Toyota is recalling 228,367 Sienna Hybrid minivans in the United States because a seat belt safety device can cause second-row seat backs to unlock in certain frontal crashes, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The Toyota Sienna Hybrid recall covers seven-passenger vans from the 2022 through 2026 model years built between Sept. 16, 2021, and July 20, 2026.
The trouble starts with the pretensioner, the device that pulls a seat belt tight in a crash. Each second-row seat in these vans has its own integrated belt and pretensioner. Under a specific mix of crash forces, seat back movement and pretensioner timing, the load can make the recliner mechanism oscillate until it disengages, autoevolution reported. An unsecured seat back may fail to protect the person sitting in it, raising the risk of injury.
How Toyota Found The Problem
Toyota’s investigation began in January 2025, when a recliner disengaged during sled tests of a modified seat and seat belt for a future model, autoevolution reported. Testing continued through August 2026, and Toyota also recovered second-row seats from vehicles in the field to check their recliners. Full-vehicle crash tests in September and October reproduced the condition.
Toyota told NHTSA it isn’t aware of any warranty claims or field reports tied to the problem, Consumer Reports reported. CarBuzz reported that the filing didn’t list any injuries. Toyota doesn’t have a real estimate of how many vans actually have the defect, according to Jalopnik.
What The Recall Covers
The recall is limited to seven-passenger vans, which use two second-row captain’s chairs. NHTSA’s campaign number is 26V690, and Toyota’s recall numbers are 26TB24 and 26TA24.
Repairs are free. Most vans will get updated software for the supplemental restraint system’s electronic control unit. About 200 vans from the 2022 through 2025 model years with the Mobility as a Service package will instead get two new second-row seat backs with a different recliner mechanism.
What It Means For Owners
Owners don’t have to wait for a letter to find out whether their van is included. They can call Toyota at 800-331-4331 or enter their vehicle identification number in NHTSA’s recall database. NHTSA’s vehicle safety hotline is 888-327-4236.
A repair may have to wait, though. CarBuzz reported that the software fix isn’t ready yet and that Toyota expects to have it in December.
In Canada, where the recall covers 24,454 Sienna Hybrids, Toyota is advising owners not to use the second-row seats for passengers until repairs are complete, BNN Bloomberg reported. NHTSA’s U.S. recall summary doesn’t include that instruction.
Background
This is the latest in a run of seat-related recalls for the Sienna, which has been sold only as a hybrid since the current generation arrived for the 2021 model year. In February 2025, Toyota recalled 167,802 Sienna Hybrids over third-row seat back bolts that may not have been tightened properly. That October, it recalled 54,631 2025 models over second-row seat rails that may have been welded improperly.
What’s Next
Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed Dec. 7, according to NHTSA, and autoevolution reported that known owners will be notified by first-class mail no later than Dec. 21.
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