2002 Toyota Sequoia Steering 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

While driving on a curved road, the vehicle made a grinding sound with flashing VSC off and Trac off lights, as it pulled violently to the right and almost ran off the road with my two children in the back seat. This was an extremely scary incident. I 1. While driving on a curved road, the vehicle made a grinding sound with flashing VSC off and Trac off lights, as it pulled violently to the right and almost ran off the road with my two children in the back seat. This was an extremely scary incident. I do understand that many first generation Sequoia owners have reported similar incidents and that there were no recalls, however, I think this is a serious enough issue that will cost innocent people their lives. I was able to pull a reading from the OBD2 and it says there is a fault with the Yaw Rate Sensor. Please help before this causes someone's death. Thank you!do understand that many first generation Sequoia owners have reported similar incidents and that there were no recalls, however, I think this is a serious enough issue that will cost innocent people their lives. I was able to pull a reading from the OBD2 and it says there is a fault with the Yaw Rate Sensor. Please help before this causes someone's death. Thank you!

NHTSA ID

11548841

Incident

Oct 7, 2023

While driving on a highway at about 60 mph, my vehicle made a loud grinding noise while the steering felt very difficult to control and then the VSC TRAC and TRAC OFF lights both came on. I got off the highway and pulled over to a parking lot to inspect the vehicle, but I did not see anything that would cause the vehicle to do that. After a few minutes, I restarted the vehicle and while driving on local roads to get home, the same thing happened again. I was extremely worried for the safety of my wife and children in the vehicle. After reading a few Toyota owners threads online, this seems to be a very familiar pattern with these Toyota Sequoias, and I strongly believe that this will result in very serious injuries or possible deaths if Toyota does not issue a recall to fix the problem causing such dangers for drivers. Please investigate the matter to save lives. Thank you!

NHTSA ID

11484462

Incident

Sep 14, 2022

Rack and pinion rusted out and had to be replaced. It cracked in the middle of the highway and left me inching to safety. Never fully recovered 186k, frame is fully rusted and will not pass inspection due to faulty oxygen sensors and excessive rust and corrosion. Will need to replace exhaust to input a new sensor at 4k Vechicle is fully operable and functional but cannot pass inspection without the safety of rust treatment or replacement It’s a great vechicle but unfortunate that the 2002 series is left out of the recall . There are a lot of early generations that have these issues and although the trucks are reliable and have a long life , are undriveable because they can’t pass inspection. Please consider extended the rust recall to 2001-2003 Sequoias. This was my grandfathers truck and really would like to keep his memory in the family and drive my grandfathers truck as it still runs perfectly but has on going issues with rust and frame issues . There was an extended warranty for 2002 Sequoias that expired in 2014. This is a point where most Sequioas weren’t experiencing this issue. Dealership or recall will not honor and denied any claim for rust It is unfortunate because I am now disabled and love my Sequoia so much and was hoping to drive to appointments and gain my health back. It has become more than I am able to afford to fix an entire frame of the vehicle. It’s evident that early generations all that his issue but has not been honored for repair. I’ve repaired things over the years with hopes to pass inspection and now have insight as to what the real issue is. The excessive rust and damage to the frame.

NHTSA ID

11474941

Incident

Jul 19, 2022

The frame of the vehicle has severe rust and now has holes in the frame, making it unsafe to drive and possibly causing an accident. Meticulous care has been taken of this vehicle and it is never taken off road or abused. I’ve had several other vehicles and have never had this frame rust safety issue.

NHTSA ID

11441396

Incident

Nov 22, 2021

The left rear frame broke away from rear sway bar. I was just leaving my house when I heard a thunk. I noticed the problem when I turned onto the faster road as I accelerated the whole backend moved right, pushing the front end left (into oncoming traffic). Letting up on the accelerator cased the reverse to happen, the back end swung left and the front turned right. So, glad it happened slower streets and not the highway. There was a limited service recall on this model to coat with a rust proofing paint and we had the service done in 2012. This failure would have probably killed someone if it had happened on the freeway or cloverleaf. These vehicles should be either repaired by Toyota or off the road.

