general problems of the 2002 Toyota Sequoia - part 2

On interstate twice doing the posted speed 75mph I heard a grinding, vsc antilock brake lights come on, vehicle suddenly pulls to the right. Luckily I gained control and avoided a major accident. Have had brakes checked and now told its the sensor. Very costly repairs. Toyota should have a recall on this issue. Could cause a deadly accident.

The contact owns a 2002 Toyota Sequoia. The contact stated that while driving approximately 40 mph, the vehicle began veering to the right abnormally. The contact also stated that the vehicle would exhibit an unusual grinding noise. The problem ceased after the vehicle was powered off however, the failure was recurring. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer, who was unable to diagnose the problem. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 114,000.

Vsc track system activates unexpectedly under normal driving conditions producing a very loud grinding noise of the front brakes and for about 15-30 secs the brakes won't work. This problem causes the steering system to suddenly pull to the right side with a significant reduction of speed. Extremely dangerous when it has happened on high traffic volume highways. Reported this situation to Toyota corp. And they replied that they don't have any campaign or recall for the condition described. Toyota customer experience provided me with incident no. Xxxxxx-xxx303 for my complaint report. It is worth to mention of the hundreds of Sequoia owners complaining of this problem on social media websites for vehicle complaints and yet nothing has been done by Toyota.

Driving on dry, straight highway when vsc light and trac light come on and beeping started. Vehicle starting trying to engage 4wd I think. . . Lots of grinding in the front end and steering shaking. Went on for about 2 minutes then stopped. Vehicle not easy to control when this happened. Has happened multiple times since. Taking to mechanic this week. Not safe for wife and kids to be driving.

During rush hour, a vehicle before me abruptly stopped. To avoid from hitting them I swerved to the left hitting a wall divider when the front left wheel caved in having me and my family swerve all the way to the right into another sound wall. What I tried to do was hit the brake before going head on into the wall but the gas pedal was stuck causing us to accelerate into the wall. Luckily there were shrubs and bushes to help the car go into a slow as we slid across the wall. I dont know why the gas pedal decide to get stuck and accelerate us into the wall but im hearing from other Sequoia owners that they have had the same problem with their pedals and that needs to be checked out as soon as possible.

I was driving on a highway around 10:30pm, and all of a sudden I hear grinding noise and vsc/trac light goes on. Reduced speed because I felt as though I may lose control of vehicle. Vsc/trac light stays on, then goes off. Less than 30 minutes later, I hear beeping noice and vsc/trac light comes back on. This same incident has happened a week ago, where I pulled over the side of the road thinking it was a flat because I felt like I was losing control then too, but no flat. Trac control issue then too (hearing grinding noise). Concerned because it seems I may lose control.

My vehicle frame was replaced by Toyota due to a recall. When I got the car back, I noticed a whining sound, but did not think much of it since the mechanic said it might take a month for the frame to settle. I returned one month later to have the whining sound checked and was told the power steering lines were rusted and needed replaced at the cost odf$ 750. Toyota assured me that the Sequoia should last a long time!!! I no longer feel safe driving this vehicle. I wonder if the rusted power steering lines are part of the rusted frame recall. I have really loved my Sequoia, but I do not want to pay for any more repairs!!!! please let me know if others(either the Toyota truck frame or Sequoia frame), have had a similar problem.

My wife and I were on the way south I-405 from work to go to the church. I made exit at fairview, and then left on baker street. I felt the steering wheel was very heavy and uncontrollable. The car crashed. There was no other car involved. My breast and head are in pain right now.

Traveling home at normal speed the vsc/trac lights came on and the vehicle began vibrating and making a grinding noise. After stopping on the side of the road, I turned the vehicle off and on to possibly reset the vsc/trac. It seemed to work briefly but it started to do it again. We attempted to take the vehicle to the store and the problem started again. We noted audible alerts and the vsc/trac lights illuminating, grinding from what seemed to be the passenger side front tire. He had to pull off to the side of the road; however, found it difficult to control the vehicle. The speed was estimated at 35-40 mph, dry conditions with no obvious road conditions or issues. This problem had been noted several time randomly over the past two years, but has seemingly been resolved by turning the vehicle off and back on. This was the first time that the issue has persisted, and the increased difficulty in steering.

