general problems of the 2003 Toyota Sequoia

Front end in rolled shacking. Tires wearing extremely fast and uneven image. Unable to drive.

Hello, I am writing to you to have an investigation started on 2003 Toyota Sequoia, I own one and there has been concerns with the frame of the vehicle rotting out, there was warranty enhancement program sent out in united states to cover frames of 2001 to 2004 Toyota Sequoias which replaced severely rusted out frames at the dealership. I use this vehicle for my family and I do not want to endanger the lives of them and the people around the community where the frame may break due to rust and cause a severe accident. Please take a look at the details below and get back to me. Subject: limited service campaign (lsc) csd certain 2001 through 2004 model year Sequoia vehicles frame inspection I am located in canada would like nhsta to investigate and see if this program can be administered to vehicles in canada since I have severe rotting of the frame and I have had to have it welded many times to not compromise the safety of the vehicle.

The latch hook/truck door release has a defect. It has been replaced 3 times after purchase of my vehicle , by the following Toyota dealerships (tejas Toyota in humble texas (2x); maund Toyota in austin, TX (1x). Each dealership service said it was/is manufacture defect with the latch hook and it stops “un latching when the vehicle the button is pressed to unlock and the handle can not open the hatchback” this time I was traveling out of state with my pet in the kennel and when we stopped for restroom break the latch would not open to retrieve the pet to let out the kennel. We were traveling with a vehicle full of items, which the entire inside of the vehicle had to be emptied I ordered to let all the seats down and try to maneuver to try to get my dog out of kennel I. Such a small confined space that was hard to open because it was in the side. It took over and hour to cut the cage at the top to retrieve my pet. The sad part is there was no warning because we were traveling a 13 hour trip, stopping every couple hours for breaks and stretches, and the couple hours before we open the hatchback just fine. This is more than a safety concern for the animal. This is also the ares for retrieving the spare tire underneath the vehicle when the spare has to be released. I have replaced the part 3 times and I am charged $600 cost for parts and labor, when Toyota is aware of the defect. I just had the part replaced 19 months ago and Toyota only gives a 12 warranty on the part. This is ludicrous when the manufacture is aware of the ongoing problem. I have purchased 4 prior Toyota’s and never had had this type of problem. My second safety issue is the case gage drops below the empty gage and stays there even though there is gas in the vehicle. The dealership said there was a recall years ago but I never received any notice. Please advise.

Unknown.

The contact owns a 2003 Toyota Sequoia. The contact stated that while having a tire replaced on the vehicle, the technician noticed that the driver's and passenger's side underneath the vehicle was extremely corroded. The technician deemed the vehicle unsafe to drive. The vehicle was not repaired. No dealer was contacted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not under recall. The failure mileage was approximately 235,000.

Took vehicle to local Toyota dealership due to steering issue - when I would hit a bump I would loose control of the steering. Inspection showed the vehicle under body and frame has completely rusted, there are sever holes and the trailing arm has separated from the frame. I am not the original owner, but Toyota had a recall on the frame during the prior ownership and the vehicle was serviced multiple times at a Toyota dealership during the recall and the problem was not addressed. Toyota refuses to offer any assistance at this time.

When driving about 45 or 60 mph the steering wheel shakes real bad an vibrates feels like I got a flat tire or feels like I'm gonna have a tire come off when I bought it also consumes a lot of gas ust to get real good gas mileage but now not so good juust to fill up twice a week but now sometimes 3 to 5 timeswhich is weird didn't know I had a recall warranty I have had to replace a lot of things especially in the emissions part for car bought new fuel line solenoids , purge solenoid, now it says I need a new valve vent solenoid. There is a vacuum leak other than that runs good doesn't over heat or break unless I needed to but uses a lot of GA shakes real bad I don't wanna drivemorethan 70 mph all the tires are at 41 psi.