NHTSA ID

11419903

Incident

Jun 1, 2021

GRINDING NOISE, BEEPING, WARNING LIGHTS FLASHING, DIFFICULTY STEERING, DIFFICULTY BRAKING, CLUNKING WHEN BRAKING, VSC AND ABS LIGHTS ON. VERY SCARY. I WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 50 MPH. IT ALSO HAPPENED WHEN MY DAUGHTER WAS DRIVING IT. VERY INTERMITTENT. I WAS GOING STRAIGHT, NO TURNING, NO BUMPS IN THE ROAD. SO RANDOM. I HAVE RESEARCHED THE MUCH ON YOUTUBE AND THE INTERNET AND THERE ARE MANY OTHERS WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED THIS SCARY SITUATION. I AM AFRAID TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE AND IT IS A MAJOR SAFETY HAZARD AND MUST BE FIXED! I HEARD THEY RECALLED THE 2003'S BUT NOT THE 2002'S BUT THEY HAVE THE SAME PARTS. I WILL SEND PICTURES OF OTHERS WHO HAVE SIMILAR COMPLAINTS. IF YOU GO TO THE WEBSITE I SENT YOU WILL FIND MANY OTHERS WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED THE SAME THING. I AM SENDING ONLY A SAMPLE. PLEASE DO SOMETHING. SERIOUS SAFETY HAZARD, WHATEVER THE PROBLEM IS! I HAVE NOT DRIVEN IT MUCH SINCE IT HAPPENED. I HAVE BEEN VERY DISTRACTED SINCE MY BOYFRIEND PASSED AWAY. I DID CALL THE LOCAL TOYOTA DEALER AFTER IT FIRST HAPPENED AND ALSO THE NATIONAL NUMBER FOR TOYOTA AND WAS TOLD THERE IS NO RECALL. YET! GO TO CARPROBLEMZOO.COM AND INPUT "BRAKE GRINDING NOISE OF TOYOTA SEQUOIA ABS AND VSC. I TRIED TO UPLOAD DOCS BUT THEY WERE THE WRONG FORMAT.

NHTSA ID

11372286

Incident

Jun 12, 2020

Mileage

95,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 TOYOTA SEQUOIA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING, THE TRACTION CONTROL WARNING LIGHT, VSC TRACK AND AN UNKNOWN WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT THE BRAKES STARTED TO GRIND INDEPENDENTLY WITH AN ABNORMAL SOUND. ADDITIONALLY, THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME DIFFICULT TO STEER WITH AN ALARM SOUNDING INSIDE THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WILL LOSS POWER. THE VEHICLE ALSO JERKED AND PULLED WHILE ACCELERATING. THE CONTACT TURNED OFF AND RESTARTED THE VEHICLE AND WAS ABLE TO DRIVE NORMAL HOWEVER AFTER DRIVING FOR A WHILE THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A DEALER OR AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE CONTACT REFERENCED NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 10V176000 (ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL, TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM). THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 99,860.

NHTSA ID

11353215

Incident

Jul 25, 2020

Mileage

99,860 mi

AT 247,000 PLUS MILES THE ABS SYSTEM WOULD SUDDENLY ENGAGE GOING AROUND SHARPER CURVES ON THE HIGHWAY AT 65+ MPH. RECENTLY THE ABS SYSTEM ENGAGED AT 32 MPH AROUND A SHARPER CURVE ON A MOUNTAIN ROAD. I BROUGHT IT INTO THE DEALER IN AUGUST 2019. AS OF FEBRUARY 2020 IT IS STILL NOT FIXED, DESPITE SPENDING A LOT OF MONEY. BESIDES BEING NERVE WRACKING, IT IS A POTENTIALLY HAZARDOUS PROBLEM, ESPECIALLY IN SNOW AND ICE, THAT SHOULD QUALIFY FOR A RECALL.

NHTSA ID

11309731

Incident

Aug 11, 2019

Mileage

247,514 mi

WHEN THE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION THE VSC TRAC LIGHTS COME ON AND THE BRAKES ACTIVE ON THEIR OWN CAUSING THE CRACKING NOISE AND A ROUGH JERK MOTION TO THE CAR. THIS HAS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES BOTH ON THE HIGHWAY AND CITY STREETS EVEN WHEN DRIVING 10 MILES PER HOUR

