2001 Toyota Sequoia

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 TOYOTA SEQUOIA. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 50 MPH, THE BRAKES APPLIED FORCEFULLY AND INDEPENDENTLY. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO PULL TO THE RIGHT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE TRACTION CONTROL WARNING LIGHT AND SEVERAL OTHER UNKNOWN WARNING LIGHTS WERE ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT STATED HE CONTINUED TO EXPERIENCE THE FAILURE WHILE ATTEMPTING TO PARK ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DRIVABLE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED NOR REPAIRED. A DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE MANUFACTURER HAD BEEN INFORMED OF FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 240,000.

WHILE I WAS TRAVELING ON THE HIGHWAY AT 70 MPH, THE RIGHT FRONT BRAKE LOCKED UP MOMENTARILY AND LURCHED THE VEHICLE, THE VSC AND TRACTION CONTROL LIGHT STARTED FLASHING AND A WARNING BUZZER WENT OFF. AFTER LOOKING INTO THINGS, THERE ARE KNOWN ISSUES WITH THE 2001 AND 2002 TOYOTA SEQUOIA THAT CAUSE THIS EXACT THING TO HAPPEN TO PLENTY OF OTHER PEOPLE. I UNDERSTAND THAT THERE HAS ALREADY BEEN AN EVALUATION DONE ON THIS MATTER AND IT WAS RULED THAT THE SEVERITY OF THE ISSUE DOES NOT WARRANT A RECALL. WHY THERE IS NO RECALL BEING ISSUED ON THE MULTIPLE FAILURE POINTS IN THE VEHICLE'S SYSTEM AND PEOPLE ARE REQUIRED TO SPEND THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS IN REPAIRS FOR PARTS AND LABOR WHEN THE MANUFACTURER'S DESIGN DIDN'T LAST? I PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE FOR MY FATHER TO FEEL MORE SAFE IN, AND THAT IS THE LAST THING THAT HE FEELS WHILE DRIVING IT. I AM NOW REQUIRED TO DRIVE OUR AFFECTED VEHICLE AND HAVE TO BE CONSTANTLY PAYING ATTENTION SO THAT THE ABS SYSTEM DOESN'T SHOOT ME INTO ANOTHER VEHICLE.

THE VEHICLE STABILIZATION CONTROL TURNS ITSELF ON AT RANDOM TIMES WHILE DRIVING. HAS NO CORRELATION TO DRIVING CONDITIONS, TYPE OF ROADWAY, OR SPEED VEHICLE IS MOVING. THERE IS A BEEP AND THEN A PULL ON THE STEERING WHILE A LOUD GRINDING NOISE AND SENSATION OCCURS. IT HAS GOTTEN SO BAD, THE CAR IS NOT DRIVABLE BECAUSE YOU CANNOT STOP. MECHANIC HAS TRIED TO REPAIR BUT IS UNABLE TO ROOT THE CAUSE. THE LAST TIME WAS SO BAD, MY HUSBAND THOUGHT HE WAS GOING TO CRASH ON THE HIGHWAY EXIT RAMP. *TR

