2001 Toyota Sequoia

I OWN A 2001 TOYOTA SEQUOIA. THE ENTIRE UNDERCARRIAGE IS COMPLETELY RUSTED OUT. FRONT TO BACK, SIDE TO SIDE. THE RUST HAS SPREAD TO THE SPARE AND I FEAR THE SPARE COULD ONE DAY FALL OFF AND CAUSE SERIOUS DAMAGE TO VEHICLES AND HUMANS. OUR SEQUOIA WAS BOUGHT NEW WITH ONLY 14 MILES ON IT AT THE TIME. IT HAS BEEN MOSTLY GARAGED KEPT AND CURRENTLY HAS LESS THAN 60,000 MILES. THE EXTERIOR AND INTERIOR ARE IN EXCELLENT CONDITION. WE PURCHASED THE TRUCK IN DEC 2000 AND WE 1ST NOTICED THE RUST IN 2008 WHEN A SERVICE PERSON BROUGHT IT TO OUR ATTENTION WHILE HE WAS ROTATING OUR TIRES. *TR

OUR 2001 SEQUOIA WILL NOT PASS INSPECTION DUE TO EXCESSIVE RUST ON THE FRAME. I DRIVE A SEQUOIA AND MY HUSBAND DRIVES A TUNDRA. WE BOUGHT BOTH OUR VEHICLES "NEW" FROM OUR LOCAL TOYOTA DEALERSHIP WHO DOES MOST IF NOT ALL OF THE MAINTENANCE ON THEM. THIS IS THE FIRST TIME SINCE WE'VE OWNED THE SEQUOIA THAT RUST HAS BECOME AN ISSUE?! WE DID SOME RESEARCH AND FOUND THAT MANY OWNERS OF THE SEQUOIA ARE REPORTING THIS VERY SAME ISSUE WHICH IS SIMILAR TO A TUNDRA RECALL. THE RECALL WAS FOR FRAME RUST DUE TO THE USE OF INFERIOR METAL WHICH CAUSED RUST FROM THE INSIDE OUT AND BY THE TIME IT BECOMES VISIBLE IT'S TOO LATE. IT IS A KNOWN FACT THAT BOTH THESE VEHICLES ARE BUILT WITH THE SAME FRAME. THE RECALL SHOULD APPLY TO ANY OF TOYOTA'S VEHICLES IF IT IS THE SAME ISSUE. WE HAVE ALSO FILED A CLAIM WITH TOYOTA. *TR

DECEMBER 28, 2011, I BROUGHT MY 2001, TOYOTA SEQUOIA IN TO BE SERVICED FOR REAR BRAKES AND TO GET THE OIL CHANGED. MY CERTIFIED MECHANIC CALLED ME AT HOME AND STRONGLY SUGGESTED THAT I COME IN TO SEE WHAT HE DISCOVERED WHILE MY VEHICLE WAS UP ON THE LIFT. SO I STOPPED IN TO TAKE A LOOK. HE SHOWED ME EXTENSIVE RUST HOLES IN THE MIDDLE OF THE FRAME WELDS ON BOTH THE PASSENGER AND DRIVER'S SIDE. HE ALSO POINTED OUT THAT THE REAR DIFFERENTIAL CASE HAS SEVERE RUST DAMAGE. HE STRONGLY URGED ME TO STOP DRIVING THE VEHICLE AND STATED THAT IT IS UNSAFE IN ITS PRESENT CONDITION AND THAT HE HAS NEVER SEEN SUCH EXTENSIVE FRAME RUST DAMAGE ON A VEHICLE THIS WELL TAKEN CARE OF. THE DRIVE TRAIN, OUTER BODY, AND INTERIOR ARE IN MINT CONDITION. I ALSO HAVE ALWAYS MADE IT A POINT TO POWER WASH THE SALT (CALCIUM CHLORIDE) OFF THE UNDER CARRIAGE AFTER DRIVING IN THE NORTHEAST AFTER SNOW OR ICE STORMS, WHEN SALT IS USED ON OUR ROADS. I CONTACTED MY LOCAL TOYOTA DEALERSHIP AND THEY GAVE ME THE PHONE NUMBER TO TOYOTA HEADQUARTERS. THE END RESULT WAS, THEY WERE SORRY TO HEAR THAT I HAD A ROTTED OUT FRAME AND SUGGESTED THAT I GET RID OF THE VEHICLE BECAUSE THERE IS CURRENTLY NO RECALL FOR THE SEQUOIAS. ALTHOUGH, AFTER GOING ONLINE AT THE TOYOTA FORUM I FOUND OUT THAT THEY'RE ARE OVER 300 CONSUMERS WITH THE SAME TYPE OF ISSUE WITH THEIR SEQUOIA FRAMES IN OUR STATE, SO I DO NOT STAND ALONE. I AM FLOORED THAT A COMPANY LIKE TOYOTA, THAT PRIDES ITSELF IN BEING COMMITTED TO SAFETY DOES NOT CARE AND WILL NOT TAKE OWNERSHIP WHEN THEY KNOWINGLY USED CHEAP JAPANESE STEEL TO BUILD THESE FAULTY FRAMES. I CURRENTLY HAVE THREE YOUNG CHILDREN AND THIS IS MY PRIMARY VEHICLE. I CANNOT AFFORD TO THROW $8 K AWAY (KELLY BLUE BOOK) ON THIS VEHICLE. PLEASE HELP! IN MARCH 2010, TOYOTA RECALLED 2001-03 TUNDRAS FOR SIGNIFICANT FRAME RUST, WHICH IS THE SAME FRAME AS THE SEQUOIA... VERY PUZZLING? *TR

