Owners have filed 2,690 complaints on the Toyota Sequoia, covering 2001–2022. The system named most often is Structure (362 reports). Worst years by volume: 2002, 2003, 2001; cleanest: 2022, 2020, 2021. 92 reports describe a crash, 7 a fire, 4 a death. On average the car was 8.6 years old when the problem happened.
What breaks on Toyota Sequoia
Grouped by the system owners named — percentages are shares of all 2,690 Sequoia complaints. Open any row for the full reports in owners' own words.
Structure 362 Read
The contact owns a 2010 toyota sequoia. The contact stated the rear door latch was corroded and melted away. As a result, the contact was unable to open the rear door. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the door latch needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer…
While I was driving on the freeway, my family and I heard a loud bang. I pulled over to check and discovered that our sunroof had exploded. We went to a Toyota dealership to have it examined, but the staff claimed it was caused by a rock. We opened the sunshade to check, but no rock was found inside. It was clearly an…
When traveling on the freeway at 65-70mph there is a whistling or metal to metal sound that happens on the left side of the car. I can't tell if it's in the windshield or the frame area. Also there is a constant squeak on the right corner of the windshield at the dashboard
Service Brakes 347 Read
The front brakes seem to wear out at an excelerated rate. I had the front rotors replaced when the vehicle had under 30,000 miles, do to gouging of the rotors. The vehicle is now just over 30,000 miles and the vcs light comes on, and anti-skid activates, and when I press on the brakes there is horrible vibrations and…
Brakes became "soft" with vibration in pedal and complete loss of acceleration power. Upon review-saw this is a common complaint that is not being resolved by toyota. They recalled their 2003 product with the same problem. Folks go to toyota to have problem fixed - only to have same problem within months and some…
When we first bought the vehicle the trac system lights kept coming on and the brakes felt mushy; we took it in to toyota and they replaced the computer system which seemed to rectify the problem. Then about 9 mo to a year later the lights kept coming on again and the brakes failed twice, toyota stated they would…
Electronic Stability Control (esc) 301 Read
Battery in 2004 toyota sequoia went dead. Put the battery on charge. After charging was complete I put the key in the ignition to start the car. I started the car and smoke poured out from under the hood. I immediately turned the ignition off and opened the hood to find the ABS computer smoking with flames. I quickly…
I was traversing a driveway covered with about 6 inches of snow. The drive slopped slightly to the right. My speed was less than 10mph. Suddenly the sequoia started to slide sideways to the right. I stepped on the accelerator to regain control. The stability control activated and prevented any acceleration. I slid…
Received toyota recall notice for my vehicle; specifically by VIN. Called a local toyota dealer who could not find this recall. Called toyota who said it was fixed on my vehicle at a time when they did not have possession!! So is it ok to drive??
Vehicle Speed Control 292 Read
While approaching a red light I applied brake my truck but instead my sequoia thrust forward causing me to hit the car stopped at the light in front of me, causing damage to both vehicles
Toyota sequoia (ball joints recall) was driving on highway I-5 northbound just after the bridge that goes over the sacramento river I was on the bypass/cosway bridge driving in the #1 (of 2) lane going 65 mph when suddenly my front end driver's side of my vehicle dropped completely and I was skidding on complete…
My vehicle will suddenly accelerate for no reason. This sudden "unintended acceleration of power" comes on with no notice. I have almost hit a person and have been in one car accident as a result. This unintended acceleration problem has occurred about 10 to 12 times. The unintended acceleration has occurred both in…
Air Bags 208 Read
I was hit by a large truck going 30mph and I was going 50mph. He hit the driver side along with the passenger side, all of the windows shattered, we spun three times and then hit again. I have photos of my car immediately after the crash. All of the police, fire, and emt personnel wondered why the airbags never went…
Takata recall accident airbag did not deploy , auto airbag settlement portland settlement , accident , did not deploy when hit !
