Toyota Sienna
Problems & Worst Years

Two related systems dominate the 2011 Sienna's complaint record overwhelmingly: airbags and the power sliding doors. Airbag recall issues alone draw 140 of the year's 346 total complaints — by far the largest single entry in this dataset for the model — while sliding door failure adds 62 more, both rated safety-severity. A further 59 complaints describe delays in getting recall repairs completed, and 40 and 15 more describe sliding door malfunctions and recall-related power door issues respectively. Three recall campaigns apply to this model year: 10V036, 11V560, and 13V123.

By 2017, the complaint profile has shifted entirely away from airbags and doors toward the drivetrain. Transmission not shifting properly leads at 18 of 52 total complaints, with a smaller cluster of powertrain whining noise (7) and engine stall at high speed (7) rounding out the mechanical concerns; excessive outer-edge tire wear (4) and brake malfunction (4) are smaller but notable additions. None of the year's ten distinct problems are rated safety-severity, though five separate recall campaigns are on file — 17V831, 18V211, 19V410, 19V503, and 19V553.

For a buyer, the two model years call for very different diligence: on a 2011, confirm every airbag and sliding-door recall has actually been completed, since the volume here suggests these weren't always resolved promptly; on a 2017, test the transmission specifically for shift quality and any whining under load. As with the rest of this dataset, these are complaint counts filed by owners rather than a verified failure rate, so pairing the recall-completion check with an independent mechanical inspection is the more reliable path regardless of which year you're considering.