2001 Toyota Sequoia

ON FRIDAY, MAY 25, 2007 AT APPROXIMATELY 2:45PM, MY WIFE (BELINDA) WAS TRAVELING ON THE NORTHBOUND 57 FREEWAY TRANSITIONING TO THE WESTBOUND 210 FREEWAY. AT THIS POINT, SHE LOST CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. HYSTERICAL, SHE STILL MANAGED TO NAVIGATE THE VEHICLE OVER TO WHAT IS A QUASI SHOULDER ON THIS TRANSITION ONLY TO EXIT THE VEHICLE, EXAMINE THE AFFECTED AREA (PASSENGER FRONT WHEEL), TO FIND THAT THE WHEEL ITSELF HAD COME APART FROM THE VEHICLE LOOKING LIKE A \"PANCAKE.\" IT WOULD ONLY BE A FEW MOMENTS BEFORE PASSERSBY STOPPED STATING TO HER (AFTER THEY HAD EXAMINED THE DAMAGE) THAT HER BALL-JOINT HAD BROKEN ALONG WITH SEVERAL OTHER PARTS OF THE SUSPENSION. SHE WAS LUCKY SHE WASN'T KILLED (OR, MY ENTIRE FAMILY FOR THAT MATTER ON A TRIP TO SAN FRANCISCO WE HAD TAKEN ONLY THREE WEEKS BEFORE THIS DATE). MY WIFE TELEPHONED ME ON MY CELL PHONE, AT WHICH POINT I CALLED THE AUTO CLUB FOR A TOW. SHORTLY AFTER, A CHP OFFICER HAD APPEARED ON THE SCENE AS WELL AS A TOW-TRUCK DRIVER. TRAFFIC WAS BACKED UP FOR APPROXIMATELY 3 MILES. HOWEVER, BOTH THE CHP PERSON AND THE TOW-TRUCK DRIVER STATED MORE SPECIFICALLY THAT, THE LOWER BALL-JOINT HAD FAILED. MY WIFE WAS PETRIFIED. WHEN I GOT IN THERE, A SERVICE-WRITER (I HAVE HER CARD SOMEWHERE ELSE) HAD ALREADY UNDERTAKEN A SEARCH TO SEE IF MY VEHICLE FELL UNDER A RECALL. I FOUND IT CURIOUS THAT SHE\'D DO A SEARCH FOR THIS SPECIFIC RECALL IF SHE DID NOT ALREADY KNOW EXACTLY WHAT WAS WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE (AS IF SHE HAD SEEN THIS EXACT KIND OF DAMAGE BEFORE). IN OTHER WORDS, I AM REASONABLY CERTAIN THAT SHE KNEW EXACTLY WHAT WAS WRONG WITH THE TRUCK WHEN I BROUGHT IT IN. AS OF THIS MORNING, I SPOKE WITH THE SYMES SERVICE MANAGER (LOUIS) WHO IN TURN STATED THAT HE SPOKE WITH HIS \"AREA DIRECTOR\" \"TOMO.\" HE INSTRUCTED HIS SERVICE MANAGER, LOUIS, TO TELL ME THAT TOYOTA WILL NOT BE TAKING CARE OF THIS AS IT DOES NOT FALL WITHIN THE VEHICLES RECALLED. *TR

DRIVING SOUTH BOUND ON RT. 301 IN BOWIE, MD. BEGAN TO SLOW AND MOVED RIGHT INTO THE EXIT LANE TOWARDS MOUNT OAK RD. WEST BOUND. HEARD A LOUD NOISE AND THE 2001 TOYOTA SEQUOIA LEANED OVER TOWARD THE DRIVERS SIDE FRONT WHEEL. IT BECAME EXTREMELY HARD TO TURN THE STEERING WHEEL AND BRAKING POWER WAS GREATLY REDUCED AND THE SEQUOIA WAS BASICALLY UNCONTROLLABLE. WAS ABLE TO STEER SLIGHT TOWARDS THE RIGHT TO AVOID BEING PULLED BACK INTO TRAFFIC. IMPACTED A SAFETY MEDIAN, DESIGNED TO PROTECT CARS ENTERING THE HIGHWAY FROM THOSE EXITING THE HIGHWAY, AND CROSSED COMPLETELY OVER IT THE WHEEL HUB HAD SEPARATED FROM THE LOWER CONTROL ARM. THE TIRE, WHEEL RIM, HUB, STEERING RACK, STEERING TIE ROD, CONTROL ARMS, BRAKE LINES, DRIVE AXLE, ETC. HAD ALL BEEN DAMAGE SEVERELY. PICTURES OF THE SCENE SHOW A SINGLE SKID MARK FROM THE DRIVER'S SIDE FRONT WHEEL CLEARLY. THE SINGLE SKID MARK INDICATES THAT ONE WHEEL WAS NOT ROTATING AT ALL, WHILE THE OTHER THREE WERE ROTATING FREELY, OR UNDER THE CONTROL OF THE ANTI-LOCK BRAKES. I FOUND NO MY 2001 RECALLS. I LATER FOUND NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER : 05V225000 INDICATING A RECALL DUE TO FAILED BALL JOINTS IN THE 2002-2004 SEQUOIA. THE SEQUOIA MODEL WAS FIRST AVAILABLE AS A MY2001 AND INITIAL INTRODUCTION WAS LATE IN 2000. MY2002 STARTED IN THE LATE SUMMER OF 2001. I FIND IT HARD TO BELIEVE THAT SO QUICKLY AFTER THE MODEL INTRODUCTION TOYOTA WOULD MAKE MAJOR CHANGES IN THE SUSPENSION AND/OR BALL JOINTS. IT WAS BY LUCK ONLY THAT NO ONE WAS INJURED OR KILLED DUE TO THE SUSPENSION FAILURE, TOYOTA NEEDS TO REACT QUICKLY AND NOTIFY MY2001 OWNERS OF THIS DANGEROUS DEFECT. NOT ONLY DID THE SUSPENSION FAIL, CAUSING THE WHEEL TO MOVE BACK AND JAM INTO THE REAR WHEEL WELL AREA, BUT IT SEEMED TO CAUSE AN ALMOST TOTAL LOSS OF BRAKING ABILITY. I BELIEVE THE ANTI-LOCK BRAKES RESPONDED TO THE LOCKED FRONT WHEEL BY MODULATING THE POWER TO THE OTHER WHEELS RESULTING IN LESS BRAKING FORCE. *JB

