2003 TOYOTA SEQUOIA Complaints

VSC/ABS/SKID CONTROL COMPUTER FAILURE AT 50,000 MILES IN 2003 TOYOTA SEQUOIA SR5 2WD. THIS IS A WIDELY KNOWN PROBLEM, FOR WHICH TOYOTA PROPOSES REPLACEMENT AT CONSUMER COST OF $1500+ FOR OUT OF WARRANTY VEHICLES. REQUESTED OUTCOME: TOYOTA SHOULD REPLACE THE COMPUTER AT NO COST FOR PART; THIS IS CLEARLY A DEFECT AND SHOULD NOT BE REQUIRED FOR CONSUMER TO REPLACE. *TR

VEHICLE STABILITY CONTROL LIGHTS CAME ON. THE DEALER SAYS THAT THE ENGINE CONTROL COMPUTER MUST BE REPLACED. THE PART ALONE IS $2,100.00, THEN LABOR TO INSTALL. I HAVE READ NUMEROUS OTHER REPORTS OF FAILURE OF THIS COMPONENT WHICH SEEMS INTEGRAL TO THE VEHICLE'S STEERING AND HANDLING. TOYOTA PUBLISHED A TECHNICAL BULLETIN IN MAY 2006 RECOGNIZING THIS DEFECT AND CHANGING THE SKID CONTROL COMPUTER. *TR

I OWN A 2003 TOYOTA SEQUOIA LIMITED WITH APPROXIMATELY 57, 000 MILES. I RECENTLY TOOK MY VEHICLE TO TOYOTA OF HUNTINGTON BEACH FOR SERVICE AND TO CHECK ON THE VEHICLE SKID CONTROL (VSC) LIGHT BECAUSE IT WOULD NOT TURN OFF. THE SERVICE ADVISOR STATED THAT BASED THE DIAGNOSTIC REPAIR CODES AND A REPAIR BULLETIN, HE RECOMMENDED A THAT THE SKID CONTROL ECU BE REPLACED AT A COST OF $1667.00 THIS REPAIR RECOMMENDATION WHAT DISAPPOINTING FOR A NUMBER OF REASONS: 1.THIS IS A REPAIR THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN MADE WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS UNDER WARRANTY. I HAVE PREVIOUSLY COMPLAINED ABOUT THE VSC LIGHT TO A TOYOTA SERVICE TECHNICIAN WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS UNDER WARRANTY. THE SOLUTION BY THE TOYOTA OF LONG BEACH REPAIR FACILITY WAS TO SIMPLY 'RESET' THE ECU. ATTACHED IS THE INVOICE. 2.SECONDLY, THE ECU IS NOT A WEAR AND TEAR ITEM AND IS NOT SUBJECT TO ONGOING MAINTENANCE. IT IS A COMPUTER CHIP THAT IS DESIGNED TO CONTROL THE VSC, ETC. IF THE ECU CAN NOT BE REPROGRAMMED TO FUNCTION AS INTENDED, THEN THIS DESIGN FLAW THAT AGAIN SHOULD HAVE BEEN REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY OR AS RECALL. 3.THE DESIGN FLAW IS SERIOUS AND CRITICALLY AFFECTS THE SAFETY AND STABILITY OF THE VEHICLE. 4.FINALLY, THE ECU IS ESSENTIALLY A SMALL COMPUTER AND THE $1600 PRICE TAG TO REPLACE SUCH AND INEXPENSIVE PART IS ABSURD. IN THE EVENT THAT TOYOTA DOES NOT HONOR ITS COMMITMENT TO QUALITY, TOYOTA, SHOULD REEVALUATE THE PRICING OF SUCH A SMALL BUT CRITICAL PART AND REPAIR. *TR

I HAVE A 2003 TOYOTA SEQUOIA LIMITED 4X4. I HAVE A PROBLEM WITH VSC/ TRAC LIGHT COME AND GOES. I WENT TO DEALER WHEN THE CAR WAS UNDER BUMPER TO BUMPER WARRANTY,DEALER TOLD ME THAT I HAVE LOW BRAKE FLUID CAUSING THAT PROBLEM. BUT CAR WAS DRIVEN LESS THAN 20,000 MILES AT THAT TIME. NOW CAR IS OUT OF WARRANTY AND I FOUND OUT I HAVE PROBLEM WITH COMPUTERS CONTROLLING VSC. AND IT WILL COST ME ALOT. I HAVE FOUND THAT LOTS OF SEQUOIA HAVING SIMILAR PROBLEM AS MINE. I LIKE TO KNOW WHAT HAS TO BE DONE FOR THIS MATTER. THE CAR NOW LITTLE UNDER 40,000 MILES. *TR

