2003 TOYOTA SEQUOIA Complaints

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 TOYOTA SEQUOIA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE WINDOW ON THE 5TH DOOR FAILED TO OPEN. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS FOUND THAT THE REGULATOR HAD FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED ABOUT THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 75,000.

WHILE DRIVING DOWN A FAMILIAR ROAD LEAVING A CAR WASH GOING NO FASTER THEN 45 MPH, THE REAR END STARTED MAKING A GRINDING NOISE WHEN WE WOULD TAKE OFF. WE TOOK IT TOO OUR MECHANIC AND HE SAID IT WAS THE REAR END DIFFERENTIAL, HE CHANGED THE FLUID IN IT TO SEE IF THAT WOULD HELP BUT IT DID NOTHING, IF ANYTHING IT MADE IT WORSE. BUT HE DID SAY THAT THERE WERE METAL SHAVINGS ON THE PLUG WHICH WOULD INDICATE A GEAR GOING OUT. HE TOLD US NOT TO DRIVE IT TILL WE GET IT FIX BECAUSE IF IT WERE TO COMPLETELY GO OUT IT WOULD CAUSE AN ACCIDENT. *TR

I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY AND MY VSC TRAC LIGHTS CAME ON ALONG WITH MY ENGINE LIGHT. WHEN I GOT HOME, I LOOKED AT MY VEHICLE MANUAL TO DETERMINE WHAT HAD HAPPENED. I ATTEMPTED TO REMEDY THE PROBLEM AS SUGGESTED BY TOYOTA, UNFORTUNATELY, NOTHING CHANGED. APPROXIMATELY 2 WEEKS LATER MY BRAKE LIGHT INTERMITTENTLY TURNED ON & OFF. LESS THAN 5 MONTHS EARLIER, I HAD MY ALL OF MY BRAKES REPLACED, SO I CAN'T IMAGINE THAT MY BRAKES ARE FAULTY. I BECAME ALARMED BY THESE ELECTRONIC MISCUES - SO I WENT ONLINE TO EXPLORE WHETHER THIS WAS A COMMON THREAD WITH OTHER SEQUOIA OWNERS. I DISCOVERED VERY QUICKLY THAT THERE ARE MANY PEOPLE WHO HAVE HAD PROBLEMS WITH THEIR VSC / ENGINE / AND BRAKE LIGHTS BECOMING ACTIVATED. I WAS HOPING THIS PROBLEM MIGHT BE COVERED UNDER A RECALL, BUT IT APPEARS THAT IT IS NOT. I AM HOPING FOR A REMEDY THAT WON'T HAVE EXTENSIVE COSTS TO ME. *TR

WHEN HAVE THE CAR ON AND RUNNING THE TRACTION LIGHT BRAKE LIGHT AND VSC LIGHT COME ON AT THE SAME TIME. *TR

RECEIVED ANOTHER RECALL NOTICE ON THIS 2003 TOYOTA SEQUOIA. THIS TIME THERE IS A WARNING THAT THE AIRBAGS COULD PROPEL FRAGMENTS TOWARD OCCUPANTS OWING TO IMPROPERLY MANUFACTURED PROPELLANT CHARGES. THERE IS NO WARNING LIGHT NOR MITIGATION PROCEDURE OFFERED. TOYOTA DOES NOT STATE IF THE VEHICLE IS SAFE TO OPERATE NOR DO THEY COMMENT ON THE STABILITY OF THE CHARGES OR IF SPONTANEOUS INFLATION RISKS HAVE INCREASED. NO GUIDANCE IS FORTHCOMING FROM TOYOTA EXPECT WAIT FOR FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS 2003 TOYOTA SEQUOIA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE ABS AND THE VSC WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER AND REPAIRED UNDER NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 10V176000 (ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL , TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM ) BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 65,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 80,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. *TR

AFTER SKIDDING IN GRAVEL, THE SKID CONTROL COMPUTER WARNING LIGHTS ACTIVATED UPON GETTING BACK ON THE HIGHWAY AND REACHING 40MPH SPEED, VEHICLE RANDOMLY OPERATES AT LOWER SPEED WHEN DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AT 60 MPH, WHEN TOWING THE CHANGING SPEED IS DANGEROUS. TOYOTA DEALER STATES MY SEQUOIA IS NOT COVERED ON RECALL DUE TO VIN # ALTHOUGH ITS THE SAME COMPUTER ISSUE. REPAIR COST FROM THE DEALER $900 PLUS TAX TO REPLACE SKID CONTROL COMPUTER. *TR

HI I HAVE A 2003 TOYOTA SEQUOIA SR5, AND THE VSC TRAC, VSC OFF AND CHECK ENGINE CAME ON ALL AT ONCE, TOOK IT TO AUTO PARTS STORE AND THEY RAN THE SCANNER IT SAID TO CHANGE THE O2 SENSOR, WHICH I DID AND NOTHING CHANGED, I HAVE READ ABOUT THIS PROBLEM THAT HAS BEEN COMING UP QUIET A LOT IN THIS MODEL, CAN YOU TELL ME IF THERE IS A RECALL FOR THIS PROBLEM, I WENT TO THE DEALER AND THEY TOLD ME THAT THERE WAS NOT ANY RECALL RELATED TO THIS ISSUE. *TR

TOYOTA SEQUOIA 2003 - WITHIN MONTHS OF TAKING NEW CAR DELIVERY, VSC ABS AND TRAC LIGHTS WOULD BLINK INTERMITTENTLY AND ON OCCASION THE AUTO WOULD DECELERATE. AS THE ISSUE WAS INTERMITTENT, DEALERSHIP WAS UNWILLING/UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE. TROUBLE WOULD CONTINUE WITH LESS FREQUENT DECELERATION BUT MORE FREQUENT WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATION UNTIL, AFTER A FEW YEARS, THE WARNING LIGHTS STAYED ON AND INVOLUNTARY DECELERATION SEEMED TO CEASE. TWO DIFFERENT FACTORY DEALERSHIPS PROVIDED TWO DIFFERENT DIAGNOSES. ONE SAID YAW SENSOR AND OTHER SENSORS NEED REPLACEMENT (OUT OF WARRANTY); THE OTHER, MORE RECENTLY SAID THAT BRAKE BOOSTER AND ACTUATOR NEED REPLACEMENT (OUT OF WARRANTY). VEHICLE CONTINUES TO BRAKE NORMALLY AND ABS DOES FUNCTION KEEPING THE SUV STEERABLE DURING PANIC STOPS. TRACTION AND STABILITY CONTROL ISSUES WERE NOT TESTED BY THIS DRIVER. SEARCH OF INTERNET BASED USER GROUPS SHOWS THIS PROBLEM COMMON IN EARLIER YEAR SEQUOIA/TUNDRA MODELS. COSTS OF REPAIRS RANGE FROM $1600 FOR YAW SENSORS TO $3700 FOR BRAKE BOOSTER AND ACTUATORS. TOYOTA USA IS UNRESPONSIVE UNLESS REPAIRS ARE UNDERTAKEN AND MAKES NO WARRANTY OF COOPERATION SHOULD REPAIRS PROVE INEFFECTIVE OR UNNECESSARY. THIS APPEARS TO BE AN ONGOING ISSUE WITH THIS AND OTHER 2003 TOYOTA SEQUOIA SR5 AND LIMITED MODELS. *TR

CONCERN STARTED WITH A VSC AND TRACTION CONTROL WARNING LIGHTS IN INSTRUMENT CLUSTER COMING ON AND OFF IN AN INTERMITTENT FASHION WITHOUT PATTERN OR EXTERNAL CAUSE. THE WARNING LIGHTS WOULD NOT REMAIN ON BUT INSTEAD WOULD GLOW FOR A BRIEF BIT OF TIME AND THEN EXTINGUISH. THE VEHICLE DID EXHIBIT A SPONTANEOUS DECELERATION ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS WHILE OPERATING AT LOW SPEED (LESS THAN 20 MPH) AND ON LEVEL, SMOOTH GROUND. THE EPISODES WERE BRIEF AND NORMAL BRAKE OPERATION RETURN IMMEDIATELY ONCE SPEED DROPPED TO APPROXIMATELY 5 MPH. IN THE DECADES THAT I HAVE OPERATED THIS AUTOMOBILE, THE WARNING LIGHTS WENT FROM LIGHTING INTERMITTENTLY TO BEING ILLUMINATED CONTINUOUSLY; THE SPONTANEOUS BREAKING HAS SEEMINGLY CEASED SINCE THESE LIGHTS HAVE REMAINED ON. DEALERSHIP AND FACTORY WERE INFORMED OF THIS CONCERN WITH EACH SERVICE VISIT. DEALERSHIP RESPONSE WAS THAT THEY WERE UNWILLING OR UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE AN INTERMITTENT CONCERN. ONCE THE LIGHTS REMAINED ON, I WAS INITIALLY INFORMED THAT THEY SUSPECTED A DEFECTIVE YAW SENSOR AND MORE RECENTLY, MALFUNCTIONING BRAKE BOOSTER COMPONENTS; WARRANTY PERIOD HAD LAPSED AND NO EXTENSION WAS OFFERED. ATTEMPTS TO CORRECTLY DIAGNOSE AND REPAIR THIS CONCERN HAVE DRAGGED ON FOR 10 YEARS WITH DEALERSHIP AND FACTORY POSITION THAT REPAIRS, BE THEY DIAGNOSTIC (THE YAW SENSOR REPLACEMENT) OR DEFINITIVE (BOOSTER AND BRAKE SYSTEM), WERE NOT WARRANTY ISSUES DESPITE THEIR INTERMITTENT PRESENTATION DURING THE WARRANTY PERIOD. MY PERIODIC PRACTICAL TESTING OF THE BRAKES DEMONSTRATES THAT THE ABS SYSTEM FUNCTIONS PROPERLY DESPITE WARNING LIGHT INDICATIONS TO THE CONTRARY. CURRENT DEALERSHIP ESTIMATED COST TO REPLACE BRAKE BOOSTER AND ACTUATORS IS $3800 WITH A 12 MONTH WARRANTY. TOYOTA USA'S POSITION IS THIS IS NOT A WARRANTY ISSUE AS OF APRIL 2013. *TR