"takata recall" while entering the ramp to get on the eastex fwy. (ih 59) north bound, I observed that up ahead of me a vehicle was in a complete stop while on the freeway. I tried to switch lanes but I had another vehicle to my left which made it impossible for me to switch lanes. I then ran into the back of the…
Suspension 191 Read
I was driving in rain going about 35-40 mph entering a curve when I saw a car stopped in front of me turning into a driveway. I tried to hit the brakes but my car actually accelerated to 55-60 mph hitting the vehicle from behind. It threw the car I hit over 100-200 feet off the road into a tree. My car continued to…
On wednesday, february 7, I was driving our 2007 toyota sequoia 4x4 on a rural road that had had fresh snow the night before, but no sand or other road salt was laid down. It is a curvy and hilly road. I had driven on the road an hour earlier with no problems. At approximately 9am, I encountered a patch of ice where…
I tried to make apointments to local dealers they set up appointments and than don’t do nothing about it they said the don’t have any certified tech to do the job so I left with this mess not knowing when my ride is going to give. Out on me I got about 319000 miles Toyota should be proud and thank me for keeping my…
Steering 183 Read
The toyota sequoia was being driven on the freeway at 65 mph when it was struck on the passenger side by a vw jetta that cut across several lanes as it entered the highway impacting the sequoia in the rear quarter panel and the front passenger side fender, as well as some contact with the passenger side front wheel,…
The contact owned a 2007 toyota sequoia. While driving 30 mph, the steering seized without warning and the vehicle crashed into a tree. The driver sustained unknown injuries that required medical attention. A police report was filed. The vehicle was destroyed and towed to a salvage yard. The manufacturer was notified.…
On monday afternoon 1/19/2015 was driving my 2007 toyota sequoia 40 mph as I drove my vehicle suddenly dropped on the left side & my tire flew off. Damage was done to my suspension as it scrapped & hit the concrete pavement damage was done to my rim. Now the dealership I purchased the vehicle from is currently working…
Electrical System 162 Read
Front and rear parking assist sonar failed to work. The sonar failed to go off before hitting a 4 foot tall parking pole on passenger front bumper. Causing damage to the front bumper. Two days later a different driver backed into a 5 foot tall trash can on back driver bumper. Again, the sonar did not go off. The…
The contact owns a 2003 toyota sequoia. The contact stated that while driving in snowy weather at 28 mph, the vehicle suddenly accelerated, skidded to the left and crashed into a field. There were no injuries but a police report was filed. The vehicle was taken to an independent repair shop where the body was…
Issue: safety features failing at less than 500 miles problem statement: at less than 500 miles the safety sensors ( collision prevention, cruise control adaptable speed, rear cross traffic, blind spot monitor ) are failing repeatedly. Dealer has contacted toyota for support. No eta at present
Sequoia years to avoid — and the clean ones
Complaints per model year. More reports usually means more cars on the road as well as more trouble, so read the crash and fire columns alongside the count.
| Model year | Complaints | Top system | Crashes | Fires |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Steering | — | — | |
| 2021 | Fuel/propulsion System | 1 | — | |
| 2020 | Power Train | — | — | |
| 2019 | Fuel/propulsion System | — | — | |
| 2018 | Air Bags,electronic Stability Control (esc) | — | — | |
| 2017 | Engine | 1 | — | |
| 2016 | Electrical System | — | — | |
| 2015 | Air Bags | — | — | |
| 2014 | Air Bags | 1 | — | |
| 2013 | Air Bags | — | — | |
| 2012 | Electrical System | — | — | |
| 2011 | Air Bags | 1 | — | |
| 2010 | Air Bags | 1 | 2 | |
| 2009 | Electrical System,electronic Stability Control (esc),service Brakes | — | — | |
| 2008 | Air Bags | 4 | — | |
| 2007 | Air Bags | 5 | — | |
| 2006 | Air Bags | 6 | — | |
| 2005 | Air Bags | 6 | 1 | |
| 2004 | Air Bags | 17 | 1 | |
| 2003 | Air Bags | 13 | 2 | |
| 2002 | Air Bags | 18 | 1 | |
| 2001 | Air Bags | 18 | — |
The same model year, different builds
Every complaint carries the first 11 characters of the VIN — plant, year, body and engine. That is a production series, and complaints are spread across them very unevenly.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Distinct production series | 528 |
| Average complaints per series | 5.1 |
| Worst single series | 23 complaints |
| Average age at failure | 8.6 years |
A model average of 5.1 hides a worst series at 23. Enter a VIN above to see the numbers for that exact build instead of the model as a whole.
Owners reported these. Find out if yours is one of them.
- Complaints matched to the exact production run, not just the model
- What the car is worth given what tends to fail on it
- The original window sticker and factory options
- Full research report as a PDF for the pre-purchase inspection
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How we count
Every figure here comes from complaints owners filed with NHTSA — 1,100,006 of them, covering 1,982 models built between 1981 and 2026.
A complaint is an unverified report: someone wrote down what happened to their car. It is not a confirmed defect and not a recall. What makes the volume useful is the pattern — when thousands of owners of the same build describe the same failure, that is a signal no marketing brochure will give you.
Two things we do that the source does not. First, we compute the age of the car at the moment of failure from the incident date and the model year. Second, we group complaints by the first 11 characters of the VIN — the production series — so a bad plant run does not disappear into a model-wide average.
Frequently asked questions
What are the worst years for the Sequoia?
By complaint volume, 2002, 2003, 2001 drew the most owner reports. Bear in mind that popular years put more cars on the road, so check the crash and fire columns too.
Which Sequoia years are the cleanest?
2022, 2020, 2021 have the fewest complaints on file. For recent years that can simply mean the cars are young.
How many complaints does the Toyota Sequoia have?
2,690 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, covering 2001–2022. Of those, 92 describe a crash and 7 a fire.
Are these complaints verified?
No. They are unverified reports from owners. NHTSA publishes them as filed and investigates only a fraction. The value is in the pattern, not in any single report.
Can I check complaints for one specific car?
Yes — enter its VIN above. We match the first 11 characters, which identify the plant, year, body and engine, so you get complaints on that exact production series rather than the whole model.