NHTSA ID

11278838

Incident

Nov 8, 2019

Mileage

181,000 mi

THE FIRST INDICATION THAT SOMETHING WAS WRONG WAS THE FIRST WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 2019. I WAS DRIVING DOWN A COUNTY ROAD WHEN THE LIGHTS INDICATOR LIGHTS FOR THE TRAC AND VSC STARTED FLASHING AND BEEPING WHEN I DROVE OVER SOME BUMPS. THE LIGHTS WOULD NOT GO OFF EVEN WHEN PRESSING TRAC OFF. I TURNED OFF THE CAR AND RESTARTED IT AND THE LIGHTS WERE OFF BUT ONLY FOR ABOUT 15 MINUTES INTO MY DRIVE. I TOOK IT TO THE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP AND THE AGENT SAID HE DID NOT KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THE SYSTEM AND I WOULD HAVE TO BRING IT BACK FOR DIAGNOSTICS. THAT NIGHT I WAS GETTING READY TO GO OVER A RATHER LARGE BRIDGE WHEN ALL OF THE SUDDEN THE CAR JERKED TWICE TO THE RIGHT WITH THE SECOND EVENT PULLING ME OFF THE ROAD. IT WAS EXTREMELY FRIGHTENING AND TERRIFIED US ALL. THANK GOD IT DID NOT HAPPEN ON THE BRIDGE OR UNDER OTHER CIRCUMSTANCES. THE VSC AND TRAC LIGHTS CAME ON AT APPROXIMATELY THE SAME TIME AS THEY HAD BEEN OFF. I CONTACTED TOYOTA CORPORATE AND ESSENTIALLY THEY SAID THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT UNDER WARRANTY. THIS IS AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS SITUATION. THANKFULLY I AM A EXPERIENCED DRIVER BUT IF IT WOULD HAVE BEEN ONE OF MY KIDS, I DON'T KNOW IF THE OUTCOME WOULD HAVE BEEN THE SAME. THE LOCAL TOYOTA DEALERSHIP HAS BEEN OF NO HELP. THE CAR IS SITTING IN MY DRIVE. I IMPLORE YOU TO FURTHER INVESTIGATE THIS FAILURE OF THE SYSTEM BEFORE SOMEONE GETS KILLED.

NHTSA ID

11254316

Incident

Sep 6, 2019

Mileage

136,000 mi

WHEN DRIVING AT 70MPH OR HIGHER A LIGHT COMES ON AT THE DASH BOARD VSC TRAC OFF THE CAR LOSES SPEED AND VEERS RIGHT TO LEFT ALMOST LOOSING CONTROL OF THE STEERING WHEEL A DIAGNOSTIC GAVE ME A CODE C1234 WICH IS RELATED WITH THE STABILITY CONTROL SYSTEM YAW RATE SENSOR / COMPUTER RECALIBRATION. THIS SENSOR IS SUPPOSED TO LAST THE LIFE OF THE CAR.

NHTSA ID

11253309

Incident

Sep 4, 2019

I DIDN'T REALIZE WHAT THE LIGHTS MEANT BEING ON WHEN I BOUGHT IT UNTIL I WAS ATTEMPTING TO DRIVE 4HRS AWAY AND SUDDENLY THE STEERING STARTED VEERING OFF TO THE OTHER LANE AND SWERVING. I COULD NOT DRIVE PAST 40MPH ON THE INTERSTATE THE REST OF THE WAY AND ALMOST CRASHED INTO OTHER VEHICLES AND OFF THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. WHEN YOU SWITCH LANES THE VEHICLE PULLS YOU TOO FAR AND IT IS VERY UNSAFE TO DRIVE ESPECIALLY WITH KIDS. I HAD TO BREAK THE ABS FUSE TO GET BACK HOME AND EVEN THEN IT STILL VEERS OFF WHEN TRYING TO SWITCH LANES AND I CAN'T GO PAST 60 OR SO. I DON'T SEE HOW THERE ARE THIS MANY COMPLAINTS AND MANY ACCIDENTS AND ALMOST ACCIDENTS TO NOT HAVE EVERYTHING ASSOCIATED WITH THIS MALFUNCTION TO BE CONSIDERED NOT DANGEROUS ENOUGH FOR A RECALL. I'M THANKFUL MY KIDS WERE NOT WITH ME DURING THAT TRIP.

NHTSA ID

11241609

Incident

Jul 4, 2019

Mileage

177,000 mi

JUST DRIVING ALONG, AND FEELS LIKE BRAKES GRAB AND JERK THE WHEEL AND VSC TRAC LIGHTS GO ON. PROBLEM HAS BEEN OCCURRING INTERMITTENTLY. CAN BE AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, BUT ALSO HAPPENS AT ANY SPEED. VERY DANGEROUS AND SCARY. VSC-TRAC AND TRAC-OFF LIGHTS RANDOMLY ILLUMINATED ON DRY, LEVEL PAVEMENT WHEN BRAKES WERE APPLIED, CAUSING A LOUD GRINDING NOISE (MUCH LOUDER THAN NORMAL APPLICATION OF ANTI-LOCK BRAKES).

