1999 Toyota Sienna Problems, Recalls & Reliability
250 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 1999 Toyota Sienna, alongside 3 recall campaigns and 2 defect investigations. It scores 11/100 on the trouble index — one of this model's quieter years. Engine leads the reports, typically around 79,000 miles.
One of the quieter years. Relative to its siblings, the 1999 Toyota Sienna has drawn well-below-average complaint volume with at least four years on the road.
Better year
Where 1999 sits among all Sienna years
What owners report
“Waiting to hear from toyota on our oil sludge engine failure problem. We are gathering the oil change receipts and were 1st told we did not maintain the vehicle. Now seeing that we are not alone with this issue.”— owner report to NHTSA, 1999 Sienna
“The cable to my drivers side sliding door snapped, thus the door can no longer be opened automatically. This defect is under a warranty enhancement for model years 2004-2007, but i have a 2009 model year.”— owner report to NHTSA, 1999 Sienna
“Right front tire blewout while driving (firestone fr 680 p205/70r15), consumer request reibursement. Nlm”— owner report to NHTSA, 1999 Sienna
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 80 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 91,500 miles. Half of those reports fall between 65,000 and 122,000 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (3)
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,…
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…
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, MINI VANS AND PASSENGER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH A THEFT DETERRENT SYSTEMS (TDS) SUPPLIED BY AUDIOVOX CORPORATION AND DISTRIBUTED BY SOUTHEAST TOYOTA DISTRIBUTORS, INC. IN THE STATES OF ALABAMA, FLORIDA, GEORGIA,…
Fix: DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE DATE CODE LABEL ON THE SECURITY SYSTEM HARNESS AND ANY DISPLAYING THE MANUFACTURING/FINAL DATE CODE WILL BE REPLACED WITH NEWLY PRODUCED HARNESSES. THE DATE CODES ARE: RAV4…
EQUIPMENT DESCRIPTION: AFTERMARKET THEFT DETERRENT SYSTEMS USED ON 1998-1998 TOYOTA RAV4, AVALON, AND SIENNA MODEL VEHICLES DISTRIBUTED BY SOUTHEAST TOYOTA DISTRIBUTORS, INC. IN THE STATES OF ALABAMA, FLORIDA, GEORGIA, NORTH AND SOUTH CAROLINA. THE ALARM…
Fix: DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE DATE CODE LABEL ON THE SECURITY SYSTEM HARNESS AND ANY DISPLAYING THE MANUFACTURING/FINAL DATE CODE WILL BE REPLACED WITH NEWLY PRODUCED HARNESSES. THE DATE CODES ARE: RAV4…
Federal defect investigations
Technical service bulletins
101 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on body & structure and visibility & wipers — are on file for the 1999 Toyota Sienna. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
See the 1999 Sienna TSB list →
Complaint history for this model year
When owners filed their reports — a long tail means problems kept surfacing for years.
Questions buyers ask
Is the 1999 Toyota Sienna reliable?
The 1999 Toyota Sienna drew 250 complaints in federal safety records — one of this model's quieter years. Its trouble index is 11/100, scored against the model's worst year (2004).
What are the most common 1999 Toyota Sienna problems?
The top reported problems for the 1999 Toyota Sienna are engine (40 complaints), body & structure (36), and wheels & tires (31).
At what mileage do 1999 Toyota Sienna problems show up?
Owners most often report 1999 Toyota Sienna problems around 91,500 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 65,000 and 122,000 miles.
Does the 1999 Toyota Sienna have recalls?
3 recall campaigns apply to the 1999 Toyota Sienna. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer.
Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.