2001 Toyota Sequoia

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 TOYOTA SEQUOIA. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 50 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED. DURING THE FAILURE, THE TRACTION CONTROL AND ABS INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE RESTARTED, BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED SEVERAL TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC, BUT THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE COULD NOT BE DETERMINED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 110,000.

VSC LIGHT ILLUMINATION/FAILURES INITIALLY APPEARED AT 42,000 MILES, VERY INTERMITTENT AND SEEMINGLY RANDOM. FREQUENCY INCREASED AFTER 75,000 MILES; ABS LIGHT APPEARED LATER. 1. VSC OFF LIGHT ILLUMINATED (VARIABLE SPEED CONTROL) INITIALLY AT INTERMITTENT TIME WHILE DRIVING, NOW ILLUMINATED FULL-TIME. 2. VSC TRAC LIGHT ILLUMINATED (VARIABLE SPEED CONTROL) INITIALLY AT INTERMITTENT TIME WHILE DRIVING, NOW ILLUMINATED FULL-TIME. 3. ABS LIGHT ILLUMINATED (ANTI LOCK BRAKES) INITIALLY AT INTERMITTENT TIME WHILE DRIVING, NOW ILLUMINATED FULL-TIME. ABS NOW INOPERABLE. TESTED TO VALIDATE INOPERABLE STATUS - FULL BRAKE LOCKUP, NO ABS OPERATION. VARIABLE SPEED CONTROL NOW INOPERABLE. SPUN OUT TWICE RECENTLY IN SLOW SPEED RIGHT HAND OFF-CAMBER TURN ON WET PAVEMENT.

RECENTLY HAD NEW TIRES INSTALLED, WHILE ACCELERATING UP FREEWAY ON RAMP I COULD FEEL POWER BEING TAKEN AWAY, LOOKED DOWN AND SKID CONTROL LIGHT WAS LIT UP. ASKED MECHANIC ABOUT IT AND RECOMMENDED ZERO POINT CALIBRATION TO REST SENSORS FOR STEERING YAW AND PITCH. AFTER ZPC VSC TRAC AND VSC OFF LIGHTS WERE ON. CODE PULLED C1231 STEERING ANGLE. ZPC AGAIN. CODE AND LIGHTS STILL, CODE WILL NOT CLEAR WITH TOYOTA INTELLIGENT 2 SCANNER. MONITORING STEERING SENSOR WITH SCANNER SHOW BOTH POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE NUMBERS WITH ZERO AT WHEELS STRAIGHT. MECHANIC WANT TO CHANGE OUT SPENDY VSC CPU AND TRANSLATE CPU AND SAYS THAT IS NO GUARANTEE TO FIX. I AM DRIVING IT WITH LIGHTS ONE DUE TO UNABLE TO PAY $2K FOR SOMETHING OUT OF KNOW WHERE AND NO PART PHYSICALLY BROKE TO PROMOTE. IN LOOKING AROUND I SEE THIS IS NOT AN ISOLATED ISSUE. *TR

