2003 TOYOTA SEQUOIA Complaints

THIS IS A COMPLAINT TO NHSTA REGARDING VSC/ABS SKID CONTROL ECU FAILURE WITHIN A 2003 TOYOTA SEQUOIA. THIS ISSUE OCCURRED AROUND 60,000 MILES AND, UNFORTUNATELY, THE DEALER CLAIMS NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS, NOR WILL THEY COVER/REPAIR THE PART, ALTHOUGH NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS HAVE ALREADY BEEN MADE BY OTHER SEQUOIA OWNERS ABOUT THIS SAME ISSUE. I HAVE SPOKEN TO THE DEALER NUMEROUS TIMES ABOUT THIS ISSUE PREVIOUSLY, AND THEY SAID THAT IT WAS NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT. IT SEEMS RATHER UNFAIR TO FOOT A BILL OF $2500 FOR A PART THAT FAILED DUE TO TOYOTA AND NOT ME, THE CONSUMER. *NM

VSC/ABS SKID CONTROL ECU FAILURE IS A KNOW ISSUE BY EVERY TOYOTA SEQUOIA OWNER, BUT TOYOTA CLAIMS THAT IT'S NOT AN ISSUE. THIS FAILURE REQUIRES THAT VSC/ABS SKID CONTROL ECU BE REPLACED. WHILE VEHICLE IS UNDER WARRANTY, TOYOTA WILL TRY TO DO ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING POSSIBLE NOT TO REPLACE THE PART, BUT ONCE THE WARRANTY EXPIRES AND YOU BRING THE CAR FOR REPAIRS, FIRST THING THEY TELL YOU IS THAT YOU NEED A NEW ECU COSTING CLOSE TO $3000.00. *JB

PASSENGER SIDE, MIDDLE ROW, FOLDING SEAT DOES NOT LATCH. HAD PROBLEMS W/ IT BEING VERY DIFFICULT TO LATCH STARTING AROUND ONE YEAR OF US, LATER BECAME IMPOSSIBLE TO LATCH. DEALER SAYS THE BAR IN THE SEAT IS BROKEN (BUT NOW OUT OF WARRANTY). $800+ TO REPLACE, DEALER OFFERED $300 DISCOUNT TOWARD REPAIR. *JB

2003 TOYOTA SEQUOIA - ALMOST CRASHED WHEN A MALFUNCTION WITH THE VEHICLE SKID CONTROL ECU OCCURRED. CAUSED CAR TO LOSE POWER, BRAKE FLUTTERED AND MADE GRINDING NOISE, AND ALARM SOUNDED IN CABIN OF CAR. TRAC OFF AND VSC TRAC LIGHTS CAME ON. THOUSAND OAKS TOYOTA (CA) PULLED CODES C1203 AND C1231. QUOTE FOR REPAIR = $2100.00 (TO REPLACE TRANS LATE ECU AND SKID CONTROL ECU). UNFORTUNATELY, I HAVE 41K MILES ON IT AND WARRANTY ENDED AT 36K (36 MONTHS WAS UP IN DECEMBER OF LAST YEAR). MANY REPORTS OF SAME PROBLEM IN SEQUOIAS ON VARIOUS WEBSITES. TOYOTA IS REFUSING TO PAY FOR REPAIRS. CAR HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED AT THIS TIME. *NM

WHEN WE FIRST BOUGHT THE VEHICLE THE TRAC SYSTEM LIGHTS KEPT COMING ON AND THE BRAKES FELT MUSHY; WE TOOK IT IN TO TOYOTA AND THEY REPLACED THE COMPUTER SYSTEM WHICH SEEMED TO RECTIFY THE PROBLEM. THEN ABOUT 9 MO TO A YEAR LATER THE LIGHTS KEPT COMING ON AGAIN AND THE BRAKES FAILED TWICE, TOYOTA STATED THEY WOULD REPLACE THE BRAKE SYSTEM FLUID AND THE MASTER CYLINDER AT OUR COST BECAUSE WE HAD TAKEN IT ELSEWHERE AND THEY FELT THAT IT HAD CONTAMINATED BRAKE FLUID, WHICH OUR MECHANIC STATED IN WRITING WAS NOT. ALTHOUGH WE TRIED NUMEROUS TIMES TO HAVE TOYOTA FIX IT UNDER WARRANTY; WE GOT THE VEHICLE REPAIRED THROUGH OUR OWN MECHANIC AND THEN SHORTLY LATER THE BRAKES FAILED RESULTING IN A CRASH ON THE FREEWAY. WHEN IT WAS DECIDED THAT THE SEQ WOULD BE REPAIRED VIA INS THERE WAS A CODE THAT SHOWED UP ON THE COMPUTER SYSTEM THAT SHOWED THAT BRAKES INDEED DID FAIL; HOWEVER WHEN TAKING IT TO TOYOTA THE SAME CODE DID NOT SHOW UP. THE VEHICLE DID WELL, HOWEVER WE LIVE BY A DIRT ROAD AND WHEN TRAVELING DOWN THE ROAD OR GOING AROUND A CORNER QUICKLY THE TRAC SYSTEM LIGHTS GO ON AND NOW THE VEHICLE ACTS LIKE IT WON'T GO WHEN THE TRAC SYSTEM IS ON AND YOU SLOW DOWN OR START UP AGAIN--AT PRESENT THE SYSTEM IS TURNED OFF; IT HAS REALLY NEVER WORKED CORRECTLY. *NM