NHTSA ID

11196405

Incident

Apr 15, 2019

Mileage

190,000 mi

TAMARA RECALL: I WAS GOING 60 MPH WHEN MY TRACTION CONTROL LIGHTS STARTED BLINKING. IT STARTED MAKING A GRINDING NOISE AND FRONT END SHAKING AND LOSS OF POWER STEERING IT HAS 190,000 MILES ON IT

NHTSA ID

11162107

Incident

Dec 14, 2018

Mileage

190,000 mi

DRIVING THE VEHICLE AT ABOUT 60MPH, GRINDING SOUND, LOSS OF POWER STEERING CONTROL, PULLS TO THE RIGHT SIDE, DECELERATION, LOUD NOISE LIKE A TIRE BLOWOUT, VSC LIGHTS ON DASH COME ON. THIS HAS HAPPENED 4 TIMES WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE, NO WARNING AND YOU MUST PULL OVER AND TURN THE ENGINE OFF AND IT WILL RESET SO YOU ARE ABLE TO START THE VEHICLE TO CONTINUE. VERY SCARY INCIDENTS!!!

NHTSA ID

11140253

Incident

Sep 1, 2018

Mileage

259,400 mi

FRAME RUST. MY MECHANICS WILL NOT LIFT THE TRUCK BECAUSE OF EXTENSIVE FRAME RUST

NHTSA ID

11041506

Incident

Oct 19, 2017

Mileage

178,000 mi

MY VEHICLE'S VEHICLE STABILITY CONTROL IS ENGAGING FOR NO APPARENT REASON WHILE DRIVING STRAIGHT ON A CLEAR, CLEAN, DRY ROAD. THIS HAS HAPPENED MULTIPLE TIMES PER MONTH. BOTH ON HIGHWAY AND CITY STREET. (25MPH-70MPH) CONTROLLING THE CAR CAN BECOME HARD TO DO. PRETTY LOUD GRINDING SOUND IS HEARD WHEN IT IS ENGAGED. FEAR AN ACCIDENT MAY HAPPEN BECAUSE THE VEHICLE MAY PULL DUE TO THE BRAKES ENGAGING UNEXPECTEDLY.

NHTSA ID

11032165

Incident

Oct 2, 2017

Mileage

190,000 mi

ABOUT A MONTH AGO I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AT ABOUT 60MPH AND ALL OF A SUDDEN MY VEHICLE BEGAN TO JERK ERRATICLY, BECAME HARD TO CONTROL STEERING AND BRAKING, SEEMED TO BE BRAKING ON ITS ON, IT MADE A VERY LOUD GRINDING NOISE AND SOME SORT OF ALARM STARTING BEEPING AND MY VSC LIGHTS AND TRACTION CONTROL LUGHT STARTING FLASHING. THIS LASTED ABOUT 3 MINUTES AND CONTINUES TO HAPPEN SPORADICALLY EVERY 2 TO 3 DAYS. THERE IS NO CAUSE AND NO RHYTHM OR REASON FOR THIS TO HAPPEN. I AM ALWAYS ON A SEEMINGLY FLAT SMOOTH SURFACE MOVING STRAIGHT AHEAD AT A MODERATELY HIGH RATE OF SPEED BETWEEN 50 AND 70MPH..

NHTSA ID

11010023

Incident

Jun 29, 2017

TAKATA RECALL. VEHICLE STABILITY CONTROL SYSTEM 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.I AM SCARED BECAUSE IT HAVE HAPPEN ON THE FREEWAY GOING 60-65PH. I LITERLY DO NOT HAVE ANY CONTROL OF MY CAR EVERYTIME THIS HAPPENS.

