Toyota Sequoia Maintenance and Repair

sosad1 · February 2005

Thanks for the feedback.

bakoman · February 2005

These noises are diminishing...Hopefully, it is from it being so new...large metal heat shields expanding and contracting...

stomlinson · February 2005

My wife drives a 01 Seq.LTD 42,000 miles,over the last four months the vehicle has stalled a few times while turning into d/ways or parking lots. She's at very low speed and turning,she says that the wheel was never fully cranked over and in 2WD, and the engine stalls. Power steering fluid clean and full, belt is in decent shape. I am unable to duplicate the problem. Anybody experience this gremlin.

teamgomez · February 2005

Anybody had their overdrive work backwards??? My '04 sequoia (normally driven by spouse) got the O/D exercised when I was driving down a hill- when the light was on, the RPM's decreased...light off, rpms increased...did same on flat ground, 25-55mph. Turned off truck, let sit for 30 sec, and then the o/d off swith worked normally (turn on light on dash-o/d off- and the rpms would increase). Are there any TSBs out for this or is this going to be an electrical gremlin that will have to reveal itself while they have their scanner hooked up???

Thanks

precab · February 2005

Fuel lines have a vapor removal system that can kick in after the car is off.

precab · February 2005

I just drove one off the lot and the radio quality is poor. My tahoe system was twice this one. I am sadly going to put a 350 apline in next week and pull the stock junker.

email me if you find any news if its other than the radio

Precab@aol.com

kennynmd · February 2005

Definitely true, the system sucks. I have the JBL system and its horrible. What I did on mine was swap out the tweeters only and it sounds alot better. I'm thinking about changing the radio but I got so used to the steering wheel controls. To me there is just to much boom in the stock system with no highs. Anyways, tweeters are much cheaper.

tmccloud · February 2005

Did you ever get an answer about that Check Engine Light. I have the same problem. 2001 and about 39K miles.

tmccloud · February 2005

I have read a lot of the messages on the board about your different experiences. As a new owner of a used vehicle, I am scared to death. Should I be or are these situations just things that can happen in any type of vehicle and not just the Sequoia. Please reassure me we've made a good decision:)

Karen_S · February 2005

You need to take into consideration that this particular topic is strictly for "problems & solutions". Therefore, you will see a majority of posts concerning just that...problems. Have you looked at any of the other Sequoia topics?

teamgomez · February 2005

In addition to the O/D working "backwards" (see post above), I flipped on the wipers today and the radio turned on. Wife said that sometimes the garage door opener turns on the radio as well. Anybody have this prob???

drury1 · February 2005

Not sure if you have the same problem as i, but do you notice when driving up a hill you don't have the orginal umph?
My Sequioa used to power up a hill, now it putts up and has a putter sound.

bigdrunk92037 · February 2005

Ditto on the cruddy radio. For a $750 option, the JBL really sucks. The reception is bad, my Bose in my Infinity (which is 5 years old) absolutely destroys the JBL. I would have rather not paid $750 for the JBL just to want to take it out.

aggie1995 · February 2005

Is the problem the head unit, the amp, or the speakers?

gkatz1 · February 2005

The constant hissing from the tweeters is annoying as hell.

tstar44 · February 2005

Hi,

Can you show me where the TSB's are? I just got "taken to the cleaners" on this AC001-04 problem even though it was serviced at dealer while under warranty and no mention was made of this potential problem. I just think it is wrong to pay 40k for a truck and not be notified of a potential problem that they knew about in 2002!
Thanks in advance!
tstar44@mindspring.com
Tom Star

tstar44 · February 2005

Has anyone had the problem of the corroding positve battery cable? Since it not a "standard" cable and actually part of a harness that services the starter, ignition, etc. I am looking at $500 in parts, $500 in labor for a battery cable.. Hmmn, should we spend the extra four bucks eac on separate cables or do we make it one so the dealer gets a big service bogie when it goes bad? I smell a rotten fish. Funny thing is my Taurus made it a 100k without a squeak even with a recalled tranny! In this case, I haven't got what I paid for..

