2002 TOYOTA SEQUOIA Complaints

FAILED COMPONENTS: PREMATURE FRAME ROT I'M AN OWNER OF A 2002 TOYOTA SEQUOIA LOCATED IN THE NORTHEAST US. I RECENTLY LEARNED THAT THIS VEHICLE WILL NOT PASS STATE SAFETY INSPECTION, DUE TO RUST HOLES IN THE FRAME. I TAKE VERY GOOD CARE OF THIS VEHICLE, KEEPING IT WASHED ESPECIALLY IN WINTER MONTHS. THE BODY IS IN SPOTLESS CONDITION WITH NO RUST. TOYOTA BLAMES THE HEAVY USE OF SALT IN THE NE. THIS IS NO EXCUSE...I HAVE A 1990 MINIVAN THAT IS GARAGED ALONG WITH AND DRIVEN SIMILAR TO MY TOYOTA SEQUOIA AND THE MINIVAN'S FRAME HAS VERY LITTLE RUST. TOYOTA NEEDS TO RECALL AND/OR REPAIR SEQUOIA'S AS THEY DID TACOMA'S AND TUNDRA'S. I DEPEND UPON THIS VEHICLE FOR TOWING, BUT HAVE ALSO BEEN INSTRUCTED NOT TO TOW ANYTHING, UNTIL THE FRAME IS FIXED OR REPLACED. YOUR INVESTIGATION AND ASSISTANCE WITH THE RESOLUTION TO THIS SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE WILL BE GREATLY APPRECIATED. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND CONSIDERATION. *TR

I HAVE A 2002 TOYOTA SEQUOIA. THE FRAME, UNDERCARRIAGE AND HITCH ARE ALL RUSTED. THE UNDERCOATING PEELS RIGHT OFF AT THE CARWASH. I ASKED MY TOYOTA DEALER ABOUT IT WHEN IT WAS IN FOR A OIL CHANGE AND HE SAID NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT. EVERY YEAR IT IS GETTING WORSE AND MY HUSBAND SAID IT IS SOMETHING TO WORRY ABOUT. IS TOYOTA GOING TO STAND BEHIND THERE PRODUCTS? I AM WORRY THIS YEAR ABOUT IT PASSING INSPECTION. *TR

VSC/ABS/SKID LIGHT COMES ON INTERMITTENTLY, AT DIFFERING SPEEDS, AT RANDOM INTERVALS, ACCOMPANIED BY GRINDING NOISE AND BRAKING ACTION. DURING SOME OF THESE RANDOM OCCURRENCES, ESPECIALLY WHEN DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, THE ACTION CAN PULL THE CAR QUICKLY AND FORCEFULLY TO THE RIGHT AND ON A FEW OCCASIONS THIS HAS ALMOST RESULTED IN LOSS OF CONTROL. I READ ON EDMUNDS.COM AND OTHER SITES (INCLUDING HTTP://WWW.TUNDRASOLUTIONS.COM/FORUMS/1GEN-SEQUOIA/76829-FILE-COMPLAINT-NHTSA-REGARDING-VSC-ABS/) THAT THIS IS A WELL-KNOWN, AND WELL DOCUMENTED PROBLEM! WHY HAVEN'T YOU MANDATED A RECALL FOR THIS DANGEROUS SITUATION????!!! I'M CONCERNED THAT MY WIFE MAY BE DRIVING DOWN THE INTERSTATE AND THE PROBLEM WILL SUDDENLY AND VIOLENTLY PULL THE CAR TO THE RIGHT, AND SHE WILL HIT ANOTHER CAR OR LOSE CONTROL AND CRASH. HOW MANY CRASHES, INJURIES, AND, HEAVEN FORBID, DEATHS, WILL HAVE TO HAPPEN BEFORE YOU ACT? *TR

I RECENTLY LEARNED FROM MY MECHANIC THAT THE FRAME OF MY 2002 TOYOTA SEQUOIA HAS MULTIPLE RUST HOLES AND IS SO BADLY ROTTED THAT IT WILL NOT PASS THE STATE SAFETY INSPECTION. THEREFORE, I HAD MY LOCAL TOYOTA DEALERSHIP SCHEDULE AN INSPECTION BY REPRESENTATIVES FROM TOYOTA. THESE REPRESENTATIVES AGREED THAT MY SEQUOIA FRAME IS BADLY RUSTED AND FULL OF RUST HOLES, BUT ARE BLAMING THE SALT USED IN THE NORTHEAST AND NOT TAKING RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE MATERIALS USED TO CONSTRUCT THE VEHICLE. I WAS ALSO TOLD THAT IT IS UNSAFE TO DRIVE THIS VEHICLE ON FREEWAYS OR INTERSTATE HIGHWAYS THAT REQUIRE HIGHER SPEEDS. IN ADDITION, I WAS TOLD NOT TO TOW ANYTHING BEHIND IT, BECAUSE THE STRENGTH OF THE UNDERCARRIAGE WAS COMPROMISED AND WHATEVER I WAS TOWING COULD SEPARATE FROM THE CAR. NEEDLESS TO SAY THIS IS A MAJOR CONCERN REGARDING THE SAFETY FACTOR AND USE OF THE CAR. MY WIFE AND I INTENTIONALLY BOUGHT OUR SEQUOIA FOR TOWING PURPOSES AND LONG TRIPS WITH FAMILY. THEY TOOK PICTURES, MEASUREMENTS OF HOLES, AND OTHER INFO AND TOLD ME THAT THEY WOULD FILE A REPORT AND GET BACK TO ME WITHIN TWO WEEKS. AFTER READING MANY STATEMENTS FROM OTHER TOYOTA SEQUOIA OWNERS, I AM NOT CONFIDENT THAT TOYOTA WILL RESOLVE THIS MAJOR ISSUE WITH THE TOYOTA SEQUOIA, AND WILL CONTINUE TO REFUSE TO RESOLVE THIS SERIOUS SITUATION TO PROTECT THE CONSUMER. THEREFORE, I WANT MY COMPLAINT TO BE ADDED TO THE NHTSA DATABASE AND THE NHTSA TO TAKE ACTION ON THIS SERIOUS "FRAME ROT" SAFETY ISSUE WITH SEQUOIAS. *TR

