2008 Toyota Sienna Problems

What owners report

Owners of this model year most often write about the power sliding doors and liftgate — cables breaking, latches letting go, and struts that no longer hold the gate up — with many complaints filed between roughly 60,000 and 140,000 miles. A second large group describes the stability/traction control system engaging on dry pavement in gentle curves, where the van beeps, brakes by itself and briefly cuts power. Oil leaks and a few unintended-acceleration reports also appear.

1. 1
   Vehicle speed control

   Stability control cutting in on dry roads

   • 47 complaints (11%)
   • median 123,500 mi at 11.2 yrs old (36 state mileage)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2011–2025

   Owners describe the slip/VSC light and warning beep coming on while driving normally on dry pavement, most often in gentle curves, on on-ramps or over bumps, with the brakes applying by themselves and acceleration briefly dropping. Several say the van pulled or slowed unexpectedly; dealers and independent shops frequently could not reproduce the problem, and some owners replaced steering, suspension or tire parts without it stopping. Mostly reported between roughly 60,000 and 185,000 miles, and on curves or inclines at highway speeds.

   What to check: Drive a stretch of gentle highway curves and listen for the warning chime or feel for brakes applying without input; ask whether the wheel-speed, yaw or ABS/VSC sensors have been scanned or replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “While driving with my autistic children the check engine light, the vsc light and the trac off light all came on and the wheels locked up on the right side and through the van into a ditch. This is very dangerous since this vehicle was made for families. I am now keeping a log and I do plan on retaining an attorney as no one has addressed this issue as a safety hazard.”

   NHTSA complaint #11320604, filed 2020-04, 184,000 miles

   “Vehicle would engage brakes by itself and vsc and traction control lights would start flashing and beeping when going around curves or hitting bumps in the road. This was frightening, and caused me to not in good conscience sell the vehicle outright to another person, so I lost thousands of dollars by trading it in. This happened intermittently for over a year. Estimated financial loss $4000.00.”

   NHTSA complaint #11330108, filed 2020-06, 95,000 miles
2. 2
   Body and structure

   Power sliding door cable and latch problems

   • 81 complaints (19%)
   • median 80,000 mi at 7.4 yrs old (75 state mileage)
   • 4 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $1,400 (median of 21 quotes)
   • filed 2008–2026

   Complaints describe the power sliding door cable snapping, sometimes with a grinding noise and a door that is stuck open or stuck shut; others report the door unlatching and sliding open on its own while driving, or setting off the door-open alarm. Owners say dealers often declined to cover the repair, noting that earlier model years were covered by a customer support program or campaign and that this year was not, leaving repair costs to the owner. Reported from about 60,000 to 140,000 miles, on vans several years old and often after the door had been used heavily.

   What to check: Open and close both sliding doors several times, listen for grinding or uneven travel, and check whether any door-cable or latch repair has been done. Ask for records of door work.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Power sliding door won't open or closed. Looks like the cable is messing up. Called Toyota and they said no recall only a addition to the warranty. 9 years or 120,000 miles. My van has way over 120,000 miles! That stinks! This may cost over $1,000 to repair. I look online and thousands of people having issues! Should be a recall!”

   NHTSA complaint #10853629, filed 2016-04, 207,700 miles

   “My vehicle has 138,000 miles and when I inquired about fixing the sliding door, I was told that the recall was over in 2016; however, I know of a person that was able to have his vehicle fixed by Toyota. In fact, Toyota replace both the door sliding components / latches. For my vehicle I tried getting Toyota to fix this last year and tried again today but Toyota will not cover these repairs. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11361310, filed 2020-09, 133,000 miles
3. 3
   Vehicle speed control

   Unintended acceleration or surging

   • 86 complaints (20%)
   • median 46,000 mi at 4.6 yrs old (77 state mileage)
   • 25 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2009–2025

   Owners describe brief surges at parking-lot or moderate speeds, a gas pedal that felt stuck down during a pass, and in a few cases a van that accelerated at highway speed with the brake pedal not slowing it until the gear was shifted to neutral. Several reports describe Toyota service calling the behavior normal for the transmission. Reported from very low mileage (under 1,000 miles) up to about 180,000 miles, at both parking-lot and highway speeds.

