Chrysler Pacifica vs Toyota Sienna: which is more reliable?
The Toyota Sienna is clearly ahead of the Chrysler Pacifica on the federal record: 73/100 against 59/100 across every model year we score.
The record, side by side
Chrysler Pacifica
- 9 model years scored
- 3,690 owner complaints on record
- about 64 complaints per year on the road
- 84 recall campaigns, 44 safety-critical
- best year 2020 (80/100) · worst 2017 (26/100)
Toyota Sienna
- 10 model years scored
- 1,815 owner complaints on record
- about 12 complaints per year on the road
- 70 recall campaigns, 43 safety-critical
- best year 2020 (88/100) · worst 2011 (28/100)
Mean score is the average across model years from 2013 on, where both records are comparable. How the score works.
Year by year: Pacifica against Sienna
The comparison that decides the purchase. A nameplate is not one car — a redesign can move the record sixty points inside two years, and the two nameplates rarely move together.
What owners actually complain about
Chrysler Pacifica
- Engine — 1,306 complaints
- Electrical System — 1,111 complaints
- Power Train — 991 complaints
Toyota Sienna
- Structure — 424 complaints
- Air Bags — 340 complaints
- Unknown Or Other — 256 complaints
They do not fail the same way: the Pacifica's complaints concentrate in Engine, the Sienna's in Structure. That difference matters more to a buyer than the score gap, because it says which repair bill you are taking on.
Years to avoid on each
Chrysler Pacifica — avoid: 2017, 2018.
Toyota Sienna — avoid: 2011.
A year scores below 45 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns. Every car’s years to avoid.
What each costs today
A recent used Chrysler Pacifica prices at about $35,200 and a Toyota Sienna at about $23,000 — the Toyota Sienna is roughly $12,200 less, and they return 22.0 against 21.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the Chrysler Pacifica or the Toyota Sienna more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Toyota Sienna scores 73/100 against the Chrysler Pacifica's 59/100, averaged across every model year we hold. The Toyota Sienna carries about 12 complaints per year on the road against 64 for the Chrysler Pacifica.
Which Chrysler Pacifica and Toyota Sienna years should I avoid?
Chrysler Pacifica: 2017, 2018. Toyota Sienna: 2011. Each of those scores under 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns.
What goes wrong on the Chrysler Pacifica and the Toyota Sienna?
The largest complaint group on the Chrysler Pacifica is Engine (1,306 complaints); on the Toyota Sienna it is Structure (424).
Is the Chrysler Pacifica or the Toyota Sienna cheaper to own?
A recent used Chrysler Pacifica prices at about $35,200 and a Toyota Sienna at about $23,000, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.