Toyota Sequoia Maintenance and Repair

bp3959

If this is a new sound and hasn't been there the entire 11k miles, you need to take it in and have it checked before your engine destroys itself. Either something internal to the engine is damaged, or you have no oil running through the engine(or really really old oil).

While I'm talking about oil, stay far away from quaker state and pennzoil. My father has been a mechanic over 30 years, and 90% of the engines he's seen sludged up ran one of those oils. The oils I've seen most people on these boards run are mobil, valvoline, amsoil, and red line. If you don't want to go full synthetic I recommend valvoline durablend, it's not as expensive as full synthetic but will provide some of the benefits of synthetic including the extra additives.

bp3959

You can find ceramics at any parts store out there, they cost me about $90, but they are supposed to last alot longer, and I've spent more than that in cleaning products for brake dust. If your brakes are wearing faster than they should(you should get at least 30k each change unless you do alot of towing) and the 2001 brake caliper TSB doesn't apply to you, I'd have your rotors checked for grooves as this will cause much faster pad wear. If the pads on a certain wheel are wearing noticibly faster than the others, you may have a stuck caliper.

I agree with you about the second row straps, the only way I get them to hold properly is if I strap them up, then move one of the front seats back to tighten it up.

kiddogo

Well we took it to the Toyota dealer and they said the engine is fine but they need to replace both sets or rear wheel bearings. Parts are on order and it must have been pretty bad. My wife was not allowed to take the car for the rest of the day to run her errands. They did provide her a free loaner.

Stay tuned

bp3959

Sorry to misdiagnose so badly, but bad wheel bearings is quite a different sound than a diesel, I'm glad to see your problem was found and is being fixed though. I'm wondering how both rear wheel bearings could go out at the same time with such low mileage, I've never seen that before, and wouldn't expect to see it in a Toyota.

I'm guessing they gave you a camry for the loaner, I know from experience that you'll appreciate getting the Sequoia back after that. Now don't get me wrong, I put 45k miles on my camry and loved that car, but once you get used to the Sequoia it just doesn't feel right being that close to the ground

backster

2001 Sequoia LTD, 79,500 get a new transmission as we speak! Covered under toyota's platinum warranty--no cost to me--I guess I got money out of the warranty. Just got a Sienna XLE LTD, was leaning against the warranty but at the end decided to get one--guess that is paid for too now!!!!

Have a wonderful weekend
baxter

mannyboy

My biggest problem on my 2001 Sequoia LTD is the AC, I brought it to the dealer for the 4th time seems like every 2 weeks I have to go back to the dealer, they already change the whole AC system and still not working right, the only good thing about it I have a extended warranty.

bp3959

The dealership I had my AC system replaced at also had to do it a second time, but they ran a thorough test after the first time and discovered the problem before I had the chance to. They then replaced it a secondtime for free and I haven't had a problem since. The dealership gave two possible reasons for the first replacement not working, they either got a bum compressor(which isn't uncommon) or they didn't flush the system well enough before putting it back together. FYI, they also had to replace the clutch which isn't part of the TSB.

jj35

I have read on other forums that Toyota has issued a TSB regarding replacement of the catalytic converter for those suffering from the rotten egg odor. Has anyone heard of this and has anyone had their cc replaced in a Sequoia? Is it something that is done even if out of warranty? I complained to the dealer about mine several times and was pretty much blown off. Now I am at around 40k miles.

bp3959

I have the same problem but I'm at 95k.

flyfish4life

What were the issues with your AC? My 2001 (79K) has been emitting a buzzing noise (which gets louder the higher the fan speed) near the black box on the passenger floorboard. Overall, the a/c is fairly noisy from the outside, too. Of course, I suffer from the rotton egg smell and have complained numerous times to no avail. The only other significant problems I have experienced is (1)both rear axle seals were replaced (one at 30K and one at 60K) and (2) during cold days, I get a humming vibration from the front axle that goes away when the car warms up. Fortunately, I purchased the platinum warranty (which effectively paid for itself w/ the second axle seal), but I am concerned with A/C and transmission issues after 100K.

jj35

After some research, I found this article

http://www.cleveland.com/business/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/bus- - iness/1090056830180623.xml

titled "Customers driven to make a stink - After delay, Toyota responds to complaints about smelly cars", Saturday, July 17, 2004, Christopher Jensen, Plain Dealer Auto Editor.