I OWN A 2001 TOYOTA SEQUOIA AND THE FRONT LEFT BALL JOINT IS MAKING A POPPING NOISE. I CONTACTED TOYOTA AND THEY TOLD ME THEY ARE NOT OFFERING A REMEDY CAMPAIGN FOR THE 2001 TOYOTA SEQUOIA. THEY HAVE A REMEDY CAMPAIGN ON THE SEQUOIA AND TUNDRA FOR 2002-2004. THEY ARE NOT OFFERING A REMEDY CAMPAIGN FOR THE 2001 SEQUOIA EVEN THOUGH THE FRONT ENDS ARE THE SAME. I AM CONCERNED NOT ONLY FOR MY FAMILY, OTHER OWNERS AND THE GENERAL PUBLIC THAT WALK, RIDE AND DRIVE ON OUR PUBLIC ROADS. WHEN THE BALL JOINTS FAILS THE VEHICLE WILL WRECK AND CAUSE SERIOUS INJURIES TO ALL PEOPLE IN THE VEHICLE OR CLOSE TO THE ACCIDENT. IT DOES NOT MAKE ANY SINCE THAT THE 2002-2004 SEQUOIA AND TUNDRAS HAVE A REMEDY CAMPAIGN AND THE 2001 SEQUOIA DOES NOT WHEN THEY HAVE THE SAME FRONT END. *NM

VEHICLE: 2001 TOYOTA SEQUOIA SR5 2WD. FRONT SUSPENSION PROBLEM. SINCE OBTAINING THE VEHICLE IN APRIL 2001 I NOTICED A PROBLEM IN THE STABILITY OF THE FRONT END OF THE VEHICLE. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP (I-10 TOYOTA IN INDIO) ON 3 SEPARATE OCCASIONS AND THEY WERE UNABLE TO IDENTIFY THE PROBLEM. WHEN I HEARD ABOUT THE RECALL (O5V225000) I ANTICIPATED THAT THIS WAS THE TROUBLE THAT I HAD ALL ALONG WITH THE SEQUOIA. WHEN I LOOKED INTO THE RECALL IT TURNED OUT THAT IT REFERRED TO 2002 TO 2004 VEHICLES ONLY. COMMON SENSE TELLS ME THAT IF THE TROUBLE EXISTED ON SUBSEQUENT MODELS AFTER ITS INCEPTION TO THE MARKET, IT IS ONLY OBVIOUS THAT 2001 MODELS ARE TO BE INCLUDED. I UNDERSTAND THAT RECALL LETTERS WILL BE ISSUED STARTING IN JULY 2005. I AM FILING THIS COMPLAINT BECAUSE I AM AWARE THAT 2001 MODELS WILL NOT BE INCLUDED AND I RESPECTFULLY REQUEST THAT 2001 YEAR MODELS ARE ALSO RECALLED. THE INSTABILITY WITH THE FRONT END CONTINUES. THE TIRES HAVE BEEN CHANGED 3 TIMES TO DIFFERENT TYPES AND THE INSTABILITY CONTINUES. PLEASE VERIFY WITH YOUR INTERNAL ENGINEERS IF THE BALL JOINTS UTILIZED ON 2001 MODELS WERE ANY DIFFERENT THAN LATTER MODELS. YOU WILL FIND THAT THE SAME MECHANISMS HAVE BEEN USED UNTIL NOW THAT THIS ISSUE IS BEING ADDRESSED BY YOUR OFFICE. YOUR ATTENTION AND SUBSEQUENT POSITIVE INCLUSION OF MY PETITION IS APPRECIATED. HECTOR CASAS

THE FRONT BRAKING SYSTEM ON 2001 SEQUOIA WAS REPLACED AND UPGRADED. *MR THE BRAKE JOBS WERE PERFORMED AT THE FOLLOWING MILEAGES: 15K, 25K, 30K, 55K, AND 74K MILES. THE LEFT WHEEL RATTLED OVER THE ROUGH ROAD, THE REAR LEFT STRUT MADE A NOISE WHEN GOING OVER BUMPS DUE TO A BROKEN SHOCK, AND THE ENGINE LIGHT HAD COME ON. *SC *JB