2003 TOYOTA SEQUOIA Complaints

THE SPIRAL CABLE IN THE STEERING WHEEL FAILED AND CAUSED THE AIR BAG SYSTEM TO FAIL.

THE VEHICLE WAS MAKING NOISES WHILE DRIVING THAT WE COULD NOT IDENTIFY. MY DAUGHTER WAS DRIVING IT TO PICK UP A FRIEND AND WHEN SHE TURNED INTO THE DRIVEWAY, THE RIGHT REAR AXLE DISCONNECTED FROM THE FRAME. THE OVERALL FRAME IS ENTIRELY RUSTED OUT. PRETTY BIG SAFETY ISSUE. THANKFULLY, SHE WAS NOT DRIVING FASTER WHEN THIS OCCURRED.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 TOYOTA SEQUOIA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VSC SKID CONTROL WARNING LIGHT, ABS WARNING LIGHT, AND SERVICE STABILITY TRACTION CONTROL WARNING LIGHT RANDOMLY KEPT ILLUMINATING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO REFLASHED THE ECU, BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER SEVERAL TIMES AND THEY DID NOT ADDRESS THE RECALL REPAIR SINCE MID 2008 TO 2015. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALER FOR FURTHER INSPECTION AND DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE VEHICLE WAS ALSO INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 15V286000 (AIR BAGS) AND WAS WAITING FOR THE PART FROM THE DEALER TO RECEIVE THE RECALL REPAIR APPOINTMENT. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 89,000.

NHTSA'S CONCLUSION THAT THE SAS ECU FAILURE ASSOCIATED WITH TOYOTA SEQUOIAS BUILT FROM 2002-2003 UNDER NHTSA INVESTIGATION # 10V176000 IS SERIOUSLY FLAWED. WHILE TYPICALLY THE SUDDEN FAILURE TO ACCELERATE OR FAIL TO BRAKE ASSOCIATED WITH THIS ISSUE IS ONLY ANNOYING, IT CAN BE CATASTROPHIC UNDER THE RIGHT CIRCUMSTANCES. FOR INSTANCE WE HAD IT HAPPEN IN A PARKING LOT WHEN BEGINNING TO ACCELERATE AND THEN NOTICING A CAR PULLING OUT QUICKLY IN OUR PATH. OUR BRAKES FAILED, THE TRACTION AND BRAKE WARNING LIGHTS LIT, AND WE BARELY MISSED THE CAR AS IT NOTICED US COMING AT IT AND QUICKLY GOT OUT OF THE WAY. WHAT IF THE CAR HADN'T NOTICED IN TIME TO PULL AWAY QUICKLY AND AVOID OUR UNCONTROLLABLE CAR? WHAT IF IT WERE A CHILD RUNNING OUT BETWEEN CARS? WHAT IF IT WERE TO HAPPEN DURING OUR LOW SPEED ACCELERATING AND BRAKING WHEN WE DROP OUR KIDS OFF AT SCHOOL AND OTHER KIDS ARE WALKING AMONG THE CARS NOW AND THEN? THE CONCLUSION THAT IT IS NOT A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE DUE TO THE SPEEDS INVOLVED IN MOST INCIDENTS REPORTED IS SIMPLY IGNORANT OR RECKLESSLY RISK TOLERANT. DOES SOMEONE ACTUALLY HAVE TO DIE BEFORE THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE? WE WILL TRY TO GET THE DEALER TO MAKE THIS REPAIR BUT SINCE THEIR ARE "NO ACTIVE RECALLS" LISTED ON TOYOTA'S WEBSITE FOR THIS OR ON NHTSA'S, I CAN ONLY HOPE THEY WILL FIX IT.

