208 of the 4,811 complaints filed about the Toyota Sequoia are about the engine — 4% of everything owners reported. The worst model year for it is 2005.
208
Complaints
4%
Share of all complaints
2
Crashes
3
Fires
ENGINE
I bought the vehicle under the assumption that it only had 138,000 miles on it. Upon trying to register it with Carfax I was informed that the odometer had been tampered with and the actual mileage is 345,000
NHTSA complaint #11742874 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ENGINE
Starter replacement is exceptionally high, self repair impossible. There should be recall on manufacturing design of starter placement inside intake manifold amongst other impossible expectations
NHTSA complaint #11609887 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ENGINE
The contact owns a 2001 Toyota Sequoia. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, he became aware of a cranking sound and the vehicle suddenly started jerking and shaking. An unknown warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle was repaired, and the front wheel speed sensor was replaced; however, the failure persisted. The contact stated the failure had gotten worse over time. The contact also stated that while searching online, he became aware that the failure was a common failure with similar vehicles. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or local dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 181,000.
NHTSA complaint #11594461 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ENGINE
On [XXX] while driving our 2011 Toyota Sequoia 4x4 Limited (5.7 iforce non flex fuel) my wife was preparing to stop at a traffic light. Completely unexpected and with no warning, the vehicle started bucking, the engine began making a knocking noise and numerous dashboard lights started flashing. It immediately stalled while attempting to stop, thus, causing a very dangerous situation, losing total control of the brakes and steering, nearly causing a collision with the vehicle in front of her. The vehicle had to be towed from the middle of the road, while in heavy traffic. Eventually it was diagnosed (at my mechanics shop) and determined to be a broken valve spring in cylinder #7. This caused the valve to drop into the cylinder bore, making contact with the piston, known as "catastrophic failure on an 'interference' engine"..I later learned that these DEFECTIVE ($5) valve springs, are used in my meticulously maintained 5.7 Toyota motor,...THE SAME PART NUMBER UNDER RECALL IN SEVERAL LEXUS VEHICLES!! Being that I constantly maintained this vehicle and it being in overall excellent condition, I determined it was less expensive to have the engine replaced over repaired. I spent over $4600 in a used motor with 88k miles, and $5400 in labor for the replacement.. total cost of over $10,000 for a $5 defective part that was only recalled on the Lexus vehicles. I kept the original engine in case I can (eventually) have Toyota Corp do an inspection on it and get some kind of compensation on this dangerous, avoidable, selective vehicle recall. No luck thus far but have pictures, invoices and all documents on this situation that I can provide when requested. I am having difficulty downloading these documents to this site. Thank you very much. [XXX] [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11578821 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ENGINE
Can not get BSC, TRC engine lights off traction control kicks in and locks steering and brakes . Unsafe can not smog after spending thousands replacing parts
NHTSA complaint #11576521 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ENGINE
A valve spring in the engine failed causing one cylinder to fail as well. The failure fortunately happened at low speed and the engine didn't seize. This a known problem with Toyota V8s of this model year and was the reason for a recall of Lexus vehicles with the same engine. Had this happened at highway speed, the engine, we were told, could have experienced a total failure causing the engine to seize likely leading to a serious accident. The car is available for inspection at the moment, but this failure requires a total engine rebuild or an engine replacement which are both very costly and we may have to purchase a new car. The car has not been inspected by Toyota, police, insurance or anyone other than a car service center. There were no warning lights, messages or any symptoms prior to the failure. It was sudden with no warning at all. The car has been very well maintained over the years with regular maintenance done on a consistent schedule.
NHTSA complaint #11494722 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ENGINE
Malfunction indicator lights - Check engine, VSC off and TRAC off. The vehicle goes into limp mode. The issue is both a mechanical and engineering defect causing the override of the entire AIP system. Parts affected are Air injection pumps, Air switching valves, Air pump inlets/covers, Gaskets/connectors/clamps and Speed sensors.
NHTSA complaint #11458726 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
The contact owns a 2010 Toyota Sequoia. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an unknown dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that there was moisture and condensation in the air injection pump and the air switching valve. The contact stated that there was a manufacturer’s warranty pertaining to the failure causing the check engine warning light to become illuminated however, the warranty was for 150,000 miles or 10 years, whichever came first. The vehicle was no longer covered under the warranty. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 103,000. "The contact was informed that there was moisture and condensation in the air injection pump and the air switching valve." since this is not correct. The dealer only said that the items needed to be replaced due to the indicator light. They could not verify that there was a specific issue with the parts but said that it was an indicator that the parts could go bad and needed to be replaced.
