Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (battery, alternator, wiring, ignition, instrument cluster, infotainment).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2009 Toyota Sienna owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Odometer Fraud. The contact owned a 2009 Toyota Sienna. The contact discovered a mileage discrepancy after the vehicle was sold. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of the sale, the vehicle mileage was 253,000. The contact posted the sale on Craigslist, and several days after the sale, the contact noticed that the vehicle was posted back on Craigslist for sale. The contact discovered that the new owner had rolled back the mileage on the odometer to 126,000. The ad on Craigslist was showing the fraudulent mileage.
The rear passenger side sliding door cable and motor assembly on the Toyota Sienna failed, causing the door to become completely inoperative (cannot open nor close) and the broken cable nearly cut my wife as it broke under tension and came flying out toward her as she was trying to close the door normally. The cable and motor had been replaced in 2015. The cable and motor on the rear driver side sliding door was also replaced in 2013 and 2017. The problem was confirmed by Woburn Toyota (dealer) and reported to the manufacturer. The manufacturer has confirmed the failure and safety defect, but refuses to provide repairs. No warnings were provided, no recall was issued, and customers were not notified of internal safety bulletin POL12-02 issued by Toyota.
I was driving my Sienna on a 2 lane town road and without warning smelled smoke. As I was pulling over cars in the oncoming lane were honking at me as they saw the fire underneath where the engine is. When I pulled over smoke entered into the car. I stepped out, heard a pop, and now the entire front of the car was full on fire. The fire department arrived on scene quickly and extinguished the fire. I filed an incident report with Toyota. I received a call from a man saying he was hired by Toyota to investigate the fire and report back to them. To date, I have received zero communication from anyone at Toyota regarding this serious matter.
On my 2009 Toyota Sienna XLE V6 FWD. The anti-slip indicator light improperly turns-on on dry roads at safe speeds. This causes a distraction to the driver.
To whom it May concern: regarding customer support program (zts): warranty enhancement for rear sliding door latch assemblies on certain 2004-2010my Sienna vehicles and power sliding door cable assembly on certain 2004-2007my Sienna vehicles. I am here to tell you that my 2009 Sienna should have been covered by this warranty extension. A few years ago our cable snapped on the driver side door. I was told by my dealer and Toyota customer service that my model year was not covered by the able assembly issue. I was quoted approximately $2K for this repair. Well, with the craziness of the pandemic, I decided to do this repair myself. I purchased the attached parts list in the scan myself. As you can see from the images: there are screws missing around the pulley system, the cable cracked the housing and proceeded to tear up the sound insulation. …
Both sliding door cables have broken under normal use and were previously replaced by Toyota. The genuine Toyota replacement cable on the driver side has broken a second time, including damaging the motor assembly. The door does not open or close properly and temporarily trapped my daughter inside who did not know how to open the door besides using the door open buttons and handle. One daughter was standing outside the vehicle when the cable snapped and it nearly cut her neck (it came about 2 inches from her neck when it snapped out of the track). This is a known issue at Toyota where the plastic coating breaks allowing the cable to rust. Having inoperative or improperly operating doors creates a significant safety risk, including vehicle entrapment and inability to enter/egress from the non-traffic side of the roadway.
The cable in both rear sliding doors snapped in two. The doors are latched closed and will not open electronically or manually, requiring any rear passengers to enter and exit through the front passenger door and climb in to the back seats. Again, the doors are closed fast and won't open using either manual or power modes. I am unable to transport my children due to safety concerns that if we were involved in an accident I could not remove them from the car. While there are several instances of this problem on internet chat forums, Toyota is not addressing the problem. The cost to repair one door is $1,700, making the repair total for both doors an incredible $3,400. I have contacted Toyota and there is no recall or help for the repair. This amount is nearly the market worth of the total vehicle.
2009 Toyota Sienna, drivers side rear passenger door cable broke and initially left the door in the open position in a mall parking lot. Once closed manually to travel home, the door was left jammed in the closed position until we arrived home. I had to cut the cable assembly out to simply remove the safety hazard for my 3 young daughters. Attempted to have the door repaired at a local shop which was unable and checked with Toyota themselves. Toyota's response was that the new cable/motor assembly was upgraded and only available through Toyota for $1300(+labor), I contacted Toyota corporate who helped minimally with the bill to get it fixed. Still costs me over $1100 to get a functioning door and remove a huge safety concern on a vehicle where I paid initially for the feature.
Driver's side power back door cable snapped while the car was stationary in the driveway. Pressed the button to open door and heard the snap. Latch works but door won't open unless you open it manually. 76,000 mi. Toyota Sienna '09. There is csp that covers this cable for 2004-2007 models that was made in 2012. The csp needs to be updated to include the more recent model vehicles as the problem still exists. Dealerships are charging $2400 to replace it. The auto doors were the main reason I bought this vehicle. With at least another yrs on this vehicle left, I am extremely upset that this isn't covered. This is not a user error.
In late 2016, the driver side rear sliding door powered cable/motor assembly broke. In April 2017, the passenger side rear sliding door powered cable/motor assembly broke. Toyota refuses to cover the costs of the repair. The door in 2017 broke jammed in the open position, requiring assistance to close it to get home with children in the car. Once closed, the door would not open, causing a safety concern. The vehicle was in a parking lot when this occurred.
Electrical complaints in other Sienna years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 2009 Toyota Sienna?
NHTSA has 28 complaints about the electrical system of the 2009 Toyota Sienna, 14% of the model year's 207 complaints. The component named most often is instrument panel › speedometer/odometer (1 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2009 Toyota Sienna electrical problems?
No. NHTSA lists no electrical system recall for the 2009 Toyota Sienna, though it has 10 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 2009 Toyota Sienna electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 115,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 2 fires and 0 injuries to electrical system 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.