2003 TOYOTA SEQUOIA Complaints

THE BRAKES ON MY 2003 TOYOTA SEQUOIA ARE OBVIOUSLY UNDERSIZED FOR THE VEHICLE WEIGHT. ALTHOUGH FACTORY EQUIPPED FOR TOWING, THIS IS EXASPERATED WHEN PULLING A TRAILER. THERE IS NO WAY I CAN STOP IF FOLLOWING AT THE RECOMMENDED INTERVAL AND THE PERSON IN FRONT OF ME STOPS HARD. I HAVE HAD TO VEER ONTO THE SHOULDER NUMEROUS TIMES TO AVOID A REAR-END COLLISION, AND I MAINTAIN A GREATER DISTANCE THAN IS SUGGESTED BETWEEN MY VEHICLE AND THE VEHICLE IN FRONT OF ME. I FEEL THIS SHOULD BE A SAFETY RECALL. TOYOTA HAS ADMITTED A DESIGN FLAW BY ISSUING A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN ON HOW TO INSTALL LARGER BRAKES ON THIS VEHICLE. *TR

2003 TOYOTA SEQUOIA: VSC, ABS AND BRAKE LIGHTS WARNING LIGHTS ARE ON, REPAIR WAS MORE THAN $600. JB

THE REAR LATCH OF THE VEHICLE ROTTED OUT AND THE TAILGATE OPENED WHILE ON THE HIGHWAY, ALSO THE TWO FRONT DOOR HANDLES CRACKED ON THE INSIDE AT SEPARATE TIMES NOT ALLOWING YOU TO GET OUT OF THE VEHICLE FROM THE INSIDE. THE NEW HANDLES AND LATCH WERE REPLACED. *TR

2003 TOYOTA SEQUOIA (2WD) WITHOUT WARNING THE VSC/TRAC SYSTEM ENGAGED WHILE TURNING ON DRY PAVEMENT CAUSING A LOSS IN ACCELERATION. THIS WAS THE INITIAL INCIDENT WHICH WAS FOLLOWED BY MULTIPLE OTHER INCIDENTS AT RANDOM INTERVALS. INCIDENTS OCCURRED WHILE MAKING BOTH LEFT AND RIGHT TURNS FROM A TURNING OR STOPPING POSITION. TRAC OFF "BUTTON" DOES NOT DISENGAGE THE SYSTEM AS INDICATED IN THE OWNER'S MANUAL FROM A LOW SPEED. LOCAL DEALERSHIP RAN DIAGNOSTIC TEST AND RECOMMENDED NEW TIRES/BRAKES BUT COULD NOT IDENTIFY ANY "PROBLEMS" WITH THE VSC SYSTEM OTHER THAN THE VSC SYSTEM HAD ENGAGED. AFTER 4 NEW TIRES AND NEW REAR BRAKES WERE INSTALLED SERVICE TECH DROVE VEHICLE AND EXPERIENCED THE ISSUE. HE RECOMMENDED DOCUMENTING WHEN THE INCIDENTS OCCURRED AND UNDER WHAT CIRCUMSTANCES IN ORDER TO DETERMINE REPAIR OPTIONS. THE VSC SYSTEM CONTINUES TO ENGAGE RANDOMLY CAUSING A LOSS IN ACCELERATION WHEN THIS OCCURS AND IS DANGEROUS IF DRIVER HAS NEED TO PULL INTO TRAFFIC IN INSTANCES SUCH AS TURNING ONTO MAJOR ROADWAYS. *TR