NHTSA ID

10991373

Incident

May 24, 2017

Mileage

150 mi

I PURCHASED MY SEQUOIA IN 2003 AND THE TRAC OFF/VSC TRAC LIGHTS STARTED TURNING ON A FEW MONTHS AFTER PURCHASE. I HAVE TOLD THE DEALER EVERY TIME I BRING THE CAR FOR SERVICE AND HAVE ALWAYS BEEN TOLD THAT THEY CANNOT FIND A PROBLEM. ONCE I TURN OFF CAR THE LIGHTS GO OFF. WELL, ON JULY 2015 WHILE TRAVELING ON A WINDY ROAD AT 35 MPH, WE HEARD AN WARNING ALARM SOUND FOR THE FIRST TIME AND THE STEERING LOCKED FOR ABOUT TWO SECONDS AND THE CAR FELT LIKE WE HAD A FLAT TIRE OR DRAGGING SOMETHING UNDERNEATH. AFTER ABOUT 10 SECONDS THE CAR RESUMED BACK TO NORMAL AS IF NOTHING HAD HAPPENED. ABOUT TWO WEEKS LATER, I WAS BACKING OUT OF A PARKING STALL AND IT DID THE EXACT THING, INCLUDING STEERING WHEEL LOCKING. I THOUGHT I HAD RANED OVER SOMETHING, BUT THE CAR WENT BACK TO NORMAL. NOW EVERY TWO WEEKS AFTER I GET ON THE FREEWAY THIS SEEMS TO HAPPEN, ONE TIME IT SOUNDED LIKE MY ENGINE FELL OFF. SOMETIMES IS WORSE THAN OTHERS AND IT DOESN'T MATTER IF I'M GOING 25 OR 65 MPH. A FEW MONTHS AGO I WAS TRAVELING AT 65 AND THE ALARM CAME ON, THE GRINDING AND DRAGGING NOISE AND MY CAR STARTED SLOWING DOWN AND SWIRVED TO THE RIGHT. I JUST BARELY MISSED A MOTORCYCLIST. LUCKY NO ONE WAS BEHIND ME OR I WOULD HAVE BEEN REAR ENDED. I PURCHASED TOYOTA FOR THEIR SAFETY AND QUALITY REPUTATION. I TAKE GOOD CARE OF MY CAR AND SAFETY OF MY FAMILY IS MY PRIORITY. AS I STATED BEFORE, I HAVE BEEN COMPLAINING ABOUT THIS ISSUE TO MY TOYOTA DEALER FOR YEARS AND THEY TELL ME THERE IS NO PROBLEM WITH MY CAR. NOW MY PROBLEM IS MUCH BIGGER THAN JUST A LIGHT TURNING ON. THIS SHOULD BE A MAJOR CONCERN AND WE SHOULD NOT WAIT FOR A LOSS OF LIFE TO HAPPEN. ANY CAR THAT LOSES POWER IN THE MIDDLE OF A FREEWAY WITHOUT WARNING SHOULD BE OF GRAVE CONCERN TO ALL. I LOVE MY CAR BUT CANNOT AFFORD TO TRADE IT IN.

NHTSA ID

10927690

Incident

Nov 14, 2016

Mileage

12 mi

COMPLAINT - ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL, STEERING, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL WHILE DRIVING MY 2002 TOYOTA SEQUOIA WHILE TURNING ON CITY STREET & HIGHWAY I ENCOUNTERED TWO SIGNIFICANT SAFETY ISSUES THE TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM COMES ON WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE VSC AND TRACTION WARNING LIGHTS ABS & ENGINE LIGHTS ARE ILLUMINATED AS THE VEHICLE PULLED TO THE LEFT/RIGHT. WHEN THE ISSUE OCCURRED, THE VEHICLE MAKES A GRINDING SOUND AND PULLS VERY HARD TO THE LEFT/RIGHT. THE VEHICLE LOSES ACCELERATION AND FEELS LIKE THE ANTI-LOCK BRAKING MECHANISM IS BEING ENGAGED. THE JERKING PULL RESULTED IN CROSSING MULTIPLE LANES OF THE HIGHWAY BEFORE CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE WAS REGAINED. THIS IS GOING TO CAUSE DEATHS KNOWN ISSUES WITH OTHER SEQUOIAS. *TR

NHTSA ID

10920653

Incident

Oct 27, 2016

Mileage

295,000 mi

THE BRAKES OF THE CAR ,AND WE I DRIVE I CAN'T DRIVE MORE THAN 80 MILES PR HOUR BECAUSE IT CHECKS.I FIXED THE BRAKES AND THE LIGHT STAY ON FOR EVER NOW EVERY TIME I HAVE TO REMEMBER TO TAKE THE FOOT BRAKE.