This vehicle has a rusted frame which Toyota will replace. They will not replace without customer cost several parts affected by the frame replacement. This is thousands of dollars required by the customer that otherwise would not be required. I want Toyota to pay for the frame and the other required parts.

While traveling home at normal speed the vsc/trac lights came on and the vehicle began vibrating and making a grinding noise. After stopping on the side of the road, I called my husband and was told to turn the vehicle off and on to possibly reset the vsc/trac. It seemed to work briefly but it started to do it again. After making it home, my husband drove the vehicle initially without any issues. However, he attempted to take the vehicle to the store and the problem started again. He noted audible alerts and the vsc/trac lights illuminating, grinding from what seemed to be the passenger side front tire. He had to pull off to the side of the road; however, found it difficult to control the vehicle. The speed was estimated at 35-40 mph, dry conditions with no obvious road conditions or issues. Smoke was observed coming from the passenger front of the vehicle. This problem had been noted several time randomly over the past two years, but has seemingly been resolved by turning the vehicle off and back on. This was the first time that the issue has persisted, and the increased difficulty in steering.

Again, after picking the vehicle up from the Toyota service department in which the skid control ecu and brake booster assembly was replaced, the vehicle repeated all alarms and malfunctions as before: slippery lamp illuminated, alarm sounded, vsc trac and trac off lamp lit while abs brakes engaged while driving on a slight decline at 45 mph. I returned the vehicle to Toyota immediately! the technicians informed me on the following Monday that the seal for the master cylinder was cracked after replacing the brake booster assy. Surprisingly, it has happened again and I am taking it back to the service department tomorrow morning. There has to be a systemic problem as this problem is a known issue with this type of vehicle. It is disappointing that Toyota would keep these vehicles on the road with know problems of the such. Fortunately for me, there hasn't been any accidents. I fear for the safety myself and my coworker as we commute in the vehicle daily. More importantly, that of my wife and children when we drive the vehicle.

While driving at 50 mph on a flat concrete paved road in dry conditions, the slippery wet lamp lit and the alarm sounded for approximately 10 seconds while the abs brakes engaged on. The lamp flashed until the brakes released and the vsc trac and trac off lamps illuminated and remained on after restarting the vehicle. This occurrence happened immediately after receiving the vehicle from the Toyota service department in which the skid control ecu was replaced for $770. 79. This is a repeated occurrence of the problems. I delivered the vehicle back to Toyota to have it repaired. The technician informed me that the brake booster assembly would need to be replaced to resolve the problem. The maintenance cost $1,606. 24 and they kept if for 5 days.

During my evening commute while driving on I-20 west at 75 mph, the steering wheel tugged and the front brake engaged. Immediately afterwards, the slippery wet lamp flashed and an alarm buzzer sounded for about 10 seconds. Afterwards, the vsc trac and traf off lights illuminated and remained on. I drove to an orientation and while on the way home at 45 mph, all of the previously stated alarms and malfunctions occurred again and the brakes engaged with a loud noise. I stop for gas at my usual 1/4 tank level and while pulling away from the fuel station, all alarms and all malfunctions recurred for the third time within a 24 hour period. The abs engaged while driving at 10 mph. I called the Toyota service department and coordinated to leave my vehicle in the night deposit box for maintenance the next morning. Toyota kept the vehicle for two days and replaced the skid control ecu anticipating that the problem would be resolved. Previously, I had the brake fluid flushed and replaced on 08/17/2012 as routine maintenance at 262,223 miles. The problem recurred within days.

Frame of vehicle is rusted and very thin in areas. The suspension and rear axle housing is rusting also. Frame is very close to developing holes and is DE-laminating I believe it is unsafe to drive and Toyota will not do anything about it.

