2001 Toyota Sequoia

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2015, I WAS DRIVING DOWN INTERSTATE 37 TOWARD CORPUS CHRISTI, TX, AND OUT OF THE BLUE MY WELL MAINTAINED VEHICLE HAD A HARD SHAKE/SHIMMY IN THE REAR END. IT ROCKED MY REAREND LEFT TO RIGHT. VERY SCARY. LUCKILY I HAD BOTH HANDS ON THE WHEEL. THE TRACTION CONTROL SENSOR WENT OFF. I BRAKED, THINKING MAYBE I HAD HAD A TIRE GO FLAT QUICKLY. VERY SCARY AT 75 MPH. ALSO VERY LUCKY THAT NOT SEMI'S OR VEHICLES WERE NEAR ME. I TURNED THE SEQUOIA OFF AND GOT OUT TO CHECK THE TIRES. THERE WAS NO PROBLEM. I GOT BACK IN AND RESTARTED THE VEHICLE, THE TRACTION CONTROL LIGHTS HAD GONE OFF, SO I STARTED TO ACCELERATE BACK INTO TRAFFIC...AND THE SEQUOIA WENT CRAZY AGAIN, REAR END SHAKING, TRACTION CONTROL LIGHTS GOING OFF. IT WAS 8 PM, DARK. I WAS TOO SCARED TO TRY DRIVING AGAIN, SO I CALLED FOR A TOW. I HAVE DONE SOME RESEARCH ON SIMILAR PROBLEMS AND FOUND THERE WERE MANY. SOME PEOPLE SAY IT IS AN ELECTRONIC CONTROL SENSOR. EACH WHEEL HAS ONE AND MAYBE ONE WENT OUT CAUSING THAT WHEEL TO ROTATE DIFFERENTLY FROM THE OTHERS, JERKING THE CAR AROUND. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS! I HAD BEEN IN SAN ANTONIO, TX RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC JUST 3 HOURS BEFORE AND HAD THIS JERKING THAT CAUSED SWERVING HAPPENED ON THE DOWNTOWN HIGHWAYS, SOMEONE COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED. PEOPLE SHOULD BE WARNED AND TOYOTA SHOULD RECALL VEHICLES AFFECTED, BECAUSE FROM MY RESEARCH, THERE ARE A LOT OF AFFECTED SEQUOIAS.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 TOYOTA SEQUOIA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE TRACTION WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED AND A CHIME SOUNDED AS THE SKID CONTROL SYSTEM ENGAGED WITHOUT BEING PROMPTED. THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED BUT THE VEHICLE FAILED TO ACCELERATE. THERE WAS ALSO AN ABNORMAL NOISE COMING FROM THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE AS THE STEERING WHEEL VEERED TO THE RIGHT. THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED BUT THE VEHICLE FAILED TO SLOW DOWN UNTIL THE VEHICLE'S SKID CONTROL SYSTEM DISENGAGED WITHOUT BEING PROMPTED. THE FAILURE RECURRED NUMEROUS TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 200,000.

WHILE TRAVELING 74-75MPH IN MY 2001 TOYOTA SEQUOIA ON A DRY HIGHWAY PASSING A SLOWER SEMI-TRUCK ON A STRAIGHTAWAY, THERE WAS A SUDDEN LOUD GRINDING NOISE, THE VSC AND TRACTION CONTROL LIGHTS FLASHED FOLLOWED BY A SERIES OF HIGH-PITCHED BEEPS. THE SUV LOST PARTIAL CONTROL, AUTOMATICALLY SLOWING A LITTLE AS IT PULLED SLIGHTLY TO THE RIGHT, SCARILY CLOSE TO THE BIG RIG. HOWEVER, THE SCARIEST PART WAS THAT DRIVER INPUT CONTROLLED NOTHING FOR SEVERAL SECONDS. I PULLED TO THE SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY. THE DRIVERS MANUAL SAID IT WAS SAFE TO CONTINUE DRIVING THE VEHICLE. THIS HAPPENED 3 OTHER TIMES ON THE REMAINING 700 MILES OF MY TRIP. EACH TIME AFTER AN INCIDENT THE SUV DID FINE AS LONG AS THE "VSC AND TRACTION CONTROL OFF" LIGHTS WERE ON. BUT AFTER THE VEHICLE STOPPED, THEY WOULD RESET AND TURN OFF. THE PROBLEM WOULD OCCUR AGAIN AND THE LIGHTS WOULD TURN BACK ON. TOYOTA CLAIMED NO RESPONSIBILITY. THEY REPLACED THE SKID CONTROL COMPUTER AT A COST TO ME OF $1123.36. I HAVE NOT DRIVEN ENOUGH MILES TO SEE IF THIS SOLVED THE PROBLEM. A SIMPLE INTERNET SEARCH SHOWED 23 PAGES OF 2001 SEQUOIA OWNERS WITH THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM AND EVEN A RECALL FOR 2003 MODELS WITH THE SAME SAFETY DEFECT. PLEASE INVESTIGATE THIS PROBLEM BEFORE THERE ARE INJURIES OR FATALITIES.

