Well my local mechanic states it is in the powertrain... Not wheel related. Boo. Now I need to make an appointment with my dealer.

 

I don't have an AWD, but an '11 SE (60k miles).

I was going to guess it was the bearing also, but guess not since your mechanic said otherwise.

Keep us updated and good luck.

 

Well have my answer. The dealer service department called. It is a bearing in the rear differential coupler. He informed me that they have had to change out a couple of these, and that Toyota re-designed this part. And I need to bring it back so they can replace it with the re-designed part.

So beware!!!! I caught this at 52K. Don't know what would have happened if it was 60001. If you hear a whistling noise in the rear of your AWD Sienna... get it checked out sooner than later!

 

Hi there. I also have this same problem on my 2011 Sienna AWD but mine is long past warranty. Do you have any idea how much it would cost to get this done? I took mine to my dealer in Toronto & they said it is a "bearing" but I did not need to worry about it if I was considering trading in the van. I was considering fixing it as I may keep mine for awhile as 2015 appears to be only cosmetic changes inside.

 

Our 2011 AWD Sienna also developed the "whirring noise" and this was diagnosed as the electro-magnetic decoupled sub-assembly for the rear differential. We don't use a dealer shop and the part was $1,600 - total bill $1,900. This is in Wyoming with a trustworthy local mechanic who always tries to save us money when possible. Even he had sticker shock and said we should save the receipt because he had never heard of this and thought eventually Toyota may create a reimbursement opportunity for what is clearly a freak failure. Anyone know of such an opportunity?

 

I have a new to me 2011 AWD Sienna LE that has this whirring noise. Will this lead top the eventual demise of the rear differential? Is this a DIY project or suck it up and take it to the dealer? Any input would be appreciated.

 

Any more to add to this thread? My 2011 Limited AWD just started that whirring sound as well.Trying to figure out best route

 

no doubt it's the rear diff coupler.. Caught ours at 60185 miles and Toyota stood behind it under warranty , get it checked! How many miles you have?

 

I also have tried to determine what this (winding sound) is while going down the highway. Your post have shined a light on what I think is an unfortunate problem for some GEN3 Sienna owners. I hope my extended warranty covers the fix.
Thanks ::

 

Just bought a used 2011 AWD Sienna which is under 60000.
Unfortunately I am not in the USA but in Nigeria.
There isn't any form of warranty protection here as there is no official American Spec dealer or rep over here.

 

I have the same problem with my '11. I decided to bite the bullet and buy the whole coupling from the dealer. Came to around $1200 incl. tax (Canadian) and includes a "protector" they called it which they couldnt show or tell me what its for. Im guessing its a new skid plate. It was another $180. Anyone heard of them selling this so called "protector" with the coupling before? If it is just a skid plate and dont need it the parts guy said i can return it.

 

Just last week end 12/10/16 I replace the carrier Assy P# 41110-45011 (The new version, came from
Yark Toyota, 1377 Conant Street Maumee, OH, 43537 US 866-984-9658 parts@cheapestfactoryparts.com
for $800 and got it on line. wt =35lbs) in my wife's Toyota Sienna 2011 AWD (60k Miles) The skid plate that was on the old unit was fine, still looked like new and was very easily installed on the new one. Unless yours is damaged I have no idea why someone wants to sell you a new one... My local mechanic offered to put the replacement carrier Assy in for me for $150 @ 2hrs work. I ended up doing it myself. 3Hrs work and yes I mechanical skills. Note the carrier Assy is shipped with NO OIL. Use 0.6 quart of AMSOIL Severe Gear SAE 75W-90 Synthetic Extreme Pressure Lubricant. While you are under there change the front differential oil too. ( use same oil, 0.9 quart ) Change both again after another 80-100K miles. Oil cost me $44 for 2 Quarts. Good Luck!

 

May you share with me where I can find the installation instructions?

Thank you

 

JCR9307 - thanks for the part #. You replaced the carrier Assy. Is this the part that others are taking apart to replace the coupler bearing? Or is this a whole different thing?

 

Hi all, Just experienced this same problem with my 2012 Sienna AWD. Our local dealer diagnosed it as a failure of the Viscous Coupler. Parts cost: $1700 Labor Cost: $400. Trying to decide what to do!! We have 71,000 miles so no warranty protection for us! Rats! Any advice?!? We are SO BUMMED.

