KnownCarProblems2006 Toyota Sienna Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 1,017 complaints with NHTSA about the 2006 Toyota Sienna, most often about the air bags (30% of complaints, typically around 74,000 miles). It is the 3rd most complained-about Sienna model year since 2000 and has 11 recalls.
Most common 2006 Toyota Sienna problems
Air bags
307 complaints · 30%Half of these problems showed up before 74,000 miles. Parts named most often: frontal, side/window.
2006 Sienna airbag light flashing. Tech identified defective passenger seat airbag assembly although auto was never in an accident. No reason for failure given other than "you never know about electronic systems." the only way to reset the light is to replace airbag assembly at a cost of $940+ with diagnostic charge…
Since december, 2009, my 2006 Toyota Sienna's airbag light keeps coming on, then going off, coming on, going off, etc. I took it to the dealership when it first happened and was told I needed a new driver's side airbag. I was told it would not be covered under warranty. Why would an airbag need replacing after only…
Body and structure
261 complaints · 26%Half of these problems showed up before 67,000 miles. Parts named most often: body, frame and members.
I purchased a new 2006 Toyota Sienna and my car just reached 66,000km when the drivers side door started to malfunction. It doesn't click shut all the time. Sometimes it would take up to 20 minutes opening and closing the door to click shut. On 2 occasions, the door swung open itself while I was driving with my 2…
My 2006 Toyota Sienna, of which I am the original owner, has a passenger side rear sliding door. Without warning the door refused to close. The cable had popped out and the door will not close. We cannot drive the car because it is a safety hazard to drive with an open door. We have to have the car towed to a repair…
Wheels and tires
114 complaints · 11%Half of these problems showed up before 50,000 miles. Parts named most often: tread/belt, pressure monitoring and regulating systems, temporary/emergency spare tire, rim.
The contact owns a 2006 Toyota Sienna equipped with dunlop sp4000 tires, size p225/60/r17. The contact stated that the driver was traveling 55 MPH when the front passenger side tire blew. The tires were run-flat tires and the vehicle was taken directly to an authorized dealer where the tire was replaced. The failure…
No accident or fatalities, but I am concerned about the rapidly deteriorating condition of all four 17" alloy wheels (painted aluminum). Corrosion is progressing since the time I first noticed it starting (approximate incident date). Current mileage is 74,000. The paint is blistering starting at the inside edge of…
Electrical
85 complaints · 8%Half of these problems showed up before 72,000 miles. Parts named most often: starter assembly, wiring, ignition.
The contact owns a 2006 Toyota Sienna. While driving at approximate speeds of 40 MPH, the automotive skid control activated without warrant and would cause the vehicle to drive as if in neutral. When the failure would occur, all warning lights would illuminate on the dashboard. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for…
Toyota Sienna le 2006 with 72,000 miles automatic broke down on the highway --- refusing to go beyond 35miles an hour and check engine light came on. The Toyota dealer claimed that the transmission had to be replaced at a cost of about 5500 + and diagnosed only transmission problem. To get a second opinion, we got the…
Brakes
71 complaints · 7%Half of these problems showed up before 103,500 miles. Parts named most often: antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip, foundation components, power assist, antilock.
The car was sent to the dealer for timing belt kit replacement, upon inspection the technician found the anti lock brake system is malfunctioning due to the fact the above mentioned part, part # 44050-08030, the anti lock brakes hydraulic unit, is damage or inoperable. The technician told me this is not the first time…
The contact owns a 2006 Toyota Sienna. While driving between 10-35 MPH, the brakes activated independently and the vehicle control system alarm sounded. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer (Toyota of huntington beach located at 18881 beach blvd huntington beach, ca 92648, [phone]), but was not diagnosed or…
Doors and locks
67 complaints · 7%Half of these problems showed up before 55,500 miles. Parts named most often: doors, tailgate.
I have a 2006 Toyota Sienna minivan. The latch on the driver's side passenger sliding door failed to keep the door secured when driving down the road. The door would become unlatched and open slightly in transit. I took the car to the dealer and they informed me that the latch would have to be replaced. I talked to…
I own a 2006 Toyota Sienna van and the passenger side sliding door is not working correctly. The sliding automatic door does not close completely on a consistent basis. It requires assistance to close and when shut, it doesn't seem to be fully/safely latched. We can hear more road noise now that before. We contracted…
Steering
61 complaints · 6%Half of these problems showed up before 85,000 miles. Parts named most often: steering wheel/handle bar, hydraulic power assist system.
Tear on the boot of the power steering rack, passenger side. I researched on the internet and found this was not uncommon for Toyota Sienna 2006. Some said Toyota seemed to fix it in the 2007 model. Toyota may keep quiet about the problem. The boot is too close to one of the belts. Any debris (rock or ice or piece of…
Visited the dealer to check the noise, TPMS and vibratingsound when making turns and driving over 35 MPH. Tech informed me that the front passenger side tire had bump and found that the steering rack and pinion sector is leaking from the passenger side boot and the steering has a knocking noise when turning the…
Other or unspecified
53 complaints · 5%Half of these problems showed up before 88,000 miles.
