2002 Toyota Sienna Problems and Recalls (174 Complaints)

The most-reported problem on the 2002 Toyota Sienna is Body / frame (19% of 174 owner reports). There are 1 safety recalls. Check the VIN and inspect Body / frame — this is the NHTSA file, not a score.

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-09-07 174 complaints · 1 recalls

What problems show up on the 2002 Toyota Sienna?

33 of 174 filings named Body / frame (19% of the file). That is what owners wrote, not a shop diagnosis of the vehicle in the driveway.

Second is Brakes (22 reports).

This snapshot lists no safety recalls for this year. That is not a clean bill of health. Still check the VIN at nhtsa.gov.

The 2001 has 170 reports on file; this year has 174. Older years collect more reports just by being on the road longer. If you need a fairer comparison, use the equal-time view.

What to check before you buy a 2002 Toyota Sienna

A useful visit to this page takes five minutes. YearTell does not score years and cannot see the vehicle in front of you.

  1. Look up the VIN for open recalls at nhtsa.gov. This year has 1 campaigns on file below.
  2. Body / frame. Look for rust, collision repair and body gaps that do not match a clean truck.
  3. Brakes. Have a shop check pads, rotors, fluid and whether the pedal feels firm.
  4. Engine. Have a shop check for oil consumption, coolant leaks, rough idle and unusual engine noise.
  5. Skim a few owner reports below for Body / frame. Look for the same symptom repeating.
  6. Take that list to a mechanic. Do not turn the complaint total into a score.

What owners reported

System named most often: Body / frame 33 complaints · 19.0% of the file
Crashes, fires, injuries and deaths in those filings:
  • Crashes 15
  • Fires 4
  • Injuries 18
  • Deaths 0
All Toyota Sienna years →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-09-07 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Which systems owners named

Share of owner complaints filed against each vehicle system. These shares are not adjusted for how many vehicles were sold.

Which systems owners named Body / frame (STRUCTURE) appears in 33 of 174 owner complaints (19.0%) in this vehicle snapshot. Body / frame (STRUCTURE): 33 complaints, 19.0% of reports Body / frame (STRUCTURE) 1 crash reports 33 · 19.0% Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES): 22 complaints, 12.6% of reports Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES) 2 crash reports 22 · 12.6% Engine (ENGINE): 17 complaints, 9.8% of reports Engine (ENGINE) 17 · 9.8% Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM): 13 complaints, 7.5% of reports Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM) 1 fire reports 13 · 7.5% Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN): 10 complaints, 5.8% of reports Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN) 1 crash reports 1 fire reports 10 · 5.8% Steering (STEERING): 9 complaints, 5.2% of reports Steering (STEERING) 2 fire reports 9 · 5.2% Tires (TIRES): 9 complaints, 5.2% of reports Tires (TIRES) 1 crash reports 9 · 5.2% Cruise / speed control (VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL): 8 complaints, 4.6% of reports Cruise / speed control (VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL) 3 crash reports 8 · 4.6% Airbags (AIR BAGS): 7 complaints, 4.0% of reports Airbags (AIR BAGS) 6 crash reports 7 · 4.0% Unclassified NHTSA leftover: 111 complaints, 63.8% of reports Unclassified NHTSA leftover 10 crash reports 3 fire reports 111 · 63.8% 0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

“Unclassified NHTSA leftover” is not a car part. It is a filing bucket and always sits last.

View component data as a table
System / Component Complaints Share of Reports Safety Reports (Crashes / Fires)
Body / frame (STRUCTURE) 33 19.0% 1 crashes · 0 fires
Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES) 22 12.6% 2 crashes · 0 fires
Engine (ENGINE) 17 9.8% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM) 13 7.5% 0 crashes · 1 fires
Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN) 10 5.8% 1 crashes · 1 fires
Steering (STEERING) 9 5.2% 0 crashes · 2 fires
Tires (TIRES) 9 5.2% 1 crashes · 0 fires
Cruise / speed control (VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL) 8 4.6% 3 crashes · 0 fires
Airbags (AIR BAGS) 7 4.0% 6 crashes · 0 fires
Unclassified NHTSA leftover 111 63.8% 10 crashes · 3 fires
NHTSA Consumer Complaints, NHTSA Safety Recalls, and NHTSA Defect Investigations Snapshot 2026-09-07 Open source record

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

When reports and recalls showed up

When owners filed reports, and when recall campaigns showed up.

