2014 Toyota Sienna Problems

What owners report

Owners of the 2014 Sienna most often write about problems with the power sliding doors — cables that snap or doors that open, jam or fail to latch — and about a hesitation or surge in acceleration when pulling away from a stop. Many of these reports arrive well under 100,000 miles, and several owners describe the dealer as unable to reproduce the symptom or saying it is normal.

1. 1
   Body and structure

   Power sliding door cable snaps or door jams/opens

   • 45 complaints (28%)
   • median 61,000 mi at 4.7 yrs old (33 state mileage)
   • owner-quoted repair $758 (median of 5 quotes)
   • filed 2014–2025

   Owners describe power sliding doors that stop halfway, re-open instead of latching, or become impossible to open or close even by hand. Several complaints identify a snapped or frayed door cable or drive belt, leaving the door heavy and unlatched, and some say the door opened on its own while the vehicle was moving. Complaints describe dealers greasing the assembly, replacing motors, or reporting that nothing could be found, and some mention parts not being available for the door recall. Mostly reported between roughly 30,000 and 100,000 miles, with a few as early as 17,000 and some past 130,000 miles.

   Recall 16V858000

   What to check: Operate both sliding doors several times in power and manual mode, watch for hesitation, partial closing or re-opening, and listen for cable noise; ask whether the recall remedy for the power sliding door has been performed.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “My son was getting into the van via the driver side sliding door. His backpack bumped the sensor, and the door opened and froze halfway open. I disengaged the automatic opening, but the door had difficulty closing. I noticed that the cable to the sliding door had snapped. I was eventually able to close the door, but now the door will not open at all.”

   NHTSA complaint #11386865, filed 2021-01, 95,000 miles

   “The cable for one of my power sliding doors snapped. The door is then difficult to use, and does not lock in the open position. Those doors are too dangerous to not lock in when in the open position. This is a vehicle designed for children who would be severely injured if the door slid shut on them. The vehicle was parked and one of my daughters was opening the door when the cable snapped. The vehicle only has 50,000 miles on it. This is a car designed for children! …”

   NHTSA complaint #11023608, filed 2017-09, 50,400 miles
2. 2
   Fuel system

   Hesitation or surge on acceleration after braking

   • 14 complaints (9%)
   • median 70,000 mi at 6.3 yrs old (11 state mileage)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2014–2026

   Owners report that after slowing or stopping, the van sometimes fails to respond to the accelerator and then surges forward, and in some accounts the engine revs or the vehicle accelerates unexpectedly while the brake is applied. Complaints describe dealers saying the behavior was normal or that they could not replicate it, and some owners say it has been present since the vehicle was new. Reported anywhere from around 30,000 to 120,000 miles; one owner notes it is worse when the engine is cold.

   What to check: Test drive from a cold start and repeat slow-stop-then-go maneuvers, noting any lag, idle flare or surge; ask whether the dealer has documented these symptoms.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Occasionally when from a stop or after slowing down and then accelerating rapidly, the car does not do anything and almost gets rear ended. I have told the dealer and they said it is no unusual with Toyota's..... Dallas corporate says see dealer. I just quite complaining after a couple years, but was told to check with you. Most every thing else I like about Toyota...”

   NHTSA complaint #11311595, filed 2020-02, 135,000 miles

   “Just before the vehicle comes to a full stop, there is unintended acceleration and I could see even the RPM(scale) to spike temporarily. This has been happening every time when outside temp is cold and vehicle is driven with cold or slightly above cold engine temperature. There is a risk of hitting another vehicle or meeting accident if misjudge my braking because of this problem. However it does it even on highway under normal temperature while I'm braking or slowing down.”

   NHTSA complaint #11309306, filed 2020-02, 90,983 miles
3. 3
   Other or unknown

   Tire sidewall failures and tread separation

   Mentioned in 6 of 60 sampled complaints

   Several owners describe sidewall blowouts or tread separating from the sidewall at normal road speeds and after minor pothole impacts, sometimes on more than one tire. Complaints also mention cracking found on all four tires at inspection; replacement was handled through tire retailers or independent shops. Mostly between about 23,000 and 90,000 miles.

