NHTSA has received 45 owner complaints about the 2021 Toyota Sienna, or 7.8 per year on the road — far fewer complaints than typical (complaint index 0.19, where 1.00 is the average of all tracked vehicles). Among the 85 model-year 2021 vehicles we track, it ranks #16 of 85 by complaints per year (#1 = fewest). Against other Toyota models its rate is 77% lower; against other Minivans it is 85% lower.
Counts are normalized by time on the road, not by sales volume: a popular model generates more reports than a rare one, and complaints are not verified individually. How we count
Complaints filed between 2020-12-03 and 2026-10-09. Median delay from incident to filing: 8 days.
45Complaints
7.8Complaints per year on the road
0.19Complaint index vs. all tracked vehicles
4Recalls
2.2%Share involving a crash or fire
21Last 12 months
Analysis
The previous model year (2020) drew 5.6 complaints per year, fewer than this one. The following model year (2022) drew 3.3 per year, fewer than this one. In its first two years on the road the 2021 model collected 7 complaints, 89% lower than the average vehicle of the same model year.
The most common problem area is Airbags & seat belts (28.9% of complaints), followed by Body & structure (20.0%) and Brakes (17.8%). Airbags & seat belts complaints are 7.6 times as common here as across all tracked vehicles. 1 report (2.2%) describes a crash or fire; owners mention 1 injury and 0 deaths.
Half of the reported incidents happened within 42 months of the model year's start; the busiest period was after five years (38% of incidents). In the last 12 months 21 new complaints were filed, versus 7 in the 12 months before — up 200%.
NHTSA lists 4 safety recalls for this model year. 1 NHTSA investigation covers this model year; the most recent is “Pedestrian alert sounds” (defect petition, opened 2023-01-27, closed 2023-08-07).
Complaint index
vs. all tracked vehicles0.19
vs. other Toyota models0.23
vs. other 2021 models0.2
vs. other Minivans0.15
Complaints in first 2 years on the road · vs. same-year average (7)0.11
The contact owned a 2021 Toyota Sienna Hybrid. The vehicle was parked in the driveway when an explosion occurred; the vehicle burned down.
Engine · 2026-04-03 · ODI 11729036 · Fire
Headliner cut too large, doesn't hold rear passenger climate controls, climate controls fall out and hit rear passengers. This happens at any speed.
Body & structure · 2021-05-11 · ODI 11416133
I purchased my 2021 Toyota Sienna Hybrid new in March 2021. For several years I have had an intermittent braking problem: when I apply the brakes, especially while slowing down or driving downhill, the vehicle sometimes lurches or feels like it suddenly…
Brakes · 2026-10-09 · ODI 11770036
This is a supplemental correction to my NHTSA complaint #XXX (2021 Toyota Sienna Hybrid, VIN [XXX]). The description of the brake defect itself is unchanged; I am correcting the service-history details.
Brakes · 2026-10-09 · ODI 11770245
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.
Electrical · 2026-09-15 · ODI 11764560
Excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length. The ODI number is NHTSA's record identifier.
Summary: Vantage Mobility, LLC (VM) is recalling certain 2021-2026 Honda Odyssey, 2021-2025 Chrysler Pacifica, and Toyota Sienna vehicles equipped with QRT-Deluxe and QRT-Max wheelchair restraints. The retractors may not lock, preventing the wheelchair from being properly secured.
Risk: An unsecured wheelchair can move during transit, increasing the risk of injury.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and replace the retractors, free of charge. Owner notification letters was mailed January 27, 2026. Owners may contact Vantage Mobility customer service at 1-800-488-9082.
Summary: 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."
Risk: An improperly tightened seatback may not adequately restrain the occupant during a crash, increasing their risk of injury.
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.
AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION Campaign 23V865000 · 2023-12-20
Summary: 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.
Risk: An air bag that does not deploy during a crash increases the risk of injury.
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.
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC):CONTROL MODULE:SOFTWARE Campaign 22V239000 · 2022-04-13
Summary: Toyota Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2022 Lexus LX 600, Lexus NX 350h, Lexus NX 450h+, Toytoa RAV4 Hybrid, 2021-2022 Lexus LS 500h, Toyota Mirai, RAV4 PRIME, Sienna, Venza, and 2020-2022 Toyota Highlander Hybrid vehicles. The Skid Control ECU software may not turn on the Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) system when the vehicle is restarted after the driver has disabled the VSC system. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 126, "Electronic Stability Control Systems."
Risk: Driving with a deactivated stability control system increases the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will update the Skid Control ECU software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 27, 2022. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is 22TA03. Lexus' number for this recall is 22LA01.
DP22005 · defect petition · ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:PROPULSION SYSTEM · Opened 2023-01-27 · Closed 2023-08-07 · Campaign 22V063000 · Model years: 2021, 2022
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 ele…
