2012 Toyota Sienna

Showing the 2012 Sienna Q grade. We haven't verified this trim's engine; the numbers below cover every version of this model year. Every version

Owner complaints, recalls, fuel economy and safety ratings from public NHTSA and EPA data, updated Oct 17, 2026.

Fuel economy
19–21 mpgcombined; city 17–19, highway 23–25; every version of this model year
Five years of fuel
$15,470–$17,100U.S. average; Ohio $13,820–$15,280 at local prices; every version of this model year; fuel only, not other costs of owning it; 15,000 miles a year, at EIA fuel prices for the week of Oct 12, 2026
NHTSA overall safety rating
4 starslowest across the versions NHTSA tested
Recall campaigns
9over its history; check a VIN for open ones
Owner complaints
247filed with NHTSA; not adjusted for sales

Trims

NHTSA's VIN data lists these trims for the 2012 Sienna. A trim's engine and numbers are shown as its own only where EPA names versions after the trim and no other version could be it; "seen with" means a source shows that engine on the trim, not that it was the only one. Recalls and complaints cover the whole model year: whether a recall applies to a car depends on its VIN, on NHTSA's recall lookup.

Problems owners report

Owners have filed 247 complaints with NHTSA about the 2012 Sienna. These are unverified owner reports, counted by the part of the car they name; one complaint can name several parts. Counts aren't adjusted for how many were sold, so they don't show how reliable a car is.

Complaints by part of the car
PartComplaintsCrashesFiresInjuries
Air bags84406
Structure72215
Unknown or other28234
Electrical system27020
Power train17100
Steering15001
Wheels12000
Service brakes11200
Vehicle speed control11101
Engine9333
Tires8000
Visibility6010
13 more parts
Latches/locks/linkages5000
Fuel/propulsion system4000
Electronic stability control (ESC)3100
Exterior lighting3000
Seat belts3103
Seats3000
Suspension3000
Fuel system, gasoline2000
Visibility/wiper2001
Back over prevention1101
Engine and engine cooling1000
Equipment1000
Equipment adaptive/mobility1000

Complaints by model year

Newer years have had less time to collect complaints, and counts aren't adjusted for sales, so a shorter bar doesn't mean a more reliable year.

  1. 20061,017
  2. 2007364
  3. 2008429
  4. 2009207
  5. 2010172
  6. 2011615
  7. 2012247
  8. 2013183
  9. 2014163
  10. 2015233
  11. 201676
  12. 2017155
  13. 201872
  14. 201945
  15. 202038
  16. 2021210
  17. 2022140
  18. 202370
  19. 202469
  20. 2025267
  21. 202617

Every Sienna year side by side

Recalls

NHTSA lists 9 recall campaigns for the 2012 Sienna over its history. Campaigns are matched by model and year, so each one may apply to a given car, and its repair may already be done: check a VIN on NHTSA's recall lookup for the open recalls on that exact car.

Air bags: frontal; Air bags: frontal

NHTSA campaign 19V741000 · reported Oct 17, 2019 · 928,220 vehicles potentially affected

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2010-2016 4Runner, 2003-2006 Tundra, 2003-2013 Corolla, 2009-2010 Corolla Matrix, 2004-2005 RAV4, 2002-2007 Sequoia, 2011-2013 Sienna, 2008-2012 Scion xB, 2008-2009 Lexus IS-F, 2007-2012 Yaris and Lexus ES350, 2010-2017 Lexus GX460, 2002-2010 Lexus SC430, 2006-2012 Lexus IS250 and IS350 and 2010-2015 Lexus IS250C and IS350C vehicles. These vehicles had their driver or passenger frontal air bag inflators previously replaced under a prior recall using inflators of the same design. The inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.

Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Remedy: Toyota will notify owners. Depending on the vehicle model, dealers will replace the front driver inflator, front passenger airbag inflator, the airbag assembly, or the front passenger airbag sub-assembly and inflator. The recall began November 20, 2019. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371 or Lexus customer service at 1-800-255-3987. Toyota's numbers for this recall are J0A, J0B, and J0C. Lexus' numbers for this recall are JLI, JLJ, and JLK.

NHTSA's record and documents

Service brakes, hydraulic: foundation components

NHTSA campaign 19V553000 · reported Jul 25, 2019 · 303 vehicles potentially affected

Vantage Mobility International, LLC (Vantage) is recalling certain 2012-2018 AMS Genesis wheelchair vans, built on a Toyota Sienna vehicles. The rubber brake hoses that attach to the rear wheel assembly may be too short, causing them to rub against the rear axle trailing arm.

Risk: The contact may cause failure of the rear brake hoses, resulting in a loss of vehicle control and reduced braking ability, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Vantage will notify owners, and dealers will install a set of rear brake hoses that will provide the proper clearance, free of charge. The recall began December 16, 2019. Owners may contact Vantage customer service at 1-800-488-9082.

NHTSA's record and documents

Air bags: frontal

NHTSA campaign 19V005000 · reported Jan 9, 2019 · 1,299,448 vehicles potentially affected

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2014-2016 Toyota 4Runner, 2014-2015 Scion xB, Lexus IS350C, IS250C, 2014 Toyota Sienna, Lexus IS-F, and 2014-2017 Lexus GX460 vehicles sold, or ever registered in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands or "Zone A." Toyota is also recalling certain 2011-2013 Toyota Corolla, Corolla Matrix, Lexus IS250, IS350, 2011-2016 4Runner, 2011-2015 Scion xB, Lexus IS350C, IS250C, 2011-2014 Toyota Sienna, Lexus IS-F, 2011-2017 Lexus GX460, and 2011-2012 Lexus ES350 vehicles ever registered in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia or "Zone B." Toyota is also recalling certain 2010-2013 Toyota Corolla, Corolla Matrix, Lexus IS350, 2010-2016 4Runner, 2010-2013 Lexus IS250, 2010-2015 Scion xB, Lexus IS350C, IS250C, 2010-2017 Lexus GX460, 2010-2014 Lexus IS-F, and 2010-2012 Lexus ES350 vehicles ever registered in the states of Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming or "Zone C." These vehicles are equipped with air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules, used as original equipment or replacement equipment (such as after a vehicle crash necessitating replacement of the original air bags), that may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.

Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Remedy: Toyota will notify owners. Depending on the vehicle model, dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator, or replace the air bag assembly. The recall began February 15, 2019. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's numbers for this recall are "Zone A" Toyota: G0P, Lexus: GLG; "Zone B" Toyota: G0R, Lexus GLH; "Zone C" Toyota: H0A, and Lexus: HLA.

NHTSA's record and documents

Air bags: frontal

NHTSA campaign 17V006000 · reported Jan 9, 2017 · 577,875 vehicles potentially affected

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2012 Toyota 4Runner, Corolla, Corolla Matrix, Sienna, Yaris, Scion xB, Lexus ES350, GX460, IS-F, IS250, IS350, IS250C, IS350C, and Lexus LFA vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands, or "Zone A." Additionally, unless included in "Zone A" above, Toyota is recalling certain 2009 Toyota Corolla, Corolla Matrix, Yaris, Yaris HB, Scion xB, Pontiac Vibe, Lexus, ES350, IS250, IS350, and IS-F vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, or "Zone B." Additionally, unless included in "Zone A" or "Zone B" above, Toyota is recalling certain 2006-2008 Lexus IS250 and IS350, 2007-2008 Lexus ES350, Toyota Yaris, Yaris HB, and 2008 Lexus IS-F and Scion xB vehicles originally sold, or ever registered in Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger frontal air bag, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.

