You seem to be just another devoted Toyota fanatic that can't stand seeing people reporting problems. Also, what's wrong with people wanting to customize their car the way they prefer. I'm glad that you find your car just the way you like it. I happen to like mine too, but I also like to improve it in any way I can.
If you're willing to let Toyota set the standard for you, that would be fine, but don't expect people who have engine noise problem and other problems to be quiet. Thank you.
Hey, Mr. Moderator: How about creating a forum for Sequoia owners or lurkers who don't want to hear anything negative about the Sequoia?
mmcgregor thanks for your insight on the gas tank issue. I guess I am just to conservative to let it run down that far. I can live with the 20 gallon (when the warning light comes on) tank. Its nice to know that there are 5 gallons left after the warning light.
On the ticking... This engine is not new, at least not its first year. Where they have used the engine before (Tundra) has anyone driven this engine 100K miles with the ticking and had any mechanical engine problems?
A tahoe?, come on now! That thing will be burning/leaking oil, transmission slipping gears, interior trim falling off by 15,000 miles. My Sequoia now has 5000 and has been perfect in every way, shape, and form. I have added the fog lights, and husky liners (which are great). I am very please, but I'm not saying the truck is perfect, all vehicles have flaws, yes even toyota's. But when you decide to buy a first year, first run truck you have to think about the bugs it may have initially, until it becomes a refined vehicle. hopefully toyota will take all this input and make the changes it needs to make. I don't have the same problems as some of you, but even if I did I wouldn't go so far as to buy a chevy product. Check consumer reports, GM vehicles have been receiving some of the worst build quality ratings in a decade.
It's odd that Tahoe is in the JD Power top three for full size SUVs? FYI, GM makes among the best auto transmissions in the world so it's unlikely that will be a problem. They also make trucks with major long term endurance. No the build quality is not as good as the Sequoia, but they are very good trucks. Sequoia and Tundra are far from trouble free, that is quite clear.
The engine "ticking" happens in quite a few Tundras. Mine does it at cold temps and it doesn't bother me. The Tundra has been around for 2 years now and I have not heard of any long term problems associated with ticking engines. A fix has been found but is not recognized by corporate yet. It involves wrapping the injectors. with insulation.
I am happy to hear that there does not appear to be a major flaw in the engine. Like yours, mine is a minor tick at cold temperatures. My guess is that wrapping them with insulation only deadens the noise, or does this keep them "warmer" so they will not tick? Either way I am very happy with my vehicle.
I find it very interesting listening to everyone and their proposed modifications and/or additions to the vehicle. While I may never do any of them, I may run across one that "looks like a keeper".
Where does this wrapping go? I mean how can one wrap the injectors with insulation? I would assume it could help hold the heat more quickly, probably cutting down the warm-up time.
Its stated in the manual that engaging the transmission shifter in L while in 4WD Lo locks the center diff., otherwise its unlocked like in Hi. Does one get all 4 forward gears in Lo under this scenario or only 1st gear? What about reverse. Is there no center diff lock for reverse? thanks if anyone has the answers.
I ordered a White Limited Sequoia with oak leather interior April 7th (7 weeks ago). Within a few weeks I was told MY SQ would be produced May 7. They promised a call a few days before the expected shipment date, but they never called until it arrived on the lot exactly 6 weeks after the order date. After a 3 hour drive to pick up the new SQ I found it had gray interior rather than the oak I ordered. It wasn't until that point the dealer started talking about an "allocation" system Toyota had rather than an order system. What happened to MY SQ they were going to build on May 7?
They now tell me the best I can hope for is for the dealer to be allocated what I order in their next allocation. However, they still may not be allocated my car in their next allocation. That means best case scenario it would arrive in about another 6 weeks (if I'm lucky) for a total time from order to delivery of 13 weeks. HELP!!!
Is there anything I can do. I called the 800 Go Toyota number who referred me to customer service which was not helpful. They just sent an em-ail back to the dealer. I told them since I was spending $40K on a car I would prefer not to have another one from another dealer which has been driven (which I don't feel is unreasonable) but even if I was will to accept this they say they can't find a white Limited with oak leather.
I don't know what else to do other than sit around waiting and hope something might be delivered in 6-8 more weeks. Any advice from anyone?
Check in with cliffy or reticent1, they know the game inside and out. I'm pretty sure there's a way to preference the car, but Toyota doesn't make it easy.
If you pop me off an email, I can tell you how to handle your dealer in regards to the white Limited with the wrong interior.
There are several ways to skin this cat, and several ways to make certain you get the right car but your dealer needs to hear you use the right verbiage to get them to react the way you need.
Yeah, I have Bridgestones duelers 245/70R16 on my trooper. Those are good. Everyone over on the trooper board has had good wear out of those tires, plus have used them extensively offoad.
