2002 Toyota Sequoia Electrical Problems

I was driving my 2002 Toyota Sequoia on the freeway at approximately 65 mph on the [XXX] when suddenly the vehicle made a beeping noise and the VSC Light and TRAC Light came on. The vehicle suddenly lost control in the wheels and tires and suddenly decelerated out-of-nowhere. Due to the sudden, abrupt movement and loss of control, the vehicle nearly flipped over. It was an extremely dangerous, possibly life-threatening situation. Thankfully, I was attentive and alert and had both hands on the wheel and was able to get the vehicle in control. This happened before two times and this would be the third time. I have taken the vehicle to several different auto repair shops and they have been unable to pin point and fix the problem. Because this issue continues to happen and puts me into dangerous situations repeatedly, I firmly believe that this is a bigger malfunctioning/defect problem that Toyota needs to address and fix. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11684034

Incident

Aug 29, 2025

VSC, ABS, TRACTION CONTROL AND BRAKE WARNING INSTRUMENT LIGHTS ON. ABS AND TRACTION CONTROL AND VSC ARE INOPERABLE DUE TO A COMPUTER MALFUNCTION. THIS IS AN EXTREMELY COMMON ISSUE WITH FIRST GENERATION SEQUOIAS. MY SPECIFIC CODES ARE C1241 AND C1203. TOYOTA TOLD ME I WILL NEED A NEW COMPUTER TO CONTROLS THOSE SYSTEMS AT A 921 DOLLAR EXPENSE. THESE ISSUES HAVE BEEN ONGOING SINCE 2009.

NHTSA ID

11389936

Incident

Oct 1, 2009

Mileage

123,731 mi

BACK DOOR AND WINDOW DO NOT WORK

NHTSA ID

11289129

Incident

Jan 1, 2016

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 TOYOTA SEQUOIA. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE BRAKE SYSTEM ENGAGED INDEPENDENTLY. A CRASH DID NOT OCCUR. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN UNKNOWN DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE ELECTRONIC CONTROL UNIT MODULE FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 140,000.

NHTSA ID

11035116

Incident

Jul 1, 2017

Mileage

140,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 TOYOTA SEQUOIA. WHILE DRIVING BETWEEN 20 AND 35 MPH, THE STABILITY CONTROL SYSTEM ACTIVATED INDEPENDENTLY WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT COASTED THE VEHICLE TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, TURNED OFF THE ENGINE, AND WAITED A FEW MINUTES. THE CONTACT RESTARTED THE VEHICLE AND THE STABILITY CONTROL RESET BACK TO NORMAL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO MOSSY TOYOTA (LOCATED AT 4555 MISSION BAY DR, SAN DIEGO, CA 92109) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE ECU SOFTWARE NEEDED TO UPDATED OR REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED DUE TO THE REPAIR FEES. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN A RECALL. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 150,000. ...UPDATED 11/21/17 *BF *TR

NHTSA ID

11020903

Incident

Aug 8, 2012

Mileage

150,000 mi

THE WARNING LIGHTS ABS, VSC, EMERGENCY BRAKES, TRACK, SLIP INDICATOR COMES ON ALL THE TIME AFTER ENGINE START RUNNING. IN CERTAIN INSTANCES, THE VEHICLE DOES NOT RESPOND TO ACCELERATION FOR FEW SECONDS. THE PROBLEM STARTED AROUND 70K MILES. TOYOTA DEALER HAS CHECK THE VEHICLE AND SAID THAT THE PROBLEM IS THE ECU COMPUTER AND THE ESTIMATED COST IS ABOUT $3,000.OO DOLLARS WITH ONLY 3 MONTH WARRANTY. THE MECHANIC EXPLAINED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD BE ABLE TO BRAKE BUT NON OF THE FEATURES ABOVE WILL BE FUNCTIONING. THE MECHANIC ALSO STATED THAT THIS IS VERY COMMON PROBLEM WITH SEQUOIA MODELS BUT THERE IS NO RECALL OR WARRANTY FOR THIS PROBLEM AT THE TIME IT WAS DIAGNOSED. SINCE THE REPAIR FOR OUR SUV IS NOT AFFORDABLE FOR US AND THERE IS SO MUCH UNCERTAINTY IN ITS SAFETY, WE USE IT IN A LIMITED BASIS.

NHTSA ID

11010476

Incident

Nov 16, 2006

Mileage

70,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 TOYOTA SEQUOIA. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 70 MPH, THE VEHICLE STABILITY CONTROL AND TRACTION CONTROL WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. IN ADDITION, THE VEHICLE DECELERATED AND BRAKED INDEPENDENTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A DEALER AND WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOT NOTIFIED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 239,000.

