IllustrationDRIVER IN WRONG LANE HIT MY VAN, WITH MOST OF IMPACT ON RIGHT FRONT SIDE OF VAN. BOTH VEHICLES WERE TOTALLED IN COLLISION. RIGHT FRONT PASSENGER SEAT BELT INITIALLY HELD, BUT RELEASED DURING COLLISION AND PASSENGER ENDED UP ON DRIVER'S ARMREST. NEITHER AIRBAG DEPLOYED. *TT
1998 Toyota Sienna
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 1998 Toyota Sienna do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 183.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Sienna years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
Limited mileage data: 73 of 294 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Latches/locks/linkages. Review the 40 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Service Brakes, Hydraulic. Review the 39 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Tires. Review the 38 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
18 crash reports3 fire reports13 injury reports
Seat Belts complaints
12 reportsI HAVE A 1998 TOYOTA SIENNA LE. ALL OF THE SEAT BELTS DO NOT RETRACT BACK INTO THE PANELS WITHOUT HELP FROM THE PASSENGERS. IF YOU LEAN FORWARD THEY STAY WHERE THEY ARE EXTENDED TO. I HAVE HAD THEM LOOKED AT AND THE TECHNICIAN SAID THE RETURN SPRINGS HAVE ALL RELAXED. THIS IS THE 4TH TOYOTA AUTOMOBILE I HAVE OWNED AND ALL OF…
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I HAVE A 1998 TOYOTA SIENNA LE. ALL OF THE SEAT BELTS DO NOT RETRACT BACK INTO THE PANELS WITHOUT HELP FROM THE PASSENGERS. IF YOU LEAN FORWARD THEY STAY WHERE THEY ARE EXTENDED TO. I HAVE HAD THEM LOOKED AT AND THE TECHNICIAN SAID THE RETURN SPRINGS HAVE ALL RELAXED. THIS IS THE 4TH TOYOTA AUTOMOBILE I HAVE OWNED AND ALL OF THEM HAVE DONE THIS. I DON'T KNOW HOW THIS CAN BE SAFE? *TR
THE SEAT BELTS IN OUR 1998 TOYOTA SIENNA HAVE BEEN FAILING. THEY WILL NOT RETRACT. WE HAVE HAD TWO REPLACED AT OUR COST, NOW TWO MORE HAVE FAILED. I HAVE THE PARTS FROM THE SECOND BELT THAT FAILED. IT IS NOT TWISTED AND THERE IS NO FOREIGN MATERIAL IN THE BELT OR IT'S PATH. PRIOR TO THE FAILURE OF OUR SEAT BELTS, I TALKED OU…
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THE SEAT BELTS IN OUR 1998 TOYOTA SIENNA HAVE BEEN FAILING. THEY WILL NOT RETRACT. WE HAVE HAD TWO REPLACED AT OUR COST, NOW TWO MORE HAVE FAILED. I HAVE THE PARTS FROM THE SECOND BELT THAT FAILED. IT IS NOT TWISTED AND THERE IS NO FOREIGN MATERIAL IN THE BELT OR IT'S PATH. PRIOR TO THE FAILURE OF OUR SEAT BELTS, I TALKED OUR FRIENDS (THE MILLER FAMILY) INTO BUYING A VAN JUST LIKE OURS. THEY WERE HIT BY A RED LIGHT RUNNER MAY 29, 2005. THE SEAT BELT HOLDING THEIR THREE-YEAR-OLD SON, KYLE, FAILED AND HE WAS EJECTED FROM THE VEHICLE. HE WAS KILLED INSTANTLY. THE REST OF THE FAMILY WALKED AWAY FROM THE CRASH. TOYOTA HAS REFUSED TO ACKNOWLEDGE ANY RESPONSIBILITY IN THE FAILURE OF OUR SEAT BELTS. I HAVE READ OF SIMILAR PROBLEMS FROM OTHER OWNERS (ON THE INTERNET). PLEASE HELP TO HOLD TOYOTA RESPONSIBLE. AT THE VERY LEAST, THEY SHOULD REPLACE THE BELTS AT THEIR COST. *TR
DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE PULLING OUT THE LEFT MIDDLE ROW SEAT BELT STRAP OF THE RETRACTOR, THE MATERIAL WAS FRAYING INTO. ADDITIONALLY, THE LEFT SECOND ROW SEAT BELT AND THE LEFT THIRD ROW SEAT BELT STRAP COMPLETELY DISENGAGED FROM THE RETRACTOR. THE CONTACT SPOKE TO THE DEALER, WHO INSISTED THAT DUE TO THE AGE OF THE VE…
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DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE PULLING OUT THE LEFT MIDDLE ROW SEAT BELT STRAP OF THE RETRACTOR, THE MATERIAL WAS FRAYING INTO. ADDITIONALLY, THE LEFT SECOND ROW SEAT BELT AND THE LEFT THIRD ROW SEAT BELT STRAP COMPLETELY DISENGAGED FROM THE RETRACTOR. THE CONTACT SPOKE TO THE DEALER, WHO INSISTED THAT DUE TO THE AGE OF THE VEHICLE IT WASN'T THEIR PROBLEM. UPDATED 05/30/2006. *AK
SEAT BELT HAD TO BE REPLACED TWICE DUE TO FAILING MECHANISM. WHEN TAKEN TO DEALER FOR SERVICE IT WAS DETERMINED THAT FAILURE WAS DUE TO THE SPRING.*AK
THE AIR BAG LIGHT REMAINED ILLUMINATING WHILE DRIVING. THE DEALER INFORMED THE CONSUMER THE VEHICLE WAS NOT COVERED UNDER A RECALL. *JB THE SEAT BELT LIGHT WOULD COME ON AND THE SEAT BELTS TENSIONERS WERE FOUND INOPERATIVE. THE AIR BAG LIGHT WOULD STAY ON DUE TO SENSOR FAILURE. *SC
WE WERE IN AN AUTOMOBILE ACCIDENT RECENTLY AND HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT NEEDING TO REPLACE THE SEAT BELTS AND POSSIBLY QUESTION OF MALFUNCTION OF AIRBAGS. OUR TOYOTA SIENNA VAN WAS GOING ABOUT 35 MPH AND HIT STRAIGHT-ON A CAR THAT TURNED IN FRONT OF US HITTING THE DRIVER SIDE WITH EXTENSIVE DAMAGE WITH ESSENTIALLY NO BRAKING. ESS…
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WE WERE IN AN AUTOMOBILE ACCIDENT RECENTLY AND HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT NEEDING TO REPLACE THE SEAT BELTS AND POSSIBLY QUESTION OF MALFUNCTION OF AIRBAGS. OUR TOYOTA SIENNA VAN WAS GOING ABOUT 35 MPH AND HIT STRAIGHT-ON A CAR THAT TURNED IN FRONT OF US HITTING THE DRIVER SIDE WITH EXTENSIVE DAMAGE WITH ESSENTIALLY NO BRAKING. ESSENTIALLY THE TOYOTA SUSTAINED A FRONT IMPACT COLLISION. THE AIRBAGS DIDN'T DEPLOY AND OUR REPAIR MECHANIC IS TELLING US THIS IMPACT WAS NOT SUFFICIENT TO DEPLOY AIRBAGS. THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER OF THE TOYOTA SUSTAINED CHEST INJURIES, KNEE INJURIES, WITH GENERALIZED PAIN, ESPECIALLY NECK, SHOULDERS, AND BACK. WE THINK THERE IS SOMETHING WRONG WITH THE AIRBAGS NOT DEPLOYING AND THE SEAT BELTS INVOLVED IN THE ACCIDENT SHOULD BE REPLACED. OUR AUTO MECHANIC IS TELLING US THAT AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY BECAUSE OF INSUFFICIENT IMPACT, AND THE SEAT BELT DOES NOT NEED TO BE REPLACED. CAN YOU HELP US HOW WE GET THE CORRECT ANSWERS? SCOTT S. LEE 949-295-0438 CELL 949-598-3302 WORK SCOTTSLEE@COX.NET. *JB
FRONT SEATBELT WARNING LIGHT COMES ON WHEN BUCKLED, GOES OFF WHEN UNBUCKLED. NOT SURE IF SEATBELT WILL FUNCTION PROPERLY IN A CRASH. DEALER CHARGED $92 TO DIAGNOSE AND QUOTED $375 TO REPLACE WHOLE SEATBELT ASSEMBLY. I'VE READ ONLINE ABOUT OTHER PEOPLE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM WITH THIS LIGHT SO I FELT I SHOULD REPORT IT.*AK
SEAT BELT LIGHT REMAINS ILLUMINATED. DEALER REPLACED SYSTEM WHICH HAS NOT CORRECTED THE PROBLEM. *AK CONSUMER STATES THE SEAT BELT WAS REPLACED AND THE WARNING LIGHT NO LONGER ILLUMINATES. *JB
SEAT BELT.