Has anyone used this with the center diff locked. I engaged it by putting the trans in 1 and the center indicator goes red--I could tell the front wheels had fully engaged. I shifted to reverse and the center diff stays engaged. Also, if I went into drive it stays engaged. It seems if you spend more than a second or two in neutral, it switches back to an open center diff. while in 4WD Lo. Nothing is in the manual about this operation. Thanks for any input or comments.
cliffy1 : It's odd that Toyota knows about this engine problem but continues to make it . I didn't realize this clicking was happening in the Tundra also. While I can drown out the noise with the stereo, I know it's there and on cool morning it seems to be louder.
shweggy : My friend has a 2000 Tahoe and it's been basically trouble free. I think GM makers some decent trucks also.
I guess in the end I will just keep the pressure on my dealer and hope for the best. I generally like my Sequoia, but the clicking (or ticking) must be fixed one way or another.
I did a fairly complete explanation of the 4WD system and posted it to its own topic. The only thing I didn't address is the issue of locking the center differential in reverse. I don't know the answer to that but my guess is that it is not locked.
Here in VA, we are getting half of our white limiteds with oak interior, so I know it is not impossible to get them. I don't know about your area, but they are not difficult to get in the Central Atlantic Region. You need to have a long sit down talk with the manager of your dealership to get a straight answer.
I also ordered a Sequoia during the first week of April and was told it would be built May 7. I ordered a Sequoia SR5 with specific preferences. One of these preferences was the side airbags which seems to be the holdup here in the South. I was told my truck was built without the airbags so they put back in the order and I was given a May 18 date. Now, we are told it will be June 14. I wanted to special order the Sequoia just like I wanted, so I expected a wait. However, I am now concerned that it seems so hard for my dealership to get the vehicle in. They have even talked to the regional rep to find out why my order keeps being "kicked out." Does this sound normal? Will I be able to get this vehicle the way I want it? Any opinions/similar experiences out there?
You have some weird characters with respect to shifting the transmission in your post “L”
Does shifting into L1 and shifting back keep the diff locked until one goes in transmission neutral. That is what I observed, but I was on my gravel driveway and did not drive it anywhere. It also looked like shifting quickly through neutral kept it locked in reverse. thanks.
Hey, has anyone on this board taken their Sequoia offroad and used 4WD Low yet?
Slickrock has used his off road and about a month ago posted a fairly detailed review. I wont presume to speak for him, but my memory is that it performed extremely well.
As to the odd characters, that was a cut and paste error that I missed. It is my understanding that the differential is only locked when in "L" and unlocks when you up-shift. I could be wrong about that and if I am. please let me know.
I do have one question for you about this. Could you describe for me what you believe you gain by having the center differential locked. I've given this a fair amount of thought, and can't really think of a time that there is any advantage to this if you are stuck with the low gear range on the transfer case. I can see why you would want to lock in in the high range if you are in sand, but can't think of an advantage in low.
Well with the diff locked one gets a much better feel on loose stuff at low speeds (i.e. at 20 mph and less). All wheels grab equally. Otherwise one would likely encounter some wheel spin before another wheel takes over. Also, on a steep decline, on loose material or on bedrock, all wheels give equal engine braking. Now if you are at the point of digging your wheels into loose material, be it sand or snow, to have the traction alternate to the other wheels is better. Also, if you are backing up a trailer in reverse on loose or slick material, again at low speed (less than 5 mph), I think it helps, at least it feels better to me, to have all wheels applying equal torque.
I agree, if you are in deep sand, your wheels could dig in in 4WD low, and you don't have the additional advantage of speed to get you through the rough spots. I would not use it under that scenario.
The last time I sent a piece to this forum, a few people called me Toyota "fanatic", just because I told them exactly what twosour repeated here - to wit - enjoy your vehicle and do less nit-picking. Well, I won't repeat myself, but it has been interesting reading this forum for a while now. All of the old gang has disappeared and a new batch oy owners, luckers, wannabe-owners, and bashers have joined the fray... Welcome to all of you. This forum caters to all kinds of personalities. More so are luckers who come in and delight in the 'problems' of this vehicle. Anything to destroy the myth of Q surrounding Toyota vehicles....
For *most* owners, the Seq is anything but a well-built, high quality vehicle. It performs its function flawlessly, and what it lacks in luxury features, it more than makes up for in grit and style. It turns heads and unique in its own way. Years from now, you will be glad you bought one and not another Expy or Tahoe. Yes, you pay a little more, but whoever said a good thing is cheap ?
gpm: methinks you have allowed the 'ticking noise' to take control of you. You are obsessed with this noise. Get a hold of yourself. Drive the vehicle and stop this incessant updates on mileage-versus-noise... I have 8,000 miles, and I can tell you I have never even bothered tring to find a ticking noise. I guess I have a lot more to do than allow other's problem to bother me that much.
dan165: The Seq must have cost a pretty penny, eh ? especially with the weaker Can$. Shelling out Can$60 big ones on a first year vehicle must be a lot to stomach. And God forbid that vehicle should ever be anything but flawless and perfect ! Wake up, man. It is a car, and imperfect, like you and I. I don't recall the value we have yet placed on the shmuck and imperfect human beings who put these vehicles together !!! Wanna place one ?
