YearToAvoid

2008 Toyota Sienna Reliability Data: Problems & Recalls

Caution The 2008 Toyota Sienna has a Complaint Index of 73 and ranks 5th worst out of 16 model years, earning a Caution verdict. NHTSA lists 429 complaints, 9 recall campaigns, and a top problem area of Structure & Body (29% of complaints).

Based on NHTSA complaints per model-year, not a reliability rating. Methodology

YearToAvoid Scorecard

Complaint Index
73/100
#5 of 16 Sienna years
Verdict
Caution
vs. other years of this model
Complaints
429
unique NHTSA reports
Recalls
9
distinct NHTSA campaigns
Crashes
37
reported in complaints
Fires
4
Injuries
19
Top issue
Structure & Body
Best nearby year
2016
rated Best
NHTSA overall rating
Not rated
EPA combined MPG
18.5
16.5 city / 22 hwy
Injuries / deaths
19 / 0

Top 2008 Toyota Sienna problems

Share of this year’s NHTSA complaints by component group. Groups with 15+ complaints have their own page.

  1. Structure & Body126 (29%)
  2. Engine99 (23%)
  3. Brakes62 (14%)
  4. Other49 (11%)
  5. Electrical System47 (11%)
  6. Suspension, Wheels & Tires39 (9%)
  7. Transmission & Powertrain38 (9%)
  8. Steering33 (8%)
  9. Airbags14 (3%)
  10. Seat Belts13 (3%)

A complaint can list more than one component, so shares add up to more than 100%. Shares are % of complaints.

What owners report

  • Owners describe sudden unintended acceleration at low speed, including while pulling into parking spots or handicapped spaces, resulting in collisions with posts, fences, or walls.
  • Several reports describe the vehicle lunging forward even after the driver shifted to neutral or reapplied the brake pedal.
  • Brake failure is described during hard stops, including one case in heavy rain at 45 mph that ended in a crash and another during a chain-reaction collision at highway speed.
  • Airbags reportedly failed to deploy in side-impact (t-bone) collisions, leaving occupants without protection despite substantial vehicle damage.
  • Engine-related incidents often coincide with crashes, suggesting a link between reported engine behavior and loss of vehicle control at low speeds.
2008 Toyota Sienna complaints: complaints filed per quarter292007 Q42010 Q22012 Q32014 Q42017 Q12019 Q22021 Q32024 Q4
429 complaints filed with NHTSA from 2007 Q4 to 2026 Q3; peak 2010 Q1 (29).

2008 Toyota Sienna recalls

9 NHTSA recall campaigns list this model year.

  1. NHTSA 16V396000Jun 2, 2016Structure & Body7,749 vehicles

    Seats:front assembly:seat heater/cooler

    Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain 2005-2011 4Runner, Highlander, Sequoia, and Sienna, 2005-2010 Avalon and Tundra, 2006-2008 Camry Solara, 2006-2010 Highlander hybrid, 2006-2011 Rav4 and Tacoma, 2007-2010 FJ Cruiser, 2007-2011 Camry hybrid, 2009-2010 Venza, 2010-2012 Prius, 1988-1990 and 2005-2010 Camry, and 1989 and 2009-2010 Corolla vehicles equipped with aftermarket accessory seat heaters with a copper strand heating element. The electrical wiring in the seat heaters may be damaged when the seat cushion is compressed.

    Risk: If damaged, the copper strand heating element may short circuit, increasing the risk of a fire.

    Remedy: SET will notify owners, and dealers will disconnect the seat heaters, free of charge, and refund the purchase price of the seat heater accessory. The recall began on July 14, 2016. Owners may contact SET customer service at 1-866-405-4226. SET number for this recall is SET16B.

  2. NHTSA 14V743000Nov 19, 2014Structure & Body3,233 vehicles

    Seats:front assembly:seat heater/cooler

    Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain model year 2010-2011 Prius and Corolla, 2009-2011 Venza, 2006-2010 Avalon, 2007-2010 FJ Cruiser, 2005-2011 Sienna and Sequoia, 2006-2011 Tacoma 4x2 and 4x4, Camry, Highlander, Tundra 4x2 and 4x4, and 2007-2011 Rav4 and 4Runner. The affected vehicles may experience compression of the seat cushion which may damage the seat heater wiring.

