Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM | |||
| 07/03/2007 | 1 | ||
| Re: nhtsa recall # 10v176000 i took the vehicle to the dealer for this recall but the same lights stayed on after the dealer suppose to have fixed the problem. i inquired this with the service advisor and he told me that toyota will not replace the ecu since it does not effect the performance of the vehicle. i discussed this issue with several mechanics and they all agreed that toyota needs to replace the defected chip. after reaching online, i came across this government website. under nhtsa recall campaign number: 10v176000, it clearly stated that if the reflash cannot be completed on a particular vehicle, the ecu will be replaced with a new one. i need your help to have toyota to replace the defected ecu in my vehicle which was not done under the recall. *tr | |||
| 04/11/2011 | 112000 | ||
| Vsc/trac lights are on, engine light is on. toyota dealer tells me this is a common problem with 2003 toyota sequoia but there's no recall. the internet is aflame with toyota sequoia owners, 2003 model, dealing with repeated fixes for the vsc/trac lights and engine lights that come on after 111,000 miles. | |||
| 03/05/2011 | 110000 | ||
| In december 2010 we took our toyota sequoia 2003 to fix the defects mentioned in the ea09006 nhtsa action number vicksburg toyota dealership in vicksburg, ms. at the moment the dealership informed us that the ecu could not reflash. however, the ecu was not replaced as specified in the recall. a week ago, once again, the vsc ecu lights turned on. again we took the car to the dealership and have been told that the ecu is completely damaged and i have to incur an expense of $ 650 to replace the unit. i've been trying to talk with toyota, however, they have indicated to me that the new problem has nothing to do with the recall 1. toyota evaded their responsibility to change the unit so that the problem was never corrected recall 2. if the recall required the unit was replaced by a new one could not reflash the unit. toyota is putting the safety of my family and those close to our vehicle drivers when driven 3. we hope that the nhtsa can protect our lives and those who face these problems of lack of accountability of toyota and its dealers | |||
| 11/15/2010 | 95200 | ||
| First vsc trac and trac off lights computer failure: march 20 2009 dealserchip found the skid control computer malfunctioned and was replaced under an extended warranty. total cost of repairs $1521. due to our extended warranty, we paid $50. second vsc trac and trac off lights computer failure november 15 2010 received recall notice in mail. made appointment with toyota service. since the computer was replaced previously during first traction control failure, they would not update the software in the computer, nor diagnose the cause of the failure. customer service dept @ dealership did not even give me a chance to do the diagnostic work and told me that the diagnostic time would have to be re scheduled at a later date. due to my taking the day off from work to do this recall repair, i left the dealership with no repair work nor idea as to why the computer failed a second time. this is my 3rd real issue with this particular dealership , and i vowed today to never buy another toyota vehicle. | |||
| 10/08/2010 | 81105 | ||
| I've had problems with my 2003 toyota sequioa trac control, vsc, and abs lights going, about a dozen times since new, but they would go off after shuting the car off. now thet have come on and stay on.i took it to the dealer and they say its the yaw sensor and will cost around $650 with parts and labor. i think there have been a lot of complaints with this part failing and maybe something that needs looking into since its part of the vehicles safety equipment. | |||
| 10/01/2010 | 94539 | ||
| 2003 toyota sequoia vsc / abs skid control ecu failure. went to toyota dealer on friday 10/01/2010 for a recall on my toyota to update the vsc ecu. dealer comes back and says my vsc ecu needs to be replaced for $900.00 prior to updating the ecu. i declined the repairs and they had me sign a release stating toyota is not responsible for any failed components due to my decision. i do not have any warning lights coming on indicating a problem with the vsc. | |||
| 01/17/2003 | 5000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2003 toyota sequoia. the contact stated that while driving, the vsc, abs and trac lights illuminated on the instrument panel. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealership where the codes were reset. the failure occurred again a year later. the vehicle was taken back to the dealership where the codes were reset again. the failure occurred again. the vehicle was taken back to the dealership where the contact was informed that the ecu needed to be replaced. the contact received a recall notice for recall 10v176000 (electronic stability control) but when he went to the dealership for repair, he was told he would be charged because a deceleration sensor needed to also be replaced. the vehicle had not been repaired at the time of the complaint. the contact called the manufacturer who offered no assistance. the current mileage was approximately 71,000. the failure mileage was approximately 5,000-bk | |||
| 02/03/2006 | 41000 | ||
| Vsc and trak off warning dash light indicators continue to come on/off, now more frequent and intermittend loss of aceeleration. initial triggering of indicators was feb 06 but were intermittent, now they are more frequent. | |||
