10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
3 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
9 / 0
Average Mileage:
133,265 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2002 Toyota Sequoia brakes problems

brakes problem

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2002 Toyota Sequoia Owner Comments (Page 9 of 10)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #36

Jan 022011

Sequoia 8-cyl

  • 98,900 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I have owned my 2002 Toyota Sequoia since January of 2002. Since then we have had numerous problems with the brakes and now the vsc/ABS skid control. For starters the front brake pads and rotors had to be changed and re-surfaced with approximately 30,000 miles on the vehicle. Then the same thing again with approximately 60,000 miles. Before the second repair I did some research and saw there was a tsb for larger calipers and rotors on the vehicle. This is a classic case of cost cutting and under-engineering to increase profit margins. I went to my local Toyota dealership and ask for the repair to be done by Toyota at their expense. They would not do this for me. Now with approximately 99,000 miles on the car I have a failure of the vsc/ABS skid control. This is going to be a very expensive repair. I want Toyota to finally own up to my situation. The vsc/ABS problem is very frequent among my year model and deserves a recall. Once this system is de-activated by failure the Sequoia becomes less manuverable and more dangerous to its occupants and all those cars it shares the road with. Please join me and do what you can to make Toyota make both the underpowered rotors and calipers and the ABS skid control system mandatory recall items for the 02 Sequoia.

- Bedford, TX, USA

problem #35

Oct 202004

Sequoia 8-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 30,000 miles
The contact owns a 2002 Toyota Sequoia. The contact noticed that the stc light and the vsc tract sensor light illuminated and the front end of the vehicle shook violently when he was driving 70 mph. The contact pulled over and could find nothing wrong. When he turned the vehicle back on, the lights were still on although it no longer shook. When he got out and came back a couple hours later, the lights had turned off. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealership but the dealer could not find anything wrong. Recently, the lights illuminated more frequently and sometimes the vehicle shook and other times, it did not. The vehicle was taken back to the dealership but the dealer still could not find anything wrong. The failure continued. The vehicle was taken back to the dealership where the contact was informed that the yaw sensor was defective and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired at the dealership. The manufacturer had not been notified. The current mileage was approximately 142,000. The failure mileage was approximately 30,000. Updated 01/26/11 updated 04/13/11

- Middleburg, FL, USA

problem #34

Aug 202010

Sequoia

  • 129,000 miles
2002 Toyota Sequoia while driving at moderate speeds (40 - 50mph) abruptly pulls to the right, vsc traction lights come on, hear a grinding noise. After about 3 seconds the grinding noise stopped on 2 occasions and the pull to the right stops and seems fine. Vsc traction lights stay on. Dealer diagnosed the problem as the skid control computer or ECU - $650 and the yaw rate sensor $401. Has occurred 4 times in the last 2 weeks. There is a recall on the 2003 Sequoia electronic stability control system but not the 2002. There appear to be quite a few complaints about both of the parts that are mentioned above. Very dangerous driving situation when it occurs.

- Hampton Cove, AL, USA

problem #33

May 072009

Sequoia

  • 166,990 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2002 Toyota Sequoia. The contact stated that the variable speed control came on and caused the vehicle to shake. The failure occurred at various speeds. The failure caused the vehicle to slow down dramatically and vehicles following behind him have no warning. The contact scheduled an appointment with the dealer. The contact stated the failure was identical to recall campaign 10V176000, electronic stability control for the 2003 Toyota Sequoia. The contact was not aware of the failure mileage. The current mileage was 166990.

- Basking Ridge, NJ, USA

problem #32

Jul 202010

Sequoia

  • 21,469 miles
Toyota Sequoia 2002 SR5(21,000mls) while accelerating onto the highway from a rolling position the vehicle develops a bucking and will not accelerate tracking light comes on and the wheels seem to be binding you are now creating a safety issue, you are now on the highway everyone is braking trying to avoid crashing into you, after a few seconds it stops as if it never happened, but the tracking light stays on. To get it off you have to stop switch off the vehicle then start again. This problem occurs never when you are traveling over 30 mls per hr. But often from a slow to a higher speed which is very dangerous when entering the highway I become very nervous.