NHTSA complaint #11418336 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ENGINE
MY SEQUOIA IS SPUTERING AND NOT WANTING TO GO WHEN I PRESS PETAL, AT 40 MPH IT DOES REALLY FUNNY AND AGAIN ABOUT 60
NHTSA complaint #11406933 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ENGINE
TOYOTA HAS DEVELOPED WHAT IS BECOMING AN INFAMOUS OIL LEAK ON THEIR 5.7 V8 ENGINES THAT IS COMING FROM THE CAMSHAFT TOWER (CAMSHAFT HOUSING SUB ASSEMBLY). APPARENTLY IN PRODUCTION THEY USE A SILICONE WHERE THIS ATTACHES TO THE HEAD AND IN MANY CASES THEY DID NOT GET ENOUGH SILICONE. RESEARCH HAS SHOWN ME THAT MANY, MANY OF THESE HAVE THIS ISSUE AND THAT WHEN THE VEHICLE IS FAIRLY NEW THAT TOYOTA WILL STAND BEHIND IT IN LIMITED CASES. MY VEHICLE HAS 150,000 MILES ON IT SO THEY WILL NOT DO ANYTHING TO STAND BEHIND IT AND CLAIMED TO NOT BE AWARE OF THE PROBLEM. I HAVE CONTACTED SEVERAL DEALERSHIPS AND ALL OF THEM STATED THEY WERE WELL AWARE OF THE PROBLEM. I BELIEVE THIS TO BE A SAFETY ISSUE AS MINE HAS STARTED TO LEAK, IT DOES SO ON TO THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD AND HAS A STRONG BURNING SMELL EACH TIME I DRIVE EVEN IF ONLY A SHORT DISTANCE. THIS COULD EASILY CAUSE A FIRE. WHILE I AM NOT AWARE OF ANY OF THESE CAUSING A FIRE IT IS A VERY COMMON ISSUE TO THE POINT THAT I FOUND A LAW FIRM THAT WAS LOOKING TO DO A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT BECAUSE OF IT. I CAN PROVIDE PICTURES IF NEEDED BUT THEY CAN BE SEEN ALL OVER THE INTERNET.
NHTSA complaint #11387479 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ENGINE
ON 12/21/2020, AFTER RUNNING ERRANDS, I PUT MY VEHICLE INSIDE MY LOCKED GARAGE AT 10:30 A.M. AND ALL WAS FINE. AT AROUND 9:00 P.M. THAT SAME NIGHT, I OPENED MY GARAGE TO FIND IT FULL OF SMOKE. AFTER INSPECTING EVERYTHING, I SAW NOTHING WAS STILL ON FIRE AND WAITED UNTIL THE MORNING TO INVESTIGATE THE PROBLEM. I FIRST TRIED TO START THE VEHICLE AND IT HAD BATTERY POWER BUT WOULD NOT TURN OVER. I THEN PUT IT IN NEUTRAL AND BACKED THE VEHICLE AWAY FROM THE FRONT OF THE GARAGE TO OPEN THE HOOD. I SAW THE ENGINE HAD BURNED UP FROM SOMEWHERE ON THE PASSENGER SIDE BUT HAD PUT ITSELF OUT. THE FIRE CRACKED THE EXTERIOR HOOD, BURNED HOSES, ELECTRICAL AND OTHER AREAS OF THE INSIDE OF THE ENGINE. BLACK SOOT HAD ALSO DROPPED ON THE FLOOR OF THE GARAGE UNDERNEATH WHERE THE FIRE WAS. THE WOOD BEAMS INSIDE MY GARAGED WERE ALSO SCORCHED BLACK FROM THE INTENSE HEAT FROM THE FIRE/SMOKE BUT LUCKILY HAD NOT CAUGHT FIRE. I HAD IT TOWED TO MY MECHANIC WHO SAID I SHOULD HAVE MY CAR INSURANCE TAKE OVER. MERCURY HAS NOT DETERMINED THE CAUSE OF THE FIRE BUT I AM PUSHING FOR THE EXACT CAUSE SINCE IF IT'S RELATED TO A RECALL ISSUE, THEN TOYOTA SHOULD BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE AND I SHOULD BE COMPENSATED. MY VEHICLE HAS 37,200 MILES LESS THAN THE AVERAGE AND I HAVE A SPREADSHEET OF ALL SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE, SMOG CHECKS AND RECALLS COMPLETED. THERE WAS NO REASON THIS VEHICLE SHOULD HAVE SPONTANEOUSLY COMBUSTED INSIDE MY GARAGE. LUCKILY, I WASN'T DRIVING, WASN'T HURT, AND NO OTHER PROPERTY WAS DAMAGED DUE TO THIS PROBLEM.