2003 Toyota Sequoia limited 4x4 failed massachusetts inspection this month for a severely rusted frame with severe perforation. Additionally, the rear suspension and trailing arms may break off at any time. The vehicle was recalled and had a coating applied several years ago - this only masked the problem. The vehicle was always garaged. The engine and body of the vehicle are in good condition. The vehicle has 300,000 miles and runs well. The Toyota dealer deemed the vehicle "not repairable. " the vehicle was also deemed unsafe and advised to take off the road.

So many problems with this vehicle, and a major problem not only with this vehicle but other years and models as well the paint bubbling and coming off the vehicle especially hood area and top of vehicle, has to be bad paint Toyota is using.

Abnormal rust all over underside of vehicle including frame, structural components, brake lines, steering components … etc. Frame and steering/suspension components rusting out. Rear differential rusting out. Cab mounts rusting out. Spare tire hardware rusting out. Transmission cooler lines about to burst from corrosion. Rear tow assembly rusting out. Entire underside is rotting out. Known issue which has plagued hundreds of owners, but Toyota has not recalled this model year. Extremely dangerous; one brake line has already gone out resulting in a loss of braking. Toyota applied an undercoating circa 2013 but they just sprayed over an already rusted frame and other components without proper preparation which actually accelerated the corrosion and rot. Deceptive and unethical business practices. Vehicle cost over $50,000 new in 2003 and only has just over 120,000 miles on it. This should not be happening. Please help. Please investigate.

The chassis is very rusty and I want to change the shocks but I don't want to damage the car because I believe that chassis have to be fixed first and I don't know how much that cost or where to go to fixed.

Tl- the contact owns a 2003 Toyota Sequoia. The contact stated that there had been extensive rust and corrosion concerning the front to back for the frame. The extensive nature of the potential failure may cause the frame to fracture so the contact was uncertain if the part may fail. The dealer arlington Toyota, 2095 n rand rd, palatine, IL 60074, (847) 485-1200 indicated that the vehicle was included in a manufacturer campaign to service the frame, the contact was not notified and they indicated that the statute had expired to provide a remedy. The dealer and the manufacturer expect the contact to replace the frame. The vehicle was not repaired yet. The manufacturer refused to provide assistance other than having the dealer repair the vehicle. The approximate failure mileage was 256,000. Dyd.

Replaced O2 sensor and was unable to obtain sticker due to frame is rusted. Have three teenage drivers using truck and is now unsafe. Have owned vehicle since 2007 and have serviced at woburn Toyota in woburn,MA. I have never got an email or mail from Toyota pertaining any issue. When asked about it said been out for a while!!!.

I purchase this 2003 Toyota Sequoia in 2003 brand new and at the moment the frame is rusting at an alarming rate. I would like to know if the manufacturer (Toyota) is making any plans to rectifying this problem?.

The 2003 sequioa frame is rust is eating away the frame. We paid a lot of money for this vechicle. Would Toyota standby there vechicle and replace this frame or we have pay for replacement .

The vehicle was making noises while driving that we could not identify. My daughter was driving it to pick up a friend and when she turned into the driveway, the right rear axle disconnected from the frame. The overall frame is entirely rusted out. Pretty big safety issue. Thankfully, she was not driving faster when this occurred.

Received a letter from Toyota for a limited service campaign, for rusting of the frame. I took my Toyota to koons Toyota in annapolis, MD. They called me the next day and said it failed for rust. There was a hole in my frame and Toyota would replace the frame at no cost to me. Then they called me to tell me it would cost $6,400. 00 to replace everything under the vehicle, because it was so rusted out that when they took the parts off they would crumble. Two days later they called and told me it would cost $6,900. 00 to replace parts. They called last night and said it would cost me $7,845. 00 and they could not guarantee the price would not be higher. They sent me pictures of my frame and there is a large hole in the frame. My question is shouldn't I get my truck back in working condition without me paying for anything? I contacted Toyota in CA. And talked to the rust specialist, and he said they would not pay for my parts. My husband and I are retired and live on a fixed income. We can not afford to pay for the parts. The truck has been paid for once, why should I take out a loan for a truck that has been paid for. The dealer also asked us to come pick up my truck if I would not authorize to pay for the parts. When I picked up my truck today, they said if anything happened to the truck while I was driving it home, they would not be responsible, because I didn't get it fixed. Please make Toyota recall these rusted trucks back. The rusted frame also includes tundras, because they use the same frame. Thank you.

