2001 Toyota Sequoia

VEHICLE'S TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM MALFUNCTIONED WHILE DRIVING ON DRY FLAT PAVEMENT. VSC AND TRAC CONTROL LIGHTS CAME ON, VEHICLE PULLED HARD TO THE RIGHT, MADE LOUD GRINDING NOISE, AND WAS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO CONTROL STEERING AND BRAKING. THIS CONTINUED FOR APPROXIMATELY ONE MINUTE, STOPPED, AND THEN DID IT AGAIN. THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION WHICH COULD POTENTIALLY LEAD TO FATAL ACCIDENT IF IT OCCURS AT HIGHER SPEEDS. IT HAPPENED WITH OUR CHILDREN IN THE CAR AND SCARED EVERYONE. THIS IS THE SECOND TIME IT HAS HAPPENED TO US, BUT APPEARS TO BE A VERY COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS MAKE/MODEL. I WOULD LIKE TO SEE A RECALL. *TR

TWO DAYS AGO, I HAPPENED TO BE ON MY WAY HOME ON A BACK ROAD AND ONLY GOING AROUND 40 MPH WHEN MY STABILITY CONTROL LIGHT, VSC TRAC, AND TRAC OFF LIGHT CAME ON AND MY CAR STARTED MAKING A BEEPING NOISE AND I COULD NOT CONTROL MY VEHICLE. THIS IS FOR A 2001 TOYOTA SEQUOIA. I HAVE SEEN MANY COMPLAINTS SINCE ON DIFFERENT FORUMS ABOUT THIS SAME PROBLEM. WHAT CAN BE DONE ABOUT THIS PROBLEM? I AM VERY DISAPPOINTED WITH TOYOTA AND HOPE THAT THERE WILL BE A RECALL ON THIS PROBLEM OR THEY COULD BE FACING SOME LAWSUITS IF THESE KIND OF PROBLEMS PERSIST AND SOMEONE GETS INJURED OR EVEN KILLED BECAUSE OF NEGLIGENCE ON TOYOTA'S PART. AS FOR ME AND MY FAMILY, WE HAVE OWNED TOYOTA VEHICLES FOR YEARS, MY GREAT UNCLE WAS EVEN ASKED TO BE IN A TOYOTA COMMERCIAL BECAUSE OF THE DEVOTION OUR FAMILY HAS HAD TO TOYOTA. I REALLY HOPE THEY DO THE RIGHT THING BECAUSE THERE WILL BE CHALLENGES MADE AGAINST THEIR COMPANY IF NOT. *TR

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

WAS DRIVING OUT MY DRIVEWAY, NOT GOING FAST AT ALL...TURNED ON A MAJOR STREET AND SUDDENLY, A PICTURE OF THE SKIDDING CAR APPEARED AND THEN THE TRAC/VSC LIGHTS CAME ON WITH A HORRENDOUS NOISE. TOOK CAR TO THE LOCAL TOYOTA DEALERSHIP AND OF COURSE THEY COULDN'T FIND ANYTHING WRONG WITH IT AFTER RELINQUISHING $100.00 DIAGNOSTIC FEE. THE LIGHT AND NOISE FROM THE VSC ENGAGING OR DISENGAGING IS REALLY LOUD AND HAS HAPPENED EVERY DAY SINCE THE INITIAL ISSUE. DOES THIS PRESENT A PROBLEM? I'M AFRAID TO DRIVE MY CAR BUT IS VERY MUCH NEEDED FOR WORK AND RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES. I'VE SEARCHED ONLINE AND IT APPEARS THAT THIS IS AN ONGOING ISSUE THAT TOYOTA IS AWARE OF BUT FAIL TO DO A RECALL. *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

VSC LIGHT WAS COMING ON INTERMITTENTLY. VEHICLE(SEQUOIA) WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY SO THE DEALERSHIP REPLACED THE SKID CONTROL ECU. THE VSC LIGHT STARTED COMING BACK ON INTERMITTENTLY APPROXIMATELY ONE YEAR LATER. SINCE THE VEHICLE WAS OUT OF WARRANTY TOYOTA SAID IT WOULD COST APPROXIMATELY $2400 TO FIX. SINCE THE LIGHTS ONLY CAME ON INTERMITTENTLY WITHOUT ANY OTHER PROBLEMS AND I DIDN'T HAVE THE MONEY TO SPARE I DIDN'T GET THE REPAIRS DONE. WHILE HAVING MY ROTORS TURNED AT THE DEALERSHIP THE MECHANIC SAID THEY NOTICED THE VSC LIGHT WAS ON. THEY SAID THEY WORKED ON MY VEHICLE FOR 3 HRS(AT NO CHARGE-JUST DOING ME A FAVOR)) TO TRY AND REMEDY THE VSC LIGHT PROBLEM. WHEN I LEFT THE DEALERSHIP I GOT ON THE HIGHWAY AND NOT 2 MILES DOWN THE ROAD THE WARNING LIGHTS AND ABS LIGHTS WERE COMING ON, I STARTED HEARING WARNING BEEPS, THE CAR STARTED VIBRATING VIOLENTLY AND PULLED TO THE RIGHT. SCARED THE HECK OUT OF ME! I PULLED OVER AND HAD THE CAR TOWED BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP. OF COURSE THE DEALERSHIP SAID IT WAS SKID CONTROL ECU AND WOULD COST $2400 TO FIX THE PROBLEM. I HAVE TAKEN EXCELLENT CARE OF THIS CAR AND WOULD FIX IT IF I DIDN'T THINK IT WOULD HAPPEN AGAIN. BECAUSE OF NECESSITY I HAVE BEEN DRIVING THE CAR AND DEALING WITH THE DAILY SCARE BUT LATELY IT HAS BEEN GETTING SO BAD THAT I WILL PROBABLY HAVE TO TRADE IT IN BEFORE IT CAUSES AN ACCIDENT. *TR

THE "VSC OFF" AND VSC SKID LIGHTS CAME ON AND HAS REMAINED ON TO THE PRESENT DATE. WHEN THE LIGHTS CAME ON ALL VSC FUNCTIONS STOPPED. VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP. REPAIR WAS NOT UNDER ANY WARRANTY. AN ESTIMATE OF APPROXIMATELY $2200 WAS GIVEN TO REPLACE THE VEHICLES ECU. NO REPAIR WAS MADE. OCCASIONALLY THE VEHICLE WOULD LOSE POWER UNDER MODERATE ACCELERATION FOR A BRIEF PERIOD (USUALLY LESS THAN 2 SECONDS) AS IF SOMETHING HAS CUT POWER 20-30%. I SUSPECT IT WAS THE VSC SYSTEM TRYING TO CUT ON OR ENGAGE. THIS HAS NOT HAPPENED FOR SOME TIME. VEHICLE NOW HAS 178000 MILES. *TT