1999 Toyota Sienna Problems

What owners report

Owners of this model year most often describe engine oil sludging and oil consumption, power sliding and rear door problems, and steering that pulls to one side. Many reports come in between roughly 50,000 and 130,000 miles, and several owners say dealers attributed the symptoms to wear or could not reproduce them at first.

1. 1
   Body and structure

   Power sliding and rear door failures

   • 51 complaints (24%)
   • median 90,000 mi at 7.8 yrs old (21 state mileage)
   • 3 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 1999–2016

   Owners describe power sliding doors that stop working, reopen on their own, jam shut, or will not close and latch, plus outside and rear hatch handles that break and leave a door that cannot be opened. Some say a dealer called the condition normal wear, and quoted repairs ranging from a few hundred to more than a thousand dollars. A few describe a door that closed on or moved toward a person. Reported across a wide mileage range, from under 40,000 to about 135,000 miles, and often after several years of use.

   Recall 10V1600002 related service bulletins

   What to check: Operate both sliding doors and the rear hatch several times, try the inside and outside handles, and ask whether any door cable, latch or motor has been replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “On back door of minivan, the outside handle broke when we squeezed it to open. The door cannot be opened. Why is there no release from the inside? The quote to fix is $275-300. Also, on the rear sliding door (driver side, not an automatic sliding door), the push-button latch sticks so the door will not latch when closing; we have to pry the push-button out with a key or screw driver so the door will latch.”

   NHTSA complaint #10142935, filed 2005-11, 75,000 miles

   “I bought a brand new Toyota Sienna ce in april, 1999. From the day 1, the passenger side sliding door is so tight that my teenage kid couldn't open. It is not safe in this way. It finally broke. I called Toyota USA and Toyota canada (Toyota USA said this vehicle is in Toyota canada's database, but I bought it at chicago's Toyota dealer). Both Toyota customer support refused to check and repair it! I believe it is design and manufacture problem.”

   NHTSA complaint #10078408, filed 2004-06, 41,000 miles
2. 2
   Engine cooling

   Engine oil sludging and heavy oil use

   • 33 complaints (15%)
   • median 79,000 mi at 5.8 yrs old (13 state mileage)
   • 3 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $6,200 (median of 5 quotes)
   • filed 2001–2011

   Owners describe oil turning to sludge, the oil level dropping between changes, blue smoke from the exhaust and an engine that eventually stalls or seizes. Several say the check engine light came on and the dealer found the engine oil sludged; some report the dealer rebuilt or replaced parts after reviewing maintenance records, while others were first told maintenance was the issue. A few report repeat problems after repair, including a failed oil pump. Mostly reported between about 45,000 and 135,000 miles, and several owners say it recurred after an earlier repair.

   1 related service bulletin

   What to check: Check the oil level and look for a fuel or burnt smell in the oil, ask for oil change records, and look for blue smoke on startup or at stop lights.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Oil sludge.started blowing at stop lights and all startups.calling Toyota this week. This Sienna is in mint condition.we bought it for safety and dependability for our 7 week old son.now we'll see if Toyota stands behind it.this is our 1st Toyota,but there are 7 lexus/toyotas' within our families.this engine is damaged and from what we have read,expect a complete new one.”

   NHTSA complaint #10070908, filed 2004-01, 79,000 miles

   “My van had first engine oil sludge problem at 32782 miles in march 2003. Finally Toyota paid the repair cost after many phone calls. One year later, on july 5,2004, I found that there is no engine oil left again during the middle of our family vacation trip (at 46000 miles). And blue smoke comes out from exhaust pipe again. Toyota couldn't fix the problem by clearing changing some parts. I request Toyota replace the defect engine.”

   NHTSA complaint #10088276, filed 2004-08, 45,600 miles
3. 3
   Other or unknown

   Unexpected or stuck acceleration

   • 19 complaints (9%)
   • median 102,500 mi at 11.5 yrs old (10 state mileage)
   • 4 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 1999–2020

   Owners describe the van accelerating on its own or the pedal sticking, sometimes at around 40 to 45 mph, and needing hard braking or shifting to neutral to regain control. Complaints also describe unintended movement when the shifter is between park and reverse, and an engine that kept running after the key was removed, in one case traced to the starter. Several say a dealer found nothing wrong. Reported at low mileage on nearly new vans through about 173,000 miles, with several reports at 90,000 miles or more.