 

Danger69; Im pretty sure he's talking about just the carrier(rear differential). The coupling bolts onto the front of the differential

 

Anyone know if there is a post on replacing the coupling that includes torque specs?

 

Just developed this problem in my 2011 AWD Sienna. It has just under 80,000 on it. I assume that's out of warranty, but I don't even remember what the powertrain warranty is anymore.

It must be a widespread problem, since my repair guy checked all his usual sources and found no used ones available. One place told him they had sold 21 of them (I think he said in the past year?). We're not exactly a huge metropolis around here, so that's a lot.

Someone posted that Toyota has redesigned the part. I'm glad you mentioned that. It makes me think maybe we are barking up the wrong tree by looking for used ones.

 

good day. I had the whirring noise on the rear coupler of my sienna 2011. It was repaired by a remote Toyota Dealer here in Canada for under 400$ parts and labor! From what I understand, there are 2 bearings inside the coupler one that can't be replaced and one that can. Most of the time its the one that can be replaced that goes bad (common on RAV 4 apparently ) My local dealer was asking near 1800$ for the complete job including a new plate.
DO YOUR HOMEWORK. before spending the big money.

 

good day. I had the whirring noise on the rear coupler of my sienna 2011. It was repaired by a remote Toyota Dealer here in Canada for under 400$ parts and labor! From what I understand, there are 2 bearings inside the coupler one that can't be replaced and one that can. Most of the time its the one that can be replaced that goes bad (common on RAV 4 apparently ) My local dealer was asking near 1800$ for the complete job including a

 

Same issue here. Bad rear viscous coupler. Symptom was a whirring sound, coming from the rear. No driveability issues.

2011 Sienna AWD with 100,000 km. Not driven hard.

$1400 repair. Clearly it's a bad part with occurrences happening frequently. Toyota Canada won't do anything, yet you pay big bucks for Toyota reliability.

 

While you are under the vehicle you should check the vent on top of the differential.
I just changed the oil in mine and the vent was stuck, Sprayed with fluid film and got it free.

If the vent gets stuck closed you will lose oil and eventually run low and kill the bearings.
The diff builds up air pressure from heat of driving and if it doesn't vent it blows out the seals.

 

I think I have this issue with a 2012 AWD Sienna LE. Definitely from the rear, a high pitched noise. Doesn't seem to come from one side or the other. I noticed it over a year ago when I got new tires but I thought it was the tires at that time because it was very faint, not so now. The van only has 60 000 km (37 000 miles).

My question to those who have experienced it is does the noise change with changes in throttle position? Mine doesn't and I would have thought this would change with throttle position. I even shut the car off in neutral on the highway and there is no change. I am not afraid to tackle this just want to be sure I am fixing the right problem. I would have thought it was a wheel bearing noise but I see not mention of wheel bearing problems for the sienna.

Thanks in advance for your assistance.

 

Yes it's likely to be a rear viscous coupler failure. About a $1500 repair. Toyota will not goodwill the repair even though the part appears to have been updated on the newer version. Sad but every AWD Sienna owner in that era should budget for this repair.

 

I've had wheel bearing issues on my previous Sienna. One of the ways to test for that is to find yourself a quiet, smooth road, get up to speed, shift into neutral (to quiet the engine noise) and then slalom back and forth to put side loads on the wheels (you should feel yourself being pushed from side to side as you do this). If you have a wheel bearing problem, it will generally get louder as a side load is applied. You may notice that the noise differs when you are in a left vs a right slalom. Generally, you can figure out which wheel it is coming from, but engine/wind/road noise can make this more difficult if it is a rear wheel that is the problem (stick a kid in the rear seat and ask them to listen for which side).

I also had the rear coupling issue. If I recall correctly, it may have gotten louder when under load (accelerating) and quieter when coasting?? I remember being most aware of it when accelerating away from a stop sign, or when leaving a 25MPH zone for a 35 MPH zone. It did not change in noise level based on side loads from turning. The change in noise level due to speed was subtle, but when the part had really gotten bad, I could hear it. (When it got bad enough that I could hear it while coasting, I could hear it "wind down" as I slowed.) It was tough to hear at highway speeds, until it got really bad.