Now off my soap box and back to my rocking chair... Enjoy the long weekend everyone.. and Glad to be back to good 'ol US of A after a long trip to Europe. Man, it is nice to have the Seq to drive again. It is a "flawless" vehicle afterall... well, almost :-)
gpm5 - I didn't get the clicking for the first month and a half. It only developed over time. It's actually pretty noticeable, especially for the first minute or two.
oac - I'm not expecting perfection, but I do expect a $50K+ CDN truck to drive with out engine clicking. Please don't smugly tell me to "wake up"! You are not in my shoes so you don't know what it's like. While I do appreciate that there are problems with everything (especially first year vehicles), I don't like the fact that there is no fix and no one seems to know anything.
I have an appointment with the owner of the Toyota dealership next week so we will see what comes of it.
I have the most lovely chestnut seq. SR5 with 5000 miles on it. At 4000 miles (500 late, I know) I brought it in for it's first service and a "detail". One of 4 promised me when I purchased the vehicle. The detail turned out to be a car wash. No interior cleaning, windows, seats, etc. (With 2 kids, you can imagine that I needed that interior cleaning which the word "detail" implies) When I got the car home, I noticed that there were scratches and greasy rings on the hood where someone had obviously placed something (tire dressing can according to service people) on the hood and lazily dragged it across the hood upon removal. So.....the dealership CONCORD TOYOTA IN CONCORD, CA promised to buff out the scratches. Two days later I pick up my car and guess what?! The scratches are not buffable. So they make an appointment to have the hood painted at a local body shop they contract with. I'm okay with that idea so two weeks later I drop it off. A week after that, I get a call from the auto body shop....M2 COLLISION IN CONCORD, CA confessing that they have accidentally "bumped" the side of my beautiful, pristine seq into "something" in their garage, necessitating the painting of the rear quarter panel and blending the rear passenger side door. Okay, I'm peeved now. So A week after that I get a call to come pick up my car which is now "PERFECT". HA HA, when I go to pick it up (and I'm no expert on paint, bodywork or anything) I notice that the door moulding is peeling back from the car door. I touch it and it falls off in my hand! On further inspection I find overspray on the rear window, scratches on the rubber around the fender flare thiings etc. A bunch of indicators that the car is far less that the new, beautiful albeit dirty sequoia I brought in to be "detailed".
In a fit of fury I shouted expletives (most unladylike) and told them to keep it. I don't want it anymore. And threw in for good measure that they should try not to hit anything when they drive it back on to their lot to sell again! Then I drove off into the sunset in the loaner Avalon they gave me a week earlier. Here's my question to you folks....
Am I unjustified in expecting them to replace my car? If you think so, then what compensation would you suggest I deserve? I am concerned that the paint on 1/3 of the car as well a the moulding are always going to be a potential problem for us. Yes, I'm bitter and I think I have a right to be. I bought the car on 12/31 at only 500 under msrp and as you all know, it's not a small investment. I expected my car to be detailed and looking like new. Not scratched, painted, smashed, painted, and glued back together....and still dirty!!!
Talk me down from the ledge and NEVER, EVER, USE CONCORD TOYOTA OR M2 COLLISSION IN CONCORD, CA!!!
This is a tough one. Its hard to fault the dealer but ultimately it is the dealer who needs to step in and take responsibility for the mishaps which were not your fault. Your approach probably with anger was not rational at the time but IMO talk to the customer service manager at Concord Toyota and give them a few options that you feel are reasonable they should do to keep your trust and business. Giving them an ultimatum just creates a difficult situation worse, especially for the one who bought the product. (Which is you unfortunately in this case) I would give the dealer an option to replace with a new one from his lot or order one and offer to pay the difference in value had yours been in perfect condition. Meaning use the Kelley Blue Book value or Edmunds TMV for not so new Seq. with similar options of your truck and what the one on their lot is worth, using the Edmunds TMV, once that price is settled, the two of you can split the difference. For example if yours is worth $38k and on their lot new one is worth $42K you pay $2k to get another new Seq. and he pays 2K or whatever his cost maybe to him. You end up paying little but you get a new truck and if they do this then you are not without a Seq. This is just one option. Hope it makes sense, it works out for you.
Well, it is a bad situation. Unfortunately, it is an almost no win situation. I had a similar thing happen 3-4 yrs ago on a FORD Windstar that we traded for our Seq. They buggered up the front of that 98 windstar van after they had to work on the tranny, when brand new. I also told them after the tranny problem and messed up paint, that I did not want the vehicle. The best I got out of them was a perfect repaint of the front bumper grill after their buffing/spot painting etc did not work. They also repainted a door strip.
