2003 TOYOTA SEQUOIA Complaints

MY 2003 TOYOTA SEQUOIA HAS AN ISSUE WITH THE VEHICLE STABILITY CONTROL (TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM). THE VSC COMPUTER CONTINUES TO BREAK LEAVING THE CAR WITH NO TRACTION CONTROL. ON SNOWY AND ICY ROADS THE CAR WILL SPIN OUT OF CONTROL DUE TO THE SIZE OF THE VEHICLE AND NO ASSISTANCE FROM THE VSC TO SLOW THE CAR DOWN. I HAVE TO KEEP THE CAR IN 4WD ALL THE TIME TO KEEP IT FROM SLIDING ON SNOWY OR WET STREETS. THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM WITH THE TOYOTA SEQUOIA AND TOYOTA REFUSES TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ISSUE. THERE ARE PAGES UPON PAGES OF COMPLAINTS ALL OVER THE INTERNET DESCRIBING THE SAME ISSUE. TOYOTA REFUSES TO WARRANTY THE PROBLEM OR CONDUCT A RECALL. THE PART ITSELF IS APPROXIMATELY $1600. I HAVE ALREADY HAD THE VSC COMPUTER REPLACED ONCE ON THE VEHICLE AND NOW THE NEW COMPUTER IS BROKEN AGAIN. IT WAS FIRST REPLACED ON 1/24/07 WHEN THE VEHICLE HAD 25,253 MILES ON IT. IT BROKE AGAIN ON 5/19/09 WITH 38,995 MILES ON IT. THE VEHICLE NOW HAS 43,000 MILES ON IT AND THE VSC IS STILL INOPERABLE. I DON'T TRUST DRIVING THE CAR WITH MY WIFE OR CHILD. BUT UNFORTUNATELY I HAVE TO SPEND $2K TO FIX A VEHICLE JUST TO TRADE IT IN. I HAVE FILED A COMPLAINT WITH TOYOTA NORTH AMERICA. THEY REFUSE TO ACKNOWLEDGE THERE IS A PROBLEM AND HAVE TOLD ME I HAVE TO ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE VEHICLE NO LONGER BEING ON WARRANTY. EVEN THOUGH IT ONLY HAS 43,000 MILES AND THEY VSC HAS BROKEN TWICE. I HAVE GROWN INCREASING CONCERNED ABOUT SAFETY ESPECIALLY SINCE I LIVE IN THE MIDWEST. NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE TO RESOLVE THE PROBLEM. THAT IS MY ISSUE. *TR

VSC AND TRAC WARNING LIGHTS TURN ON ALMOST IMMEDIATELY WHEN DRIVING. SKID CONTROL LIGHTS FLASH, INDICATING COMPUTER-CONTROLLED BRAKING WHILE PULLING OUT OF DRIVEWAY AT SLOW SPEED ON NORMAL, DRY PAVEMENT. *TR

VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED FROM TOYOTA ON11/21/2009. THE NEXT DAY THE BRAKE LIGHT CAME ON. IT STAYED ON EVERY TIME I STARTED THE VEHICLE FOR 2 DAYS THEN IT WENT OUT. THEN IT WOULD INTERMITTENLY COME ON AND RESET WHEN I SHUT THE VEHICLE OFF. TOOK IT BACK TO TOYOTA AND THEY FOUND FAULT CODE C1310. THEY SAID I NEEDED A NEW BRAKE POWER BOOSTER INSIDE OF THE MASTER CYLINDER. AFTER A WEEK OF ARGUING WITH THEM THEY CHANGED IT. WHEN I PICKED UP THE VEHICLE THE BRAKE LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN. I CALLED THEM BACK AND THEY CHECKED AGAIN AND SAID CODE C1310 HAD TRIGGERED BUT THIS TIME IT WAS THE SKID CONTROL COMPUTER AND IT WAS NOT COVERED AND THEY WERE NOT GOING TO FIX IT FOR ME. I CHECKED THE OWNERS FORUMS FOR SEQUOIA'S AND THIS APPARENTLY IS A WELL KNOWN ISSUE THAT TOYOTA IGNORES. THE DEALER HAS TOLD ME AS LONG AS THE LIGHT IS ON I WILL NOT HAVE ABS AND MY ANTI-SKID CONTROL WILL NOT FUNCTION.

