The 2022 Toyota Sienna temporarily accelerates or surges forward while braking, or has a momentary loss of braking / deceleration before it re-engages in braking.
Toyota Redundant Sienna brake failure problems
11 of the 284 owner complaints about the Toyota Redundant Sienna describe brake failure, most of them for the 2021 model year.
- owner complaints
- 11
- worst model year
- 2021
Is there a fix? No recall or service bulletin covers this area of the car yet.
By model year
Often reported together
What owners say
Unexpected sudden acceleration (when braking) as I was slowing down from exiting a highway, just as I was approaching full stop, it felt like the regenerative braking stopped grabbing momentarily and I violently lurched forward for what seemed like a feet or two. I thought it was a fluke back then and thought nothing of it. It just happened again today as I approached a stop sign - again as I neared complete stop with brake depressed it felt like the brake stopped working for a second and the car again lurched forward violently as if I had lost control for what seemed like a foot. Would have hit the car in front of me if there was one.
When braking, the brakes will unexpectedly slip. There is generally a loss of brake and a split-second surge that is rather like acceleration (since the car is no longer being slowed down by the brakes). This occurs unexpectedly, unpredictably and without any warning. Having the car suddenly move forwards without brakes is dangerous and could cause the car to hit a pedestrian or another car. This has also happened multiple times while angle parking which almost caused a collision. Two Toyota dealers and a Firestone Tire Center have been unable to replicate the braking issue and tell me that there is no problem with the braking system. I have had both of them inspect the car multiples times, and the issue continues to happen.
While braking at around 15 mph there is a sudden loss of braking force that causes the car to surge forward. This happens as the car switches from regenerative braking to pad braking. It has almost caused an accident a few times for me.
Experienced it a number of times intermittently. When making a stop from about 25-30 mph, just before making a full stop (~10mph) while foot on the break, the vehicle lunge for a split second. The feeling of loss of braking power. At number of times, I thought I was going to rear end the veh in front of me. The last time I experienced it was last Aug 7.
The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Sienna. The contact stated that while his wife was parking, she depressed the brake pedal however, the vehicle failed to stop. A message displayed on the instrument panel “Parking brake failure see dealer”. As a result, the vehicle crashed into a wall. The air bags failed to deploy. The contact’s wife sustained injury to her neck and shoulder. Medical attention was required. A police report was not filed. The vehicle was towed to the undisclosed dealer’s service center lot. The vehicle had not yet been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was advised to contact the federal safety agency Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 28,800. The contact stated that their vehicle continues to display the same message about the parking brake. They are unwilling to drive their vehicle.
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??
Our 2022 Hybrid Toyota Sienna will randomly have a loss of brakes for several seconds while in the middle of a stopping situation. The vehicle seems to lurch forward with the brake pedal going soft. After cramming my foot as hard as possible into the brake pedal I have been able to get it to stop so far, however my stop distance is much longer than anticipated. It seems to be getting worse in the past week with 2 of these episodes occurring. In the past year it has happened approximately 5 times. Each time is highly distressing. We have taken it to one Toyota dealership so far that could not find anything wrong with the brakes and have another appt in July with a second Toyota dealership. I find similar experiences described online from other 2022 Hybrid Toyota Sienna owners. I feel an obligation to report this because it is life threatening to be without brakes for even a few seconds while driving. There are no warning messages that appear when this brake failure occurs and it has not been reproducible.
When braking under a load - such as braking while descending a hill - the vehicle will be slowing as anticipated when the brakes are applied, and then for a split second the vehicle feels like the brakes disengage. The pedal pressure doesn't change. The vehicle may not actually speed up, but it definitely feels like it's no longer decelerating. Then a split second later the brakes kick in again and the car responds as expected. This happens nearly every day I drive the vehicle and has since it was new. I've got 28000 miles on it now. I've not hit anything as a result, but it makes for a stressful few seconds - even though I now anticipate it will happen. The explanation I've been given is that the sensation of momentary brake failure is the vehicle transitioning between regenerative braking and mechanical braking. However, this definitely doesn't seem like a normal and acceptable way for a vehicle to function.
While traveling in the far left lane of a four lane highway with a speed limit of 70 mph my car started to fish tale but I was able to control it. The cars behind me saw the blowout of my rear passenger tire and slowed down so that I could move to the far right breakdown lane. No warning light came on at any time to alert me of any problems with any of the tires. I always maintain the correct tire pressure. I had a tire company replace all four tires because I was afraid of the other three tires doing the same thing. When I picked up my car the next day the service dept said the brakes didn't work. I had to have the Sienna towed to a Toyota dealer to repair a crushed brake line caused by the blowout. We kept the tire and have taken many pictures.
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the Toyota Redundant Sienna brake failure
Which Toyota Redundant Sienna years have brake failure problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2021 (6 complaints) and 2022 (5 complaints).
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