You can get the dealer to make it as good as it can get, but unfortunately it will never be new. He/the body shop (or another body shop) can order and replace the rubber seal around the wheel well trim. He can take care of the overspray etc. Maybe you can get the dealer to give you some incentive to 'not take him to court' although a court would only order that the vehicle be 'made like new' which the dealer should and likely will do his best to do anyways. Maybe the dealer will give you something like lifetime free oil changes or such. On the other hand if their service department performs by setting cans on hood, that is likely not the place you want to go for service.
On a trip to upstate NY 17.6 mpg based on an actual fill-up. That was in 4WD due to rain almost half of the trip. Just under 600 miles on the truck and still breaking in. I'm happy with that mpg. Oh, the computer read 14.9 overall, so it is actually reading low on the mpg.
regarding the service horror story you stated "It is hard to fault the dealer" Who on earth would you fault then???!!! My goodness, they lied about the detail, they left cans on the hood, they sent it to a shoddy body shop that they contract with, they lied about it's "perfect" condition upon return. Who else could possibly be at fault??? Me???? (Insert scoffing here) The Sequoia now has 5,400 miles on it and as you know, loses value the moment it comes off the lot. Splitting the difference on a replacement with me absolutely stinks in my opinion. I think they should split the cost of a replacement with the body shop who contributed to the problem. (Where is the accountability here???) I don't want a 2002 or anything like that. I don't want anything more than what I had....a beautiful, NEW, 2001 chestnut brown SR5 which I know has factory paint, original mouldnings and is CLEAN and DETAILED as promised. Uh Oh, my BP is rising just thinking about it. THe only way I would even consider giving them even one red cent is if they offered a 2002 as replacement. (Although they dont even have a 2001 on the lot) By the way, did I mention that you should NEVER USE CONCORD TOYOTA IN CONCORD, CA?
To: rab4fdl I bought my Sequoia from Walnut Creek Toyota. I was treated like a king. I get Lexus service and I bought a Toyota. When I bring in one of my two Toyota's a '99 Avalon ,or my Sequoia in for servicing , they can't do enough for me. I would recommend you try Walnut Creek Toyota. Good Luck
Sorry. What I meant was it is a situation where they were not directly to blame for the dmamge done to the truck at the body shop. I agree with you regarding getting the body shop and a dealer to split the difference but that may be a extremely a hard sell since, they are in bed with them and they wouold consider it as one at that moment. Again its a suggestion only. You are in direct contact with them, and deal with them through their management and follow up with a letter with the conversation then send a copy of the letter to the Toyota service district office. If the local office does not respond send a copy of the letter to company HQ in Torrance. Take it one step at a time and give them opportunity to respond. BTW: Send all letters via either a FedEx or similar to keep a track of who is getting the copies. One more thing as one of the other messages stated you can try the whole court thing but more likely the courts will only ask to make it 'like new' which the dealer can and would probably do, than you have no leverage with them and you will have 'like new' at best. Best is to document and give the customer relations departments at the dealership and factory a opportunity. Good Luck.
I know somewhere within the 2699 messages there are several posts that provide insight to bike racks that mount in the trailer hitch--unfortunately my search has been unsuccessful--Please point me in the right direction to the previous posts or provide feed back. thanks and I hope each of you had a safe and enjoyable memorial day weekend.
Yakima (yakima.com) makes several. I went with the TerraFirma myself. Shop wisely and you'll save yourself $40 - $50.
On the gas tank issue - I didn't mean to imply that there are 4 - 5 gallons AFTER the light comes on. I'm pretty sure this is not the case. I meant that when filling up, the pump will click off when there are only ~22 gallons in the tank. If you continue to fill a little at a time you can get close to 26 gallons in but then I think you might be messing with the evaporator system, as someone pointed out to me a while back. At these prices you don't want to put in 26 galloons at a time anyway. Just top it off at 20 gallons and enjoy the ride.
My father bought two cars from that dealership. The Internet saleswoman treated him right, but beyond that, I have my doubts about certain things in that store. I would suggest talking directly to the owner there 9I can't remember his name right now). What was done is inexcusable. By painting the hood, they severely damaged the future value of the Sequoia. This was compounded by the shoddy work on the quarter panel. They owe you big time for this.
I honestly don't know what they can do at this point. They wont give you a new truck. They can't undo the damage to the future value. Your best bet is to raise enough of a stink to get some form of compensation. Get a 100K mile warranty or something like that.
I like Yakima and Thule racks for top mount racks - I have a Yakima system. I haven't done much research on trailerhitch mount systems but I would check out these companies offerings. Other manufacturers are Rhode Gear, Advantage, Hollywood and Barrecrafters.
The reason for the spacing irregularity is because you inserted a URL into your message. In order to get rid the extra spaces, if you so desire, you could always edit the message and remove the "P" (paragraph) tags.
Hope this helps! Drew Host Vans, SUVs, and Aftermarket & Accessories message boards
I just bought a Thule Rak and lok-attaches to the hitch-- for my SUV (Montero ltd)--it's wonderful (the bike rack that is...actually the Monte is pretty sweet too but I digress).
