2004 Toyota Sequoia Traction Control Problems

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 TOYOTA SEQUOIA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE TRACTION LIGHT REMAINED ILLUMINATED AND THE BRAKE PEDAL TRAVELED TO THE FLOORBOARD. THE TRACTION CONTROL, BRAKE, AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHTS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE SOFTWARE FOR THE BRAKE CONTROL MODULE NEEDED TO BE UPDATED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND GAVE THE CONTACT A REFERENCE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 120,000.

ON FOUR SEPARATE OCCASIONS DURING LOW SPEED LEFT TURNS MY 2004 TOYOTA SEQUOIA HAS SHUTTERED AND STRUGGLED TO STAY ON THE ROAD, TRACTION CONTROL LIGHT COMES ON AND BEEPS, AND BRAKE LIGHT ILLUMINATES. VEHICLE ALSO SHUTTERS WHEN BRAKING AT LOW SPEEDS. I TOOK IT TO A TOYOTA DEALERSHIP FOR SERVICE AND WAS TOLD THE MASTER CYLINDER NEEDED TO BE REPLACE. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A CERTIFIED MECHANIC TO REPLACE MASTER CYLINDER, BECAUSE OF TOYOTA'S HIGH PRICE TO REPLACE. THE MECHANIC COULD NOT FIND ANY ISSUE WITH THE MASTER CYLINDER AND SUGGESTED IT WAS AN ISSUE CALL A "LOW SPEED DROP" AND WAS PROBABLY RELATED TO THE ABS SYSTEM OR TRAC CONTROL. CALLED DEALERSHIP AND ASKED WHAT TYPE OF DIAGNOSTICS WERE PERFORMED AND WAS TOLD THAT THEY HOOK UP A COMPUTER WHICH PRODUCED A CODE RELATED TO THE MASTER CYLINDER. THEY COULD NOT EXPLAIN WHY THE COMPUTER GAVE THEM THEMASTER CYLINDER CODE AND DID NOT OFFER TO REINSPECT VEHICLE TO DETERMINE ACTUAL CAUSE. *TR

RIGHT AFTER I PURCHASED MY VEHICLE (USED) THE VSC TRAC, TRAC OFF, BRAKE LIGHTS & CHECK ENGINE LIGHTS CAME ON RANDOMLY. TOYOTA ENDED UP REPLACING THE SKID COMPUTER. IT HAS BEEN JUST OVER A YEAR AND IT IS NOW DOING THE SAME THING. IT LOOSES TRACTION AND WON'T ACCELERATE. TOYOTA TOLD ME ITS NOT UNDER WARRANTY. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE, THE SAME ONE THAT THE 2003 MODELS WERE RECALLED FOR. *TR

WE HAD TIRES CHANGED, THEN THE SKID LIGHT CAME ON WE LOST POWER ON THE FREEWAY THE CAR FISH TAILED MY HUSBAND CHANGED THE FUEL FILTER THINKING THAT THERE WAS NO WAY CHANGING TIRES COULD MAKE OUR 2004 SEQUOIA LOSE POWER, THE PROBLEM STILL EXISTS I AM FRIGHTENED TO DRIVE MY CAR THE LIGHT COMES ON I LOSE POWER AT 70MPH THIS COULD CREATE SERIOUS ACCIDENT. I HAVE READ LOTS OF OTHERS EXPERIENCING SAME PROBLEM THESE SHOULD BE RECALLED. *TR

ON MY 2004 TOYOTA SEQUOIA THE VSC TRAC LIGHT AND TRAC OFF LIGHT ARE BOTH ON. THEY WILL NOT GO OFF. SO I DON'T KNOW IF IT IS WORKING. I READ ON MANY FORUMS AND I AM NOT THE ONLY EXPERIENCING THE PROBLEMS. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND TOYOTA NEEDS TO CORRECT IT. *TR

MY 2004 TOYOTA SEQUOIA IS EXPERIENCING VEHICLE STABILITY CONTROL ISSUES THAT I BELIEVE POSE A SIGNIFICANT THREAT TO MY FAMILIES SAFETY. UNDER ACCELERATION, THE VEHICLE THINKS IT'S LOSING TRACTION AND ENGAGES THE TRACTION CONTROL BY REDUCING POWER. ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS WHILE ACCELERATING INTO TRAFFIC, THE VEHICLE BOGS DOWN. THIS IS HAZARDOUS FOR US, AND FOR OTHER DRIVERS. THIS WAS AN ISSUE WITH THE 2003 MODEL OF THE SEQUOIA AND TOYOTA ISSUED A RECALL. I'VE CONTACTED TOYOTA AND THEY CLAIM THE RECALL DOESN'T APPLY TO THE 2004 MODEL EVEN THOUGH IT'S EXPERIENCING THE SAME EXACT PROBLEM. *TR

MY 2004 SEQUOIA VSC TRACK, TRAC OFF, AND EMERGENCY BRAKE LIGHTS, TURN ON WHILE I'M DRIVING OR WHILE THE TRUCK IS IDLING. HAVE TAKEN IT SEVERAL TIME TO MY TOYOTA DEALER. THEY NEVER SEEM TO FIND WHATS WRONG. MY WARRANTY IS OVER AND I NEED TO KNOW IF TOYOTA WILL FIX THE PROBLEM, SINCE I HAVE RECORDS OF REPORTING IT TO MY TOYOTA DEALER. IT OCCURS OFTEN AND THE TRUCK MAKES A VIOLENT RATTLING NOSE. *TR

