2005 Toyota Sienna Transmission and drivetrain Problems
- Complaints
- 48about this part
- Share
- 4%of 1,130 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 75,000miles
- Trend
- FallingComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% lower than in the 3 years before.
NHTSA recorded 48 complaints about the transmission and drivetrain of the 2005 Toyota Sienna, 4% of the 1,130 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 75,000 miles. 4 of these say a crash was involved, according to the filers. 2 recall campaigns on record are filed under a similar system.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“The gear shift lever on our 2005 Toyota Sienna became loose and wobbly. The vehicle was in park and my wife shifted into reverse. She heard a noise like something had broken and fallen to the floor behind the gear shift lever. The lever was loose and wobbly after that. The dealer said there was no recall for our particular Sienna.”
NHTSA complaint #11103764, filed 2018-06, 140,000 miles“I've only had the van for 5 months and this problem has occurred over a dozen times, beginning with the day I bought it. And every time this problem has occurred I've been driving on dry roads. It usually happens when driving around a corner, anywhere from 35-65 MPH, far. All of a sudden the traction control light starts beeping, the brakes engage on their own, and then engine makes a loud noise (likely downshifting itself). …”
NHTSA complaint #11355155, filed 2020-09, 150,000 miles“I noticed a clunking noise when turning into a parking spot. It also felt like my van was diving into the parking spot. I took my van into Toyota for another reason and was told at the time it was leaking at the rack and needed a new drive shaft and boot to the tune of 1200 dollars. We are still debating what to do and are very disappointed in Toyota. We purchased this vehicle based on Toyota's reputation for quality but have found this vehicle particularly repair prone. …”
NHTSA complaint #10743620, filed 2015-07, 119,000 miles“Our 2005 Toyota Sienna took off on us in rush hour traffic. Moving my foot to the brake and my husband shifting into neutral was the first thing we tried, we also tried park and reverse, and turning off the cruise control, none of which worked. The Toyota Sienna death trap continued to accelerate rapidly even though my foot was jammed on the brake (I didn't remove my foot from the brake for another 2 1/2 hrs until the tow truck pulled in front of us. …”
NHTSA complaint #10384429, filed 2011-02, 92,000 miles“My 5 yr old daughter was sitting in the driver's seat and my almost 10 yr old son was sitting in the passenger seat. I was standing right next to the driver's seat inside the open door, the car was parked in my driveway. My son for some reason decided to shift the car out of park. The key was not in the ignition and nobody was pressing on the brake. The minivan started to roll a few feet back and I screamed and luckily he put it back into park and it stopped. This is a defect in the shift lock solenoid that was recalled. …”
NHTSA complaint #10595497, filed 2014-06, 70,000 milesRelated recalls
- 17V657000Oct 18, 2017Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2005-2007 and 2009-2010 Toyota Sienna vehicles. In the affected vehicles, due to a…Covers: Toyota Sienna 2005–2007, 2009–2010
- 13V429000Sep 26, 2013Toyota is recalling certain model year 2004-2005 Sienna vehicles manufactured January 10, 2003, through August 10, 2005; and model year 2007-2009 Sienna…Covers: Toyota Sienna 2004–2005, 2007–2009
Related service bulletins
- 10164330Jul 1, 2019TSB: REVISION NOTICE July 01, 2019 Rev2: ? Applicability has been updated to 2019 ? 2020 model year Toyota vehicles. ? The Techstream Preparation and Process Overview sections…
- 10096816Jan 25, 2016"dealer letter: safety recall completion is important not only in satisfying government requirements, but also is an integral part of our commitment to meet customer expectations…
- 10134454Aug 24, 2015TechTip: Condition - The vehicle may be difficult to start or have an abnormally low or rough idle after the battery has been disconnected or power to the Engine ECM has been…
- 10096813Jan 25, 2015Region letter: toyota will be sending safety recall follow-up notices to remind owners whose vehicles have not yet had campaign repairs completed. Please note the following…
- 10109404Oct 16, 2014TSB: The purpose of this service bulletin is to provide information regarding the installation of the correct torque converter bolts during automatic transmission/transaxle…
- 10109492Sep 30, 2014TSB: The purpose of this bulletin is to provide precautions to follow when installing an automatic transmission/transaxle assembly to avoid MIL "ON" shifting issues and/or…
- 10132084Oct 1, 2013The purpose of this service bulletin is to provide precautions to follow when installing an automatic transmission/transaxle assembly to avoid MIL ?ON,? shifting issues, and/or…
- 10133836Feb 20, 2013This bulletin contains general vehicle pulling diagnosis and repair procedures along with specific information to help correct pulling complaints.
Transmission and drivetrain: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 2 | 2% |
| 2021 | 8 | 5% |
| 2020 | 8 | 21% |
| 2019 | 7 | 15% |
| 2018 | 20 | 28% |
| 2017 | 38 | 24% |
| 2016 | 3 | 4% |
| 2015 | 12 | 5% |
| 2014 | 7 | 4% |
| 2013 | 14 | 8% |
| 2012 | 17 | 7% |
| 2011 | 30 | 5% |
| 2010 | 17 | 10% |
| 2009 | 6 | 3% |
| 2008 | 38 | 9% |
| 2007 | 31 | 9% |
| 2006 | 40 | 4% |
| 2005 | 48 | 4% |
| 2004 | 89 | 4% |
| 2003 | 10 | 10% |
| 2002 | 13 | 7% |
| 2001 | 6 | 3% |
| 2000 | 67 | 18% |
| 1999 | 11 | 5% |
| 1998 | 23 | 8% |
Other parts of the 2005 Toyota Sienna
499 complaintsLatches, locks and linkages
135 complaintsSeat belts
83 complaintsSteering
79 complaintsBrakes
68 complaintsTires
67 complaintsElectrical system
65 complaintsVehicle speed control
62 complaintsAir bags
60 complaintsOther or unknown
58 complaintsElectronic stability control
43 complaintsEngine
22 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2005 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