1998 Toyota Sienna Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Sienna years
- More complaints than other years 8th of 25 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 2 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 294 complaints with NHTSA about the 1998 Toyota Sienna. That ranks 8th out of 25 Sienna model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is latches/locks/linkages (40 complaints, 14%), typically at around 57,500 miles. Complaints mention 18 crashes, 3 fires, 17 injuries. There are 2 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 2 defect investigations involving it.
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- 294owner complaints
- 2safety recalls
- 2NHTSA investigations
- 18complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 1998 Toyota Sienna problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Latches/locks/linkages | 40 | 14% | 57,500 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 39 | 13% | 106,000 | — | — |
| Tires | 38 | 13% | 53,500 | — | — |
| Structure | 35 | 12% | 101,000 | — | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 33 | 11% | 75,000 | — | — |
| Steering | 25 | 9% | 67,000 | — | — |
| Power Train | 23 | 8% | 99,000 | — | — |
| Visibility | 17 | 6% | 95,000 | — | — |
| Electrical System | 14 | 5% | 140,000 | — | — |
| Air Bags | 12 | 4% | 103,982 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 12 | 4% | 89,350 | — | — |
| Suspension | 11 | 4% | 137,500 | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 8 | 3% | 102,000 | — | — |
| Equipment | 7 | 2% | — | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 6 | 2% | — | — | — |
| Wheels | 4 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Air | 3 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 2 | 1% | 29,273 | — | — |
| Seats | 2 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) | 1 | 0% | 102,000 | — | — |
| Engine | 1 | 0% | 140,000 | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 1 | 0% | — | — | — |
| Parking Brake | 1 | 0% | 66,984 | — | — |
| Service Brakes | 1 | 0% | 137,500 | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
1998 Toyota Sienna recalls (2)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Structure
Problem: 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.
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.
Electrical system:ignition:anti-theft:control module
Problem: 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, north and south carolina. The alarm wiring harness plugs into the vehicle's ignition switch and the vehicle's ignition switch wiring harness plugs into the alarm harness to complete the circuit. A percentage of the female terminals used in the alarm connector were found to be defective, causing an 'open circuit' condition when mated to the male ignition switch terminals.
Risk: This condition can cause intermittent performance of the vehicle's electrical components such as the dash warning lights and/or hvac fan speed controls. Also, the vehicle may not run smoothly and could stall.
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 - 6/24/98, 6/25/98, 6/26/98; sienna - 6/25/98, 6/26/98; and avalon - 6/30/98, 7/1/98, 8/31/98, 9/1/98, 9/2/98, and 9/3/98.
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
NHTSA defect investigations
- Engine seizure (DP02004) — opened Apr 30, 2002, closed Jun 20, 2002.
- Steering wheel to return to center (PE99070) — opened Nov 17, 1999, closed Apr 12, 2000.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
steering component that breaks, causing a driver to lose control.
Gear shifter mount unit on the steering column broke apart, stranding the vehicle in the middle of the road.
Air bags did not deploy in a front end collision. We were traveling at about 65mph on the interstate when another vehicle lost control, wrecked, and came to a complete stop in our lane and facing us. My husband braked hard but we could not avoid the vehicle. We truly have no idea how fast we were…
Started to get clunking/rattling noises on highway that sounded like it was coming from front left driver's side. Reduced speed to 50 mph. About 5 miles from home brake light came on. Pulled over and found brake fluid leaking around front drivers side tire (about 9pm). Slowly drove to mechanic…
Tl* the contact owns a 1998 toyota sienna. The contact stated that the warning indicators on the instrument panel did not function when the vehicle reached high temperatures. The contact stated that only the check engine warning indicator functioned. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The…
Other Toyota Sienna years
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 Sienna | 38 | 2 |
| 2019 Sienna | 45 | 7 |
| 2018 Sienna | 72 | 7 |
| 2017 Sienna | 155 | 10 |
| 2016 Sienna | 76 | 5 |
| 2015 Sienna | 233 | 6 |
| 2014 Sienna | 163 | 6 |
| 2013 Sienna | 183 | 6 |
| 2012 Sienna | 247 | 9 |
| 2011 Sienna | 615 | 14 |
| 2010 Sienna | 172 | 8 |
| 2009 Sienna | 207 | 10 |
| 2008 Sienna | 429 | 9 |
| 2007 Sienna | 364 | 10 |
| 2006 Sienna | 1,017 | 11 |
| 2005 Sienna | 1,130 | 12 |
| 2004 Sienna | 2,062 | 10 |
| 2003 Sienna | 105 | 1 |
| 2002 Sienna | 181 | 1 |
| 2001 Sienna | 180 | 2 |
| 2000 Sienna | 363 | 1 |
| 1999 Sienna | 215 | 2 |
| 1998 | 294 | 2 |
| 1997 Sienna | 2 | 0 |
| 1996 Sienna | 3 | 0 |
See all Toyota Sienna problems by year, every Toyota model, or the Toyota VIN decoder.
Similar Toyota models
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 1998 Toyota Sienna?
Owners most often report latches/locks/linkages, service brakes, hydraulic, tires problems. The top one, latches/locks/linkages, accounts for 40 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 1998 Toyota Sienna?
Yes, 2 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 1998 Toyota Sienna a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Sienna model years, the 1998 has more complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.