2012 Toyota Sienna Problems

What owners report

Owners of the 2012 Sienna most often write about the power sliding doors — doors that open on their own, fail mid-travel, or no longer latch — and about a knocking or popping noise from the steering when turning. AWD owners also repeatedly describe a whine from the rear differential area that a dealer traces to the viscous coupler, and several reports concern air bag warning lights or air bags that did not deploy in a collision.

1. 1
   Body and structure

   Power sliding door opens on its own or stops working

   • 63 complaints (26%)
   • median 52,600 mi at 5.0 yrs old (39 state mileage)
   • 5 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $1,700 (median of 7 quotes)
   • filed 2012–2026

   Complaints describe the power sliding doors opening unexpectedly while driving, failing partway through a cycle, or refusing to latch closed so the door must be forced shut by hand. Some owners say the dealer diagnosed a failed door motor, latch or cable, and in several cases the dealer attributed the damage to the owner's manual handling. A few owners report being told the condition is known on earlier Sienna years but not acknowledged for this one, and one mentions being quoted several thousand dollars for a partial repair. Reported from a few thousand miles up to well past 100,000 miles, often after cold or wet weather and during low-speed driving.

   Recall 16V858000

   What to check: Cycle both sliding doors several times, including from the outside handle, the overhead switch and the remote, and listen for a pop or clunk at the start of travel. Ask whether the door motor, latch or cable has been replaced and whether the 16V858000 remedy was applied.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Passenger door - motor lock assembly failure where passenger door will not shut and flies open when driving. Rusting of door components from improper door sealing around door frame. Popping sound when opening motorized passenger door. Fortunately, door was stopped initially when door failure occurred but door flew open after I shut it and drove the vehicle. I then stopped to shut door and door would not close at all.”

   NHTSA complaint #10908710, filed 2016-09, 52,600 miles

   “The passenger side power sliding door failed in mid-operation leaving the door slightly opened. We were unable to manually or electronically open or close the door in the normal manner, however in order to make the trip home we forcibly positioned the door into the closed position. The dealer claimed that the door motor was damaged by our actions and proceeded to charge us nearly $2000 to repair the motor and door cable. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10947016, filed 2017-01, 109,500 miles
2. 2
   Other or unknown

   Rear differential / viscous coupler whine (AWD)

   • 16 complaints (6%)
   • median 97,000 mi at 8.3 yrs old (11 state mileage)
   • owner-quoted repair $1,979 (median of 6 quotes)
   • filed 2014–2023

   AWD owners describe a speed-dependent whine, howl or grinding from the rear of the vehicle, often beginning around 30 mph and rising with speed. According to the complaints, dealers identify the rear differential or viscous coupler as the source and quote replacement of the whole unit, typically well over $1,000 plus labor, rather than replacing just the bearing. Several owners note the dealer declined to cover it and point out that the same part on other Toyota models has been handled differently. Most reports fall between roughly 75,000 and 120,000 miles and appear on all-wheel-drive vans.

   What to check: On an AWD van, drive at 30-50 mph with the windows up and listen for a steady whine from the rear; ask for service records showing whether the coupler or its bearing has been serviced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Says my rear differential - viscous coupler- is bad and needs to be replaced at a cost oof at least $1,300 and that doesn't include installation. Happened just as car went over 100,000 miles and is covered in rav 4 bc had same problem but not 2012 Sienna nothing happened except it suddenly started not because of anything I did.”

   NHTSA complaint #11324915, filed 2020-05, 100,000 miles

   “My 2012 Toyota Sienna recently began making a loud whining noise from the rear axle area. Upon inspection, we were informed that the differential unit was failing and needed to be replaced. This would cost us between $2,500-$3,000. After some research, I discovered that this is a common problem with the Sienna, likely caused by a design flaw. The same unit was used on the rav-4, and after similar problems surfaced it was recalled and fixed by Toyota. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11365250, filed 2020-10, 95,000 miles
3. 3
   Wheels

   Premature tire wear and tire problems

   • 16 complaints (6%)
   • median 89,000 mi at 5.8 yrs old (10 state mileage)
   • filed 2013–2025

   Owners report tires wearing out well before their rated mileage, sometimes with heavy wear on the outer edges, despite regular rotations, alignment checks and correct inflation. One owner was told by the dealer that the van simply consumes tires; others describe sidewall cracking, blowouts and bulging sidewalls on tires with low mileage. A separate complaint covers damaged two-piece lug nuts that no longer fit the factory wrench after impact-wrench use. Reported from about 25,000 miles up to over 150,000, with wear noticed after fewer than 20,000-30,000 miles on a new set in several cases.