As has already been noted, it was not a cheap fix. There was a redesign of the part, so I would not be looking for a used one. Even if you found a used donor vehicle with very low miles, you are just going to have the problem again down the road.

 

I fixed ours 70k miles ago and have had zero problems with it. Here is the write-up I did for it at that time:

More than likely it is the bearing in the coupling. Mine did the same thing. I removed the coupling from the diff. Remove the dust deflector. Remove the wires coming out of the plastic plug and make sure that they can freely move. Use a press and pressing from the side with the studs press the assembly out. The large bearing will probably stay inside the assembly and is the one that probably needs to be replaced. The bearing is a Toyota Part# 90363-95007. Don't let them tell you that it is not this part. Remember that the coupler is supposed to be a "non-servicable" part. This is the bearing inside the coupler.

I also found this website today after I had mine apart: http://toyota-club.net/files/faq/04-07-05_faq_atc_eng.htm

Mine is a Toyota Sienna 2013 and failed at 80,000 miles.
Good Luck!

 

Had the same issue - whining started a few months ago. Took it to the dealer for some recall work and had them take a look at it... they said, sure enough, it's bad, and it'll cost $2200 to replace it.

I called Toyota since I was still under 60K, but since we're a little over 5 years, they didn't offer to help out. I ended up buying the bearing and having the shop replace it for about $200. Far cry from $2K, but still, for as many people as seem to be having this issue, it would be nice for Toyota to take care of it.

Thanks for the recommendation @ragerrl - swapping out the bearing has worked perfectly so far - no noise. A little disappointing that Toyota tried to milk me for $2200... if you run into this issue, definitely try the bearing fix first!

 

Had the same issue - whining started a few months ago. Took it to the dealer for some recall work and had them take a look at it... they said, sure enough, it's bad, and it'll cost $2200 to replace it.

I called Toyota since I was still under 60K, but since we're a little over 5 years, they didn't offer to help out. I ended up buying the bearing and having the shop replace it for about $200. Far cry from $2K, but still, for as many people as seem to be having this issue, it would be nice for Toyota to take care of it.

Thanks for the recommendation @ragerrl - swapping out the bearing has worked perfectly so far - no noise. A little disappointing that Toyota tried to milk me for $2200... if you run into this issue, definitely try the bearing fix first!

Hello! I have exactly the same problem with my 2013 Toyota Sienna LE AWD. The dealer quoted me for $2300 for for new Coupler assembly. I need help about where to order the bearings mentioned? Thanks for any help

 

Great posting!! Found it researching the tell-tale whirring coming from the rear of my 2011 Sienna LE AWD (only 60K on her). Thanks to ragerrl and all for the more wallet-friendly option! Also found the original 2016 thread.

Just want to add/clarify what my own research yielded in hopes it can help the next poor victim.
- The original coupling assembly is part# 41303-28011 for production dates 01/2010-10/2011 and 41303-28012 for 10/2011-01/2014.
- Believe the front bearing is the same for both: NSK 95DSF01 / Toyota 90363-95007.
- Believe the dust deflector for this unit is a Toyota 41252-44010.
- Parts are under $75 US total.
- Dealer quoted somewhere under $2K for total replacement with the newest unit. (Believe that part# is 41303-28013)

PLEASE anyone chime in if this doesn't match what you found!
Cheers

 

I'm in the process of trying to get this issue fixed as we speak. I too heard the "whirring noise" and couldn't figure it out (thinking it was wheel bearings) and I've encountered several other Sienna's that make the same noise. I was about to chalk it up to a noise that is inherent these vans just make, but then I found this thread.

I spoke to a local garage that specializes in rear differentials and they said they have fixed many of these. So I just ordered the bearing 90363-95007 and when it gets in I'll have the garage replace it. $350 for labor (much better than the $2k repair). However, the garage said because of this issue it causes the fluid to leak which could potentially affect the clutch in the rear diff. Having only 55k miles on my 2011 he said it should be ok. I'm praying and crossing my fingers I don't need a new coupling.

I will post my outcome once I get it back from the garage.

 

Hello. Might you be able to share the name and contact information of the garage that you mentioned above? I have a question to ask them. Thank you.