When reports and recalls showed up Owner reports in this snapshot begin in Jul 2001; the first recall shown was reported in Apr 2010. 2001-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2001-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2002-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2002-Q3: 4 owner reports 4 2002-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2003-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2003-Q2: 5 owner reports 5 2003-Q3: 4 owner reports 4 2003-Q4: 4 owner reports 4 2004-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2004-Q2: 4 owner reports 4 2004-Q3: 5 owner reports 5 2004-Q4: 5 owner reports 5 2005-Q1: 5 owner reports 5 2005-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2005-Q3: 4 owner reports 4 2005-Q4: 7 owner reports 7 2006-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2006-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2006-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2006-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2007-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2007-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2007-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2007-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2008-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2008-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2008-Q3: 4 owner reports 4 2008-Q4: 7 owner reports 7 2009-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2009-Q2: 4 owner reports 4 2009-Q3: 6 owner reports 6 2009-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2010-Q1: 10 owner reports 10 2010-Q2: 5 owner reports 5 2010-Q3: 5 owner reports 5 2010-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2011-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2011-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2011-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2011-Q4: 7 owner reports 7 2012-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2012-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2012-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2013-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2013-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2013-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2013-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2014-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2014-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2015-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2015-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2016-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2016-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2017-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2018-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2019-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2021-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2023-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2026-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 Owner reports Jul 2001 Jan 2026 Recall campaign 10V160000 ◆ Recall campaign 10V160000 Investigation PE01036 ● Investigation PE01036
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
2001-Q3 Owner reports 2
2001-Q4 Owner reports 1
2002-Q2 Owner reports 3
2002-Q3 Owner reports 4
2002-Q4 Owner reports 2
2003-Q1 Owner reports 3
2003-Q2 Owner reports 5
2003-Q3 Owner reports 4
2003-Q4 Owner reports 4
2004-Q1 Owner reports 4
2004-Q2 Owner reports 4
2004-Q3 Owner reports 5
2004-Q4 Owner reports 5
2005-Q1 Owner reports 5
2005-Q2 Owner reports 1
2005-Q3 Owner reports 4
2005-Q4 Owner reports 7
2006-Q1 Owner reports 4
2006-Q2 Owner reports 2
2006-Q3 Owner reports 1
2006-Q4 Owner reports 2
2007-Q1 Owner reports 3
2007-Q2 Owner reports 1
2007-Q3 Owner reports 1
2007-Q4 Owner reports 2
2008-Q1 Owner reports 1
2008-Q2 Owner reports 2
2008-Q3 Owner reports 4
2008-Q4 Owner reports 7
2009-Q1 Owner reports 2
2009-Q2 Owner reports 4
2009-Q3 Owner reports 6
2009-Q4 Owner reports 3
2010-Q1 Owner reports 10
2010-Q2 Owner reports 5
2010-Q3 Owner reports 5
2010-Q4 Owner reports 2
2011-Q1 Owner reports 4
2011-Q2 Owner reports 1
2011-Q3 Owner reports 3
2011-Q4 Owner reports 7
2012-Q1 Owner reports 4
2012-Q2 Owner reports 1
2012-Q3 Owner reports 1
2013-Q1 Owner reports 2
2013-Q2 Owner reports 2
2013-Q3 Owner reports 1
2013-Q4 Owner reports 2
2014-Q2 Owner reports 1
2014-Q4 Owner reports 1
2015-Q1 Owner reports 1
2015-Q2 Owner reports 3
2016-Q2 Owner reports 1
2016-Q3 Owner reports 2
2017-Q2 Owner reports 1
2018-Q1 Owner reports 2
2019-Q3 Owner reports 1
2021-Q1 Owner reports 1
2023-Q2 Owner reports 1
2026-Q1 Owner reports 1
Recall campaign 1 10V160000
Defect investigation 1 PE01036
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-09-06 Open source record

Safety Recalls (1)

Official campaigns. Each one says what could go wrong and what the dealer was told to fix.

