2003 Toyota SEQUOIA: complaints, problems and recalls

A 2003 TOYOTA SEQUOIA 2WD/LIMITED WAS PLACED IN PARK WITH THE ENGINE RUNNING ON A DOWN SLOPE DRIVEWAY. THE DRIVER EXITED THE VEHICLE, OPENED UP THE BACK TO GET SOMETHING TO DELIVER. THE PERSON BEGAN WALKING UP THE SIDEWALK TO THE FRONT DOOR WHEN AN EYE WITNESS NOTICED THAT THE CAR WAS IN FOWARD MOTION AND YELLED A WARNING. THE VEHICLE STRUCK A CLOSED GARAGE DOOR AND KNOCKED IT OUT OF PLACE AND STOPPED THE VEHICLE. THE DRIVER RAN TO THE CAR AND THE GEAR LEVER WAS IN PARK. THE ENGINE WAS SHUT OFF AND THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP.*…

Owner-reported narrative. 6,500 miles reported. Look up ODI 10008314 at NHTSA ↗

THE ANTI-SKID CONTROL ENGAGED WHEN THE CONSUMER WAS DRIVING ON DRY PAVEMENT UNDER 25 MPH *AK *JB

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10019482 at NHTSA ↗

2003 TOYOTA SEQUOIA LIMITED, 5 MONTHS OLD, 5200 MILES, CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AT THE SAME TIME AS VSC LIGHTS. SEEMS TO BE OTHER REPORTS OF SAME INCIDENT. ALSO, BRAKES SEEM TO BE INADEQUATE FOR VEHICLE WEIGHT WITH LOING STOPPING DISTANCE, AND SIGNIFICANT TRAVEL WHEN PARKING BRAKE APPLIED (LOW PEDAL)*AK

Owner-reported narrative. 5,190 miles reported. Look up ODI 10030678 at NHTSA ↗

WHILE DRIVING, THE OWNER SMELLED GAS FUMES FROM INSIDE THE VEHICLE. THE FUMES SEEMED TO BE COMING FROM THE VENTS. WHEN THE WINDOW WAS OPENED THE SMELL BECAME WORSE. THE FUMES MADE THE OWNER NAUSEAS WHICH ALSO CAUSED HER ASTHMA TO FLARE UP. THE CONSUMER CALLED THE DEALERSHIP, BUT NOTHING WAS CORRECTED. *AK. THE DEALERSHIP INFORMED THE CONSUMER THE REASON SHE WAS SMELLING GAS FUMES WAS BECAUSE SHE WAS USING 89 OCTANE GAS INSTEAD OF 87 OCTANE AND THE COMPUTER WAS PROGRAMMED FOR 87 OCTANE. *TS *JB

Owner-reported narrative. 4,500 miles reported. Look up ODI 10037880 at NHTSA ↗

DRIVER DESCRIBED THE REARVIEW MIRROR AS A PROBLEM; REARVIEW MIRROR WAS TOO SMALL , COULDN'T SEE CLEARLY WHEN PARKING THE VEHICLE. DEALER STATED THIS FEATURE WAS DESIGNED THAT WAY BY MANUFACTURER. *AK

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10037903 at NHTSA ↗

CONSUMER NOTICED A ROTTEN EGG SMELL COMING THROUGH AIR CONDITIONER (A/C) VENTS, MAKING CONSUMER AND PASSENGERS SICK. THE VEHICLE WAS TESTED FOR HIGH CARBON MONOXIDE EXHAUST. *AK THE CONSUMER, HUSBAND, ANY OR ALL PASSENGER INCLUDING THE INFANT CHILD WOULD FEEL DIZZY, LIGHT HEADED, AND NAUSEAS. THE CONSUMERS INFANT CHILD WOULD SLEEP HARD AND WAS TAKEN TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM AND DIAGNOSED WITH "CO EXPOSURE." NO ONE WOULD FEEL THESE SYMPTOMS ANY LONGER WHEN OUT OF THE VEHICLE. *SCC

