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 6 of 10)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #96

Apr 082014

Sequoia 8-cyl

  • 125,000 miles

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

All of sudden my car starts to make beeping sound, clunking and thumping. Grinding noise. Braking is hard and seems unstable. Skid control light came on and vsc track light came on as well. This happens on a flat, normal road condition on a sunny day. It feels very dangerous and Toyota needs to recall and fix it asap. This happens regularly and I am afraid it may lead to an accident.

- Santa Clara , CA, USA

problem #95

Aug 132014

Sequoia 8-cyl

  • 162,000 miles
I drive a 2002 Sequoia and have had about 8 instances where the trac off, trc vsc, and slip indicator lights all come on while the truck feels like it locks up and a beeping alarm sounds and a pulling to the right with a grinding noise. This morning the slip indicator lights stayed on with the grinding noise seems like a few seconds longer than yesterday. I was about to pull off of the road when the other two lights came on and the car drove normal when the lights are on. When you turn the engine off and restart the lights go off. However the error occurs on a daily basis now. The roads I travel are mainly highway and have been dry. I have noticed that there are many complaints for the same issue and that Toyota did issue a recall for the 2003 model year.. this is a very dangerous issue and needs correction. One would think that the recall should extend to all years.

- Scott, LA, USA

problem #94

Aug 052014

Sequoia 8-cyl

  • 182,988 miles
The skid control lights come on for no reason the whole car shakes and there is a thumping and grinding noise from the vehicle along with the beeping warning sound. It happens at different speeds sometimes when breaking or turning and losing power. This last a few seconds then the vsc light comes on and the vsc off light and all is ok while lights are on.

- Saint Louis, MO, USA

problem #93

Aug 162014

Sequoia 8-cyl

  • 185,000 miles

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

While driving downhill and around a curve at about 25mph, my 2002 Sequoia began beeping, making a loud grinding noise and the traction light came on. I had little to no control of the vehicle. Problem lasted a few seconds. Fortunately, I was in a neighborhood with wide streets less than a mile from my home and was able to get home safely. Considering that I was on a curve and it was raining, I thought it may be a one time issue with traction control. I drove the truck for a few days with no issues. Yesterday, my wife was rounding a curve at about 50mph on a highway in heavy traffic on dry pavement and the truck did the same thing. She narrowly avoided a collision and was able to pull to the shoulder. Since then, the truck will intermittently beep and grind for a couple of seconds before the vsc off light comes on. As long as the light is on, indicating the vsc is disengaged, there are no problems. Problem seems to occur more when rounding a curve and braking, but that is not always the case. It has happened at various speeds, during both braking and accelerating, and while on flat ground or a hill. The problem only lasts a few seconds, but you have no control of the vehicle during that time. The vehicle will accelerate, decelerate, brake, or pull on its own. I am extremely concerned about losing control and wrecking, potentially causing injury to my wife and kids or another driver. Upon researching, I found recall number 10V176000, NHTSA action number EA09006. This recall was for 2003 Sequoias with a very similar problem with the vehicle stability control (vsc) system. Why was the 2002 model not included in the recall since it seems to have the same issue?

- Mt Juliet, TN, USA

problem #92

Aug 152014

Sequoia 8-cyl

  • 146,000 miles
Last month, while traveling home from summer vacation on flat ground, at approximately 60 mph, the vsc, trac lights came on in the dash. There was a terrible grinding noise from under the car and beeping inside the car. The car pulled hard to the right and decelerated abruptly in the middle of a busy highway. Thank goodness I was able to pull into the turn lane and limp into a gas station. This occurred three more times over the next 500 miles until I got home. I took it to the dealer, they replaced the yaw sensor. Only 3 days after that, it happened again. Took it to the dealer, they replaced two brake sensors and a master cylinder. Today, five days after that, it happened again. This time, thankfully at only 25 mph with no traffic. This is a very scary, dangerous problem that Toyota should not be ignoring. It has been recalled in the 2003 model, and should be in the 2002 model as well!

