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.
2 issues to report 1) when under medium consistent breaking(slowing down for a light) there are instances where the breaks feel like they let up or slipping. This issue has been reported and with the car since the first year of ownership but Toyota says it-??s all within spec 2) second issue is an issue with the rear captions seatbelt and has also been reported since 2022 where upon normal driving the seatbelt locks up and the car has to be stopped and seatbelt unbuckled to release tension. Also brought up multiple times with Toyota and no action. Kids sometime unbuckling while car is driving since they cannot move
When applying the brakes, the brakes sometimes feels as if though it "slips" and the brakes momentarily release causing the vehicle to feel like its suddenly accelerating. This has happened on several occasions -- on downhill and on flat roads. After the brake feels like it slips, then the brake returns back to normal.
When my car is going down a steep hill and I have the brake applied, Suddenly the car will speed up and lurch forward instead of continuing to slow down. This is not how cars normally behave in the 30 years I have been driving. I could have slammed into the car in front of me. This has happened over 100 times. My vehicle has approximately 27,000 miles and I have mentioned it at the Toyota service center and it has been checked out and there are no issues that they see. No warning, lamps or messages appear at all
When I apply brakes sometimes the brake is released and I need to push the paddle hard to engage the brake again. Same thing happens sometimes on adaptive cruise control. It sometimes release the brake and I need to push the paddle to engage the brake.
Occasionally when easing on the brakes the van will accelerate. The engine will rev up while depressing the brake pedal, the van will start jerking and jumping trying to stop and go at the same time. This has happened on numerous occasions in parking lots at slow speeds and while driving on a busy road.
- Ray, OH, USA
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This is a follow up to NHTSA ID Number: 11542558. We have determined that this issue does not merely involve the brakes releasing, but the vehicle actually accelerates during the incident. Our 2021 Toyota Siena LE AWD has an issue where, while steady pressure is being applied to the brake pedal, the brakes will randomly release and the car will actually accelerate briefly. While attempting to slow or stop the vehicle with steady pressure on the brake pedal, the braking action will momentarily give out, resulting in the vehicle lurching forward beyond the anticipated stopping/slowing distance before the braking action re-engages. In many, if not all occurrences, the vehicle actually accelerates. For example, if the incident occurs while driving up a hill, not only will the rate deacceleration decrease, but the vehicle will actually accelerate up the hill briefly before the braking re-engages. This issue occurs on a regular, but seemingly random basis, multiple times per week. This issue occurs under all driving conditions (hot or cold, dry or wet, smooth pavement or rough surfaces). It occurs at all driving speeds, including under 25mph and over 55mph. This is a dangerous condition that could cause serious injury or death. This could easily result in a collision with cars, bikes, or pedestrians as the vehicle suddenly stops slowing without warning and unexpectedly accelerates. It could also result in a serious collision from cross-traffic if the issue caused the Sienna's stopping distance to go past a stop sign or red light into an intersection. The problem is intermittent and difficult to reproduce, but has occurred repeatedly over the 35 months we've owned the Sienna. No warning lamps, error messages, or other related symptoms are associated with these occurrences, either before or after an occurrence of the problem. Please investigate and require Toyota to issue a recall.
I have this car for 1 year, and I-??ve have problems when I am driving and I have use the brake the car stop and keeping going forward, I already had a accident hitting a car in front me, I-??ve see a lot complain about this problems and the Toyota is not getting fixed and keeping saying that is the driver fault, I work as a driver I need this problem get fix.
The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Sienna. The contact stated while driving at approximately 50 MPH, the rear end of the vehicle started to sway to the left and the right. The contact attempted to steer the vehicle however, the steering wheel was very difficult to turn. Additionally, the contact depressed the brake pedal, and the pedal was very loose and depressed to the floorboard. The contact pulled over and had the vehicle towed to a dealer. The contact stated that the dealer was not able to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 73,000.
When you apply a brake, the vehicle initially responds with an impetus to stop, then the brakes seem to disengage for a fraction of time and then engage again. This is all with the foot being on the brake pedal. It is perceived as if the vehicle continues to move by inertia or accelerates when you hit the brake. Occasionally, it feels like a delay in brake response time. The brakes issue is sporadic.It may occur 2-3 times a week or may not come up for a few weeks. As a result of the problem, the deceleration-to-stop distance is greater than you would expect under normal brake functioning. The issue is consistent across the primary and secondary driver of the same vehicle. The brake problem most often occurs when the car is going down the hill or when there is a short distance to stop, such as at a stop sign or red light in an urban area. The other driver reported that the problem occurred when there were bumps on the road.There are no warning lights indicating the problem with the brakes. The problem was reported to the dealer; however, the issue could not be replicated. The dealer advised us to have a Toyota representative perform the inspection as the problem would most likely not be identified because it is sporadic. As a result of the issue, I got in a car accident on a highway hitting another vehicle in the rear, when it made a sudden stop. The brake did not respond when I applied it two times in an attempt to stop, and my vehicle continued to move with my foot depressing the brake pedal. After the accident, the issue persisted. It recurred three times within one week after about 10 days of driving without issues.
While slowing to gentle stops for a STOP sign or a traffic light, occasionally the brakes will feel as if released and the vehicle stops decelerating in the expected fashion. This could result in a rear end collision with another vehicle if the operator doesn't rapidly apply firmer pressure to the brake pedal immediately. Because the brake pedal is already depressed, the forward collision avoidance system is overridden and will not stop the vehicle in time. This has occurred at random intervals and is quite disconcerting. I reported this to the authorized dealer's service manage, who said they were aware of the issue with the hybrid braking system, but that Toyota did not have a "fix" at this time. While reporting this issue at the dealer, another nearby customer began to relate the same issue with respect to his hybrid Toyota vehicle. The service representative did advise me to notify Toyota USA directly.
