Friday, August 7, 2026
RecallGazette

Vehicle problems, recalls & safety intelligence

2016 Toyota Sienna problems & reliability

75 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2016 Toyota Sienna, alongside 5 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.

Owner complaints
75
Recall campaigns
5
Fire reports
1 (1%)
Crash reports
7 (9%)

Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.

NCAP overall rating
Not rated
NHTSA 5-star program
EPA fuel economy
19–21 MPG combined
City 18 · highway 25 (typical trim)
Service bulletins (TSBs)
291
Manufacturer communications on file
Defect investigations
0
NHTSA ODI probes naming this model year

4 complaints report injuries (6 injured).

Federal crash records (FARS 20202023): 2016 Toyota Sienna vehicles were involved in 29 fatal crashes with 13 occupant deaths. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.

Most reported problems

ComponentComplaints
Structure26
Unknown OR Other14
Electrical System9
Seat Belts6
Air Bags5
Wheels5
Engine4
Exterior Lighting4
Latches/locks/linkages4
Steering4

Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.

Mileage when problems occurred

Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 20,452 miles (middle 50% between 8,625 and 36,134 miles), based on 34 complaints that included mileage.

under 20k
16
20–40k
11
40–60k
4
60–80k
1
80–100k
1
100–150k
1
150k+
0

Complaints by incident year

16
17
18
19
20
21
23
24
25

What owners report

  • Our van has recently been having issues with the sliding doors. It has occurred while driving and the warning light as well as the warning for a door open, and the door lights have came on. Right before this occurs you can hear a click sound from the sliding door behind the driver's side as well as when you close the…

    Structure · filed Aug 11, 2025

  • The contact owns a 2016 Toyota Sienna. The contact stated that the driver’s side electric sliding door failed to properly open and close, and occasionally abruptly closed, causing a safety hazard to the occupants entering and exiting the vehicle. The cause of the failure has not yet been determined. The local dealer…

    Structure · filed Apr 25, 2025

  • The contact owns a 2016 Toyota Sienna. The contact stated the driver-side sliding door latch failed to latch as intended. The contact stated that after several attempts, the sliding door failed to close completely. The contact stated that no warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent…

    Latches/locks/linkages · filed Feb 4, 2025

Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.

Technical service bulletins

291 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2016 Toyota Sienna. The 10 most recent:

  • Some 2005 – 2026 Toyota vehicles that have undergone water intrusion may exhibit a condition in which a musty odor is present. Follow the procedures in this bulletin to remediate the odor and address this condition. The…

    T-SB-0055-24 Rev2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 7, 2026

  • Some customers may experience echoing on the line calling the vehicle when using Bluetooth Hands Free. This is caused by the phone Hands Free volume being too low.

    T-TT-0790-25 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 20, 2025

  • The air conditioning dye injection tool kit has been developed to aid in identifying the location of air conditioning refrigerant leaks. The procedures outlined in this Service Bulletin aid in locating, inspecting, and…

    T-SB-0058-23 Rev1 · Service Campaign · issued Jun 13, 2025

  • The condition known as acid rain is caused by airborne chemicals or particles in the atmosphere, which mix with rainwater, nighttime dew, or high humidity to form acidic compounds. If these contaminants settle and…

    T-SB-0039-24 Rev2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 6, 2024

  • To prevent brake rotor rust from forming during transportation and storage, wheel film will be used instead of a cardboard type of anti-rust cover. The purpose of the wheel film is to shield the disc brake rotor from…

    T-SB-0038-24 Rev2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 6, 2024

  • Acid rain results from rainwater or other airborne moisture that become acidic due to industrial chemical impurities in the atmosphere. If these acidic compounds settle on an exposed vehicle, especially the horizontal…

    T-SB-0035-24 Rev2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 6, 2024

  • Toyota vehicles are currently protected with RapgardTM protective film designed to protect the horizontal painted surfaces. This material protects from acid rain, environmental fallout, and rail contamination. Follow…

    T-SB-0061-23 Rev2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 5, 2024

  • Vehicles may occasionally be subjected to contamination by airborne iron particles shed from railroad tracks, train wheels, exposure to heavy machinery facilities, grinding, welding, etc. This type of contamination can…

    T-SB-0062-23 Rev2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 3, 2024

  • Some 2005 – 2024 Toyota vehicles that have undergone water intrusion may exhibit a condition in which a musty odor is present. Follow the procedures in this bulletin to remediate the odor and address this condition. The…

    T-SB-0055-24 Rev1 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 29, 2024

  • Some 2005 – 2024 Toyota vehicles that have undergone water intrusion may exhibit a condition in which a musty odor is present. Follow the procedures in this bulletin to remediate the odor and address this condition. The…

    T-SB-0055-24 Rev1 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 29, 2024

TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.

Safety recalls

The 2016 Toyota Sienna has 5 NHTSA recall campaigns — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.

Check whether your specific vehicle is affected

Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.

Check VIN on NHTSA →

Buying a used 2016 Toyota Sienna?

  • · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
  • · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
  • · Owners most often reported problems around 20,452 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.
About this data. Complaint figures come from the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation consumer complaint database and count unique complaints (one per NHTSA case number). Complaints are submitted by vehicle owners and are not independently verified; complaint volume also reflects how many of these vehicles are on the road. Recall data comes from the official NHTSA recall database. This page is not affiliated with Toyota or NHTSA.