2001 Toyota Sequoia

MY 2001 SEQUOIA IS EXPERIENCING FALSE SKID INDICATIONS, RESULTING IN SUDDEN, SEVERE APPLICATIONS OF THE RIGHT FRONT WHEEL BRAKE, WITH NO WARNING. AFTER PURCHASING MY USED SEQUOIA (WITH APPROXIMATELY 121,000 MILES), WE DROVE IT APPROXIMATELY 70 MILES WITHOUT INCIDENT. WE HAD JUST LEFT A PARKING LOT AND DRIVEN LESS THAN ONE-HALF MILE WHEN THE RIGHT FRONT WHEEL BRAKE SUDDENLY DID A STRONG APPLY, PULLING THE VEHICLE TOWARD THE RIGHT, OFF THE ROAD, WHILE MAKING A GRINDING SOUND. THE BRAKE APPLY AND THE NOISE LASTED APPROXIMATELY (3) SECONDS, AND THEN THE BRAKE RELEASED AND THE VEHICLE MADE A SERIES OF BEEPS. NO INDICATOR LIGHTS WERE ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL BEFORE, DURING OR AFTER THE INCIDENT. WE WERE TRAVELING IN A STRAIGHT LINE ON A DRY, SMOOTH ROAD, AT A SPEED OF (25) TO (30) MPH; THE OUTSIDE TEMPERATURE WAS APPROXIMATELY 80F. THE INCIDENT OCCURRED A SECOND TIME SEVERAL HOURS LATER ON THE SAME DAY. ALL FACTORS WERE IDENTICAL, EXCEPT WE HAD DRIVEN ABOUT (5) MILES AFTER STARTING THE VEHICLE. IN EACH CASE, THE VEHICLE WAS PULLED TOWARD THE RIGHT, OFF THE ROAD, AND COULD HAVE RESULTED IN AN ACCIDENT HAD THERE BEEN AN OBSTACLE THERE (ANOTHER CAR, PEDESTRIAN, ETC). IT WAS A HOLIDAY WEEKEND AND THE DEALERSHIP SERVICE DEPARTMENTS IN THE AREA WERE CLOSED. WE DROVE THE VEHICLE HOME AND SEARCHED THE INTERNET FOR INFORMATION ON THIS INCIDENT, AND WERE AMAZED TO FIND MANY SIMILAR PROBLEMS WITH MODEL YEARS RANGING FROM 2001 TO 2006, AND WITH NO KNOWN FIX. THE LOCAL DEALERSHIP LATER CONFIRMED THAT THEY HAD NO KNOWLEDGE OF ANY INCIDENT LIKE THIS. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THIS IS THE MOST DANGEROUS VEHICLE CONDITION I HAVE EVER SEEN. I AM JUSTIFIABLY AFRAID TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE AGAIN, OR TO DRIVE IN THE VICINITY OF ANY OTHER SEQUOIAS OR TUNDRAS THAT I SEE ON THE ROAD. *TR

I BEGAN TO NOTICE OVER A YEAR AGO THAT THE HEADLIGHT HIGH-BEAM INDICATOR WAS WORKING INTERMITTENTLY. AFTER A FEW MONTHS OF INTERMITTENT OPERATION IT CEASED ILLUMINATING ALTOGETHER. MY LOCAL MECHANIC INFORMED ME THAT TOYOTA HAD TOLD HIM THAT THE ENTIRE COMBINATION METER WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED TO REPAIR IT (THIS WAS NOT ENTIRELY ACCURATE). I RECENTLY FOUND ONLINE THAT A NUMBER OF OWNERS REPORTED THAT THEIR HIGH BEAM INDICATORS WERE NOT WORKING, AND THAT A TOYOTA SERVICE BULLETIN HAD BEEN PUBLISHED TO REPAIR IT. WHEN I PULLED UP THE SERVICE BULLETIN I NOTED THAT IT REQUIRED A WIRING CHANGE IN ADDITION TO REPLACEMENT OF A VERY EXPENSIVE ECU. IT IS MY CONTENTION THAT TOYOTA SHOULD BE FINANCIALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR REPAIR OF THIS EXPENSIVE MODIFICATION SINCE THE VEHICLE WAS WIRED IMPROPERLY TO BEGIN WITH AND SINCE THERE ARE SUBSTANTIAL SAFETY IMPLICATIONS FOR VEHICLES DRIVING WITH HEADLIGHTS ON BRIGHT WHEN THE DRIVER IS NOT AWARE OF IT. *TR

