2013 Toyota Sienna Problems

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 48,000 miles. Parts named most: Body (41), Doors: latch (6).

What to check before you buy

• Look underneath with a flashlight. Utah road salt is hard on frames, brake lines and the bottoms of doors.
• Open and close every door, the hood and the liftgate, and lock and unlock each one.
• Use a paint thickness gauge and compare panels. A panel that reads very differently from the rest has likely been repaired.

Tools that help

What owners said

Driver side back passenger door would not open or close properly. The door opened while driving on the road. It did t want to shut. It was difficult to get it shut once I stopped.Owner complaint, filed 2026

Pressed the button to open the rear passenger sliding door and it would open. When opened manually it would open only about 12 inches. Then when we were driving on the highway the door opened on its own. The door had to be manually closed and now it will not open. This is now a safety concern that in the event of a crash passengers may…Owner complaint, filed 2024

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 64,000 miles.

What to check before you buy

• Test every switch: windows, locks, mirrors, seat heaters, the screen, the backup camera, Bluetooth and every USB port.
• Watch the dash at startup. Every warning light should come on briefly and then go out.
• Have the battery and charging system tested. A weak alternator or battery drain shows up here.

Tools that help

What owners said

Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2013 Toyota Sienna. The contact stated that while attempting to register the vehicle, it was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 83,535, and after researching the Carfax Report, the contact discovered that…Owner complaint, filed 2025, at 332,216 miles

Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2013 Toyota Sienna. The contact discovered a mileage discrepancy after purchasing the vehicle. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 146,377. It was later discovered that the mileage on the Title was 34,428, but the Carfax mileage was 238,000.Owner complaint, filed 2025, at 238,000 miles

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 37,000 miles.

What to check before you buy

• The air bag (SRS) light should come on at startup and go out within a few seconds. If it stays on, the system may not work in a crash.
• Air bag recalls are some of the most serious. Check this exact VIN for open recalls and get proof any recall work was done.

Tools that help

What owners said

Sienna had recall on airbags that were fixed. I have a warning dashboard light that says there is an issue with my airbags and the seat belt light is on. According to the dealer there is an issue with the computer board. They purposed to fix the issue at 800.00 dollars. This is a safety issue due to the expensive cost to fix this. The…Owner complaint, filed 2023

SRS Airbag check issue. Last few days, my car has been showing following symptoms 1) Day 1: SRS airbag check warning is flashing on the display. The passenger airbag is always OFF regardless of the passenger being seated or not. 2) Day 2: SRS airbag check warning goes away, but passenger seat airbag is always ON regardless of anyone…Owner complaint, filed 2021

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 83,000 miles.

What to check before you buy

• Drive it from cold if you can. Shifts should be smooth in every gear, including reverse.
• Feel for slipping (revs rise without the car speeding up), shudder at low speed and a delay when you put it in gear.
• Listen for whining, which is a common CVT complaint, and clunks when you go from drive to reverse.
• If it has 4WD or AWD, engage it on the test drive and ask when the transmission and differential fluids were last changed.

Tools that help

What owners said

Anyone: In 2013 I bought a new Toyota Sienna from Fiore Toyota in Hollidaysburg, PA. It was advertised with a lifetime engine and powertrain warranty. I thought that I had made a wise purchased. Fast forward to 2022. In early June I noticed a loud humming from the rear differential area and since I had a family vacation planned with my…Owner complaint, filed 2022

Grinding noise began from the rear of the vehicle increasing as acceleration increased. Took to the shop and found at the Rear Differential failed at 75,000 requiring replacement for thousands of dollars. The same year RAV4 has been recalled for this already - the Sienna should have a recall also. The dealership had the part on the…Owner complaint, filed 2021

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 50,000 miles.

What to check before you buy

• The pedal should feel firm and the car should stop straight without pulling, grinding or a pulsing pedal.
• The ABS and stability control lights should go out after startup and stay out.
• Look through the wheels at the rotors. A deep lip on the edge means brakes are due soon, which is a fair thing to negotiate on.