THE VSC AND 4 WD LIGHTS CAME ON IN OUR 2003 TOYOTA SEQUOIA. WHEN STARTING IN FORWARD, THERE IS A LOUD GRIND AND A THUMP. THIS HAPPENED SHORTLY (1 WEEK) AFTER REPLACING THE BRAKE PADS. I PLACED THE CAR IN MANUAL 4 WHEEL DRIVE AND MOVE IT VERY SLOWLY BACK AND FORTH. THE LIGHTS ARE OFF, BUT IT SEEMS LIKE A TEMPORARY FIX. *TW

TOOK VEHICLE TO GET A CALIF. SMOG CHECK. SMOG TEST WAS PERFORMED AND AFTER TEST PASSED, VEHICLE KEPT REPORTING TRAK CONTROL ON CONSOLE DISPLAY AND GRINDING SOUNDS CLICKING SOUNDS AND SHORT "SHAKING" ON THE STEERING WHEEL FOR ~15 SECONDS. TOOK VEHICLE TO TOYOTA DEALER AND HAD IT REPAIRED. TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM COMPUTER HAD TO BE REPLACED. *TR

2003 TOYOTA SEQUOIA LIMITED. PURCHASED NEW FROM DEALER. INTERMITTENT PROBLEMS OVER THE YEARS WITH "VSC TRAC", "TRAC OFF" AND "ABS" LIGHTS GOING ON (USUALLY IF TIRES WERE ON SLIPPERY SURFACE). LIGHTS USUALLY WENT OFF ON THEIR OWN WITHOUT INCIDENT. TWO YEARS AGO DEALER UNDER WARRANTY REPLACED ECU COMPUTER AND TRANSLATE COMPUTER WHEN CAR DIED AFTER THESE LIGHTS WENT ON. NOW LIGHTS ARE ON AGAIN AND NOT GOING OFF. WARRANTY HAS EXPIRED. DEALER CHARGED ME $160 TO DO A DIAGNOSTIC WHICH LED THEM TO TELL ME IT'LL COST $2,300 TO DO WHAT AMOUNTS TO "EXPLORATORY SURGERY", AND BY THE WAY, MY AIRBAGS ARE DISABLED AND THEY CAN'T RESET THEM WITHOUT ME PAYING SAID $2,300 AND POSSIBLY MUCH MORE AS THEY USE A TRIAL AND ERROR APPROACH TO "FIXING" WHATEVER PROBLEM THERE IS (CAR SEEMS TO BE DRIVING OK AT THE MOMENT WITH THE WARNING LIGHTS ON.) A QUICK SEARCH OF THE INTERNET SHOWED DOZENS AND DOZENS OF PEOPLE WITH THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM, SOME WITH VERY SERIOUS SAFETY PROBLEMS (THAT I HAVE NOT HAD YET). VERY DISCONCERTING, ESPECIALLY SINCE I ALSO OWN A 2009 TOYOTA CAMRY! DEALERSHIP VERY OPAQUE ABOUT THE PROBLEM - THEY DON'T SEEM TO HAVE A CLUE WHAT THE PROBLEM REALLY IS AT ROOT. FROM MY BASIC RESEARCH, IT SEEMS IRREFUTABLE THAT THIS PROBLEM IS A SERIOUS DESIGN PROBLEM IN 2003 TOYOTA SEQUOIAS THAT HAS BEEN KNOWN TO TOYOTA FOR MANY YEARS. FIRST, ARE YOU AWARE OF THIS SITUATION, AND SECOND, IS THERE ANYTHING I CAN DO EXCEPT PAY TO SUPPOSEDLY "FIX" THE CAR? HERE IS JUST ONE SAMPLE OF A GOOGLE SEARCH FOR "TOYOTA SEQUOIA SKID CONTROL COMPUTER" WHERE YOU CAN SEE COMMENTS THAT GO BACK TO JANUARY 2004: HTTP://WWW.AUTOMOTIVEHELPER.COM/TOPIC181494.HTM. *TR

SKID CONTROL SYSTEM IS FAULTY. IT WAS ENGAGED ON A HOT DAY WHILE I WAS DRIVING ON A STRAIGHT FREEWAY. THE CAR SLOWED DOWN AND I HAD TO PULL OVER. I ALMOST GOT INTO AN ACCIDENT. THE LIGHTS ARE NOW ON AND WON'T TURN OFF. *TR