- Weatherford, TX, USA

problem #91

May 312014

Sequoia 8-cyl

  • 180,000 miles
First incident: On the freeway car all of a sudden made a beeping sound (similar to no seat belt sound) vehicle lost power almost like it downshifted. Vsc, trac off lights all came on and the car wouldn't brake! I had to consistently pump on the brake and pull the emergency brake to slow it down. Brakes were grinding and it felt as if it was trying to lock but yet skipping (clunk, clunk, cluck). Pulled off to the side, turned off engine, and then resumed. I had to pull over 5 separate times due to the same issue. Luckily I allowed myself a huge space in between myself and other cars. If not, there would had been a for sure accident. Car continues with the same problems. I've done a whole lot of researching in regards to this vehicle and it seems that it's a ECU issue. I am aware that Toyota has recalled all 2003 model Sequoia's on up but not 2002 on under. This is a huge safety concern of mine and even if I purchased a new ECU there is not guarantee that it's been addressed or fixed for this model. According to the Toyota rep. I just got off the phone with 30 minutes ago. Please help! and thank you in advance.

- Elk Grove, CA, USA

problem #90

Jan 082010

Sequoia 8-cyl

  • 126,000 miles

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

Makes a grinding noise, brakes on one side and pulls to one side. Skid indicator light, trac off light, and vsc light all come on and stay on. Vehicle decelerates momentarily, then resumes normal driving. Lights stay on until you turn off the vehicle.

- Griffin, GA, USA

problem #89

Jun 172014

Sequoia 8-cyl

  • 114,150 miles
I was leaving a parking lot making yielding to make a right turn onto a main right when suddenly my car started to shake and pulled to the right. I had no control of the steering or brakes. The vsc trac and trac light sensor lights came one and I heard this awful grinding noise. I proceeded to drive home slowly on back roads. Once I got home I looked the problem up on the internet and found out that Toyota had a recall on the 2003 model for the same problem, but not the 2002. I called the dealership and they told me the problem will cost anywhere from $1500-$4000 to fix. My car only has 114,000 miles on it and I find this totally unacceptable. This is obviously a manufacture defect.

- Fortson, GA, USA

problem #88

Jun 132014

Sequoia 8-cyl

  • 226,111 miles
On interstate twice doing the posted speed 75mph I heard a grinding, vsc antilock brake lights come on, vehicle suddenly pulls to the right. Luckily I gained control and avoided a major accident. Have had brakes checked and now told its the sensor. Very costly repairs. Toyota should have a recall on this issue. Could cause a deadly accident.

- Denison, TX, USA

problem #87

Jan 012014

Sequoia

  • miles
The ABS, vsc, and brake warning light came on. Took to dealership per owners manual and they wanted up to $4,000 to replace various computers and sensors. There seems to be nothing wrong with performance of vehicle and I suspect it is just an issue with a sensor or the warning light itself. Should be easy and inexpensive fix but dealership seems to be taking advantage of the situation. Researched on internet and found many, many other Toyota owners with the same issue with the same vehicle. This should be a recall and Toyota should step up and fix (or be forced to fix) this cronic issue with these vehicles.

- Scottsdale, AZ, USA

problem #86

Apr 052014

Sequoia

  • 130,000 miles

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

Was traveling along road at 20 mph and the vsc lights came on. I had heard about the other problems that occur when this happens so I immediately pulled to the side of the road and turned the car off and then restarted it. Upon restarting, no indication of the problem persisted. So far it has not happened again. I am worried that it will happen again as has been described hundreds of times already. Please fix this issue Toyota!!!!!!!!!!!!