NHTSA ID

11005062

Incident

Jul 1, 2017

Mileage

239,000 mi

MY FATHER AND I WERE LEAVING FRYS ELECTRONICS ON FRIDAY MAY 19, 2017. AS WE TURNED FROM THE FRY'S PARKING LOT TO HEAD ON THE 60 FWY ALL OF A SUDDEN THE VSC STARTED BEEPING AND JUST AS WE WE PICKING UP SPEED(50MPH) THE TRUCK STARTED TO SWERVE WHILE AT THE SAME TIME A GRINDING SOUND WENT OFF MY FATHER PUSHED THE VSC OFF SWITCH BUT DID NOT HAVE ANY EFFECT ON WHAT WAS HAPPENING. WHEN THE BEEPING HAD STOPPED BOTH VSC OFF AND VSC LIGHTS HAD STAYED ON AND THE VEHICLE SEEMED TO BE RUNNING OK AND EVER SINCE THAT DAY WHENEVER WE USE THE SEQUOIA THE LIGHTS COME ON AND STAY ON DURING THE TRIP ON OCCASIONS IT DOESN'T TURN ON AFTER ABOUT 5 MINS THE BEEPING GOES ON AND VEHICLE ENGINE IMMEDIATELY SLOWS AND GRINDING SOUND GOES ON AND CAUSES VEHICLE TO SWERVE AND MY FATHER IS A BIT ELDERLY SO AS A SON I AM PUTTING IN THIS COMPLAINT IN HOPES OF SOME ASSISTANCE IN REPAIRS THIS MALFUNCTION. MY PARENTS ARE RETIRED AND DO NOT HAVE AN GOOD INCOME, IS THERE ANY POSSIBLE WAY TOYOTA CAN FIX THIS MALFUNCTION WHICH SEEMS TO BE QUITE A PROBLEM AMOUNGST SEQUOIA OWNERS THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND PATIENCE I WILL AWAIT A RESPONSE THANK YOU. I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO APOLOGIZE TO THE READER FOR THE LACK OF MY LETTER SKILLS AND HOPE I WAS ABLE TO EXPRESS THE PROBLEM FOR YOU TO UNDERSTAND

NHTSA ID

10994254

Incident

May 19, 2017

Mileage

181,479 mi

2002 TOYOTA SEQUOIAL HAS THE VSC AND VSC TRAC LIGHTS ARE ON.WHEN I STARTED MY VEHICLE THEY WERE OFF, THEN THEY JUST STAY ON STEADY.

NHTSA ID

10956047

Incident

Feb 20, 2017

Mileage

179,000 mi

THE VSC OFF, VSC TRAC, BRAKE LIGHT, AND ABS INDIATOR LIGHTS ON THE DASH BOARD, STAY ON ALL OF THE TIME. I HAVE BEEN TOLD THE VSC LIGHT PROBLEM IS AT LEAST A $700 FIX. THESE LIGHTS HAVE COME ON AND NEVER GO OFF.

NHTSA ID

10905997

Incident

Feb 1, 2016

Mileage

200,000 mi

THE VSC TRAC & VSC OFF LIGHT BLINKS ON AND OFF CAUSING CAR TO CUT ON AND OFF.WHEN TIS HAPPEN THE CAR WAS IN MOTION. I JUST PURCASED CAR THE DEALER SAID TO REPLACE THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL POSITION SENSOR OF COURSE IT IS NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY AND BECAUSE IT HAPPENED RIGHT AFTER 30 DAYS OF PURCHASE IT FALLS ON ME.

NHTSA ID

10852285

Incident

Mar 22, 2016

Mileage

176,707 mi

VSC TRAC/ VSC OFF, ABS, BRAKE LIGHS COME ON THE VSC TRAC AND THE VSC OFF LIGHT COME ON AND OFF DUE TO A FAULTY ABS SENSOR. TOYOTA DEALER CAN NOT FIGURE OUT WHY OR HOW THIS FAULTY LIGHT COMES ON. DID A RESEARCH ONLINE AND HUNDREDS OF THOUSAND OF OTHER TOYOTA SEQUOIA OWNER HAD THE SAME ISSUES.

NHTSA ID

10823504

Incident

Jan 28, 2016

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 TOYOTA SEQUOIA. WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH AND MAKING A RIGHT TURN, AN ABNORMAL NOISE EMITTED FROM THE CONSOLE OF THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER, WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE COMPUTER NEEDED TO BE RECALIBRATED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED; HOWEVER, THE FAILURE RECURRED ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 240,000.