   Recall 11V560000

   What to check: Inspect all four tires for uneven edge wear and sidewall cracking, check the date codes, and confirm the tire placard matches the tires fitted.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The tires wear out too quickly. Two years ago I bought 70000 mile tires and after less the 30000 miles all four tires were worn down on the outside edge. The alignment was checked at the dealer every 10000 miles and the tires were rotated. This is a safety issue because the tires get excessively worn before they are expected to. The car was not moving. I noticed the excessive wear and took it to the dealer. They said that this car just eats up tires.”

   NHTSA complaint #11153241, filed 2018-11, 87,000 miles

   “I own a 2012 Sienna with approximately 34,000 miles. The wheels are aluminum, and the tires have all received routine rotations at the dealership, and tire repairs at the local tire dealer, all of which involved the use of air driven impact wrenches. Impact wrenches have damaged the two piece chrome plated protective covering on most of the lug nuts on my wheels to the point that they literally cannot be removed or reinstalled using the factory supplied lug wrench. The wrench no longer fits the damaged lug nuts. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10761931, filed 2015-09, 34,000 miles
4. 4
   Steering

   Knocking or popping noise from steering when turning

   • 9 complaints (4%)
   • median 54,500 mi at 6.0 yrs old (8 state mileage, few)
   • filed 2012–2019

   Owners describe a knock, thump or pop felt through the steering wheel and heard when turning, mostly at lower speeds and often more noticeable turning left. Several complaints say the dealer replaced the intermediate steering shaft or mid-shaft and then performed an alignment, with repair costs in the several hundred dollar range. In one report the steering wheel jerked left and right on its own before the shaft was replaced. Usually reported between roughly 50,000 and 80,000 miles, though one owner noticed it later and said it worsened over the following miles.

   What to check: Turn the wheel slowly at parking-lot speeds with the radio off and listen for a knock or pop, then ask whether the intermediate steering shaft has been replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Steering knock is experienced at speeds of approximately 35mph and less whenever steering left or right. This condition was first noticed at approximately 80k miles and has gotten worse over the next 50k miles. The knock is not only felt in the steering wheel, but it has become an audible noise as well. I've read several complaints where dealers have fixed this known problem, however I haven't seen any recalls on this or any information from Toyota stating that this is a known condition and is safe to continue operation. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11065753, filed 2018-01, 80,000 miles

   “We have 54k miles on our van and heard a knocking noise when we would make a turn (right or left). I brought to dealership and they said we needed to replace the intermediate steering shaft. The cost was $750. I looked online and see previous recalls for Toyota for this same problem. I also searched and found several complaints about this same problem with newer year siennas like mine. This is obviously a defect that is still impacting Toyota and consumers. Toyota was not willing to listen to our problem or help in any way.”

   NHTSA complaint #11034726, filed 2017-10, 54,000 miles
5. 5
   Air bags

   Air bag warning light and air bags not deploying

   Mentioned in 4 of 60 sampled complaints

   Complaints describe the air bag warning light staying on, with a dealer tracing it to the spiral cable in the steering wheel. Other owners report that air bags did not deploy in a collision, including a rear impact that led to a rollover. Several complaints concern the passenger-side inflator recalls and describe repeated visits or confusion over whether a temporary or final inflator had actually been installed. Scattered across the mileage range, from about 35,000 miles to over 200,000; warning-light reports cluster in the 60,000-100,000 mile range.

   Recall 17V006000Recall 19V005000Recall 19V741000

   What to check: Check that the air bag light goes out after start-up, and have a dealer run the VIN to confirm which inflator campaigns apply and that the final, not interim, inflator is installed.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I met an accident when a car (at speed around 65 MPH) crossing the red light coming from my right hit my car at my right front and none of the srs bags did not deploy. We were 4 passengers at the time of the accident and we all had minor injuries. All the srs bags for other car has been deployed that hit my car. I am really concerned we all 4 would have been killed and it has been considered as the fatal accident by police report.”

   NHTSA complaint #11022513, filed 2017-09, 35,000 miles

   “Brought car in for airbag safety recall. Was told it was completed. After this received another recall mailing for the same problem. Called the Toyota recall resolution team number to verify. Was told that a temporary airbag was installed and that I needed to have the good one reinstalled when they got them in. She called the dealer to set up an appointment then told me that it was taken care of and a new airbag was not needed. And stated that she was confused. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11349260, filed 2020-08, 61,400 miles

Buying note. Give the sliding doors a full functional test and listen for steering knocks on a test drive; on an AWD van, listen specifically for a rear whine at highway speed. Ask for records on the air bag inflator campaigns and check tire wear and age before agreeing on a price.

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.