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 2017 Toyota Sienna owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
I was driving my 2017 Sienna on 5/10/2022 and was approaching a roundabout. As I was going thru the roundabout, my van stalled. I coasted into a gas station. After a few minutes I notice smoke coming from under my hood. I popped the hood and noticed the smoke was coming from the air intake. We called AAA and they towed it to the dealership we bought it new from and had all services done at. The next day we authorized them to do a diognostic on it where they found a burnt airfilter and melted housing. Heiser Toyota in Milwaukee WI has not repaired the van yet and we wanted to talk to Toyota customer service and your office to see what we should do. We called insurance and a claim has been started - not sure if they have inspected the van yet. It is available for you to inspect. All warning lights were on when it stalled. There was no power loss or any warning before it stalled.
Today I had a crash and luckily walked away. I went down an embankment at speed into trees where the vehicle rolled and struck trees head on. All the vehicle airbags deployed and vehicle came to rest on the drivers side. Although there was electrical power and the engine still running none of the right side doors would open and neither would the rear hatch which was clear of obstruction! Had there been a fire I wouldn't be making this report! Doors need to be operable regardless of situation when none of them are jammed from an accident!
On October 15, 2021 at 2 pm I drove into the driveway of a friend. I turned to the right of the driveway on her grass so I could backup and face the road. I've done this many times in the past. On this day as I put my foot on the break the van accelerated at a very very high speed. The van was out of my control at this point. I do not know how fast because this all happened in seconds. I was heading straight to their privacy wood fence only feet away. Approximately 20 feet. I don't recall breaking again but turned the wheel to the right trying to avoid the fence. I hit the fence at a high speed damaged the left bumper and scraped the drivers side of the door. The next second I attempt to break again so I could back out of this when the van continued to accelerate at high speed going straight toward the house only a few feet away. …
Purchased used vehicle from a Toyota Dealership on or about March 27, 2021. The dashboard illumination on the 2017 Toyota Sienna only appears to operate when the vehicle is turned on AND the front headlight selector is moved to the on or automatic mode. I do not believe it is a standard feature for any vehicle to NOT illuminate the dashboard without the headlights being turned on. Issue: With no illumination of the tachometer and speedometer these items are nearly impossible to see. That naturally forces the human eye to remain looking down slightly longer than normal which can possibly result in an accident. If it is a sunny day with no need for headlights this issue is now exacerbated because the bright sunlight often causes drivers to wear tinted or dark sunglasses rendering the dashboard nearly 100% black. …
Wire harness section which controls the Parking Collision Warning and Rear Cross Traffic Warning is frayed, causing failure. This failure was determined by the dealer to be caused by mud packing into the rear bumper cavity. Dealer wanted over $1,000 to fix. Denied warranty, due to the cause being "an outside influence". There is no way to effectively wash the inside of the bumper without removing the bumper. If I pay for a new wire harness, the issue will re-occur. This poses an elevated risk to my family and any occupants of the vehicle, as key safety features must be disabled.
power sliding door (behind front passenger) does not fully engage arresting hook and tends to immediately return to open position and after hitting the button again starts welling. It started about eight months ago. Now it isn't connected at all, I just open or close it and it slides but don't try to open it first if it's locked or the alarm blares. I may have pulled or pushed it too many times trying to open or close it so I could drive the car. Looks like others have had the same issue with their driver side passenger door too.
When vehicle is park on an angle (with Front section lower than the back) power sliding door (behind front passenger) does not fully engages arresting hook and tends to immediately return to close position sometimes hitting passengers trying to enter or exit the vehicle. Vehicle was taken to dealer for check up but dealer claims to have been unable to replicate issue, possibly due to not placing vehicle on an angle. No warning lamps or lights indicate any issue with the vehicle passenger door(s).
I was driving around 30 MPH when the vehicle suddenly turned off. The engine stopped running, all instrumentation turned off, no power steering and no brakes. The car became uncontrollable until it coasted to a stop.
Takata recall(?) my husband bought me a 2017 Toyota Sienna in February 2019, it was previously a rental. The van was immaculate and only had about 20,000 miles at time of purchase. On or about March 8, 2019 we were on our way to dinner at about 9 p.m. I was approaching a red light, foot on the brake, maybe 15 MPH and I looked down for a second and ended up rear ending a vehicle and in the end there were 3 vehicles besides mine involved (4 total). There was significant damage to my van, the plastics crumpled and it appeared to have no major damage outside of the plastics. The air bags did not deploy despite the front end collision. At the body shop, upon tear down the passenger side rail was damaged as well as the air bag sensors were crushed. One would think if the sensors were crushed the air bags would have deployed prior. …
Husband lost control of the car driving 75 miled per hour on highway. "AWD brake override. Contact dealership" came on a gauge. Pulled off side of I-95 and car shook and came to a complete hault after making a loud grinding noise. We immediatley noticed fire coming from under the hood on driver side. Evacuated, called 911. Car was a total loss. Please get Toyota to investigate since this is not the first 2017 Toyota Sienna to catch on fire in the same manner.
Electrical complaints in other Sienna years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 2017 Toyota Sienna?
NHTSA has 20 complaints about the electrical system of the 2017 Toyota Sienna, 13% of the model year's 155 complaints. The component named most often is software (1 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2017 Toyota Sienna electrical problems?
No. NHTSA lists no electrical system recall for the 2017 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 2017 Toyota Sienna electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 13,000 miles, and 73% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 3 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.