general problems of the 2003 Toyota Sequoia - part 2

2003 Sequoia. Vsc/trac lights come on just driving down the road. Plus parking brake light. Have to shut car off to reset. The dealer said my computer is not part of the recall so I must pay out of pocket. Looked on-line and found dozens of sites and thousands of people with the same problem.

2003 Toyota Sequoia vsc lights and traction lights came on, replaced the computer for approx $1500 on 09/07. Now 08/10 vsc warning lights and the engine lights are coming on. These warning lights seem to come on about 3-6 times per month especially when I ride over a small bump or turn a corner. Usually the lights don't come on again once the truck is restarted. This time the lights are remaining on for 3 days and I will be once again taking this truck in.

I have a 2003 Toyota Sequoia. Currently, the vsc trac, vsc, abs and emergency handbrake lights are on. After many visits to the dealer and repair shops, the problem cannot be resolved. Everyone seems to think this issue is not related to a mechanical issue, but to an electronic sensor. Unfortunately, only the manufacturer/dealership can remedy this problem. Because this is a Toyota-fix-only, we cannot simply afford to get this fix. We have been quoted almost $700 to fix this issue. This is a difficult amount to digest, especially with a family with multiple kids.

2003 Toyota Sequoia, vsc and abs lights came on and off several times @ 20k miles and now @ 80k miles. First time @ 20 k miles, dealer didn't find any problem so they said I might forget to tighten the gas cap. . . But now after 5 years, the vsc and abs light started popping up again when I was driving 60 mile/hour, I have brought the CA to dealer and this time they have charged me almost $ 500 to get these lights came off including a series of unnecessary parts replacing and tune up. Less than one month, these lights - vsc and abs came on again, brought back to dealer, they said it failed for another code which require another $ 500 to get it fixed. I was frustrated so I took the car back home, but I still feel unsafe when driving it. I think Toyota should consider this issue and recall since so many customers have reported a similar issue - vsc and abs light intermittent issue.

2003 Toyota Sequoia - the vsc, trac and brake light all illuminated with a grinding sound coming from under the car. The car shuddered to a stop during acceleration. Barely avoided an accident by quickly pulling the car over. Just checked with Toyota and my car is not included in the recall for this identical problem. Please explain your reasoning behind not including all Sequoia's with this dangerous problem.

Vehicle stability control system failure. . . Vsc, trac, and abs failure. . . All 2003 Toyota Sequoia.

I have a 2003 Toyota Sequoia that has a faulty skid control unit and needs the ecu replaced. Although Toyota has issued a recall notice for 2003 Sequoias for this problem, I was told that my car is not included on that list since they are only targeting certain cars from that year, not all cars with this problem. I was told by the dealership that it will cost me close to $3,000 to fix my car, which I cannot afford. I have only 35,000 miles on this vehicle. I have two young children that I drive in this car and have had some very close calls due to the car not functioning properly due to the faulty vsc. I feel that our safety is in jeopardy due to Toyota's refusal to fix a problem that they know about and are indeed recalling for. My 2003 Toyota Sequoia should be included in the recall list and fixed like all of the other 2003 Sequoias with this problem. Thank you for your help.

The vsc trac and trac off lights come on sometimes with the brake light sometimes not. I was told it is a safety issue and it would be 2,800 dollars to replace the ebs system or something. I hear this is a very common occurrence in the 2003 Toyota Sequoia's.

The contact owns a 2003 Toyota Sequoia. While driving at 5 mph, the vehicle suddenly jerked forward and accelerated when the contact depressed the accelerator pedal. He depressed the brake pedal with extreme force and the vehicle stopped after crashing into the garage door and hitting a wall. There was front end damages to the vehicle. The contact suffered minor neck injuries. The contact called an authorized dealership but was told that there were no recalls for the vehicle. The vehicle had not been inspected or repaired at the time of the complaint. The current and failure mileages were approximately 60,000. Updated 7/20/10 updated 07/23/jb.

2003 Sequoia : 1. Vsc and engine lights went on three times, have car in service dept, but no root cause has been identified. 2. Dealer charged for each repaired time , several parts have been replaced but the same problem reappeared after few months.

Vsc and abs lights come on in 2003 Toyota Sequoia. Dealers request that the sensor or ecu be replaced out-of-pocket ($700 - $2000). A lot of complaints have been filed by 2001-2003 Sequoia and tundra customers but Toyota refuses to issue a recall.

This occurred approximately April 2010, upon receiving a recall notice from Toyota on brakes, I took the vehicle into the Toyota dealership. They fixed the recall notice and I ended up having to pay for a test to find out what was causing the vsc light to come on. The dealership said that there was nothing that they could do for me except replace the yaw sensor for almost $800 dollars. This was the sensor for $685 and then the labor. To this date (07/14/2013) Toyota has done nothing to fix the issue. I have read numerous issues with this item. I guess it will take someone else being killed for them to get their act together and fix it.