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10040515 at NHTSA ↗

RE: VIN [XXX] I AM WRITING THIS LETTER IN REGARDS TO THE 2003 TOYOTA SEQUOIA I PURCHASED IN JANUARY 2003 WITH APPROXIMATELY 40 MILES FROM TOYOTA TOWN DEALERSHIP IN STOCKTON CALIFORNIA. AFTER MAKING SEVERAL ATTEMPTS TO RESOLVE THIS PROBLEM WITH THE DEALERSHIP, I AM NOW WRITING TO YOU AS A LAST RESORT. MY VEHICLE EXPELS A VERY STRONG AMMONIA SMELL FROM THE VENT SYSTEM AFTER ACCELERATION. THE SMELL HAS BEEN STRONG ENOUGH TO MAKE ONE SNEEZE OR YOUR EYES WATERY. THE THIRD AND FINAL TIME I TOOK MY VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR A SOLUTION, THE TECH…

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10041288 at NHTSA ↗

EXHAUST SMELLS OF ROTTEN EGGS ARE ESCAPING THROUGHOUT THE EXHAUST SYSTEM. DRIVER IS CONCERNED BECAUSE CARBON DIOXIDE MAY BE ENTERING AS WELL. DEALER IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM. *AK

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10041912 at NHTSA ↗

Reported: 2005-05-17 (May 17, 2005)

ON CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, DUE TO A MANUFACTURING ISSUE IN THE FRONT SUSPENSION LOWER BALL JOINT, THERE IS A POSSIBILITY THAT THE SURFACE OF THE BALL OF THE JOINT MAY HAVE BEEN SCRATCHED. THE BALL JOINT MAY EVENTUALLY EXPERIENCE EXCESSIVE WEAR AND LOOSENESS, RESULTING IN INCREASED STEERING EFFORT.

Consequence: THE LOWER BALL JOINT MAY SEPARATE FROM THE KNUCKLE CAUSING LOSS OF STEERING CONTROL AND A CRASH COULD OCCUR.

Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE FRONT SUSPENSION LOWER BALL JOINTS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 5, 2005. OWNERS MAY CONTACT TOYOTA AT 1-800-331-4331.

Reported: 2010-04-30 (April 30, 2010)

TOYOTA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2003 SEQUOIA PASSENGER VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM APRIL 1, 2002 THROUGH APRIL 17, 2003. THE CENTER POSITION OF THE STEERING ANGLE SENSOR (SAS) MAY NOT BE STORED CORRECTLY DUE TO IMPROPER LOGIC OF THE SKID CONTROL ECU PROGRAMMING. THE VEHICLE STABILITY CONTROL (VSC) SYSTEM COULD ACTIVATE AT LOW SPEED FOR A FEW SECONDS DURING ACCELERATION FROM A STOPPED POSITION.

Consequence: SHOULD THIS OCCUR, THE VEHICLE MAY NOT ACCELERATE AS QUICKLY AS THE DRIVER EXPECTS, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.

Remedy: TOYOTA WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND DEALERS WILL REFLASH THE ECU. IF THE REFLASH CANNOT BE COMPLETED ON A PARTICULAR VEHICLE, THE ECU WILL BE REPLACED WITH A NEW ONE. THIS SERVICE WILL BE PERFORMED FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON JUNE 11, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT TOYOTA AT 1-800-331-4331.

Reported: 2015-05-13 (May 13, 2015)

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) notified the agency on May 13, 2015 that they are recalling certain model year 2004 Sequoia vehicles manufactured August 18, 2003, to August 19, 2004, and 2003-2004 Tundra vehicles manufactured March 18, 2003, to August 25, 2004. On June 16, 2015, Toyota expanded the recall to include an additional 1,270,468 vehicles, including model year 2002-2003 and 2005-2007 Sequoia, 2005-2006 Tundra, 2003-2007 Corolla, 2003-2007 Corolla Matrix, 2003-2007 Pontiac Vibe and 2002-2007 Lexus SC vehicles. This is to address a safety defect in the passenger side frontal air bag inflator which may produce excessive internal pressure causing the inflator to rupture upon deployment of the air bag. This recall addresses both the passenger side frontal air bags that were originally installed in the vehicles, as well as replacement air bags that may have been installed as replacement service parts. A replacement air bag may have been installed, as one example, if a vehicle had been in a crash necessitating the replacement of the passenger side frontal air bag.

Consequence: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants potentially resulting in serious injury or death.

