2017 Toyota Sienna - Problems starting

I push the start button and nothing happens, release it and push it again and it usually starts. Never know when it’s going to happen. At one point it would just grind like it wanted to start but wouldn’t, the next morning it started just fine. Dealer towed it to their shop and it was just fine. I took a video so the could see what was happening. The dealer has had it for 3 days this time and cannot find any problem at all. I’m at wits end and hate the idea of being stranded.

The car is under warranty, Toyota are the experts and responsible for making this right. Sorry you are impatient but if you hate being stranded, let them fix the car.

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+1 to Mustangman’s comments, but I want to add that the OP should inquire whether this warranty-related problem entitles her to a free loaner car. If the dealership says “no”, it might be helpful to contact Toyota’s staff at the corporate level. Contact info can be found in the Owner’s Manual.

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They have had the car on several occasions and cannot duplicate the problem to fix it. That’s why I’m asking for suggestions, they want me to pick up the car and nothing has been fixed. It is not under warranty.

I have been in contact with Toyota, since the problem cannot be verified, they will not pay for the rental.

When pushing the start button look at the color of the light in the start button, green indicates that it is ready to start, orange indicates that there is no signal from the brake pedal switch. If the brake light switch is failing or if the brake pedal is not pressed far enough the engine will not start.

The title says this is a 2 year old, 2017 Sienna. Have you exceeded the mileage for the warranty?

If it always cranks & starts correctly at the shop there isn’t much the shop can do but keep it there until it eventually fails. One idea, you could ask the shop to measure the voltages at the two starter terminals with the key in “start”, both should measure at least 10.5 volts. If one is slightly below but it still cranks, that could provide a clue. If both measure 10.5 volts or more, another idea is to just replace the starter motor w/an oem replacement on a flyer. It might work. At least you’d have a new starter motor. Keep the old one as a back up in case it turns out that doesn’t work. Battery and battery connection problems are a frequent cause of fails to crank so load testing the battery and cleaning the posts and terminals makes sense as a first step.