Frame is completely rusted and cracked in various areas.

There is an extreme amount of rust on the frame of my wife's 2003 Sequoia. The rust is just flaking off in huge chunks which is more than just the under coat of paint, its actual chunks of disintegrated/corroded metal. I can not believe the tundra frames which were produced on the same manufacturing line and used the same metal as the Sequoia were recalled but the Sequoia's are not. Most of the frame damage seems to be isolated to the rear of the car.

The frame on my vehicle cracked, and this caused the top of the strut to come up through the floorboard. The Toyota dealer, body shop, and independent insurance appraiser say that this was not caused by an accident or other impact. They said the frame had metal fatigue and simply failed. This poses a serious hazard if a lightly driven vehicle such as mine, well-cared for and driven in a suburban setting, the frame would crack in 8 years. I saw online that there was a frame recall for 2001-2003 tundras and Sequoias (which share the same frame). The recall was for only 18 states where there is heavy snow, causing the frames to rust through. Toyota was forced to replace the entire frame. I believe that the frames were faulty from a manufacturing defect for this to occur. I want to make sure that you have this information as it may be part of a more wide-spread problem that Toyota is not telling anyone about.

I noticed oil leaking from rear axle housing. When I took the vehicle in for service I was told that the axle housing is leaking due to defective welds and must be replaced, it cannot be repaired. At the same time I was also told that the vehicle frame has rotted from the inside out due to defective or inadequate factory rustproofing. I was told that this problem is pervasive in Toyota Sequoias which have the same frame as Toyota tundras. Toyota has recalled the tundras and replaced the frames but to date refuses to do the same for Sequoias. The vehicle has been determined to be unsafe to drive at this time. Aside from the defects stated above the vehicle is in excellent condition.

Frame is rusting through, making vehicle unsafe to drive.

The rust recall for the 2000-2003 Toyota tundras should also include the Toyota Sequoia's for they are built on the same chasis. I have a lot of visible rust on my 2003 Sequoia and am getting worried about driving my kids in the truck. We do live in illinois which is one of the states involved in the recall.

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.

I have a 2003 Toyota Sequoia that just had a major computer system failure with the skid control systems. There was no warning, the vsc lights came on in the dashboard and a loud sound came from the engine, like bending metal. This vehicle only has 28k in 3 1/2 years, and that means I'm 6 months past bumper to bumper warranty. I had heard about this problem previously because I had a similar problem within months of buying the car, but that was covered under warranty. . Read more...

Frame is rusting away at only 40k. Holes in frame.

The frame on the car is rusting away with only 40k miles on it. It was garage kept.

We purchased a 2003 Toyota Sequoia 2wd, in may of 2003. At first the only problem we had was the rotten egg smell, now it's tire problems. Starting in February 2004 my husband have had to take the truck back every two weeks. At first the dealership said that they couldn't find anything. The next time they said that it was the tires, so they replace all of the tires. We had to pay about $150. 00 for the tires. The dealership change from dunlop tire to bf goodrich which is a harder tire, now they we are back with the dunlop tires which is a softer tire. All they are doing is covering up the problem. After changing the tires 3 times, they told us it was the drive shift. They claim they ordered the part it took three weeks to get it in. After getting it in the service manager at reinhardt here in montgomery, alabama, told my husband that the shop manager didn't think anything was wrong with the truck, but when you are going 60 mph on the interstate the truck start to shakes. Now were are on the 4th set of tires what is that. We have contacted the Toyota headquarters for the paper to have the truck inspected again. It took about a month to get them. You can call the Toyota customer service number in the owners manual. I feel if we have enough complaint we can get a recall. Jh montgomery, alabama.

When the back windows are rolled down and vehicle is in motion there is a violent wind tunnel that bends the roof and makes a horrendous sound. Vehicle sounds as if it is airborne.