ABS, VSC, AND TRAC LIGHTS ILLUMINATED ON ENGINE START AND WILL NOT EXTINGUISH. DEALER RAN CODES, CLAIMS FAULTY MASTER CYLINDER PRESSURE SENSOR, STROKE SENSOR, YAW RATE SENSOR, AND SKID ECU: $2777.50. VEHICLE MILEAGE 69872. AT APPROX 48K MILES SIMILAR EVENT WITH ADDITION OF ENGINE LIGHT, REPLACED O2 SENSOR AND RESOLVED. MUCH EXPERIENCE WITH AIRCRAFT ABS TELLS ME VERY UNLIKELY ALL SENSORS AND COMPUTERS FAIL SIMULTANEOUS BUT DEALER STICKING TO SCRIPT, CLAIMS FIRST EVER SEEN THIS TYPE PROBLEM. *TR

FAILURE OF SKID CONTROL ECU. FAILURE INITIALLY INTERMITTENT, BUT E-BRAKE LIGHT STAYS ON TO IDENTIFY THE PROBLEM. INTERMITTENT PROBLEM NOT IDENTIFIABLE, BUT FAILURE PREVENTS SKID CONTROL FROM WORKING. *TR

VSC/ABS SKID CONTROL ECU FAILURE ON 2003 SEQUOIA @ 56,410 MILES (ORIGNAL OWNER). ECU FAILURE IS A KNOWN ISSUE BY EVERY TOYOTA SEQUOIA OWNER, BUT TOYOTA CLAIMS IT'S LIMITED. THIS FAILURE REQUIRES THAT VSC/ABS SKID CONTROL ECU / YAW RATE SENSOR BE REPLACED. THE REPAIR COST WAS $794.20 FOR PART AND LABOR AT THE LOCAL TOYOTA DEALER. NOW, CONSIDERING THE SEVERITY OF THE DEFECT AND NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS ON THIS SITE I'M VERY SUPRIZED NOT TO SEE A RECALL NOTICE TO DATE. *TR

ON GOING PROBLEMS WITH VSC. 2003 (41,000 MILES) TOYOTA SEQUOIA HAS BEEN TO THE DEALERSHIP 3 TIMES NOW FOR THE VSC ACTIVATING AND BRAKES ENGAGING WHILE TURNING A CORNER IN NORMAL, DRY CONDITIONS. FROM 3 MPH TO MORE THAN 15+ MPH THE VSC ENGAGES AND BRAKES ARE APPLIED. VERY DANGEROUS! DEALERSHIP HAS FIXED PROBLEM EACH OF THE 3 TIMES. CAR WARRANTY IS NOW OVER AND PROBLEM PERSISTS. DEALERSHIP SAYS FOR $1500. THEY WILL REPLACE THE VSC COMPUTER...UTTER NON-SENSE!!! VERY UPSET THAT TOYOTA CONTINUES TO HIDE FROM THIS PROBLEM. WHILE RESEARCHING ON LINE I HAVE EASILY FOUND HUNDREDS OF SIMILAR CASES AND COMPLAINTS.....PLEASE DO SOMETHING!!!!!! *TR

2003 TOYOTA SEQUOIA WITH INADEQUATE BRAKES. CONSUMER STATES THAT HE NEEDS TO STAY FURTHER BACK FROM OTHER VEHICLES. HE ALSO STATES THAT THE ROTORS WERE WARPED A SECOND TIME A WEEK AFTER HAVING THEM MACHINED. *KB THE CONSUMER STATED THE PROBLEM EXACERBATED WHEN HE WOULD TOW A SMALL UTILITY TRAILER. THE CONSUMER STATED HE WAS AWARE THAT A TSB HAD BEEN ISSUED WHICH STATED THE BRAKES WERE TOO SMALL FOR THE WEIGHT OF THE VEHICLE. *JB

2003 TOYOTA SEQUOIA SR5 90,000 MILES - SINCE I PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE BRAND NEW IN JULY 2003, THE VSC TRAC, VSC OFF AND BRAKE LIGHTS HAVE TURNED ON BY ITSELF INTERMITTENTLY. UNTIL THE WEEKEND OF DEC 22, 2007, I REGARDED THIS ISSUE, MORE OR LESS, AS A NUISANCE PROBLEM. ON DEC 22, 2007 THE VSC TRAC AND VSC OFF LIGHTS CAME ON AND PRETTY MUCH HAVE REMAINED ON. ON TWO OCCASIONS, THE SLIP INDICATOR LIGHT STARTED TO BLINK, CAUSING A LOUD NOISE AND VIBRATION BY THE OPERATION OF THE BRAKES. *TR