The bike rack tilts away from the vehicle--very nice. It also has a kryptonite type lock that locks the rack to the hitch, and a second krytonite lock that locks the bikes to the bike rack (both locks use the same key). Very easy to use. The Monte has a spare tire off the back, and I needed the extended base plate (it was only six dollars extra--doubt you would need it with a Seq. but you might want to make sure).
Total cost was $315.00 (including the 2 bike extension--holds a total of four bikes).
Well, I've come to a point where I need to ask folks here for some assistance. In February, my Sequoia developed a rather obtrusive "popping" noise that appeared to be coming from behind the driver's-side dash near the firewall. At times this popping noise would correspond with harsh bumps in the road, but at the same time would sound off with long, broad undulations in the road as if driven more by body-flexing. Essentially, it's inconsistent, with the exception that the "pop" only changes volume, frequency (how often). The timbre or overall sound of the "pop" never changes. It's definitely metal-on-metal, not plastic-on-plastic. I took it to my local dealer service center, and after a long conversation, and a demo-ride with my service advisor, I left it there for them to fix. From the story I heard, their trim guy looked at it for about twenty minutes, and proclaimed he hadn't a clue as to its origin. The dealer subsequently farmed the job out to a professional trim shop, who promptly fixed it, or so we thought.
The same popping noise re-appeared in early May, so I immediately took my Sequoia back to the dealer, who in turn, immediately sent it back to the outside-trim shop. The same trim shop worked for two days on it, and couldn't get rid of the popping noise. Come to find out later that they told the dealer on this second trip that they really didn't know what they did to fix the pop the first time. The acknowledged to the dealer on this visit that they couldn't fix it.
The dealer then sublet the job to an independent BODY SHOP. The body shop apparently went down the path of the trim-shop and thought that the pop could be coming from a joint where the firewall, door pillar, and fender wall meet. They stated that they observed a weld-seam that didn't appear "right", as compared to the surrounding area, so they reformed it slightly.
The body shop manager, the service advisor and his manager test drove my Sequoia, and pronounced it fixed. After I picked it up, I got no more than ten miles from the shop when that familiar sound started up again. I immediately went back to the dealer with the problem and demanded that something be done. It was too late in the day, and my loaner had already been sent back to the car rental place.
The next time I was able to take time off, my roommate and I went to the dealer's service department - they called in the manager of the offsite body shop, and the service manager, and we all discussed the problem. It was at this point that I went riding around with JUST the body shop manager to test for the noise. There was an advantage to this because the body shop is not at all affiliated with the dealer. During that ride, I got the "straight poop".
The facts at this point as related to me by the body shop manager are that they have no idea where the noise is coming from, and have no idea how to fix it. The next step would be to remove the dash and examine construction, but that's not such a great solution either, because the body shop manager told me that they couldn't drive it without a dash installed. Jeez, the moment they remove that dash, it'll NEVER go back together as well as the factory - it'll be "rattle-hell".
So here we are. The dealer can't fix it - the body shop sounds like he doesn't want to go anywhere near it, and that's when I decided to call Toyota in on this one. My fear is that Toyota will minimize the noise as nature-of-the-beast bs, and tell me that there's really nothing severely wrong. My point is that the noise is distracting, irritating, and I will not accept it happening in a $45,000.00 vehicle.
I wanted to come here for some advice first. Has any Sequoia owner experienced this type of noise, and if so, what did you do to fix it, and any other sage advice. Thanks
oooh man!that is an awful awful thing to happen.2 yrs ago a friend in work bought a brand new ford 150 loaded on memorial day weekend,picked it up on a friday nite and put it in the garage.On monday he goes for a ride and hears:RAP Rap Rap POOF ! gets towed into the dealership,comes to find out their was no oil in the engine(so much for dealer-prep!) they tell him they will put in a rebilt engine in a brand new truck with 60 miles on it, can you imagine.We all told him to insist on a new truck period.and he got 1,So go back there and scream your headoff untill they give you a new Sequoia as this was """no fault of yours"""..........
And if they don't come through, you should inform that you will be looking on their lot for a new car and you're a kinda clumsy walker and that you may accidently bump into and scratch a couple of their Landcuisers and such. But hey...since they take the position that a repaint doesn't harm the value, they they shouldn't mind you walking the lot when they're closed on Sundays.
This will be my last post to this forum [I'll probably continue to read, though (: ]. After considering all of the options at our disposal, we decided to get rid of our Sequoia Limited 4WD in favor of a brand of vehicle that has a more appropriate attitude to customers who spend >$45,000.00 on a vehicle. That's not as much of a slam as it sounds. Every time (and there were many) we went to our Toyota dealer for service on this Sequoia, it was this big production number to get a loaner, to get them to be proactive in their approach to service, etc. This is also not a bleat of "the grass is greener", it's just that Lexus/Acura/Infiniti seemingly have less hurdles to overcome when taking your car in for service, and had this "popping noise" problem that occurred with my Sequoia had occurred in our RX-300, I can't help but think more effective measures would have been taken. I also don't want to state what we replaced the Sequoia with, except that it was number 2 in our "survey" last November when we bought the Sequoia.