Upon trying to open the passenger side rear automatic sliding door - plastic pieces shot out at people standing nearby hitting them in the face and upper body, and the end of a wire/cable flung out nearly hitting someone in the eye. The door continued to make loud clicking and crunching noises and would not open more…
Sliding door on the passenger side stop operating suddenly as I was ready to slowly throttle. The power sliding door won't operate and the door won't lock with my kids in it. I stopped the vehicle and investigated the door and found the power sliding is not closing on pressing the power switch. Power sliding doors…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2006 Toyota Sienna recalls
Transmission: automatic transmission
Risk: If the shift lever can be moved from the "park" position without depressing the brake pedal and the parking brake is not applied, the vehicle may roll, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the shift lock solenoid and reapply the grease, free of charge. Owners may contact toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is h0v. Vehicles that were previously recalled under campaign 13v-429 are not affected by this recall.
Full defect summary
Toyota motor engineering & manufacturing (toyota) is recalling certain 2005-2007 and 2009-2010 toyota sienna vehicles. In the affected vehicles, due to a problem within the shift lock assembly, the shift lever may be moved out of the 'park' position without depressing the brake pedal.
Seats: seat heater/cooler
Risk: If damaged, the copper strand heating element may short circuit, increasing the risk of a fire.
Fix: Set will notify owners, and dealers will disconnect the seat heaters, free of charge, and refund the purchase price of the seat heater accessory. The recall began on july 14, 2016. Owners may contact set customer service at 1-866-405-4226. Set number for this recall is set16b.
Full defect summary
Southeast toyota distributors, llc (set) is recalling certain 2005-2011 4runner, highlander, sequoia, and sienna, 2005-2010 avalon and tundra, 2006-2008 camry solara, 2006-2010 highlander hybrid, 2006-2011 rav4 and tacoma, 2007-2010 fj cruiser, 2007-2011 camry hybrid, 2009-2010 venza, 2010-2012 prius, 1988-1990 and 2005-2010 camry, and 1989 and 2009-2010 corolla vehicles equipped with aftermarket accessory seat heaters with a copper strand heating element. The electrical wiring in the seat heaters may be damaged when the seat cushion is compressed.
Seats: seat heater/cooler
Risk: Damage to the seat heater wiring could cause the wires to short, increasing the risk of the seat burning and causing personal injury to the occupant.
Fix: Set will notify owners, and dealers will disconnect the heaters with copper strand heating elements and refund the purchase price of the seat heater accessory, free of charge. The recall is expected to began in january 2015. Owners may contact set customer service at 1-866-405-4226.
Full defect summary
Southeast toyota distributors, llc (set) is recalling certain model year 2010-2011 prius and corolla, 2009-2011 venza, 2006-2010 avalon, 2007-2010 fj cruiser, 2005-2011 sienna and sequoia, 2006-2011 tacoma 4x2 and 4x4, camry, highlander, tundra 4x2 and 4x4, and 2007-2011 rav4 and 4runner. The affected vehicles may experience compression of the seat cushion which may damage the seat heater wiring.
Wheels and tires: temporary/emergency spare tire
Risk: If the carrier cable is corroded due to road salt, the spare tire may separate from the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Toyota sent owners in august 2014 an interim notification to advise owners of the recall and that dealers will perform an interim remedy to remove the spare tire and relocate it to the luggage compartment, free of charge. Owners are being mailed a second letter as parts become available and dealers will replace the spare tire carrier assembly with an improved one, free of charge. The remedy campaign is being performed in phases. The first phase of the recall began july 7, 2015. Owners may contact toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Note: 2004-2010 siennas subject to this recall were sub
Full defect summary
Toyota motor engineering & manufacturing (toyota) is recalling certain model year 2004-2011 sienna vehicles originally sold in, or currently registered in, connecticut, delaware, illinois, indiana, kentucky, maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, vermont, virginia, west virginia, wisconsin and the district of columbia. The affected vehicles have a spare tire carrier assembly mounted under the vehicle whose attachment cable may corrode due to high concentrations of road salt splashing onto the spare tire carrier.
Seats
Risk: The seat occupant may be injured if the seat base pin were to break.
Fix: The swivel plate will be replaced free of charge if necessary. The recall began on june 8, 2010. Owners may contact access option at 831-722-6804.
Full defect summary
Access options is recalling certain trucks and vans built on ford e150, e350, toyota sienna, and dodge grand caravan chassis and equipped with vmi/ricon 6-way power seat bases. The six way power seat base may have a defective (cold) weld on the pivot pin which is welded to the swivel plate. The weld could fail.
Body and structure: structure
Risk: The cable may break due to excessive corrosion and the spare tire may separate from the vehicle, possibly resulting in a vehicle crash.
Fix: 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.
Full defect summary
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 states where road salt is frequently used, water splashed backwards with high concentrations of road salt can reach the spare tire carrier and corrode the spare tire carrier assembly cable.
Equipment: labels
Risk: This does not meet the standard requirements.
