2021 Toyota Redundant Sienna

The breaks give out to a point where you run the risk of running into someone or something. We've visited Toyota 3 times now complaining of this issue yet they just state it's the regenerative breaks and how they operate. Although the breaking never got to this level of safety concern until we reached around 30,000 miles. I filed a complaint with Toyota that resulted in nothing being done. A couple examples would be sitting at a stop light and the breaks release almost causing us to run into the car in front of us. Pulling into daycare trying to stop while pulling into the parking spot and the breaks release. The last one is while going down hills the breaks seem to let go and the vehicle speeds up. It scared my wife so much that we actually sold the vehicle as Toyota deemed it safe. We loved the vehicle but can't risk the safety of our family.

Since the day I bought the van new from a Toyota dealer, the brakes periodically (roughly once a week) will feel as if I've momentarily let off the brake and tapped the accelerator. In other words, the decelerating van suddenly has a quick surge forward or lunge of acceleration. It seems quite random when this happens. I'm usually applying a gentle to medium amount of braking and the van is traveling somewhere in the 5-35 mph range. I've yet to have any close calls, but it is a scary sensation (as if the brakes have momentarily given out) and I have to quickly react by pressing down harder on the brake pedal. Because it occurs quite randomly, I haven't taken the vehicle to the dealer yet as it is highly unlikely I'll be able to replicate the issue for them. I searched online and saw that hundreds of other Sienna 2021-23 drivers are reporting the same issue. To repeat: the problem has not been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer, nor inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance rep or others. No warning lights come on when this issue happens. I currently have 36,000 miles on the vehicle. The issue has happened almost weekly since I first bought the vehicle.

When the sliding doors are left open for any purpose (cleaning, loading, unloading, sitting in a car, etc.) after approximately 60-minutes the sliding doors are disabled and cannot be closed. The key won't work. The button will not work. The overhead will not work. This poses a threat and danger to driver and passengers in possible and many times probable scenarios. If sitting the car at a park and there is a bee or bug swarm, you would be stung to death by the time you manually closed the doors that will only allow a few inches at a time. If there was a sudden weather change or flash flood. If there was an assailant approaching while you are sitting with your family for a bit with the doors open. Any number of things. I took it to Toyota and they wanted to charge me $150 plus for an assessment, to which I declined because this is their problem, not mine. My request is to have this fixed so the key will at least override the door shut off before someone gets hurt because of this. This has happened twice. I will enter the date it happened on the second time. It is Beechmont Toyota in Anderson Ohio that refused to service me.

The brake sometimes does fade. Hard to explain but a sudden feeling like the car isn't stopping when slowing down for a light or someone crossing or needing to brake. This is potentially very dangerous since today I almost ran a red light because the brake let go briefly. This is a wide known issue and a lot of people are complaining about it, but dealers aren't able to replicate it because it happens and goes. My 2021 Sienna was brand new, and I first had it and thought it was supposed to be like that. The issue disappeared for months before coming back again 4 times this week alone. The car is very well maintained and only taken to dealer. This is an article from a forum of many people also experiencing it: [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Periodically, when I press on the brake to slow down for a red light or stop sign or to make a right hand turn, my van, instead of slowing down, surges forward as if it is accelerating. It feels as if my vehicle jumps forward. I am able to stop the vehicle by slamming on my brakes. I believe my safety and the safety of others is at risk each time this occurs as I worry it will happen when I need to stop suddenly for a pedestrian or for another vehicle. The problem has not been reproduced. The issue occurs sporadically. It may be weeks before it reoccurs. I went for a ride along with a service manager but was unable to reproduce the issue. It has not been inspected except at the dealership. No warning lamps appeared. This issue has been occurring since June 21, 2021. I have kept a log since then.

The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Sienna. The contact stated that while his wife was fueling the vehicle, his 5-year-old son pressed the automatic rear driver's side sliding door switch and the door opened, bumped, and scraped the fuel door. The contact's wife immediately stopped fueling the vehicle. The contact stated that the vehicle was designed with an automatic door lock that should engage to prevent the rear driver's side sliding door from opening and bumping into the fuel door while fueling the vehicle; however, the automatic door lock failed to engage. The contact stated that he was concerned that the failure had caused metal fragments intrusion in the fuel tank. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the cause for the failure could not be determined. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the dealer for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 49,000.

Since we have owned the vehicle (April 2021), we've had three separate incidences where, when pulling out into traffic from a stop, and the accelerator (gas pedal) is pushed, the vehicle begins to move, but then power is immediately lost, leaving you stuck for a moment. Each time has been temporary, and when the pedal is released and depressed again, the vehicle begins moving. However, this sudden loss of acceleration and few second delay in movement of the vehicle now in the path of oncoming traffic can lead to an accident. The most recent occasion happened on July 24, 2023. We've reported the problem to the dealer two times, the most recent today, July 28, 2023, with no resolution.

went to stop, so I pressed on the brake pedal. as I slowed down, the brakes released and the vehicle surged forward suddenly as if the accelerator pedal had been pressed. i panic stomped the brake pedal and the vehicle started braking again with a sudden hard stop. The pedal had to be lifted and depressed again for the brakes to reactivate. during this short time, the vehicle surged forward and accelerated. No, I was not pressing the accelerator pedal. Yes, the vehicle is available for inspection. The vehicle surged forward suddenly while braking. I was not pressing the accelerator pedal. There was no one in front of me, but had there been, I am unsure if the vehicle would have stopped in time, or if the AEB would have even worked, seeing as I was pressing the pedal and the brakes were not working. toyota has said that nothing is wrong, and that I am feeling the "transition" between regen braking and friction braking, except, the vehicle GAINED speed, as if power was being applied to the electric motors instead of regen resistance drag. The brake pedal no longer worked, and the fake "tachometer" went from in the "CHG" section of the tach to the "neutral" position, despite me pressing the brake pedal. I did not have time to see if it went up, as I had to lift up and stomp on the pedal again to get it to actually stop at the stop sign. I have been unable to reproduce this issue on demand, as I cannot quite figure out the conditions that trigger it, as it seems completely at random when it does it. I have some ideas, but toyota has been unwilling to listen or address it. every time a dealer tech sits in the van with me and connects their computer, it won't do it, and they won't leave it connected to the car long enough for me to drive/record a whole day or two to get it triggered. There are no warning lights or messages on the dash.

2021 Toyota Sienna Hybrid. The following has been true from the beginning of ownership of new Sienna. When braking for a turn or stop, as speed drops below about 10-15 MPH, there can be a sudden power/speed surge and lurching forward that lasts for 1-2 seconds. This feels as if there are no brakes at all for those 1-2 seconds Dealer says that that's just the way that hybrids are, that once your speed drops below when the EV system had been regenerating electrical energy. But it is scary because, if for example a child jumped in front of the car at that moment, there may not be adequate braking. The dealer says there is no software fix to smooth the transition from regenerative braking to "normal" braking. WHY ISN'T THERE??