2001 Toyota Sequoia

WE HAVE A TOYOTA SEQUOIA, THE PROBLEMS ARE THE 4 WHEEL DRIVE IS NOT OPERATING ALL THE TIME. IT DOES NOT ENGAGE SOMETIMES AND DOES NOT STAY IN 4 WHEEL DRIVE. ONE EXAMPLE IS MY WIFE HAD SIX FRIENDS IN THE VEHICLE THE 4 WHEEL DRIVE DID NOT STAY ENGAGED AND THE VEHICLE SKID CONTROL MADE THE ENGINE LOOSE POWER SO SHE SLID BACKWARDS DOWN A HILL. NO ONE WOULD RIDE IN OUR 4WHEEL DRIVE AGAIN. THE VEHICLE SKID CONTROL MAKES THE ENGINE LOOSE POWER WHILE IN TRAFFIC. THERE IS ALSO A HESITATION IN THE ENGINE WHEN ACCELERATING FROM A COMPLETE STOP. ANOTHER PROBLEM IS THE BRAKING SYSTEM IS NOT ADEQUATE FOR THE VEHICLE. THE ENTIRE FRONT BRAKES HAD TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN IN FOR THE SAME REPAIRS AT LEAST 10 TIMES AND IS STILL NOT WORKING THE WAY IT SHOULD. WE HAVE ALL THE DOCUMENTATION FOR SERVICE ON OUR SEQUOIA. WE HAVE DONE INTERNET RESEARCH THROUGH NHTSA AND HAVE FOUND THE SAME PROBLEM WITH OTHER TOYOTA SEQUOIA'S. THERE WAS ALSO A PROBLEM WITH THE AIR CONDITIONER HAVING A BAD ODER FROM BACTERIA GROWING, THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD WAS LOOSE AND THE POWER WINDOW MOTORS MADE A LOUD NOISE. WE HAVE FILED A COMPLAINT ON ALL THE SAME PROBLEMS WITH NHTSA, COMSUMER AFFAIRS OF CALIFORNIA AND YOU. WE WANT TO PURSUE THE LEMON LAW AND GET OUR MONEY BACK. WE ARE CURRENTLY WORKING WITH TOYOTA ARBRITRATION BUT ARE GETTING NOWHERE. WE HAVE HAD TOYOTA'S PREVIOUSLY AND HAD NO PROBLEMS WITH THEM. THIS VEHICLE IS A LEMON.

GAS GAUGE ERRONEOUSLY INDICATES NO FUEL IN GAS TANK (INTERMITTENT PROBLEM WITH FUEL LEVEL SENDING UNIT, THAT HAPPENS WHEN FUEL LEVEL IS IN THE 2/3 TO 1/2 RANGE. PROBLEM LASTS FOR A SHORT WHILE AND WILL GO AWAY AFTER DRIVING A FEW MILES WHEN THE FUEL LEVEL IN THE TANK DROPS. TOYOTA DEALER STATES THAT THERE IS NO TOYOTA SERVICE BULLETIN FOR THIS PROBLEM. *AK

TOYOTA SEQUOIA SR5 2001. REAR LIFTGATE GLASS IS LOWERED BY ITSELF WHEN THE VEHICLE IS NOT RUNNING AND LOCKED-UP. HIS PROBLEM WAS REPORTED TO ME BY THE ORIGINAL OWNER. I NOTICED IT ONCE IN NOVEMBER 2003. SUSPECTED THAT THE KEY ON THE REMOTE CONTROL THAT LOWERS THE LIFTGATE WINDOW MAY HAVE ACCIDENTALLY BEEN DEPRESSED, CAUSING THE WINDOW TO LOWER. THEN DECIDED TO HAVE THE MANUAL LOCK THAT DISABLES ALL POWER WINDOW AND LIFTGATE GLASS SWITCHES DEPRESSED TO DISABLE THE POWER WINDOW OPTIONS. VERIFIED THAT WITH THIS KEY DEPRESSED, I COULD NOT LOWER THE LIFYGATE WINDOW NEITHER BY DEPRESSING THE REMOTE CONTROL KEY, NOR BY THE SWITCH ON THE DASHBOARD. THEN IN DECEMBER 2003, ON TWO OCCASIONS, I NOTICED THAT ON TWO OCCASIONS THE LIFTGATE WINDOW HAD LOWERED BY ITSELF. I ENSURDED THAT THE KEY FOR DISABLING THE POWER WINDOW AND LIFTGATE GLASS WAS STILL ENGAGED. CALLED THE DEALER. TOYOTA DEALER INDICATED THERE IS A SERVICE BULLETINE FOR REPLACING THE REMOTE CONTROL UNIT (FOR POWER LOCK AND LOWERING THE LIFTGATE GLASS). I HAVE AGREED TO REPLACING THE REMOTE CONTROL UNITS, BUT STRONGLY DISAGREE WITH TOYOTA'S POSITION THAT CHANGING THE REMOTE CONTROL UNIT WILL ADDRESS THIS PROBLEM. THE PROBLEM HAPPENS WHEN THE KEY TO DISENGAGE THE POWER WINDOW AND REAR LIFTGATE GLASS KEYS IS ENGAGE. I SUSPECT THAT THE PROBLEM IS WITH A CONTROL MODULE ACTIVATING THE LIFTGATE MOTOR RATHER THAN THE REMOTE CONTROL UNIT (BASED ON THE CONDITION UNDER WITH THE LIFTGATE GLASS IN MY CAR HAS BEEN LOWERED ON TWO OCCASIONS IN DEC 2003). *AK

