OWNER OF 2001 TOYOTA SEQUOIA WHO'S TRANSMIISION HAS FAILED AND REQUIRES NEW TRANSMISSION. MANY POSTINGS ON INTERENT WITH THE SAME ISSSUE OF FAILURE DUE TO SO CALLED OVERDRIVE PLANETARY GEAR DEFECT. SHOULD BE A NATIONAL RECALL.
2001 Toyota Sequoia
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Limited comparison data
There is not enough comparable history to draw a useful model-year comparison.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Sequoia years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
424 reports with mileage · 107 unknown
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Electronic Stability Control (esc). Review the 124 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Structure. Review the 102 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Vehicle Speed Control. Review the 101 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
What owners actually said
531 reportsTL*- THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN HE WALKED AROUND THE BACK OF THE 2001 TOYOTA SEQUOIA WITH 68000 FAILURE MILEAGE HE NOTICED THAT THE LATCH WAS BROKEN AND WOULD NOT OPEN, ALSO THE REAR HATCHBACK APPEARED CLOSED, BUT IT WOULD NOT FULLY LATCH. THE HATCHBACK WOULD POP OPEN WITHOUT ANY WARNING. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN REPAIRED …
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TL*- THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN HE WALKED AROUND THE BACK OF THE 2001 TOYOTA SEQUOIA WITH 68000 FAILURE MILEAGE HE NOTICED THAT THE LATCH WAS BROKEN AND WOULD NOT OPEN, ALSO THE REAR HATCHBACK APPEARED CLOSED, BUT IT WOULD NOT FULLY LATCH. THE HATCHBACK WOULD POP OPEN WITHOUT ANY WARNING. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN REPAIRED TWICE. *AK
TL* - THE CONTACT STATED WAS DRIVING AT 60 MPH ON THE HIGHWAY WITH 110000 MILES ON VEHICLE WHEN HE HEARD A NOISE COMING FROM TRANSMISSION. AT WHICH POINT THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT CHANGE GEARS WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY. THE CONTACT THEN HAD THE VEHICLE TAKEN TO THE DEALER, WHERE THEY TOLD HIM ALL OF THE GEARS WERE DAMAGED*AK …
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TL* - THE CONTACT STATED WAS DRIVING AT 60 MPH ON THE HIGHWAY WITH 110000 MILES ON VEHICLE WHEN HE HEARD A NOISE COMING FROM TRANSMISSION. AT WHICH POINT THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT CHANGE GEARS WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY. THE CONTACT THEN HAD THE VEHICLE TAKEN TO THE DEALER, WHERE THEY TOLD HIM ALL OF THE GEARS WERE DAMAGED*AK THE TECHNICIAN FOUND METAL SHAVING IN THE TRANSMISSION PAN. THE TRANSMISSION HAD SEVER INTERNAL FAILURE. UPDATED 01/19/07. *JB
FRONT SUSPENSION, LOWER CONTROL ARM, BALL JOINT SEPARATED WHILE BACKING THE VEHICLE OUT OF THE DRIVEWAY. THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE WHEEL COLLAPSED AND FOLDED UNDER THE WHEEL WELL CAUSING DAMAGE TO THE SUSPENSION, AXLE, AND VEHICLE BODY. *JB
2001 TOYOTA SEQUOIA. WHEN I SHIFTED FROM REVERSE TO DRIVE THE ENGINE ROARED TO A FULLY RACING ENGINE AND ACCELERATED FORWARD. HARD BRAKING COULD NOT SLOW THE VEHICLE AND IT HIT THE BACK OF A 2004 HONDA MINI-VAN THAT WAS PARKED, DOING EXTENSIVE DAMAGE BUT CAUSING NO INJURIES. *JB
GOT 2001 TOYOTA SEQUOIA 02/2001 MANY PROBLEMS. ONE IS VSC SYSTEM WARN LIGHTS ON, TOTAL ACTIVATION OF VSC SYSTEM FOR NO REASON. 8/04 BROUGHT TO DEALER, VSC WARNING LIGHTS ON AND SOMETIMES POWER CUT,VERY DANGEROUS! DEALER FOUND "YAW RATE SENSOR MAY POSSIBLY BE MALFUNCTIONING, BUT EVERYTHING WORKING ACCORDING TO MANUFACTURER SPEC…