Tools that help

What owners said

I have a 2013 toyota sienna AWD with 23,500 miles on it and my brakes just started scrapping. I took the vehicle to a dealer and was told the brakes and rotors were worn out and needed to be changed. Cost: $970 and change. A car with such low mileage should not need new brakes and rotors.the dealership could not give me a reason for the…Owner complaint, filed 2017, at 23,500 miles

August 1 2015: driving straight and level, about 30 MPH began to slow to turn and the brakes would not work. Peddle was soft, unsure if it went all the way to the floor. Pumping the brake did not have any noticeable effect. Needed to use pull off into a parking lot. Turned off the ignition and used the parking brake to stop. After a few…Owner complaint, filed 2015, at 15,517 miles

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 76,000 miles.

What to check before you buy

• Turn the wheel lock to lock while parked and listen for groaning, clicking or binding.
• On a straight road the car should track straight with the wheel centered and no loose feeling.
• A power steering warning on the dash, even briefly, deserves a mechanic’s look before you buy.

Tools that help

What owners said

I was gonna make a U-turn at the end of the road and then the steering made a cracking noise. The steering shaft has been replaced 3 TIMES and it still happens. So much for Toyota Reliability.....................Owner complaint, filed 2022

When at low speeds, turning left or right...there is a clunking sound. Forums suggest that the issue is either the intermediate steering linkage. If this fails will it cause lock up or loss of steering? This should be looked into. So far, I have had only this 'clunking' sound.Owner complaint, filed 2019, at 76,000 miles

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 50,000 miles.

What to check before you buy

• Read the four-digit DOT date on each tire. Tires older than about six years should be replaced, whatever the tread looks like.
• Check tread depth on all four. On AWD vehicles all four tires should match.
• The tire pressure light should go out after startup.

Tools that help

What owners said

Two Front Tires 235/55R18 100V wore down to completely unsafe condiotion and had to be replaced. Tires were on vehicle less than 8 months and had less than 10K miles on them.Owner complaint, filed 2024

YOKO TORNANTE 235/55 R 14, released belt on passenger rear tire in June 2021. Tired bought and installed October 2017, tires have 75,000 mileage rating. Tire had less than 31,000 miles on it at failure. No warning lights or alerts; tire inspected at Island Tire in Marathon, Florida on trip from Virginia. Caught issue prior to any injury.…Owner complaint, filed 2021

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 5,000 miles.

What to check before you buy

• Check every light: headlights on low and high, fog lights, brake lights, turn signals and reverse lights.
• Run the wipers on every speed with washer fluid, and run the defroster front and back.

Tools that help

What owners said

Because I live on a dirt road; I am assuming that built up on the window rollers, have damaged my windows. My windows are scratched, to the point where it affects visibility. I thought the scratches were on the window tint (interior); but it turns out, it is on the exterior (the glass). I went to a window repair shop, hoping they could…Owner complaint, filed 2019, at 40,000 miles

The rear window on the hatchback door blew out. The vehicle was parked in the garage overnight - the next morning it was shattered. I contacted the dealer to find out if this was a common problem - I was told no. However upon performing a google search I found hundreds of instances of people complaining of the same issue. It was also…Owner complaint, filed 2015, at 16,400 miles

What to check before you buy

• Ask the seller not to warm the car up, and start it cold. Listen for ticking, knocking or a rough idle in the first minute.
• Pull the oil dipstick and the oil cap. Low oil, a gasoline smell or a milky film on the cap are reasons to walk away or get an inspection.
• Plug in an OBD2 scanner. Stored or pending codes matter, and so do readiness monitors that show "not ready", which usually means the codes were cleared right before the sale.
• Ask for oil change records. A gap in the records on a model known for engine complaints is a negotiating point at minimum.