Remedy: 2003-2004 Corolla and Corolla Matrix vehicles that are recalled under both 15V-043 and 15V-285 are under a Do Not Drive advisory. Owners of these vehicles are advised not to drive their vehicles until the recall remedy has been completed. Toyota will notify their owners. Pontiac Vibe owners will be notified by GM. Dealers will replace the front passenger air bag. The recall began on July 13, 2015. Toyota owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Pontiac owners may call 1-800-762-2737. NOTE: This recall supersedes recall 14V-312 in its entirety.

Reported: 2015-05-13 (May 13, 2015)

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) notified the agency on May 13, 2015, that they are recalling 2005-2007 Lexus SC, Toyota Corolla, Corolla Matrix, Sequoia, and Pontiac Vibe, and 2005-2006 Toyota Tundra vehicles that were originally sold, or ever registered, in Florida, along the Gulf Coast, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, Saipan and American Samoa. On June 16, 2015 Toyota expanded the recall to cover an additional 769,055 vehicles, including certain model year 2002-2004 Lexus SC, Toyota Sequoia, 2003-2004 Toyota Corolla Matrix, Toyota Corolla, Pontiac Vibe, and Toyota Tundra vehicles, as well the vehicles covered by the May 13, 2015 notification in the portions of Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas that were not previously included. The inflators in the front passenger air bags are susceptible to rupture in the event of a crash necessitating the deployment of the front passenger air bag.

Consequence: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants potentially resulting in serious injury or death.

Remedy: 2003-2004 Corolla and Corolla Matrix vehicles that are recalled under both 15V-043 and 15V-286 are under a Do Not Drive advisory. Owners of these vehicles are advised not to drive their vehicles until the recall remedy has been completed. Toyota will notify their owners. Pontiac Vibe owners will be notified by GM. Dealers will replace the passenger side front air bag, free of charge. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota began the recall on July 13, 2015. Pontiac Vibe owners may contact GM at 1-800-762-2737. GM began the recall on June 29, 2015. NOTE: This recacll supersedes recall 14V-655 in its entirety. For vehicles located in the U.S. states not listed above, please see Toyota recall 15V-285 which covers all other U.S. states.

Reported: 2018-12-12 (December 12, 2018)

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2002-2005 Lexus SC and Toyota Sequoia, 2003-2005 Toyota Corolla and Tundra, and 2003-2007 Pontiac Vibe vehicles. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger frontal air bag, these inflators may explode due to propellant degradation.

Consequence: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Remedy: Toyota will notify the Toyota and Lexus owners. General Motors will notify the Pontiac Vibe owners. Depending on the vehicle model, dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate inflator, or replace the air bag assembly that includes an alternate inflator, free of charge. The recall began January 23, 2019. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371, Lexus customer service at 1-800-255-3987 or Pontiac customer service at 1-800-762-2737. Toyota's numbers for these recalls are J0A (Zone A Toyota), J0B (Zone B Toyota), J0C (Zone C Toyota), JLI (Zone A Lexus), JLJ (Zone B Lexus), and JLK (Zone C Lexus). Note: This recall includes vehicles that have had their air bag previously replaced under an earlier air bag campaign.

Reported: 2019-10-17 (October 17, 2019)

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2010-2016 4Runner, 2003-2006 Tundra, 2003-2013 Corolla, 2009-2010 Corolla Matrix, 2004-2005 RAV4, 2002-2007 Sequoia, 2011-2013 Sienna, 2008-2012 Scion xB, 2008-2009 Lexus IS-F, 2007-2012 Yaris and Lexus ES350, 2010-2017 Lexus GX460, 2002-2010 Lexus SC430, 2006-2012 Lexus IS250 and IS350 and 2010-2015 Lexus IS250C and IS350C vehicles. These vehicles had their driver or passenger frontal air bag inflators previously replaced under a prior recall using inflators of the same design. The inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.

Consequence: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Remedy: Toyota will notify owners. Depending on the vehicle model, dealers will replace the front driver inflator, front passenger airbag inflator, the airbag assembly, or the front passenger airbag sub-assembly and inflator. The recall began November 20, 2019. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371 or Lexus customer service at 1-800-255-3987. Toyota's numbers for this recall are J0A, J0B, and J0C. Lexus' numbers for this recall are JLI, JLJ, and JLK.