NHTSA ID

10759794

Incident

Aug 26, 2015

Mileage

240,000 mi

AS I WAS DRIVING MY VEHICLE IT MADE A GRINDING SOUND ALONG WITH A BRIEF SLOWDOWN AND THEN THE VSC TRACK LIGHT CAME ON. WHEN YOU TURN THE VEHICLE OFF THE LIGHTS GO OFF AND STAY OFF UNTIL ANOTHER EPISODE. THIS HAS HAPPENED ON THREE DIFFERENT OCCASIONS. *TR

NHTSA ID

10667186

Incident

Dec 17, 2014

Mileage

148,000 mi

WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE VSC TRAC BUTTON LIGHTS UP, VEHICLE STARTS BEEPING, THE TIRES SHAKE PULLING VEHICLE WHEEL LEFT TO RIGHT WHILE A V GRINDING SOUND COMES FROM UNDER THE VEHICLE. IT STARTED DOING V THIS FOR ONLY A FEW SECONDS THEN STOPS. THE FIRST INCIDENT HAPPENED IN MAY 2014, THEN NOTHING C AGAIN UNTIL JULY 2014. NOW IT HAPPENS SEVERAL TIMES RANDOMLY THROUGH THE DAY FOR UP TO 15 SECOND STRETCHES AT VARYING SPEEDS. *TR

NHTSA ID

10626485

Incident

May 7, 2014

Mileage

196,000 mi

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. *TR

NHTSA ID

10567143

Incident

Mar 12, 2003

Mileage

10,000 mi

VSC TRAC, TRAC OFF, BRAKE, AND ABS LIGHTS ON AS THE SAME TIME FOR THE LAST COUPLE MONTHS. SOMETIMES THE CAR STRADDLED A LITTLE BIT WHEN I DROVE ON FREEWAY. I CHECKED THE CODE, BUT THERE ARE NO CODE. I TRIED TO LOOKING FOR HELP ONLINE, BUT I AM SURPRISED, THERE WERE A LOT OF TOYOTA SEQUOIA OWNER HAS THE SAME PROBLEM LIKE MINE. *TR

NHTSA ID

10547785

Incident

Jul 1, 2013

Mileage

131,000 mi

I TRIED TO SOUND THE HORN TO ALERT OTHER DRIVER OF MY PRESENCE AND THE HORN DID NOT SOUND. I HAD IT CHECKED AND IT WAS FOUND THAT THE SWITCH WHICH IS BUILT IN WITH THE DRIVER AIRBAG IS DEFECTIVE. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AS I HAVE READ ONLINE THAT OTHER SEQUOIA OWNERS ARE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM. *TR

NHTSA ID

10534949

Incident

May 15, 2013

Mileage

58,000 mi

THE VSC LIGHTS AND TRACTION LIGHTS HAVE BEEN RANDOMLY COMING ON SINCE WE PURCHASED THE SEQUOIA IN 2005 WITH APPROX. 80K ON IT. THEY TYPICALLY GO OFF ON THEIR OWN AND DO NOT CAUSE ANY ISSUES. NOW THE SLIP INDICATOR LIGHT COMES ON, FLASHES AND BEEPS WHILE LOCKING UP THE ABS AND MAKING IT IMPOSSIBLE TO MOVE UNTIL IT COMES TO A COMPLETE STOP. WE HAVE BEEN FORTUNATE THAT THIS HAS ONLY HAPPENED AT LOW SPEEDS AND NOT CAUSED ANY ACCIDENTS YET. IT APPERARS THAT THIS IS A WIDE SPREAD ISSUE WITH A COMBINATION OF PARTS STARTING WITH THE VSC COMPUTER, YAW SENSOR AND STEERING ANGLE SENSOR. HOPEFULLY TOYOTA WILL TAKE CARE OF THIS DUE TO THE OVERALL SAFETY CONCERN. *TR

NHTSA ID

10520079

Incident

Jun 3, 2013

Mileage

140,000 mi

DRIVING AT 75MPH AND INEXPLICABLY LOST VEHICLE SPEED. ENGINE WAS RUNNING BUT WOULD NOT RESPOND TO FOOT FEED, I.E. PRESS DOWN ON ACCELERATOR AND LITTLE TO NO INCREASE IN RPMS FROM IDLE. DEALER REPLACED THROTTLE POSITION SENSOR. *TR