   What to check: Check that the accelerator pedal returns freely and is not sticky, confirm the shifter engages firmly in each position, and ask whether the starter or ignition switch has been serviced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The car was off, the key was not in the ignition. My two year old daughter was in the front of the car. She touched the shifter and it went between park and reverse; the car started rolling down our driveway. She did not press the brake (she is unable to) but the car went into reverse. The van hit a tree. We checked and the car was in between park and reverse. So, somehow, the car reversed even though it was in park, turned off, and the brake was not touched.”

   NHTSA complaint #10616686, filed 2014-07, 165,000 miles

   “I am reporting another Toyota sticky accelerator pedal. Our 1999 Sienna minivan has had 3 incidents of stuck accelerator, the most recent was jan. 21, 2010. I believe it has become stuck between 40 and 45mph. Other incidents were in summer (cannot remember date) and october 2009. The 1st incident was brief and corrected quickly by pushing down on the pedal to free it , the 2nd incident required braking and putting the car in neutral and shoving the pedal with my foot to the left and right to free it up. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10302973, filed 2010-01, 122,000 miles
4. 4
   Steering

   Steering pulls to one side

   Mentioned in 4 of 60 sampled complaints

   Owners report the van pulling steadily to the right or left so the wheel cannot be released, sometimes from shortly after purchase. According to complaints, dealers denied a problem or suggested alignment, and owners say alignments and new tires did not stop the pull. One owner reports fluid leaking and a power steering hose replaced. Reported from very low mileage on new vehicles up to about 150,000 miles, with many reports in the 65,000 to 150,000 mile range.

   What to check: Drive on a straight, flat road and see whether the van tracks straight with a light grip, then check tire wear patterns and ask for alignment records.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Shortly after purchasing my 1999 Toyota Sienna minivan, in may, 1999, I noticed a severe pulling to the right. I could not let go of my steering wheel for even a second or this vehicle would pull. I took it to our local Toyota dealership (neill sandler in murfreesboro, tn) and they said there was nothing wrong with it. I took it another dealer and the lady working there just acted like it was in my head. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10159813, filed 2006-06, 100 miles

   “Toyota 1999 Sienna ce: steering pulls to left. I have to hold steering tight to keep it to right. I already got alignment done two times and new tires changed but pulling to left starts right away. It is very disappointing.”

   NHTSA complaint #10360000, filed 2010-10, 149,500 miles
5. 5
   Brakes

   Brake pedal vibration and intermittent loss of braking

   • 19 complaints (9%)
   • median 73,000 mi at 10.8 yrs old (9 state mileage, few)
   • 3 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 1999–2014

   Owners describe vibration through the pedal when braking and, in some cases, rotors replaced more than once with the problem returning. A few report the pedal going to the floor with little or no braking, which dealers could not reproduce because the condition was intermittent. Complaints also mention wheel cylinder replacement and maintenance advice from the dealer. Mostly reported between about 55,000 and 92,000 miles.

   What to check: Test braking from highway speed and feel for pedal pulsing, check brake fluid service records and rotor history, and ask whether any brake hydraulic parts were replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Our 1999 Toyota Sienna van has 73,000 miles we replaced the rotors 2 times and we are still having problems with the brakes. When we apply the brakes we get vibration on the pedal. We are being told that this can be due to the weight of the van. Also it could be the brake system is to small for this van. Is this a manufacturing problem and is anyone else having the same problem.”

   NHTSA complaint #10054972, filed 2004-01, 73,000 miles

   “1999 Toyota Sienna 56000 miles ,, we were driving at 60 MPH on I 294 south and the brakes completely failed ,,,my wife kept pumping them and lost control , we hit the median and the car rolled over thrice and ended up stopping on the roof ,, me, wife and two kids were safe by the will of god ,, all inseat belts ,,had gotten oil change ,routine maintenance 13 days ago ,, still have the receipt from jiffy lube that says brake fluid okay ,,, we are scared to drive any car now.”

   NHTSA complaint #10278321, filed 2009-07, 56,000 miles

Buying note. This generation is old enough that maintenance history matters more than anything else: ask for oil change records and check for sludging and oil consumption before buying, and test the sliding doors, brakes and steering on a thorough drive. Recalls and service bulletins should be checked by VIN to see what has actually been done.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.