Risk: An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Remedy: Toyota will notify the Toyota, Scion and Lexus owners. General Motors will contact the Pontiac owners. Depending on the model, dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator or the air bag assembly, free of charge. The recall began on February 1, 2017. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331, or Pontiac customer service at 1-800-762-2737. Toyota's numbers for final remedy for this campaign are G0P (Toyota Zone A), G0R (Toyota Zone B), H0A (Toyota Zone C), GLG (Lexus Zone A), GLH (Lexus Zone B) and HLA (Lexus Zone C).

NHTSA's record and documents

Structure: body

NHTSA campaign 16V858000 · reported Nov 29, 2016 · 744,437 vehicles potentially affected

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2011-2016 Toyota Sienna minivans manufactured January 4, 2010, to August 12, 2016. If the power sliding door is unable to be opened when commanded, such as if the door is frozen shut, the door may subsequently open unexpectedly, possibly while the vehicle is moving.

Risk: If door opens while the vehicle is moving, there would be an increased risk of injury to the vehicle occupants.

Remedy: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the junction block, rear sliding door wire harnesses, and install two sub wire harnesses, free of charge. The recall began on July 28, 2017. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is G04.

NHTSA's record and documents

Equipment: other

NHTSA campaign 13V123000 · reported Apr 9, 2013 · 7,525 vehicles potentially affected

Southeast Toyota is recalling certain model year 2008 and 2010-2013 Toyota Tundra, 2010-2012 Rav4, 2012 Toyota Sequoia, 2010-2011 Toyota Corolla, 2010-2011 Toyota Camry and Camry Hybrid, 2010-2013 Toyota Highlander and Highlander Hybrid, 2010-2013 Toyota FJ Cruiser, 2011 Toyota Land Cruiser, 2010-2013 Toyota Venza, 2010-2011 Toyota 4Runner, 2010-2013 Toyota Tacoma, 2011-2012 Toyota Sienna, 2012 Toyota Prius, 2013 Scion FR-S, 2011 Scion XD, 2011 Scion XB, and 2012 Scion TC vehicles. These vehicles were sold with labels that were outside the allowable one percent of accuracy of actual weight added. Thus, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) Number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims."

Risk: An inaccurate label could lead to owners overloading their vehicles and tires. An overloaded vehicle can result in a tire failure which may result in a vehicle crash, personal injury, or property damage.

Remedy: Southeast Toyota will notify owners and provide a corrected label with instructions concerning its installation. A small group of the affected vehicles will need additonal remedies which are still being developed. The recall began on May 28, 2013. Owners may contact Southeast Toyota at 1-800-301-6859.

NHTSA's record and documents

Air bags: frontal; Seats

NHTSA campaign 13V014000 · reported Jan 16, 2013 · 3,235 vehicles potentially affected

Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain models interspersed through model years 2009 through 2013 as follows: model year 2009-2012 Tacoma, 4Runner, Camry, Camry Hybrid, Prius, and RAV4; model year 2009-2010 Avalon, FJ Cruiser, and Highlander Hybrid; model year 2010-2013 model year Corolla, Sienna and Tundra; model year 2009-2013 Highlander and Venza; model year 2012 Prius V; and model year 2010-2012 Sequoia. During modification by SET to include accessories such as leather seat covers, seat heaters or headrest DVD systems, these vehicles may not have had the passenger seat occupant sensing system calibration tested. Without passing the calibration test, the occupant sensing system may not operate as designed.

Risk: If the front passenger seat occupant sensing system is out of calibration, the front passenger airbags may not deploy or they may deploy inappropriately for the passenger's size and position. This could increase the risk of personal injury during the event of a vehicle crash necessitating airbag deployment.

Remedy: Southeast Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will test the sensitivity of the occupant detection sensors, and recalibrate them as necessary. The recall began on March 21, 2013. Owners may contact Southeast Toyota at 1-800-301-6859.