NHTSA ID

10916634

Incident

Nov 6, 2015

WHILE DRIVING MY 2002 TOYOTA SEQUOIA, I ENCOUNTERED TWO SIGNIFICANT SAFETY ISSUES THAT WERE RECALLED AS PART OF A PRIOR NHSTA CAMPAIGN (10V-176). WHILE MY TOYOTA IS MANUFACTURED WITHIN THE SAME WINDOW OF A RECALL, MY VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED. NHSTA HAS OPENED AN ACTIVE INVESTIGATION (PE16006) IN RESPONSE TO OTHER OWNERS WITH THE SAME ISSUES. ISSUE #1: TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS, THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT ACCELERATE PROPERLY FROM A STOPPED POSITION. THE CODE BASED ON THE VCS WARNING LIGHT INDICATED AN ISSUE WITH THE CENTER POSITION OF THE STEERING ANGLE SENSOR (SAS). THE SENSOR WAS REPLACED AND THE ECU PROGRAMMING WAS UPDATED TO RESOLVE THE SAFETY ISSUE. ISSUE #2: ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS, THE VEHICLE LOST CONTROL WHILE DRIVING DUE TO AN ISSUE WITH A FAULTY YAW RATE SENSOR. WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE VSC AND TRACTION WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED AS THE VEHICLE PULLED TO THE RIGHT. WHEN THE ISSUE OCCURRED, THE VEHICLE MAKES A GRINDING SOUND AND PULLS VERY HARD TO THE RIGHT. THE VEHICLE LOSES ACCELERATION AND FEELS LIKE THE ANTI-LOCK BRAKING MECHANISM IS BEING ENGAGED. THE JERKING PULL RESULTED IN CROSSING MULTIPLE LANES OF THE HIGHWAY BEFORE CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE WAS REGAINED. THE MECHANIC EXPERIENCED THE SAME ISSUE, AND HAD TO PULL OVER TO REGAIN COMPOSURE AFTER ALMOST GETTING INTO AN ACCIDENT. THE FAULTY YAW SENSOR WAS REPLACED TO REPAIR THE DEFECT. AFTER EXPERIENCING THE ISSUES WITH THE TOYOTA SENSORS THAT ALMOST CAUSED AN ACCIDENT, I HAD THE FAULTY SENSORS REPLACED. I HAVE REQUESTED REIMBURSEMENT FROM TOYOTA BUT WAS DENIED. THE REPAIR WAS FOR THE SAFETY ISSUES WHICH ARE UNDER RECALL FOR THE SAME MODEL YEAR (APRIL 2002 ' APRIL 2003), AS MY VEHICLE IS MANUFACTURED IN MAY 2002. THE REPAIRS INCLUDED THE DEFECTIVE STEERING SENSOR AND THE YAW STABILITY SENSOR REQUIRED TO SAFELY DRIVE THE VEHICLE.

NHTSA ID

10915170

Incident

Jul 1, 2016

Mileage

190,000 mi

WHEN DRIVING 70 MPH ON THE INTERSTATE, THE VEHICLE PERIODICALLY YANKS HARD TO THE RIGHT, IT SOUNDS LIKE I HAVE A FLAT TIRE, FRONT RIGHT TIRE FEELS AND SOUNDS LIKE IT STOPPED TURNING. CAR SLOWS, VSC SYSTEM IDIOT LIGHTS FLASH AND BEEP. AFTER I HAVE SUCCESSFULLY THOUGH UNINTENTIONALLY RUN ANOTHER CAR OFF THE ROAD IT RETURNS TO NORMAL. THE IDIOT LIGHTS STAY ON UNTIL THE CAR IS TURNED OFF. HAS BEEN TAKEN TO MECHANICS NUMEROUS TIMES IN LAST FEW WEEKS, CANNOT FIND A PROBLEM. BUT KEEPS HAPPENING. MECHANIC IS AWARE OF 2003 AND NEWER RECALL FOR THE SAME REASON, TRIED RECALIBRATING YAW SENSOR SUCCESSFULLY. 3 DAYS LATER IT HAPPENED AGAIN MECHANICS SAYS THE SENSOR MAY BE PERIODICALLY MALFUNCTIONING, OVER CORRECTING FOR A NONEXISTENT PROBLEM. IT HAS HAPPENED GOING 30 MPH ONCE, AS WELL AS TODAY THE LIGHTS AND BEEPING WENT OFF AT A DEAD STOP IN MY DRIVEWAY. WENT STRAIGHT TO MECHANICS, TURNED OFF CAR TO GO INSIDE, NOTHING FOUND WHEN HE PULLED IT IN

NHTSA ID

10907303

Incident

Aug 23, 2016

Mileage

189,000 mi