2003 Toyota Sienna Problems and Recalls (98 Complaints)

The most-reported problem on the 2003 Toyota Sienna is Body / frame (13% of 98 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 98 complaints · 1 recalls

What problems show up on the 2003 Toyota Sienna?

13 of 98 filings named Body / frame (13% of the file). That is what owners wrote, not a shop diagnosis of the vehicle in the driveway.

Second is Brakes (12 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 2002 has 174 reports on file; this year has 98. A smaller lifetime total is not a clean bill of health. If you need a fairer comparison, use the equal-time view.

What to check before you buy a 2003 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. Cruise / speed control. Test cruise control and ask about unintended-acceleration reports on this year.
  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 13 complaints · 13.3% of the file
Crashes, fires, injuries and deaths in those filings:
  • Crashes 12
  • Fires 2
  • Injuries 13
  • Deaths 0
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 13 of 98 owner complaints (13.3%) in this vehicle snapshot. Body / frame (STRUCTURE): 13 complaints, 13.3% of reports Body / frame (STRUCTURE) 13 · 13.3% Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES): 12 complaints, 12.2% of reports Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES) 1 crash reports 12 · 12.2% Cruise / speed control (VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL): 9 complaints, 9.2% of reports Cruise / speed control (VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL) 6 crash reports 9 · 9.2% Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN): 8 complaints, 8.2% of reports Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN) 1 crash reports 8 · 8.2% Engine (ENGINE): 5 complaints, 5.1% of reports Engine (ENGINE) 5 · 5.1% Seat belts (SEAT BELTS): 4 complaints, 4.1% of reports Seat belts (SEAT BELTS) 1 crash reports 4 · 4.1% Suspension (SUSPENSION): 4 complaints, 4.1% of reports Suspension (SUSPENSION) 4 · 4.1% Glass / wipers / cameras (VISIBILITY): 4 complaints, 4.1% of reports Glass / wipers / cameras (VISIBILITY) 4 · 4.1% Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM): 3 complaints, 3.1% of reports Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM) 3 · 3.1% Unclassified NHTSA leftover: 69 complaints, 70.4% of reports Unclassified NHTSA leftover 4 crash reports 2 fire reports 69 · 70.4% 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) 13 13.3% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES) 12 12.2% 1 crashes · 0 fires
Cruise / speed control (VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL) 9 9.2% 6 crashes · 0 fires
Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN) 8 8.2% 1 crashes · 0 fires
Engine (ENGINE) 5 5.1% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Seat belts (SEAT BELTS) 4 4.1% 1 crashes · 0 fires
Suspension (SUSPENSION) 4 4.1% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Glass / wipers / cameras (VISIBILITY) 4 4.1% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM) 3 3.1% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Unclassified NHTSA leftover 69 70.4% 4 crashes · 2 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 Oct 2002; the first recall shown was reported in Apr 2010. 2002-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2003-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2003-Q2: 7 owner reports 7 2003-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2003-Q4: 4 owner reports 4 2004-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2004-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2004-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2004-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2005-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2005-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2005-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2006-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2006-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2006-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2006-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2007-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2007-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2007-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2008-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2008-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2008-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2008-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2009-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2009-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2009-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2010-Q1: 