2003 Toyota Sequoia SR5

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

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

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

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

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