Most common 1998 Toyota Sienna problems
Share of the 294 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
Toyota Sienna complaints by model year
Best Sienna years: 2020, 2019, 2018. Years to avoid: 2005, 2006, 2011, 2008, 2007. Compare all years →
1998 Toyota Sienna recalls (2)
Structure
Toyota is recalling certain model year 1998 through 2010 sienna passenger vehicles manufactured between August 7, 1997 and January 4, 2010, currently registered in or originally sold in connecticut, delaware, illinois, indiana, kentucky, maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, new hampshire, new jersey, new york,…
Remedy: Toyota will notify owners with an interim letter initially instructing them to bring their vehicle to authorized dealers to inspect for corrosion. A second notice will be sent when the permanent remedy is available.
Electrical system › Ignition › Anti-theft › Control module
Vehicle description: sport utility vehicles, Mini vans and passenger vehicles equipped with a theft deterrent systems (tds) supplied by audiovox corporation and distributed by southeast Toyota distributors, inc. In the states of alabama, florida, georgia, north and south carolina.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the date code label on the security system harness and any displaying the manufacturing/final date code will be replaced with newly produced harnesses.
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal safety investigators have looked into 2 possible defects involving the 1998 Toyota Sienna:
Steering wheel to return to center
There is no summary currently available
Engine seizure
What 1998 Toyota Sienna owners say
Brakes all 44 →
Started to get clunking/rattling noises on highway that sounded like it was coming from front left driver's side. Reduced speed to 50 MPH. About 5 miles from home brake light came on. Pulled over and found brake fluid leaking around front drivers side tire (about 9 pm). Slowly drove to mechanic about 2 miles away and left car overnight. Returned next morning and examined brake fluid reservoir. Found very little fluid in reservoir - distributed across the entire bottom. Mechanic reported the front strut mounting failed (apparently a problem with these cars). After failing the strut punctured the bottom of the brake fluid reservoir (about 3/8" hole) at one of the corners (see photo) allowing the fluid to drain. Should I have lost almost all fluid with a 2 circuit braking system? Does the reservoir have an internal baffle to prevent almost total lose of fluid? …
My wife was driving on I-5 on our 1998 Toyota Sienna van, when the brakes got locked-up and we started skidding. The vehicle went out of control and swerved to to the median and collided with the cable divider. We all survivived because of the cable, the van is still in body shop. I am worried about the safety of its brake system and the related parts.
Wheels & tires all 41 →
Loud bang from egine followed by fire. Dealer says engine threw a rod and found hole in engine. Also damage to right axle from projectile from engine. Complained about white smoke at startup to dealer at 22,500 mile service, but dealer found no problems. Now dealer refuses to honor warranty claiming that sludge is in engine. When I had similar smoke problem with 1998 Toyota camry, dealer advised that the valve seals were defective and replaced the valve seals and gasket under warranty. Internet serches have revealed at least one and possibly as many as three other similar engine failures due to sludge after complaints were made to the dealer of white smoke at startup. I also found multiple reports of engine failure assoiciated with white smoke at startup when doing searches regarding the camry. …
Three year ago I bought 4 sportiva wheels for my 1998 Toyota Sienna. The model of this wheel was milano. On May 25, 2006 my wife was driving home with my 5 year old kid and on road 116 km 0.2 lajas, puerto rico one of the wheels broke in the center and my wife lost control of the minivan for a few seconds. Hopefully she and my son don't have any injuries but she was very scared. If she were driving at much higher speed at that time my wife and kid could have been killed. She was driving at 25 MPH because it was a turn. My car has damage to the front fender, brake disk, front axle, tire etc... The rest of the wheels are cracked in the same area. I'm writing this complaint because somebody that have this wheels can die and I will have to spend much money to fix my car.
Locks & latches all 40 →
On numerous occasions since purchasing this vehicle (and most recently, today), the sliding door handle/latch/lock has failed. Usually, the failure is such that the door cannot be opened from the inside or outside. Sometimes, the door can only be opened from the inside and sometimes the door can only be opened from the outside. On at least one occasion, an inoperable door spontaneously opened itself when nobody was near it. The dealership has looked at this problem numerous times, to no avail, and significant pieces of the mechanism have been replaced at the cost of several hundred dollars, but the problem persists. A different, but possibly related, problem is that the front passenger door lock (the electronic lock) has also failed repeatedly over the life of the car.
My 98 Sienna xle has had intermittent problems with the (manual) sliding doors not opening without and adult pulling outside. Then mysteriously the problem goes away. Today my wife and kids were about town and couldn't get the driver's side sliding door to close. The locking mechanism is locked in the closed position. She had to drive home in traffic holding a bungee cord to keep the door mostly closed while the kids were in the very back seat. I worked on it for a while when I got home but there isn't a way to get the mechanism to open. It will rotate further back (downward, away from the latch loop), but nothing more.
1998 Toyota Sienna engines & fuel economy
| Engine | Transmission | Drive | MPG city / hwy / combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3.0L 6-cyl | 4-speed automatic | FWD | 16 / 23 / 19 |
EPA ratings. Class: Minivan.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 1998 Toyota Sienna a good car?
Based on 294 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 1998 Sienna rates use caution: 1.4× as many complaints as a typical year of the Sienna at the same age. It is one of the Sienna years we suggest avoiding. Complaint counts don't account for sales volume or individual maintenance, so have any used car inspected before buying.
What is the most common problem with the 1998 Toyota Sienna?
The brakes — 44 complaints, 15% of all complaints for this model year, most often about antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip. Next are the wheels & tires (41) and locks & latches (40).
How many recalls does the 1998 Toyota Sienna have?
There are 2 recalls for the 1998 Toyota Sienna, the most recent from April 20, 2010 (structure). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer — check whether yours has been done with the VIN recall check.
What are the best and worst years of the Toyota Sienna?
The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2020, 2019 and 2018. Years to avoid or approach with caution: 2005, 2006, 2011, 2008 and 2007. See the full Toyota Sienna years comparison.
At what mileage do 1998 Toyota Sienna problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 80,000 miles; 26% of problems with a recorded mileage started before 50,000 miles.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.