    Risk: Damage to the seat heater wiring could cause the wires to short, increasing the risk of the seat burning and causing personal injury to the occupant.

    Remedy: SET will notify owners, and dealers will disconnect the heaters with copper strand heating elements and refund the purchase price of the seat heater accessory, free of charge. The recall is expected to began in January 2015. Owners may contact SET customer service at 1-866-405-4226.

  3. NHTSA 14V273000May 22, 2014Suspension, Wheels & Tires419,520 vehicles

    Tires:temporary/emergency spare tire

    Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2004-2011 Sienna vehicles originally sold in, or currently registered in, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia. The affected vehicles have a spare tire carrier assembly mounted under the vehicle whose attachment cable may corrode due to high concentrations of road salt splashing onto the spare tire carrier.

    Risk: If the carrier cable is corroded due to road salt, the spare tire may separate from the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

    Remedy: Toyota sent owners in August 2014 an interim notification to advise owners of the recall and that dealers will perform an interim remedy to remove the spare tire and relocate it to the luggage compartment, free of charge. Owners are being mailed a second letter as parts become available and dealers will replace the spare tire carrier assembly with an improved one, free of charge. The remedy campaign is being performed in phases. The first phase of the recall began July 7, 2015. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. NOTE: 2004-2010 Siennas subject to this recall were subject to recall campaign 10V-160 initiated in 2010. Those owners are advised that they must have their vehicles remedied again under this campaign and that having the earlier recall completed did not remedy their vehicles. Additionally, model year 1998-2003 Siennas were recalled as part of safety recall 10V-160. Owners of those vehicles that have not had not the remedy performed on their vehicles, should contact their Toyota dealer to schedule a free repair.

See all 9 recalls for the 2008 Toyota Sienna →

2008 Toyota Sienna fuel economy and fuel cost

City
16.5 MPG
Highway
22 MPG
Combined
18.5 MPG
Annual fuel cost (EPA)
$3,500
15,000 mi/yr
Fuel
Regular
Current regular gas
$4.32/gal
national avg.

EPA figures; median across configurations of this model year. Estimate your own cost with the fuel cost calculator.

2008 compared with other Sienna years

Complaint Index by model year (0 = fewest issues, 100 = most)0255075100’05’06’07’08’09’10’11’12’13’14’15’16’17’18’19’20
Complaint Index: 0 = fewest issues, 100 = most, relative to other years of this model. Avoid Caution Good Best
YearVerdictIndexComplaintsRecallsMPG
2006Avoid931,0171118
2007Caution673641018.5
2008Caution73429918.5
2009Avoid802071018.5
2010Caution47172818.5

All Toyota Sienna years: best and worst →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2008 Toyota Sienna reliable?
Compared with other Sienna model years, 2008 ranks 5th worst of 16 with a Complaint Index of 73 and a Caution verdict. It has fewer complaints (429) than the worst years like 2005 (1,130) but still shows notable Structure & Body and Engine complaints.
What problems does the 2008 Toyota Sienna have?
NHTSA complaints point to Structure & Body issues (29% of complaints, median mileage 80,000) and Engine issues (23%, median mileage 60,250) as the top problem areas, followed by Brakes at 14%.
Does the 2008 Toyota Sienna have recalls?
Yes, NHTSA lists 9 recall campaigns for the 2008 Sienna, covering Structure & Body, Suspension/Wheels/Tires, Transmission & Powertrain, and other components. None are do-not-drive recalls.
How does the 2008 Sienna compare to other years?
The 2008 Sienna's Complaint Index of 73 is better than 2005 (100) and 2006 (93), both rated Avoid, but worse than later years like 2013 and 2014, which earn a Good verdict with indexes of 33 and 27.
What is the top complaint category for the 2008 Sienna?
Structure & Body complaints lead with 126 reports, 29% of the total, and a median failure mileage of 80,000 miles.

Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation complaint and recall databases; U.S. EPA fuel economy data; NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.

Data updated Sep 24, 2026. Read the methodology and data sources. The Complaint Index is based on NHTSA owner complaints and recalls; it is not a reliability rating.