Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (automatic and manual transmissions, CVT, axles, driveshaft, 4WD/AWD).
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).
The contact owns a 2008 Toyota Sienna. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the vehicle unintendedly accelerated at a high rate of speed. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact desperately pressed on the brake pedal, but the vehicle would not slow down. The contact shifted the gear lever into neutral and the vehicle slowed down. The contact was able to pull over on the side of the road and shutoff the vehicle. The vehicle was restarted and operated normally. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 178,000.
The transmission shift cable broke during parking. Although the transmission shift lever was moved to the park position, the transmission was not placed in park. The first observation was the vehicle started to roll when the driver was loading the purchases at a store. The parking brake was then applied. Then the vehicle engine could not be started, regardless of where the shift lever was positioned. The vehicle was towed to an independent auto service provider. The provider identified the problem as the transmission still in the reverse position and replaced a $10 bushing on the transmission cable with a labor charge of $510.
Shift lever assembly May allow rollaway 13V429000 my Sienna had the above recall work completed. My little daughter bumped the gear shift and knocked it out park and the car rolled away. The Sienna was in park, the key was out of the ignition and the brake pedal was not touched. My concern is that fix provided for the recall did not actually correct problem completely. If you have a Sienna for the effected years and have had the above recall work completed your vehicle May still roll away. To test park on a flat surface apply emergency brake grasp gear shift apply pressure to move it toward reverse while jiggling the gear shift up and down - do not put your foot on the brake while doing this. If gear shift stays in park you are good. If it falls into reverse your car is now in neutral and can roll away put foot on brake and put the car in park.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 Toyota Sienna. While the key was removed from the ignition, the child occupant was able to shift the vehicle out of park. As a result, the vehicle crashed into a retaining wall. Upon inspection, the contact found that the shift lever could be moved without the ignition key. A police report was not filed and there were no injuries. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer was not contacted. The contact discovered that the vehicle was involved in NHTSA campaign number: 13V429000 (power train). The failure mileage was 80,000. Parts distribution disconnect.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 Toyota Sienna. While the vehicle was parked, the vehicle started to roll away and rolled over the contact. The vehicle crashed into a bush. The contact sustained head, back, and knee injuries that needed medical attention. A police report was not filed. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was included in NHTSA campaign number: 13V429000 (power train). The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 135,000.
Detroit axle, in michigan, is selling defective struts, straight out of the junkyard, and rack and pinion steering and many other suspension parts, advertised as new, by just placing a coat of paint in them. They offer a warranty of one year in the products, but the consumer must pay for the removal and installation of the part. I played their game for three times and I foolishly paid 3 times for the strut installation, plus other damages the faulty struts caused me . The faulty struts caused my frame to loosen, my horizontal drive shaft to damage, and rack and pinion steering, that detroit axle sold. Well, my vehicle shakes violently at between 45-55 miles per hour, thus having to pull to the side of the road. I managed to drive to a mechanic through back roads at low speeds. …
Pulled into parking space and vehicle suddenly accelerated and hopped onto curb and ran into pillar at a restaurant. Luckily nobody was eating on the sidewalk where van ended up. Placed vehicle into park and removed foot from brake and vehicle continued to lunge forward. Immediately hit brakes again and a bystander came to determine what was wrong. Talking to bystander to determine what happened, I took my foot off brake again and vehicle lunged forward (while still in park). Decided to shut vehicle off and have it towed to a dealership. I am awaiting a call from Toyota customer experience center to setup an inspection, however I went to dealership to pick up some things out of the car. I instructed the service agent that the van was not to be driven until the Toyota customer experience center inspector had a chance to look at the van with all parties. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 Toyota Sienna. The contact stated that the gear shifter failed to shift out of reverse, causing the keys to be unable to eject from the vehicle. The contact mentioned that the vehicle had to be shifted into neutral in order to shut the engine off. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the shift lever needed to be replaced. The mechanic adjusted the lever; however, the failure recurred multiple times. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 13V429000 (power train). The approximate failure mileage was 65,000. The VIN was unavailable.
That was around 2012 new year time when I , my wife and my kid visited our friend at atlanta, ga. We drove our van on interstate highway I-75, in the middle of our trip, our van started shaking vigorously. I felt that was from engine, it forced me to stop on the side of I-75. After a while we restarted our van, we could only drive for < 65 miles/hour. Any acceleration resulted in vigorous shaking. After we came home I drove my van to an auto service center, and was checked. It turned out that 3 ignition coils, spark plugs, and manifold gasket had to be replaced. Yesterday (9/10/2015) the same problem happened again.
I attempted to put my van in park today after driving to a restaurant for lunch. The shift lever will go to any position but the dash display only responds to d or 4. When I put the lever in park and took my foot off the brake pedal, the van continued going forward. It will not go to park or even neutral. I put the car in a safe parking spot, put on the emergency brake and shut the engine off. That is where it still is. I haven't tried to restart it or drive it since.
Related recalls
Power train › Automatic transmission
Toyota is recalling certain model year 2004-2005 Sienna vehicles manufactured January 10, 2003, through August 10, 2005; and model year 2007-2009 Sienna vehicles manufactured February 20, 2007, through December 12, 2008.
Remedy: Toyota will mail interim notifications to owners beginning in late October 2013. When parts are available, owners will be sent a second notice and dealers will replace the shift lock solenoid, free of charge.
Transmission complaints in other Sienna years
Frequently asked questions
How common are transmission problems on the 2008 Toyota Sienna?
NHTSA has 38 complaints about the transmission & drivetrain of the 2008 Toyota Sienna, 9% of the model year's 429 complaints. The component named most often is automatic transmission (9 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2008 Toyota Sienna transmission problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 13V-429 (automatic transmission, Sep 26, 2013). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2008 Toyota Sienna transmission problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 56,000 miles, and 19% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 6 crashes, 0 fires and 3 injuries to transmission & drivetrain 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.