54 of the 550 complaints filed about the Toyota Sienna Hybrid are about the braking system — 10% of everything owners reported. The worst model year for it is 2023.
54
Complaints
10%
Share of all complaints
6
Crashes
0
Fires
SERVICE BRAKES
When apply the brake, the car will have sudden forward pushing.
NHTSA complaint #11757932 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES
Moving about 55 miles per hour on right lane of I-95 the Jeep in front of me braked abruptly. I braked hard but as my Sienna was quickly slowing down to stop, the brake pad felt spongy when it was slower and as I pressed even harder, it seemed to have stopped decelerating at that slower speed and that was when my Sienna slammed into the back of the Jeep. Happened today on July 15, 2026 at around 4:24 EST. I will also file this same report to Toyota. My wife and I are at the hospital getting checked, but my Sienna looked undrivable.
NHTSA complaint #11750717 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES
FAILURE: Brake control system. Vehicle intermittently surges forward while braking at low speed, most often through a curve — the brakes momentarily release and the vehicle lurches before braking resumes. Appears to occur during the transition between regenerative and friction braking. Vehicle available for inspection. SAFETY RISK: Unpredictable momentary loss of braking at low speed, in parking lots, residential streets and curves where pedestrians and other vehicles are close. Driver cannot anticipate it. WARNING LAMPS: None. No lamp, no message, no stored trouble code. Present since early in ownership; purchased new September 2021. CONFIRMED BY DEALER: No. Reported to a Toyota dealer in 2022 under warranty. Dealer test drove, could not reproduce the intermittent condition, took no action. Also reported in writing to Toyota in August 2022; no substantive response. MANUFACTURER REMEDY: In May 2024 Toyota issued TSB T-SB-0047-24, a brake control module software update for this exact low-speed braking condition on 2021-2022 Sienna Hybrids. Warranty had lapsed, so it was applied at owner expense in late June 2026 at ~156,000 miles. The defect persists after Toyota's own remedy. The surge still occurs, including within the past week at ~157,000 miles. REQUEST: A TSB is not a recall — owners are not notified, and the software remedy did not eliminate the defect on this vehicle. Request that ODI evaluate whether this condition warrants a defect investigation and recall.
NHTSA complaint #11750094 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES
Car surged as brakes were applied when stopping. Very dangerous. Could have easily rear-ended another vehicle. Surge was immediate and occurred when brake was being applied. Not confirmed yet, but another driver of vehicle told me of having similar problems when braking this car. Very scary. No warnings or messsages.
NHTSA complaint #11747761 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES
The car will occassionally lurch forward while braking. It's somewhat random but most often happens when going down a slight hill. My best guess is that there is an issue with the transition from regenerative braking to mechanical braking. It feels like the vehicle momentarily looses contact with the brakes and that the brake pedal has to be pushed down another inch or two to reengage. My concern is that if this happens at the wrong time that I will get in an accident. This has happened ever since I bought it. It's not very often, maybe once a week. Speeds have been variable from under 25 to highway speeds.
NHTSA complaint #11746694 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES
Less than 1000 miles on my car i do not remember exact dates hence i have added todays date for incident date.All three incident happend in three different days. Scenario 1 two times. Scenario 2 one time --- SCENARIO 1: Curved Road / No Lane Markings --- Conditions: ACC set at 25 MPH on an undivided two-way road with no lane markings. Parked vehicles present at curves; oncoming traffic at safe distance. Issue: On two separate occasions, the vehicle applied sudden, significant braking without driver input while navigating curves. No imminent collision risk existed. The abrupt speed reduction created a rear-end hazard from following traffic. Reported to Toyota support: YES --- SCENARIO 2: Michigan Left Turn Lane / 40 MPH --- Conditions: ACC active at 40 MPH on a multi-lane road with a dedicated Michigan Left turn lane. Forward path in my lane was clear. Issue: A vehicle ahead moved into the Michigan Left turn lane and began decelerating. As my vehicle accelerated (path now clear) and was still slightly behind — approaching but not yet parallel to — the turning vehicle, the system applied brief unexpected braking. The turning vehicle then moved further forward to complete its Michigan Left maneuver ; my vehicle resumed normal speed when some diagonal distance had been seen. Reported to Toyota support: NO ACTION REQUESTED: Investigate whether Toyota Sienna's PCS/ACC (1) miscalibrates object detection on unmarked curved roads and (2) fails to distinguish lateral vehicles from forward obstacles. Software update or remedy may be warranted.
NHTSA complaint #11745053 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES
When approaching a stop sign or light and while the brake is already engaged the car will accelerate lunging the car forward from 3-10ft while driver maintains the same pressure on the break pedal.
NHTSA complaint #11744764 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES
My 2021 Toyota Sienna Hybrid has an intermittent and dangerous brake failure where the brakes suddenly release pressure during normal braking. When slowing down—especially at lower speeds or approaching a stop—the brake pedal briefly loses resistance and the vehicle surges forward as if the brakes let go. I must immediately re‑apply hard pedal pressure to avoid rolling into traffic or another vehicle. The vehicle as a result can stop up to six feet past the intended stopping point in some instances. This issue is unpredictable and has occurred multiple times. It creates a serious safety risk. Toyota performed T‑SB‑0047‑24 (Brake ECU Reprogramming) on my vehicle, whereafter the brakes seemed to function normally for several months, but the problem resurfaced and occurred threee time in one week in May of 2026, which prompted me to bring it backk to Toyota for another look. The dealer has been unable to reproduce the issue and therefore has not repaired it. The veicle has been returned to me, and continues to have the problem intermittently at a random frequency. Toyota corporate Brand Engagement Center has been notified, and a case was opened (Ref # 260528002416). This case was closed however after telling me that the dealership connot reproduce the problem, therefore they cannot repair it. This appears to be a brake control defect involving the hybrid brake‑by‑wire system. Because the failure is intermittent and leaves no diagnostic codes, it is extremely difficult for the dealer to diagnose, but the safety risk is severe. I'd like to advise that I have owned and driven earlier hybrid models (2012-14) that never exhibited this type of brake failure. I'd also like to point out... an internet search of this problem reveals that this problem seems to be prevelant in newer Toyota hybrid models. This was confirmed by the service manager at my local dealership. I have not been informed of any continuing engineering efforts given the failure of the TSB.