NHTSA ID

10505866

Incident

Mar 25, 2013

Mileage

181,878 mi

WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE, AN ALARM STARTED GOING OFF AND SKID CONTROL LIGHT ON DASH WAS FLASHING AND THEN MOTOR LOST RPM, THE VEHICLE SHOOK AS IF ALL THE TIRE WHERE FLAT, THIS HAPPENED FOR ABOUT 30 SECONDS, WHILE I TRIED TO GET OUT OF TRAFFIC AND OFF THE ROAD, THEN THE VSC LIGHTS CAME ON IN THE DASH, THEN THE VEHICLE SMOOTHED OUT AND RAN NORMAL! AFTER LOOKING AT ALL THE FORUM ONLINE FOR THIS PROBLEM, IT APPARENTLY IS A HUGE PROBLEM WITH THESE VEHICLES AND AFTER CALLING TOYOTA ABOUT THIS THEY CLAIM THAT THIS PROBLEM DOES NOT EXIST, AS ALL THE FORUM WE READ SAID THAT TOYOTA WOULD NOT EXCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS SAFETY PROBLEM! THEREFOR WE FILED A CASE TO TOYOTA, HOPING THEY COULD HELP US OUT! BECAUSE THIS HAPPENS ON THE ROAD IT IS HARD TO HAVE IT IDENTIFIED BY A MECHANIC AND A COMPUTER! WE CANNOT WITH THIS ECONOMY IN ANYWAY AFFORD THE EXTREME HIGH PRICE OF TOYOTAS SERVICE WORK , I FEEL MY FAMILY COULD BE IN GREAT DANGER! *TR

NHTSA ID

10505253

Incident

Mar 23, 2013

Mileage

125,400 mi

WHILE ON THE HIGHWAY, SUDDENLY THERE WAS A LOUD GRINDING NOISE IN THE FRONT END OF THE CAR, THE CAR LOST ALL POWER, AND THE VSC ALARM WENT OFF AND THE VSC DASHBOASD LIGHTS WERE FLASHING. THIS LASTED FOR ABOUT 30 SECONDS AND THEN STOPPED. THIS HAS HAPPENED AGAIN AND AGAIN AT ALL DIFFERENT SPEEDS AND NOW THE VSC LIGHTS ARE ON ALL THE TIME AND THE GRINDING HAPPENS INTERMITTENLY. *TR

NHTSA ID

10486557

Incident

Nov 1, 2011

Mileage

150,000 mi

HEADLIGHT RELAY GOES OUT CAUSING HEADLIGHTS TO SHUTOFF WHILE DRIVING. FOR THE 2ND TIME IN A YEAR. PART WAS REPLACED WITH A NEW PART. REAR DOOR WILL NOT LATCH AND RATTLES. REAR LATCH ASSEMBLY WAS REPLACED. IT DOES NOT SHUT OR SEAL SO CARBON MONOXIDE ENTERS THE CABIN. THIS HAS HAPPENED 3 TIMES. BRAKE CALIPERS SEIZE UP FRONT DRIVER AND PASSENGER SIDE, REAR DRIVER SIDE. *TR

NHTSA ID

10445112

Incident

Aug 22, 2007

Mileage

40,000 mi

ANTI-LOCK BRAKING SYSTEM ENGAGES SUDDENLY WITH POWER LOSS AND FRONT END VIBRATION. VEHICLE STABILITY CONTROL AND TRACTION CONTROL LIGHTS ILLUMINATE ON DASH. ABS AND VSC LIGHTS REMAIN ON (ABS AND STABILITY CONTROL THEREFORE DISENGAGED) AND CANNOT BE TURNED BACK ON BY OPERATOR. WHEN VEHICLE IS TURNED OFF, SYSTEM APPEARS TO RESET, BUT THE PROBLEM REPEATS AFTER RESTARTING AND DRIVING SEVERAL MILES. PROBLEM OCCURRED TWICE TODAY, ON TWO SEPARATE DRIVE EVENTS WITHIN A 2 HOUR PERIOD. *TR

NHTSA ID

10405934

Incident

Jun 10, 2011

Mileage

142,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 TOYOTA SEQUOIA. THE CONTACT STATED THE VSC, VSC-OFF, EMERGENCY BRAKE, AND CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHTS WOULD INTERMITTENTLY ILLUMINATE ON THE DASHBOARD. IN ADDITION, THE VEHICLE WOULD ABNORMALLY ACCELERATE SPORADICALLY WHEN SITTING IDLE AT A STOP. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR FURTHER ANALYSIS. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 113,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 116,000.

NHTSA ID

10329532

Incident

Nov 30, 2009

Mileage

113,000 mi