2012 Toyota Sienna Electrical system Problems
- Complaints
- 27about this part
- Share
- 11%of 247 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 39,910miles
- Trend
- RisingComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% higher than in the 3 years before.
NHTSA recorded 27 complaints about the electrical system of the 2012 Toyota Sienna, 11% of the 247 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 39,910 miles. 2 a fire, according to the filers. 1 recall campaign on record is filed under a similar system.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“The vehicle was stationary when the power door cable snapped and the door will now only open approximately several inches. This poses a safety hazard as children in the back could become trapped in the vehicle. When I contacted the dealer I was told this was an incredibly common problem with the Sienna minivans but Toyota was not doing anything to remedy the issue.”
NHTSA complaint #11005453, filed 2017-07, 133,000 miles“1) power sliding door opened while driving; 2) strer wheel always stay on right. I took my van to delaer (mark jacobson) and they have not fixed the sliding door after I report the problem with sliding door. After I started searching on internet and found that there is recall also. I called them there is a recall but they did not do anything. Recall date: november 22, 2016 dealer reference id: g04 NHTSA recall id: 16v858”
NHTSA complaint #11047282, filed 2017-11, 10 miles“2012 Sienna limited electrical issues I have a 2012 Toyota Sienna limited with every option except awd. On february 4, 2015, after driving for about 25 minutes, when I stopped and turned off the engine, the van completely died! I wanted to start again, but there was no power at all; nothing would function, door locks, radio, lights, nothing! I had to wait for about 5 minutes. Finally I was able to start; however the navigation dvd was reset. This is the second time it happens this week. …”
NHTSA complaint #10682962, filed 2015-02, 35,000 miles“We first encountered a problem in which the automatic sliding door would not function to open or close automatically but it still worked manually. About a week later the rear latch of the passenger sliding door became stuck in the lock position thus not allowing the door to fully close. I took the vehicle to my mechanic who greased the latch and allowed it to function properly however the door would still only open automatically but would open or close manually just fine. …”
NHTSA complaint #10598023, filed 2014-06, 70,000 miles“Was driving home from running errands, about a 4 mile drive at 35 miles/hr. At a stop light there seemed to be some sort of electrical surge. All the dashboard lights flashed and the vehicle turned off. I was able to put the car in park and restart it. There were no warning lights on after restarting the engine, so I assumed it was a fluke and continued on my way home. A little further down the road at another stop light it happened again. I pulled into my driveway and started to unload my car when I noticed smoke emanating from under the hood. …”
NHTSA complaint #11156461, filed 2018-12, 63,500 milesRelated recalls
- 12V120000Mar 23, 2012Gulf states toyota is recalling certain model year 2012 4runner and sienna vehicles, equipped with non-original equipment remote engine starters. A…Covers: Toyota Sienna 2012, 4RUNNER 2012
Related service bulletins
- 10238157May 30, 2023TSB: The Immobilizer and Smart Key Reset is a feature that allows the registration of new keys when all master keys are lost. Once the system is reset, all previously registered…
- 10182983Oct 12, 2020TT: Some customers may encounter Bluetooth® connectivity concerns such as: ?Difficulty to pair the phone. ?Intermittent Bluetooth® failure to connect to the vehicle when first…
- 10169334Nov 18, 2019TT: Safety Connect is a vehicle option which requires a subscription fee for the system to be active after the initial trial period. Once the subscription has expired the DCM…
- 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…
- 10155247Feb 28, 2019TT: Some customers may encounter Bluetooth® connectivity concerns such as: ? Difficulty to pair the phone. ? Intermittent Bluetooth® failure to connect to the vehicle when first…
- 10142898Jun 20, 2018Warranty Policy Bulletin: Toyota has received a number of reports regarding the power sliding door rear lock assemblies on certain 2011?2015 model year Sienna vehicles. In these…
- 10142890Jun 20, 2018Warranty Policy Bulletin: Toyota has received reports of customer concerns in which the power moon roof, power sliding doors or power hatch are inoperative from the overhead…
- 10129577Jan 12, 2018Service Bulletin sent to all dealers to update the firmware in the affected vehicles VMI computer. This allows for more amperage to draw the Powerkneel up allowing the up-limit…
- 10128692Jan 12, 2018Service Bulletin sent to all dealers to update the firmware in the affected vehicles VMI computer. This allows for more amperage to draw the Powerkneel up allowing the up-limit…
- 10133654Nov 22, 2017TSB: REVISION NOTICE November 22, 2017 Rev1: ? Applicability has been updated to include 2014 ? 2018 model year vehicles. Any previous printed versions of this bulletin should be…
Electrical system: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 12 | 10% |
| 2021 | 13 | 8% |
| 2020 | 7 | 18% |
| 2019 | 4 | 9% |
| 2018 | 7 | 10% |
| 2017 | 20 | 13% |
| 2016 | 9 | 12% |
| 2015 | 44 | 19% |
| 2014 | 16 | 10% |
| 2013 | 22 | 12% |
| 2012 | 27 | 11% |
| 2011 | 69 | 11% |
| 2010 | 20 | 12% |
| 2009 | 28 | 14% |
| 2008 | 45 | 10% |
| 2007 | 18 | 5% |
| 2006 | 85 | 8% |
| 2005 | 65 | 6% |
| 2004 | 132 | 6% |
| 2003 | 4 | 4% |
| 2002 | 24 | 13% |
| 2001 | 20 | 11% |
| 2000 | 17 | 5% |
| 1999 | 10 | 5% |
| 1998 | 14 | 5% |
Other parts of the 2012 Toyota Sienna
84 complaintsBody and structure
72 complaintsOther or unknown
28 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
17 complaintsSteering
15 complaintsWheels
12 complaintsBrakes
11 complaintsVehicle speed control
11 complaintsEngine
9 complaintsTires
8 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
8 complaintsFuel system
5 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2012 Toyota Sienna
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 28, 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