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Toyota · NHTSA safety record

2021 Toyota Sienna Hybrid

Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.

Owners have filed 43 safety complaints about the 2021 Toyota Sienna Hybrid with the US government. Of those, 1 mentions a fire, 1 person was injured and no death is recorded. 2 recall campaigns are open against it, covering the seats and the air bags.

The most complained-about system is the air bags, named in 13 complaints, 30% of the total. The typical failure was reported at 30,800 miles, the median across the 13 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files · Covers December 2020 to September 2026 · How this is counted

What is on file

43 complaints on file

43

Complaints

0

Describe a crash

1

Mention fire

1

People injured

0

Deaths

A complaint is an unverified account by the person who filed it, not a finding of fault. One complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts them.

Complaints rose 38% year on year: 11 in the twelve months to 2026-Q2, against 8 in the twelve before.

A recall is the manufacturer conceding a defect, and the repair is free. Whether one covers your particular car is a question only its VIN can answer, because a campaign covers a production range rather than a model year.

Which system owners named

Complaints naming each system
AIR BAGS 13 · 30%
SERVICE BRAKES 6 · 14%
SEATS 5 · 12%
STRUCTURE 5 · 12%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 4 · 9%
VISIBILITY/WIPER 4 · 9%
ENGINE 3 · 7%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 3 · 7%
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 2 · 5%
POWER TRAIN 2 · 5%
SUSPENSION 2 · 5%
BACK OVER PREVENTION 1 · 2%
0 8 15

Red marks a system with a recall campaign against it. One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 43.

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2026 at 19.

20 15 10 5
20 21 22 23 24 25 26

This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure happened. The range runs from 2020 to 2026, the last of them a part year, which is why its column is drawn faint.

Crash test ratings

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program

NHTSA crashes a car into a barrier and a pole and measures what happens to the dummies inside. This is what it awarded the 2021 Toyota SIENNA HYBRID, and it is a separate question from what owners report going wrong later.

Test VAN AWD VAN FWD
Overall
Frontal crash
Frontal, driver
Frontal, passenger
Side crash
Side barrier
Side pole
Rollover
Chance of rollover 12.7% 14.0%
Stability control standard Forward collision warning standard Lane departure warning standard

A rating belongs to a tested body style and drivetrain, not to the model as a whole, which is why more than one is listed. A dash means NHTSA did not rate that test for this vehicle.

Recall campaigns

2 on file

SEATS:MID/REAR ASSEMBLY:RECLINER

25V086000 · February 13, 2025

The defect
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2021-2025 Sienna Hybrid vehicles. The bolts for the seatbacks on the third-row seat assemblies may not be tightened properly. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) numbers 202, "Head Restraints," 207, "Seating Systems," and 225, "Child Restraint Anchorage Systems."
The risk
An improperly tightened seatback may not adequately restrain the occupant during a crash, increasing their risk of injury.
The remedy
Dealers will tighten the seat assembly bolts, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 1, 2025. Owners may contact Toyota's customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is 25TA05.

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing · up to 167,802 vehicles across all model years covered

AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION

23V865000 · December 20, 2023

The defect
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Avalon, Avalon Hybrid, Corolla, Highlander, Highlander Hybrid, RAV4, RAV4 Hybrid, Lexus ES350, Lexus RX350, Lexus RX450H, 2021 Sienna Hybrid, Lexus ES250, 2020-2022 Camry, Camry Hybrid, and ES300H vehicles. A short circuit may develop in the Occupant Classification System (OCS) sensor, preventing the front passenger air bag from deploying.
The risk
An air bag that does not deploy during a crash increases the risk of injury.
The remedy
Dealers will inspect and replace the sensor as necessary, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed in February 2024. Some final remedy owner letters were mailed October 31, 2024. Letters will continue to be mailed in phases through January 2026. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is 23TB15/23TA15 Lexus 23LB03/23LA03.

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing · up to 999,901 vehicles across all model years covered

Defect investigations

1 on file

An investigation means NHTSA has decided a pattern is worth examining. A preliminary evaluation is often closed with no action; an engineering analysis is the stage that usually precedes a recall.

Pedestrian alert sounds

DP22005

Closed defect petition · opened January 27, 2023 · closed August 7, 2023 · led to recall 22V063000

the electrical system

NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles. The standard applies to hybrid and electric vehicles that have a gross vehicle weight rating of 4,536 KG or less or are defined as low-speed vehicles. The standard became fully applicable to all such vehicles manufactured on or after March 1, 2021.On January 27, 2023, NHTSA opened Defect Petition (DP) 22-005 to evaluate the subject matter described in the petition. On June 24, 2023 and as supplemented on June 25, 2023, the petitioner notified NHTSA he was withdrawing his petition. The petitioner indicated that, based on his review of data, there is no justification for asserting potential benefits that could be derived from actions sought by my petition. Based on the petitioner's withdrawal, DP22-005 is closed. Closure of this DP does not represent a determination by NHTSA regarding the subject matter of the petition.