NHTSA complaint #11386700 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ENGINE
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 TOYOTA SEQUOIA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 45 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITH THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHT FLASHING ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. DUE TO THE FAILURE, EXCESSIVE FORCE WAS NEEDED TO STEER THE VEHICLE TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AS THE STEERING ALSO FAILED TO OPERATE DUE TO THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE THE VEHICLE WAS DIAGNOSED WITH A DEFECTIVE SPRING VALVE. NEITHER THE MANUFACTURER NOR THE DEALER WERE NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 118,000.
NHTSA complaint #11378365 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ENGINE
THE FRAME IS RUSTED SO BAD CHUCKS OF THE FRAME ARE FALLING OUT CAUSING PROBLEMS TO SWAY BAR, THE MOTOR WAS BASICALLY LAYING SIDE WAYS TOWARDS THE DRIVER SIDE FRONT PANEL. I HAVE SEVEN CHILDREN WE DEPENDED ON THIS VEHICLE TO GET US EVERYWHERE WE NEEDED TO BE. NOW ITS SITTING ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD BC WHEN THE CHUCK OF FRAME FELL OUT IT CAUSED SWAY BAR TO DROP DOWN CAUSING ME TO ALMOST WRECK WITH MY CHILDREN IN THE SUV . I WAS DRIVING DOWN KY 344 VANCEBURH KY, 41179 AT APPROXIMATELY 10:00 A.M TRAVELING TOWARDS ROUTE 57 TOLLESBORO KY 41189
NHTSA complaint #11363651 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ENGINE
WELL I TOOK THAT TO A SHOP TO GET THE STEREO WORKING WHICH THE OWNER TOLD ME AFTER TWO HOURS IT WON'T BE READY UNTIL TOMORROW SO I LEFT IT THERE WITH THE DEPOSIT WENT BACK THE NEXT DAY AFTER WORK JUST TO PICK IT UP UNTIL I GOT HOME START OBSERVING THAT MY ANTI SECURITY ALARM WASN'T WORKING WELL WHILE OBSERVING I NOTICED THAT THE DOORS WEREN'T THE SAME COLOR AS THE TRUCK THEN I NOTICED MY SUNROOF WAS IN IT THEN STARTED NOTICING THAT THE VIN NUMBER WAS IN PLACES I'VE NEVER SEEN BEFORE AND NOW I WENT TO THE DMV LOGGED IN CHECK MY VIN NUMBER AND PLATES IT SEES THAT IT'S BEEN PUT UP FOR SALE
NHTSA complaint #11362326 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ENGINE
VSC, TRACTION CONTROL AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHTS RANDOMLY COME ON AND VEHICLE SUDDENLY LOSES ACCELERATION AND RUNS ROUGH. I TRIED PUTTING ON NEW GAS CAP TO NO AVAIL. I WAS ALMOST REAR ENDED GOING UP A HILL WHEN THE LIGHTS SUDDENLY CAME ON AND I LOST POWER. IT HAS HAPPENED AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS AS WELL LEAVING ME UNABLE TO SAFELY ACCELERATE . MECHANIC REPORTS THIS IS AN ONGOING PROBLEM WITH TOYOTAS AND COSTLY TO FIX. STATED THAT TOYOTA FIXED THE PROBLEM IN 2008 MODELS BUT NOT IN 2007.
NHTSA complaint #11339297 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ENGINE
GOOD AFTERNOON, DURING THE DRIVE-THRU AND THE CAR, STARTED TO SHAKE, AND THE ENGINE STOPS. AFTER THAT, I CONTACTED THE TOW-TRUCK AND BROUGHT IT TO TOYOTA DEALER. THE DEALER HAS FINALLY OPENED THE ENGINE, AND THE RESULT WAS THE VALVE SPRING WAS BROKEN IN HALF, AND THE SPARK PLUG ALSO MELTED.
