

This problem has been happening for a while now, over one year. When I am braking there is a jolt of acceleration. This happens frequently, and I believe this is dangerous.

At the begining of 2024, I received a recall letter from Toyota regarding the airbag malfunction. I was told to wait for a remedy by Q3 of 2024. I patiently waited and was very anxious driving my vehicle. I recently did talk to my local dealer during my maintenance and they stated that they do not have any information regarding that and that I should call Toyota. I tried calling Toyota and was instructed to wait as they still have not got a remedy and that if I was getting in any accidents Toyota will be fully responsible. I bought the car to drive for my safety an this is the level of safety that I am getting. Thus I am here looking for help on how I can get this matter resolved as driving knowing that airbag has failed on the passenger side is very unsafe.

My 2021 Toyota Sienna has had an open and unrepaired recall for airbags failing to deploy since the beginning of the year. I been unable to use my vehicle because of this. They have pushed approximate date of the fix being available into next year which is unacceptable. A safety concern like this should be dealt with promptly.