WHEN SHIFTING THE TRANSMISSION IN TO DRIVE ALL THE LIGHTS WORK EFFECTIVELY, BUT THE LIGHT THAT INDICATES THE VEHICLE IS IN THE D POSITION (DRIVE) BURNS OUT. THIS IS A SAFETY PROBLEM THAT MAY CAUSE AN ACCIDENT. THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM THAT THE DEALER IS AWARE OF AS A CONSISTENT DEFECT. *JB

HOW DO I REPORT SOMETHING THAT I FEEL NEEDS TO BE INVESTIGATED? I HAVE A 2003 TOYOTA SEQUOIA. I ALSO HAVE A NUMBER OF ACQUAINTANCES THAT HAVE 2002 AND 2004 MODELS AND THEY HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM. I HAVE ALSO NOTED ON THE WEB PAGES WHERE SEQUOIA OWNERS GO TO ASK QUESTIONS HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM. THE REAR WINDOW STOPS WORKING. IF ITS UP WHEN IT STOPS IT IS OK (THAT IS WHERE MINE STOPPED AT), BUT IF IT STOPS IN THE DOWN POSITION A PERSON HAS A VERY COSTLY REPAIR ($400- 500). THE MOTOR IN THE TAILGATE RUSTS AND IS COVERED UNDER A SERVICE BULLETIN BECAUSE THEY RECOGNIZED THE PROBLEM. THE SERVICE BULLETIN IS GOOD, BECAUSE THEY READILY FIX IT SINCE MY VEHICLE WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY. IS IT WIDESPREAD ENOUGH TO ISSUE A RECALL? BECAUSE I DID NOT DISCOVER MINE UNTIL AFTER MY WARRANTY EXPIRED. *JB

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE ABS LIGHT ILLUMINATED CONSTANTLY. ALSO, WHILE DRIVING AT 30 MPH ON WET ROADS, THE VEHICLE SKIDDED WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A SERVICE DEALER WHO DETERMINED THAT THE VEHICLE STABILITY CONTROL WAS DEFECTIVE. UPDATED 9/13/2006 - THE DECELERATION SENSOR WAS REPLACED. THE VEHICLE EXTENDED WARRANTY DID NOT COVER THE COST OF THE REPLACEMENT. *NM

TOYOTA SEQUOIA - CONSISTENT FAILURE OF THE TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM WHILE DRIVING. THIS ISSUE HAS BEEN ADDRESSED BY THE DEALER MULTIPLE TIMES TO NO SUCCESSFUL REPAIR. WE ALSO HAVE HAD SIGNIFICANT ISSUES WITH THE REAR WINDOW SEALS LEAKING AND CAUSING THE WINDOW MOTOR TO FAIL. *NM

I OWN A 2003 TOYOTA SEQUOIA. FOR THE THIRD TIME NOW, THE VSC OFF AND VSC TRAC LIGHTS HAVE ILLUMINATED FOR NO REASON. LOCAL TOYOTA DEALER CAN'T FIGURE IT OUT AND EVERY TIME IT'S A DIFFERENT DIAGNOSE. I HAVE PURCHASED TOYOTA'S FOR THEIR RELIABILITY, BUT THIS ONE HAS ME THINKING OTHERWISE. I SAW ON AN EDMUNDS FORUM SITE THAT OTHER FOLKS HAVE REPORTED THIS TO THE NHTSA GOV SITE. I THOUGHT IT IS A GOOD IDEA SINCE IT HAS TO DO WITH A BRAKE SYSTEM. FROM THE NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS ON THE FORUM SITES I THINK TOYOTA HAS A PROBLEM THEY DON'T WANT TO ADMIT. THAT IS UNTIL SOMEONE GETS HURT. *JB