Vsc trac and vsc and brake lights come on and sometimes can be reset by turning the car off and then on. Loss of power when this happens sometimes. Lately this has been happening on a regular basis.

On several occasions after backing out of the driveway and beginning to accelerate the vsc light comes on and a strange sound is heard from under the truck. The tires are either slipping on snow at the time or loose gravel leftover from the snow. Toyota dealership said we need to replace the ecu unite for $1000 because it's not covered in the may 2010 recall based on our VIN number.

Turning right into driveway my car began to shake with a loud grinding sound. Let off gas, noise ceased, applied gas gently and the vehicle proceeded as normal. This has happened several times since. It only seems to occur during a right turn at a very low speed. The vsc and trac lights each come on when this occurs. They used to be off each time I restarted the vehicle but now they do not turn off at all. Went to Toyota dealer and was told that I need to have the "computer system" that controls the vsc and trac replaced. Was quoted a price of $1,700. 00. This problem has not been corrected at this time. However, I cannot afford to wait since this is my only vehicle and I have 3 children whose safety may be at risk as this defect occurs.

The vsc and 4 wd lights came on in our 2003 Toyota Sequoia. When starting in forward, there is a loud grind and a thump. This happened shortly (1 week) after replacing the brake pads. I placed the car in manual 4 wheel drive and move it very slowly back and forth. The lights are off, but it seems like a temporary fix.

2003 Toyota Sequoia will unexpectedly loose power when turning and then acceleration races up after a long pause. This has happened about once per month since purchasing the vehicle in 2003 and has several times resulted in near-miss crashes from approaching traffic as the vehicle will not move out of the way of oncoming traffic.

My complaint is the abs/trac control system in my Toyota Sequoia. It engaged without any reason and I lost power when I was driving in a hot day on the freeway. I had to pull over. There are many other owners who are reporting this issue on many websites. Does someone have to die for you guys to take any actions.

Vsc/trac light warning & sensor is on. . . . Parking brake goes off & on. Vehicle stop suddenly. I took to dealer & diagnosed it as "steering angle sensor" for abs hard code c1231. . . . Total repair quote $743.

Abs, vsc/trac lights are "on" all came up at the same time. It was a rainy day in houston, TX. Had to run 55mph at 65mph speed limit due to rain for safety pre-caution. At the time I reached my work place (approx 10miles from my residence), all 3-lights (abs, vsc, trac) turned on. I am the 2nd owner of this vehicle, acquired it from Toyota dealer 15 October 2009. With this incident, got curious of any recalls, complaints or issues with 2003 Sequoia. Unfortunately, I just realized that I am among owners having the same issues.

Vsc/trac light starting going on and off than stayed on than the slip indicator light went on and the buzzer would ring a few times than the rear tires skidded on their own and seemed to kind of "lock up" than it went away. This happened 3x in a weeks period so I looked it up in my owner's manual and it said to take it in to the Toyota dealer which I did on 11/03/09. This is the 2nd Toyota sr5 I have bought. I traded my 2001 sr5 in for this one because the vsc trac lights kept going on in it too but the electric windows stopped working as well. We bought the 36 months, 36,000 mile extended warranty which the salesman told us would cover "everything" bumper to bumper and that it was "better" than the previous certified platinum extended warranty that we had purchased with our 2001 sr5. I bought this 2003 sr5 on 12-15-07 and this is the first time I had any problem with the lights or skidding. I was taking my grandson to the dentist when it happened and it was scary. Thank god no one got hurt. I immediately took it in to the dealer only to find out that the skid control replacement is not covered and that the cost for repairs would be $2,000. Well I do not have $2,000 to pay for this. I remembered having received a questionnaire in the mail a month or so ago from the NHTSA requesting information specifically about the vsc trac and slip indicator lights so I did fill it out and send it in, however I had only had the vsc lights go on at that point and only recently the slip indicator light and buzzer stared going off. It is quite obvious that there is a defective part & hazardous and should be recalled. I have left my car at the dealer and will have it towed home as it is not safe to drive like that as I do not have the $2,000 to fix it. I spoke with gary hewitt at NHTSA on 11/04/09 and he said that michael packard would be back in the office on 11/16/09 in ohio and since he is conducting this investigation, would probably want to see my car before repairs.

Vech. Skid control alarm and reaction takes place without warning or justification. Vehicle brakes come on with warning and car shakes because the brakes which are automatically being applied and brake anti skid system is activated. This happened when traveling approx 45 mph. Thought I was going to die because of the violent reaction of the vech. This has happen more than five times and Toyota wants me to pay $2,100 to correct their engineering error. Should I submit a bill for mental anguish?.

