2017 Toyota Sienna: whining or grinding noise

Filed Oct 31, 2026 · Transmission · AZ

I own a 2017 Toyota Sienna XLE Premium, FWD, 8-passenger,equipped with the UA80E automatic transmission. At approximately 150,000 miles, the transmission began making a whine in 3rd gear and higher, most noticeable under steady throttle and worse after the vehicle warms up. The sound appears to come from the transmission, but the exact failed component has not been confirmed. A drain and refill with Toyota ATF WS reduced the noise temporarily, but it returned after about 1,000 . The vehicle had approximately 156,000 miles when I last tracked the issue. I am concerned this may be an internal transmission bearing or other component failure. A transmission replacement or rebuild could cost thousands of dollars and Toyota has a ZJC but I’m told my vehicle isn’t covered although it fits the dates and requirements. I am reporting this issue to document the failure and ask the federal safety agency to investigate whether other 2017 Sienna vehicles equipped with the UA80E transmission experience similar whining or premature internal wear.

Filed Oct 20, 2026 · Transmission · 95,000 miles · NC

The contact owns a 2017 Toyota Sienna. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, a whining noise was coming from the transmission. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who diagnosed that the transmission was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The contact was informed of the extended coverage related to the failure. The failure mileage was 95,000.

Filed Jul 11, 2026 · Transmission · CA

I, as well as other owners of 2017–2018 Toyota Highlanders and 2017–2018 Siennas are experiencing serious transmission issues—including high-pitched whining, erratic shifting, clunks, hesitation, and premature failure. My 2017 Toyota Sienna has the UA80 8-speed automatic transmission at issue and started whining upon acceleration in March/April 2026 timeframe. It has always had the clunking and hesitation problem. According to Gears Magazine, the issue stems from a flawed assembly process involving the counter drive gear support. A locking tab meant to secure a vital retaining nut was not bent properly during factory assembly. This leads to gear movement, internal wear, whining, and eventually failure. Unknown to me, in 2019, Toyota had acknowledged the problem in Technical Service Bulletins T-SB-0160-18, T-SB-0008-21, which only go to dealers, and implemented a limited Customer Support Program (CSP ZJC)—but only offered coverage to a narrow group of VINs, not to all VINs for model years that have these transmissions. My car is experiencing these same symptoms. My Toyota Dealer confirmed this problem and recommended a transmission replacement for $11,000 including labor. They said my VIN was not included in the Customer Support Program. Driving with a failing transmission is highly dangerous. A bad transmission can cause sudden power loss causing the car to halt to a sudden stop, unintended acceleration, or my car might get stuck in neutral while driving. I could lose control or be unable to get to the shoulder on the highway, cause a rear-end collision, or get stuck in busy traffic. DESIRED OUTCOME REQUEST: My VIN should be covered under the Customer Support Program in the category of cars that are “less than 10 years old regardless of mileage” or a full recall of all VINs of these model years with these transmissions should be executed. Thank you.

Filed Jun 5, 2026 · Transmission · NC

We experienced a high whine for a couple of months. No codes were being read by any mechanics. Then the transmission started slipping between 2nd and 3rd gears, and then we couldn’t reverse. Now it’s not switching gears at all. There is a recall for our year and type of transmission, for this issue, but our vin number is not included in that recall.

Filed May 14, 2026 · Transmission · NC

I am writing to report a safety defect regarding the 8-speed automatic transmission in my 2017 Toyota Sienna. The vehicle exhibits severe hesitation during acceleration, harsh shifting, and a high-pitched whining noise, specifically consistent with the 'whine of death' described in Toyota's Customer Support Program ZJC and related Technical Service Bulletin T-SB-0160-18.Despite these identical symptoms, my vehicle’s VIN is not included in the coverage list. This hesitation during acceleration creates a serious safety issue, as the car fails to accelerate unexpectedly when attempting to merge or cross traffic. My vehicle is equipped with the UA80F/E transmission, which is documented to have a faulty assembly (improperly bent washer tab). I request that the federal safety agency investigate the exclusion of my VIN from this program, as the defect poses a significant risk to passenger safety and the safety of others on the road.

Filed Apr 16, 2026 · Transmission · NY

My transmission has started with a whining noise, Toyota knows about this issue with thousands of cases regarding the faulty transmission, yet only a few are being covered under a customer support bulletin ZJC. We need to hold Toyota responsible for this issue. We were just told today they won't help us at all. Yet now we are left with a van that we can't use and if we decide to fix it for 10k they are saying the transmission is backordered for months We had to pay Toyota $180 to diagnosis what we already knew was wrong with the vehicle so they would even consider if they would cover it.

Filed Feb 26, 2026 · Engine · NV

Whining noise upon acceleration

Filed Feb 20, 2026 · Transmission · IL

In July of 2025 my 2017 Sienna started making a whine noise. Took it to mechanic and he stated it was likely coming from transmission but recommended we take it to Toyota dealership to confirm. So we took it to Toyota and sure enough they said the transmission was failing. They said it was due to high mileage but it only had just over 150,000 at time of incident. After doing some research on line and talking with other Sienna owners I believe our Sienna should fall under the UA-80 recall.

Filed Feb 17, 2026 · Transmission · PA

The transmission started making a whining sound. There is a Toyota customer support bulletin pol19-04 that mentions this issue however the dealer says this car is not covered

Filed Jan 20, 2026 · Transmission · 120,000 miles · CO

The contact owns a 2017 Toyota Sienna. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, reversing, and then while driving 20 MPH, there was an abnormal whining sound coming from the front of the vehicle. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and was currently being diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to Technical Service Bulletin: TSB-0160-18 (Transaxle Whine Noise, Harsh Shift, MIL ON, or Reduced Power); however, the VIN was not included in the bulletin. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the federal safety agency Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was 120,000.

Filed Jan 5, 2026 · Transmission · NJ

My 2017 Sienna has whine noise coming from transmission, the vehicle was inspected by Toyota dealership and confirmed that the noise is coming from Transmission. Toyota has already issued a recall for the 2017 Sienna with Transmission UA80 under program ZJC. My vehicle has the same issue, however, it is not being covered as it is UA80E. This issue seems common among all the 2017 model irrespective of transmission number. However, Toyota is not providing support to all customer and have limited to a only one transmission number.

Filed Nov 6, 2025 · Transmission · 136,000 miles · TN

The contact owns a 2017 Toyota Sienna. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30-40 MPH and releasing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle made an abnormal whining sound that progressively became louder. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed, and it was determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and denied assistance in covering the cost of the repair. The failure mileage was approximately 136,000