- Kellogg, ID, USA

problem #85

Mar 032014

Sequoia

  • 109,000 miles
I have a 2002 Sequoia, a couple of weeks ago while driving at 35 mph my brakes locked. I took it immediately to my brake guy; he looked it over, put it on the machine, found nothing. I left thinking it might have been something on the road that I missed seeing, that set off the traction sensors. A week went by without incident before it happened again; this time at 40mph on a flat clean highway. The trac off, vsc trac & the slip indicator light came on while the front end shook violently and pulled hard to the right. I was unable to adjust the brake, as it felt locked and my steering column, while vibrating madly was near impossible to turn, it was like driving an old style truck without power steering. I went to another brake shop, they hooked it up to the machine, and again nothing showed up!! today, five days later, while driving home with my children on a major highway doing the posted 65mph it happened again. I was suddenly unable to maneuver my vehicle, the brakes locked, the steering locked, and my vehicle pulled to the right. I just held on and prayed as my car pulled off the road, thank heavens the ground was flat. I have only been that afraid for my family's safety once before, and that was in the middle of a tornado. Toyota has a serious problem here!

- Crawfordville, FL, USA

problem #84

Mar 122003

Sequoia 8-cyl

  • 10,000 miles
I have had an issue with my vsc/trac off light since we bought it. The light would come on at seemingly random times, stay on until I restarted the truck - we were told it was not something we needed to worry about by the dealerships in fort worth (fort worth Toyota). Recently (2/2014 & 3/2014), as I was coming down a hill in our neighborhood, approaching a stop sign, there was a grinding sound and the vehicle would seem to be stopping instead of accelerating - and the vsc lights came on again. I immediately pulled over and stopped; I couldn't see anything wrong under the hood or near the wheel wells, which is where it sounded like it was coming from. It did not continue and did not happen again for about a week. The next time it happened I was on the highway at about 70 mph. It grinded for about a second and slowed me down abruptly, then stopped grinding. Pretty hairy situation, going 70 and having your brakes slow you down. I have not had the issue looked at by a technician yet and am not driving the truck. In researching it, I found hundreds of online complaints and a recall for the 2003 model year on your website. [NHTSA campaign number: 10V176000 ] obviously, the 2002 model year should have been included, as I am seeing the exact same problem.

- Granbury, TX, USA

problem #83

Sep 292013

Sequoia 8-cyl

  • 62,500 miles
Vehicle had violent grinding and braking of the right front wheel causing a hard pull to the right. Vsc and trac lights and warning buzzers came on. Turned vehicle off and restarted five minutes later. Same thing has happened three times since within 6 months. The last time was on the interstate and caused hard pull to the right. Dealer cannot identify problem and claim they have never heard of this before.

- Ft Walton Beach, FL, USA

problem #82

Apr 272010

Sequoia

  • miles
My traction lights have been on and have remained on for several years now. My husband says my panel looks like a christmas tree. I have contacted the dealership to see if there was a recall but was advised there is not. I haven't had any issues, until this past weekend, other than not realizing I had engaged my emergency brake since the light constantly stays on. I nearly wrecked this weekend. It was dark and raining. I had to apply the brakes to miss another car, the brakes locked up and started sliding out of control. Luckily I was able to get it stopped in time to avoid another accident. My traction control doesn't work either, I guess it went out when all the other control lights went out. I just wonder if the airbags work, hope I don't have to find out the hard way. I keep reading numerous complaints on the 2002 model but haven't seen a recall. Appears there was a recall on the 2003 model for the same issues. My steering column is broken. I had it checked out several years ago. Apparently the main metal component is broken and therefore my gears engagement doesn't light up when I am in drive. If someone else drives my car, they don't know what gear it's in. I ready many complaints about the same but no recall. My rear hatch handle has broken 2 times now within a year of the other which costs me $100 to repair each time. It appears to be cheaply made and plastic and it can't be repaired without a lot of labor to dismantle the rear door plate on the inside to install a new handle. My main concern is the electronic stability control system.

