TOYOTA SIENNA vs TOYOTA TACOMA

The TOYOTA SIENNA (1996–2020, 25 model years) carries 10,768 NHTSA consumer complaints and 49 safety recalls, while the TOYOTA TACOMA (1995–2025, 31 model years) carries 10,506 complaints and 58 recalls. Severity indicators for the pair split as follows: 556 vs 911 crashes, 116 vs 128 fires, and 11 vs 23 reported fatalities.

Raw complaint counts favor whichever nameplate has fewer vehicles on the road, so the cleaner lens is components: which specific part families concentrate each model's filings? For the TOYOTA SIENNA, the leading complaint category is structure:body (1123 filings), followed by structure:body:door and air bags. For the TOYOTA TACOMA, it is structure:body (1211), ahead of suspension and unknown or other. When the two vehicles cluster around the same component, the problem is likely a shared supplier or a shared federal standard under stress; when they diverge, each nameplate has its own defect signature independent of the other.

NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program gives the TOYOTA SIENNA an average 4.7/5 crash-test rating versus 4/5 for the TOYOTA TACOMA, aggregated across all model years with published scores. Use the side-by-side table below as your scorecard, but do not treat it as a verdict. Recall counts tell you how many defects the manufacturer has already been compelled to remedy; complaint counts tell you what owners are still flagging today; and safety ratings tell you how the vehicle performs in standardized barrier tests, three different lenses on the same underlying question. The "also compare" links at the bottom of this page let you triangulate against neighboring nameplates in each model's competitive set.