2006 Toyota Sienna Problems

What owners report

Owners of the 2006 Sienna most often describe two recurring themes: an airbag/SRS warning light that comes on and stays on, and a stability/traction control system that engages on dry pavement during ordinary turns. Power sliding doors and liftgates that fail to latch, open or close are also frequently reported, typically at moderate mileage. The sample complaints are spread across a wide mileage range, from under 20,000 to well past 200,000 miles.

1. 1
   Air bags

   Airbag/SRS warning light on (harness or airbag assembly)

   • 293 complaints (29%)
   • median 74,000 mi at 6.0 yrs old (253 state mileage)
   • 8 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $2,353 (median of 79 quotes)
   • filed 2006–2022

   Owners describe the SRS or airbag light coming on suddenly, often blinking and sometimes staying on. Dealers commonly diagnose a fault code and quote replacement of an airbag assembly, a floor wire harness, or both, with estimates running into the thousands of dollars. Some owners report the light returning after repairs, and several note the dealer described it as needing a technical service bulletin part. Reported from roughly 30,000 to 170,000 miles, with many complaints in the 60,000-100,000 mile range.

   1 related service bulletin

   What to check: Ask whether the SRS light has ever come on and whether any airbag or harness repair was done; check that the light illuminates and then goes out at startup. A scan tool reading of stored airbag codes is worth doing before purchase.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “My van was under warranty and the air bag light was blinking. I brought to dealer for repair twice, and I was told be the Toyota repair shop that it was normal. Until now (the van is no longer warranty) through forum I know it is something wrong, and it happened to several 2006 Toyota Sienna. It is safety concerning, and I would submit this for recall.”

   NHTSA complaint #10546134, filed 2013-09, 18,000 miles

   “Drove van for approximately 20 minutes, parked it for an hour, when I got back in, my airbag light was indicating. Called dealer, told me to bring it in for a $150 fee just to read the light. Took it to my mechanic who told me the driver's side airbag was indicating and they had received a technical service bulletin about it and had several toyotas in with the same issue.”

   NHTSA complaint #10520417, filed 2013-06, 91,000 miles
2. 2
   Brakes

   Traction control / stability control activates in normal

   Mentioned in 16 of 60 sampled complaints

   Complaints describe the stability or traction control light and warning chime coming on during gentle turns or curves on dry pavement, with the system applying the brakes on its own and sometimes pulling the van to one side. Owners report it at city and highway speeds and say turning the system off does not always stop it. According to the complaints, multiple dealers and independent shops were unable to identify a cause, and several owners replaced wheel bearings, shocks and control arms or had an alignment done without improvement. Most often reported on curves at roughly 30-70 mph; complaint mileages range widely from about 90,000 to 250,000 miles.

   What to check: Drive the van through a few gentle curves and over uneven pavement at 35-55 mph and watch for the stability light or chime; ask whether wheel bearings, alignment or the steering angle sensor have been checked.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Stability control comes on intermittently while driving on dry road scaring me and pumping brakes and pulling car to the right for no good reason at highway speeds... Alarm sounds ...very distracting and dangerous I pushed the track control button to off position and it still does it!!!”

   NHTSA complaint #11365326, filed 2020-10, 233,000 miles

   “When cornering the vans stability control activated without warning and modulates the ABS brakes and beeps and becomes very unstable. My wife and I have both experienced this and fear it will cause a car accident. It is not happening all the time but makes me worry every time we drive a windy road. We had the Toyota zero point calibration done, have replaced wheel bearings and done an alignment which have not changed it at all. It typically happens on curvy roads between 25 and 65 MPH.”

   NHTSA complaint #11396106, filed 2021-02, 204,000 miles
3. 3
   Body and structure

   Power sliding door and liftgate will not latch or open

   • 190 complaints (19%)
   • median 70,000 mi at 5.8 yrs old (163 state mileage)
   • 12 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $1,500 (median of 40 quotes)
   • filed 2008–2026

   Owners report power sliding doors that stop partway, fail to latch shut, pop open on their own, or quit working and leave only manual operation. Some describe cables or latches wearing out and metal parts breaking, and dealers quoted repairs in the range of a thousand dollars or more, or offered to disable the power function. Liftgate complaints describe the power liftgate dropping after opening or closing itself, with one owner noting an earlier campaign repair. Reported from about 15,000 to 85,000 miles, on both original and repeat repairs.