NHTSA complaint #11331786 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ENGINE
AS IN NHTSA COMPLAINT ID # 11316132, MY 2007 TOYOTA SEQUOIA BEGAN MAKING A LOUD VACUUM NOISE UPON COLD START FOR APPROX 1 MIN IN MID TO LATE FEBRUARY 2020. WITHIN ABOUT 1 WEEK, THE NOISE CONTINUED AND MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AS WELL AS VSC AND VSC TRAC LIGHTS CAME ON. UPON TAKING MY VEHICLE TO LOCAL TOYOTA DEALERSHIP, THEY INFORMED ME THAT MY SECONDARY AIR INJECTION PUMP NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AS A RESULT OF CODES P1445 AND TSB 0230 12. THE ISSUE IS NOW AFFECTING MY ACCELERATION. I'M NO LONGER ABLE TO ACCELERATE WHEN QUICK SPEED IS NECESSARY FOR FREEWAY ENTRY. I'M ALSO UNABLE TO GO ABOVE 65MPH. MY CAR MUST BE FIXED IN ORDER TO PASS SMOG, HOWEVER VEHICLE WILL NOT PASS SMOG IN CA WITH A CHECK ENGINE LIGHT. UPON RESEARCH, I FOUND THAT TOYOTA WAS REIMBURSING CUSTOMERS FOR THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM FOR MODELS BETWEEN 2008 AND 2010, BUT NOT FOR 2007. THIS SEEMS TO BE A WIDESPREAD PROBLEM, AS I'VE FOUND THERE IN SEVERAL ONLINE TOYOTA FORUMS THAT THERE IS ACTUALLY A BYPASS KIT FOR SALE FOR A FEW HUNDRED DOLLARS THAT ALLOWS THE SECONDARY AIR INJECTION PUMP TO BE BYPASSED. THAT IS MUCH MORE COST EFFECTIVE THAN THE ACTUAL REPAIR WHICH IS ALMOST $2,500. I CALLED TOYOTA TO NOTIFY THEM OF THE ISSUE AND INQUIRE AS TO WHETHER THEY WOULD EXTEND THE PROGRAM FOR 2008 - 2010 TO 2007 AND AT THIS TIME THEY WILL NOT. FILING A COMPLAINT IN ORDER TO ELEVATE THE ISSUE AND HELP TOYOTA UNDERSTAND THEY NEED TO EXTEND THE PROGRAM OF AN ALREADY IDENTIFIED ISSUE THAT IS AFFECTING MORE THAN THE YEARS IN EXISTING SCOPE.
NHTSA complaint #11319467 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ENGINE
TOYOTA HAS A FAULTY DESIGN ON 5.7 LITER SEQUOIAS AND TUNDRAS WHERE THE ENGINE CAMSHAFT TOWER SEALANT LEAKS OIL TOWARDS THE CABIN. SINCE THE ENGINE IS TILTED BACK, THE ENGINE OIL IS DIRECTED TO A HEAT SHIELD AND THEN DIRECTLY TO THE EXHAUST PIPE. UPON REACHING THE EXHAUST IT CAUSES SMOKE. THE SMOKE WILL ENTER INTO THE CABIN CAUSING ENGINE FUMES WHICH OCCUR WHEN DRIVING OR PARKED UNTIL THE ENGINE COOLS. THE ENGINE COULD HAVE CAUGHT FIRE, BASED ON THE AMOUNT OF SMOKE THAT CAME OUT. UPON FURTHER RESEARCH, THIS ISSUE HAS CAUSED FIRES. EVIDENCE OF THIS PROBLEM IS READILY AVAILABLE SEARCHING "TOYOTA TUNDRA CAM LEAK FIRE", FURTHERMORE, CHANGE.ORG PETITION HAS OVER 5,178 SIGNATURES REQUESTING THE RECALL. THIS ISSUE HAS OCCURRED IN VEHICLES FROM 1,000 MILES AND UP. TOYOTA NOW USES A DIFFERENT SEALANT TO PREVENT THIS LEAKING, SO THEY MUST HAVE RECOGNIZED THE ISSUE BUT HAVE REMAINED SILENT. UPON CONTACTING TOYOTA, THE CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE STATED THAT HE "HAD NEVER HEARD OF THIS PROBLEM". THE DEALERSHIP THAT IS FIXING THIS HAS A NUMBER OF EXPERIENCED MECHANICS THAT DO SEE THIS OFTEN. IT IS UNSAFE TO DRIVE WITH THIS CONDITION AND THE COST TO REPAIR IS OVER $3,000!
