Door Latch problems of the 2002 Toyota Sequoia

I went to exit my car one night and the drivers door handle snapped off in my hand leaving me to find another way to exit my vehicle other than the one that all people use to exit their vehicle the drivers door. Should I have been in an accident at the time I would have been trapped in my vehicle. Prior to that my rear lid handle stopped working. Toyota refused to fix it because the warranty is up and they feel this is not a safety issue. In contacting my local dealer I was told this happens all the time and was just laughed at I was told what do you expect it is only plastic.

Drive interior door handle cracked making it impossible to open door from the inside of the vehicle. I called motor imports in honolulu, hawaii and they informed me that they would not cover the defective part. About one year earlier, the handle for the latch tailgate snapped. I had to go to a repair shop to replace both these parts because the dealer refused to replace for free. I am seriously concerned about safety. The tailgate may be the only escape route for rear passengers and there is no interior latch to open the tailgate. If the rear exterior latch breaks off, there is no way to open the tailgate. When my driver interior door handle snapped, I realize how dangerous this vehicle can be in an accident especially where exiting the vehicle is important such as a fire or in the water.

Both passenger and driver side interior door handles have broken off from normal use. As a result we have to roll down the windows in order to exit the vehicle. As these are power windows this could be a potentially hazardous failure.

Inside passenger door handle broke. Can not exit vehicle on passenger side.

Door handle breaking: 2002 Toyota Sequoia (1) events leading up to the failure nothing abnormal. Housewife exiting vehicle after dropping kids off at school. (2) failure and its consequences the door handle snapped in half, rendering no exit from vehicle impossible, other than rolling down electric window, and reaching outside, opening with exterior handle. Although the immediate consequences in this case were minimal, if the plastic door handle were flawed on a large scale, it is probable that the door handle will break repeatedly, (also confirmed with technician, "we replace these all the time". ) the deadly combination of an accident, and subsequent high-stress conditions, potentially creating a life-threatening circumstance of an emergency exit, result in a significantly greater amount of force to be used than normal, I. E. Yanking the handle to get out. Bottom line, if a kindergarten teacher casually exiting a vehicle will snap it in half, what happens when a person is inhaling smoke surrounded by flames, trying to get their kids out? they will exert a tremendous amount of force on the handle to get out, snapping it in half, the window method will not work, or not come to mind. Issue a recall, or at a minimum, obtain from Toyota the number of door handles replaced in after-market parts. Unfortunately, Toyota postures itself that this is a warranty item. It is not. Human life is not a warranty item. This is a matter for the NHTSA to decide.

2002 Sequoia rear latch does not work. This caused rear doors not to lock.

1. Inside door handle snaps/breaks off at 30,000 miles. 3 separate handles have broken. Driver side has broken twice. Multiple times including 3 of 4 handles over a period of a few years. 2 when handle breaks off you can't exit the car. 3. Parts plus labor $70. 00 - I have old part.

Plastic passenger side door handle failed in fatigue (crack), preventing door from being opened from the inside. Vehicle is 2002 Toyota camry. Dealer replaced handle without charge, but this is a dangerous condition.

In September 2002 the owner went to open the door handle and it fell off in her hand. It was the driver's door handle that broke. Then the owner called the dealership and made appointment for repairs. T the dealership repaired the door handle without charge since the car was under warranty. Then, in June 2005 there was a passenger who got of out of the passenger side door and the door wouldn't close. The owner got it to close by using a bungee cord. In June while owner was driving on a main road the passenger's door opened. The owner did not know what caused the door to open. The dealership repaired the inside door latch for about $300. Then, last week the owner was trying to open the hatch back and couldn't get the hatchback door open. The owner called the manufacturer. Toyota will pay for the part, but the owner will pay for the labor. However, the owner was worried that the doors could open while driving. The owner signed a piece of paper in June of 2005 that stated the owner would be responsible for any damage or injuries caused by the doors coming open. Updated 03/07/07.