2018 Toyota Sienna — Known Issues & Recalls

Your 2018 Sienna is making a whining noise when you accelerate, and a mechanic has determined the transmission is failing. At under 140,000 miles, this is unexpected for a Toyota, and repair costs are estimated between $6,500–$7,000. Both the dealer and Toyota have declined to help with warranty coverage or assistance.

Your 2018 Toyota Sienna developed a whining noise and hesitation while accelerating up a hill at 30 MPH around 126,000 miles. A dealer diagnosed the issue as transmission failure. The repair will likely involve transmission servicing, rebuild, or replacement.

Your transmission is making a whining noise, and a P27137F error code has appeared on your dashboard. Your vehicle is currently only operating in 2-wheel drive mode instead of its normal setting. You're worried about driving it because the problem could get worse or leave you stranded on the road.

While driving with children in your van, you experienced a sudden loss of acceleration power and a warning light appeared indicating an electronic control problem with the engine, throttle, or transmission. The dealership diagnosed that both the transmission solenoid and the entire transmission had failed and needed complete replacement, despite regular dealership maintenance and only 89,388 miles on the vehicle.

Your transmission makes a high-pitched whining noise and hesitates when accelerating from a stop in low gear. This appears to be a known issue with this transmission model that may warrant a recall.

Your vehicle makes a whining noise when you're driving and pressing the accelerator. A dealership confirmed that your transmission is failing and needs to be replaced. This will require a complete transmission replacement to resolve the issue.

Your transmission's default economy mode creates a safety concern by starting in a higher gear (3rd or 4th) and limiting engine power from a stop, making acceleration sluggish when turning at stop signs or merging into traffic. The engine struggles (lugging) and won't downshift when you need to speed up, but this problem disappears when you disable eco-mode or switch to sport mode. The transmission programming may need adjustment to allow proper gear selection during these driving situations.

Your Sienna makes a whining or humming noise during acceleration that has been getting worse over several months or longer. You've also noticed a delay when pressing the gas pedal before the vehicle actually accelerates, which has created unsafe situations where other vehicles have nearly hit you from behind. The transmission may need inspection or replacement to address the noise and acceleration delay.

Your 2018 Sienna experienced hesitation during acceleration and displayed multiple warning lights along with a "Pull Over - Take to Dealer" message. The dealer determined your transmission needed replacement, but the repair was not completed. Toyota confirmed your vehicle isn't covered under their transmission support program for this issue, despite the problem occurring at 132,000 miles.

Your fuel line under the intake ruptured when you started your car, causing fuel to leak. The repair shop indicated this type of failure is unusual. You're fortunate the engine wasn't hot at the time, as this could have created a fire hazard. The repair will likely involve replacing the damaged fuel line.

After your Sienna had the fuel system recall repair done, gasoline has leaked from the vehicle three separate times. During one incident, your family was in the car and the gas smell was very strong, making it unsafe to drive. The dealership says you need a $1,400 fuel pressure hose and clamp replacement, which you believe is related to how they performed the original recall repair. You're requesting Toyota investigate whether this repair should be covered under warranty instead of charging you.

Your van hesitates when you press the gas pedal—both from a stop and while driving at speed—causing a noticeable delay before the engine responds. This creates a safety concern when you need to accelerate quickly to merge into traffic. The issue has been present since you purchased the van and may be related to a fuel system problem. A fuel system inspection and possible fuel filter replacement may be needed to restore normal acceleration response.

You purchased a 2018 Toyota Sienna from a dealer that showed 57,000 miles at the time of sale. When you attempted to register the vehicle, you discovered the actual mileage was 175,152 miles — a significant discrepancy suggesting the odometer may have been tampered with or rolled back. This is a case of potential odometer fraud that should be reported to Toyota and your state's consumer protection agency.

Your 2018 Sienna was hit from behind at 70 MPH, causing it to lose control, roll over multiple times, and end up in a ditch. While the side airbags deployed, the front airbags did not deploy during the crash. You and your family members sustained multiple injuries including bruised ribs, hip and shoulder contusions, concussions, and whiplash. Determining why the front airbags failed to deploy during this severe collision will likely require a diagnostic inspection of the airbag system's sensors and control module.

Your Sienna experienced sudden jerking and complete loss of power while driving, and on multiple occasions the engine shut off on its own. Even though the fuel pump was replaced under recall in 2020, the problem came back and has continued to happen. The dealer couldn't reproduce the issue during testing, so the root cause remains undiagnosed.

Your hand control unit (adaptive equipment that allows you to operate the vehicle with your hands) displayed error messages telling you to stop immediately. Two error codes appeared: 4209 BSM and 1069 SAM, indicating a malfunction in the hand control system. You may need to have the hand control unit inspected and repaired or replaced by the installation facility.

Your 2018 Toyota Sienna's Safety Connect emergency system isn't working. The dealer has tried turning the data system on and resetting the DCM module twice, but it still hasn't come back online. You'll notice there are no lights showing on the overhead panel where the SOS button is located. This likely requires a dealer visit to diagnose and possibly replace the DCM (Data Communication Module) or related Safety Connect hardware.

The owner reported an electrical system issue affecting the airbags and engine components. No crash or fire was involved. The specific nature of the electrical problem was not detailed in the complaint.

While driving at 70 mph, your sunroof glass suddenly shattered and exploded without any impact or warning signs. The dealer confirmed the glass needed to be replaced. This is a known issue that Toyota is aware of.

Your passenger sliding door cable broke, but this problem isn't covered under the current Toyota service bulletin. The cable that operates the power sliding door on the driver's side of your vehicle failed. Fixing this will likely require replacing the broken cable assembly in the sliding door mechanism.