10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
4 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
23,425 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2008 Toyota Sienna brakes problems

brakes problem

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2008 Toyota Sienna Owner Comments

problem #12

Mar 122011

Sienna 6-cyl

  • 62,600 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

3/12/11 I was driving at 55 mph on state rt 104 in columbus Ohio when I had to get on my brakes heavily to avoid hitting a van that was turning in front of me, the following car did not stop and collided with me forcing me into the van in front causing heavy damage to the rear vehicle and to mine. Immediately during the accident my brakes failed and I was unable to avoid hitting the van in front until I was able to think to put mine in park to stop the vehicle a few minutes later I tried my brakes again and they were O.K. I feel the antilock brakes failed either because I was into them or due to my vehicle being hit so hard from the rear. My vehicle is a 2008 Toyota Sienna van. The vehicle that hit me was a 1997 Honda civic the vehicle I hit was a Dodge Caravan year unknown.

- Columbus, OH, USA

problem #11

Dec 282010

Sienna

  • 33,000 miles
Problem with rear disc brakes in 2008 Toyota Sienna. Dealer found problem with caliper piston. Rust on clip apparently caused the caliper piston to stay extended and keep the disc brake pad in contact with the brake. Rear brakes failed at 33K miles. Repair performed at customer expense. Service person said warranty did not cover brake failure because it was "caused by rust." Brake failure occurred approximately one month after the 30K mile service.

- Twinsburg, OH, USA

problem #10

Jun 172010

Sienna

  • 50,000 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Toyota Sienna. While driving approximately 45 mph in heavy rain, the contact applied the brakes and the vehicle lost control which resulted in a crash. There were no injuries. A police report was filed. The vehicle was destroyed. The failure had not been diagnosed. The current and failure mileages were approximately 50,000.

- Kings Valley, NY, USA

problem #9

Nov 202010

Sienna

  • 30,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

During a 30,000 mile check up on our 2008 Toyota Sienna all wheel drive van, we had to replace the front and rear breaks because they were ground down and dangerous, according to our Toyota dealer where the repairs where made. Pads had to be replaced, rotors had to be ground down for both front and rear. All the mileage is long distance highway driving. There was no accident but the dealer seemed very concerned.

- Northborough, MA, USA

problem #8

Oct 072010

Sienna

  • 0 miles
2008 Toyota Sienna le, purchased new. At 5K miles 1/2 tread was gone on front tires per repair tech notes. At 15K front tires were 2mm inside and bald on the outside, and front brakes were at 1mm, rotors had to be replaced as well. Went back to dealership due to noise coming from brakes twice. Current mileage is 33K and the van needs new front tires and front brakes (rotor?); all recommended servicing was done (per owners manual) and is documented. This van has a permanent defect.

- Lake Forest, CA, USA

problem #7

Sep 222010

Sienna

  • 29,000 miles
2008 Toyota Sienna van. Brakes are soft and have gotten progressively worse with time. At 29000 miles the brake pedal fades completely to the floor. The dealer examined the vehicle and replaced the rear brake pads, the front brake pads are low but still within specifications. The mechanic states that the condition is acceptable. This condition exists at all times, with the vehicle running or not, standing still or moving. Have not tried a panic stop to determine if the vehicle will stop within a reasonable distance.

- Greensburg, PA, USA

problem #6

Jul 102010

Sienna

  • 35,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

This happened yesterday July 10, 2010 Saturday in the regional parks parking lot. Since it's unpaved so there was rocks and dirt on the ground so I was driving extremely slow to come to a stop at a spot to park ' I was driving way below 5 mph and even slower when I was about to come to stop ' as I also know outside of the wire fence, beyond the narrow road, it was a cliff with a substantial drop of elevation; and I have my whole family in the car. I was driving a Toyota Sienna mini van which I have been a loyal customer and a big believer of the quality. Just around the time the car is about to stop, all of a sudden, it sped up forward in such a force we were all pushed back against the seat back, I immediately moved my foot to the brake and press all the way but it was not responsive and did not slow the car. Instead, the car sped up and went through the wire fence at about 45 degree angle, while I was steering towards left to avoid it with very little effect, and dropped down the slope onto the road, all the while kept speeding up, and then got across the road and hit a wooden pole on the road side by the cliff straight on. Then the car stopped and the brake seemed to work again as my right foot was pushing all the way down on the brake for the whole time ' so I shifted to park, turned off the engine, and then open the door to tell people coming up that we were fine. Someone called the high way patrol and the officer arrived later to take the case and later transfer the case to the park police for report. The car was towed to a body shop and most likely is totaled. We have insurance coverage so the financial damage to us wasn't big. But we are really concerned of what has happened. We were so lucky to have escaped the drop down the cliff and extremely lucky that we did not hit anyone along the way, even though it was only a few seconds (maybe 3-5 seconds) but this was a crowded park and there were many bikers biking along the road.

- Pleasanton, CA, USA

problem #5

Jun 052010

Sienna

  • miles
I have a 2008 Toyota Sienna AWD. Saturday afternoon I was driving East along lee highway in arlington, va (probably moving at about 30 to 35 mph) with my two small children, and I slowed as I approached the intersection with harrison street (which is a rather busy intersection). My traffic light was red, so I needed to stop. I applied the brakes fully, and the car continued to slow, but it did not stop fully. I released the brake and then pushed it hard all the way to the mat, but the car still continued to inch forward. I became frightened and threw the car into park and hit the emergency brake. The car seemed to stop, but I turned off the ignition just in case. I was a few minutes from home, so I drove home with my hazards on and parked the car. I have not driven it since. I called the dealership that has been primarily servicing the vehicle (koons arlington), and was told to call Toyota headquarters - 800.331.4331. I called this number for headquarters, but after remaining on hold for over 5 minutes with no end in sight and without hearing a live person, I hung up and tried the dealership again. A service representative told me to have the vehicle towed to the dealership, which I did early this morning. I am awaiting a response from the dealership. I emailed them for a status update earlier this afternoon.

- Arlington, VA, USA

problem #4

Mar 112010

Sienna

  • 33,500 miles
Brakes did not respond. Coming to a red light I applied brakes with no response, shifted to neutral and applies brakes again. No reaction. :( resulted in rear ending another vehicle.

- West Henrietta, NY, USA

problem #3

Aug 122009

Sienna

  • 8,000 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Toyota Sienna. While the contact was driving the vehicle began to lose brake pedal pressure. The vehicle was able to slow down. The brake pedal does not hold pressure permanently which caused difficulty in slowing the vehicle down. The failure mileage was 8,000. The current mileage was 11,774.

- Skokie, IL, USA

problem #2

Feb 012009

Sienna

  • 4 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Toyota Sienna. She experienced brake failure 5 to 8 times since she owed the vehicle. The failure occurred whenever the brakes were applied while driving approximately 10 mph on uneven pavement. The brakes failed to respond immediately; yet they began to function normally within a few minutes. She will take the vehicle to the dealer to be diagnosed. The failure mileage was 4 and the current mileage was 18,817.

- Lousville , CO, USA

problem #1

Sep 012008

Sienna

  • miles
2008 Toyota Sienna--momentary mild inadvertent acceleration upon application of brake, mostly noticed at lower speeds (30-40 mph). Then brake takes hold. For the 1-2 seconds of acceleration, it feels smoother as if car is in higher gear for that moment. I bought the car new, Toyota says this is a normal effect of how the transmission works. No accidents; just reporting what feels like something's not right. Ongoing.

- Oxnard, CA, USA

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