WHILE DRIVING ON A NEIGHBORHOOD STREET THE VEHICLE WITH NO WARNING APPLIED FULL BRAKING TO THE RIGHT FRONT WHEEL CAUSING THE TIRE TO LOCK UP. AT THE SAME TIME 2 SKID CONTROL LIGHTS CAME ON THE DASH ALONG WITH A LOUD WARNING BUZZER FOR AROUND 5 SECONDS. DRY PAVEMENT IN ARIZONA. VEHICLE SWERVED HARD AND HAD TO OVERSTEER TO CONTROL IT! THIS HAS DONE IT 9 TIMES NOW. IT HAS HAPPENED EVERY TIME! SPEED IS NOT A FACTOR. WEATHER IS NOT A FACTOR. IF THE OVERIDE BUTTON FOR THE TRACTION CONTROL IS ENGAGED ON NOT IS NOT A FACTOR. TODAY (9-19-2015) WAS THE LAST STRAW. IN 3 LANES OF TRAFFIC, SPEED 45, IT CAME ON. CARS ON BOTH SIDES THE DID ITS THING! I ALMOST HIT THE CAR TO THE RIGHT OF ME. I AM NOW PARKING IT UNTIL I AM CONTACTED BY SOMEONE AT THE NHTSA OR TOYOTA. I AM HOLDER OF A CDL LICENSE OF OVER 40 YEARS. THIS IS THE MOST DANGEROUS THING I HAVE EVER SEEN A VEHICLE DO! I UNDERSTAND THERE IS NO RECALL! HELP!

STARTED WITH BOTH VSC AND TRAC LIGHTS ON. IN BOTH WARM AND COLDER TEMPERATURES, THE CAR ABS ENGAGES. FEELS LIKE DRIVING OVER GRAVEL. CAR PULLS TO ONE SIDE OR ANOTHER, AND BRAKING SEEMS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE. THIS BECAME MORE AND MORE COMMON. IT STARTED ONCE EVERY COUPLE OF MONTHS, TO ALMOST EVERY TRIP. TOYOTA READ CODES AND STATED THAT IT WAS YAW RATE SENSOR THAT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. OVER A COST OF $1800. WE CHANGES IT AND THE CAR ACTED NORMALLY FOR 1 DAY. A DAY LATER THE LIGHTS CAME BACK ON AND THE SKIDDING OCCURRED AGAIN. EVEN AFTER REPLACING THE YAW RATE SENSOR AND PERFORMING A 0-POINT CALIBRATION, THEY READ THE CODES, AND SHOWED THE FOLLOWING: C0371 YAW RATE SENSOR OUTPUT SIGNAL MALFUNCTION C1208 STEERING POSITION SENSOR OUTPUT SIGNAL MALFUNCTION C1234 MALFUNCTION IN YAW RATE SENSOR C1271 LOW OUTPUT VOLTAGE OF RIGHT FRONT SPEED SENSOR C1272 LOW OUTPUT VOLTAGE OF LEFT FRONT SPEED SENSOR C1273 LOW OUTPUT VOLTAGE OF RIGHT REAR SPEED SENSOR C1274 LOW OUTPUT VOLTAGE OF LEFT REAR SPEED SENSOR C1275 ABNORMAL CHANGE IN OUTPUT VOLTAGE OF RIGHT FRONT SPEED SENSOR C1276 ABNORMAL CHANGE IN OUTPUT VOLTAGE OF LEFT FRONT SPEED SENSOR C1277 ABNORMAL CHANGE IN OUTPUT VOLTAGE OF RIGHT REAR SPEED SENSOR C1278 ABNORMAL CHANGE IN OUTPUT VOLTAGE OF LEFT REAR SPEED SENSOR C1279 DECELERATION SENSOR IS FAULTY C1281 MASTER CYLINDER PRESSURE SENSOR OUTPUT SIGNAL IS FAULTY THEY ESTIMATED THAT THE COST OF REPAIRING ALL OF THESE SENSORS WAS APPROX $4500. THE LIKELIHOOD THAT ALL OF THESE SENSORS GAVE OUT AT THE SAME TIME, TO ME IS HIGHLY UNLIKELY. THERE HAS BEEN NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS CAR'S BRAKING SYSTEM AND THIS SEEMS TO BE AN EXPLOIT OF YET ANOTHER SHORTCOMING OF THIS CAR. CURRENTLY IF THE CAR SITS IDLING FOR MORE THAN 10 MINS, THE VSC AND TRAC LIGHTS COME ON REGARDLESS OF TEMPERATURE OUTSIDE.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 TOYOTA SEQUOIA. WHILE DRIVING, THERE WAS AN ABNORMAL NOISE UNDERNEATH THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT DISCOVERED EXTREME SEVERE RUST AND DETERIORATING WITH BIG HOLES UNDERNEATH THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 120,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 TOYOTA SEQUOIA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED INTERMITTENTLY AND THAT THE VEHICLE WENT INTO A LIMP MODE. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT EACH TIME THE FAILURE OCCURRED, THE VEHICLE WAS EXTREMELY SLOW TO ACCELERATE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS ALSO INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 11V148000 (TIRES). FOR YEARS, THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO EXPLAIN WHY THE RECALL REPAIR WAS NOT COMPLETED. THE CONTACT WAS ALSO NOT ABLE TO DETERMINE WHEN THAT RECALL WOULD BE PERFORMED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 69,000.