2009 Toyota Sienna Problems

What owners report

Owners of the 2009 Sienna most often report failures of the power sliding door cable, which usually snaps without warning and leaves the door stuck shut or jammed part-open; many say the repair costs in the four-figure range. A second cluster covers the rear liftgate, where struts or the power close feature let the hatch drop or close by itself, plus intermittent airbag and stability-control warning lights and, in some vans, sudden low-speed acceleration complaints. Reports span a wide mileage range, with doors and liftgate showing up from under 60,000 miles and airbag or warning-light reports mostly past 100,000.

1. 1
   Body and structure

   Power sliding door cable snaps

   • 84 complaints (41%)
   • median 93,000 mi at 7.6 yrs old (73 state mileage)
   • 3 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $1,600 (median of 19 quotes)
   • filed 2009–2022

   Owners describe the cable that drives the power sliding doors snapping during normal use, sometimes while the door is being opened or closed from the button, and sometimes on both doors within weeks of each other. Afterwards the door is stuck shut, jammed partly open, or only movable by force, and several complaints mention rust or fraying on the broken cable. According to the complaints, dealers quoted repairs in the range of roughly $1,000 to $2,000 and told owners an extended warranty covered earlier model years but not this one. Mostly reported between about 55,000 and 130,000 miles, in everyday use and sometimes in cold or wet climates where the cable corrodes.

   What to check: Open and close both sliding doors several times, listen for cable whine or a snap, and look for rust or fraying where the cable runs into the door track. Ask whether either door cable or motor assembly has been replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The passenger door cable assembly snapped causing the door to slam shut on my child's leg while entering the vehicle. We were parked in a parking lot, the keys were not in the ignition. The car was parked on a slight decline with the rear of the car slightly higher than the front. The door was never engaged to close, it slammed shut on its own.”

   NHTSA complaint #11119952, filed 2018-08, 105,000 miles

   “The side automatic door cable snapped. If my child was in his seat he would have been injured bad. The tension on this was tremendous. All my wife did was open the door. We have a 2009 Sienna awd and have maintained it per Toyota instructions. Toyota wants $1100 plus $300 do diagnose the problem. This is just wrong. Please help. The cable was hanging where my son would be sitting.”

   NHTSA complaint #10622644, filed 2014-08, 80,000 miles
2. 2
   Vehicle speed control

   Stability control (VSC) light and unexpected acceleration

   • 19 complaints (9%)
   • median 47,500 mi at 2.9 yrs old (17 state mileage)
   • 9 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2009–2023

   Owners report the VSC, traction control and check engine lights coming on together, and in some vans the stability system briefly applying the brakes or pulling the steering on dry pavement at normal speeds. A separate set of complaints describes the van continuing to move or lunging forward at low speed when the driver was braking or parking. Light-related reports mostly at 100,000 miles and above; acceleration complaints at low mileage on both ends of the sample.

   What to check: Check that no VSC, traction or check engine lights are on, ask for any stored codes to be read, and test the van at low speed in a parking lot, including a stop from a slow roll.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “On dry pavement driving about 35-40 miles an hour the vsc traction sensor came on lights and sound and hit my brakes my steering went to the right I almost got in an accident this is the third time this has happened and they can't figure out what's wrong with it.”

   NHTSA complaint #11328666, filed 2020-06, 154,837 miles

   “I wish to report two separate gas pedal incidents involving my 2009 Toyota Sienna xle van that occurred on the same day. On this day, I made a trip from my residence to a local golf course and about 3 hours later I returned to my residence. On my way to the golf course, I was traveling in a housing area at about 20 MPH when I took my foot off of the gas pedal to slow down but the car continued at the same or slightly faster speed of about 25 MPH. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10318075, filed 2010-03, 19,537 miles
3. 3
   Body and structure

   Sliding door jams, latches and lock failures

   • 26 complaints (13%)
   • median 103,500 mi at 7.7 yrs old (20 state mileage)
   • 3 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $1,750 (median of 6 quotes)
   • filed 2010–2022

   Complaints describe sliding doors that crack, latch shut, or refuse to unlock with the remote or interior button, leaving rear passengers to climb in through the front. Some report doors popping open on their own while driving, and others say the door slides shut quickly and hard on an incline once the cable is gone. Owners often say the dealer could not diagnose the problem or would only open the door for a fee. Reported across a wide range, from about 30,000 to 140,000 miles, and often noted when parked on a slope.