Normally happens at low speed while accelerating. The skidding car symbol flashes, a warning beeper beeps several times, there is a noticeable swerve to the right accompanied by a grinding noise. The, trac off and the vsc off, lights come on and I am able to continue merrily on my way unannoyed, there is no apparent reduction in braking ability or steering control. I just have the "idiot" lights on the dash until I turn off the ignition. When I next drive the vehicle I am very wary until it happens again, maybe immediately, or 10 to 20 miles. But it always happens. The dealer says a new yaw rate sensor and vsc ecu will fix it. About $1800. 00 above the $105. 00 already paid for the diagnostic fee. What really gets my "goat" there is a recall for the "early" 2003 models for this same problem.

Was driving on the interstate in the left hand lane. Tried to merge into the right hand lane and noticed a car in my blind spot so I went back into the left lane. However, my vsc/abs lights went on, the car beeped, made a heavy grinding noise, and then, with much force, veered hard to the right. I tried to steer it back to the left hand lane, the other drivers saw me wrestling with my steering wheel and the car started to fishtail so fortunately they stayed well behind me. The car became impossible to control and steer and braking did not help. Despite my best efforts to control the car, apply the brakes, steer out of the skidding and fishtailing, my car then went over into the right lane, over to the shoulder, and then the wheel sunk into the grass next to the shoulder where the vehicle rolled over several times. My son and I were airlifted to the trauma unit. I suffered 2 broken vertebrae in the c area of my neck and a compressed disc in the t region of my spine, concussion, cuts, bruises, glass embedded near my eye, as well as a splenic aneurysm. My son had a concussion, wound on the head that required stitches, cuts, bruises and a sprained ankle. My son and I were both unconscious at the accident scene. My two daughters had minor cuts, sprains, and bruises. We were fortunate to have come out of this alive and not to have hit anyone else. I am still in a neck brace and undergoing medical treatment. Toyota needs to recall this model as soon as possible. We could have all been killed. Unfortunately, my car was totaled and there was no black box in this model. I will never buy a car from Toyota again. However, for the safety of others, I do hope they recall this model as I would hate for others to suffer what we had to suffer, or worse.

The vsc/trac activation and system warning lights came on while the system intermittently activated, locking up/letting go of the right rear tire while on dry level pavement and driving forward. I took it to a shop, which found a problem in a steering sensor, "the computer" and possibly a wheel sensor. They suggested that the system be disabled until it could be troubleshot in more detail. I had them disable it so that it could be driven without the danger of a wheel locking up on the highway. It is still disabled, with dash system warning lights on during operation.

I have a 2002 Toyota Sequoia and recently my vsc has been was feels like a lock up, I hear something grinding and the car begins to shake and swerve, it happened as I was entering the interstate. I have had issues with the vsc light going on and off and did mention to the service dept. At the dealership when it was under warranty, they said they could not find anything wrong. It has been a few years since the problem has occurred and now it is worse and a very scary and dangerous situation. I had my daughter and a her friend in the car and we were nowhere near a town. I am very scared to drive my car. It now happens almost everytime I go somewhere, and the dealership wants to charge me just to evaluate the problem when I had previously mentioned it before. I hope there is a recall very soon.

Makes a grinding noise, breaks on one side and pulls to one side. Skid indicator light, trac off light, and vsc light all come on and stay on. Vehicle decelerates momentarily, then resumes normal driving. Lights stay on until you turn off the vehicle.

