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 2011 Toyota Sienna owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
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. …
Loud Noise from the rear end, diagnosed to be a viscous coupler bearing malfunction by my mechanic. Total cost of repair is 2428 Dollars. In doing my research into this matter, this is a very common issue with my model Sienna. It is also common with same year Rav4 which a TSB was issued and covered by Toyota T-SB-0080-13. To cite a transmission mechanics who have experiences with the Rav4/Sienna rear differential issues. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1vg2sbYL68 I hope you can help, this is a very large cost which is almost the price of the car in total. My family needs this car as we do not live in a city with very little public transportation available to us for utilize. The price of the repair will be a hardship on our family. I hope you can convince Toyota to step up and stand behind their product, to a very well known issue. Thank you for all you do.
rear differential has very scary noise while driving, mechanic identified that we have to replace the rear differential which might cost $2500 to $3000 the same problem do exist on RAV4 and it's under recalls, while many people have the same problem for the same year like mine 2011 Toyota sienna AWD and other years to 2018 . This issue is the manufacture responsibility not the owner of the car as wear and tear items " my van has about 126,000 miles on it. Please a recall should be issued it is across for many people
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 Toyota Sienna. When the engine was started with the gear in park and the passenger side sliding door open, the vehicle suddenly drove forward and crashed into a concrete pillar. While attempting to stop the vehicle, the contact became trapped between the vehicle and the concrete pillar. The contact sustained injuries to the head, left hip, legs, torso, and both arms. Medical attention was not received. The cause of the failure was not determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The cause of the failure was not determined. The failure mileage was 150,000.
The car accelerates very rapidly in reverse after a cold start. A morning a few days after buying the car, I started it up, shifted into reverse, and slowly released the brake pedal. The car began accelerate backwards so rapidly that I thought I must inadvertently put my foot on the accelerator. I pulled my foot away from the pedals but the car continued to accelerate. I shifted into park, but before there was any change in speed the car crashed into my neighbor's car across the street, causing over $5,000 in damage. If there had been someone standing across the street, it would likely have been a fatality. I contacted Toyota and they sent out a corporate representative to examine the car. …
Hello, I own a 2011 Sienna le v6. In cold weather, it has a problem when breaking where the vehicle lurches forward as it comes to a stop (a significant increase in RPM is seen just as the vehicle is about to stop). So much so that it seems as though it's giving itself gas (increased RPM) and driving itself, creating a hazard. I can literally take my foot off the brake pedal and the van will increase it's speed to about 35mph with no input from me in regards to the gas pedal. After warming up, the problem does tend to fade away. But the warmup period, especially on cold northeast days, could take as long as 20 mins. And 8 miles of city driving to occur (and this is after a 5 min. Parked idle warmup period), and even then, the van still exhibits this revving issue somewhat, just not as significant as when it's in the warmup stage. …
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. …
This vehicle has all wheel drive and uses an electromechanical coupler on the rear differential. It is very similar configuration to the Toyota rav4 that uses a viscous coupler in the same location. My coupler has failed due to the front bearing failing. The vehicle is 8 years old and has about 95000 miles on it. Toyota has issued a technical service bulletin and provided extended warranty coverage for the bearing failure problem on the rav4. So far, they have refused to provide similar coverage for repairs on the AWD Sienna, even though the failure mode is identical. We first noticed the problem when the vehicle started making loud grinding noise from the rear axle while driving. …
At appx 50-60K miles, my rear differential began making a loud whirring sound. No specific 'time' of failure..just a gradual buzzing noise. Diagnosed as a bearing failure in a coupler from the local Toyota service dept. $2500.00 fix. Research shows the rav 4 to have had same faulty problem, but there was a recall for rav 4 owners. Why not a recall for siennas? One would think Toyota would assume siennas were bought for large families, packed with children, etc, and would place a recall first and foremost. Many people have posted online on forums and youtube about this problem. I have been corresponding to multiple groups in order to bring more attention and action to promote this fault and get proper compensation to get this fixed. The vehicle is very loud, expecially on the highway. Very unsafe.
I'm owner of Toyota Sienna 2011 5 years 2-nd owner 79K miles and experience whirring noise in rear differential after visiting Toyota dealers without any success accept price tag for replacement rear differential coupler. After that do some research and find the other owners experience that same issue find that TSB #TSB-0080-13 NHTSA id #10052631 with model rav4 use this same differential coupler have extra extended warranty because of that issue. How safety right now is car to drive I don't know in my case with 3 kids aboard I will replace that differential coupler on my cost right now, and do some investigation later. Please see upload file with some research I do thank you [redacted]
Related recalls
Power train › Driveline › Driveshaft
Toyota is recalling certain model year 2011 venza and sienna passenger cars manufactured from March 7, through March 10, 2011. There is a possibility that the front, right, drive shaft May break due to insufficient heat treatment.
Remedy: Toyota will notify owners and dealers will inspect the drive shaft, and, if the drive shaft is identified as one that May not have been correctly manufactured, it will be replaced with a new one at no charge.
Transmission complaints in other Sienna years
Frequently asked questions
How common are transmission problems on the 2011 Toyota Sienna?
NHTSA has 30 complaints about the transmission & drivetrain of the 2011 Toyota Sienna, 5% of the model year's 615 complaints. The component named most often is driveline › differential unit (2 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2011 Toyota Sienna transmission problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 11V-306 (driveshaft, Jun 1, 2011). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2011 Toyota Sienna transmission problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 81,000 miles, and 24% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 4 crashes, 0 fires and 2 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.