  1. Recall campaign 10V160000

    Safety recall 10V160000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    THE CABLE MAY BREAK DUE TO EXCESSIVE CORROSION AND THE SPARE TIRE MAY SEPARATE FROM THE VEHICLE, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A VEHICLE CRASH.
    Remedy:
    TOYOTA WILL NOTIFY OWNERS WITH AN INTERIM LETTER INITIALLY INSTRUCTING THEM TO BRING THEIR VEHICLE TO AUTHORIZED DEALERS TO INSPECT FOR CORROSION. A SECOND NOTICE WILL BE SENT WHEN THE PERMANENT REMEDY IS AVAILABLE. FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE SEE TOYOTA'S AMENDED RECALL REPORT OF JULY 19, 2010. THE SAFETY RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN ON OCTOBER 12, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT TOYOTA AT 1-800-331-4331.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-09-07 Open source record

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

What owners actually wrote

Short excerpts from the public NHTSA file. Look for the same symptom repeating.

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · snapshot 2026-09-07
Safety incident filters
Showing 10 of 174 complaints · page 1 of 7
2026-02-15Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM)
NHTSA ODI 11718059
CrashFireInjuryDeath
Dear Sir, On April 2026, I need to do the semiannual smog check. Right now, I face DTC P0420 error code and I can't pass the smog check inspection. Note that I don't have the engine light on indicating the a/m error code. Only my OBD2 shows the error DTC Code P0420. I did some searhing and noticed that the ECM for Sienna should be updated to erase the a/m DTC code. I would appreciated to help me how the resolve this issue ASAP. It will enable me to renew my registration.You may contact on my cell phone [redacted] or my email at [redacted]. Regards, Massey
2023-04-05EXTERIOR LIGHTING
NHTSA ODI 11515584
CrashFireInjuryDeath
CHECKING ENGINE LIGHT ON AND OFF SLIDE DOOR NOT WORKING PROPERLY
2021-03-25SUSPENSION
NHTSA ODI 11404845
CrashFireInjuryDeath
THE LOWER REAR MOUNT FOR THE PASSENGER-SIDE REAR SHOCK ABSORBER WAS FOUND WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY TO HAVE BECOME PARTIALLY FRACTURED OVER TIME. IT IS MADE OF THIN HOLLOW METAL WITH INTERNAL THREADS. THERE IS NO REPLACEMENT FOR THIS EXCEPT TO PURCHASE A LARGE MULTI-FUNCTIONAL UNIT COSTING $1,688.00
2019-07-01Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES)
NHTSA ODI 11228644
CrashFireInjuryDeath
BRAKES MAKE A NOISE WHEN THE CAR IS ABOUT TO STOP. THERE IS A SQUEAL AND THUMP THAT CAN BE HEARD. HAVE TAKEN THIS IN SEVERAL TIMES TO BE FIXED. THEY SAY THE BRAKES ARE SAFE. I AM 74 YEARS OLD AND HAVE HAD MANY CARS OVER THE YEARS AND THE ONLY TIMES OTHER CARS HAVE MADE THIS KIND OF NOISE IT WAS TIME TO CHANGE THE BRAKES. IN THIS CASE THE BRAKE PADS SEEM TO HAVE PLENTY OF LIFE LEFT. FUNNY THAT WHEN THE REAR DRUMS ARE REMOVED AND THE BRAKE AND DRUMS ARE THOROUGHLY CLEANED THE NOISE DOES NOT HAPPEN FOR A WHILE. THE FIRST COMPLAINT WAS MADE AT 15,523 MILES AND CONTINUES TOO THIS DAY. AT 31,842 MILES THE REAR DRUMS WERE REPLACED PER TSB BR003-04. TOOK THE CAR IN AGAIN AT 125,559 MILES AND WE WERE TOLD WE NEEDED NEW REAR DRUMS. THEY HAD BEEN REPLACED. THEY HAVE A PROBLEM WITH BRAKES AND NEED TO FIX THE PROBLEM.
2018-02-22Steering (STEERING)
NHTSA ODI 11074246
CrashFireInjuryDeath
STEERING GETS STIFF HARD TO TURN STEERING
2018-01-08Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN)
NHTSA ODI 11061205
CrashFireInjuryDeath
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 TOYOTA SIENNA. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED WITH THE ENGINE TURNED OFF AND THE EMERGENCY BRAKE ENGAGED, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY ROLLED BACKWARDS DOWN A SMALL INCLINE AND CRASHED INTO A FENCE POST. A SMALL CHILD WAS PRESENT INSIDE THE VEHICLE, BUT THERE WERE NO INJURIES. A POLICE REPORT WAS NOT FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO MAITA TOYOTA (2500 AUBURN BLVD, SACRAMENTO, CA). THE DEALER INDICATED THAT THE TRANSMISSION EXPERIENCED A MECHANISM FAILURE, BUT THE EXACT CAUSE WAS NOT DETERMINED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 136,200.
2017-06-04Cruise / speed control (VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL)
NHTSA ODI 10993094
CrashFireInjuryDeath
INCIDENT #1 (6/3/2017) - TOOK FOOT OFF ACCELERATOR PEDAL WHEN TURNING ON CITY STREET. CAR PROCEEDED TO ACCELERATE ON ITS OWN WENT UP TO 35 MPH FOR SEVERAL BLOCKS INCIDENT #2 (6/4/2017) - WHILE PARKING CAR IN DRIVEWAY, APPLIED FOOT ON BRAKE PEDAL. ENGINE ROARED AND THRUSTED FORWARD.
2016-07-14Airbags (AIR BAGS)
NHTSA ODI 10884763
CrashFireInjuryDeath
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 TOYOTA SIENNA. THE CONTACT STATED THE VEHICLE LEAKED WATER FROM THE AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM AND THE SRS AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 24,000. ...UPDATED 09/12/16 *BF THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED UNDER AN EXTENDED WARRANTY. *JS
2016-07-05Body / frame (STRUCTURE)Unclassified NHTSA leftover
NHTSA ODI 10882798
CrashFireInjuryDeath
THE CABLE FOR THE PASSENGER POWER DOOR SNAPPED AND DOOR WOULD NOT FULLY SHUT. I WAS STOPPED, GETTING READY TO TURN LEFT, WHEN IT SNAPPED.
2016-05-01Unclassified NHTSA leftover
NHTSA ODI 10862402
CrashFireInjuryDeath
THE ELECTRIC SLIDING DOOR MECHANISM BROKE DOWN . IT OPEN BUT IT DOESN'T CLOSE. IT GETS STOCK.