NHTSA complaint #11741894 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES
Stepping on brakes - Car slows then accelerates a few seconds and lunges forward a couple of feet. Extreme safety issue. This occurred yesterday with my sister in the car and we almost rear ended the vehicle stopped in front of us. I have complained to the Cumberland Toyota dealership in the past and was told if they cant recreate the issue and it doesn't happen all the time there is no way to fix the issue. Yesterday I was almost in an accident because of this faulty design/anomaly associated with my car. This lunging forward is not suppose to happen and I want it fixed Toyota needs to come up with a resolution before it kills me. I have purchased this vehicle new 2024 and it has been happening since purchase - NOW its really bad
NHTSA complaint #11738078 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES
The brakes on the hybrid system release during braking. Which send the van lurching forward, this typically happens a lower speeds, under 20mph. Which makes it unsafe as you do not stop when you are expecting.
NHTSA complaint #11736558 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES
while braking and coming to a stop the van surges forward (while brakes are being applied). This has nearly caused accidents on 2 occasions, and has happened 2 other times in the past few months
NHTSA complaint #11735743 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES
When braking, there is a sudden jerk and surge in power at low speeds. It feels like you are losing control of the car. It feels unsafe to drive the car.
NHTSA complaint #11734227 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
The contact owns a 2024 Toyota Sienna Hybrid. The contact stated that while the vehicle was at a complete stop, while attempting to depress the brake pedal, the vehicle unexpectedly lunged forward. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure had occurred several times without a warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer several times; however, the failure could not be duplicated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 31,600.
NHTSA complaint #11733541 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
The contact owns a 2025 Toyota Sienna Hybrid. The contact stated that while driving downhill, the brake pedal was depressed, and the vehicle lurched forward. The failure reoccurred during the transition between braking and charging the braking system. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, but the dealer was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and opened a service task. The failure mileage was approximately 25,000.
NHTSA complaint #11732806 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES
2023 Toyota Sienna occasionally, without warning, "lurches" forward at low speeds when braking. While putting steady pressure on the brake when coming to a stop at a stop sign or traffic light etc. it feels as if the brakes stop applying pressure and if we wouldn't have quick reflexes to brake harder, we would roll out into the road or into the car in front of us. I believe it is something to do with the transition between regenerative braking (vehicle is a hybrid) and the hydraulic braking. I have spoken to Toyota, and they don't have any recall. People posting on online forums seem to believe there is a software update (T-SB-0047-24) that helps address the concern. Toyota charges to diagnose and apply software updates as the vehicle is out of warranty. I believe this to be a safety issue and something Toyota should cover. Based on my online search, there seems to be a lot of people with the same issue. This has been an ongoing issue the last couple of years and I'm thinking it should be reported. I have not brought this to a dealer to have diagnosed. These are largely family vehicles and my wife, and I don't feel very comfortable every time it happens.
NHTSA complaint #11731879 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES
While braking, when the vehicle switches from regenerative braking to conventional, the vehical lurches or momentarily speeds up before stopping. All while brake petal is depressed.
NHTSA complaint #11729063 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES
I am reporting a possible safety defect in my 2024 Toyota Sienna Hybrid AWD, VIN [XXX] . The vehicle intermittently surges, lurches, or creeps forward while I am pressing the brake pedal and attempting to slow or stop. It feels as though the vehicle briefly adds power or braking force momentarily decreases even though my foot remains on the brake. The sensation is not normal creep alone; it feels like a brief unintended forward push while braking. The problem is intermittent, which makes it difficult to predict, but it creates a safety concern because it can happen when slowing, stopping, or maneuvering at low speed. I am concerned this could increase stopping distance or cause the vehicle to move forward unexpectedly. I am requesting investigation of possible defects involving the braking system, hybrid regenerative braking transition, brake actuator, pedal sensing, or related control software. It happens daily. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11728879 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES
Front brakes make a clicking noise that happens when accelerating and breaking, the brake pads may have some play or even the calipers may be malfunctioning. Vehicle is still under warranty and Toyota service center refuses to address the issue. They want me to spend $160+ to have them grease the brake pads, but they don't guarantee that this will fix the problem. On a fairly new hybrid van that has almost no wear on the brakes, this shouldn't happen, and when it does, Toyota should acknowledge and address the issue.
NHTSA complaint #11720630 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
The contact owns a 2022 Toyota Sienna Hybrid. The contact stated that while driving 25 MPH, the vehicle crashed into the rear of a stationary vehicle; however, the air bags failed to deploy. Additionally, the ABS failed to activate as designed. The contact sustained a back injury upon impact; however, medical attention was not sought. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 84,751.
NHTSA complaint #11719419 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES
The car jerks when coming to a stop. Like when the regenerative system is disengaged it jerks. For the Adaptive cruise control the car will accelerate instead of braking when another car merges in front of you.
NHTSA complaint #11717402 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.