   What to check: Ask whether the accelerator pedal and floor-mat campaigns were completed for this VIN, and check that the pedal returns freely and the mat is secured.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “We drove from pembroke to north carolina, taking a few breaks in between two weeks ago. We pulled into a service station to use the rest rooms and purchase cold drinks, in roanke springs, nc. My wife pulled into a handicapped parking spot in front of the store. She was only 10 feet from stopping the vehicle when the car accelerated forward and fortunately crashed into a concrete pillar otherwise we would have gone directly into the store. The surge of the car accelerating pushed me back into my seat, passenger. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10304142, filed 2010-02, 28,756 miles

   “Toyota gas pedal stuck. I realize that there is already something in the works for this problem, but I wanted to add my story, my family and I were traveling in wichita hwy54 at approx 7pm. I went to pass a car when I pushed the gas pedal all the way down it...stuck. I reached speeds probably over 100mph into an construction zone (50mph) where I shut off the vehicle and coasted onto the shoulder. I consider myself an experienced good driver with thousands of my miles to my name. The van had 2 adults and 3 kids in it. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10296961, filed 2009-12, 30,000 miles
4. 4
   Engine

   Engine oil leaks from cooler and VVT-i hoses

   • 31 complaints (7%)
   • median 80,200 mi at 6.0 yrs old (29 state mileage)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2010–2022

   Complaints describe oil leaking from rubber oil lines on the engine — one owner found a pinhole in the oil cooler hose, another lost most of the engine oil when a cooling pipe failed suddenly, and others note the VVT-i oil supply hose degrading. Owners report oil trails under the van, a burning smell, a ticking noise, a dry dipstick with no warning light, and in some cases the whole pipe assembly being replaced because the hose alone is not sold separately. Typically reported from about 80,000 to 130,000 miles, though a few appear earlier; one complaint followed a sudden loss of oil while pulling into a driveway.

   What to check: Look under the engine and at the oil cooler and VVT-i lines for weeping or oily residue, check the oil level before and after a test drive, and ask whether those hoses or pipes have been replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “My wife was driving the minivan with both kids in the car after grocery shopping and picking them up from the preschool. While she was driving into the garage she smelled and saw oil fume coming out of the hood. She thought the car was going to catch fire and grabbed the kids and got out of the van as quickly as she can. I got her call and rushed home from work. It turned out there was a sudden failure of a oil cooling pipe on the engine. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10676927, filed 2015-01, 80,200 miles

   “I had a oil hose in my van get a hole. When it happened it spilled oil all over and in my opinion could have started a fire.the hose is connected to a pipe and the hose cannot be replaced. The whole pipe has to be replaced and I replaced mine. My research revealed this is a fairly common problem and that there is a Toyota service bulletin for this problem but in the bulletin they claim it's for seepage of oil. Obviously Toyota knows this is a problem as the new part I ordered is complete pipe with no hoses. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10547430, filed 2013-10, 110,000 miles
5. 5
   Body and structure

   Liftgate struts and hinge cracking

   • 25 complaints (6%)
   • median 85,000 mi at 6.5 yrs old (21 state mileage)
   • 4 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2010–2020

   Complaints describe the rear hatch struts losing pressure so the gate no longer stays up, with some owners hit on the head when it dropped; a few report cracking of the liftgate frame near the hinge. Owners note that earlier Siennas were recalled for the power liftgate struts but that this year was not included. Reported around 85,000 to 95,000 miles, with the frame cracking noted at about 135,000 miles.

   What to check: Raise the liftgate and see whether it holds on its own, and inspect the metal around the hinges for cracks; ask whether the struts have been replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Struts on the rear door are failing. The door comes down whenever it wants to. This is a safety issue and very dangerous. I see you have had a recall already but it doesn't list my specific year. Failing struts in 2008 are failing. I want Toyota to fix this for free.”

   NHTSA complaint #10939725, filed 2017-01, 89,000 miles

   “The tailgate strut failed to hold up the liftgate and struck me in the head. Please see below for other Toyota siennas; Toyota siennas recalled to fix power liftgate liftgate may fall on users Toyota is recalling 196,222 Sienna vans from the 2004 through 2006 model years to repair the struts which hold up the power-assisted liftgate. Those struts can fail, causing the gate to power its way shut, injuring anyone hit by the closing door. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10749813, filed 2015-08, 125,000 miles

Buying note. Check the sliding doors and liftgate carefully, drive the van on a curvy road to see whether the stability control interferes, and look for oil leaks around the engine hoses and cooler lines. Service records for these items are more useful than the mileage alone.

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.