Bulletins


BulletinBulletin dateReplacement BulletinItem no.SummaryAdded
POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
458003/01/2005457710015827Sequoia 2001 automatic transmission - torque converter clutch and drive plate repair manual correction. 00400-rm832-u1. *tt '04 sequoia. 00400-rm108-9u1. *tt '03 sequoia. 00400-rm959-u1. *tt '02 sequoia. 00400-rm886-u1. *tt08/15/2005
POWER TRAIN - AXLE ASSEMBLY
DL0020308/06/200310003561Rear axle seal design change. *tt10/23/2003

Consumer Complaints


Fail datemilesoccurencesPurchase date
POWER TRAIN
11/21/2011157000
 Upon inspection, my mechanic notified me of excessive rusthrough on the rear frame of my 2001 toyota sequioa. this rustthrough has perforated the rear frame and the truck can no longer be driven. the rearend may separate from the body due to this excessive corrosion. this excessive corrosion is the same as seen on toyota tundra and tacoma where these vehicles have been recalled and replaced and or repaired. this is a dangerous situation and many other sequoia owners have filed complaints here at nhtsa and have posted on the internet. toyota is not helpful and will not replace the frames for sequoia owners. my sequoia's body is in great shape and runs great. now i cannot drive it and its worthless. this is a severe safety issue, and should be recalled for safety. i could have lost my rear axle and had a serious accident, especially, if i was towing my boat. i have
10/24/201188000
 2001 toyota sequoia has only 88,000 miles after ten years. recently failed inspection due to rotted, rusted frame and rear differential casing. mechanic was able to demonstrate frame failure by pressing finger through rusted metal. vehicle now requires frame strength assessment to determine if it is salvageable. vehicle has same frame as recalled toyota tundra.
11/03/2008487001
 2001 toyota sequoia- 48k miles..vehicles traction control and vsc lights come on shortly after driving the car. just before the lights come on, the car shakes and makes a grinding noise, pulls to the right, and loses power. this occurs every time you drive the car. anywhere from 1min to 15min from the start of driving. it is very dangerous once the vehicle is up to speed, we have almost gotten in to an accident because the car pulled so violently and didn't have power. the car will shake and pull and the only way we've gotten it to stop is by stepping on the brake and reducing speed (less than 30 mph). after we reduce the speed, the trac and vsc lights come on and the car is drivable until you cycle the ignition. it's pretty scary. my father-in-law took the car to a toyota dealership and their diagnosis is skid control ecu faulty, must replace. dtc codes c1363 and c1234. the cost they quoted him was $2415.99 + $200 labor. we haven't decided to purchase the new ecu because we feel its something that should be covered under a warranty or should be a tsb. i've since searched the internet and found that other sequoia owners have the same problem and toyota's response is to just replace the ecu. some of them even got into accidents due to the sudden loss of power and shaking. *tr
01/15/20030
 We have a toyota sequoia, the problems are the 4 wheel drive is not operating all the time. it does not engage sometimes and does not stay in 4 wheel drive. one example is my wife had six friends in the vehicle the 4 wheel drive did not stay engaged and the vehicle skid control made the engine loose power so she slid backwards down a hill. no one would ride in our 4wheel drive again. the vehicle skid control makes the engine loose power while in traffic. there is also a hesitation in the engine when accelerating from a complete stop. another problem is the braking system is not adequate for the vehicle. the entire front brakes had to be replaced. the vehicle has been in for the same repairs at least 10 times and is still not working the way it should. we have all the documentation for service on our sequoia. we have done internet research through nhtsa and have found the same problem with other toyota sequoia's. there was also a problem with the air conditioner having a bad oder from bacteria growing, the exhaust manifold was loose and the power window motors made a loud noise. we have filed a complaint on all the same problems with nhtsa, comsumer affairs of california and you. we want to pursue the lemon law and get our money back. we are currently working with toyota arbritration but are getting nowhere. we have had toyota's previously and had no problems with them. this vehicle is a lemon.
POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
12/28/201088000
 I own a 2001 toyota sequoia. i got my sequoia brand new and now has over 88,000 miles. my sequoia began to give me trouble about three months ago everytime i tried to put it into gear. the gear felt tight almost difficult to put into gear. on a recent trip to san francisco, i began to also notice a buzzing sound on the gas pedal. as i was driving up the grapevine on interstate 5, my transmission popped and i had no power. it turns out that the drive pin broke inside the transmission and caused major damaged to the transmission. at the time this happened my wife and two young kids were with me. we were extremely lucky we did not get into an accident because of this major breakdown. i have come to rely on my vehicle and have been really good at keeping it tuned and getting the required services to keep my car in shape. my concern is, has this happened to anyone else who owns a 2001 toyota sequoia? if not, can it happen again? thanks nhtsa.