The vsc. Tcs warning lights are on in vehicle and after reading the about incidents occurring in other 03 Sequoias, I am nervous to continue driving it.

About 9am Monday morning, after driving vehicle about 20 mph, I arrived at a stop sign. As I began to accelerate and make a right hand turn, the vehicle stalled. The Sequoia would not move at all. I have depress the acceleration to the floor in order to move the car and suddenly it took off. I was able to regain control of the car and safety drop off my children.

Toyota Sequoia sr5 2003. Problem with trac/vsc and abs system are always lite up on the dashboard. This has been serviced by the dealer several months after I purchased the vehicle and several years after that. Continues to be a problem, it always is temporarily fixed by dealer and then reappears at a later date.

2003 Toyota Sequoia sr5- common problem like others abs/vsc trac/vsc off sensor lights continue to stay on. Brake light comes on periodically. Brought vehicle in to dealership today for recall for skid control ecu update and it did not fix the problem. Brought this up to dealership today and was asked - what lights - you did not tell us sensor lights were on - it will be $49. 99 to pull vehicle back in and see what the problem is. I am not stupid, the dealer has looked at this vehicle before and all they tell us is we have to replace several sensors - $3000. 00 +. There are too many similar complaints out there with this vehicle and same problem. Toyota does not want to put the funds into fixing a serious defect.

Driving home and all of the sudden the vsc/trac/ and abs light go on. Toyota says it is not dangerous but the manual says to take it in ASAP. Spent ~$1000 to replace the control unit.

A vsc/ abs/ skid lights starts to trigger on my 2003 Toyota Sequoia limited 4wd which will create unnecessary grinding sound. . .

While driving along at city street speeds, during dry weather, on paved roads, my vsc trac and trac off lights come on. No other warning lights come on. Then a buzzer sounds for about 3 seconds. Then at the same time, a strange grinding sound comes from underneath the car, and the brakes seem to start working for no reason. I quickly pull over, turn off the car. I check the outside of the car and see no indication of running over anything. I then start the car and all the lights are back to normal (off). This happens about 2-3 times a month, for about a month or 2 now. I have not been able to determine any problems.

I have a 2003 Toyota Sequoia 4x4. I had the 60,000 mile service done at piercey Toyota milpitas, CA. I received a call from the service department advising me that the vehicle battery needed replacement, which I authorized. When I picked up my vehicle, I noticed that the vsc/vsc traction light was on and would remain on. I brought the vehicle back to piercey Toyota, and they advised me that the vsc computer needed to be replaced. The cost for replacement was $2,000. I declined repair until I could do some research. I have checked the web, and apparently there are numerous complaints regarding the premature failure of the vsc computer. Your NHTSA action number is pe08072. I have no way of proving it, but I think when the new battery was installed, the vsc computer was damaged, since it had worked fine until the 60,000 mile service/vehicle battery replacement.

I have had the same problem as detailed in NHTSA action no. Pe08072. Several times, my vehicle stability control system has activated unexpectedly. Every time, it happened when I was at a stop sign. When I accelerated to turn right, the vsc system activated and I lost power to the vehicle, half-way pulled out in a turn. After several seconds, power returned.

For no reason, the traction control system lights (vsc trac) have lit up and will not turn off. After researching the matter, it appears this is a common failure of the vsc traction control ecu. The approximate cost to repair is $2000. 00. This item is currently being considered for a recall as its a widespread problem for all Toyota Sequoias. The vehicle does in fact experience the occasional locking up of the brakes coupled with the loss of ability to accelerate. This occurs several times a week and usually occurs after coming to a stop and you begin to accelerate forward again. As you begin to accelerate, the vehicle suddenly loses power and the brakes lock up and make a loud griding noise. While this occurs, if you step on the brake pedal, its very firm and you can feel a vibration in the pedal. *smch.

I bought 2003 Toyota Sequoia. I am getting the vsc traction control and abs light on. Checked with other Sequoia owner and they have similar problem. I went to checked the car and was told that the ecu computer is faulty. The faulty ecu needs to be replaced. Since this is wide spread problem with 03 Sequoia it should be recalled. This is a safety issue. Here are the codes: c1203, c1223,c1244.

Vehicle stalls occasionally when making a right turn. This happened to me while pulling into traffic which made for an extremely dangerous situation as I have to quickly steer the car over to the side of the road. After starting the engine, vsc off light is illuminated and stays on. When putting vehicle in gear and driving for a few seconds, a grinding noise with a warning signal occurs.

03 Toyota Sequoia vsc trac lights on. Safety concern.