2003 Toyota Sienna

Typical pattern

17% of complaints about the 2003 Toyota Sienna came in the first year, which is unremarkable for a 2003 vehicle — around the middle of the 228 model-years on record. The median complaint arrives at 5.1 yr in service. The most-reported system is latches / locks (20 complaints), typically at 6.1 yr or about 40,000 miles.

Complaints: 100
Median age at failure: 5.1 yr
Median mileage: 54,000 n=77
Crash / fire / tow: 15% of reports
Safety recalls: 1

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

10V160000 2010-04-20

Structure

TOYOTA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 1998 THROUGH 2010 SIENNA PASSENGER VEHICLES MANUFACTURED BETWEEN AUGUST 7, 1997 AND JANUARY 4, 2010, CURRENTLY REGISTERED IN OR ORIGINALLY SOLD IN CONNECTICUT, DELAWARE, ILLINOIS, INDIANA, KENTUCKY, MAINE, MARYLAND, MASSACHUSETTS, MICHIGAN, MINNESOTA, NEW HAMPSHIRE, NEW JERSEY, NEW YORK, OHIO, PENNSYLVANIA, RHODE ISLAND, VERMONT, WASHINGTON DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, VIRGINIA, WEST VIRGINIA, AND WISCONSIN. THE SUBJECT VEHICLES ARE EQUIPPED WITH THE SPARE TIRE STOWED UNDER THE VEHICLE. IF THE VEHICLE IS OPERATED IN THE COLD CLIMATE REGIONS OF THE UNITED STAT

THE CABLE MAY BREAK DUE TO EXCESSIVE CORROSION AND THE SPARE TIRE MAY SEPARATE FROM THE VEHICLE, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A VEHICLE CRASH.

In owners’ own words

Latches / locks mileage not reported 1.1 yr in service

NUMEROUS TIMES, THE BUTTON ON THE DRIVERS SIDE SLIDING DOOR HAS GOTTEN STUCK IN THE "IN" POSITION. IT WILL NOT COME BACK OUT, AND CAUSES THE DOOR NOT TO LATCH. THE DOOR LITERALLY DOES NOT CLOSE. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS SINCE I DRIVE MY GRANDCHILDREN IN THE VEHICLE OFTEN. *LA

Latches / locks 20,000 mi 2.2 yr in service

SLIDING DOORS ON THE 2003 TOYOTA SIENNA VAN MAY LOCK AND PROVE UNABLE TO OPEN FROM THE INSIDE OR OUTSIDE, TRAPPING OCCUPANTS.*AK

Latches / locks mileage not reported 1.9 yr in service

UPON DEPRESSING THE BUTTON FOR BOTH SLIDING DOORS CONSUMER HAS TO PUT BODY AGAINST IT TO MAKE IT DISENGAGE. CONSUMER DOES NOT HAVE A PROBLEM WITH CLOSING THE DOOR. THE EXTERNAL HANDLER WILL NOT RELEASE THE LOCK TO OPEN THE DOOR. TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER AND HAD THE DOORS GREASED. BUT, IT DID NOT HELP THE PROBLEM. *AK

Structure mileage not reported 6 mo in service

PROBLEMS WITH SLIDING DOOR, TRANSMISSION. MR. THE DEALER REPLACED THE TRANSMISSION, THE CONSUMER WAS TOLD IT WAS A MANUFACTURERS DEFECT. *JB

Other Sienna model years

How to read this

This is what owners reported, not a reliability rating. People file with NHTSA about alarming failures, not routine ones, and complaint volume tracks how many cars were sold.
Failure ages come from the incident date on each complaint, populated on about 83% of records. Mileage is shown where reported — NHTSA’s 2021 system change cut mileage capture to roughly 15%, so it thins out sharply after MY2020.
Every rank compares this vehicle only against others of the same model year. A 2025 car has not had time to accumulate five-year failures, so comparing early-failure share across years is meaningless.
Fourteen make-months distorted by media storms and mass recalls — Toyota in February 2010 ran 11× normal volume across 33 models — are excluded.
Recalls are manufacturer actions and authoritative; complaints are not. A recall listed here may already have been performed on any individual car. Check a specific VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

2003 Toyota Sienna

When each system is reported — middle 50% of complaints

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

In owners’ own words

Other Sienna model years

How to read this