On 12/15/2023 I brought my 2021 Toyota Sienna, as described above, to Waites Toyota Dealership located in Watertown NY, because of a brake issue. Over the past month or so, when braking, we have experienced a jolt of power after decelerating despite keeping the brake pedal being depressed. A representative from Waites Toyota Service Department took the vehicle for a test drive and experienced the same issue and it was decided to take a further look at the brakes. The dealership contact TAS, a department within Toyota, and even though Toyota acknowledge there was an braking issue, Toyota did not have enough complaints concerning this issue, so no remedy was available. The vehicle has been converted so it can carry my daughter who is wheelchair bound, and has been for life. This is the only vehicle we have to transport her and even though we feel that this is a serious safety issue, we continue to use the vehicle as it is her only mode of transportation. The vehicle never displayed any warning lights or other symptoms, but the issue does happen almost every time you come to a stop. We feel Toyota should be forced to make this right. This vehicle cost more then $60,000 with the conversion and it should brake as it was designed to do.
While depressing the brakes, it will feel as though the brake "slips" for just a moment, and then re-engages. This causes the car to lurch forward, potentially colliding with a vehicle in front of you. This happens intermittently, and cannot be recreated on demand. It is, however, most noticeable when engaging the brakes downhill. The Toyota service department says that there is nothing wrong with the brakes, whatsoever. Numerous forums online would suggest otherwise. This seems to be an issue that a high number of Sienna hybrid owners are experiencing, and are being told by Toyota that the car's system says that there is nothing wrong. Consumers are being gaslit by Toyota, and are headed for serious safety issues if this is not addressed.
While driving vehicle, warning message come on saying, -??Parking brake malfunction. Visit your dealer.-?? The message stayed on. I delivered the van to the dealer two days later and there it is @ DCH Toyota in Wappingers Falls NY.
The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Sienna. The contact stated that while his wife was parking, she depressed the brake pedal however, the vehicle failed to stop. A message displayed on the instrument panel -??Parking brake failure see dealer-??. As a result, the vehicle crashed into a wall. The air bags failed to deploy. The contact-??s wife sustained injury to her neck and shoulder. Medical attention was required. A police report was not filed. The vehicle was towed to the undisclosed dealer-??s service center lot. The vehicle had not yet been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 28,800. The contact stated that their vehicle continues to display the same message about the parking brake. They are unwilling to drive their vehicle.
Our 2021 Toyota Siena LE AWD has an issue with the brakes randomly releasing briefly when slowing to a stop. While slowing to a stop with steady pressure on the brake pedal, the braking action will momentarily give out, resulting in the vehicle lurching forward beyond the anticipated stopping/slowing distance before the braking action re-engages. This could easily result in a collision with cars, bikes, or pedestrians as the vehicle suddenly stops slowing without warning and unexpectedly increases stopping distance. It could result in a serious collision if the issue caused the Sienna's stopping distance to go past a stop sign or red light into an intersection. The problem is intermittent and difficult to reproduce, but has occurred repeatedly over the 2+ years we've owned the Sienna. Going over any kind of bump, crack, pothole, etc. seems to increase the likelihood of the occurrence, but it also happens on dry, flat pavement. No warning lamps, error messages, or other related symptoms from the vehicle either before or after occurrences of the problem.
The breaks give out to a point where you run the risk of running into someone or something. We've visited Toyota 3 times now complaining of this issue yet they just state it's the regenerative breaks and how they operate. Although the breaking never got to this level of safety concern until we reached around 30,000 miles. I filed a complaint with Toyota that resulted in nothing being done. A couple examples would be sitting at a stop light and the breaks release almost causing us to run into the car in front of us. Pulling into daycare trying to stop while pulling into the parking spot and the breaks release. The last one is while going down hills the breaks seem to let go and the vehicle speeds up. It scared my wife so much that we actually sold the vehicle as Toyota deemed it safe. We loved the vehicle but can't risk the safety of our family.
Since the day I bought the van new from a Toyota dealer, the brakes periodically (roughly once a week) will feel as if I've momentarily let off the brake and tapped the accelerator. In other words, the decelerating van suddenly has a quick surge forward or lunge of acceleration. It seems quite random when this happens. I'm usually applying a gentle to medium amount of braking and the van is traveling somewhere in the 5-35 mph range. I've yet to have any close calls, but it is a scary sensation (as if the brakes have momentarily given out) and I have to quickly react by pressing down harder on the brake pedal. Because it occurs quite randomly, I haven't taken the vehicle to the dealer yet as it is highly unlikely I'll be able to replicate the issue for them. I searched online and saw that hundreds of other Sienna 2021-23 drivers are reporting the same issue. To repeat: the problem has not been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer, nor inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance rep or others. No warning lights come on when this issue happens. I currently have 36,000 miles on the vehicle. The issue has happened almost weekly since I first bought the vehicle.
The brake sometimes does fade. Hard to explain but a sudden feeling like the car isn't stopping when slowing down for a light or someone crossing or needing to brake. This is potentially very dangerous since today I almost ran a red light because the brake let go briefly. This is a wide known issue and a lot of people are complaining about it, but dealers aren't able to replicate it because it happens and goes. My 2021 Sienna was brand new, and I first had it and thought it was supposed to be like that. The issue disappeared for months before coming back again 4 times this week alone. The car is very well maintained and only taken to dealer. This is an article from a forum of many people also experiencing it: [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Yorba Linda, CA, USA