   What to check: Inspect all four tires and the spare for sidewall cracks, bulges or age, note the DOT date codes, and check the spare tire carrier cable for rust.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Coming off the bay bridge, approaching the emeryville off-ramp, a loud noise emanated from the driver's rear of the minivan. Moved from the next to outside lane to side of the freeway & called aaa. Drove home on mini tire. Was sent to america's tire by my usual mechanic. Tire replaced with same make and model. No comments re other tires or one with shredded sidewall. Tire recycled. Auto & tire 23,000 miles. Car indoors 90%+ of the time. Have tire photos.”

   NHTSA complaint #11052116, filed 2017-12, 23,000 miles

   “Coming off the bay bridge, approaching the emeryville off-ramp, a loud noise emanated from the driver's rear of the minivan. Moved from the next to outside lane to side of the freeway & called aaa. Drove home on mini tire. Was sent to america's tire by my usual mechanic. Tire replaced with same make and model. No comments re other tires or one with shredded sidewall. Tire recycled. Auto & tire 23,000 miles. Car indoors 90%+ of the time. Have tire photos.”

   NHTSA complaint #11052117, filed 2017-12, 23,000 miles
4. 4
   Brakes

   Low brake pedal or braking trouble

   Mentioned in 4 of 60 sampled complaints

   Complaints describe a brake pedal that sinks toward the floor, changes between firm and soft, or requires pumping, and in some cases the van failed to stop in traffic. One owner reported an ABS actuator replacement quoted at a large cost, and another linked brake and speed-control behavior. Spread from a few thousand miles to about 90,000 miles, including one report at 89,000 miles.

   Recall 19V553000Recall 19V410000

   What to check: Check pedal feel and travel with the engine running, look for brake fluid leaks or recent brake line work, and ask whether the vehicle is a wheelchair conversion — several brake line recalls concern converted vans.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “On 8/2/18, while driving my 2014 Toyota Sienna van, bought new from a local dealer with appr. 89,000 miles and meticulously maintained for all service, I was driving on a city street when the brakes failed after pumping them three times. The brake failure caused my vehicle to rear-end the vehicle I was following. No injuries, but the van was totaled. No citation was issued by norman, ok. Police, accident report #2018-57682. Passengers in my van witnessed the brake failure.”

   NHTSA complaint #11120366, filed 2018-08, 89,000 miles

   “At random and intermittently the brake pedal feel changes from firm to mushy with the pedal traveling to or near the floor during the stopping. Also at random and intermittently the car can be stopped with the brake pedal applied lightly to prevent car movement when the pedal suddenly slowly begins dropping and will go down to the floor. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10785861, filed 2015-10, 6,400 miles
5. 5
   Other or unknown

   Clunk or popping noise from the suspension

   Mentioned in 4 of 60 sampled complaints

   Owners report a clunk from the rear, or a popping sound from the front, over bumps, backing out of a driveway or while turning. Complaints note that the noise continued after the dealer found nothing, and one owner was quoted a control arm replacement. Reported from around 13,000 to 32,000 miles for the front noise, and up to about 70,000 miles in other reports.

   What to check: Drive over speed bumps and turn at low speed with the windows down to listen for clunks or pops, and ask for any prior suspension or control arm repairs.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I took my Toyota Sienna van to Toyota of pharr to have my passenger air bag replace due to a recall. I made a schedule appointment on and it was completed, however, service person informed me that I needed to have my ' control arm ' replaced as well. He stated it it wasn't under warranty and no recall on it. The cost to have it done is $2,381.07. I asked him how did this happened. He stated it's the driving condition and miles. I told him my wife is retired and hardly drives it and only drives it on pave road. Also, it only has 70,000 miles. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11222068, filed 2019-06, 70,000 miles

   “Cluck noise in the rear suspension. Right side first after one year of normal use and 13k (mi) left side at 17k (mi) now both side have's a noise when driving in a normal road condition. Both side box or drawer's on rear passenger compartment are empty when noise is present and all seat belt was latched for accurate hearing and a better diagnostic. Road tests the Sienna without any load and noise is present, load the cargo area and noise are intermittent what it mean is no always present. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10907438, filed 2016-09, 13,000 miles

Buying note. On a used 2014 Sienna, exercise both sliding doors repeatedly and drive slowly from a stop and from cold to check for hesitation or surging, since these are the two most frequently reported areas. Confirm any open safety recalls for the doors, brake lines and passenger airbag have been completed, and inspect the tires and suspension for the noises owners describe.

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.