MY 2002 SEQUOIA HAS BEEN MAINTAINED BY THE BOOK YET THE RUST OF THE FRAME AND THE DIFFERENTIAL HAVE LEFT THIS VEHICLE AS POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS TO DRIVE. I AM TOLD THAT THE LEAK OF TRANSMISSION FLUID IS BECAUSE THE DIFFERENTIAL IS ALMOST RUSTED THROUGH. I KNOW TOYOTA HAS HAD RUST ISSUES AND MY PREVIOUS TOYOTA LANDCRUISER HAD RUST ISSUES AS WELL. NOW THAT IT HAS HAPPENED A SECOND TIME I DECIDED TO INVESTIGATE. PLEASE UPDATE ME. *TR

THE VEHICLE IS A TOYOTA SEQUOIA 2002 2 WHEEL DRIVE, AND I HAVE HAD THREE INCIDENTS SO FAR. THE FIRST TIME WAS DRIVING IN THE HIGH WAY AT A STEADY SPEED OF 65 MPH WHEN THE CAR ALL OF THE SUDDEN JERKED TO THE LEFT AND A BEEPING WENT OFF AND THE TRACK OFF AND VSC TRACK CAME ON. THE PROBLEM IS THAT THERE IS NO WARNING AT ALL AND IT JUST HAPPEN IN A MATTER OF SECONDS. MY CONCERN IS THAT I USE THIS VEHICLE JUST WHEN MY FAMILY IS WITH ME. I WONDER IF ACCIDENTS WITH FATALITIES NEED TO OCCUR BEFORE SOMEBODY DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 TOYOTA SEQUOIA. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR VARIOUS REPAIRS WHERE THEY DISCOVERED THAT THE REAR DIFFERENTIAL WAS COMPLETELY RUSTED WHICH RESULTED TO OIL LEAKAGE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE CONTACT PLANNED TO NOTIFY THE DEALER AND THE MANUFACTURER REGARDING THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 120,000.

2002 TOYOTA SEQUOIA WAS FOUND BY MECHANIC TO HAVE FRAME RUST THROUGH. CONTACTED TOYOTA CORP. WITH NO RECALL STATED BY THEM, AND NO RESOLUTION OFFERED. FILED OHIO ATTNY. GENERAL COMPLAINT FILING.

FRAME RUSTING THROUGH WITH AT LEAST ONE HOLE FOND, NOT THOROUGHLY CHECKED YET. *TR

I AM THE OWNER OF A 2002 TOYOTA SEQUOIA WITH 186,000 MILES. ON JULY 19TH I PICKED UP THE VEHICLE FROM SOME MY REPAIR SHOP AFTER SOME ROUTINE MAINTENANCE (TIMING BELT REPLACEMENT). THE MECHANIC NOTED THAT '' WHEN CHECKING THE VEHICLE ON LIFT, FOUND FRONT FRAME ARCHES NEAR FEET RUSTED THROUGH AND CRACKED ALMOST A FOOT LONG ON BOTH SIDES.' I MADE AN APPOINTMENT WITH GRAPPONE TOYOTA IN CONCORD, NEW HAMPSHIRE AND ON JULY 21ST THEY CONFIRMED THE DAMAGE AND REPORTED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS UNSAFE TO DRIVE. THE DAMAGE IS CAUSED BY A DEFECTIVE FRAME DESIGN THAT ALLOWS WATER TO COLLECT AND NOT DRAIN. MY RESEARCH SHOWS THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM WITH THIS FRAME AS USED ON THE SEQUOIA AND TUNDRA. IT ALSO APPARENTLY WAS A PROBLEM ON THE TACOMA WHICH HAS A SIMILAR DEFECTIVE DESIGN. I CONTACTED THE TOYOTA US CORPORATE OFFICEBY PHONE ON THE 21ST AND WAS INFORMED THAT TOYOTA DOES NOT RECOGNIZE THE PROBLEM ON THE SEQUOIA AS REQUIRING ANY PROGRAM TO RECTIFY SUCH AS TOYOTA HAS REPORTEDLY DONE FOR THE TUNDRA AND TACOMA. GIVEN THE UNSAFE NATURE OF THE DEFECTIVE DESIGN, AND THE IMPLICATIONS SHOULD IT FAIL ON THE ROAD, I FIND THIS UNACCEPTABLE. I SUBSEQUENTLY TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A REPUTABLE WELDING SHOP WHO FOUND THE DAMAGE WAS MORE EXTENSIVE AND WELDED 21 INCH LONG PLATES ON BOTH FRAME ARCHES. HE CONFIRMED THAT THE DAMAGE WAS CAUSED BY A FRAME DESIGN THAT ALLOWED WATER TO ACCUMULATE IN THE FRAME AND CORRODE THE METAL. *TR