In Feb. 2009, while driving to work, the brakes on my Sequoia began to lock and the engine started making a loud grinding sound and sensor lights began to blink uncontrollably. I could not control the car steering and was lucky that I was able to pull over the side of the road. This problem continued and I took it to my Toyota dealer who charged me $2700. 00 and blamed the problem on rats. After picking up my car from the dealership the problem continued a few weeks later and the same dealership still insisted that it was rats and charged me an additional $2300. 00. Yet this problem persisted so I took it to a local mechanic who has no ties with Toyota and he replaced a computer sensor. The problem went away for at least two years until recently during a recent rain storm it started to act up again. Driving this car has been unpredictable and scary at best. I came into several close calls with other vehicles on the road while driving when my car would loose all ability to steer and my brakes would lock during several instances. The experience has been a mind game and has taken a toll in my confidence in driving because I believed my dealership when they told me it was not the car, but because of rats, which I now know after reading other customers complaints on line that it was the way the car was manufactured. I lost a lot of faith in my Toyota dealership here in guam. I need your help to tell these people to recall my car to fix it even though it is 12 years old. I spent a lot of money when I invested in this car and I don't have the money to buy a new vehicle at this time. I am afraid an accident will occur to customers like me unless Toyota admits they have a problem with their vehicles.

I was driving from atlanta to charlotte on Friday, 2/16/07 on interstate 85 when my 2002 Toyota Sequoia suddenly pulled to the right even though I did not turn the steering wheel, nor was it windy. This happened a total of four times on my 250 mile trip. This condition has also occurred before in the past with no warning of when it will happen. I purchased new tires and had it aligned in July 2006 and there was no apparent damage in the steering area of the vehicle.

2002 Toyota Sequoia has been operating since @ 62,000 miles with a non-functioning vsc/abs system. See that this has not yet been officially recalled, but can find all kinds of info and complaints on the web about this issue. Dashboard lit up with all relative warning lights & vehicle has no abs nor vsc functionality. How could this important safety features well documented, chronic failure not be recalled? it is not exclusive to the 2002 model year either. This is very inappropriate. How many people have to die or get injured before this well documented safety equipment failure is responsibly addressed with a recall. I hope my complaint helps the tally towards this recall. Consumers of this vehicle have bought it with a critical safety system that fails. Toyota must be made to rectify this product safety and quality issue!.

I have had an issue with my vsc/trac off light since we bought it. The light would come on at seemingly random times, stay on until I restarted the truck - we were told it was not something we needed to worry about by the dealerships in fort worth (fort worth Toyota). Recently (2/2014 & 3/2014), as I was coming down a hill in our neighborhood, approaching a stop sign, there was a grinding sound and the vehicle would seem to be stopping instead of accelerating - and the vsc lights came on again. I immediately pulled over and stopped; I couldn't see anything wrong under the hood or near the wheel wells, which is where it sounded like it was coming from. It did not continue and did not happen again for about a week. The next time it happened I was on the highway at about 70 mph. It grinded for about a second and slowed me down abruptly, then stopped grinding. Pretty hairy situation, going 70 and having your brakes slow you down. I have not had the issue looked at by a technician yet and am not driving the truck. In researching it, I found hundreds of online complaints and a recall for the 2003 model year on your website. [NHTSA campaign number: 10v176000 ] obviously, the 2002 model year should have been included, as I am seeing the exact same problem.

I have owned my Sequoia for years and the approximate mileage is around 122,000 miles. I purchased it brand new and the first time I had an issue with the traction control was around 2005. I took it to the dealership and explained to them what happened. I was driving down the road and my speed was around 40 miles per hour. The weather was sunny and the roads were dry. I ran across a rough patch in the road and all of a sudden the wheels locked up, there was this awful screeching sound, and the steering became hard. It was like I had no control over the vehicle. Next thing I knew, the skid traction control lights were on. After I turned the vehicle off and restarted it, it looks like it had reset itself. Of course, the dealership could find nothing wrong. This has occurred again through the years and each time I take it in for service, I complain about the same problem. Today I have it in for service again and mentioned it yet again. I asked if they could just disconnect the skid traction control because I have come close several times to losing control of the vehicle. The service manager explained to me they could not disconnect it. Well, the way I figure it, Toyota will wait until after someone is killed or badly injured and they are sued before they will do anything. I have contacted Toyota America to no avail as well as the ntsb.