2011 Toyota Sienna Acceleration Problems

Mileage when the problem started

• Under 25k
  1165%
• 25k–50k
  212%
• 50k–75k
  16%
• 75k–100k
  00%
• 100k–150k
  318%
• 150k+
  00%

Owner reports

Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2011 Toyota Sienna owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).

I was pulling my 2011 Toyota Siena into a parking space. My foot was on the brake and the car was going about 5 mph. The car made a slight sound, along with a perceptible yet small physical shift, and (while my foot was on the brake) independently accelerated with tremendous force. It was like it was ignited. The car hit a concrete pole and was totaled. The acceleration over-rode the brake. No one was hurt. The concrete pole averted what could have been a catastrophic accident, had we hit pedestrians, or had we rear ended a car or truck on the freeway. The brakes failed as the car jumped into independent acceleration. My safety and the safety of my passenger were both at risk. As I said, in a different situation, we might have hit pedestrians, or gone through the wall of the grocery store and hit customers. The concrete pole saved us and others. …

Tl* the contact owns a 2011 Toyota Sienna. The contact stated that the vehicle unintentionally accelerated as the brake pedal was depressed and failed to respond without warning. As a result, the contact crashed into a building. The air bags failed to deploy. A police report was filed. The driver sustained neck and leg injuries however, it was unknown if medical attention was required. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic to be repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 40,000.

On a snowy Saturday morning, my husband was slowly (driving less than 5 MPH) pulling into a parking spot while braking. As he shifted into park, the vehicle suddenly revved and accelerated over the five inch curb and hit a building a few feet in front of the car. His foot remained firmly on the brake during the incident. Although the vehicle had come to a complete stop once it hit the building and was put into park, the engine continued to make a loud revving sound. The revving did not stop until the vehicle was turned off.

I put my vehicle in park and then turned on the hazard lights, as I was parked at the entrance to a busy highway, and just wanted to grab my mail. I turned around from getting the mail; and my minivan was rolling across the highway with three of my children inside of it. It stopped when it hit a cement barrier on the other side of the highway. No air bag deployed. My children suffered from minor injuries. And, a-lot of anxiety.what happened to make my minivan switch out of park?

Tl* the contact owns a 2011 Toyota Sienna. When the accelerator pedal was depressed, it became stuck. The brake pedal was depressed, but failed to operate. As a result, the vehicle crashed into a tree. The air bags did not deploy. A police report was not filed and there were no injuries. The vehicle was taken to the contact's residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 117,296.

I pulled into a relative's gravel driveway which has a very large parking area to the side. I pulled up to about two feet from their grassy area, got into position to back up into a parking space, stopped, and put my 2011 Sienna into reverse, and as soon as I gently touched the excelerator to begin backing up the van sped forward at a high rate of speed crashing into and over an 8 inch railroad tie that had a steelbeam on top that separated the driveway from their yard. I had to slam both feet onto the brake to get it to stop which it finally did. I thought I had not put it in reverse but I looked at the gearshift and it was indeed in reverse. I jiggled the gearshift to make sure it was secured in the slot and it was. …

Tl contact owns a 2011 Toyota Sienna. The contact was driving 10 MPH into the residents driveway when pressure was applied to the brake pedal and the vehicle unexpectedly accelerated with the rpms rapidly increasing. The vehicle failed to slow down and crashed into the stone structure of the garage. The front seat passenger suffered a minor injury to the shoulder. The front passenger side fender was damaged. The vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer. A police report was filed. The cause of failure was not determined. The manufacturer was notified of the unintended acceleration. The approximate failure mileage was 20,400.

While stopped at a stop sign with my foot on the brake and waiting for traffic to clear, sudden unintended acceleration began. I lifted my foot off the brake for a split second and then braked hard. The engine returned to idle. This was the second time this happened, the first being three weeks earlier, shortly after having power sliding door recall work performed. I am convinced there is a defect in the electronic throttle control system. There is no other reasonable explanation. I took the car to my dealership and the dealer said a technician found all systems okay and no action was required.

Tl* the contact owned a 2011 Toyota Sienna. While driving 10 MPH approaching the driveway, the vehicle accelerated without warning when the brake pedal was depressed. The vehicle crashed into a tree at 15 MPH. The driver sustained fractures to the right ribs, foot, ankle, and leg that required medical attention. The passenger sustained fractures to the right hand, left hip, neck, hand, and back. Medical attention was required. A police report was not filed. The vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

Tl* the contact owns a 2011 Toyota Sienna. The contact stated that while driving approximately 15 MPH, the vehicle suddenly accelerated at a high speed. The contact crashed into the rear of another vehicle. There was no police report filed and no injuries reported. The contact was able to drive the vehicle home. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer for diagnosis. The manufacturer had not been made aware of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 33,000.

Acceleration complaints in other Sienna years