SHORTLY AFTER PURCHASING MY TOYOTA SEQUOIA IN 2003, THERE WAS A RECALL ON THE VEHICLE STABILITY (VSC) SYSTEM AND THE TRAC SYSTEM. I HAD THE RECALL REPAIRED AT THAT TIME. IN 2010, THERE WAS A RECALL AGAIN ON THE SAME SYSTEM AND I AGAIN HAD IT REPAIRED IN 2011. SHORTLY AFTER THAT, THE INCIDENT OCCURRED AGAIN. I AGAIN BROUGHT MY VEHICLE INTO THE DEALER BUT WAS TOLD THE SEQUOIA DID NOT HAVE ANY OPEN RECALLS ON IT AND THE REPAIRS WERE FOR ME TO HANDLE. AT THAT TIME, I DID NOT GET THE REPAIR FIXED BECAUSE OF THE COST TOYOTA WAS CHARGING FOR THE REPAIR. I EXPLAINED TO THE DEALER IT WAS THE VERY SAME DEFECT THAT KEPT REOCCURRING AND WAS TOLD THAT THERE WAS NO RECALL. I WAS ESENTIALLY SENT AWAY. I RECENTLY (8/31/15) PAID FOR A DIAGNOSTIC TO BE PREFORMED ON MY SEQUOIA AND THE CODES FOR THE ISSUE CAME UP AGAIN. NHTSA CAMPAIGN #10V176000 THE TOYOTA CODES THAT CAME UP ARE C1203,C1223,C1244,C1247. I SPOKE WITH TOYOTA AND THEY ACKNOWLEDGE THE RECALL AND THAT MY SEQUOIA IS INCLUDED BUT INSIST, THAT BECAUSE OF THE YEAR OF MY VEHICLE, I AM NO LONGER ELIGIBLE TO BE REIMBERSED FOR THIS RECALL. THE THEN OFFERED ME MONEY OFF PURCHASING A NEW TOYOTA INSTEAD OF HONORING AND STANDING BY THEIR PRODUCT. I AM NOT IN THE MARKET TO BY A NEW VEHICLE AT THIS TIME AND AM SEEKING THAT TOYOTA ABSORB THE COST OF THE RECALL TO REPAIR THE SAFETY ISSUES.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 TOYOTA SEQUOIA. WHILE DRIVING AT AN UNKNOWN SPEED, THE WARNING LIGHTS FOR THE ABS, TRACTION CONTROL, AND BSC ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE TECHNICIAN DIAGNOSED THAT THE SKIT CONTROL NEEDED TO BE REPROGRAMMED. ALSO, THE ECU AND THE TRANSLATE COMPUTER ASSEMBLY NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE CONTACT WAS MADE AWARE OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 10V176000 (ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL, TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM); HOWEVER, THE PART NEEDED WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 100,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 TOYOTA SEQUOIA. WHILE DRIVING 15 MPH, THE CONTACT HEARD AN ABNORMAL NOISE COMING FROM THE BRAKES. THE VEHICLE STARTED TO DECELERATE ON ITS OWN. IN ADDITION, WHILE DRIVING 70 MPH, THE SAME ABNORMAL NOISE OCCURRED AND THE VEHICLE DECELERATED. THIS WAS A RECURRING FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE TECHNICIAN STATED THAT MORE INFORMATION WAS NEEDED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 130,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 TOYOTA SEQUOIA. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 15V285000 (AIR BAGS) AND STATED THAT THE PART WAS NOT AVAILABLE WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME FRAME TO SCHEDULE THE RECALL REPAIR. THE DEALER DID NOT GIVE A SPECIFIC DATE FOR WHEN THE PART WOULD BECOME AVAILABLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND COULD NOT PROVIDE AN ESTIMATED DATE FOR WHEN THE CONTACTS VEHICLE WOULD RECEIVE THE RECALL REPAIR. THE CONTACT WAS NOT EXPERIENCING A FAILURE. MA 10/25/15

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 TOYOTA SEQUOIA. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 15V285000 (AIR BAGS); HOWEVER, THE PART NEEDED TO DO THE REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 TOYOTA SEQUOIA. WHILE DRIVING AT 35 MPH, THE ALARM HORN FAILED TO ACTIVATE WHEN DEPRESSED. THE FAILURE RECURRED INTERMITTENTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED, BUT THE FAILURE WAS NOT DETERMINED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 147,000.