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GOT 2001 TOYOTA SEQUOIA 02/2001 MANY PROBLEMS. ONE IS VSC SYSTEM WARN LIGHTS ON, TOTAL ACTIVATION OF VSC SYSTEM FOR NO REASON. 8/04 BROUGHT TO DEALER, VSC WARNING LIGHTS ON AND SOMETIMES POWER CUT,VERY DANGEROUS! DEALER FOUND "YAW RATE SENSOR MAY POSSIBLY BE MALFUNCTIONING, BUT EVERYTHING WORKING ACCORDING TO MANUFACTURER SPECIFICATIONS NO PROBLEM AT THIS TIME. VSC SYSTEM WORKING AS DESIGNED. OK TO RETURN TO SERVICE." 7/06 CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ON. BROUGHT TO DEALER 8/3/06, TOLD NOTHING WRONG, PROBABLY LOOSE GAS CAP. WE HAD HEARD THAT EXCUSE BEFORE. 8/18/06 ON A TRIP FROM CT TO SC, VSC OFF/ VSC TRAC OFF WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON AND BEEPED. ARRIVED AT OUR DESTINATION, PARKED CAR FOR 1 HOUR. DROVE ABOUT 1 MI VSC SYSTEM FULLY ACTIVATED BROUGHT US TO COMPLETE STOP IN TRAFFIC, ALMOST REAR ENDED! TOOK TO LOCAL DEALER (8/21). $191 LATER WAS TOLD IT WAS A SENSOR MALFUNCTION NOT A SAFETY ISSUE WHAT SO EVER. SERVICE REP SAID "ABSOLUTELY NOT A PROBLEM TO DRIVE TO CT PERFECTLY SAFE". 3 HOURS LATER VSC OFF /VSC TRACK OFF WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON. ON OUR LAST STOP WARNING LIGHTS WENT OFF AS USUAL BUT DID NOT COME BACK ON RIGHT AWAY. INSTEAD VSC SYSTEM WENT INTO TOTAL ACTIVATION ON I81 AT 70 MPH! LUCKILY WE WERE IN RIGHT LANE. MADE IT TO NARROW SHOULDER. GOT VEHICLE UNDER CONTROL, THE SHOULDER HAD RUN OUT AND WE WERE ABOUT 1 FT FROM HITTING THE GUARDRAIL. WE COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED AND COULD HAVE CAUSED A 40 CAR PILE UP WITH MANY DEATHS! BROUGHT VEHICLE TO OUR LOCAL DEALER. PROBLEM SO DANGEROUS THAT I DON'T WANT TO GET IN THIS CAR AGAIN! I WILL NEVER FEEL SAFE OR TRUST TOYOTA SERVICE AGAIN. TOYOTA NEEDS TO EDUCATE DEALER SERVICE DEPTS AND RECALL THIS VEHICLE BEFORE SOMEONE DIES. THIS IS ONLY ONE OF MANY PROBLEMS WE HAVE HAD WITH THIS CAR AND TOYOTA SERVICE. WE COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED OR HURT TWICE (NOT JUST THIS INCIDENT) BECAUSE OF MALFUNCTIONS AND TOYOTA SERVICE MISTAKES. WE BOUGHT THIS VEHICLE BECAUSE OF TOYOTA'S REPUTATION FOR SAFE, QUALITY-BUILT VEHICLES. WE GOT NEITHER! *JB
DT*THE CONSUMER STATED THE VSC WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE DEALER BELIEVED THE PROBLEM WAS THE YAW RATE SENSOR. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED, THE DEALER TOLD THE CONSUMER THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG, AND IT WAS PROBABLY A LOOSE GAS CAP. WHILE DRIVING, THE VSC ACTIVATED, THE CONSUMER WAS ABLE TO GAIN CONTROL OF THE VEHI…
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DT*THE CONSUMER STATED THE VSC WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE DEALER BELIEVED THE PROBLEM WAS THE YAW RATE SENSOR. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED, THE DEALER TOLD THE CONSUMER THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG, AND IT WAS PROBABLY A LOOSE GAS CAP. WHILE DRIVING, THE VSC ACTIVATED, THE CONSUMER WAS ABLE TO GAIN CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. UPDATED 09/15/06. *JB
DT*: CONTACT STATED THE VEHICLE'S SKID CONTROL AND TRACTION CONTROL WERE MAKING THE VEHICLE VERY SLOW. NO MATTER HOW FAR DOWN THE GAS PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED, THE VEHICLE WOULD STILL NOT OBTAIN THE REQUIRED POWER FROM THE ENGINE. THE TRACTION CONTROL AND SKID CONTROL WERE ALSO NOT BEING CONTROLLED BY THE VEHICLE'S COMPUTER. THIS PRO…
