2012 Toyota Sienna Engine Problems
- Complaints
- 9about this part
- Share
- 4%of 247 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 41,605miles
- Trend
- Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.
NHTSA recorded 9 complaints about the engine of the 2012 Toyota Sienna, 4% of the 247 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 41,605 miles. 3 of these say a crash was involved and 3 a fire, according to the filers.
Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“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“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“This car caught on fire few minutes after some electrical issues- while driving the car with everything looking just fine , the A/C fan fluctuated on and off -car blue tooth also kept disconnected and reconnect for a few seconds then all dashboard lights illuminated on and off few times . After maybe 2 minuets I reached home ,may family got off the car when I noticed smoke coming from the hood . I opened the hood to find a medium size fire coming from the driver side of the engine, I called 911 right away . In less than 10-15 mins most of the car melt from the fire plus the whole garage.”
NHTSA complaint #11128824, filed 2018-09, 65,000 miles“On august 27, 2016 I was driving our 2012 Toyota Sienna on an interstate highway. Traffic was terrible and I rear-ended another vehicle in stop-and-go traffic. The impact was minor, but the engine caught fire and burnt the car to the frame. My wife and I were able to exit the car before it burned. When I exited the car, I took my keys with me. However, I was not able to open any of the doors and everything I had in the back of the van burned. Thankfully, our children were not in the car. If they had been, I would have needed to break windows to attempt to remove them from the car.”
NHTSA complaint #10908557, filed 2016-09, 80,000 miles“Coolant leaking from rear of the engine through the head gasket. Vehicle struggles to accelerate beyond 55mph or 80kmph. A quick search on the internet shows that this is a frequent occurrence in this 3.5L V6 engine from Toyota model years 2011 through 2017.”
NHTSA complaint #11691968, filed 2025-10Related service bulletins
- 11005119Jun 19, 2024This Service Bulletin provides updated non-electric water pump leak inspection and diagnostic tips for some 2008 – 2025 model year Toyota vehicles.
- 11005061Jun 19, 2024This Service Bulletin provides updated non-electric water pump leak inspection and diagnostic tips for some 2008 – 2025 model year Toyota vehicles.
- 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…
- 10149217Sep 14, 2016TSB: Supersession Notice. Flash reprogramming allows the ECU software to be updated without replacing the ECU. Flash calibration updates for specific vehicle models/ECUs are…
Engine: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 5 | 4% |
| 2021 | 8 | 5% |
| 2020 | 6 | 16% |
| 2019 | 4 | 9% |
| 2018 | 5 | 7% |
| 2017 | 15 | 10% |
| 2016 | 4 | 5% |
| 2015 | 16 | 7% |
| 2014 | 11 | 7% |
| 2013 | 7 | 4% |
| 2012 | 9 | 4% |
| 2011 | 23 | 4% |
| 2010 | 5 | 3% |
| 2009 | 10 | 5% |
| 2008 | 39 | 9% |
| 2007 | 42 | 12% |
| 2006 | 11 | 1% |
| 2005 | 22 | 2% |
| 2004 | 13 | 1% |
| 2002 | 3 | 2% |
| 2001 | 2 | 1% |
| 2000 | 2 | 1% |
| 1998 | 1 | 0% |
Other parts of the 2012 Toyota Sienna
84 complaintsBody and structure
72 complaintsOther or unknown
28 complaintsElectrical system
27 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
17 complaintsSteering
15 complaintsWheels
12 complaintsBrakes
11 complaintsVehicle speed control
11 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 27, 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