THE VEHICLE TOOK OFF WHILE TRYING TO PARK IN FRONT OF MY RESIDENCE HITTING A PARK VEHICLE CAUSING DAMAGE TO MY VEHICLE AND THE PARK ONE THE ACCELERATOR JUST ENGAGED ITSELF THE ABS,TRACTION AND VSC LIGHTS CAR MAKING STRANGE NOISES ON THE LEFT FRONT WHEEL SLIGHT VIBRATION ON STEERING WHEEL LEFT. *TR

VSC OFF/VSC TRAC LIGHT STARTED COMING ON. AT INITIAL START OF TOYOTA SEQUOIA AFTER PUTTING IT IN DRIVE, VEHICLE WOULD SHUDDER AND CUT OFF IGNITION. THIS WOULD CAUSE A BRIEF STALL, AND WILL NOT ACCELERATE. THIS OCCURS EVERYTIME VEHICLE IS USED. FAULT IS DTC C1231. VEHICLE SKID CONTROL SENSOR IS FAULTY. *TR

2003 TOYOTA SEQUOIA VSC TRAC CONTROL LIGHTS ON INSTRUMENT PANEL ON ALL THE TIME NOW I HAVE RESET THEM SEVERAL TIMES NOW AND HELP FROM DEALERSHIP IS AT IT BEST A WASTE OF TIME AND MONEY. AS OF THIS DATE I HAVE ONLY HAD TWO DRIVING RELATED INCIDENTS . ON A TRIP TO TENN THIS YEAR AFTER STOPPING FOR A BREAK I STARTED THE VEHICLE UP AND STARTED DRIVING THE LIGHTS CAME ON AND A LOUD CLANGING CAME FROM UNDER THE CAR AS SOON AS I COULD PULL OVER TO INVESTIGATE THE PROBLEM IT WAS APPARENT THAT SOMETHING WAS WRONG WITH THE BRAKES AS IT WAS ONLY A SHORT DISTANCE TO WHERE I WAS GOING I PROCEEDED ON BACK ROADS WITH CAUTION TO WHERE I WAS GOING AND IT WAS LATE SO I WOULD LOOK AT IT IN THE MORNING.THAT NIGHT I SPENT MOST OF IT ON THE INTERNET RESEARCHING THE PROBLEM AND FOUND SEVERAL OTHER PEOPLE WITH THE SAME PROBLEM ON THIS MODEL WITH THE SAME RESULTS FROM THERE DEALERSHIPS . THE NEXT MORNING I CHECKED EVERYTHING OUT ONLY TO FIND NOTHING APPARENTLY WRONG RESET THE SYSTEM AND PROBLEM WAS GONE I THOUGHT. ON THE RETURN TRIP TO FLA. I ENCOUNTERED A HEAVY RAIN WHILE DRIVING WHILE GOING AROUND A LONG CORNER AT A SLOWER SPEED THAN POSTED THE TIRES HIT WATER RUNNING ACROSS THE ROAD AND THE CAR WENT OUT OF CONTROL LIGHTS BACK ON AND A REAL SCARY BATTLE TO CORRECT THE CAR LUCKY FOR ME THERE WAS NO TRAFFIC ON THE ROAD AT THAT POINT AS IT TOOK BOTH SIDES OF THE ROAD TO BRING IT BACK UNDER CONTROL . FROM WHAT I HAVE READ THIS A PROBLEM WITH THIS VEHICLE THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE HAVING BEING A MECHANIC ALL MY LIFE AND A VERY EXPERIENCED DRIVER IN EXTREME CONDITIONS I WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN AS LUCKY AN I HATE TO THINK OF THE MANY WOMEN WITH KIDS IN THIS CAR WOULD HAVE TO GO THROUGH THIS TYPE OF INCIDENT. BEING A MECHANIC I HAVE A GOOD UNDERSTANDING OF THIS PROBLEM AND TOYOTA'S SOLUTION TO JUST KEEP CHANGING OUT THE COMPUTER AT 2,000.00 DOLLARS A CRACK IS ONLY A BANDAID NOT A FIX . THIS CONDITION NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED WITH TOTOTA AS MOST OF THESE CAR'S ARE NOW OF THE AGE THAT THIS SHOWS UP. *TR