11 owner reports 11 2010-Q2: 6 owner reports 6 2010-Q3: 4 owner reports 4 2010-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2011-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2011-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2012-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2012-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2013-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2013-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2014-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2015-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2016-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2018-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2021-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 Owner reports Oct 2002 Apr 2021 Recall campaign 10V160000 ◆ Recall campaign 10V160000
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
2002-Q4 Owner reports 1
2003-Q1 Owner reports 2
2003-Q2 Owner reports 7
2003-Q3 Owner reports 3
2003-Q4 Owner reports 4
2004-Q1 Owner reports 3
2004-Q2 Owner reports 2
2004-Q3 Owner reports 1
2004-Q4 Owner reports 3
2005-Q1 Owner reports 2
2005-Q2 Owner reports 2
2005-Q4 Owner reports 1
2006-Q1 Owner reports 2
2006-Q2 Owner reports 3
2006-Q3 Owner reports 1
2006-Q4 Owner reports 3
2007-Q2 Owner reports 1
2007-Q3 Owner reports 3
2007-Q4 Owner reports 1
2008-Q1 Owner reports 1
2008-Q2 Owner reports 3
2008-Q3 Owner reports 1
2008-Q4 Owner reports 2
2009-Q2 Owner reports 3
2009-Q3 Owner reports 2
2009-Q4 Owner reports 2
2010-Q1 Owner reports 11
2010-Q2 Owner reports 6
2010-Q3 Owner reports 4
2010-Q4 Owner reports 1
2011-Q1 Owner reports 3
2011-Q3 Owner reports 2
2012-Q1 Owner reports 4
2012-Q3 Owner reports 1
2013-Q1 Owner reports 1
2013-Q2 Owner reports 1
2014-Q1 Owner reports 1
2015-Q3 Owner reports 1
2016-Q2 Owner reports 1
2018-Q4 Owner reports 1
2021-Q2 Owner reports 1
Recall campaign 1 10V160000
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 9 of 98 complaints · page 1 of 4
2021-06-01Unclassified NHTSA leftover
NHTSA ODI 11419267
CrashFireInjuryDeath
A plug-in battery charger failed. You may inspect it. It got hot and smoked, and I suppose was a fire hazard. The problem has not been confirmed nor inspected. There were no symptoms of the problem before the failure. - - - - I used the automotive charger to charge a battery after a light had been on overnight, discharging the battery. I removed the battery from the vehicle because the terminals might have been corroded. When I first put the charger on the battery it indicated full and did not start to recharge it, so I used jumper cables to charge the discharged battery from a good battery in my car and left the charger at 10 amps on the good battery at the same time so that battery would not become discharged. I left it to sit, figuring it would take several hours at that setting, and after about 5 minutes I saw smoke. Both 12v wires were hot and insulation burned or melted off. There is damage to the car where the wires rested on the painted plastic bumper and a plastic bit near the battery, and of course the charger is useless. I wrote to the manufacturer on March 28 to make them aware, and ask how to avoid it in the future, and ask if it can be repaired. I have not heard back. - - - - The user manual for this product is at http://manuals.harborfreight.com/manuals/60000-60999/60653.pdf The current year model of this product is at https://www.harborfreight.com/10250a-12v-manual-charger-with-engine-start-60581.html - - - - The charger is sold by Harbor Freight Tools under the Cen-Tech brand.
2018-10-15AIR BAGS
NHTSA ODI 11140478
CrashFireInjuryDeath