- Plantation, FL, USA

problem #31

Jul 202010

(reported on)

Sequoia

  • miles
2002 Toyota Sequoia. Consumer states failed vehicle skid control and anti-lock brake system the consumer stated a recall was issued for the 2003 model manufactured between April 1, 2002 through April 17, 2003. The consumer stated his vehicle was manufactured in July 2002 and it also has the same part number as the 2003 model. The consumer stated when he attempted to accelerate into traffic from a stop, the vehicle would start to move, then it would suddenly stop accelerating which left him in traffic at 10-15 mph, then a series of loud noises emitted from under the hood and the vehicle would accelerate again. The consumer stated it would happen every time he came to a stop and subsequent attempt to accelerate again. When the vehicle was in motion, the vsc and ABS lights on the dash indicated the systems were off. In turn, the vehicle would just have traditional brakes without the safety of the ABS and vsc. Which was very evident during a rainy day while braking, because the rear end of the truck went into a skid side ways.

- Nixa, MO, USA

problem #30

May 232010

Sequoia

  • 67,786 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2002 Toyota Sequoia. While driving at approximately 30 mph, the vehicle began to veer to the right and made a growling noise. The vsc and the traction control lights illuminated on the instrument panel. The contact pulled over and read the owner's manual which indicated that it was fine to continue driving. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealership where the contact was informed that the vsc, ECU and an unknown sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired at the time of the complaint. The failure mileage was 67,786. The current mileage was approximately 68,200.

- Temple, TX, USA

problem #29

Jun 122010

Sequoia

  • 120,000 miles
Trac light/vsc lights came on while driving down the road. Then the car pulled to the right and a grinding noise sounding like the anti-locking brake mechanism is activating. This is an extremely dangerous malfunction. I've seen that the 2003 model has a recall out for the same thing, and after seeing many others having this same occurrence with the 2002 model, they should expand the date range to cover the 2002 as well! it happened twice this weekend and it's happened 4-5 times previous to this recent incident (one earlier incident had my stepdaughter driving the Sequoia and the power shut completely off while driving!). the mechanics told us they couldn't pull any related codes the first time we took it in. We need to take this in again immediately, but why should I have to pay the full price when this is obviously a defective part they've created? I was traveling at 70 mph on interstate-10 the first time it happened this past weekend and in-town at a slower speed (40 mph) the second incident. Luckily nobody was in the lane next to me or I'd have hit them for sure!

- Tallahassee, FL, USA

problem #28

Feb 012010

Sequoia 4WD 8-cyl

  • 165,000 miles
Vsc, seat belt and check engine light randomly started coming on about 130,000 mi. Tansky Toyota service did brake work, the lights were off for several weeks but then would come off and on. We ignored it because we had just had it in to the dealer, it seemed to be a nuisance in an older vehicle but not dangerous. About 165,000 miles the vehicle developed a sudden loss of power in traffic. We speculated it was the lever that shifts from 4WD to 2wd. The dealer replaced that for $400, the lights were off for 3 days, then back on. Now, we have had maybe five instances of sudden loss of power. This total loss of power usually occurs after driving 10 minutes locally, and after stopping at a light. Turning the ignition off, and restarting fixes the issue. Tansky Toyota acts like they have never heard of such a thing, but when I look online every Toyota blog is full of people just like me. I know it is an old vehicle. I just want to know how much will it cost me to really fix this problem. We have started only using this vehicle for non-critical driving locally.

- Powell, OH, USA

problem #27

Mar 242010

Sequoia

  • 29,500 miles
The contact owns a 2002 Toyota Sequoia. While driving at 50 mph, the vehicle began to jerk to the right and the vsc track service light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealership for repair at the time of the complaint. The failure mileage was approximately 29,500. The current mileage was approximately 30,000.