Fix: Dealers will mail to consumers the corrected label or the customer will have the option for dealers to install the label free of charge. Dealers will also correct the owner's manual. The safety recall began on may 27, 2010. Owners may contact gulf states toyota at 713-580-3300.
Full defect summary
Gulf states toyota is recalling certain model year 2005-2010 vehicles for failing to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 110, "tire selection and rims." these vehicles were sold between september 1, 2005 and june 2, 2008 without the requisite load carrying capacity modification labels.
Equipment: labels
Risk: A driver may overload a vehicle which may increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will mail to consumers the corrected label or the customer will have the option for dealers to install the label free of charge. The safety recall began on may 27, 2010. Owners may contact southeast toyota at 1-800-301-6859.
Full defect summary
Southeast toyota is recalling certain model year 2005-2011 passenger vehicles for failing to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 110, "tire selection and rims." these vehicles were sold without the requisite load carrying capacity modification labels.
Equipment: labels
Risk: The gvwr is insufficient for the load carrying capacity of the vehicles.
Fix: Toyota will notify owners instructing them to return their vehicle to a toyota or lexus dealer for an exchange of the certification label and the tire and loading information label, an installation of the load carrying capacity modification label, if necessary, and a correction to the owner's manual. This remedy will be performed free of charge. The safety recall began on december 10, 2009. Owners may contact toyota at 1-888-270-9371.
Full defect summary
Toyota is recalling certain model year 2006 through 2009 sienna and 2009 lexus gx passenger vehicles. The vehicle capacity weight on the tire and loading information label and the gvwr on the certification label is insufficient for certain vehicles. Some vehicles were accessorized through vehicle processing centers and had accessories installed that caused the vehicle to exceed the gvwr value. These vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no 110, "tire selection and rims," and 49 cfr part 567.
Equipment: labels
Risk: Incorrect load carrying capacity modification labels could result in the vehicle being overloaded, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Toyota will notify owners and provide them with a new, accurate label to be installed over the inaccurate label free of charge. The safety recall began on august 18, 2009. Owners may contact toyota at 1-888-270-9371.
Full defect summary
Toyota is recalling 27,080 model year 2005 through 2010 passenger cars built from september 1, 2005 to may 4, 2009. These vehicles were not equipped with load carrying capacity modification labels which fails to conform with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 110, "tire selection and rims."
Body and structure: hatchback/liftgate
Risk: If not repaired, the gas struts may not be able to support the weight of the liftgate when it is open eventually, the gas struts could deteriorate to the point that the liftgate will fall about ten inches after it reaches the fully open position, at which point the power motor will engage and power the liftgate to the fully closed position. This condition may cause injury to a person who is struck by the liftgate when it falls or when it is closing.
Fix: Dealers will replace the gas struts with newly designed gas struts that have a longer service life. The campaign began on august 8, 2008, and will be mailed in three phases ending in late december 2008. Owners may contact toyota at 1-888-270-9371.
Full defect summary
Toyota is conducting a safety improvement campaign involving 196,222 my 2004-2006 toyota sienna vehicles equipped with power rear liftgate struts. The gas struts used to help lift and support the rear power liftgate could wear out sooner than expected. As the gas struts deteriorate, the performance of the liftgate will begin to degrade and the power rear liftgate will operate more slowly than when the gas struts were new.
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
NHTSA defect investigations
Stabilus rear liftgate struts failing
Summary
Please see the attached closing resume summary.it has been attached to this document as a pdf.
Steering intermediate shaft binding
Summary
Odi's analysis of warranty data shows that the alleged defect has occurred in just 0.2 percent of the subject vehicle population.when the analysis is limited to salt-belt states, the rate is still well below one percent of the population (0.4 percent).in addition, tests conducted by odi and toyota have shown that the alleged defect has a minimal affect on steering efforts.odi interviews of owners who experienced the alleged defect indicated that in most cases the problem was preceded by months or years of noise or a gradual increase in steering efforts in the initial steering maneuvers after first starting a cold vehicle.the subject vehicles have been in service for 4 to 5 years with no cras
Unexpected closing of power liftgate
Summary
On may 30, 2008, toyota initiated a safety recall to replace the liftgate struts in approximately 196,000 model year 2004-2006 toyota sienna vehicles equipped with power liftgates (recall 08v-244).the recall will provide the opportunity for vehicle owners to obtain new struts that are more robust.based on these actions, the agency has decided to close the investigation.while toyota has not made a decision that the recalled vehicles contain a safety-related defect, in view of the recall, further use of the agency's resources does not appear to be warranted.the closing of this investigation does not constitute any finding by NHTSA.the agency reserves the right to take further action if warrant
Questions about the 2006 Toyota Sienna
- What are the most common problems with the 2006 Toyota Sienna?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: air bags (307 complaints, typically around 74,000 miles); body and structure (261 complaints, typically around 67,000 miles); wheels and tires (114 complaints, typically around 50,000 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2006 Toyota Sienna have?
- 11 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from October 18, 2017 (transmission). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2006 a bad year for the Toyota Sienna?
- It is the 3rd most complained-about Sienna model year since 2000, with 1,017 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.