- Lincolnton, NC, USA

problem #81

Nov 092009

Sequoia 8-cyl

  • 68,000 miles
Driving vehicle on interstate when it suddenly braked and pulled to the right, creating a dangerous situation just avoiding the car next to me.vsc and trac lights came on.dealer replaced numerous parts and vehicle has been ok for a few years, then lights are on again and more parts replaced...now lights on again and dealer diagnosed it as brake master cylinder, ,,$825, ,, after spending thousands already on this problem..I had a independent repair shop replace master cylinder and lights still on with 3 new codes..love the vehicle but so sick of this issue...and worry about it suddenly braking and pulling...02 needs a recall..

- Tequesta, FL, USA

problem #80

Jan 092013

Sequoia 8-cyl

  • 143,900 miles
I was driving on the freeway on a dry day, traveling at 65 mph and noticed the trac control, ABS, and brake lights all illuminate. I thought this was interesting. As I drove at steady 65mph I noticed the vehicle become unstable, I could feel the rear end being very wish-washy, to the point I had to slow the vehicle down to about 55 mph so that it would feel more stable. I drive this same stretch of freeway often and have never had the truck act like this until the lights became illuminated. I took the truck to my mechanic, they performed some diagnostic testing and did some investigating and found nothing wrong, no tripped codes or anything else pointing to something needing to be replaced. While they worked on the vehicle they had at some point disconnected the battery, resetting the computer, this seemed to solve the problem until last week, 9/23/2013 when the lights same lights illuminated again. This second time I never noticed the rear-end being slippery as I did in the first case. Thank goodness. I was on a long trip 600 miles from home. I worried that when these lights are illuminated that if I'm required to do a quick stop or maneuver to avoid something I may end up in a really bad situation. But with the lights being illuminated twice in a year span I'm beginning to think that this could be an ongoing problem. I'm don't like the unpredictability of when the lights illuminate.

- Sacramento, CA, USA

problem #79

Sep 232013

Sequoia 8-cyl

  • 248,900 miles
A week prior my vsc trac and vsc off lights came on but nothing else occurred. Now out of nowhere my vehicle will make an audible sound and start rumbling and pulling to the right and slowing but won't allow me to brake. This can last anywhere from 10 seconds to 30 seconds. Sometimes the picture of the car with the skid marks will light up (even on dry roads) other times the ABS light will come on. Once the beeping and vibrations stop, the vsc trac and vsc off lights remain on until I turn the car off. I drive 30 miles each way to work daily. This is very dangerous and scary as I have no idea what triggers the episodes.

- Mckinney, TX, USA

problem #78

Sep 132013

Sequoia 8-cyl

  • 120,000 miles
Car was going 20mph on dry pavement. All of the sudden the vehicle stability control (vsc) activated causing the vehicle to shake and slowdown. When the vsc is engaged car is unable to accelerate. This happen on multiple times with car going 20-40mph. On roads with high traffic with cars behind me and the sudden activation of the vsc, causing my car to suddenly and abruptly slow down, almost cause the car behind to rear end my vehicle. On one occasions, my children were in the car. On many internet forums, many Sequoia owners are experiencing the same problem. This is a very dangerous defects that Toyota needs to address and fix asap.

- Houston, TX, USA

problem #77

Aug 022013

Sequoia

  • 128,000 miles
The contact owns a 2002 Toyota Sequoia. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 mph the vsc and trac control system activated independently with the warning indicators illuminated. A loud grinding noise emitted from the front end of the vehicle. The vehicle was maneuvered to the side of the road where the engine was turned off. Upon restarting, the vehicle resumed normally. The failure recurred two times. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnosis and they were unable to detect a trouble code nor duplicate the failure. The vsc and trac control system wires were disabled. There was a recall associated with the 2003 model under NHTSA campaign id number 10V176000 (electronic stability control, traction control system). The manufacturer was not notified of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 128,000.

- Johns Creek, GA, USA

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