- Pineville, KY, USA

problem #26

Apr 222010

Sequoia 4WD 8-cyl

  • 29,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

About a year ago, I started to experience problems that's related to the vehicle stability control (vsc) system on my 2002 Toyota Sequoia. The problem occurs intermittently and when it does occurs, it happens during initial acceleration. During this time, the vsc light would start blinking and I would not be able to accelerate. Braking would require tremendous force applied to activate it. There was at least one incident where the vsc activated during highway driving, but that incident lasted approximately 5 or so seconds. However, it did require that I suddenly apply the brake and started pumping it for the vsc to de-activate. Due to the intermittent nature, I took the vehicle to a local repair shop for diagnostic and they did find that error codes were present relating to the vsc. Though the problem could not be pinpointed on the initial visit to the repair shop. Subsequent occurrences prompted me to bring the vehicle back to the repair shop for further diagnostic. Eventually it was recommended to me to replace the "speed sensors" which I authorized. After the replacement, the problem tend to have gone away. Recently, I started to intermittently experience a similar problem with vsc light blinking briefly whenever I pull out of a drive way performing at least an 80 degree turn. This time around the problem isn't as severe and is very infrequent. I would say in a week of commuting, I would experience it maybe once or twice. Of course this is compared to previous incidents where I was experiencing the vsc problem almost half the time. Earlier this week, I read there was a 2003 Toyota Sequoia recall which has the exact symptom and problem I've been experiencing on my 2002 Sequoia. I strongly urge the NHTSA to recommend Toyota to include the recall for 2002 Sequoia model year as well. Thank you for your attention and time!

- San Jose, CA, USA

problem #25

May 012002

Sequoia

  • 1,000 miles
I noted today the recall of 2003 Toyota Sequoia's due to issues with the vsc system. I am concerned that this does not include the 2002 models as I have had recurring issues with the vsc since day 1. at low speed, particularly on grades or while making sharp turns, the vsc will cause my vehicle to temporarily lose power. I have reported this on several occasion both to Toyota and via telephone. It is so bad that I now know locations on my regular drives during which this will occur. So, I either go a little faster than I might otherwise on grades or I swerve out before making turns to make the angle less acute. Obviously, not the safety we'd expect in a $40K vehicle. This issue also occurs going over slightly jarring bumps such as steep speedbumps or potholes. The vehicle temporarily loses power, which in this case can be possibly even more dangerous because we are often being followed by other vehicles traveling at normal speed.

- San Clemente, CA, USA

problem #24

Aug 302008

Sequoia

  • 154,000 miles
While driving at even speeds and without turning the wheel or applying the brakes or gas, the car will suddenly swerve to the right all by itself. Additionally, the anti-lock brakes seem to have a problem with engaging even when I am not in a skid or heavy braking pattern. I have filed two complaints with Toyota corporate and have been told there is nothing they can do. The problem has gotten progressively worse and because I fear for my safety and the safety of my passengers, I have taken my car to a Toyota dealership and had the "yaw rate sensor" replaced. I visited two dealerships in my area and both were familiar with Sequoias (model years 2001-2003 and some 2004) having this problem. My internet research suggests there are many people having this problem. According to Toyota, my yaw rate sensor is faulty and it detects that my car is skidding even though it is not. When that happens, the skid control system attempts to correct the skid. However, since I wasn't skidding to begin with, the correction causes the car to swerve rapidly and uncontrollably to the right, generally into the next lane. I have narrowly avoided hitting cars several times. Toyota tells me that there is also a brake booster problem and that I may need to replace the skid control computer. I find this unacceptable. I do not have the $3-5K to do all this work. I did replace the yaw rate sensor, which cost me $811 and I'm hoping that will fix the problem, but this is not a maintenance or repair issue. This is a faulty part sold by a car manufacturer and they are not doing anything to help the consumers who purchased from them. Based on my personal experience, I am certain people have died or will die from this problem. It comes on so quickly that you cannot possibly avoid it. I feel this warrants immediate inspection by the NHTSA. This started a couple of years ago on a sporadic basis and has gotten progressively worse/more frequent.

- Atlanta, GA, USA

problem #23

Feb 142010

Sequoia

  • 36,000 miles
Vsc trac, vsc off, all on at once.obd II codes point to speed sensor, brake pedal switch and ABS computer malfunction. Dealer recommends changing brake booster and ABS computer system. From the available information on the internet this is very common problem for first generation Toyota Sequoias. The ABS and vsc malfunction can longer stopping distance, and swerving under emergency circumstance and should be a safety concern.