VEHICLE: TOYOTA SEQUOIA 2001 4WD LTD TEMPERATURE: 87 DEGREES F CONDITIONS: SUNNY & CLEAR - NO RAIN/WATER PRESENT - NO OBVIOUS SLIPPERY CONDITIONS SURFACE: PAVED SURFACE ROAD ACCESSORIES ACTIVE: AIR CONDITIONING WAS ON & RADIO WAS ON WHILE TRAVELING AT APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH IN A STRAIGHT LINE THE TRACTION CONTROL LIGHT ILLUMINATED (VEHICLE SYMBOL THAT INCLUDES 3 WAVY LINES) AND SOUNDED AN AUDIBLE SIGNAL IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWED BY THE "VSC TRAC" & "VSC OFF" LIGHTS ILLUMINATING. TO MEMORY, THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS BEING PRESSED AS NORMAL. WHEN THE ABOVE DASHBOARD LIGHTS ILLUMINATED A NEGATIVE SENSATION COULD BE FELT THROUGH THE STEERING WHEEL, BUT THE VEHICLE DID NOT VEER OFF COURSE. NEXT, THE EMERGENCY FLASHER HAZARD LIGHT WAS TURNED ON, THE A/C & RADIO WERE TURNED OFF AND THE FOUR MAIN WINDOWS WERE LOWERED TO THEIR FULL DOWN POSITIONS BY THE DRIVER AND THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN TO A SIDE STREET APPROXIMATELY 1/8 MILE AHEAD, STOPPED AND PARKED. THE DRIVER KEPT THE VEHICLE RUNNING. THE VEHICLE WAS THEN INSPECTED BY THE DRIVER FOR SIGNS OF OBVIOUS MECHANICAL FAILURE. THE BRAKE, DRIVELINE AND SUSPENSION COMPONENTS DID NOT SHOW ANY OBVIOUS SIGNS OF FAILURE. THE OWNER'S MANUAL WAS CHECKED AND IT DID NOT INDICATE THAT THE VEHICLE COULD NOT BE DRIVEN IN THE CURRENT STATE. THE VEHICLE'S A/C SYSTEM WAS SWITCHED BACK ON (THE RADIO WAS LEFT OFF) AND THE VEHICLE WAS THEN DRIVEN APPROXIMATELY 10 MILES, PARKED AND TURNED OFF. AFTER APPROXIMATELY 4 HOURS OF THE VEHICLE BEING PARKED & NOT RUNNING THE VEHICLE WAS RESTARTED. THE PREVIOUS DASHBOARD LIGHTS AT FIRST DID NOT ILLUMINATE. AFTER APPROXIMATELY 1/4 MILE OF DRIVING THE "VSC TRAC" & "VSC OFF" LIGHTS ILLUMINATED AGAIN UPON DEPRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL. VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN APPROXIMATELY 50 MILES, PARKED AND TURNED OFF. THERE WERE NO UNUSUAL MECHANICAL SENSATIONS FELT OR HEARD DURING EITHER 10 OR 50 MILE DRIVES. *TR

FRONT BRAKES CAUSED VIOLENT SHAKING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. HAD PREPARED VEHICLE FOR LENGTHY HOLIDAY TRIP BY INSPECTING AND ROTATING TIRES, HAVING WHEEL ALIGNMENT, CHECKING BRAKE PADS, ROTORS, BLEEDING BRAKE LINES WITH NEW DOT3 BRAKE FLUID, ENGINE OIL CHANGE, COOLANT FLUSHED, ETC.... THIS WAS NOT THE FIRST INCIDENT, BUT DEFINITELY THE WORST. TOYOTA DEALERSHIP HAS TOLD ME ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS THAT THEY COULD NOT FIX IT. HOW DISAPPOINTING. I RECENTLY FOUND THAT THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE THAT THEY DON'T WANT TO ADDRESS. PEOPLE WILL DIE AS A RESULT OF THEIR RECKLESSNESS. DEFINITELY A TOYOTA PROBLEM DUE TO IMPROPERLY UNDERSIZED BRAKING SYSTEM. YOU MIGHT END UP BEING IN THE VEHICLE THAT ONE OF THESE SUVS REARENDS. *TR

VSC/TRAC CONTROL SYSTEM ENGAGED WHILE DRIVING ON SMOOTH DRY ROAD AT 70 MPH. VEHICLE BEGAN TO LURCH AND BRAKE, HAD TO GUIDE TO SIDE OF ROAD. EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. TURNED VEHICLE OFF, RESTARTED, VSC OFF LIGHT AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WERE ON. HAS HAPPENED MULTIPLE TIMES SINCE, WITH TOYOTA INDICATING THAT VSC COMPUTER NEEDS TO BE REPLACED FOR $1200+. *TT

BRAKES INTERMITTENTLY APPLY ON THERE OWN, PULLING THE CAR LEFT OR RIGHT. I AM SUPPOSED TO HAVE THE OPTION OF DISABLING THE VSC ON THIS VEHICLE BUT THAT FUNCTION DOES NOT WORK. IT WILL DISABLE ITSELF AFTER AN EPISODE, LATER IT WILL SELF ENABLE AND IT STARTS OVER AGAIN. I'VE HAD IT IN TO TOYOTA SERVICE TO FIX THIS ISSUE AND WAS TOLD I WOULD HAVE TO PAY FOR A NEW CPU, BUT THAT WOULD NOT NECESSARILY FIX THE PROBLEM. I'VE SEEN OTHER SEQUOIA OWNERS HAVE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM ON MANY SEQUOIA OWNER FORUMS. THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION FOR SEQUOIA OWNERS. THE DEALER HAVE NO IDEA HOW TO FIX THIS PROBLEM. *TR