09/17/20101
 2001 toyota sequoia. s10 appropriate handling- letter from regarding toyota problems *tgw the consumer stated while driving on the interstate, the transmission went out completely and without prior warning. *jb
09/17/20101330001
 S10 appropriate handling- letter from regarding toyota problems *tgw 2001 toyota sequoia. the consumer stated while driving on the interstate, the transmission suddenly and completely failed without warning. *jb
05/15/200333000
 Vehicle occsionally lurches forward when in gear with the break pedal depressed. vehicle traction control engages and will not allow the acceleration in heavy traffic conditions.
06/28/2009206816
 Tl*the contact owns a 2001 toyota sequoia. while at a stop sign the vehicle shut off without warning. the contact was unable to restart the vehicle. he placed the gear into neutral and was able to move the vehicle off the road. the vehicle was towed to the repair shop and the mechanic stated that there was transmission failure. the estimated cost for a new transmission was $6,000. the vehicle will be repaired. the current and failure mileages were 206,816.
07/11/2003820001
 The check engine, vsc, and traction lights on my 2001 toyota sequoia all came on simultaneously at 82,000 miles, i was told that i need to replace the transmission for $3800.00 and the computer needs replacing for about $2000.00. the brakes have been constant struggle requiring replacement every 8 months. *tr
02/13/20041200001
 The vsc light came on after my 2001 sequoia hit a pot-hole. this was back in 2004 and the light remains on. i was told it was a sensor. the vehicle is long out of warranty and i can't afford any expenses right now. that's just one of a few major components to go. in 2003 the torque converter went and the transmission had to be replaced. i had 88,000 miles on it and it was beyond the 60,000 drive train warranty. however, toyota did pay for half of the $4000 bill with the dealership picking up a 1/4 of the bill. i paid the rest. was paying half an admission by toyota that they provided a faulty transmission. i do know that the dealership removed the old transmission and shipped it off to toyota and i never heard another word about it. the brakes on these big vehicles have been a sore spot with me. i've had to change brakes and rotors numerous times over the years. and last on my list of complaints is the tailgate. it has rusted out prematurely and it is more than a $1,000 to replace. i use bungies to keep it closed up and i had to prop the window up since the tracking system in the tailgate rusted out and fell apart. *tr
09/23/20081080001
 2001 toyota sequoia transmission failure, overdrive disintegrated. *tr
10/27/2005900001
 One complaint is the transmission failed started making a grinding noise then failed to move any more had to replace transmission at my cost with no help offered by the dealer. and failed at 90,000 miles. never noticed anything leading to this regular maintenance done. *tr
03/25/2007360001
 In 2007, i was driving my toyota sequoia to work and it stopped in the middle of a busy highway. i took it to a shop they told me that my transmission fail and it cost me $3500.00. i called toyota for some assistance they did not even care about. *tr
06/07/20081180001
 Driving down the road starting hearing weird noise coming from engine are. i made it home and next day i was driving tried to acelerate and it wouldn't . engine kept running but it would not move had truck towed home(62 miles) car is a 2001 with 118000 miles never would think this would happen to toyota..pls help. *tr
04/18/20081010001
 While driving 40mph the automatic transmission overdrive did not engage. the vehicle was seen by the toyota dealer and an independent repair shop who determined the overdrive was defective and the transmission needed to be rebuilt. i should of looked in this website before i bought this vehicle please have toyota recall this defect and repair our vehicles. i love the car, i hate this costly problem. toyota should maintain us faithful in their quality and honesty by repairing our vehicle being it was first generation. *tr
03/21/2008870001
 Transmission failing and have noticed numerous other complaints on same model vehicle. manufacturer apparently has done nothing to assist the consumer with the cost to replace. *tr
03/15/2007
 Owner of 2001 toyota sequoia who's transmiision has failed and requires new transmission. many postings on interent with the same isssue of failure due to so called overdrive planetary gear defect. should be a national recall.
09/12/2006110000111/09/2001
 Tl* - the contact stated was driving at 60 mph on the highway with 110000 miles on vehicle when he heard a noise coming from transmission. at which point the vehicle would not change gears while driving on the highway. the contact then had the vehicle taken to the dealer, where they told him all of the gears were damaged*ak the technician found metal shaving in the transmission pan. the transmission had sever internal failure. updated 01/19/07. *jb
03/26/200664000109/01/2005
 Dt*: the contact stated while driving 40mph the automatic transmission overdrive did not engage. the vehicle was seen by an independent repair shop who determined the overdrive was defective and the transmission needed to be rebuilt.