WAS DRIVING STRAIGHT ON A CITY STREET WITH NO ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS (RAIN, WET ROAD, ETC.) HAD ACCELERATED UP TO ABOUT 35MPH WHEN SUDDENLY THE TRAC OFF, VSC, AND SKID LIGHTS ILLUMINATED (POSSIBLY FLASHING) AND A WARNING BEEPING SOUND WENT OFF. THERE WAS A LOUD GRINDING METAL ON METAL SOUND AND THE CAR WAS SHUTTERING (VIBRATING). I IMMEDIATELY BEGIN TO DEPRESS THE BREAKS, AND WHILE THE CAR DID BEGIN TO SLOW FURTHER THAN IT ALREADY WAS, I DID NOT FEEL LIKE I COULD HAVE COME TO A COMPLETE STOP AS IF I HAD TOTAL CONTROL OF THE BREAKS. I LOOKED AHEAD TO SEE WHERE I COULD PULL INTO TO GET OFF THE ROAD WHEN THE LIGHTS/WARNING SOUND WENT OFF AND THE VEHICLE RESUMED NORMAL OPERATION. THIS WAS AFTER ABOUT 5-10 SECONDS. I DROVE FOR A COUPLE OF MINUTES TO A GAS STATION TO GET GAS. THE VEHICLE SEEMED FINE. I WAS ONLY ABOUT 5 MORE MINUTES TO HOME SO I CONTINUED DRIVING. DURING THAT 5 MINUTE DRIVE IT HAPPENED A SECOND TIME. THE EXACT SAME BEHAVIOR, I WAS ALREADY SLOWING DOWN APPROACHING A RED LIGHT AND WAS TRAVELING PROBABLY 15-20MPH WHEN IT HAPPENED. AFTER ABOUT 5 SECONDS THE BEHAVIOR STOPPED AND THE VEHICLE RESUMED NORMAL OPERATION. I WAS ONLY ABOUT 30 SECONDS FROM HOME. CONTINUED HOME AND HAVEN'T DRIVEN THE VEHICLE SINCE. THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE TO HAVE YOUR BREAK SYSTEM ACTIVATE UNCONTROLLABLE. IT WAS TERRIFYING AT 35 MPH, I CAN'T IMAGE WHAT MIGHT HAPPEN AT 65MPH. A FEW SECONDS OF RESEARCH SHOWS HUNDREDS OF OTHER COMPLAINTS OF THE SAME PROBLEM. SOME PEOPLE HAVE REPORTED PULLING THE FUSE FOR THE ABS SYSTEM TO DISABLE IT, BECAUSE NOT HAVING IT IS SAFER THAN YOUR BREAKING SYSTEM UNCONTROLLABLY GOING OFF ON YOU. THIS NEEDS TO BE RECALLED BY THE MANUFACTURER AND FIXED BEFORE THERE IS A FATAL ACCIDENT!

TWICE, ONCE IN NOV. 2019 AND AGAIN N MAR,.2020, THE ELECTRONIC SKID CONTROL HAS ENGAGED WITHOUT WARNING AND WITHOUT REASON, CAUSING ME TO NEARLY LOSE CONTROL OF THE CAR. BOTH OCCASIONS OCCURRED ON INTERSTATE 40 NEAR RALEIGH , NC. THE WEATHER WAS CLEAR AND THE ROAD CONDITIONS WERE DRY, SOLID (NO SAND OR GRAVEL) SURFACE. WHEN THE SYSTEM ENGAGED AT APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH, THE VEHICLE WAS PULLED TO THE RIGHT NEARLY UNCONTROLLABLY, THE ABS SYSTEM ENGAGED (GRINDING METAL-ON-METAL SOUND0, AND THE ENGINE SPEED WAS REDUCED. IN ADDITION, THE TRAC AND VSC ICONS LIT UP ON THE DASH AND THE RE WAS A BEEPING SOUND. THIS IS A DANGEROUS SITUATION. HAD THERE BEEN A VEHICLE IN THE LANE TO MY RIGHT, I COULD NOT HAVE AVOIDED HITTING THEM. FORTUNATELY, NO OTHER VEHICLES WERE INVOLVED AND THERE WAS NO ACCIDENT, BUT THIS WAS PURELY LUCK. AFTER THE FIRST EVENT I TOOK MY VEHICLE TO MARK JACOBSON TOYOTA IN DURHAM, NC ON NOV 14, 2019 ( I HAVE THE SERVICE RECEIPT.) THEY STATED THAT THEY "COULD NOT REPRODUCE THE PROBLEM" AND SAID THAT THEY DID A "ZERO POINT CALIBRATION." I HAVE NOT HAD THE VEHICLE SERVICED AFTER THE SECOND EPISODE SINCE IT HAPPENED JUST YESTERDAY. A SURVEY OF THE INTERNET REVEALS MULTIPLE OTHER FIRST GENERATION SEQUOIA OWNERS REPORTING THE SAME THING, BUT THERE IS NO REPORTED SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM. THE ONLY "FIX" THAT WORKS CONSISTENTLY IS TO REMOVE THE ABS SYSTEM FUSE; HARDLY A SOLUTION, SINCE IT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE TO ME TO DISABLE A CRITICAL AUTOMOTIVE SAFETY SYSTEM. NEVERTHELESS, GIVEN THE SEVERITY OF THE PROBLEM WITH THE ABS SYSTEM ENERGIZED, I CAN UNDERSTAND THAT DISABLING THE ABS SYSTEM IS THE LESSER OF TWO EVILS. I WOULD BE GRATEFUL FOR YOU HELP IN FINDING A SAFE SOLUTION TO THIS DANGEROUS SITUATION.