TAKATA RECALL AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY IN A ROLL OVER ACCIDENT THAT INVOLVED IN CAR BEING AIRBORNE AND ROLLING OVER. CAR WAS TOTALED. NO AIRBAGS DEPLOYED, CAR WENT THROUGH 50 FOOT OF CORNFIELD AND LANDED ON THE ROOF. WINDOWS WERE ALL COLLAPSED DOOR RIPPED OFF ITS HINGES. I HAVE PICTURES ON MY PHONE I CAN PRINT AND GET TO YOU.
2016-06-06Unclassified NHTSA leftover
NHTSA ODI 10872769
CrashFireInjuryDeath
MVA - OTHER PARTY REAR-ENDED US AT 35-40 MILES/HR. WHILE WE WERE STOPPED AT A LIGHT. BOTH DRIVER AND PASSENGER FRONT SEAT BACKS BROKE. OUR VEHICLE WAS TOTALED , OTHER VEHICLE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY . APPEARED TO BE MINIMAL DAMAGE TO OTHER VEHICLE. PICTURES OF BOTH VEHICLES AVAILABLE
2015-08-21Body / frame (STRUCTURE)Unclassified NHTSA leftover
NHTSA ODI 10750339
CrashFireInjuryDeath
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 TOYOTA SIENNA. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH, AN ABNORMAL SQUEAKING SOUND EMITTED FROM THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE RECURRED INTERMITTENTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER, WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT SPARE TIRE CARRIER ASSEMBLY CABLE WAS CORRODED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 10V160000 (STRUCTURE); HOWEVER, THE RECALL PART NEEDED WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE ISSUE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE AND VIN WERE UNKNOWN.
2014-02-07FUEL SYSTEMUnclassified NHTSA leftover
NHTSA ODI 10563460
CrashFireInjuryDeath
THE TOYOTA SIENNA'S GAS PEDAL HAS BEEN AND REMAINS INTERMITTENTLY STICKY. IT TAKES SOME FOOT STOMPING TO DEPRESS THE GAS PEDAL IN ORDER TO ACCELERATE THE VEHICLE. TOYOTA DOES NOT BELIEVE THIS TO BE A MAJOR PROBLEM WHEN I QUESTIONED THEM A FEW YEARS AGO. *TR
2013-04-11Glass / wipers / cameras (VISIBILITY)
NHTSA ODI 10505892
CrashFireInjuryDeath
THE REAR WINDOW AT DRIVER SIDE STARTED TO LOOSE ABOUT 6 MONTHS AGO. AT THE BEGINNING, IT MADE NOISE WHEN OPEN THE REAR WINDOW. SO WE KEPT IT CLOSED ALL THE TIME. BUT GRADUALLY, IT IS GETTING WORSE AND WORSE. NOW EVEN WITH THE WINDOW CLOSED, THE WINDOW STILL SHAKES AND MAKES NOISES, SOUNDS LIKE THE WINDOW GLASS WILL DROP AT TIME. *TR
2013-01-30Cruise / speed control (VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL)
NHTSA ODI 10495271
CrashFireInjuryDeath
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 TOYOTA SIENNA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE SHIFTING INTO REVERSE, THE VEHICLE INDEPENDENTLY ACCELERATED AND CRASHED INTO ANOTHER VEHICLE. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER FOR INSPECTION. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED BUT PROVIDED NO ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 74,000. UPDATED 3/13/13 *CN THE CONSUMER STATED THE DEALER DID NOT FIND ANYTHING MECHANICALLY WRONG. THE VEHICLE WAS SOLD BACK TO THE DEALER. UPDATED 04/09/2013 *JS
2012-07-09Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES)
NHTSA ODI 10464763
CrashFireInjuryDeath
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 TOYOTA SIENNA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH, SHE APPLIED THE BRAKE AND THE PEDAL WAS LOCKED. THE FAILURE RECURRED NUMEROUS TIMES AND THE ABS BRAKE LIGHT ILLUMINATED DURING THE FAILURE. ADDITIONALLY, THE WHEELS WOULD SEIZE AT TIMES, CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO SKID. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A PERSONAL MECHANIC FOUR DIFFERENT TIMES FOR A DIAGNOSIS, HOWEVER THE FAILURE COULD NOT BE REPLICATED. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 75,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 75,618.
2012-02-03Body / frame (STRUCTURE)Unclassified NHTSA leftover
NHTSA ODI 10446393
CrashFireInjuryDeath
JULY 31, 2009 THIS WAS THE STATE OF THE CAR: DRIVER SIDE DOOR MAKES A POPPING NOISE. AUTOMATIC PASSENGER SLIDING DOOR IS NOT SMOOTH WHEN OPENING. FEB 2, 2012: THE DRIVER SIDE POPPING NOISE HAS GOTTEN MUCH WORSE. THE PASSENGER SLIDING DOOR NO LONGER WORKS. *KB

Frequently asked questions

What are the most common problems on the 2003 Toyota Sienna?

Owners named Body / frame most often — 13 of 98 reports (13%). That is the NHTSA file, not a diagnosis of every vehicle.

Are there recalls for the 2003 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 2003 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