2002 SR5 4x4 Sequoia with 166000 miles: About 2 weeks ago it all started the skid light comes on, grinding noise, alarms going off, pulling and getting worse every time. This all right after having replaced left lower and upper tie rods, both front upper ball joints, both front control arms, front struts, rear shocks, and new tires and a 2 1/2 inch lift in the front (had to install 1 1/2 inch spacers) nothing extreme. It all started with just a minor hesitation from a stop but is escalating and getting worse. We are afraid to drive it as its happening on the Los Angeles freeways.

Currently we have a call into our local Toyota dealership mechanic that we've been going to for years, will see what they have to say and what they are going to charge to possibly fix. From what I'm reading this is a major problem in the 1st gen sequoias but no recalls have been done until the 2nd gens. I have had my sequoia for 13 years and absolutely love it until recently it scares the hell out of me!!

Sounds like Toyota needs to get a recall out for this issue before it kills someone.

I'll be driving for no reason the vsc and traction light will come on!!! It will make a loud grinding sound and the Vsc and traction light will flash it last less then a minute!! Very scary. I will pulll off the road turn my truck off turn it back on all the lights will be off I'll turn the Trac off it will show off drive all of sudden that light will not be on anymore. Sometime it will do it again sometime it won't. It hasn't done it over 9 months all of sudden it dose it again 3/17/2017 I feel like Toyota should do a recall on the truck something is going on with the traction system. When I have got it check out they fine nothing wrong!!! But something is WRONG

The traction control will engage the brake at any time even doing 70mph on the interstate causing the car to jerk to the right. This is on dry pavement going straight (no reason for the VSC to take over. It makes a grinding noise with the brake and has almost destroyed my right front rotor beyond repair. I have seen other complaints about this and hope more people complain to force Toyota to do a recall. This has been going on for over a year and it is getting worse. Toyota should step up and do something about getting this fixed before some gets seriously injured and files a lawsuit against them. There are numerous complaints for the sequoia being reported and it is being ignored by TOYOTA.

I had an accident and slid off a muddy road. After that I don't know if it was related or not but the next year my ABS lights started coming on and off. Then my car started to shake when this was happening and it scarred me to death.

When I took it in to the Toyota Repair they said they could not find anything and had tested it. Then I was so upset the service manager came over and asked if everything was ok. We said no that we had a terrible problem and it was not fixed. So he kept the truck to go over it. I called my insurance because I felt it might be connected to my accident. They gave me a free rental car. Then they had my truck for 6-8 weeks. Replace a lot of parts tested the truck and thought it was fixed. The minute I left with my truck it did it again.

So they took it back in and felt it was the y rate and told me that was hard to adjust. Finally I got my truck back but since that time my ABS lights still come on and off but no shaking. Now I started having a shuddering when I was braking. So I thought it might have been the brakes, so I had the front brake shoes and rotors replaced. Still having shuddering and some sqeaking sound. So I am having my rear brakes and rotors replaced. I don't know if these problems will ever go away or if it was related to my accident. I have read so many stories about this same problem so I think it is a defect with Toyota Sequoia Braking systems.

I have a Toyota 4-runner 1986 and had only min problems over the years I felt it was a good solid vehicle to purchase but now I don't think so. our next truck will be another brand. Hopefully more reliable without problems like this one. For now we can't afford to buy another vehicle with our house payment and I am retired so until we move out of the bay area when my husband retires we may have to make due with out two trucks. Just living with the ongoing problems with my braking systems.

vsc light comes on and brakes engage below 10 mph

While trying to fix a vibration problem, my vehicle VSC light started coming on at speeds below 10 mph which almost got me clocked by another vehicle when pulling out into traffic. Now, before we changed the Left Trans axle a new issue popped up as the ABS module caused the VSC system to engage at low speed below 10 mph. After 10 mph the system worked fine. During that engagement of the system I could have been killed by oncoming traffic or injured very badly. So, the mechanic went back to change out the left axle and did a diagnostic test on the sensors, which the left front was not reading and the right was intermittent. That was baffling to the mechanic, so we talked and changed both sensors and the left axle. He checked the vehicle and the VSC system still engaged at the low speed below 10 mph, most of the vibration was gone but some was still there at 75 mph, which he agreed with me that it could be possibly the drive shaft that ties into the 4 wheel drive system. So he decides to do the diagnostic test in the 4x2 mode and 4x4 mode on all the sensors on each wheel. In the 4x4 mode all the sensors checked and read fine. The 4x2 mode check of the system revealed a problem with in the system that tied to the ABS control module. So, as of now he has worked with me to really understand the problem with this vehicle type to try to get to the root cause. He has since not charged me for the sensors, until he can get the ABS module checked out through a certified repair manufacturer who works on these parts on a regular basis. Now, the vibration problem is still there, but not as bad as before, so I will hold off on that fix in which we have a solution in the future, to key on the ABS/VSC issue I need to get rectified ASAP. We suspect the ABS module to be the problem thus far, because of a diagnostic test that the mechanic performed and his 30 years of experience with vehicles. We awaiting the return part from the manufacture which will take me a week approximately 2nd week in June 2015. Will follow up then.

Update from Sep 1, 2016: Wow! This 2002 Sequoia has been a major pain in the Bee..Hind. Yes it is even worse than a bee sting. It is more like an abscess on your tooth that should have been pulled and treated a year ago. The major problem seems to still be the ABS Module that has been sent off twice to a repair vendor without a fix to my vehicle. It has been well over a year and this problem totally sucks. My vehicle has approximately 205,000 miles on it. I would love to drive this vehicle without worrying if my brakes will continue to work properly. I recently had the ABS Module sent off again somewhere in Idaho to be repaired. Still waiting on an update after two weeks. Next, the problems became even worse after the first two repairs as the vehicle would just slow to a crawl. As I mashed on the gas, the vehicle would bog down and act like it wanted to cut off. It took me like 2 or 3 minutes to cross a simple intersection. Thank God it was not busy or I would have made it. I literally mean the truck crawled through the intersection at 2-3 mph. Yes it almost cut off, so I had to take my foot off the gas pedal so it could go 2-3 mph. Terrifying experience even with the small amount of traffic. why is this vehicle not on the recall list for this ABS/VSC issue? There has got to be more people with vehicles like this that is malfunctioning. TOYOTA GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER. THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE.

Update from Apr 29, 2024: Wow I just found this complaint on my computer, and I wanted to update it to bring this to some closure. Well Probably in Apr or May of 2017 I had a master mechanic look at my ABS system, and he found the root of this particular problem. He found that the Tone ring was not installed properly from the person who change my Front CV axles. He replaced the tone ring and installed new axles and the system worked properly for years without any issue. Now, in Dec of 2023, the vehicle now has over 307K miles on it, I had somewhat a different issue but it was still with the ABS system. The VSC Trac light stays on, ABS Light stays on and the Brake light stays on but the Trac Off light will not illuminate at all during start up or while ignition turned on. This is crazy, but also the squiggly lines to tell you are in a skid or losing traction doesn't illuminate either. So, what could cause this situation? All ABS wheel sensors are good, Brake pads and Calipers has been also checked and are good. I wonder if it could be a brake sensor that is on brake fluid reservoir or is it the ABS unit itself?? Hmm???