| 08/20/2010 | |||
| Vsc/svc trac lights on. have been coming on/off 1-3 times/month. now they are on at all times. seems to be a chronic problem with the 2003 toyota sequias. | |||
| 02/01/2010 | 60000 | ||
| 2003 toyota sequoia. track off, vsc trac, asb lights turn on. dealer disagostic problem codes:p1242 deceleration circuit malfunction, p1244 stroke sensor malfunction; necessary to replace skid control ecu costs $1045.00; necessary to replace the yaw rate sensor cost $662.00. toyota headquaters stated vehicle is not on recall list and refuse to pay for repair. | |||
| 06/11/2010 | 140000 | ||
| My sequoia is experiencing very similar issues as noted in nhtsa campaign id number: 10v176000. when trying to accelerate the vehicle has a delay and seems to engage the vehicle stability control system preventing acceleration and then it just kicks in and off you go. unfortunately this often leaves you in a dangerous situation if you haven't left yourself more than the usual distance between vehicles. also it is very sporadic so you never know when it will happen. i experience this issue more during turns from start and particularly during rainy or inclement weather though the tires are not slipping. i contacted my toyota dealer and was told my vin is not under the recall. i contacted toyota and they gave me a case number and then told me they would not fix the issue because my vehicle does not have the same part with the issue. i informed them the issue has been happening since i had the car and they wouldn't do anything. they said i could bring it in and have an analysis done but i would need to pay for it. i told them it was happening even when the car was under warranty and their mechanic could not duplicate the issue. i have a young driver who will be using this vehicle and i'm very disappointed that toyota will not admit other sequioa's may have this issue and do not want to address them. this is serious and we have been lucky so far to not have it happen in a bad situation. i'm very disappointed in toyota for simply pushing this vehicle aside. i don't understand how they can be so confident they've identified only certain vehicles which will have the issue. how can they justify that other vehicles will not experience similar issues. i guess they won't do anything until something bad happens to many people to admit there could be something true from what their customers are telling them. i am very disappointed in toyota since my vehicle fits the recall mentioned in the beginning of this note but they are simply turning away from a long time customer. | |||
| 05/20/2010 | 89000 | ||
| The vsc trac and trac off lights come on sometimes with the brake light soemtimes not. i was told it is a safety issue and it woudl be 2,800 dollars to replace the ebs system or something. i hear this is a very common occurence in the 2003 toyota sequia's | |||
| 12/09/2009 | 100000 | ||
| This is an ongoing problem that we noticed a couple of years ago--but every time i've taken it to a dealer, we've been brushed off. while turning on a slight incline in my 2003 toyota sequoia sr5, we notice the traction control engages. the vehicle slows considerably to the point that we have been crawling and even blocking an intersection. the traction control also engages when we turn into our driveway or when we turn onto side streets. cars behind us have been able to go around us or have slowed until we can move again. unfortunately, when i took the car to the dealership, we were told at first it was just our tires. then they told us it was going to cost over a thousand dollars to repair because the computer system was bad. our experience is exactly that of the most recent recall of other 2003 sequoias, but our vehicle was not recalled. | |||
| 03/13/2010 | 66504 | ||
| I own a 2003 toyota sequioa. about a month ago had to stop the car abruptly under rain to avoid a collision with a vehicle that failed to perform a stop at an intersection. the vehicle abs did not work and i skidded of the road without major consequences. . after a visit to the dealer they reported that vehicle has a problem with the traction control module, it is not working. currently the vehicle has 66000 miles. the problem with the traction control module is that is disables the abs when the module stops working. i researched the internet and found multiple people complaining about this in vehicles under warranty and vehicles with relative low mileage. i believe this is also a problem for the toyota tundra truck. | |||
| 12/01/2006 | |||
| 2003 toyota sequoia vsc/trac light turns on for no reason and will not turn off unless engine is restarted. | |||
| 01/28/2009 | |||
| I own a 2003 toyota sequoia and have problems with the engine light going off and on due to the vsc/abs trac light related to the skid control computer since i bought it brand new. now the light stays on and it's a safety issue now that it is out of warranty. i only have 56,000 miles on my car. during an internet search i find that multiple owners have had the same problem and have either been in accidents or almost in an accident. there should be a recall on this problem due to it safety issue. it is also very costly and the toyota company doesn't seem to care. i have not been in an accident yet and hope i never will but it is safety concern | |||
| 02/01/2010 | 49000 | ||
| Brake lights on toyota sequoia comes on without warning, stays on till iginition is turned off. however, brakes seem to work fine, but vehicle slows when making a turn, including minor turne at low speed and the roll over light comes on, with the wheels hardly turning. vehicle is 2003 but less than 50, 000 miles (approx. 48 689). | |||
| 03/11/2010 | 88000 | 1 | |
| Vtrac trac off and engine light on. computer malfunction. *tr | |||
| 12/25/2009 | 135000 | 1 | |
| Traction control light comes on intermittently $1,500 repair per dealer. the transmission differential light flashes on the dash, we found out the seal, relay and actuator are all bad $1,500 repair i found numerous cases of this on the internet. toyota refuses to help stating the mileage. *tr | |||
| 01/08/2010 | 74699 | 1 | |
| Vsc, trac warning light on 2003 toyota sequoia (75k miles) - $1718 repair bill first incident - 3/11/04 (8.5k miles), computer skid/computer assy repaired under warranty latest incident - 1/8/2010 (75k miles), brake booster ($763 repair) and charcoal canister ($550 repair). referenced repairs may be recurring events supporting a potential recall program based on numerous website references... *tr | |||
| 02/15/2010 | 135000 | 3 | |
| Vsc replacement this is my 3rd incident with the toyota sequoias. i was in snow and ice and put the car in 4 wheel drive. i started to back out and a buzzing sound and the vsc and the vsc trac lights came on. nothing else happened for a while and when i put it back into 2 wheel drive it drove fine for the remainder of the trip about 200 miles. i stopped and fueled up and when driving off the car started making a loud vibrating/grinding noise then stalled and the brakes suddenly pulled the car to the right.. i turned it off and tried again and the vsc lights came on again but it drove ok until the next time i restarted it again got out in traffic and it made the same grinding noise, stalled and the brakes pulled it to the right again....i had no control over the vehicle and was nearly hit by the car in the right lane. i called the toyota dealer and explained what had happened and he said it just needed recalibrating and the cost would be around $100. i took it in and the whole skid control computer had to be replaced at a cost of $1400 plus labor $200. i bought this car new in 2003 and this is the 3rd vsc issue i have had. the last one was $600 2 or 3 years ago. this should have been recalled or at least a fix sent to dealerships when the first incident occurred while in warranty. the rest have been out of my pocket. *tr | |||
| 01/25/2010 | 88125 | 1 | |
| 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. *tr | |||
| 01/08/2010 | 46500 | 1 | |
| Veh. toyota sequoia 2003,the vehicle skid control (vsc) and traction control (track) lights remain on also the eng. light. and the diagnose system doesn't have any code related to the abs. because of this the anti lock brake syst. doesn't work. the codes shown are related to the oxygen sensor and m.a.f. sensor, we change all 4 oxg. sensor and the maf and still the same condition. the sequoia has 47,000 miles. *tr | |||
| 12/23/2009 | 58600 | 1 | |
| Vsc off/vsc trac light started coming on. at initial start of toyota sequoia after putting it in drive, vehicle would shudder and cut off ignition. this would cause a brief stall, and will not accelerate. this occurs everytime vehicle is used. fault is dtc c1231. vehicle skid control sensor is faulty. *tr | |||
| 06/18/2009 | 70000 | 1 | |
| 2003 toyota sequoia vsc trac control lights on instrument panel on all the time now i have reset them several times now and help from dealership is at it best a waste of time and money. as of this date i have only had two driving related incidents . on a trip to tenn this year after stopping for a break i started the vehicle up and started driving the lights came on and a loud clanging came from under the car as soon as i could pull over to investigate the problem it was apparent that something was wrong with the brakes as it was only a short distance to where i was going i proceeded on back roads with caution to where i was going and it was late so i would look at it in the morning.that night i spent most of it on the internet researching the problem and found several other people with the same problem on this model with the same results from there dealerships . the next morning i checked everything out only to find nothing apparently wrong reset the system and problem was gone i thought. on the return trip to fla. i encountered a heavy rain while driving while going around a long corner at a slower speed than posted the tires hit water running across the road and the car went out of control lights back on and a real scary battle to correct the car lucky for me there was no traffic on the road at that point as it took both sides of the road to bring it back under control . from what i have read this a problem with this vehicle that a lot of people are having being a mechanic all my life and a very experienced driver in extreme conditions i would not have been as lucky an i hate to think of the many women with kids in this car would have to go through this type of incident. being a mechanic i have a good understanding of this problem and toyota's solution to just keep changing out the computer at 2,000.00 dollars a crack is only a bandaid not a fix . this condition needs to be addressed with totota as most of these car's are now of the age that this shows up. *tr | |||
| 11/24/2009 | 55004 | 1 | |
| 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. *tr | |||
| 11/03/2009 | 87965 | 1 | |
| 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. *tr | |||