Toyota is recalling 228,367 Sienna Hybrid minivans after testing revealed that seat belt equipment designed to protect passengers in a crash could cause second-row seat backs to unlock, increasing injury risk.
Here's what to know
The recall covers seven-passenger Sienna Hybrids from model years 2022 through 2026, according to AutoGuide.
The defect centers on the second-row seats' integrated belts and outboard recliner mechanisms, according to regulatory filings submitted to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The locking cam and pawls, two internal recliner components, can oscillate intensely under force from the belts' pretensioners. Those devices are meant to tighten the belts rapidly and hold passengers in place during severe impacts.
The seat back's locking mechanism can release if those oscillations rotate the cam. This can happen with a specific combination of frontal-impact forces, seat movement, and the timing of pretensioner deployment.
Passengers face a greater risk of injury if the released seat back cannot stay upright in a collision, because they may no longer be properly restrained.
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More background
A rear seat-back recliner released while Toyota engineers were evaluating modified seats for future vehicles in prototype sled tests between January and November 2025.
Those internal tests — not consumer complaints — brought the problem to Toyota's attention.
Toyota conducted several dozen sled and full-scale crash tests to determine how floor acceleration, friction inside the mechanism, and pretensioner firing sequences contributed to the failure.
The investigation began after the discovery and ran from late 2025 through October 2026.
According to AutoGuide, Toyota approved a voluntary safety recall on Oct. 14 after crash validation tests confirmed the defect.
Toyota had received no U.S. field technical reports or warranty claims about the issue when it initiated the recall.
What's being done?
Toyota offered two approaches, depending on the affected minivan's equipment.
For most recalled Siennas, dealers can install software in the Supplemental Restraint System's electronic control unit at no charge, recalibrating when the seat-belt pretensioners deploy.
A smaller group, however, will need replacement parts.
Approximately 200 Mobility as a Service versions across the 2022 to 2025 model years are affected and will each receive two replacement second-row seat backs.
The recliner mechanism in those replacement seat backs has been redesigned.
Sienna owners can reach Toyota's customer service team by calling 1-800-331-4331 and referencing either of the company's internal recall numbers: 26TB24 or 26TA24.
Toyota will mail notifications to owners beginning on Dec. 7.
Where can I learn more?
Toyota Klugers and Hyundai Ioniq 9 EVs have also been recalled over seat defects. These stories cover broader vehicle recalls, seat defects, and Toyota's plans for paid upgrades.
• In Australia, 15,000 Toyota Klugers were recalled because second-row seatbacks may not lock.
• Hyundai recalled 5,360 Ioniq 9 EVs in the U.S. over seats that may trap children.
• Toyota aims to generate $19 billion beyond new car sales by charging for vehicle upgrades.
• In the U.S., recalls affected 492,126 vehicles from four automakers: Ford, Chrysler, Lucid, and Mitsubishi.
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