NHTSA's record and documents

Equipment: electrical

NHTSA campaign 12V120000 · reported Mar 23, 2012 · 363 vehicles potentially affected

GULF STATES TOYOTA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2012 4RUNNER AND SIENNA VEHICLES, EQUIPPED WITH NON-ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT REMOTE ENGINE STARTERS. A MALFUNCTION IN THE AUDIOVOX ELECTRONICS BRAND REMOTE ENGINE STARTER MODULE CAN PREVENT NORMAL COMMUNICATION OF THE VEHICLE’S CONTROLLER AREA NETWORK (CAN).

Risk: IF THIS CONDITION OCCURS, ANTILOCK BRAKING AND STABILITY CONTROL MAY BE LOST, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH. DRIVERS SHOULD RECEIVE DASHBOARD WARNING LIGHTS WARNING THEM OF A MALFUNCTION.

Remedy: GULF STATES TOYOTA WILL NOTIFY OWNERS, AND DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE REMOTE ENGINE STARTER WITH A NEW ONE FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN ON OR ABOUT JUNE 4, 2012. OWNERS MAY CONTACT TOYOTA AT 1-800-444-1074.

NHTSA's record and documents

Equipment: other

NHTSA campaign 11V560000 · reported Nov 30, 2011 · 210,000 vehicles potentially affected

TOYOTA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2011 THROUGH 2012 SIENNA VEHICLES FOR FAILING TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NUMBER 110, "TIRE SELECTIONS AND RIMS." THESE VEHICLES DO NOT MEET THE REQUIREMENT FOR DISPLAYING THE CORRECT VEHICLE CAPACITY WEIGHT AS THE RATED LOAD FOR THE COMBINATION OF CARGO AND OCCUPANTS.

Risk: INCORRECT INFORMATION ON THE VEHICLE PLACARD MAY LEAD TO TIRE OVERLOADING AND POSSIBLY CAUSE TIRE FAILURE INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.

Remedy: TOYOTA WILL NOTIFY OWNERS, AND WILL PROVIDE A REMEDY WHEN IT IS AVAILABLE. TOYOTA WILL MAIL OUT A CORRECTED PLACARD TO CUSTOMERS ALONG WITH REVISED OWNER MANUAL INFORMATION. THIS SERVICE WILL BE PERFORMED FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON JUNE 27, 2013. OWNERS MAY CONTACT TOYOTA AT 1-800-331-4331.

NHTSA's record and documents

Service bulletins and investigations

Carmakers sent NHTSA 372 service bulletins and notices that cover the 2012 Sienna, the latest on Jan 7, 2026. They tell dealers how to fix known issues.

The parts they mention most: equipment (164), structure (76), electrical system (58), latches/locks/linkages (24), seats (23).

NHTSA defect investigations

Opening an investigation isn't a finding of a defect. Outcomes are as NHTSA's summary states them. A recall is shown as an investigation's outcome only where NHTSA's summary names it; other recalls NHTSA's file lists with it are marked as listed, not caused.

InvestigationPartOpenedStatus
Engineering analysis EA21002
Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture · covers 37 makes
Air bagsSep 17, 2021Open
NHTSA's record and documents

Maintenance

Oil

The owner's manual gives the oil and how often to change it. We show oil facts only once we've checked them against the manual, and we haven't yet for the 2012 Sienna.

Oil change near you: Jiffy Lube · Take 5

Specs

EPA class: minivan. Each version EPA tested:

VersionEngineTransmissionFuelCity / hwy / comb
Sienna
Front-Wheel Drive
2.7 L, 4 cylAutomatic (S6)Regular Gasoline19 / 24 / 21
Sienna
Front-Wheel Drive
3.5 L, 6 cylAutomatic (S6)Regular Gasoline18 / 25 / 21
Sienna
All-Wheel Drive
3.5 L, 6 cylAutomatic (S6)Regular Gasoline17 / 23 / 19

Sources and dates

Fuel cost: EPA mpg with fuel prices for the week of Oct 12, 2026 and electricity prices for Jul 2026. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (Oct 2026). Complaints are unverified reports owners filed with NHTSA. About the data