I TOOK MY VEHICLE IN FOR AN OIL CHANGE AND TIRE ROTATION AND THEN RECEIVED A CALL FROM THE OLATHE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP INDICATING MY VEHICLE WAS UNFIT TO DRIVE DUE TO RUST DAMAGE ON THE UNDER-CARRIAGE. THEY INDICATED THE TRANSMISSION CROSSMEMBERS HAS A 12-INCH LONG SECTION OF RUST AND THERE ARE SOM SMALL HOLES ON THE PASSENGER SIDE. THE FRAME IS WEAK AND POTENTIALLY UNSAFE. I UNDERSTAND TOYOTA HAS RECALLED THE 2000-2003 TUNDRAS AND POSSIBLY TACOMAS FOR THIS RUST DAMAGE. IF I UNDERSTAND CORRECTLY, THE SEQUOIA IS BUILT ON THE SAME FRAMEWORK AS THE TUNDRA SO I WOULD ASSUME A RECALL ON THE SEQUOIA'S WOULD BE NECESSARY AS WELL. I WOULD NORMALLY NOT CONSIDER BUYING A 10-YEAR OLD VEHICLE BUT DUE TO THE FACT IT WAS A TOYOTA AND THEY ARE KNOWN FOR LONG-LASTING VEHICLE LIVES, I HAD NO CONCERNS. NOW IT SEEMS I MAY HAVE A $13K INVESTMENT THAT IS A DANGER TO MY FAMILY AND WORTH NEXT TO NOTHING BASED UPON THE RUST DAMAGE AND SERIOUS IMPLICATIONS IT COULD CAUSE. *TR

LOCAL MECHANIC SAID THAT THE FRAME IS BADLY RUSTED NEAR SPARE TIRE CARRIER AND CROSSOVER BEAM IN REAR AND NEAR FRONT BUMPER MOUNT AREA. HE SAID IT WAS MUCH MORE RUST THAN SHOULD BE EXPECTED IN A 10-YEAR-OLD VEHICLE. CALLED TOYOTA CORPORATE. THEY SAID THERE ARE "NO CURRENT PROGRAMS TO ADDRESS SEQUOIA RUST ISSUES". CALLED LOCAL DEALER. THEY SAID THERE ARE "NO CURRENT PROGRAMS TO ADDRESS SEQUOIA RUST ISSUES". SOUNDS LIKE A CANNED ANSWER TO ME. THIS VEHICLE IS OF THE SAME VINTAGE AND HAS THE SAME FRAME SETUP AS THE RECALLED TUNDRA AND TACOMA MODELS. TOYOTA DOES NOT SEEM TO BE INTERESTED IN CORRECTING THIS KNOWN ISSUE. UPDATED IVOQ 02/08/12 *TR

TRUCK HAS VERY RUSTY FRAME, SPECIALLY THE BACK PORTION AND THE MIDDLE, INCLUDING THE REAR WHEELS, BREAK SECTION, REAL AXEL, FULL WITH THE RUST, EVEN WHILE TRYING TO CLEAN ONCE BUT STOPPED DUE TO REALIZING THAT, BIG PIECES OF METAL WAS COMING OF LIKE PAPER AND START LEAVING HOLE IN THE FRAME, AT FRONT, AROUND INSIDE THE WHEELS, FRAME IS REALLY RUSTY, AND SEEM SOMETHING IS GOING TO BREAK ANYTIME, ITS WELL MAINTAIN TRUCK, ALWAYS BEING MAINTAIN BY TOYOTA DEALER, HAS ALL THE RECORD. ALSO HAVING ISSUE WITH MANIFOLD LEAKED, REPLACED THE PASSENGER SIDE, PAYING $1200 AND BEEN TOLD DRIVER SIDE NEED TO REPLACE TOO, HAD FOUND ON LINE THAT SEQUOIA 2001 HAS PROBLEM WITH MANIFOLD TOO. RECENTLY REPLACED ONE OF THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER COSTING $1000 PLUS, WHICH BREAK DUE TO RUSTY UNDERNEATH, CALLED TOYOTA BUT NO SATISFACTORY ANSWER. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 TOYOTA SEQUOIA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE ENTIRE FRAME OF THE VEHICLE WAS ROTTED. THE CONTACT'S MECHANIC AND THE DEALER INSPECTED THE VEHICLE AND CONFIRMED THAT THE FRAME WAS ROTTED FROM FRONT TO REAR. THE CONTACT SPOKE WITH THE MANUFACTURER AND WAS TOLD THERE WAS NOTHING THAT COULD BE DONE REGARDING THE FRAME. THE FAILURE AND THE CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 155,000. UPDATED 02/03/12*LJ