Does anyone know of a "knock off" cable being produced.
Thanks
Tom

stc1 · February 2005

I have had the same problem. I replaced one battery and almost replaced another but a friend offered to jump me off and when it would not start he cleaned the cables with a wire brush. He cleaned all of the acid off and it cranked. I would try just cleaning it frequently before I spent any money on repairs.

pman5 · February 2005

just to let everyone know dealer replaced transmission. They also extended the factory warranty to 5 years 60,000 miles, and will do all toyota reccomended services complementary for 5 years. We've had the truck back for 3 weeks and everything seems ok! Hopefully this will be the only major problem.

epmom · February 2005

That is how my problem originally started. There is a TSB out for part of the VSC system. Ask dealer if TSB applies to your problem.

momtotnt · February 2005

I just bought an '04 w/ 9kmi and the original owner said she had vibration at 60mph. The dealer replaced all 4 tires with Michellins for her and it's fine now. I haven't noticed it.

rbookjo · February 2005

I may be headed along the same path as you are. I just purchased a 05 model and twice had the battery discharged to a point that the vehicle won't start. The first time was about a week after I purchased the vehicle. I was sitting out on the parking lot waiting and since I had a few minutes I took out my owners manual and started playing around the controls for the back windows, the seat adjustments etc. I must have been reading and trying stuff for about 10 minutes (with the engine off). Next thing I know the car won't start. I managed to get my other car to jump start it and still no success. I called Triple A who had one of those portable jumper units. Only the combination of my other car and the portable unit was the car able to start again. I took it to the dealership and they "ran" all sorts of tests but could not find it. Yesterday, my wife said she left the back door open for a couple of hours (internal lights therefore stayed "on"). Today, it wouldn't start. No luck with just one vehicle to jump start it. I probably need to call Triple A again.

I will be speaking to the dealership.

lcd1 · February 2005

I recently have been hearing small clunking noise each time rigth after the transmission is shifted, particularly when my 2001 Seq. is in 4x4 mode. This definitely is not the same noise made by a loose drive shaft joint that can be cured by packing the joint with grease. Please let me know if anyone experiences the same noise.

Also, I often leave the Sequoia in 4x4 mode. I'd leave it in 4x4 for a while and occasional switch to 2x mode. Is there any harm in keeping the Sequoia in 4x4 all the time? I apologize if this question has been asked and answered before.

lcd1 · February 2005

There was a Tech. Bulletin on my JBL ('01 Sequoia). The TB was posted on this forum. After the amps were replaced, the stereo sounded much better. There was excessive bass before and thumping noise when the radio was turned on.
Thanks to those who posted that TB.

kaduku1 · March 2005

Yep, we had the liftgate latch replaced just last november, and when I checked to make sure that everything was working okay, i noticed that i could not open the rear window using either the key, remote and or front dash switch. Turns out that the tech broke something while replacing the latch. The dealer did fix the window at their expense. Now i've got my SUV back at the dealer because the rear window again isn't working. The service advisor told me that the problem is with a corroded wire to the window lift motor and that it had nothing to do with the work they had previously performed. As it turns out, the service advisor said he spoke with the customer relations person, and although they didn't cause this problem, they would pick up the tab for the repair and the loaner car they provided me.

screamin · March 2005

I can't tell you how grateful I was to have found this forum. I have owned my '03 Sequoia a year in Jan. '05. I have not had the first problem EXCEPT for the clunking noise after letting your foot off the brake when at a stop light and going to the accelerator. I thought for sure it was the transmission or drive train, but after two visits to a dealer, they had no fix for it...said it was the brake shoes adjusting after releasing the brakes and was perfectly normal. I found the problem so annoying that I was thinking about trading it. Then, for the heck of it, I typed in "Toyota Sequoia Problems" in Google and found this forum. After reading the solution to grease the propeller shaft, I immediately went out in the garage and crawled underneath and shot it with about 12-15 pumps of the grease gun. This was a month ago, and I really didn't think it would solve the problem...but it has. And I say all this to thank whoever this sites sponsor is, and for the people who posted the solution because it saved me from trading a perfectly good vehicle. And to think the Toyota dealer didn't know the fix, unbelieveable!!!!

