1.2

hardly worth mentioning
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
143,854 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.

2001 Toyota Sequoia steering problems

steering problem

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2001 Toyota Sequoia Owner Comments (Page 2 of 3)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #30

Mar 072014

Sequoia

  • 316,000 miles

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

Street driving, clear day and car dash board starts to alarm. Dashboard lights for vsc, antilock brakes goes haywire. Horrible grinding noise and vibration felt through the brake pedal, with loss of power, and pull to the right all simultaneously happening. Alarm bells all going off in the car. It is very loud noise for all occupants. Terrifying occurrence with loss of brakes and power. First event lasted approximately 20 seconds. Pulled over and the car seemed fine. This has been intermittent but occurred after car was warm and occurs more frequently when its is warmer outside as well. Now, 16 mos later, this happens all the time and Toyota dealer says there is nothing wrong with car and cannot diagnose the issue. It is a safety issue for sure. Will have to park the car now since they cannot figure out what is wrong with it.

- Jarvisburg, NC, USA

problem #29

May 022015

Sequoia 8-cyl

  • 179,000 miles
My 2001 Toyota Sequoia violently experienced a vsc trac error when driving next to a semi on the freeway. It almost pulled my car into the semi, and then off the road as the wheel jerked, brakes and engine response cut significantly. This highway issue happened last month, and just this week, the problem has become more frequent, occurring on neighborhood streets with absolutely no triggers. The steering wheel sometime shakes, and sometime pulls suddenly. It occurs sometimes during a slow turn, but is also happening just driving at 25 miles an hour down a straight road.....updated 11/13/15 updated 12/28/2015

- Round Rock, TX, USA

problem #28

Apr 062015

Sequoia

  • 170,000 miles
Driving down road and drivers side front end dropped; the vehicle just seized. The ball joint snapped and the tire buckled on the vehicle there was no brakes or steering. Fortunately I had just exited a major highway onto a straight secondary road when this occurred. I feel if this had happened on the highway I would have been in a major accident; which would have included multiple other vehicles as well..

- Neptune, NJ, USA

problem #27

Jun 092013

Sequoia

  • 199,026 miles

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

The contact owns a 2001 Toyota Sequoia. The contact stated that while driving 50 mph, the power steering suddenly failed. The vehicle was towed to the contact's home. An independent mechanic diagnosed that the rack and pinion would need to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. In addition, the contact replaced brake calipers and rotors, 4 new tires and an alignment was performed in the vehicle. The contact mentioned that six months later the vehicle was taken in for inspection and failed due to excessive corrosion around the entire sub frame. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. Also, the contact stated that on the way home while driving 60 mph, the vehicle started to sway violently. After inspecting the vehicle, the contact noticed that the exhaust and sub frame were cracked. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 199,026.

- Mulberry , FL, USA

problem #26

Jun 052014

Sequoia

  • 101,234 miles
While driving at 60 mph the vehicle pulled sharply to the right and its trac/vcs control lights began to blink and the warning sound came on as well. The vehicle made a grinding sound and I pulled over to the side of the road. I shut the car off and waited a few minutes. I turned on the vehicle and the indicator lights were off and it drove normal. This same incident continues to happen even after I took it in to get diagnosed. I was told by a Toyota technician that he could not find the problem.

- Catheys Valley , CA, USA

problem #25

Apr 242014

Sequoia 6-cyl

  • 173,000 miles
Vsc trac, vsc off, trac, emergency brake & ABS lights are all illuminated. Seems like every Sequoia 2001 - 2005 has this problem. After lots of research it seems like it's a fault with the vsc computer and ECU computer which dealers want $2000 and up! these malfunctions in computers affect the vehicles ABS brakes, and stability control system which poses a threat to safety of driver and passengers.

- Vancouver, WA, USA

problem #24

Sep 092014

Sequoia 8-cyl

  • 230,000 miles

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

Vehicle's traction control system malfunctioned while driving on dry flat pavement. Skid light and sound came on followed by vsc and trac control lights. Vehicle pulled hard to the right, made loud grinding noise, and was extremely difficult to control steering and braking. This continued for approximately one minute, stopped, and then did it again. This is a very dangerous situation which could potentially lead to fatal accident if it occurs at higher speeds. It happened few times, took it to dealer can not find issue but appears to be a very common problem with this make/model. I would like to see a recall.

- Frankfort , IL, USA

problem #23

May 142013

Sequoia

  • 167 miles
Lower ball joint went bad. Had it fixed three times fir the same issue and it still is not working right. I was told by automatic that it could be a manufacturer damage because the ball joints it should not keep wearing out.

- Houston , TX, USA

problem #22

Aug 242014

Sequoia 8-cyl

  • 169,000 miles
All of a sudden a grinding noise from front of vehicle, anti skid beeping, vsc light popped on. Very hard to steer and brakes not working well. Happened repeatedly. Pulled over, turned vehicle off. Engine on, drove off, 5 miles later, all over again, but more severe. Not safe at high speeds, more than 25 mph. This occurred in August, no snow, no rain, dry cement.

- Eaton, CO, USA

problem #21

Sep 022013

Sequoia 8-cyl

  • 134,232 miles
Driving at 45 mph + a grinding noise starts coming from the front, no brake pedal, then a shaking sensation on the steering wheel, the ABS/vcs lights start blinking. Pulled over and then it stopped. Very dangerous situation.