NHTSA complaint #11319081 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ENGINE
SECONDARY AIR INJECTION PUMP MAKES A LOUD VACUUM NOISE ON STARTUP AS IN NHTSA ID# 11064285. FOUR RELATED CODES GENERATED ON MY VEHICLE AND, NOW, AS A RESULT ENGINE LIGHT IS ON. ALSO IMPACTS ACCELERATION ON FREEWAY WHEN QUICK SPEED IS NECESSARY ON ENTRY. CAR STRUGGLES TO GET POWER TO ACCELERATE AND WILL NOT GO OVER 65 MPH FOR PASSING. CAR MUST BE FIXED TO PASS A CA SMOG CHECK AND WILL NOT PASS WITH AN ENGINE LIGHT. TOYOTA IS REIMBURSING SOME, BUT NOT ALL MODELS IMPACTED BY THIS KNOWN ISSUE. REPAIRING THIS ISSUE WITH THE AIR INDUCTION PUMP COSTS OVER $2000. TOYOTA HAS A PROGRAM FOR 2008-2010 SEQUOIA MODELS, BUT NOT FOR 2007 MODELS. WHEN SEEKING A MECHANIC TO REPAIR THE ISSUE, MECHANIC REPORTED HE'D SEEN THIS ISSUE MANY TIMES BEFORE AND RECEIVED A CALL THE WEEK PRIOR FOR SAME ISSUE. BECAUSE OF THE EXPENSE, HE IS TELLING OWNERS TO NOT GET IT FIXED AS THE CAR IS STILL DRIVEABLE, BUT WITHOUT REPAIR, THE ACCELERATION AND AIR POLLUTION ISSUES REMAIN. CALLED TOYOTA AND CUSTOMER SERVICE REP ASSUMED 2007S/MY VIN WAS A PART OF THE RELATED REIMBURSEMENT/REPAIR PROGRAM, BUT THEY ARE NOT. WAS TRANSFERRED TO A SECOND TIER REP AND HE SAID THERE WAS NOTHING HE COULD DO SINCE THE 2007 VIN'S ARE NOT A PART OF THE PROGRAM. WHEN I TOLD HIM ABOUT A CASE NUMBER I'D FOUND IN MY ONLINE RESEARCH, HE LOOKED IT UP AND SAW REFERENCE TO A CUSTOMER WHO HAD THE SAME ISSUE WITH HIS 4RUNNER. THE 4RUNNERS ARE ALSO NOT A PART OF THIS PROGRAM, BUT THERE HAVE BEEN CALLS ABOUT IT. IF THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE THEN TOYOTA SHOULD BE REIMBURSING OWNERS WHO EXPERIENCE THIS ISSUE AND CONSUMERS SHOULD BE PROTECTED FROM THIS TYPE OF NEGLIGENCE AND DAMAGE TO THE ENVIRONMENT. ONLINE RESEARCH SHOWS THIS ISSUE IMPACTS MULTIPLE TOYOTA V8 MODELS, INCLUDING SEQUOIA, TUNDRA, 4RUNNER.
NHTSA complaint #11316132 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ENGINE
A VALVE SPRING BROKE WHILE TRAVELING ON THE HIGHWAY, CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO SHUDDER AND REQUIRE A SLOWER SPEED. I FORTUNATELY WAS NOT IN HEAVY TRAFFIC BUT HAD CIRCUMSTANCES BEEN DIFFERENT THIS COULD HAVE POSED A MORE SEVERE SAFETY ISSUE. UPON RESEARCHING THIS PROBLEM, I'M FINDING INCREASINGLY MORE INSTANCES WHERE THE SAME ISSUE HAS HAPPENED TO OTHER TOYOTA OWNERS WITH THE SAME ENGINE. ALL AROUND THE SAME MILEAGE (117K).
NHTSA complaint #11311467 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.