Differential Unit Problems of Toyota Sienna

The contact owns a 2012 Toyota Sienna. The contact stated that the rear differential was making an abnormal whirling and grinding sound. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact called the local dealer but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to NHTSA. The approximate failure mileage was 79,000.

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The rear differential is causing a whirling sound. The sound only occurs when the vehicle is on drive. I don't hear the same high pitched whirling sound when the car is in reverse. This is a common problem with this generation of Sienna. Toyota has a recall for this issue on the rav 4 but not the Sienna.

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My 2012 Toyota Sienna recently began making a loud whining noise from the rear axle area. Upon inspection, we were informed that the differential unit was failing and needed to be replaced. This would cost us between $2,500-$3,000. After some research, I discovered that this is a common problem with the Sienna, likely caused by a design flaw. The same unit was used on the rav-4, and after similar problems surfaced it was recalled and fixed by Toyota. Given the danger posed by failure of this part to a family vehicle, and the known existence of the problem by Toyota, it seems obvious that it should be immediately recalled and fixed by the manufacturer.

Van started having a propane/musty smell inside cabin while driving on highway. Van just had cabin filters replaced and auto shop stated the rear differential and coupler were blown and to get a used part and replace it would be $4300. The van is a 2013 with 86,000 miles on it. The rav-4 has the exact same part under a recall. How different could the parts be in the same company for 2 vehicles like this? it seems like Toyota should be issuing a recall for this problem as I just read about 6 other people who had the exact same problem in the last 6 months alone all with vehicles with relatively low mileage. This is a disservice to loyal Toyota customers and a huge safety issue to people driving their families in these Mini-vans.

Rear coupler for rear differential bearings are grinding creating whirring noise and need to be replaced by dealer.

Noise from rear differential. Bearing in the viscous coupler appears to be bad and a common issue-too common for this to not be a recall.

Unit is producing a speed dependent whine from the rear differential consistent with a bearing failure in the viscous coupler. Issue first observed with approximately 98,000 miles on odometer. This appears to be a common component failure on many Toyota awd vehicles manufactured in the last 15-20 years, and the component in question may be under-engineered to perform as expected in normal driving conditions. Replacement part costs $1300+ from Toyota, not including installation.

Rear differential failed at 143k miles.

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The rear differential coupling was worn on my car. There had been a recall for this problem on the rav-4 but not on the Sienna. I believe this is a defect that should be looked into. I was in the dealership and quoted me $2,500 for my Sienna with only 40k miles on my car this is a major problem to get into with this little milage on it. The rear differential caused a very loud noise in the car that made it.

The rear differential coupling was worn on my car. There had been a recall for this pet on the rav-4 but not on the Sienna. I believe this is a defect that should be looked into. The rear differential caused a very loud noise in the car that made it almost impossible to have a conversation from the third row to the front seat.

Says my rear differential - viscous coupler- is bad and needs to be replaced at a cost oof at least $1,300 and that doesn't include installation. Happened just as car went over 100,000 miles and is covered in rav 4 bc had same problem but not 2012 Sienna nothing happened except it suddenly started not because of anything I did.

Rear differential- viscous coupler making a whirring noise while driving. Toyota rav4 was issued a recall for the same problem. Toyota Sienna needs one as well. It is a common failure of the bearing parts.

The rear differential bearing started making a great deal of noise proportional to speed of vehicle. This is a safety problem. Part must be replaced at cost of nearly $3,000. Vehicle only has 65,000 miles and is only 2 months out of warranty. Research I have done reveals that this is a common problem with this vehicle. The dealer had the part in stock, which also suggests that this is a common problem. A recall was done for rav4. A recall should be done for the same issue for the siena.

My 2012 Sienna awd xle has 103k miles and has a whirring noise coming from the rear differential area for a while now. The pitch and volume is proportional to speed and is louder as speed increases. My research tells me this is a common defect with the coupling bearings in front of the rear differential. It seems that rav4 owners got a recall for the same issue, but Sienna owners did not. Toyota has redesigned this part on later models to avoid the issue. Hope you can get this resolved. Thanks.

Rear differential making a growling noise. Was told by Toyota that the viscous coupler bearing is bad. Cost to replace coupler is from $1900. 00 to $3000. 00 dollars. Car only had 115000 mile on it when it started to make noise. Bought a used rear end with 69000 miles on it and again it to is starting to make the same noise at just over 100000. What is up with your rear ends. I can't afford another one. Is there a recall?that rear end is only 1yr. Old. Out off warranty.

Whirring noise from the rear differential while the vehicle is in motion. The pitch of the whir gets higher as the vehicle accelerates. Cause is a faulty bearing in the electromagnetic coupler assembly.

When accelerating vehicle makes loud humming noise. Stops when you take your foot off the gas. I was told it is the rear differential. I have read many complaints about this faulty part. Why is this not being investigated? $2000 repair.

Rear differential has failed at only 60k miles. Well documented issue for awd Sienna models yet no recall issued. Safety concern for this family of five.

