Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (service brakes, ABS, rotors and pads, parking brake).
Mileage when the problem started
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. …
Catalizador caUsando bajas emisiones, consecuencia encendido de codigos de luz de advertencia de tablero como luz indicadora de falla (Check Engine). LUZ DE ADVERTENCIA ABS. LUZ INDICADORA DE DERRAPE VSC-TRAC Y LUZ DE ADVERTENCIA DE PRESION DE NEUMATICOS. AL VIAJAR POR CARRETERA SIMPLEMENTE SE APAGO Y SIN PODER TENER CONTROL DE LA MISMA DICHA FALLA CAUSO QUE YA NO ENCENDIERA AL TENER QUE SOLICITAR GRUA PARA EL ARRARSTRE DE LA UNIDAD HASTA LA AGENCIA DE TOYOTA EN CORDOBA VERACRUZ. SEGURO SOLO INTERVINO CON EL ARRASTRE DE LA UNIDAD. PERO LA SIENNA A LLEVADO HASTA EL DIA DE HOY Y FECHA PRESENTE TODOS LOS SERVICIOS DE AGENCIA POR LA CUAL SE LLEVO DE INMEDIATO, PERO CON LA NOVEDAD ES QUE NI LA MISMA AGENCIA LE A PODIDO QUITAR LA FALLA. NO TIENEN NI LA MENOR IDEA DE LA CAUSA. …
The brake pedal assembly fell off while driving. Due to this the driver was unable to stop the car by applying brakes. The driver let the car slow down by itself a little before applying parking brakes to bring the car to a complete halt. In this process, the driver crossed three set of lights, which were fortunately green. Two of the lights were school-crossings. The safety of pedestrians, other cars on the road and the driver themselves were at risk. It was purely by chance that they were able to stop the car before any collision. The van is now at a repair shop. The experts at the repair shop said this is NOT normal. They have asked to raise a complaint to ensure that Toyota checks out the possibility of this occurring in other vehicles of the same model / year. There were no warnings before this incident happened.
The glide pins in the calipers came loose and one of the pins fell out (left front drivers side). As a result it caused the caliper to seize and smoke. It got hot and mangled the lower left control arm bushing. I bought a new glide pin and that one stayed it, but the right side (original part) came loose again, even after tightening it. We replaced the calipers with a different brand and it had no issues.
Vehicle: 2011 Toyota Sienna XLE VIN: [redacted] Mileage: ~204,800 Incident Date: [redacted] Recent Service: Oil change, tire rotation, brake inspection, and multipoint inspection performed on November 10, 2025 at Fitzgerald Toyota Gaithersburg (Maryland). Description of the Defect: On [redacted] while driving with my child in the vehicle, my 2011 Toyota Sienna experienced a sudden and dangerous failure. A strong burning smell entered the cabin, the ABS warning light illuminated, and then wheels locked up while the vehicle was in motion. At the same time, the steering wheel locked, making the vehicle impossible to steer. The engine immediately lost power and shut down in the middle of the roadway. The vehicle would not restart and had to be towed. …
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.
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 Toyota Sienna. While driving approximately 35 MPH, the brake pedal failed to respond when it was depressed. As a result, the contact crashed into a curb. The air bags failed to deploy. The contact sustained a neck injury that did not require medical attention. A police report was not filed. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the brake pin needed to be tightened. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 80,361.
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. …
On dec.5, 2012 we were picking up a grandchild at an elementary school. We were in a line of cars to exit the parking lot. A car was pulling into the line ahead of us. We tried to stop to let her in, but there were no brakes. There was plenty of space and time to stop. We stopped by hitting her car. Our van had minimal damage, but she had a fender and passenger door damage. (we were thankful no children were injured as there were many around.) we had the car towed to j pauley Toyota in fort smith, as we were afraid to drive it. They pronounced it safe to drive. We called Toyota [phone]) to have the black box checked as suggested. Still afraid to drive it we left it there and traded for a new van (Honda). (see accident report for 2009 Toyota Sienna van VIN# [redacted]. First time we thought it was probably a fluke. Second time a problem with the siennas.)
Related recalls
Service brakes, hydraulic › Pedals and linkages
Toyota is recalling certain model year 2011 sienna vehicles. The brake stop lamp switch is mounted on a small bracket welded on the left side of the service brake pedal support assembly.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the bracket assembly free of charge. Toyota plans to mail an interim owner notification in the middle of January 2011, to advise owners of the recall.
Brake complaints in other Sienna years
Frequently asked questions
How common are brake problems on the 2011 Toyota Sienna?
NHTSA has 32 complaints about the brakes of the 2011 Toyota Sienna, 5% of the model year's 615 complaints. The component named most often is pedals and linkages (2 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2011 Toyota Sienna brake problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 10V-620 (pedals and linkages, Dec 13, 2010). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2011 Toyota Sienna brake problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 19,000 miles, and 67% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 10 crashes, 0 fires and 7 injuries to brakes 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.