I love this group discussion format. User/Owners get together to discuss issues/problems with their vehicles, hob-knob, and otherwise enjoy the online company of comrades who share a common thread - in this case, vehicle ownership. I plan on joining an online group that formed for the vehicle we just purchased. Good luck to all.
Sorry to hear about your problems on your new SUV. We had similar problems before on our 4runner although at that time we encountered the problems, the 4runner was about 3 yrs old and the attitude of the dealer and Toyota towards us were not satisfactory, so, we got rid of it.
Since you have decided to take the massive depreciation hit and get rid of your Sequoia, I am hesitant to spend the time to write this. I have an idea about the popping sound but I need more information about when it happens. You indicated that it happened most often when hitting bumps in the road and "with long, broad undulations in the road". I'm not quite sure what that means.
It is very possible that what you are hearing is the TRACS system in operation. If a wheel looses its grip on the road, the ABS system will activate on the one wheel that needs it. When this happens, you will not feel much of anything but will hear a loud popping or clicking noise. This is very normal and indicates that you don't have a problem.
This noise will not happen on every bump. It will happen if you are heavy on the throttle when you hit one.
This is just a theory. There may actually be something wrong with your vehicle. I've never seen a Sequoia that will activate the TRACS system that often, but if you live in an area with very rough roads and you are a natural born lead foot, I can see this happening. Your description of the location and type of sound are what lead me to this theory.
Comments
If you're willing to let Toyota set the standard for you, that would be fine, but don't expect people who have engine noise problem and other problems to be quiet. Thank you.
Hey, Mr. Moderator: How about creating a forum for Sequoia owners or lurkers who don't want to hear anything negative about the Sequoia?
On the ticking... This engine is not new, at least not its first year. Where they have used the engine before (Tundra) has anyone driven this engine 100K miles with the ticking and had any mechanical engine problems?
I find it very interesting listening to everyone and their proposed modifications and/or additions to the vehicle. While I may never do any of them, I may run across one that "looks like a keeper".
They now tell me the best I can hope for is for the dealer to be allocated what I order in their next allocation. However, they still may not be allocated my car in their next allocation. That means best case scenario it would arrive in about another 6 weeks (if I'm lucky) for a total time from order to delivery of 13 weeks. HELP!!!
Is there anything I can do. I called the 800 Go Toyota number who referred me to customer service which was not helpful. They just sent an em-ail back to the dealer. I told them since I was spending $40K on a car I would prefer not to have another one from another dealer which has been driven (which I don't feel is unreasonable) but even if I was will to accept this they say they can't find a white Limited with oak leather.
I don't know what else to do other than sit around waiting and hope something might be delivered in 6-8 more weeks. Any advice from anyone?
There are several ways to skin this cat, and several ways to make certain you get the right car but your dealer needs to hear you use the right verbiage to get them to react the way you need.
Ret
shweggy : My friend has a 2000 Tahoe and it's been basically trouble free. I think GM makers some decent trucks also.
I guess in the end I will just keep the pressure on my dealer and hope for the best. I generally like my Sequoia, but the clicking (or ticking) must be fixed one way or another.
Here is the link:
/direct/view/.eeca1cf
Does shifting into L1 and shifting back keep the diff locked until one goes in transmission neutral. That is what I observed, but I was on my gravel driveway and did not drive it anywhere. It also looked like shifting quickly through neutral kept it locked in reverse. thanks.
Hey, has anyone on this board taken their Sequoia offroad and used 4WD Low yet?
As to the odd characters, that was a cut and paste error that I missed. It is my understanding that the differential is only locked when in "L" and unlocks when you up-shift. I could be wrong about that and if I am. please let me know.
I do have one question for you about this. Could you describe for me what you believe you gain by having the center differential locked. I've given this a fair amount of thought, and can't really think of a time that there is any advantage to this if you are stuck with the low gear range on the transfer case. I can see why you would want to lock in in the high range if you are in sand, but can't think of an advantage in low.
I agree, if you are in deep sand, your wheels could dig in in 4WD low, and you don't have the additional advantage of speed to get you through the rough spots. I would not use it under that scenario.
For *most* owners, the Seq is anything but a well-built, high quality vehicle. It performs its function flawlessly, and what it lacks in luxury features, it more than makes up for in grit and style. It turns heads and unique in its own way. Years from now, you will be glad you bought one and not another Expy or Tahoe. Yes, you pay a little more, but whoever said a good thing is cheap ?
gpm: methinks you have allowed the 'ticking noise' to take control of you. You are obsessed with this noise. Get a hold of yourself. Drive the vehicle and stop this incessant updates on mileage-versus-noise... I have 8,000 miles, and I can tell you I have never even bothered tring to find a ticking noise. I guess I have a lot more to do than allow other's problem to bother me that much.
dan165: The Seq must have cost a pretty penny, eh ? especially with the weaker Can$. Shelling out Can$60 big ones on a first year vehicle must be a lot to stomach. And God forbid that vehicle should ever be anything but flawless and perfect ! Wake up, man. It is a car, and imperfect, like you and I. I don't recall the value we have yet placed on the shmuck and imperfect human beings who put these vehicles together !!! Wanna place one ?