- San Diego, CA, USA

problem #22

Dec 012009

Sequoia

  • 113,000 miles
I owned a 2002 Toyota Sequoia, there are times when entering a roadway or on an highway the vehicle looses power due to the vsc, ABS trac warning lights and engine light, these light comes on and stays on. I think there should be a recall on this model also, this poses a vehicle safety issue especially on the highway, I find that the vehicle looses power when going through a bumpy road. I have took it to the Toyota dealership and they said its the responsibility of the consumer to get this fix, I found that alot of customer on the internet having the same problem with this model. Toyota should fix this problem also.

- Athens, GA, USA

problem #21

Sep 052009

Sequoia

  • 119,752 miles
Driving my 2002 Toyota Sequoia at freeway speeds when sudden decelaration occurred. Vsc, traction lights came on, along with warning buzzers. Vehical also pulled hard to right. No accident or injuries. Problem corrected itself. Dealer stated that computer registered a roll over. They did nothing to solve issue.

- San Marcos, CA, USA

problem #20

May 042008

Sequoia 8-cyl

  • 65,000 miles
Toyota Sequoia 2002 ABS, parking brake light and trak warning lights turn on and stay on when the vehicle starts. Toyota dealers say that the computer in the ABS system is bad. The vehicle when going thru a bump or an uneven terrain loses power momentarily. It happens very often, almost every time the vehicle passes on bumps. I claimed to Toyota that this is a safety design problem but Toyota refuses to fix it. Repairs are about 3 to 4 thousand dollars.

- Lake Forest, CA, USA

problem #19

Dec 152009

Sequoia

  • 132,000 miles
I own a 2002 Toyota Sequoia SR5 and have had a couple near accidents in the last few weeks due to a major malfunction with the skid control sensor and braking computer. The first instance was while driving on the interstate at 70+ mph. The symptoms are that the brakes pulsate from right to left repeatedly, while I'm not braking. The car shakes violently and is difficult to keep under control. I have been to the local vero beach, Florida Toyota dealer and they recalibrated the system about a month ago. The problem persists and is apparently a common problem with this vehicle. The skid control ECU is faulty and seems to be very common on consumer chat forums I've found online. The estimate I received today from Toyota was in excess of $3,000 and still doesn't guarantee a proper repair. It seems that this problem should have been a cause for a recall years ago, but nothing has been done to date to my knowledge. I'm concerned for my family's safety and felt that your firm needs to be made aware of my situation and many other Toyota Sequoia owners from what I can tell. Please let me know if you have any advise.

- Vero Beach, FL, USA

problem #18

May 282004

Sequoia

  • 62,000 miles
2002 Toyota Sequoia has been operating since @ 62,000 miles with a non-functioning vsc/ABS system. See that this has not yet been officially recalled, but can find all kinds of info and complaints on the web about this issue. Dashboard lit up with all relative warning lights & vehicle has no ABS nor vsc functionality. How could this important safety features well documented, chronic failure not be recalled? it is not exclusive to the 2002 model year either. This is very inappropriate. How many people have to die or get injured before this well documented safety equipment failure is responsibly addressed with a recall. I hope my complaint helps the tally towards this recall. Consumers of this vehicle have bought it with a critical safety system that fails. Toyota must be made to rectify this product safety and quality issue!

- Phoenix, AZ, USA

problem #17

Jul 052008

Sequoia

  • 20,000 miles
2002 Toyota Sequoia vsc (traction control) system randomly fails along with brake lights coming on the dash. This happens often is and completely random. The car has been into the dealer on several instances and the dealer has been unable to correct the issue. When the vsc system fails the car looses all traction control and makes it very difficult to manager the massive rear wheel drive car in bad weather. The brake light also comes on randomly -- often scares the driver and has the potential to cause a very serious accident. Again, this happens often and then manages to re-set itself. Sometime is only lasts minutes and other times it last days. This is a very serious issue and will cause serious accidents. The is a known issue and this problem is being experienced by many Sequoia owners. Normal driving will lead up to this failure --- again it is random and not linked to any one event. When it happens the operator looses all traction control along with several lights (inclusive of the brake light) being displayed on the dash. The car is near impossible to control in the snow or rain given the rear wheels start to slip immediately. As stated, this has been into the Toyota dealer several times and they have not been able to fix the issue. Note -- this has been happening ever since the car was purchased brand new from the dealer and lately the occurrences have increased significantly.

- Broomfield, CO, USA

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