   Recall 08V244000

   What to check: Cycle both sliding doors and the liftgate several times, including with the key fob and interior buttons, and check that each latches fully. Ask whether the liftgate strut campaign (08V244000) was completed.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “My power door stop working on the driver back side. I had to force its close. And now I can't get it to open back up. The back row belt won't pull down. So its can't be used now. And the fuel miles on this van is very poor at 11. Toyota is very high price when its come to little problems.”

   NHTSA complaint #10794515, filed 2015-11, 15,500 miles

   “1) airbags: blinking airbag light. Toyota service bulletin - $1200 repair. Unsure of safety implications. 2) suspension, steering rack. Leaking power steering fluid. Needs replacement of entire rack. $1200 repair. 3) electrical: power sliding rear door will only function in manual mode. Toyota customer service informs me of a customer support program for problem. Dealer failed to tell me about it. $1400 for repair. Dealer estimated trade in value for van: $6000.”

   NHTSA complaint #10475905, filed 2012-09, 72,000 miles
4. 4
   Other or unknown

   Sudden unintended acceleration or engine revving

   Mentioned in 5 of 60 sampled complaints

   A small group of complaints describes the engine revving or the van accelerating on its own, in some cases while parking or making a low-speed turn, and in others at speed with the pedal going to the floor. Owners say braking or shifting did not immediately stop it and that the incidents resulted in impacts. Complaints also mention unexplained rises in engine rpm that shops could not reproduce or diagnose. Reported at low speeds while parking and at highway speeds; complaint mileages range from about 44,000 to 152,000 miles.

   Recall 17V657000

   What to check: Ask whether the shift lock recall (17V657000) was performed and confirm the shift lever cannot leave Park without the brake pedal depressed; test the accelerator and brake response carefully on a test drive.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “We bought a 2006 Toyota Sienna van brand new from a local dealer. Almost from the beginning the rpms would increase without provocation. I initially thought it was a problem with the transmission and had it checked but it turned out okay. I then thought it was maybe a problem with the fuel line so I had it flushed but the problem persists. It happens off and on and usually when I am driving along. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10306358, filed 2010-02, 77,000 miles

   “I was driving my 2006 Toyota Sienna le through a parking garage. As I was making a sharp right-hand turn into my parking spot, the vehicle accelerated at full-throttle and smashed into a concrete wall. The front bumper was heavily damaged and I had some symptoms of whiplash for a few days. It hasn't happened since then, thankfully. I mentioned the incident to the Toyota service rep at my next scheduled maintenance, but there was no inspection made.”

   NHTSA complaint #10303950, filed 2010-02, 44,000 miles
5. 5
   Steering

   Steering rack leak and power steering fluid loss

   Mentioned in 4 of 60 sampled complaints

   Owners describe power steering fluid leaking from the steering rack, sometimes noticed only after the rack boots were damaged, along with noise on sharp low-speed turns and alignment that does not hold. Dealers quoted replacement of the whole rack, and one owner reported the leak led to bearing work. Complaints note the repair cost and that no assistance was offered. Mostly reported between about 60,000 and 200,000 miles.

   What to check: Look under the van at the steering rack and its boots for wetness or split boots, check the power steering fluid level, and listen for noise while turning the wheel at low speed.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Steering rack is leaking and it is a very common problem across internet. This could cause accidents on highway. The steering makes a weird automated sound when car makes sharp turns on slow speed. I can see the leaks around the steering rack. The leak caused my bearings to fail which costed around 1000 to repair. Had alignment done three times but it gets misaligned easily. The dealers would like to get at least $1200 to fix the issue. Dealers know that it is a common safety issue but doesn't take it as a recall worthy. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11397145, filed 2021-02, 110,000 miles

   “The steering rack inner seals had disintegrated causing fluid leakage that was not evident until the boot had been affected and broken. Concerned by part failure with such low mileage. Complaints seen on Toyota forums - Toyota issued technical service bulletins in july 2012 but no information sent to consumers TSB-0097-12 . Consider this to be a manufacturers defect.”

   NHTSA complaint #10558251, filed 2014-01, 61,400 miles

Buying note. Give the van a thorough test drive that includes curves, parking-lot maneuvers and a check of both sliding doors and the liftgate, since those are the symptoms owners describe most. Ask for service records on airbag light repairs and steering rack work, and verify any open recalls by VIN before buying.

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.