Frequently asked questions

What are the most common problems on the 2002 Toyota Sienna?

Owners named Body / frame most often — 33 of 174 reports (19%). That is the NHTSA file, not a diagnosis of every vehicle.

Are there recalls for the 2002 Toyota Sienna?

NHTSA lists 1 safety recall campaigns. This snapshot lists none, which is not a clean bill of health. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov; a campaign on this page can still be open on a specific vehicle.

What should I inspect before buying a 2002 Toyota Sienna?

Look up the VIN for open recalls. Look for rust, collision repair and body gaps that do not match a clean truck. Then skim owner filings for the same symptom and take that list to a mechanic.

Does a high complaint count mean I should skip this year?

No. Counts are reports people chose to file and they are not adjusted for sales volume. YearTell does not publish scores or a list of years to skip. Inspect the vehicle.

EPA Fuel Economy Database Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record

Estimated Ownership Cost

EPA fuel economy ratings and annual operating cost estimates

Data: US EPA Fuel Economy Guide · snapshot 2026-08-21
Supported range: 1,000–60,000 miles per year
Supported range: $1.50–$10.00 per gallon
55% city45% highway
Estimate unavailable

EPA fuel-economy data is unavailable for this vehicle.

No estimate is shown when required EPA values are unavailable.

 Open Ownership Cost Calculator →

Adjacent Model Years

Immediate preceding and succeeding model year records

NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-09-07 Open source record

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Methodology & Data Integrity

Source: NHTSA ODI / recalls, snapshot 2026-09-07. YearTell is not a government agency.

Read our complete data methodology → Sources