harryp · March 2005

Can someone let me know what all is required (vice dealer suggested) at the 60K maintenance checkup and the approximate total cost?
I have a 2001 V8.
Many thanks,
Harry

bgoldsmi · March 2005

taped on window motor with screwdriver and has been working for about a year

lait2000 · March 2005

There is must be some short circuit or drain out battery from somewhere. I checked all doors to ensure all closed, recharged battery to full and left in about 4 days, the car totally dead. I recharged the battery again to full and took off both positive and negative cables and using the volt meter to measure every day and I got all readings same 13.28 volts.
rbookjo, do you have a chance to talk to the dealership yet and what is the outcome?
I will bring my in soon and mention what I did to see what they response.

baseballmom97 · March 2005

Just bought an '04 Sequoia in Dec. and I can't believe that my '02 Yukon actually seemed to drive smoother. I can't describe it except to say the Sequoia seems to run rough, not smooth like my Yukon. Being a Toyota, I thought it would be much smoother than the Yukon. Anyone have this issue?

ownerforlife · March 2005

Hey read #1050 they say it is a lubrication issue with the impeller shaft, or at least it sounds like you have the same issue they had. Good luck

ownerforlife · March 2005

I am taking delivery of an 05 sr5 on Monday, driving it 1200 miles on Friday and reading this stuff has me concerned, but i can ask the dealer to inspect the battery terminals so it doesn't die on us because one of my kids left a little light on. wish me luck

lait2000 · March 2005

Hey Ownerforlife,
Dealer never admit this is a problem and their answer is always "NOTHING WRONG" until you park your car in the garage for about 4 - 5 days. Good luck!

gaud · March 2005

Have a 2001 Sequoia and have had problems with back window since purchase. Now the latch is broken on rear door and wonder what this will cost me. Also has a strange tinny sound when car is cold and accelerating. Any ideas on what that could be? Have almost 94k is it time to trade or do these cars last another 50k?

jennifer7 · March 2005

I just got a brand new 2005 Sequoia and already it is in the service center. Took it home Sat night and Sunday it was having trouble going after a complete stop. I would have the pedal all the way down and it wouldn't move. Has this happened to any of you? Do you know what it is? Did I get a bad egg of a truck!! HELP!

01seqownr · March 2005

I purchased my 2001 Sequoia in Oct. 2004. I took into a dealership to have the 60,000 mile maintenance done (before the 60,000 mark) and told them about the VSC Light, which would stay on. They took a look and said the intermittent switch was malfunctioning and that the Brake Booster Pressure Switch needed to be replaced, which with parts and labor would be $1,190.00. Now after my vehicle is at 65,000, I find out that many many other vehicles have problems with the VSC. It seems to me since I am sure the dealership was FULLY aware of the ongoing problems with the VSC and for the fact that it appears a TSB is in place, they should honor the TSB as factory warranty' and repair the vehicle. What do you think?

I also have the brake vibration problems that so many of you have as well.

ruck · March 2005

I also have a 2001 with high mileage and had the latch on the rear door break on me (while at the dump with my truck full of trash - yuck). It wasn't a big deal to fix - I had my mechanic do it, not the dealer. I have had some very minor problems - amazing considering 2001 was Sequoia's first year - but would reccomend keeping the truck unless you have had more severe issues. BTW - how much is a 2001 with 94k miles worh anyway - KEEP IT.

auto9999 · March 2005

Sorry to say this, but from my experience, TSB and recall are two different things. Manufactures would repair recalls due to federal regulations if I understand correctly. TSB are usually repaired free until the warranty expires. After the warranty period, according to dealers, TSB items are at the owner's expense. You could argue it, but it seems to be the industry standard as multiple dealers of different manufactures, Toyota included told me the same thing. That being said, everything is negotiable. You might want to persuade the dealer or manufacture, and if you wish you can use the arbitrator or even a lawyer.