Now off my soap box and back to my rocking chair... Enjoy the long weekend everyone.. and Glad to be back to good 'ol US of A after a long trip to Europe. Man, it is nice to have the Seq to drive again. It is a "flawless" vehicle afterall... well, almost :-)
oac - I'm not expecting perfection, but I do expect a $50K+ CDN truck to drive with out engine clicking. Please don't smugly tell me to "wake up"! You are not in my shoes so you don't know what it's like. While I do appreciate that there are problems with everything (especially first year vehicles), I don't like the fact that there is no fix and no one seems to know anything.
I have an appointment with the owner of the Toyota dealership next week so we will see what comes of it.
In a fit of fury I shouted expletives (most unladylike) and told them to keep it. I don't want it anymore. And threw in for good measure that they should try not to hit anything when they drive it back on to their lot to sell again! Then I drove off into the sunset in the loaner Avalon they gave me a week earlier. Here's my question to you folks....
Am I unjustified in expecting them to replace my car? If you think so, then what compensation would you suggest I deserve? I am concerned that the paint on 1/3 of the car as well a the moulding are always going to be a potential problem for us. Yes, I'm bitter and I think I have a right to be. I bought the car on 12/31 at only 500 under msrp and as you all know, it's not a small investment. I expected my car to be detailed and looking like new. Not scratched, painted, smashed, painted, and glued back together....and still dirty!!!
Talk me down from the ledge and NEVER, EVER, USE CONCORD TOYOTA OR M2 COLLISSION IN CONCORD, CA!!!
Rose
Your approach probably with anger was not rational at the time but IMO talk to the customer service manager at Concord Toyota and give them a few options that you feel are reasonable they should do to keep your trust and business. Giving them an ultimatum just creates a difficult situation worse, especially for the one who bought the product. (Which is you unfortunately in this case)
I would give the dealer an option to replace with a new one from his lot or order one and offer to pay the difference in value had yours been in perfect condition. Meaning use the Kelley Blue Book value or Edmunds TMV for not so new Seq. with similar options of your truck and what the one on their lot is worth, using the Edmunds TMV, once that price is settled, the two of you can split the difference. For example if yours is worth $38k and on their lot new one is worth $42K you pay $2k to get another new Seq. and he pays 2K or whatever his cost maybe to him. You end up paying little but you get a new truck and if they do this then you are not without a Seq. This is just one option. Hope it makes sense, it works out for you.
You can get the dealer to make it as good as it can get, but unfortunately it will never be new. He/the body shop (or another body shop) can order and replace the rubber seal around the wheel well trim. He can take care of the overspray etc. Maybe you can get the dealer to give you some incentive to 'not take him to court' although a court would only order that the vehicle be 'made like new' which the dealer should and likely will do his best to do anyways. Maybe the dealer will give you something like lifetime free oil changes or such. On the other hand if their service department performs by setting cans on hood, that is likely not the place you want to go for service.
Climbing down from my soap box now.
Rose
I bought my Sequoia from Walnut Creek Toyota. I was treated like a king. I get Lexus
service and I bought a Toyota. When I bring in one of my two Toyota's a '99 Avalon ,or my Sequoia in for servicing , they can't do enough for me. I would recommend you try Walnut
Creek Toyota. Good Luck
I agree with you regarding getting the body shop and a dealer to split the difference but that may be a extremely a hard sell since, they are in bed with them and they wouold consider it as one at that moment. Again its a suggestion only. You are in direct contact with them, and deal with them through their management and follow up with a letter with the conversation then send a copy of the letter to the Toyota service district office. If the local office does not respond send a copy of the letter to company HQ in Torrance. Take it one step at a time and give them opportunity to respond. BTW: Send all letters via either a FedEx or similar to keep a track of who is getting the copies.
One more thing as one of the other messages stated you can try the whole court thing but more likely the courts will only ask to make it 'like new' which the dealer can and would probably do, than you have no leverage with them and you will have 'like new' at best. Best is to document and give the customer relations departments at the dealership and factory a opportunity.
Good Luck.
thanks and I hope each of you had a safe and enjoyable memorial day weekend.
On the gas tank issue - I didn't mean to imply that there are 4 - 5 gallons AFTER the light comes on. I'm pretty sure this is not the case. I meant that when filling up, the pump will click off when there are only ~22 gallons in the tank. If you continue to fill a little at a time you can get close to 26 gallons in but then I think you might be messing with the evaporator system, as someone pointed out to me a while back. At these prices you don't want to put in 26 galloons at a time anyway. Just top it off at 20 gallons and enjoy the ride.