In owners’ own words

Quoted from the complaint file

Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.

STRUCTURE:BODY

1 injured · 2,000 miles

HEADLINER CUT TOO LARGE, DOESN'T HOLD REAR PASSENGER CLIMATE CONTROLS, CLIMATE CONTROLS FALL OUT AND HIT REAR PASSENGERS. THIS HAPPENS AT ANY SPEED.

NHTSA complaint 11416133. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE

fire · towed · 80,000 miles

The contact owned a 2021 Toyota Sienna Hybrid. The vehicle was parked in the driveway when an explosion occurred; the vehicle burned down. The contact was inside the residence when a loud noise was heard, and the house "rocked." The contact ran to the front of the house to investigate and noticed that the vehicle was engulfed in flames. The fire damaged the driveway, melted the garage door, and melted a landscaping retaining wall. The fire damaged the post on the front porch. The contact and her family were unable to exit through the front door due to the fire and used the sliding kitchen door to exit the residence. The fire department was called to the scene. Per the contact, three fire

NHTSA complaint 11729036, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The front passenger door lock actuator does not work properly causing the door to stay locked or unlocked despite attempts to change the door lock through the internal power locking system or remote key. This presents a safety issue in that it requires a manual lock/unlocking of the door should an emergency situation arise and expeditious ingress or egress from the vehicle be required. The door actuator is presently working intermittently and appears likely to fail permanently in the near future.

NHTSA complaint 11764560. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STRUCTURE:BODY
The rear power liftgate hinges on my 2021 Toyota Sienna failed structurally under normal, everyday operation. The power liftgate motor and struts appear to exert uneven or excessive pressure on the rear hatch assembly, causing the metal hinges to crack. Before the failure, we noticed a loud popping/grinding sound when opening the hatch, which quickly progressed to the liftgate binding and misaligning. This is a severe safety hazard because the structural failure prevents the heavy rear hatch from closing or latching securely, creating a risk that it could fly open while driving, dropping cargo onto the roadway or exposing passengers. It also creates a risk of the heavy door falling

NHTSA complaint 11763294, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES
brake sleeps sometime when i press brake pedal i took car to dealer once,they said need time i did not have much time took another time, they reseted system still... my warranty is over now. rear seat,make shake noise and check rear seat sign on dealer can't find problem. did not do anything since new car. i do not know any other 2021 sienna drivers have same problem.

NHTSA complaint 11762371. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SEATS
The electronic driver's seat motor and track assembly failed completely on my 2021 Toyota Sienna (VIN: [XXX]) at less than 18,000 miles. The seat is permanently seized in a fixed position. This creates an immediate safety and crash-protection hazard, as drivers of different heights cannot safely adjust their distance from the steering wheel airbag or properly reach the pedals. Toyota corporate is refusing to repair this premature manufacturing defect on a known problematic seating system, leaving a severe safety risk unresolved. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA complaint 11761587. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STRUCTURE:BODY
My liftgate has been making loud noises upon closing. The dealership checked it and diagnosed that the trunk door is mis-aligned, leaving a gap so that the door WOULD NOT SECURELY CLOSE. I was referred to the body shop to have the shocks and hinges changed. Further discussions mentioned this was a common problem with the Toyota RAV-4 where the hydraulics fail causing a bad alignment therefore affecting the hinges. Although my vehicle is a Toyota SIENNA, I had asked if this was caused by mishandling on my part (ie, slamming/ forcing the door or stuffing the cargo) but the technician mentioned that there was nothing I could have done to prevent it nor done to have caused the hydraulics to

NHTSA complaint 11761738, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS
SRS Airbag Malfunction, visit Dealer warning

NHTSA complaint 11759958. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Toyota Sienna Hybrid

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2025 267 4 1
2024 69 2 —
2023 68 1 —
2022 20 1 —

Other 2021 Toyota models

Highlander 522 RAV4 387 Venza Hybrid 188 Corolla 185 Camry 157 RAV4 Prime 99 Tacoma 80 4Runner 36

Complaints on file, same model year.

Every Toyota on this site — 281 vehicles.

If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. How many repair attempts it takes, and how long you have to file, is set by the state you bought in and by nothing on this page.

Where these numbers come from

A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.

Compiled and maintained by
Independent developer and analyst