THE VSC/TRAC ERROR LIGHT ON MY 2003 TOYOTA SEQUOIA WITH 80,000MI IS ILLUMINATED AND THE TRAC SYSTEMS IS ENGAGING RANDOMLY CAUSING THE ENTIRE VEHICLE TO SHAKE VIOLENTLY AND IT IS DIFFICULT TO CONTROL THE VEHICLE WHEN THIS HAPPENS. I HAVE ALMOST BEEN INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT SEVERAL TIMES BECAUSE OF THE PROBLEM. THE DEALERSHIP SAID THE COMPUTER WILL HAVE TO BE REPLACED AT A COST OF $1800. I SPOKE WITH THE PREVIOUS OWNER AND SHE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP ON 4 DIFF OCCASIONS FOR THE SAME PROBLEM BUT IT WAS NEVER CORRECTED. AT THE TIME IT WOULD HAVE BEEN UNDER WARRANTY. AFTER CONDUCTING SOME RESEARCH ON THE WEB I HAVE FOUND 250+ PEOPLE WHO HAVE HAD THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM WITH THEIR SEQUOIAS (MOST OF THEM WERE MODELS FROM 2001-2003). I FEEL THERE IS SOMETHING CAUSING THIS TO HAPPEN AND A RECALL SHOULD HAVE BEEN ISSUED. THE FIRST INCIDENCES ARE OCCURRING AT LESS THAN 13,000 MILES. MY VEHICLE IS ONLY 4 YEARS OLD AND THE COMPUTER SHOULD LAST LONGER THAN THAT. I VALUE TOYOTA AND THE QUALITY OF VEHICLES THEY PRODUCE AND I DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHY CUSTOMERS ARE BEING REQUIRED TO REPLACE THE COMPUTERS AFTER SUCH A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME. THERE IS OBVIOUSLY A PROBLEM AND TOYOTA SHOULD BE TAKING CARE OF IT. *TR

I WAS DRIVING MY CAR AS USUAL TO CHURCH ON SUNDAY 7/29/2007 WHEN I NOTICED MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT, THE TRAC OFF LIGHT AND THE VSC LIGHTS WERE ON AFTER READING THE OWNERS MANUAL I DETERMINED THAT THE CAR NEEDED TO BE TAKEN TO TOYOTA. I TOOK THE CAR IN AND WAS TOLD THAT THE REPAIR WAS NOT COVERED AND IT WOULD COST ME ALMOST 2500.00 TO REPAIR. WHEN TALKING TO THE ASSOCIATE, HE EXPLAINED TO ME THAT THE SYSTEMS THAT HAD GONE BAD HAD TO DO WITH THE WAY THE VEHICLE WILL BE CONTROLLED WHILE DRIVING AND THE ANTI-LOCK BRAKES. WHEN I QUESTIONED HIM ABOUT THE SAFETY OF DRIVING THE VEHICLE HE TOLD ME THAT PEOPLE HAD BEEN DRIVING WITHOUT THOSE UNITS FOR YEARS AND MY BREAKS MAY LOCK UP BUT DON'T TRY TO STOP WHILE GOING FAST. I INFORMED HIM THAT TOYOTA HAD REPLACED THE COMPUTER BOARD FOR MY BREAKS EARLIER (BRAKE LIGHTS STILL COMING ON) AND ASKED IF IT WAS POSSIBLE THAT THESE THINGS WERE GOING BAD AT THE SAME TIME. HE SAID IT WAS NOT. I FEEL THAT THIS IS A SAFETY HAZARD TO ME AND MY FAMILY AND SHOULD BE TAKEN CARE OF. IN TRYING TO FIND SOME KIND OF SOLUTION TO THIS PROBLEM, I READ ON TUNDRA SOLUTIONS WHERE OTHERS HAVE HAD THIS SAME PROBLEM. I WAS ALSO TOLD THAT BOTH WILL NEED TO BE REPLACED AT THE SAME TIME. 2500.00 IS A LOT OF MONEY FOR A SINGLE PARENT. NOTHING WAS DONE TO CORRECT THIS PROBLEM. WHAT DO I DO? *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 TOYOTA SEQUOIA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HE IS AWARE THAT THE FRONT SUSPENSION LOWER BALL JOINTS WERE UNDER RECALL. HE IS CURRENTLY OVERSEAS AND CANNOT GET HIS VEHICLE SERVICED AT THIS TIME. THERE HAVE BEEN NO FAILURES TO DATE. THE RECALL NUMBER WAS UNKNOWN. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 67,000.