THE VEHICLE SKID CONTROL LIGHT COMES ON AND THE SYSTEM TURNS OFF UNEXPECTEDLY WHILE DRIVING AT ALL DIFFERENT SPEEDS FOR NO APPARENT REASON. THIS HAS CAUSED US TO COME TO NEAR VEHICLE ROLLOVER ON THE INTERSTATE AND MANY NEAR CRASHES WHICH HAVE BEEN VERY CLOSE MISSES..BECAUSE YOU ALMOST LOSE CONTROL OF YOUR VEHICLE. I CANNOT DRIVE IT NOW DUE TO THIS PROBLEM. THIS HAS BEEN AN OBVIOUS PROBLEM THAT TOYOTA HAS IGNORED AND IT SHOULD BE RECALLED . I HAD NOTICED IT MAYBE A FEW YEARS BEFORE. THE LIGHT WOULD COME ON INTERMITTENTLY AND THEN GO OFF. I HAVEN'T DRIVEN MY VEHICLE MUCH UNTIL LATELY AND NOW IT OCCURS IF I GET INTO MY VEHICLE AND BACK OUT OF MY DRIVEWAY AND PUT IT INTO DRIVE. *TR

VSC AND TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM LIGHTS IN MY 2001 TOYOTA SEQUOIA COME ON DURING NORMAL DRIVING CONDITION. WHEN THE VEHICLE IS STOPPED AND RESTARTS THE ENGINE, THE LIGHTS GOES OFF. THIS PROBLEM HAPPENED BACK IN THE SPRING OF 2003 AND THE VEHICLE WAS STILL UNDER THE NEW VEHICLE'S 3 YEAR WARRANTY. I TOLD THE DEALER REGARDING THIS PROBLEM DURING MY ROUTINE MAINTENANCE, THEY SAID THEY DID NOT FIND THE PROBLEM AND THERE WAS NO CODE RECORDED IN THE COMPUTER. THEY MAKE ME FEEL LIKE I WAS DRIVING AGGRESSIVE AND CAUSE THE PROBLEM. THIS PROBLEM WAS ON AND OFF FOR THE LAST 5 YEARS TILL LAST MONTH (JULY, 2009) WHEN MY SON WAS DRIVING IN LA FREEWAY. HE WAS FACING THE LOST OF ENGINE POWER AND UNABLE TO SPEED UP WHEN THE VSC AND TRACTION LIGHTS COMES ON. HE HAS TO PULL OFF THE FREEWAY AND RESTART THE ENGINE. AFTER THIS INCIDENT, I BEGIN TO SEARCH THE INTERNET AND DISCOVERED THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM FOR MY 2001 SEQUOIA. THIS PROBLEM IS NOT FIXED. *TR

VSC TRAC WARNING LIGHT INTERMITTENTLY COMES ON WHILE DRIVING. IF YOU TURN THE CAR OFF AND THEN BACK ON THEY GO AWAY. I TOOK IT TO THE TOYOTA DEALER SEVERAL TIMES UNDER AN EXTENDED WARRANTY AND THEY COULD NEVER GET IT TO FAIL. THEY TOLD ME TO COME IN WHEN IT IS FAILING AND THEY COULD THEN LOOK AT IT. THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON INTERMITTENTLY FOR YEARS NOW. I AM CONCERNED THAT IT WILL FINALLY FAIL COMPLETELY AND MAY CAUSE AN ACCIDENT. WAY TO MANY OF THESE SEQUOIA'S ARE HAVING THIS SAME PROBLEM FOR THIS TO BE AN ISOLATED ISSUE. TOYOTA NEEDS TO STEP UP AND FIX THIS AS IT IS A SAFETY ISSUE. TR