I honestly don't know what they can do at this point. They wont give you a new truck. They can't undo the damage to the future value. Your best bet is to raise enough of a stink to get some form of compensation. Get a 100K mile warranty or something like that.
I would check out the following sites:
www.yakima.com
www.thule.com
Then, check out some online retailers like:
http://www.ageebike.com/Opening.htm - These guys provide free shipping and give you 20% credit to some accessories.
www.excelsports.com - pretty good prices on some racks
If I find others I will post them.
Hope this helps. Good Luck
Hope this helps!
Drew
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Vans, SUVs, and Aftermarket & Accessories message boards
TOPIC: Tues., May 29th "Cell phones: are hand-held bans enough?"
The bike rack tilts away from the vehicle--very nice. It also has a kryptonite type lock that locks the rack to the hitch, and a second krytonite lock that locks the bikes to the bike rack (both locks use the same key). Very easy to use. The Monte has a spare tire off the back, and I needed the extended base plate (it was only six dollars extra--doubt you would need it with a Seq. but you might want to make sure).
Total cost was $315.00 (including the 2 bike extension--holds a total of four bikes).
I took it to my local dealer service center, and after a long conversation, and a demo-ride with my service advisor, I left it there for them to fix. From the story I heard, their trim guy looked at it for about twenty minutes, and proclaimed he hadn't a clue as to its origin. The dealer subsequently farmed the job out to a professional trim shop, who promptly fixed it, or so we thought.
The same popping noise re-appeared in early May, so I immediately took my Sequoia back to the dealer, who in turn, immediately sent it back to the outside-trim shop. The same trim shop worked for two days on it, and couldn't get rid of the popping noise. Come to find out later that they told the dealer on this second trip that they really didn't know what they did to fix the pop the first time. The acknowledged to the dealer on this visit that they couldn't fix it.
The dealer then sublet the job to an independent BODY SHOP. The body shop apparently went down the path of the trim-shop and thought that the pop could be coming from a joint where the firewall, door pillar, and fender wall meet. They stated that they observed a weld-seam that didn't appear "right", as compared to the surrounding area, so they reformed it slightly.
The body shop manager, the service advisor and his manager test drove my Sequoia, and pronounced it fixed. After I picked it up, I got no more than ten miles from the shop when that familiar sound started up again. I immediately went back to the dealer with the problem and demanded that something be done. It was too late in the day, and my loaner had already been sent back to the car rental place.
The next time I was able to take time off, my roommate and I went to the dealer's service department - they called in the manager of the offsite body shop, and the service manager, and we all discussed the problem. It was at this point that I went riding around with JUST the body shop manager to test for the noise. There was an advantage to this because the body shop is not at all affiliated with the dealer. During that ride, I got the "straight poop".
The facts at this point as related to me by the body shop manager are that they have no idea where the noise is coming from, and have no idea how to fix it. The next step would be to remove the dash and examine construction, but that's not such a great solution either, because the body shop manager told me that they couldn't drive it without a dash installed. Jeez, the moment they remove that dash, it'll NEVER go back together as well as the factory - it'll be "rattle-hell".
So here we are. The dealer can't fix it - the body shop sounds like he doesn't want to go anywhere near it, and that's when I decided to call Toyota in on this one. My fear is that Toyota will minimize the noise as nature-of-the-beast bs, and tell me that there's really nothing severely wrong. My point is that the noise is distracting, irritating, and I will not accept it happening in a $45,000.00 vehicle.
I wanted to come here for some advice first. Has any Sequoia owner experienced this type of noise, and if so, what did you do to fix it, and any other sage advice. Thanks
-Steve
And if they don't come through, you should inform that you will be looking on their lot for a new car and you're a kinda clumsy walker and that you may accidently bump into and scratch a couple of their Landcuisers and such. But hey...since they take the position that a repaint doesn't harm the value, they they shouldn't mind you walking the lot when they're closed on Sundays.
I love this group discussion format. User/Owners get together to discuss issues/problems with their vehicles, hob-knob, and otherwise enjoy the online company of comrades who share a common thread - in this case, vehicle ownership. I plan on joining an online group that formed for the vehicle we just purchased. Good luck to all.
-Steve
It is very possible that what you are hearing is the TRACS system in operation. If a wheel looses its grip on the road, the ABS system will activate on the one wheel that needs it. When this happens, you will not feel much of anything but will hear a loud popping or clicking noise. This is very normal and indicates that you don't have a problem.
This noise will not happen on every bump. It will happen if you are heavy on the throttle when you hit one.
This is just a theory. There may actually be something wrong with your vehicle. I've never seen a Sequoia that will activate the TRACS system that often, but if you live in an area with very rough roads and you are a natural born lead foot, I can see this happening. Your description of the location and type of sound are what lead me to this theory.
Good luck.