IllustrationENGINE WAS REPLACED BECAUSE OF AN ACCUMALATION OF SLUDGE WHICH DEVELOPED IN THE BASE OF THE MOTOR. THEN, ENGINE STALLED. THIS WAS THE THIRD ENGINE REPLACEMENT.*AK
2002 Toyota Sienna
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 2002 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
240–25K
2125–50K
2150–75K
2575–100K
18100–150K
11150K+
120 reports with mileage · 61 unknown
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.
- Structure. Review the 42 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Latches/locks/linkages. Review the 27 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 24 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
16 crash reports4 fire reports9 injury reports
What owners actually said
181 reportsWHILE DRIVING 10 MPH, THE ABS MALFUNCTIONED. EVEN WHEN DRIVING ON DRY PAVEMENT THE BRAKING DISTANCE INCREASED. THE CONSUMER TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER, BUT THE DEALER WAS NOT ABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. *AK THE VEHICLE FAILED TWICE AT INTERSECTIONS, TWICE ATTEMPTING TO COME TO A STOP TO PARK AND ONCE WHEN GOING DOW…
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WHILE DRIVING 10 MPH, THE ABS MALFUNCTIONED. EVEN WHEN DRIVING ON DRY PAVEMENT THE BRAKING DISTANCE INCREASED. THE CONSUMER TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER, BUT THE DEALER WAS NOT ABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. *AK THE VEHICLE FAILED TWICE AT INTERSECTIONS, TWICE ATTEMPTING TO COME TO A STOP TO PARK AND ONCE WHEN GOING DOWN A HILL. (ALWAYS UNDER 10 MPH) *SC *JB
A 3 YEAR OLD MOVED THE GEAR SHIFT LEVER ON THE STEERING COLUMN. THE CHILD EASILY MOVED FROM DRIVE TO NEUTRAL WITHOUT DEPRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL AND THE GEAR SHIFT BUTTON. AS A RESULT, THE VEHICLE ROLLED FORWARD. DEALER NOTIFIED. *LA
BRAKES SQUEALING AT LOW SPEEDS. I HAVE REPEATEDLY TAKEN THE VEHICLE IN FOR THIS ISSUE TO BE TOLD IT IS NOT A SAFETY ISSUE - ERGO, THEY CANNOT FIX IT. *AK
1) HOT SUMMER TEMPERATURES SEEMED TO BE CONNECTED WITH THE FAILURE OF THE LOCKING MECHANISM ON THE PASSENGER SIDE SLIDING DOOR OF THE TOYOTA 2002 SIENNA MINIVAN. 2)WHEN THE LOCKING MECHANISM GETS STUCK, THE INSIDE BUTTON ALSO IS STUCK INWARDS, THE DOOR IS NOT ABLE TO BE CLOSED AS A RESULT. THE LATCHING MECHANISM WILL NOT ENGAG…
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1) HOT SUMMER TEMPERATURES SEEMED TO BE CONNECTED WITH THE FAILURE OF THE LOCKING MECHANISM ON THE PASSENGER SIDE SLIDING DOOR OF THE TOYOTA 2002 SIENNA MINIVAN. 2)WHEN THE LOCKING MECHANISM GETS STUCK, THE INSIDE BUTTON ALSO IS STUCK INWARDS, THE DOOR IS NOT ABLE TO BE CLOSED AS A RESULT. THE LATCHING MECHANISM WILL NOT ENGAGE WITH THE STRIKE BAR. 3)TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM WE HAD TO WIGGLE AND TOGGLE AROUND WITH THE COMBINATION OF OUTSIDE DOOR HANDLE, INSIDE BUTTON, AND CHILDLOCK LOCATED IN THE DOOR JAM UNTIL BY LUCK, IT RELEASED. IT TOOK AN HOUR. TO DATE, AN "INSPECTION" BY THE DEALER IS SCHEDULED.
APPROXIMATELY A MONTH AGO THE CLOCK LOST THE TIME. 4/28/04 MILEAGE 42K DRIVING ON NH HIGHWAY RTE 3 SO. APPROACHING THE BEDFORD TOLL IN THE HIGHSPEED LANE (40-45 MILES PER HOUR) THROUGH A CONSTRUCTION ZONE WHEN THE VEHICLE LOST ALL POWER! ENOUGH SPEED LEFT TO PULL INTO THE LEFT BARRIER AND PUT THE VEHICLE IN PARK. THIRD ATTE…
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APPROXIMATELY A MONTH AGO THE CLOCK LOST THE TIME. 4/28/04 MILEAGE 42K DRIVING ON NH HIGHWAY RTE 3 SO. APPROACHING THE BEDFORD TOLL IN THE HIGHSPEED LANE (40-45 MILES PER HOUR) THROUGH A CONSTRUCTION ZONE WHEN THE VEHICLE LOST ALL POWER! ENOUGH SPEED LEFT TO PULL INTO THE LEFT BARRIER AND PUT THE VEHICLE IN PARK. THIRD ATTEMPT TO START THE VEHICLE AND THE POWER WAS REGAINED. AUTOFAIR TOYOTA DEALER SHIP INDICATED THAT TOYOTA HAD FORWARDED A CHAMPAIGN. TOYOTA CORPORATE CUSTOMER SERVICE INDICATED THAT THE CHAMPAIGN IS A SERVICE BULLETIN ONLY AND NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH A RECALL. HOWEVER, NO WARNING LIGHT EVER CAME ON IN THE VEHICLE WHEN THIS HAPPENED. NOT CHECK BATTERY, CHECK ENGINE, NOTHING!
FRONT PASSENGER SIDE WINDOW WAS NOT OPERATIVE. VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION, AND MECHANIC DETERMINED THAT THE ELECTRICAL SWITCH BURNED OUT. THE ELECTRICAL SWITCH WAS REPLACED NUMEROUS TIME. *AK
WHILE STOPPED IN "DRIVE" WITH FOOT ON THE BRAKES, THE VEHICLE OCCATIONALLY ATTEMPTS TO SURGE FORWARD.
A RATTLING NOISE WAS HEARD IN THE SLIDING DOOR. THE CAR VIBRATED WHEN DRIVEN AT ANY SPEED AND THE IGNITION SWITCH WAS DEFECTIVE. THE OWNER WAS FRUSTRATED WITH ALL THAT WAS HAPPENING WITH LITTLE OR NO RESULTS. *AK THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT HAD COME ON AND WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS FOR THE SAME PROBLEM. THE …
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A RATTLING NOISE WAS HEARD IN THE SLIDING DOOR. THE CAR VIBRATED WHEN DRIVEN AT ANY SPEED AND THE IGNITION SWITCH WAS DEFECTIVE. THE OWNER WAS FRUSTRATED WITH ALL THAT WAS HAPPENING WITH LITTLE OR NO RESULTS. *AK THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT HAD COME ON AND WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS FOR THE SAME PROBLEM. THE FRONT END WAS UNSTABLE. *SC *JB
OIL SLUDGE: IT TOOK SOME DOING BUT TOYOTA FINALLY DID PAY FOR A NEW ENGINE.
Official recalls
110V160000 · 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.
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
1PE01036 · Engine Compartment Fire
Opened Oct 19, 2001 · Closed Feb 11, 2002
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Engine And Engine Cooling
No summary supplied.