It says this about the stink:

“About 4 million vehicles are covered by a series of technical service bulletins sent to dealers about the problem starting in May. The bulletins do not mean all the vehicles are being recalled; they simply inform dealers how to handle the problem should it occur.
The vehicles include the 2002 to 2004 Camrys, 2003 and 2004 4Runners, 2003-2004 Corollas, 2004 RAV4s, 2002-2004 Solaras, 2004 Highlanders, 2001-2004 Sequoias, 2003-2004 Matrixes, 2002-2003 Lexus ES 300s and 2003-2004 Lexus GX 470s. “
 
“The cost to fix the problem ranges from $2,000 to $3,000. Repairs are being covered under an emissions warranty, which goes for eight years or 80,000 miles, according to Toyota. “

I am most definitely discussing this with the dealership at my next service appointment.

I am still wondering, has anyone has had the fix?

jj35

flyfish4life -

In addition to the rotten egg smell, I have also had the rear axle seals replaced around 25k miles. I had a screeching noise whenever I made a sharp turn even at slow speeds. I am starting to have the squeal again and I am wondering if this is a sign of the rear axle seals going bad again. Since they were replaced less than a year ago, I am hoping that they can be replaced again at no cost to me. I hate to think that this is going to be a recurring problem with my Sequoia.

bp3959

You'd know if you had the problem covered in the TSB, your ac light would start flashing on and off when you tried to use it. For the vibration, it sounds like you have something stuck in the fan, it'll have to be pulled apart and checked. If the rotten egg smell you are talking about is the exhaust, there's a TSB out to replace some exhaust components. If you are talking about a rotten egg smell from the AC, simply spray some lysol in the vents while on recirculate and clean out the mildew that's forming in your ducts.

flyfish4life

Thanks for the insight, bp3959 - FYI, the rotten egg smell is with the exhaust and I will inquire about the TSB.

Kirstie_H

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shari

sequoia, 2003. Ever since I purchased my car in may of 03, i have had the same issue with my car. It is a limited, and I called the dealer that day and it is going in now for the third time to have it looked at. It drives me completely nuts!
It sounds like a wire is loose or something, but my amplifier has been replaced once, and on the way home, the noise started again, (that was in April)
I am not happy that I spent so much on a car and I have had trouble with it from day 1.

billd

Will need to remove the roof rack to get it in my garage. Am concerned with filling the holes and how it will look w/out the racks. Anyone out there havd a Sequoia w/out a rack?

kw6

Had the TSB done on my 2003. It works! All I had to do was ask for it...and it was done. The total cost to me was $0, but the invoice was $2800. Glad I didn't have to pay for it.

Anyone else have the buzzing noise coming from their speakers?? Had both amps replaced but it still does it. Not all the time, though.

vickruc1

In answer to seadoo3- See posts 433, 434, 435. I had trouble diagnosing mine. It turned out to be a Nextel phone acquired from work. I have a 2003 limited with the rear audio and the dealer actually showed me the paragraph in the user manual that states cell phones could cause interference/static on the radio. Turn off your cell phone and see if it stops.

sjk2

Are there enough Sequoia owners out there who are angry enough at Toyota for treating us like NOBODYS? How many times did Toyota say to you this problem is normal?

If the it was under the Lexus nameplate, Toyota would turn themselves inside out to remedy our problems... The GX470 share the same Drive Shaft technology and when LEXUS Owners complain with the same problems Lexus acknowledges it and offers a solution... They have a Technical Service Bulliten to correct that exact problem... Our TOYOTA SEQUOIAS cost in the $40,000-$50,000 range. We need to get the same treatment as the Lexus GX470 drivers.

