2001 Toyota Sienna Problems, Recalls & Reliability
238 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2001 Toyota Sienna, alongside 2 recall campaigns and 0 defect investigations. It scores 10/100 on the trouble index — one of this model's quieter years. Body & structure leads the reports, typically around 78,000 miles.
One of the quieter years. Relative to its siblings, the 2001 Toyota Sienna has drawn well-below-average complaint volume with at least four years on the road.
Better year
Where 2001 sits among all Sienna years
What owners report
“Dear sirs, i want toyota to buy back my sienna van. I have had my van repaired 4 time for a inoperative power sliding door,erratic operating power sliding door, unintentional activation power sliding door. The door is now broke again. After they fix the door this will be the 5th repair to the door.…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2001 Sienna
“07-08-01 34 miles steering failure towed to dealership. 01-29-03 7552 miles steering failure towed to dealership. After slowing down at tolls,fails to accelerate,loud noise follow. Wet/rainy surface,front tires spin at take-off. Wind noise very prominent on highways. Right front passenger lock does…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2001 Sienna
“A known issue with these 3.0 l v6 engine. Heavy smoke from the exhaust pipe. Visible oil sludge under the oil refill cap.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2001 Sienna
“Brakes have been acting up since purchased and have taken this vechicle in several times, the noise stops when i leave with the different things they have done but it continues to come back. Being a new vechicle i am dissatisfied with it and have ask to be placed in a different vechicle but they…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2001 Sienna
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 154 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 61,801 miles. Half of those reports fall between 32,231 and 108,000 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (2)
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: PASSENGER VEHICLES. THE FRONT SUB FRAME ASSEMBLY HAS NOT BEEN ADEQUATELY WELDED.
Fix: DEALERS WILL INSPECT AND REPLACE THE FRONT SUB FRAME, IF NECESSARY. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN APRIL 9, 2001. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND…
Technical service bulletins
124 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on body & structure and electrical — are on file for the 2001 Toyota Sienna. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
See the 2001 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 2001 Toyota Sienna reliable?
The 2001 Toyota Sienna drew 238 complaints in federal safety records — one of this model's quieter years. Its trouble index is 10/100, scored against the model's worst year (2004).
What are the most common 2001 Toyota Sienna problems?
The top reported problems for the 2001 Toyota Sienna are body & structure (35 complaints), latches & locks (35), and engine (26).
At what mileage do 2001 Toyota Sienna problems show up?
Owners most often report 2001 Toyota Sienna problems around 61,801 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 32,231 and 108,000 miles.
Does the 2001 Toyota Sienna have recalls?
2 recall campaigns apply to the 2001 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.