Whatever you choose, good luck on your endeavor and happy Sequoia drive.

jcv69 · March 2005

I have a 2003, bought it new 2 and a half years ago. Never been to a dealer, just oil and filter changes which I do. The door handle on the interior of the driver door just broke on me this afternoon, cracked almost in half. I would expect that crap from a Chevy but surely not from an almost $40K Toyota vehicle, what a let down. Has anyone had their door handles break off from normal use??
The truck is in mint condition, 25K miles, I take great care of it like all my other cars. I had a 2000 Ford Expedition before for 3 years (a lease), never to a dealer either.
JCV

nofix · March 2005

I have a 2001 4WD with about 60,000 miles. When turning at slow speeds, either forward or reverse, the frontend makes a single "pop" or "heavy thunk" noise. It is almost as if something is loose in the front suspension or has play in it. The dealer says it is normal.

Not sure if my other problem is related, but when traveling at 60 to 70 mph, the frontend seems to make a vibration with a low humming noise. You can feel the vibration under your feet through the floorboard (but very little vibration in the steering wheel). Dealer replaced the front bearings and tried new tires with alignment, but still not fixed. It seems to be worse if you turn the wheel about an inch or two to the right, but almost silent if you turn to the left while traveling on highway. Dealer acknowledges the problem, but honestly cannot figure out what is causing this. Has anyone had this experience? I need advice...

pman5 · March 2005

bought an 05 in dec. and needed a new transmission 3 weeks later! Dealer would not replace truck. Good luck!

max0 · March 2005

While I will be primarily driving our Sequoia, my wife will as well. We have the power seats and come to find out so far my wife (about 5 feet tall) is unable to reach the pedals. There's nothing to manually override this and we are stuck! We've tried playing with the the controls on the side of the seat, but it is still too far. Any suggestions? I can't imagine Toyota would only build an SUV for a person above 5 feet 5 inches! Please help!!!

epmom · March 2005

I have a the same problem except mine usually happens when merging with traffic. Check to see if your VSC or skid control light comes on when this happens. If it is, good luck. Toyota doesn't know how to fix problem but is fully aware of VSC/loss of acceleration.

Good Luck!

epmom · March 2005

I'm only 5'2 and have no problems with fitting in the car. I love the way it fits me. It's one of the only trucks that are comfortable for my small frame. I'm by no means all the way up either. Have you stopped into the dealership to try another sequoia. Maybe your seats aren't lined up correctly.

hope it works out for you.

isaaccw · March 2005

would you e-mail me the site about tsb....
We have a 2002 Sequoia and the brakes and ABS trac system has not been right since 22K miles.

Thanks isaac

austx_sr5 · March 2005

All,
On four occasions I have found my rear window DOWN when I return to my 05 SR5 Sequoia. Has anyone else experienced this problem? It has happened both at work and at home. I can't totally eliminate "user Error" since i do carry the remote. I either need to "De-program my remote so it doesn't roll down the window, or figure out if there is a short somewhere.

Can anyone tell me if they have had this problem and how they addressed it?
Thanks,
Zlaneb
Frustrated in Texas!

aggie1995 · March 2005

" I can't imagine Toyota would only build an SUV for a person above 5 feet 5 inches! Please help!!!"

I can't imagine that you didn't notice this on the test drive!!!

zebramoray · March 2005

This happens to us sometimes. The remote is designed poorly. We are always hitting the panic button or rolling down the rear window by accident.. Just be reaching in our pockets or moving around with the keys in our pocket.. Just bad design on the remote.. It's pretty annoying

raiders88 · March 2005

Had problems with my 01 sequioa and my 04 with the check engine light coming on. Now having issues with VSC off and VSC light coming on and staying lit. Anyone else have these issues? Remedies? As we all know....."we have never seen that problem before" The dealership's secret handshake word of choice

kennynmd · March 2005

I had the same problem with my 04. I got a friend who had one of those error code readers and it said it was a bad oxygen sensor. I went to the dealer and they confirmed it and replaced it. Since then no problems.

Toyota Sequoia Maintenance and Repair

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