We as a group can make a difference...Everybody who brings their truck in to Toyoyta for this problem can not be dismissed by the dealer telling us it is normal when LEXUS recognizes this as a PROBLEM with a REMEDY.

WE NEED TO START A CLASS ACTION SUIT TO MAKE TOYOTA FIX IT.

Register a complaint into the government website www.nhtsa.dot.gov or call them tollfree 888 327 4236
TOYOTA has to acknowledge each one of these complaints.

MAKE TOYOTA ACCOUNTABLE.

I invite replies to further this QUEST

exmurr

I leased a 2004 sequoia limited a few weeks ago and have been disappointed with the quality of the ride at highway speeds. There's a noticeable vibration in the center console, seats, and door arm rests which drives me nuts. I've taken it into service twice for rebalancing and have gone out on test drives with the service director. They tell me there's nothing wrong with it ("it's a truck") but I can't believe that this car got great reviews with this ride. I've owned two Expeditions in the past and never had any problems with ride quality so it's just hard to imagine that the Sequoia would ride worse.

While shopping, I test drove 2 other Sequoia's which rode nicely and then the one I finally bought. On the one I bought, I noticed the problem but let the sales person convince me that it was just a balancing issue.

The service people hinted at the tires (Dunlop Grandtrek AT20). I test drove another new Sequoia with the same tires and it had a worse ride than mine...

If anyone has had similar problems/experiences with these tires or other issues which might have the same symptoms, I'd like to hear about them. I may try to pursue a tire swap with Toyota but not sure how far I'll get with that or if that will resolve my issues.

nige1970

MY 03 LIMITED HAS SAME PROBLEM-BUT IT GOES AWAY WHEN DRIVESHAFT/PROPELLAR SHAFT IS LUBED,IT SEEMS LIKE I HAVE TO LUBE/GREASE IT EVERY 2-3K MILES,PAIN IN THE [non-permissible content removed] AND I WORK AT A DEALERSHIP(NOT TOYOTA),IN THE OWNERS MAINT. LOG IT SAYS TO LUBE DAILY!!!!IF YOU LIVE/DRIVE IN DUSTY AREAS OR TOW FREQUENTLY.

satykhaysavang

I'm planning on buying 01 Sequoia SR5 with 65k miles for $22,500. I wonder if there are any potential problems that I should be aware of from 01 model year since it is the first production year.

Thanks for response

bp3959

With that many miles on it any problems it had should have been worked out by now. Check that the AC works and the brakes are not warped.

satykhaysavang

A/C works fine and brake doesn't warped. My other concerns are with minor thing such as the smell from cat. converter, low oil pressure during idle, etc. I assumed these problems should be fixed by the dealer under the TSB even though the care is out of factory warranty. Am I right?

bp3959

I've heard the cat TSB is good till 85k, make sure though because if not it's about $2k.

shari

Hi, I have a question, did they ever find out what the static noise was from your stereo? mine has had the same thing, been in 3x to 2 different dealers, no one says they hear it and cant fix it unless they hear it. I am having my 03 limited go in next week for service manager to drive back and forth for a week so they can hear it. i was hoping someone can tell me what it was before I get it in there so they know where to start.
thanks, shari (braindeadmomma@aol.com)

blackdog4

After writing a rather lengthy problem and its solution note, I wanted to check an earlier post before sending mine in. When I came back, mine was gone. Can it be found?

rpnuge

hi,
sadly, i had a rock hit my windshield and started a crack that's moving up on the drivers side. My insurance (in Mass) will pay 100% for replacement. But they did mention a dealer may be more money and I could end up paying some if insurance doesn't cover it all. So the question is, what is the difference between a Toyota windshield and what the third party companies use?
I'm leaning towards having Toyota do it.

Rich

Karen_S

I'm not sure what happened, but it doesn't look as though your message was posted.