MY 2001 TOYOTA SEQUOIA IS EXPERIENCING FALSE SKID INDICATIONS RESULTING IN DANGEROUS APPLICATIONS OF THE RIGHT FRONT WHEEL BRAKE. THE INDICATIONS ARE ILLUMINATION OF THE SKID SYMBOL, RAPID ANTISKID SERVO ACTION, RIGHT FRONT WHEEL BRAKE APPLICATION WHICH LAST FROM ONE SECOND TO AS MUCH AS 30 SECONDS. ONCE THE RIGHT FRONT BRAKE APPLICATION STOPS, THE SKID SYMBOL IS NO LONGER ILLUMINATED AND THE TRAC OFF AND VSC TRAC LIGHTS ILLUMINATE. THIS OCCURS IN ALL DRIVING CONDITIONS AT LOW OR HIGH SPEED, SMOOTH ROAD SURFACES, AND WHETHER GOING STRAIGHT OR TURNING. I HAVE HAD THE TOYOTA SERVICE DEPARTMENT CONNECT THEIR COMPUTER SEVERAL TIMES TO DETERMINE A CAUSE AND THEY CAN NOT DEFINITIVELY TELL WHAT HAS FAILED. SOMETIMES THEY TELL ME IT COULD BE THE YAW SENSOR OR THE SKID CONTROL ECM, BUT THESE ARE VERY EXPENSIVE PARTS THAT MAY OR MAY NOT FIX THE PROBLEM. THIS PROBLEM HAS BEEN OCCURRING FOR ABOUT A YEAR. INITIALLY, THE FIRST SIGN OF A PROBLEM WITH THE CAR OCCURRED WHILE DRIVING AT 35 MPH AND THE THROTTLE WENT TO IDLE AND THE TRAC OFF, VSC TRAC, AND ENGINE LIGHTS ILLUMINATED. TOYOTA SAID IT WAS THE THROTTLE CABLE AND THROTTLE SENSOR AND I PAID THEM TO REPLACE BOTH PARTS. SHORTLY AFTER THIS, THE FALSE SKID FAILURES BEGAN. THE FALSE SKID FAILURES OCCUR RANDOMLY AND WITHOUT WARNING AND RECENTLY, THE FREQUENCY OF OCCURRENCE HAS INCREASED. *TR

I HAVE A SEQUOIA 2001 LIMITED AND THE VSC TRAC AND OFF LIGHT COME ON AFTER YOU DRIVE FOR A WHILE AND WHEN TURNING OFF THE VEHICLE AND RESTART IT BACK AGAIN THE LIGHTS GO OFF. IT HAPPENED BEFORE LAST YEAR IN 2008 A FEW COUPLE OF TIMES AND I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER A EVERY TIME IT HAPPENED AND THEY SAID IT WAS OK. NOW IN 2009 IN THE LAST TWO MONTHS THE CAR WILL SHAKE A BIT AND WOULD MAKE THIS BEEP BEEP SOUND THEN IT LOOSES ACCELERATION AND LOOSES POWER TEMPORARILY AND I CAN NOT SEEM TO APPLY THE BREAKS PROPERLY BEFORE THE VSC TRAC VSC OFF LIGHTS GO ON AND STAY ON. THEN BY TURNING THE IGNITION OFF AND ON THE LIGHTS GO OFF. THIS HAS HAPPENED 2 TIMES. I AM TAKING IT BACK TO THE DEALER, BUT I AM THAT IT MAY CAUSE AND ACCIDENT SINCE IT DOES NOT SEEM TO BREAK. *TR

VSC TRAC WARNING LIGHT INTERMITTENTLY COMES ON, MY RECENTLY PURCHASED USED 2001 TOYOTA SEQUOIA. I'VE READ ONLINE POSTS THAT THE ECM ASSOCIATED WITH THIS COMPUTERIZED ANTI-SKID BRAKING SYSTEM IS A COMMON PROBLEM ON THESE TOYOTA'S AND THAT ACTION IS BEING TAKEN AT YOUR OFFICE TO ENSURE TOYOTA CORRECTS THIS ISSUE. I WANT TO ENSURE MY SEQUOIA IS ALSO REPAIRED. *TR

THE VSC TRACTION CONTROL CAME ON WHILE DRIVING IN A STRAIGHT LINE IN THE RAIN. THERE WAS A LOUD CLUNK AND THE CAR SWERVED SHARPLY TO THE RIGHT ALMOST CAUSING LOSS OF CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. HAD THERE BEEN ANOTHER CAR IN THE RIGHT HAND LANE THIS WOULD HAVE CAUSED AN ACCIDENT!!! BOTH DASH VSC DASH LIGHTS IMMEDIATELY ILLUMINATED INDICATING THE VEHICLE NEEDED SERVICE. THE DEALER IS NOW SAYING THAT THE ECU IS DEFECTIVE AND NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. THE CAR ONLY HAS 89000 MILES ON IT, THE ECU SHOULD NOT BE DEFECTIVE AT THIS MILEAGE. MORE IMPORTANTLY, IF/WHEN THE ECU DOES BECOME DEFECTIVE IT SHOULD NOT ENGAGE THE TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM CAUSING A CONDITION THAT COULD RESULT IN AN ACCIDENT. *TR