2003 TOYOTA SEQUOIA Complaints

2003 SEQUOIA. VSC/TRAC LIGHTS COME ON JUST DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD. PLUS PARKING BRAKE LIGHT. HAVE TO SHUT CAR OFF TO RESET. THE DEALER SAID MY COMPUTER IS NOT PART OF THE RECALL SO I MUST PAY OUT OF POCKET. LOOKED ON-LINE AND FOUND DOZENS OF SITES AND THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. *LN

ALL OF A SUDDEN THE REAR LIFT GATE HANDLE STOPPED WORKING.. A PLASTIC PART BROKE. I REPAIRED THE LIFT GATE BY DRILLING IT AND INSERTING A NUT AND SCREW TO HOLD IT IN PLACE THUS MAKING IT STRONGER. THAT WORKED FOR ABOUT A YEAR. IT JUST BROKE AGAIN. *LN

THIS 2003 TOYOTA SEQUOIA HAS PERFORMED QUITE WELL. THE OTHER DAY, THE VSC AND VSC TRAC LIGHTS CAME ON ALONG WITH THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT. I DID NOT DETECT ANY CHANGE IN THE WAY THE CAR PERFORMED OR HANDLED WHEN THIS OCCURRED. A TRIP TO THE DEALER, (ALONG WITH THE MANDATORY $105 DIAGNOSTIC CHARGE), RESULTED IN THE CLAIM THAT THE OXYGEN SENSOR AND YAW RATE SENSOR NEED TO BE REPLACED FOR ABOUT $1200. IN MY OPINION, IT IS HIGHLY UNLIKELY FOR TWO UNRELATED PROBLEMS SUCH AS THE OXYGEN SENSOR AND YAW RATE SENSOR TO FAIL AT THE EXACT SAME TIME. TOYOTA SERVICE DEPARTMENTS HAVE A LONG, SLIMY RECORD OF INCORRECTLY DIAGNOSING PROBLEMS AND UNNECESSARY REPLACING EXPENSIVE PARTS IN ORDER TO INCREASE THE SIZE OF THE REPAIR BILL. I BELIEVE THAT THIS MAY BE ONE OF THOSE OCCASIONS. A QUICK INTERNET SEARCH SHOWS THAT THERE ARE MANY THOUSANDS OF TOYOTA OWNERS WHO HAVE REPORTED THIS PROBLEM. MOST HAVE ALSO GIVEN THE TOYOTA SERVICE CENTERS FAILING MARKS FOR HOW THE PROBLEM WAS EVALUATED AND REPAIRED. IT MAY BE POSSIBLE THAT THE OXYGEN SENSOR NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. THIS IS A COMMON FAILURE AS A VEHICLE AGES. THE YAW RATE SENSOR IS A CRITICAL VEHICLE HANDLING COMPONENT THAT SHOULD BE ENGINEERED TO LAST FOR THE LIFE OF THE VEHICLE. IF THIS COMPONENT HAS FAILED, (WHICH I DOUBT), IT SHOULD BE REPAIRED BY THE MANUFACTURER AT NO COST TO THE VEHICLE OWNER. THE ALLEGED YAW RATE SENSOR FAILURE IS SUSPICIOUS FOR ANOTHER REASON. SEVERAL MONTHS AGO I RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE RELATING TO THIS EXACT PROBLEM. THE CAR HAD NOT SHOWN ANY PROBLEMS UP TO THE TIME OF THE RECALL REPAIR. A COUPLE MONTHS AFTER THE SO-CALLED REPAIR, THIS PROBLEM POPS UP. HMMM. I DON'T THINK TOYOTA IS TELLING THE WHOLE TRUTH ABOUT THIS PROBLEM AND OBVIOUSLY THE RECALL DID NOT SOLVE THE PROBLEM. *TR