Tl the contact owns a 2011 Toyota Sienna. While driving approximately 25 mph and attempting to turn, a growling noise was heard from the rear of the vehicle without warning. The vehicle was taken to prime Toyota route 2 (978-353-1700, located at 700 old union turnpike, lancaster, MA 01523) to be diagnosed, but the failure could not be duplicated. The failure recurred and the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed and replaced the rear differential. The failure was remedied. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 64,000.

Rear differential coupler dysfunctional without no reason. All of the Sienna especially awd are suffering from this issue. Toyota denies to cover it.

At my 120,000 service, the Toyota dealer technician reported a leaking front differential. He said it would take 16 hours to repair. The technician also mentioned that he had 3 Toyota cars currently in the shop for the same thing. This seems beyond coincidental. Clearly, Toyota has a problem with leaking seals. The difficulty to fix this problem translated into a bill of $1,404. 60 plus $31. 79 for a rental car. The bill may have been more: the car's rack and pinion was also leaking, so some of the labor was shared with that job. This amount seems extreme and either Toyota has faulty seals or, if this is a "normal" wear and tear item at 120,000 miles, Toyota has made it way too difficult to fix. Either way, this amount of expense is inordinate.

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The contact owns a 2011 Toyota Sienna. The contact stated that the rear differential coupling failed to function. Colonial Toyota dealer (550 george washington hwy, smithfield, ri 02917, (401) 723-0972) indicated that the part needed to be replaced. The manufacturer stated that the Toyota rav4 various year models had the same part; however, the contact's model vehicle was not yet included in the recall. The contact was uncertain if the vehicle would be repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 86,000.

At appx 50-60k miles, my rear differential began making a loud whirring sound. No specific 'time' of failure. . Just a gradual buzzing noise. Diagnosed as a bearing failure in a coupler from the local Toyota service dept. $2500. 00 fix. Research shows the rav 4 to have had same faulty problem, but there was a recall for rav 4 owners. Why not a recall for Siennas? one would think Toyota would assume Siennas were bought for large families, packed with children, etc, and would place a recall first and foremost. Many people have posted online on forums and youtube about this problem. I have been corresponding to multiple groups in order to bring more attention and action to promote this fault and get proper compensation to get this fixed. The vehicle is very loud, expecially on the highway. Very unsafe.

I'm owner of Toyota Sienna 2011 5 years 2-nd owner 79k miles and experience whirring noise in rear differential after visiting Toyota dealers without any success accept price tag for replacement rear differential coupler. After that do some research and find the other owners experience that same issue find that TSB #TSB-0080-13 NHTSA id #10052631 with model rav4 use this same differential coupler have extra extended warranty because of that issue. How safety right now is car to drive I don't know in my case with 3 kids aboard I will replace that differential coupler on my cost right now, and do some investigation later. Please see upload file with some research I do thank you [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

I have a 2006 Toyota Sienna le with automatic transmission that is currently at 76256 miles. I had bought it new. (delivery date 1-Jan-2007) on 20-Dec-2012, at 75800 miles, I noticed a whirring sound (like a turbo whine) when I lifted my foot off the gas (no load) around 45 mph. The grinding/whirring noise would be most apparent between 25 mph to 45 mph. I took it to my nearest Toyota dealership on 31-Dec-2012 for checkup ( 76257 miles at the time) and they diagnosed that the transmission was going bad and will need to be replaced. The exact diagnosis was that the "side carrier bearing inside of the differential is making the noise. Need new transmission - $5700. 00". The estimated cost is $5700. 00 this looks like a design flaw in the transmission, I am the original owner and have driven the van with lot of care. It is unacceptable that the Toyota transmission would start to fail at less that 76000 miles. I had bought a Toyota van assuming that their vehicles are reliable. I believe there are many 2006 Toyota Siennas on the road that will start having this problem. This can cause a hazardous situation if the transmission fails on a highway causing an accident. Toyota should provide extended warranty for the Sienna transmission just like they did for rav4 2001-2003 model when they extended that warranty to 10 years or 150,000 miles.

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Car rolled back while on a slope with parking brake fully applied, in park, and engine off. Rolled back about 6-9 inches as soon as footbrake was released, with a child immediately behind car at that time. I later found the problem is a worn rear differential front support arm used on all Sienna awd's, and likely other Toyota's that share the same awd drivetrain design. Per the Toyota owner boards, it apparently commonly fails and sells for over $200 for just the part. However, it really concerns me here because when it fails, it allows play in the driveline, which then results in the car being able to roll for 6 inches plus even w/ parking brake applied until it reaches the limit of its play. On a slope and with someone just in front or behind the car that could result in serious injury or even death by either impact or crushing. Dangerous design and poor reliability.

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The differential/transmission on my 2000 Toyota Sienna is failing. It was diagnosed at under 100,000 miles. I am the original owner and have completed all required service.

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The contact received a warranty extension for transmission problems. The vehicle was making noise. The transmission had no other noticeable problems at this point. The mechanic, who looked at the vehicle, stated the transmission will have to be replaced soon. The mechanic said it was making noise due to defective differential and the transmission was slipping. The service manager stated that Toyota would provide the part, and the contact would have to pay for the labor. Update 1/4/2006 -.

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