03/06/200439000502/06/2004
 I have a 2001 toyota sequioa that has a vibration that comes through the entire front dash especially during downhill braking. the tsb is supposedly for cars under factory warranty only. however, mine was out of warranty when they issued the tsb. i also have been experiencing the the vsc trac lights coming on for no reason at all. also, the foglight in the front bumper has moisture inside of it that cannot be removed. the last thing is the feeling that someone has just bumped you from behind while sitting at a traffic light. *ak
12/24/20026300011/12/2000
 I need to report my 2001 toyota sequioa after an incident that nearly became a deadly accident that no one could have found out that it was because of a manufacturer's transmission default had i not survived that incident.on dec. 24, 2002, i was driving my 2001 toyota seqioua in fwy 5 when suddenly the engine stopped in the middle of the fwy 5.i was able to start the engine, but it died down after i changed the (automatic) gear to drive.i, together with two passengers: one adult and a 4-yr old toddler,was stuck in the vehicle waiting for the inevitable.to cut the story short,i got my car towed to the nearest toyota dealership, frontier toyota in valencia.after they checked the car on 12/26, the service rep informed me that the automatic transmission needs to be replaced.i bought my 2001 toyota sequioa in nov of 2000 when it first came out in the market.i've maintained my suv with toyota dealerships (mcpherson in tustin, and sunnyvale toyota). i had it serviced for its 30,000 mile maintenance. on may 2002 which is just 7 months prior to the incident on dec 24, 2002. i tried contacting toyota's corporate office, but they don't want to cover the service under the 60,000 mile warranty because the mileage at the time of the incident is 3,000 over.it doesn't make any sense to me that an automatic vehicle i bought brand new, which i have maintained at their dealership all through out including the required 30,000 mile service, will just break down and needs its automatic transmission replaced at 63,000 mileage that nearly caused my life and two other passengers. i am concerned that i may have gotten the default vehicle from the first batch of this suv that came out in the market in nov of 2000.and i am concerned that a manufacturer's default can be overlooked and could have been the cause of my loss and others.i feel responsible to inform to prevent any possible loss/es.i need to be heard because i nearly lost my life, including two more, right before christmas.
POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION - CONTROL MODULE (TCM, PCM)
10/01/200665000107/01/2005
 Tl*the contact owns a 2001 toyota sequoia. while driving 25-70 mph, the contact hears a noise coming from the vse and the track off light illuminates on the instrument panel. the vehicle suddenly decelerates as a result of this intermittent failure. the dealer stated that the cause of failure could possibly be the steering angle sensor, but there was no guarantee that the failure would go away. the current mileage was 84,000 and failure mileage was 65,000.
03/05/200761000504/18/2001
 The throttle body sensor failed numerous times causing my family to lose all acceleration on a very busy highway. i was able to get off the highway and get a tow to the toyota dealer (david maus) and they thought initially that the whole throttle body needed to be replaced ($2000+) but after the mechanic cleaned the sensor it resolved the issue thus far, its been three months without recurrence. i want people to know this is a cheap fix as i believe others noted here that the dealership only offered replacement as a solution. i did have a second quote done elsewhere just to be sure and they were going to replace the whole throttle body as well without trying an alternative. be careful out there and get a second opinion. *tr
01/23/2002
 Vehicle will not override vsc ( vehicle skid control ) if caught in traction, if surface was rough or bumpy. vehicle will not accelerate until it regained traction. toyota was notified. *ak
POWER TRAIN - AXLE ASSEMBLY
07/09/200784000203/01/2007
 Tl*the contact owns a 2001 toyota sequoia. the contact stated that the passenger side rear axle seal was leaking. he was concerned that it could leak on the brake rotors. the dealer would not repair the failure for free. the vehicle was repaired for the same failure in 2004. however, since there is an updated service bulletin for the failure, he feels he should not have to pay for the repair again. the current and failure mileages were 84,000.
POWER TRAIN - AXLE ASSEMBLY - AXLE SHAFT - SEAL
11/19/2004820561
 Oil leak from rear axle seal. both side axle shaft assemblies were removed and replaced. the mechanic replaced the rear pads and turned the rear rotors due to grease build up on surfaces from the axle seal leak. *bf *tc *jb letr n n n n v
POWER TRAIN - DRIVELINE - DIFFERENTIAL UNIT
09/01/200690000
 Tl* the contact owns a 2001 toyota sequoia. the contact noticed fluid leaking from the rear of the vehicle. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostics where the technician stated that the rear differential housing and the rear frame was corroded and had to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 90,000.