MY WIFE AND I OWN A 2003 TOYOTA SEQUOIA, WHICH WE PURCHASED NEW IN 2003. WE USE IT SPARINGLY, SO IT ONLY HAD 18,743 ORIGINAL MILES ON IT AS OF DECEMBER 23, 2010 (A DATE REFERRED TO AGAIN BELOW). THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN REGULARLY MAINTAINED BY COPELAND TOYOTA, BROCKTON, MA, AND WAS TROUBLE-FREE UNTIL RECENTLY. ON NOVEMBER 23, 2010, I WAS PULLING INTO A PARKING SPACE WITH MY WIFE IN THE VEHICLE. I HAD COME TO ALMOST A COMPLETE STOP IN THE PARKING SPACE WITH MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE PEDAL, WHEN THE ENGINE REVVED AND THE VEHICLE LURCHED FORWARD INTO THE NEXT PARKING SPACE IN FRONT OF ME (FORTUNATELY UNOCCUPIED). ON DECEMBER 17, 2010, AGAIN WITH MY WIFE IN THE VEHICLE, I HAD BACKED OUT OF MY DRIVEWAY ONTO THE STREET AND HAD THE VEHICLE AT ALMOST A COMPLETE STOP WITH MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE PEDAL WHEN THE ENGINE REVVED AND THE VEHICLE LURCHED BACKWARDS UP A HILL BEHIND ME. ON BOTH OCCASIONS I WAS ABLE TO APPLY PRESSURE ON THE BRAKE PEDAL TO FINALLY STOP THE VEHICLE. I CHECKED THE FLOOR MAT, AS DID THE TOYOTA DEALER, AND FOUND NO PROBLEM WITH IT. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE TOYOTA DEALER ON DECEMBER 20, 2010. THE SERVICE ADVISOR PROFESSED TO NOT KNOWING WHAT CAUSED THE LURCHING, SAID THERE WAS NO RELATED RECALL ON THIS PARTICULAR VEHICLE, AND TOLD ME THAT THEIR DIAGNOSTIC COMPUTER SHOWED CODES IN THE SYSTEM INDICATING A FAULTY VEHICLE STABILITY CONTROL ENGINE CONTROL UNIT (VSC ECU). IT TOOK THE DEALER FOUR DAYS TO GET TOYOTA TO "RELEASE" A REPLACEMENT ECU, WHICH WAS INSTALLED ON DECEMBER 23, 2010 AT A COST (MATERIALS AND LABOR) OF $650.00. THIS WAS CLEARLY A DANGEROUS SITUATION; WE WERE FORTUNATE THAT IT OCCURRED WHERE IT DID. *TR

FIRST VSC TRAC AND TRAC OFF LIGHTS COMPUTER FAILURE: MARCH 20 2009 DEALERSHIP FOUND THE SKID CONTROL COMPUTER MALFUNCTIONED AND WAS REPLACED UNDER AN EXTENDED WARRANTY. TOTAL COST OF REPAIRS $1521. DUE TO OUR EXTENDED WARRANTY, WE PAID $50. SECOND VSC TRAC AND TRAC OFF LIGHTS COMPUTER FAILURE NOVEMBER 15 2010 RECEIVED RECALL NOTICE IN MAIL. MADE APPOINTMENT WITH TOYOTA SERVICE. SINCE THE COMPUTER WAS REPLACED PREVIOUSLY DURING FIRST TRACTION CONTROL FAILURE, THEY WOULD NOT "UPDATE" THE SOFTWARE IN THE COMPUTER, NOR DIAGNOSE THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE. CUSTOMER SERVICE DEPT @ DEALERSHIP DID NOT EVEN GIVE ME A CHANCE TO DO THE DIAGNOSTIC WORK AND TOLD ME THAT THE DIAGNOSTIC TIME WOULD HAVE TO BE "RE SCHEDULED" AT A LATER DATE. DUE TO MY TAKING THE DAY OFF FROM WORK TO DO THIS RECALL REPAIR, I LEFT THE DEALERSHIP WITH NO REPAIR WORK NOR IDEA AS TO WHY THE COMPUTER FAILED A SECOND TIME. THIS IS MY 3RD REAL ISSUE WITH THIS PARTICULAR DEALERSHIP , AND I VOWED TODAY TO NEVER BUY ANOTHER TOYOTA VEHICLE. *TR