Tools that help

What owners said

My 2013 toyota sienna won't stop when I come to a stop sign. It has happened 4x now. I need to fight to keep the brake pressed, and the engine revs way up. If there was someone ahead of me, I would have hit them. I shift it into neutral and it revs extremely loud. This last time, with my 3 year old in back seat said, ' daddy I scared, I…Owner complaint, filed 2018, at 38,000 miles

The contact owned a 2013 toyota seinna. While operating the vehicle, smoke appeared under the panel of the vehicle. After stopping, flames appeared underneath the vehicle. The fire department was called to the scene to extinguish the flames. The cause of the fire was not determined. The vehicle was destroyed. A police report was filed.…Owner complaint, filed 2017, at 40,000 miles

What to check before you buy

• Pull out and latch every seat belt, and let each one retract on its own.
• Try every seat adjuster, and watch for a passenger air bag "off" light when an adult is in the seat.

Tools that help

What owners said

A few days ago the seat belt sensor would continue to beep and blink even after the seat belt was fastened. Then, on Friday, December 24th, 2021, a piece popped out of the seat belt latching mechanism on the driver's seat. Now it is difficult to get the seat belt to latch, and I am unsure that the latch would hold if the vehicle was in…Owner complaint, filed 2021

Drivers Seat belt latch had a spring pop out. It continued to work for a short time although less functional and then it would no longer latch.Owner complaint, filed 2021

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 17,000 miles.

What to check before you buy

• Smell around the engine bay and under the rear of the car for raw fuel.
• On the test drive, accelerate firmly from a stop and up a grade. Stumbling, surging or a flashing check engine light are red flags.
• Fuel pump recalls are common. Check this exact VIN for open recalls before you buy.

Tools that help

What owners said

Fuel pump sometimes stop working intermittently, which could lead to a sudden stall or hesitation while driving. The problem increases the risk of a crash, especially when the my sienna van is traveling at a high speed. When fuel pump fails, I notice that the vehicle's engine starts running rough and that warning lights may appear on the…Owner complaint, filed 2020, at 35 miles

When vehicle is in motion and I take my foot off the accelerator to coast to yield to oncoming traffic, but then see my way clear to accelerate into traffic and put my foot on the gas to enter the traffic flow, my vehicle stalls and won't accelerate. Where normal acceleration and "pick up" would enable me to enter traffic safely, there…Owner complaint, filed 2019, at 35,000 miles

What to check before you buy

• On the test drive, press the gas gently and firmly. The response should be smooth with no lag or surge.
• Set the cruise control, then use resume and cancel to make sure each one works.

Tools that help

What owners said

I was driving down the street and then my car lurched forward, the engine revving up. It is a 2013 Sienna XLE V6 & it had 113,000 miles on it. I had to STOMP on the brake to get it to stop.Owner complaint, filed 2022

Tonight around 1950 hrs., while attempting to park my vehicle in a parking cover, I lost control over my toyota sienna 2013 due to unexpected acceleration. The vehicle [VIN] suddenly and as a result I hit and run over the curb. I tried to apply the brake paddle with all of my strength without any success. Two of my children were…Owner complaint, filed 2015, at 28,286 miles

What to check before you buy

• Drive over a few bumps and potholes slowly with the radio off and listen for clunks or rattles.
• Check the tires for uneven wear on the inside or outside edges, a sign of alignment or suspension trouble.
• Look behind the wheels for oily, wet shocks or struts.

Tools that help

What owners said

During my 60k service (57k miles run) on apr 20, the local toyota dealership (piercey toyota) identified a major service related to suspension which is expect to cost around $3000. My vehicle usage is minimal which is quite evident from barely 57000 miles run during last 8 years. I'm extremely disappointed that the suspension control arm…Owner complaint, filed 2021, at 57,000 miles

Excessive wear on tire always. 4 years and 4 sets of high mileage tires. Never gotten past 20k on a brand new set. Goodyear assurance and michiline defenders. Traction is always an issue at the 12k mark. Allighnmenta done every time and rotations every 5k.Owner complaint, filed 2021