Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2008 Toyota Sienna owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
2008 Toyota Sienna. Driving down steep right turns, VSC light comes on, urgent beeping alarm and tires grip and grip vehicle brakes going 20-30+ mph on dry road. Very scary and dangerous, and has continues repeatedly over the past year on curvy right turns. Local mechanics don't know what is wrong with the vehicle. Many Sienna owners have similar problems listed on Carguru. https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/Discussion-c9152_ds656326 Please insist on a manufacturing recall for this vehicle. It is unsafe and could easily cause an accident. Thank you. Concerned original car owner.
I have had the traction control go on while driving on the highway even when I turn it off. Sometimes the VSC and TRAC OFF lights go on while driving. The roads are dry. Whenever I take it in to the mechanic, all the lights are off. They pulled a zero calibration code and recalibrated. It still kept happening. Then I was driving around a curve on highway speeds when the traction control light went on and the van suddenly braked on its own and I almost lost control. The tires are new and the roads were dry.
Anti skid/slip malfunctions, Brakes are automatic applied while turning a corner. When this happen one dry road surfaces it was harder to control the car. This happen multiple times in the pass. Yes my safety and others on the road was put at risk. Yes been confirmed by independent service centers. 4.) UNKNOWN 5).No. The warning indicator light and buzzer comes on at the time the incident happens.
Throttle stuck while in reverse pulling out of a parking spot and accelerated resulting in backing into the building
October 2016 this problem of my 2008 Toyota Sienna started- on slight curves doing 30-40mph I would hear a clicking noise coming somewhere underneath the front right end almost as if under the dash, the vsc light would flash. I took to a Toyota dealership, had a mechanic test drive with me they said the problem was that my tires werent aligned with my last tire change(which was done at their Toyota dealership) Toyota told me I needed to replace all the tires and have the wheels aligned. I did this, problem continued. I took my van in again to Toyota, they lied and told me I needed new brakes, and some other things I didnt need. Decided to get a 2nd opinion from 2 other auto shops and found out Toyota lied about the brakes, they were fine and they both were unable to find out my problem. I found this out going to 2 other auto shops asking for them to look into the original problem. …
I approached the intersection of cortz rd. And 34 st. In bradenton, fl in heavy traffic. The traffic light changed from red to green, the line of traffic started to move forward. I applied accelerator and brake as needed with traffic, then the car in front of me stopped suddenly ,I let up on the accelerator and pressed the brake and they did not respond as they should hitting the car in front of me. This all resulted in a 5 car chain reaction crash. It seemed as my car wanted to keep on going as if I had not done anything to stop. This is the second time I have had trouble with acceleration and brake control with this car in just over 30 days. The car is still in the repair shop. I do not have any confidence in this car to operate correctly or in safe manner. Toyota has done nothing for me to fix this problem. I have tried to contact Toyota by phone and computer without success. …
We drove from pembroke to north carolina, taking a few breaks in between two weeks ago. We pulled into a service station to use the rest rooms and purchase cold drinks, in roanke springs, nc. My wife pulled into a handicapped parking spot in front of the store. She was only 10 feet from stopping the vehicle when the car accelerated forward and fortunately crashed into a concrete pillar otherwise we would have gone directly into the store. The surge of the car accelerating pushed me back into my seat, passenger. Our vehicle Toyota Sienna struck the concrete pillar directly in the middle of the front end. I then reached down and turned the car off. We were traveling with another couple, they had parked their car and heard the squeal of the brakes being applied and then the crash of our vehicle into the concrete pillar. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 Toyota Sienna. The contact was stopped in a parking space when the brakes were depressed and the vehicle accelerated to approximately 25 MPH. The vehicle crashed through the parking sign and into a tree. The contact continued to depress the brakes and shifted into reverse. The vehicle then reversed and crashed into another tree. After the contact activated the emergency brake, the vehicle came to a complete stop. The child in the rear passenger seat sustained bruises to the neck and shoulders. The contact sustained neck and shoulder injuries, and bruises to the right leg. The vehicle was towed to the dealer. The technician stated that the floor mat could have possibly caused the failure. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 Toyota Sienna. When the contact switched lanes or made a turn, the brakes activated on their own. The failure occurred on flat or curved roads and while driving 30 MPH. Sometimes the brakes worked properly, but sometimes they did not work at all. The contact also stated that the vehicle would occasionally accelerate and decelerate on its own and the steering wheel made an abnormal ticking noise. Furthermore, the vsc and traction control indicators illuminated. The vehicle was taken to Toyota knoxville (10415 parkside dr, knoxville, tn 37922), but they did not assist. The vehicle was then taken to fox Toyota (228 fox family ln, clinton, tn 37716) where it was diagnosed that a steering angle sensor needed to be installed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failures and provided a case number. The failure mileage was 170,000.
The vehicle stability control will unexpectedly engage in instances where it shouldn't activate. The most common is a long, slight curve on at freeway speeds on dry pavement. The second most common scenario is accelerating to enter the freeway. When vsc engages, the vehicle will lurch to the side it was activated on and curtail any acceleration. This makes the vehicle hard to control when on a freeway curve and when attempting to accelerate to merge onto the freeway, causing unexpected motion that is a hazard to remaining on the road or causing the vehicle to be in an accident with other vehicles. There is no indication that there are malfunctions in any system that would cause this to occur. Note: mileage on the odometer is ~170,000 miles.
Acceleration complaints in other Sienna years
Frequently asked questions
How common are acceleration problems on the 2008 Toyota Sienna?
NHTSA has 51 complaints about the speed control & acceleration of the 2008 Toyota Sienna, 12% of the model year's 429 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2008 Toyota Sienna acceleration problems?
No. NHTSA lists no speed control & acceleration recall for the 2008 Toyota Sienna, though it has 9 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 2008 Toyota Sienna acceleration problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 44,000 miles, and 30% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 22 crashes, 0 fires and 5 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.