SKID CONTROL ACTIVATED AT LOW SPEED WITH GRINDING NOISE, MILEAGE 66,000; WARNING LIGHTS FOR TRACTION CONTROL, ABS,PARKING BRAKE, STABILITY CONTROL ALL ACTIVATED. TOOK INTO DEALER WHERE SUPPOSEDLY REPAIRED, DROVE 5 MILES AND HAPPENED AGAIN. BACK AT THE DEALER NOW, WAITING TO SEE WHO PAYS. THIS HAPPENED IN 2004 AT VERY LOW MILEAGE AND THE FAULTY SKID CONTROL ECU UNIT WAS REPLACED, NOT REPROGRAMMED, AT MY INSISTENCE, HAVING BEEN AWARE OF THE FACTORY SERVICE BULLETIN.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 TOYOTA SEQUOIA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT 3 YEARS AGO THE VSC TRACKING AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WOULD ILLUMINATE ON THE INSTRUMENTAL PANEL PRIOR TO THE VEHICLE ACCELERATING AND CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO SPIN OUT OF CONTROL. THE VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED BY THE DEALER WHO INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT SHE NEEDED TO REPLACE THE OXYGEN SENSOR, GASKET, AND THE ENTIRE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE.

AFTER YEARS OF INTERMITTENT PROBLEMS WITH THE ABS/VSC/TRAC LIGHTS COMING ON, I BROUGHT MY CAR IN FOR THE RECALL REQUIRING A SOFTWARE UPDATE. THE UPDATE WAS PREFORMED, AND THEN THE DEALER SAYS THE YAW SENSOR NEEDS TO BE REPLACED OR THE LIGHTS WILL NOT GO OFF. AFTER RESEARCHING THIS ONLINE, IT APPEARS THAT THOUSANDS OF SEQUOIA OWNERS HAVE THIS PROBLEM. UNLESS I SUBMIT TO THE DEALER'S EXTORTION OF $700, I HAVE A FAULTY ABS SYSTEM BECAUSE OF THE YAW SENSOR THAT HAS A HIGH FAILURE RATE. THIS SHOULD BE RECALLED.

I OWN A 2003 TOYOTA SEQUOIA AND THE OIL PRESSURE SENDING UNIT IS FAILING TO REPORT THE PROPER OIL INFORMATION. IT FLUCTUATES AT RANDOM TIMES DROPPING TO THE LOW MARK AND WILL REMAIN THERE FOR MINUTES AT A TIME. IF THIS SENDING UNIT DOES NOT INFORM ME OF THE TRUE REPRESENTATION OF OIL PRESSURE, IT COULD POTENTIALLY DAMAGE MY VEHICLE ENGINE AND HOPE THAT TOYOTA RECALLS THIS PART BECAUSE I HAVE SEEN HUNDREDS OF BLOGS FROM OTHER TOYOTA OWNERS REPORTING THIS SAME ISSUE. *TR

I HAVE OWNED THIS VEHICLE FOR ONLY 10MONTHS....VSC TRAC, VSC OFF HAS OCCURRED A FEW TIMES INCLUDING TWICE IN THE LAST 10 DAYS. IN ADDITION, THE FIRST TIME THE VSC LIGHTS CAME ON THE BRAKE LIGHT WAS ALSO ON. IT SEEMS THAT WHEN THE VEHICLES VSC TRAC AND VSC OFF LIGHTS COME ON, THEY CAN BE RESET TEMPORARILY BY TURNING VEHICLE OFF AND THEN BACK ON. MY FIRST PHONE CALL LAST MAY TO TOYOTA I WAS TOLD THAT MY VEHICLE WAS A PART OF THE RECALL. I RECEIVED NOTHING IN THE MAIL, SO I CALL BACK IN JULY AFTER I HAD MY FIRST OCCURRENCE WITH THE VSC PROBLEM. THEY THEN TOLD ME THAT MY VEHICLE DID NOT QUALIFY FOR THE RECALL. THIS IS OBVIOUSLY FRUSTRATING FOR MANY 2003 OWNERS THAT ARE NOT A PART OF THE RECALL WHO ARE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEMS AS THOSE THAT DO QUALIFY FOR THE RECALL. IF MY DASH LIGHTS ARE ON, IS MY VEHICLE SAFE? COMPLAINTS ALL OVER THE INTERNET WITH SAME ISSUES I AM HAVING. I WAS A LIFELONG TOYOTA MAN, BUT NOT ANYMORE BECAUSE THEY REFUSE TO RECALL ALL OF THESE 2003 SEQUOIAS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM.