Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2006 Toyota Sienna owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
My vehicle steering/control has frozen a few times in the past 18-24 mos. This happens for me in wet conditions at slow speeds while trying to turn, usually to the right. The car also seems to slow on its own and pull to the side at these times. This has also happened while reversing out of a parking spot. I do not recall seeing any lights engage but I am more focused on steering the car safely and exterior factors at these times so I haven't noticed the dashboard. It feels like the power steering fails, and I have no control. Thankfully, I have not been moving at high rates of speed, nor been in a position to go into the lane of on-coming traffic or had someone in a lane near me, and have been able to hold in position or manually turn as much as needed. Steering seems to return once the turn is complete. I have been fearful of hitting someone or being hit from behind each time. …
While driving vehicle on dry, non slippery roads with slight to moderate curves, vehicle illuminates Traction Loss light, sounds alarm buzzer, and at times applies brakes and dethrottles engine, even when no loss of traction has occurred. This happens while driving on straight roads with slight unevenness. Had to disconnect wheel speed sensor harness to disable ABS/VSC system. When this happens, the vehicle automatically applies brakes to certain wheels and dethrottles the engine, this can pull the vehicle to one side sharply and can cause an accident.
The vehicle stability control system randomly engages and activates the brakes without cause. This can happen on a gentle curve going under the speed limit. It is very scary and I am afraid it is going to cause an accident. Internet research shows many owners with this issue and no information on the cause or a fix
On March 13, 2015 driving on I-95 south in a 2006 Toyota Sienna van the cruise control would not disengage when the brakes were applied approaching an exit ramp. The vehicle would not slowdown in spite of pressing the brake pedal as hard as possible. Moving the control lever forward to disengage the function was also not successful. The exit ramp was inclined so the cruise control accelerated the engine in an attempt to maintain our speed at 70 MPH. The vehicle went thru a stop sign, bounced off the guard rail and came to a sudden stop with the engine not running. The impact destroyed the right side of the vehicle and the stopping was so abrupt that the cell phone (in my shirt pocket)flew out ripping the pocket off the shirt. Neither the front nor the side air bags were deployed. …
Tl* the contact owned a 2006 Toyota Sienna. When the brake pedal was depressed, the vehicle independently accelerated towards an intersection. As a result, the contact crashed into two other vehicles. The contact's vehicle came to a stop when it crashed into a pole. The contact suffered injuries to the back, neck, shoulder, chest, knees, and hips. The passenger suffered injuries to the shoulder and stomach. Medical attention was received. Huntington beach police was at the scene and filed report number: [redacted]. The vehicle was towed. The manufacturer was contacted and provided case number: [redacted]. The contact also stated that the manufacturer's engineer would inspect the vehicle to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was destroyed. The approximate failure mileage was 112,297. …
I was driving my Toyota Sienna 2006 today morning and the driver in front of me abruptly stopped. I was maintaining a safe distance and immediately hit my brakes. Although the brakes seemed to engage, the car accelerated and very badly rear-ended the car in front me. Has this happened to anyone before with the car auto-accelerating on it's own?
I was traveling alone on errands and had stopped at a t-intersection, positioned at the top of the "t" and preparing to turn right. I'd let afew cars go past, traveling on the main street with traffic closest to me going from left to right. When those cars had passed and it was safe to turn right onto the main street, I started to slowly depress the gas pedal to accelerate. Suddenly the car bolted forward and out of control, accelerating directly across the street and into the path of oncoming traffic traveling right to left. A car going about 40 MPH slammed into the right front passenger side of my car. The airbags deployed and both our cars came to a complete stop. I was dazed from the collision and exited my car from the driver's side as soon as possible. I could see that the whole front of my car, including the engine was completely demolished. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 Toyota Sienna. While coasting with traffic, the vehicle's accelerator pedal suddenly traveled to the floorboard, causing the vehicle to accelerate at high speeds. The accelerator pedal remained depressed. The contact attempted to depress the brake pedal, but the vehicle did not stop. The contact was able to move the vehicle over to the side lane as it continued to accelerate. The contact engaged the emergency brake, which caused the vehicle to slow down slightly. The contact then moved the gear shift into the park position and the vehicle stopped violently. The vehicle was towed to a certified mechanic. The vehicle was taken to an unknown dealer, but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 90,000.
Sienna uncontrolled acceleration!! It happened to our 2006 Sienna yesterday 2/21/2007 - -my wife was about to stop the car while parking it at a parking space, suddenly it accelerated (very fast!) and knocked down a tree and scratched a couple of parked cars. It took a tree, some bushes and a double raised curbs to stop the van. The bumper was damaged (by the tree) and the right side of van dented. My wife is a careful driver (and with our two toddlers inside!) and she is very sure she did nothing wrong. We are very concerned to drive it again if the repair shop cannot find defect with the van. I have a similar accident report here: http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/webx?14@@.f105086/0
My wife was driving on a single lane suburban road going approximately 45 MPH. She tried to slow down using the brakes, but the car wouldn't slow down. She tried the brake a second time, but the car didn't slow down. Since there were vehicles in front of her, she went off the road (fortunately by an open field) and side swiped a pole and went down into a small ravine. The entire drivers side of the car was damaged...over $12,000. The local Toyota dealer assured us that the brakes were fine. Toyota (parent company) was not much help. With all the recent media attention with the stuck accelerators, I asked the dealer to check for that as well....they said the car is fine.
Acceleration complaints in other Sienna years
Frequently asked questions
How common are acceleration problems on the 2006 Toyota Sienna?
NHTSA has 50 complaints about the speed control & acceleration of the 2006 Toyota Sienna, 5% of the model year's 1,017 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2006 Toyota Sienna acceleration problems?
No. NHTSA lists no speed control & acceleration recall for the 2006 Toyota Sienna, though it has 11 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2006 Toyota Sienna acceleration problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 68,000 miles, and 18% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 11 crashes, 0 fires and 6 injuries to speed control & acceleration problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
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.