CONSUMER OWNS A 2001 SEQUOIA AND HAS HAD SEVERAL PROBLEMS WITH THE BRAKES AND ROTORS. THE CAR STARTED SHAKING WHEN BRAKING AT 20,000 MILES. THE CONSUMER TOOK THE VEHICLE TO AN INDEPENDENT SHOP AND THEY FIXED IT. AGAIN AT 43,000 MILES IT DID THE SAME THING. AGAIN AT 55,000 MILES, THE MECHANIC HAD TO REPLACE CALIPERS, FRONT PADS AND DISC. THE DEALER STATED BRAKE REPLACEMENT WAS NOT DONE AT THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY WERE NOT RESPONSIBLE, SORRY. *PH THE MANUFACTURER WAS AWARE THAT THE BRAKING SYSTEM WAS UNDERSIZED AND REDESIGNED THE SYSTEM WITH LARGER ROTOR AND CALIPERS. *SCC *JB

SINCE OWNING THE VEHICLE, VSC INITIALIZES ON DRY STRAIGHT PAVEMENT, AT LOW SPEEDS. RETURNED TO LOCAL CT DEALER MULTIPLE TIMES. NO PROBLEM FOUND. ON A RECENT TRIP, DRIVING ON AN INTERSTATE HIGHWAY, STRAIGHT ROAD, 70MPH, ALL OF A SUDDEN IT FELT LIKE THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE WAS COMING APART. THE NEXT THING I KNEW I WENT FROM THE RIGHT TO LEFT LANE AND INTO THE MEDIAN. LUCKILY NO OTHER VEHICLES WERE INVOLVED AND NO ROLLOVER OCCURRED. I WAS ABLE TO GAIN CONTROL. THE VSC WAS THE CAUSE. THIS TIME THE VSC WOULD NOT RESET. TOOK IT TO A TOYOTA DEALER IN JONESBORO, AR. THEY REPLACED THE STEERING ANGLE SENSOR AND STATED THIS WAS A FREQUENT PROBLEM WITH THE VSC. *NLM

FRONT DISC BRAKES WEAR OUT PREMATURELY, AND DEALER DID NOT INFORM THE CONSUMER THAT THERE WAS A SERVICE CAMPAIGN FOR THE FRONT BRAKE ACTUATOR UPGRADE AT THE TIME OF REPAIR. NOW SEVERAL MONTHS LATER, DEALER TELLS THE CONSUMER THAT THE REPAIR MUST BE DONE BY 36,000 MILES. THIS SERVICE BULLETIN IS A "PRODUCT IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN" WHICH MEANS THAT THE FRONT BRAKES DO NOT WORK CORRECTLY, AND NEWER, IMPROVED COMPONENTS WILL SOLVE THE BRAKE PROBLEM. THE BRAKES WEAR OUT PREMATURELY, NOW VIBERATE VIOLENTLY, AND IT IS NOW DIFFICULT TO STOP THE VEHICLE FROM RATES OF SPEED OF 50 MPH. THIS MUST BE A SAFETY ISSUE!*AK