THE TRAC OFF AND VSC TRAC LIGHT ARE ON ON MY 2003 TOYOTA SEQUOIA WITH ONLY 46,422 MILES. SKID CONTROL WILL KICK IN EVEN WHEN DRIVING LESS THAN 5 MPH. ENGINE ALSO STALLED ONCE OUT ON BUSY STREET AS SKID CONTROL KICKED IN. DEALER DIAGNOSTIC INDICATED BAD SKID CONTROL COMPUTER SO ABS AND SKID FEATURES WILL NOT FUNCTION PROPERLY. THIS SEEMS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM WITH 2001-2002 AND EARLY 2003 TOYOTA SEQUOIA. *TR

I AM ANOTHER VICTIM OF THE ONGOING PROBLEM FOR 2003 TOYOTA SEQUOIA, VCS TRACTION CONTROL LIGHT ON. SO THIS PAST WEEKEND BEING ON A TRIP THE LIGHT COME ON AND WE TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP AND GAVES US A SURPRISE REPAIR $1,448.50 FOR PART 89541-0C062 AND 896300C011 $751.54 SO WITH LABOR SOME IN THE 2,500 DLS. SO I TOLD THE SERVICE GUY WHAT WAS THE RISK OF DRIVING THIS UNIT LIKE THAT. IN MY OWN WORDS IS LIKE HAVING AN 1980'S SUBURBAN. MY HUSBAND DID A RESEARCH ON THE INTERNET ON TUNDRASULUTIONS ETC. AND THERE ARE A LOT OF CASES OF THIS PROBLEM AROUSING AROUND 40,000 MILES OR LESS. WE HAVE A 4 YEAR OLD SON AND WE ARE "SCARED" TO DRIVE THIS TRUCK WITHOUT OF ANY OF THE SAFETY FEATURES NOW I WAS TOLD THAT THE TRACTION CONTROL COMPUTER AND THE MAIN COMPUTER NEEDED TO REPLACE AND THAT THIS WILL DISABLE ABS AND TRACTION CONTROLS. SO THIS MEANS THAT I HAVE A 1980 SUBURBAN. WE ARE VERY UPSET BECAUSE WE CALL TOYOTA AND THEY CAN'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT, THEY REFER ME TO THE DEALERSHIP SERVICE MANAGER THAT PROBABLY CAN OFFER ME A DISCOUNT OUTSIDE WARRANTY. WE NEED NHTSA TO START INVESTIGATING THIS ISSUE THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF USERS THAT ALREADY PAID FOR THIS REPAIR THAT DON'T EVEN KNOW HOW TO FILE A COMPLAINT. DON'T LET THIS ISSUE GET OUT OF HAND, PLEASE DON'T WAINT UNTIL THERE ARE PEOPLE HURT. MY TRUCK IS WORTH AROUND 14,000 THE REPAIR IS 2500 THE REPAIR IS 18% WORTH OF THE WHOLE VEHICLE. TOYOTA KNOWS ABOUT THIS PROBLEM IF THEY SELL A CAR WITH DEFECTIVE PARTS THEY SHOULD REPLACE IT. *TR

MY VSC/TRAC SENSOR HAS BEEN GOING ON AND OFF AND EVERY TIME I NEEDED TO HAVE IT CHECK, THE PROBLEM NEVER APPEARS. EXCEPT FOR TODAY, THE LIGHT HAS STAYED ON AND MY MECHANIC WAS ABLE TO DIAGNOSED AND VERIFIED IT WITH TOYOTA'S TSB AS A DEFECTIVE VSC/TRAC ECU AND HE RECOMMENDED THAT I TAKE IT TO A DEALER FOR THE REPLACEMENT AND INSTALLATION OF THE NEW ECU. SEVERAL TSB'S ARE POSTED ON THE NHTSA WEBSITE REGARDING THIS PROBLEM FOR MY VEHICLE YEAR AND MAKE. MY COMPLAINT IS, I FEEL THAT IT IS UNACCEPTABLE THAT A COMPUTER DEVICE THAT PLAYS A VITAL ROLE IN THE SAFETY PERFORMANCE OF THE VEHICLE SHOULD NOT HAVE FAILED WITHIN 5 YEARS, ESPECIALLY FOR A CONSIDERABLE COST TO HAVE IT REPLACE AFTER THE WARRANTY PERIOD. TOYOTA SHOULD HAVE AT LEAST SENT OUT NOTICES TO THE OWNERS REGARDING THIS POTENTIAL PROBLEM. *JB