1998 Toyota Sienna Air bags Problems
- Complaints
- 12about this part
- Share
- 4%of 294 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 103,982miles
- Trend
- Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.
NHTSA recorded 12 complaints about the air bags of the 1998 Toyota Sienna, 4% of the 294 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 103,982 miles. 6 of these say a crash was involved, according to the filers.
Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“Air bags did not deploy in a front end collision. We were traveling at about 65mph on the interstate when another vehicle lost control, wrecked, and came to a complete stop in our lane and facing us. My husband braked hard but we could not avoid the vehicle. We truly have no idea how fast we were going at impact but I would guess 30-40 MPH. It had just started raining lightly prior to the accident. Seat belts and god saved us. No major injuries.”
NHTSA complaint #11042613, filed 2017-11, 220,000 miles“I have a 1998 Toyota Sienna recently the airbag light is on and the horn and cruise control are not working I wonder if this can be a safety recall for the life of the vehicle or do I just have to pay for the repair.”
NHTSA complaint #10381713, filed 2011-02, 220,000 miles“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. …”
NHTSA complaint #10098750, filed 2004-11, 99,000 miles“On oct 14th 2006 at about 4:45 pm I was driving in a parking lot at slow speed. I came to a stop and then tried to make a right turn. As I turned the wheel and applied the gas the steering column made a noise like breaking plastic and the car moved in a straight line despite the wheel beeing turned. I increased the turning motion until it was clear steering had failed. Since the lot was empty I brought the car to a stop without incident. I had the car towed to sandy springs Toyota and was told that the steering shaft had broken at the knuckle where the column connects to the shaft. …”
NHTSA complaint #10174880, filed 2006-12, 108,884 miles“My wife was driving a 98 Toyota Sienna with kids on the freeway in a comuter lane. All of a sudden the steering wheel started vibrating and locked in left position. As a result they ended up crashing in the middle divider head on. The van took a 180 degree spin and hit from the back. We have done 99000 miles on this van in last 5 years. This is totally a malfunction or mechanical failure of steering wheel. We have done long trips with our van in the past 5 years and never had problem. Also the air bags did not open up even though the impact was so severe.”
NHTSA complaint #10056363, filed 2004-02, 99,080 milesRelated service bulletins
- 10244113Aug 17, 2023TSB: Replacement certification labels (the vinyl label installed on the driver door or door post) and VIN plates (the metal plate riveted to dashboard) (see Figure 1) for most…
- 10190460Mar 17, 2021Toyota Safety Recall and Service Campaign - Technician Certification Requirements
- 10131961Jan 14, 2014Toyota vehicles are equipped with Supplemental Restraint Systems (SRS), including various airbags and in some models, seat belt pre-tensioners, to help reduce the risk of injury…
- 10132055Nov 4, 2013Beginning in 1998, Toyota introduced side airbags as optional equipment. Toyota does NOT recommend replacement of original seat covers with non-Toyota leather or other seat cover…
- 10133915Jan 3, 2013Toyota vehicles are equipped with SRS, including various airbags and in some models, seat belt pre-tensioners, to help reduce the risk of injury in a collision. If a customer…
- 10042555Sep 6, 2011Toyota: information provided for replacing the seat covers for vehicles equipped with side airbags.
Air bags: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 4 | 3% |
| 2021 | 16 | 10% |
| 2020 | 1 | 3% |
| 2019 | 3 | 7% |
| 2018 | 5 | 7% |
| 2017 | 5 | 3% |
| 2016 | 5 | 7% |
| 2015 | 9 | 4% |
| 2014 | 13 | 8% |
| 2013 | 22 | 12% |
| 2012 | 84 | 34% |
| 2011 | 211 | 34% |
| 2010 | 8 | 5% |
| 2009 | 14 | 7% |
| 2008 | 14 | 3% |
| 2007 | 37 | 10% |
| 2006 | 307 | 30% |
| 2005 | 60 | 5% |
| 2004 | 35 | 2% |
| 2003 | 2 | 2% |
| 2002 | 7 | 4% |
| 2001 | 7 | 4% |
| 2000 | 6 | 2% |
| 1999 | 7 | 3% |
| 1998 | 12 | 4% |
Other parts of the 1998 Toyota Sienna
44 complaintsLatches, locks and linkages
40 complaintsTires
38 complaintsBody and structure
35 complaintsEngine cooling
33 complaintsSteering
25 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
23 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
17 complaintsElectrical system
14 complaintsSeat belts
12 complaintsSuspension
11 complaintsVehicle speed control
8 complaints
← All problems reported for the 1998 Toyota Sienna
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 31, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.
To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology