2003 Toyota Sequoia SR5

2003 TOYOTA SEQUOIA VSC LIGHT (VEHICLE STABILITY CONTROL) AND ANTI SKID BRAKES LIGHT ILLUMINATE. FIRST INTERMITTENTLY NOW ON ALL THE TIME. TOYOTA DEALER DOES NOT SEEM TO HAVE EXPERTISE TO SCIENTIFICALLY DETERMINE THE PROBLEM. TOYOTA AND DEALER SEEM TO BE INDIFFERENT AND ALSO WILL NOT HONOR EXTENDED WARRANTY. BEEN BACK TO DEALERSHIP ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS. 2003 SR5 MODEL,GARAGED SINCE PURCHASE IN 2003, LIGHTLY DRIVEN WITH 30652 MILES ON THE VEHICLE. NO ACCIDENT INVOLVED. AFTER A CAREFUL REVIEW OF OTHER OWNERS IDENTICAL COMPLAINTS THIS VEHICLE IS UNSAFE TO DRIVE. DESIGN FLAW OR ENGINEERING DEFECT WITH THE STABILITY CONTROL SYSTEM OR ANTI LOCK BRAKE SYSTEM. REPORTING ISSUE TO GO ON RECORD IN THE EVENT A RECALL DOES GET ISSUED. *TR

THE SKID CONTROL ECU ON MY 2003 TOYOTA SEQUOIA RECENTLY STARTED INTERMITTENTLY REPORTING FAILURE VIA PARKING WARNING LIGHT AND DISABLES THE ABS SYSTEM. RECENTLY WE WERE DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS AND IT DISABLED ITSELF AS WE WERE BRAKING. THERE WAS A TSB BR006-06 PUT OUT BY TOYOTA TO REPLACE THE ECU IN 2006 ONLY IF THE CUSTOMER REPORTED THE PROBLEM. IT WAS A KNOWN LOGIC PROBLEM WITH THE ECU. WE ARE LUCKY SO FAR THAT WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO PULL-OVER AND TURN OFF THE VEHICLE AND TURN-IT BACK ON TO CLEAR THE ABS FAULT AND CONTINUE DRIVING WITHOUT ANY ACCIDENT. TOYOTA SERVICE IS TELLING ME THE ECU NEEDS REPLACEMENT AT MY EXPENSE FOR A COST OF OVER $1500. THE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED BECAUSE OF THE ADDITIONAL SAFETY PROVIDED BY THE ABS AND VSC SYSTEM, AND TOYOTA SHOULD BE ENSURING THAT THIS SAFETY SYSTEM IS WORKING AND SHOULD HAVE HAD PUT A RECALL OUT ON THE COMPUTER BACK IN 2006 FOR THIS PROBLEM FOR REFERENCE, THE NHTSA HAS THIS RECORDED AS INCIDENT #PE68072 AND EA09006. *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

TOYOTA SEQUOIA 2003 85,000 MILES. SKID CONTROL UNIT IS BAD. MY ABS, TRAC LIGHTS ARE ON. EVERY SO OFTEN MY BRAKE LIGHT WILL GO ON TOO. THE BRAKE LIGHT WILL RESOLVE BY TURNING OFF ENGINE AND START AGAIN. OTHER LIGHTS STAY ON. ASKED TOYOTA DEALER. THEY GAVE ME A PRICE OF $2600 TO FIX THE PROBLEM. THEY SAID I NEED A NEW SKID CONTROL AND DECAL SENSOR. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 TOYOTA SEQUOIA SR5. WHEN PRESSURE WAS APPLIED TO THE BRAKE PEDAL, THE VSC/ABS/BRAKE CONTROLLER WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED INTERMITTENTLY ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL AND THE FRONT END OF THE VEHICLE BEGAN SHAKING EXCESSIVELY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER MULTIPLE TIMES IN WHICH THE TECHNICIANS CONCLUDED THAT THE COMPUTERIZED SYSTEM SENSOR FAILED. THE TECHNICIANS REPLACED THE TRANSLATE COMPUTER, THE ECU, THE TRANSMISSION TEMPERATURE SENSOR, AND THE BRAKE POWER BOOSTER. NONE OF THE REPAIRS HAVE REMEDIED THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS INVESTIGATING THE FAILURES. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 9,322 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 122,000. UPDATED 11/10/09 *CN THE CONSUMER STATED THE VSC/BRAKE AND ABS LIGHTS HAVE BEEN ON, SINCE TAKING OWNERSHIP OF THE VEHICLE. WHEN THE LIGHTS ARE ON, THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE SHAKES AND THE VEHICLE LOOSES POWER FOR APPROXIMATELY 2-3 SECONDS AND THEN REGAINS POWER AGAIN. THE SKID CONTROL COMPUTER AND BRAKE POWER BOOSTER WERE REPLACED. UPDATED 11/16/09