- College Station, TX, USA

problem #20

Jun 192013

Sequoia 8-cyl

  • 145,000 miles

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

While driving on a smooth pavement the vsc/trac system engages for no reason. Sounding off the internal chime and turning the vsc/trac lights on the dash. The ABS system kicks in and grinds on the brakes. Loss of steering is present as the vehicle pulls to one side.

- Cypress, TX, USA

problem #19

Apr 012013

Sequoia 8-cyl

  • 142,000 miles
Multiple times over the past 5 months my 2001 Sequoia will suddenly apply the brakes strongly while driving, sometimes causing the steering to pull to the right. Thankfully this seems to happen shortly after beginning to drive, so the speeds have been municipal speed, rather than highway. At the same time, a warning bell sounds and the vsc and ABS lights come on in yellow. Sometimes when I start the vehicle, the vsc and ABS lights are already on, so the sudden braking does not occur. If the lights are off, I have learned to prepare for the sudden braking. I will take this to Toyota before the snow flies here in northern NY because this is a definite safety hazard, and could cause an accident when the roads are snow and ice covered.

- Carthage, NY, USA

problem #18

Jun 072013

Sequoia 8-cyl

  • 48,000 miles
The vsc and trac off lights came on. The Sequoia made a scrubbing noise and the vehicle skidded left and right a few times. Scary! the lights remained on. They went off later that night, but have come back on at least three other times since then. The vehicle has skidded all but one time. There should be a recall on this. I have seen many complaints but no recalls or help. The speed does not matter and there is no warning that this is about to happen. Help!

- Tifton, GA, USA

problem #17

Mar 282013

Sequoia 8-cyl

  • 102,000 miles
While driving forward from a stopped position on a flat, level, paved road with the outside temperature at 72, the vsc (vehicle skid control) activated and nearly pulled me into the lane next to me. There were no pot holes or anything in the road that would've caused it. It stopped after a few seconds and then again, about two minutes later at a 25mph speed, the system activated again and I had no control of the brakes or steering while the system was activating. The car is great shape, one-owner, well maintained and there seems to be a history with Toyota and the vsc system. Very dangerous situations that the vsc put me in.

- Placentia, CA, USA

problem #16

Mar 092013

Sequoia 8-cyl

  • 65,000 miles
Traveling on the freeway at a speed of 55 miles the vcs trac control light came on and the brakes were applied with out me hitting the breaks, I lost control of the steering for a slight second, the truck swerved to the left, it almost cause me to hit a car on the left of me on the freeway. Once I turned the car off, the vcs trac lights turned off, then it happened again on the street at a lower speed of 45 mile the vcs trac light started to flash and the brakes were applied and the truck swerved to the left, the lights stayed on again until I turned off the truck.

- Concord, CA, USA

problem #15

Jan 032013

Sequoia 4WD 8-cyl

  • 107,901 miles
I own a 2001 Toyota Sequoia and experienced a loss of steering control on three separate occasions. The first incident occurred while driving through a shopping mall parking lot at 5 mph. Our vehicle shuddered and swerved to the right while a buzzer went off & then the vsc and trac off lights illuminated. The next two incidents occurred over the next few days while driving on the highway between 20-25 mph. On both occasions our vehicle lost control and veered to the right before I was able to gain control of the vehicle. This is a serious life safety defect that has been acknowledged by Toyota for the 2003 Sequoia's and by the vast amount of complaints should extend to earlier models as well. I recently took our Sequoia into a mechanic and their trouble shooting revealed that the skid control ECU would need to be replaced, costing over $3400.

- Kailua, HI, USA

problem #14

Jul 022011

Sequoia 8-cyl

  • 153,000 miles
Was driving down major interstate when the vsc warning came on with buzzer. Brakes felt like they were being ground down, engine decelerated, and could feel bumping and grinding on brake pedal. Pulled over and checked under car, found nothing. Got back on interstate and same thing happened only this time the system turned itself off. Can not turn the vsc off with the button provided. Research on internet reveals not an unique issue with Sequoia. Has also happened with Tundra and other Toyota with vsc system. No fix available as of 07/30/2012 that can be found.

- Montpelier, VA, USA

problem #13

Jul 262012

Sequoia 8-cyl

  • 164,359 miles
Vehicle's traction control system malfunctioned while driving on dry flat pavement. Vsc and trac control lights came on, vehicle pulled hard to the right, made loud grinding noise, and was extremely difficult to control steering and braking. This continued for approximately one minute, stopped, and then did it again. This is a very dangerous situation which could potentially lead to fatal accident if it occurs at higher speeds. It happened with our children in the car and scared everyone. This is the second time it has happened to us, but appears to be a very common problem with this make/model. I would like to see a recall.

- Stagecoach, TX, USA

problem #12

Jul 202012

Sequoia

  • 212,132 miles
The contact stated that the traction system would engage sporadically without warning, causing the vehicle to vibrate violently and pull the to the right. The dealer diagnosed that the traction system would need to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired and the manufacturer was not notified of the failure.

- Ocala, FL, USA

problem #11

Jun 152012

Sequoia 8-cyl

  • 185,000 miles
Premature rusting of undercarriage frame that fails state inspection. Poses safety issues and a hazard to other drivers as catastrophic failure may occur if this is not addressed. Appears to be endemic especially in rust belt states.

- Pittsburgh, PA, USA

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