Official recalls
210V160000 · Structure
Apr 20, 2010
TOYOTA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 1998 THROUGH 2010 SIENNA PASSENGER VEHICLES MANUFACTURED BETWEEN AUGUST 7, 1997 AND JANUARY 4, 2010, CURRENTLY REGISTERED IN OR ORIGINALLY SOLD IN CONNECTICUT, DELAWARE, ILLINOIS, INDIANA, KENTUCKY, MAINE, MARYLAND, MASSACHUSETTS, MICHIGAN, MINNESOTA, NEW HAMPSHIRE, NEW JERSEY, NEW YORK, OHIO, PENNSYLVANIA, RHODE ISLAND, VERMONT, WASHINGTON DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, VIRGINIA, WEST VIRGINIA, AND WISCONSIN. THE SUBJECT VEHICLES ARE EQUIPPED WITH THE SPARE TIRE STOWED UNDER THE VEHICLE. IF THE VEHICLE IS OPERATED IN THE COLD CLIMATE REGIONS OF THE UNITED STATES WHERE ROAD SALT IS FREQUENTLY USED, WATER SPLASHED BACKWARDS WITH HIGH CONCENTRATIONS OF ROAD SALT CAN REACH THE SPARE TIRE CARRIER AND CORRODE THE SPARE TIRE CARRIER ASSEMBLY CABLE.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: THE CABLE MAY BREAK DUE TO EXCESSIVE CORROSION AND THE SPARE TIRE MAY SEPARATE FROM THE VEHICLE, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A VEHICLE CRASH.
Remedy: TOYOTA WILL NOTIFY OWNERS WITH AN INTERIM LETTER INITIALLY INSTRUCTING THEM TO BRING THEIR VEHICLE TO AUTHORIZED DEALERS TO INSPECT FOR CORROSION. A SECOND NOTICE WILL BE SENT WHEN THE PERMANENT REMEDY IS AVAILABLE. FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE SEE TOYOTA'S AMENDED RECALL REPORT OF JULY 19, 2010. THE SAFETY RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN ON OCTOBER 12, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT TOYOTA AT 1-800-331-4331.
98V278000 · Electrical SYSTEM:IGNITION:ANTI-THEFT:CONTROL Module
Oct 19, 1998
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, MINI VANS AND PASSENGER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH A THEFT DETERRENT SYSTEMS (TDS) SUPPLIED BY AUDIOVOX CORPORATION AND DISTRIBUTED BY SOUTHEAST TOYOTA DISTRIBUTORS, INC. IN THE STATES OF ALABAMA, FLORIDA, GEORGIA, NORTH AND SOUTH CAROLINA. THE ALARM WIRING HARNESS PLUGS INTO THE VEHICLE'S IGNITION SWITCH AND THE VEHICLE'S IGNITION SWITCH WIRING HARNESS PLUGS INTO THE ALARM HARNESS TO COMPLETE THE CIRCUIT. A PERCENTAGE OF THE FEMALE TERMINALS USED IN THE ALARM CONNECTOR WERE FOUND TO BE DEFECTIVE, CAUSING AN 'OPEN CIRCUIT' CONDITION WHEN MATED TO THE MALE IGNITION SWITCH TERMINALS.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: THIS CONDITION CAN CAUSE INTERMITTENT PERFORMANCE OF THE VEHICLE'S ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS SUCH AS THE DASH WARNING LIGHTS AND/OR HVAC FAN SPEED CONTROLS. ALSO, THE VEHICLE MAY NOT RUN SMOOTHLY AND COULD STALL.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE DATE CODE LABEL ON THE SECURITY SYSTEM HARNESS AND ANY DISPLAYING THE MANUFACTURING/FINAL DATE CODE WILL BE REPLACED WITH NEWLY PRODUCED HARNESSES. THE DATE CODES ARE: RAV4 - 6/24/98, 6/25/98, 6/26/98; SIENNA - 6/25/98, 6/26/98; AND AVALON - 6/30/98, 7/1/98, 8/31/98, 9/1/98, 9/2/98, AND 9/3/98.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
2DP02004 · Engine Seizure
Opened Apr 30, 2002 · Closed Jun 20, 2002
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Engine And Engine Cooling
No summary supplied.
PE99070 · Steering Wheel To Return To Center
Opened Nov 17, 1999 · Closed Apr 12, 2000
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Steering
There is no summary currently available