10.0
really awful- Crashes / Fires:
- 4 / 0
- Injuries / Deaths:
- 1 / 0
- Average Mileage:
- 81,784 miles
About These NHTSA Complaints:
The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.
« Read the previous 20 complaints
Vsc traction control & antilock brake light on. Vehicle skid on wet surface while making turns at normal speed.
- Green Brook, NJ, USA
The vehicle ABS, trac and vsc trac sensors are on and will not go away unless computers and sensors are replaced. Dealers have indicated the replacement of sensors and computers may not resolve the problem.
- Centreville, VA, USA
ABS, vcs trac light, brake light on/off.
- Roxbury, MA, USA
During my work commute this morning the "vsc trac" and "vsc off" lights came on at the same time and stayed on.
- Los Angeles, CA, USA
It was raining, I was going around a turn,10 - 15 mph the back tire started to spin, the vsc trac, vsc off, and ABS lights came on, this is after the trk. Went to the dealer to check out a recall on the vsc. They said it wasn't under a recall, we parked the Sequoia and wont drive it until it's repaired, safety reasons, I moved it, tried to go over a curb on an angle and the right rear tire just was spinning on the asphalt road. This cant be good for the Sequoia, its 4 wheel drive, and its making a noise, in the drive train, clunking?? it slides in the rain (bad ) and wont stop on wet roads very well, it slides to a stop. I don't have alot of time to research the vsc problem, but it sounds like all the Sequoia's 03-05 have the same problem, for the cost of this trk. I hope Toyota will fix this problem.
- Silver Spring, MD, USA
The contact owns a 2003 Toyota Sequoia. While driving approximately 40 mph the vehicle suddenly accelerated and the steering wheel locked causing the vehicle to crash into a wall at his residence. The vehicle was towed to an auto body repair shop. A police report was filed. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not available. The contact previously experienced a failure with the rear axle detaching from the vehicle. The rear axle was replaced and the vehicle was repaired. The approximate failure mileage was unknown.
- Hialeah, FL, USA
Vsc track for 2003 made somewhere not included on voluntary recall while problem fits the same description as those being recalled.
- San Jose, CA, USA
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.
- Wichita, KS, USA
This 2003 Toyota Sequoia has performed quite well. The other day, the vsc and vsc trac lights came on along with the check engine light. I did not detect any change in the way the car performed or handled when this occurred. A trip to the dealer, (along with the mandatory $105 diagnostic charge), resulted in the claim that the oxygen sensor and yaw rate sensor need to be replaced for about $1200. In my opinion, it is highly unlikely for two unrelated problems such as the oxygen sensor and yaw rate sensor to fail at the exact same time. Toyota service departments have a long, slimy record of incorrectly diagnosing problems and unnecessary replacing expensive parts in order to increase the size of the repair bill. I believe that this may be one of those occasions. A quick internet search shows that there are many thousands of Toyota owners who have reported this problem. Most have also given the Toyota service centers failing marks for how the problem was evaluated and repaired. It may be possible that the oxygen sensor needs to be replaced. This is a common failure as a vehicle ages. The yaw rate sensor is a critical vehicle handling component that should be engineered to last for the life of the vehicle. If this component has failed, (which I doubt), it should be repaired by the manufacturer at no cost to the vehicle owner. The alleged yaw rate sensor failure is suspicious for another reason. Several months ago I received a recall notice relating to this exact problem. The car had not shown any problems up to the time of the recall repair. A couple months after the so-called repair, this problem pops up. Hmmm. I don't think Toyota is telling the whole truth about this problem and obviously the recall did not solve the problem.
- Olivenhain, CA, USA
My wife and I own a 2003 Toyota Sequoia, which we purchased new in 2003. We use it sparingly, so it only had 18,743 original miles on it as of December 23, 2010 (a date referred to again below). The vehicle has been regularly maintained by copeland Toyota, brockton, MA, and was trouble-free until recently. On November 23, 2010, I was pulling into a parking space with my wife in the vehicle. I had come to almost a complete stop in the parking space with my foot on the brake pedal, when the engine revved and the vehicle lurched forward into the next parking space in front of me (fortunately unoccupied). On December 17, 2010, again with my wife in the vehicle, I had backed out of my driveway onto the street and had the vehicle at almost a complete stop with my foot on the brake pedal when the engine revved and the vehicle lurched backwards up a hill behind me. On both occasions I was able to apply pressure on the brake pedal to finally stop the vehicle. I checked the floor mat, as did the Toyota dealer, and found no problem with it. I took the vehicle to the Toyota dealer on December 20, 2010. The service advisor professed to not knowing what caused the lurching, said there was no related recall on this particular vehicle, and told me that their diagnostic computer showed codes in the system indicating a faulty vehicle stability control engine control unit (vsc ECU). It took the dealer four days to get Toyota to "release" a replacement ECU, which was installed on December 23, 2010 at a cost (materials and labor) of $650. This was clearly a dangerous situation; we were fortunate that it occurred where it did.
- Stoughton, MA, USA
Brought my 2003 Toyota Sequoia into the dealership to address a safety recall to upgrade program logic in its vehicle stability control (vsc) system. After the work was completed, the car was returned to me with both my vsc lights and the ABS light permanently illuminated. The dealer put it back on the testing station and determined that now my deceleration sensor (yaw rate sensor) is faulty and needs to be replaced. This component is an integral part of the entire vsc system, and is a very expensive repair. I am now facing a huge bill which amounted from bringing in the car to address a safety recall. Dealer is not willing to assume any responsibility. Toyota customer service says there is nothing they will do about the situation, and I need to resolve it with the dealer. The vehicle skid control system helps provide integrated control of the systems such as anti-lock brake system, traction control, engine control, etc. This system automatically controls the brakes and engine to help prevent the vehicle from skidding when cornering on a slippery road or surface or operating steering wheel abruptly. Mine is faulty, and neither Toyota nor the dealership care.
- Glen Cove, NY, USA
I have a 2003 Toyota Sequoia. Recently, the ABS, vsc and vsc trak lights have come on the dash and stay on. These systems are safety-related in that they control the braking and vehicle control when in an emergency situation. In the event of slippery conditions, the failure of this system would make a bad situation worse, by not allowing the driver to maintain control of the vehicle.
- Erie, CO, USA
2003 Toyota sequioa vsc/trac saftey problem. Starts with the dash lights appearing and then can turn SUV off and/or turn brake lights off. A definite safety problem. Toyota really should recall.
- Forked River, NJ, USA
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.
- De Pere, WI, USA
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.
- Austin, TX, USA
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.
- Humble, TX, USA
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.
- Omaha, NE, USA
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.
- Aliso Viejo, CA, USA
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 07/23/10
- West Hills, CA, USA
- San Diego, CA, USA