   Recall 13V429000Recall 17V657000

   What to check: Test every door lock and remote function, park on a slight incline and confirm the door stays where you put it, and check that the door opens freely in manual mode.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “My passenger side sliding door make a crack sound and now I can not open it. I took it to the dealer and showed them the csp no pol12-02 by Toyota and they said that my VIN number wasn't on it even thought it looks to be a latch problem. I asked them to make it so that I can open and close it manually and they said they couldn't do it unless I pay them to open up the door. This is a safety issue where I have two kids in the back seat. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10788570, filed 2015-11, 80,000 miles

   “Passenger sliding door is locked shut and will not open either with electronic door opener or by hand. Completely locked and safety hazard. Door appears to lock and unlock but cannot open door at all. Driver side back sliding door cable snapped one month ago with wire dangling outside car. That had to be stripped out to get door to open close by hand.”

   NHTSA complaint #10862434, filed 2016-05, 78,000 miles
4. 4
   Body and structure

   Rear liftgate drops or closes on its own

   • 16 complaints (8%)
   • median 43,310 mi at 3.7 yrs old (14 state mileage)
   • 3 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2010–2018

   Owners report the rear hatch losing its gas struts so it slams shut instead of staying open, and on power liftgates the hatch closing by itself right after it opens, especially in cold weather. Several complaints describe adults or children being struck or pinned and having to hold the hatch up by hand. Often reported in cold weather, at mileages from very low (under 5,000) up to about 100,000.

   What to check: Open the liftgate fully and see if it holds on its own, and try the power close function in cool weather to check it does not start closing unasked.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “While vehicle was parked, ignition on, we opened the rear hatch ( manual). Upon full opening there was a loud bang and the strut on the right proceeded to release all of it's gas. The gate can be opened but will close immediately unless held in place, neither side has any support. As the gate is heavy this is a huge inconvenience. We were very lucky the person unloading was an adult and was able to keep the hatch from slamming down on them.”

   NHTSA complaint #10523363, filed 2013-07, 55,405 miles

   “Usually in cold temperatures, whenever the rear automatic hatch is opened from the either the fob or the van's control panel, the rear hatch door begins to close back without warning/notice. This has happened at least 20 times since we purchased our 2009 Toyota Sienna in december of 2008 and is increasing in frequency. The approximate onset date is recorded below on this form. When it begins to close, adults and children have been trapped between the hatch and the vehicle, resulting in pinning and cuts to the head. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10307774, filed 2010-02, 1,000 miles
5. 5
   Air bags

   Airbag (SRS) warning light stays on

   • 13 complaints (6%)
   • median 71,139 mi at 6.1 yrs old (12 state mileage)
   • 3 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2011–2020

   Complaints describe the airbag or SRS warning light coming on and staying on, sometimes flashing intermittently. Owners who had it checked say they were told there was a fault in the airbag circuit, and some were quoted high repair estimates for the repair; a few say the manufacturer was contacted with no follow-up. Mostly reported between about 75,000 and 135,000 miles.

   What to check: Turn the key to run and confirm the SRS light goes out after the self-test; if it stays on, have the code read before buying.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “2009 Toyota Sienna with 134k mileage has srs warning light on all of a sudden and stays on. Toyota dealer would charge me for diagnosing and charge me if any further jobs need to be done. Shouldn't this be recalled and handled without any charge to owners as it's matter of safety issue?”

   NHTSA complaint #11298574, filed 2020-01, 134,000 miles

   “The airbag like came on and has not gone off. Had mechanic check it and was told that the squib circuit had a short and that if in an accident airbags will not deploy. Dealer said it could cost up to $2600 to fix. After some research, I have found that there are a lot of other Sienna owners with this same problem. Why has Toyota not recalled this, because it sounds like a manufacturing issue and consumer should not have to pay that kind of money for there faulty product. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11180500, filed 2019-02, 181,900 miles

Buying note. This generation's sliding doors and liftgate are the parts to inspect carefully, since cable and strut repairs come up often and are not cheap. Have any warning lights read and confirm the door and hatch mechanisms work before purchase.

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.