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DT*: CONTACT STATED THE VEHICLE'S SKID CONTROL AND TRACTION CONTROL WERE MAKING THE VEHICLE VERY SLOW. NO MATTER HOW FAR DOWN THE GAS PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED, THE VEHICLE WOULD STILL NOT OBTAIN THE REQUIRED POWER FROM THE ENGINE. THE TRACTION CONTROL AND SKID CONTROL WERE ALSO NOT BEING CONTROLLED BY THE VEHICLE'S COMPUTER. THIS PROBLEM STARTED A YEAR AGO AND WAS MORE COMMON DURING THE SUMMER SEASON. THERE WERE NO ACCIDENTS REPORTED TO THESE INCIDENCES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP HOWEVER THE PROBLEM PERSISTED. THE DEALER DETERMINED THAT ALTHOUGH THE VEHICLE SKID CONTROL AND TRACTION CONTROL COMPUTER WERE NOT WORKING AUTOMATICALLY, THE BRAKES WOULD CONTINUE TO OPERATE SAFELY.
VSC, TRAC AND BRAKE LIGHTS HAVE BEEN CONSISTENTLY ON SINCE 2004. *NM
DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 40MPH THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION OVERDRIVE DID NOT ENGAGE. THE VEHICLE WAS SEEN BY AN INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP WHO DETERMINED THE OVERDRIVE WAS DEFECTIVE AND THE TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REBUILT.
Official recalls
102V129000 · Wheels
May 1, 2002
ON CERTAIN 4X2 VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH AN ALLOY WHEEL TIRE UPGRADE (OPTIONS WM4, WM8, ZL1-ZL4, DH4, OR DH5) INSTALLED BY THE PROCESSING CENTERS IN JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA OR COMMERCE, GEORGIA, A LABEL IDENTIFYING THE SPARE TIRE AS A TEMPORARY USE SPARE TIRE WAS NOT INSTALLED. THE UPGRADE INCLUDES 4 LARGER SIZE TIRES WITH ALLOY WHEELS. THE ORIGINAL SPARE TIRE/STEEL WHEEL IS NOT PART OF THE UPGRADE AND WAS NOT CHANGED.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: DIFFERENT OPERATING CHARACTERISTICS CAN BE EXPERIENCED WHEN THE SPARE TIRE IS INSTALLED ON THE VEHICLE.
Remedy: OWNERS WILL BE PROVIDED WITH A CAUTION LABEL AND AN INSERT FOR THEIR OWNER'S MANUAL. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN JULY 15, 2002. OWNERS WHO DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT SOUTHEAST TOYOTA AT 1-800-301-6859.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
1PE16006 · Yaw Rate Sensor Malfunction
Opened Jun 14, 2016 · Closed Dec 20, 2016
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Electronic Stability Control
On June 14, 2016, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Preliminary Evaluation PE16-006 to investigate 135 complaints alleging incidents of yaw rate sensor malfunctions resulting in unexpected Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) activations and steering pull while driving in model year (MY) 2001-2002 Toyota Sequoia vehicles.ODI identified a total of 958 incidents in complaints provided by Toyota or submitted to ODI by consumers.ODI conducted the following work to assess the alleged defect in the subject vehicles: 1) evaluated the design of the subject yaw rate sensor; 2) initiated vehicle testing and instrumentation; 3) performed failure analysis on subject components collected from the field; 4) analyzed field data for evidence of system faults; and 5) reviewed the performance of the subject system in fault simulations testing conducted by Toyota.ODI review indicated that an overwhelming majority of incidents are related to flashing VSC slip indicators on the instrument panel accompanied by warning buzzers and grinding noise or vibration caused by pulsed brake application to one of the front wheels.Yaw rate sensor malfunctions resulting in VSC brake applications is accompanied by a brief duration of longitudinal deceleration with minimal changes in vehicle speed and will not result in abrupt lane change or loss of vehicle control due to steering controllability.This preliminary evaluation is closed.The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding that a safety related defect does not exist.For additional information, see the closing resume appendix and the investigation file for PE16-006.
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