2002 Toyota Sienna Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Sienna years
- About as many complaints as other years 14th of 25 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 1 recall: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 181 complaints with NHTSA about the 2002 Toyota Sienna. That ranks 14th out of 25 Sienna model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is structure (42 complaints, 23%), typically at around 75,000 miles. Complaints mention 16 crashes, 4 fires, 19 injuries. There is 1 safety recall covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 1 defect investigation involving it.
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- 181owner complaints
- 1safety recalls
- 1NHTSA investigations
- 16complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2002 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Structure | 42 | 23% | 75,000 | — | — |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 27 | 15% | 76,750 | — | — |
| Electrical System | 24 | 13% | 93,224 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 19 | 10% | 34,006 | — | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 16 | 9% | 40,000 | — | — |
| Tires | 15 | 8% | 63,750 | — | — |
| Power Train | 13 | 7% | 81,443 | — | — |
| Steering | 10 | 6% | 78,873 | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 10 | 6% | 98,000 | — | — |
| Air Bags | 7 | 4% | 68,770 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 7 | 4% | 57,500 | — | — |
| Suspension | 4 | 2% | 200,000 | — | — |
| Engine | 3 | 2% | 122,727 | — | — |
| Equipment | 3 | 2% | 24,000 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 3 | 2% | 12,300 | — | — |
| Service Brakes | 3 | 2% | 60,000 | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 3 | 2% | 63,000 | — | — |
| Visibility | 3 | 2% | 33,000 | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 2 | 1% | 34,006 | — | — |
| Wheels | 2 | 1% | 29,000 | — | — |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) | 1 | 1% | 118,000 | — | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 1 | 1% | 122,727 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Other | 1 | 1% | 165,000 | — | — |
| Seats | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Air | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Electric | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2002 Toyota Sienna recalls (1)
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.
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 compartment fire (PE01036) — opened Oct 19, 2001, closed Feb 11, 2002.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
Dear Sir, On April 2026, I need to do the semiannual smog check. Right now, I face DTC P0420 error code and I can't pass the smog check inspection. Note that I don't have the engine light on indicating the a/m error code. Only my OBD2 shows the error DTC Code P0420. I did some searhing and noticed…
Checking engine light on and off slide door not working properly
The lower rear mount for the passenger-side rear shock absorber was found when the vehicle was stationary to have become partially fractured over time. It is made of thin hollow metal with internal threads. There is no replacement for this except to purchase a large multi-functional unit costing…
Brakes make a noise when the car is about to stop. There is a squeal and thump that can be heard. Have taken this in several times to be fixed. They say the brakes are safe. I am 74 years old and have had many cars over the years and the only times other cars have made this kind of noise it was…
Steering gets stiff hard to turn steering
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 | 614 | 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 | 181 | 1 |
| 2001 Sienna | 180 | 2 |
| 2000 Sienna | 363 | 1 |
| 1999 Sienna | 215 | 2 |
| 1998 Sienna | 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.
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2002 Toyota Sienna?
Owners most often report structure, latches/locks/linkages, electrical system problems. The top one, structure, accounts for 42 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2002 Toyota Sienna?
Yes, 1 safety recall. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2002 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 2002 has about as many complaints as a typical year. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.