Toyota Sienna years to avoid
Across the 2015–2022 Toyota Sienna, the 2015 model year drew the most owner complaints to NHTSA: 230, about 2.2× the 104.5 median of the other six model years with enough complaints to compare. It is also the oldest year in this comparison, and older years have had longer to accumulate reports. The most-reported components that year were the body structure and the electrical system. The 2019 drew the fewest of the years with enough complaints to compare, at 45. NHTSA holds fewer than 40 complaints for 2020, too few to read as a quiet year rather than a gap in the records. Separately, the 2017 carries the most recall campaigns, 10. Complaint volume and recall campaign counts also reflect how long a model year has been on the road and how many were sold, so they rank years within this model rather than measuring build quality.
The 2015 Sienna is the outlier of the 2015–2022 Toyota Sienna, with 230 complaints against the model's 134 median.
Every Sienna model year, ranked
Every Sienna model year NHTSA holds records for, most complaints first. Counts are NHTSA records as of 2026-09-15; recall campaigns and complaints are counted separately because a recall is the manufacturer acting and a complaint is an owner reporting. Years with enough on record have a page of their own.
| Model year | Owner complaints | vs the 134 median | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 Sienna | 230 | 1.7× | 6 | the body structure |
| 2021 Sienna | 206 | 1.5× | 4 | the brakes |
| 2017 Sienna | 153 | 1.1× | 10 | the powertrain |
| 2022 Sienna | 134 | 1× | 4 | the brakes |
| 2016 Sienna | 75 | 0.6× | 5 | the body structure |
| 2018 Sienna | 70 | 0.5× | 7 | the powertrain |
| 2019 Sienna | 45 | 0.3× | 7 | the fuel system |
| 2020 Sienna | 38 — too few to compare | — | 2 | — |
Buying a Toyota Sienna? Check its VIN.
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See what the paid report includes →How to read these numbers
- A higher count is not proof of a worse car. Complaint volume rises with sales volume and with years on the road.
- The comparison is between years of the Sienna only. It says nothing about how the Sienna compares with other models.
- NHTSA publishes owner reports without verifying them. A complaint is an allegation, not a defect finding.
- Recall campaigns cover production ranges. Only a VIN lookup shows whether one vehicle is included and whether the work was done.
Primary sources behind this page
Open the underlying public source and verify that its scope matches the question you are asking.
Toyota Sienna year-by-year questions
Which Toyota Sienna year should I avoid?
Across the 2015–2022 Toyota Sienna, the 2015 model year drew the most owner complaints to NHTSA: 230, about 2.2× the 104.5 median of the other six model years with enough complaints to compare. It is also the oldest year in this comparison, and older years have had longer to accumulate reports. The most-reported components that year were the body structure and the electrical system. The 2019 drew the fewest of the years with enough complaints to compare, at 45. NHTSA holds fewer than 40 complaints for 2020, too few to read as a quiet year rather than a gap in the records. Separately, the 2017 carries the most recall campaigns, 10. Complaint volume and recall campaign counts also reflect how long a model year has been on the road and how many were sold, so they rank years within this model rather than measuring build quality.
Which Toyota Sienna year is the safest bet?
Of the 2015–2022 Toyota Sienna, the 2019 drew the fewest owner complaints to NHTSA — 45, against the model's 134 median. Years NHTSA holds fewer than 40 complaints for (2020) are left out: too few reports is a gap in the records, not a quiet year. Newer years have had less time on the road, which lowers their count on its own, so treat this as a starting point and check the individual VIN.
Do complaint counts mean the Toyota Sienna is unreliable?
No. NHTSA complaints are unverified owner reports, and the count rises with how many vehicles were sold and how long they have been on the road. They are useful for comparing years of the same model — which is what this page does — not for ranking one model against another.
How do I check a specific Sienna?
Take the 17-character VIN from the windshield or driver-door label and run it through NHTSA's free recall lookup. That reports open campaigns for that exact vehicle, including whether the repair is still outstanding. A model-year page cannot tell you that.