MY VSC TRAC, VSC OFF AND ABS LIGHTS COME ON AND OFF INTERMITTENTLY. *TR

OUR 2004 TOYOTA SEQUOIA FREQUENTLY LOSES POWER AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS OF BETWEEN 60 AND 70 MPH BECAUSE THE VSC TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM UNNECESSARILY ENGAGES. THIS OCCURS IN ALL WEATHER CONDITIONS, INCLUDING WHEN IT IS SUNNY OUT AND THE ROAD IS COMPLETELY DRY AND SMOOTH. WE HAVE NOTICED THAT THIS USUALLY HAPPENS AFTER A FULL FILL-UP OF GASOLINE. WHEN THE VSC ENGAGES, THE DASH INDICATOR LIGHT FLASHES EACH TIME WE TRY TO REAPPLY THE ACCELERATOR. WE EITHER HAVE TO SHIFT INTO NEUTRAL, AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, AND RECRANK THE CAR TO GET THE VSC TO STOP ENGAGING, OR SIMPLY COAST TO 20 OR 30 MPH -- AGAIN, ON THE HIGHWAY IN TRAFFIC -- AND SLOWLY REAPPLY THE ACCELERATOR AGAIN BEFORE THE VSC STOPS ENGAGING ALLOWING THE VEHICLE TO REGAIN SPEED. WHEN LOSING POWER AND THEREFORE SPEED ON THE HIGHWAY, WE'VE HAD CARS NEARLY REAR-END US. WE CALLED TOYOTA AFTER WE LEARNED THAT THEY ANNOUNCED A VOLUNTARY RECALL OF '03 SEQUOIAS FOR THE SAME PROBLEM, AND WERE TOLD THAT WE'D HAVE TO PAY FOR THE REPAIR OURSELVES. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND IS NOT THE RESULT OF ANYTHING WE DID TO THIS VEHICLE. *TR

I HAVE A 2004 TOYOTA SEQUOIA LTD 2WD. I PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE IN APRIL 2009. SHORTLY AFTER PURCHASING THE VEHICLE MY EMERGENCY BRAKE LIGHT WOULD SPORADICALLY COME ON WHILE DRIVING WITH NO OTHER EFFECTS. SEVERAL LIGHTS TURNED ON IN JANUARY 2010 WHICH INCLUDED THE VSC, TRACTION CONTROL OFF, AND CHECK ENGINE. THE VEHICLE WAS DIAGNOSED AND I WAS TOLD TO TAKE IT TO TOYOTA. THEY ALSO PRINTED OUT A SAFETY BULLETIN THAT INCLUDED MY VEHICLE WITH EXACT PROBLEMS ALONG WITH SEVERAL OTHER YEARS OF THE TOYOTA SEQUOIA . I HAD THE VEHICLE DIAGNOSED BY TOYOTA AND THEY STATED I NEEDED A NEW SKID CONTROL COMPUTER, WHICH IS VERY EXPENSIVE($1100-$1300). HOWEVER, I WAS TOLD THAT THIS MAY NOT FIX THE SOLUTION AND I MAY NEED A MASTER PRESSURE SENSOR(SEVERAL HUNDRED MORE DOLLARS AT LEAST). I ASKED IF THERE WAS DAMAGE SOMEWHERE OR WAS IT A MALFUNCTION WITH THE COMPUTER AND THE SERVICE MAN STATED IT WAS A MALFUNCTION. I INQUIRED IF THIS WAS WARRANTED, BUT HE STATED NO. I HAVE FOUND HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE COMPLAINING OF THE SAME EXACT PROBLEMS WITH THE SAME VEHICLE. NUMEROUS PEOPLE STATED THEY PAID TO HAVE THE PROBLEM FIXED, BUT THE PROBLEM CAME BACK AFTER A COUPLE OF YEARS. HALF OF THE PEOPLE POSTING THEIR ISSUES STATED THEY HAD SERIOUS MECHANICAL ISSUES AS A RESULT OF THIS MALFUNCTION RESULTING IN FIRES, AUTOMATIC SHUT OFFS, LOW ACCELERATION, ETC. I HAVE NOT HAD ANY DRIVING PROBLEMS WITH THIS VEHICLE, BUT AM VERY AFRAID THAT THIS MALFUNCTION IS A HUGE SAFETY ISSUE FOR ME AND MY FAMILY. *DT

2004 TOYOTA SEQUOIA OCCASIONALLY THE BRAKE LIGHT AND VSC (VEHICLE STABILITY CONTROL) LIGHTS COME ON. WHEN THIS HAPPENS THE ABS SYSTEM PHYSICALLY MALFUNCTIONS AND THE VEHICLE BECOMES A HAZARD. WHEN TAKEN TO THE TOYOTA DEALER THE DEALER SAID THE ISSUE IS A SKID CONTROL COMPUTER WHICH IS COUPLED WITH THE ENGINE CONTROL COMPUTER. THE FAILURE OF WHICH CAN CAUSE THE VEHICLE TO BECOME UNCONTROLLABLE. THE DEALER ADMITTED KNOWLEDGE OF THE ISSUE AND SAID IT WAS A HAZARD AND A COMMON PROBLEM BUT TOYOTA IS NOT "OFFICIALLY" RECOGNIZING THE PROBLEM. NOW I OWN A DEFECTIVE AND POTENTIALLY HAZARDOUS MOTOR VEHICLE WITH A SAFETY ISSUE UNOFFICIALLY KNOWN TO BE COMMON. THE DEALERS ADVICE IS TO REPLACE THE COMPUTER TO THE TUNE OF $1500+. I WILL LIKELY DO THIS FOR THE SAFETY OF MY FAMILY AND COMMUNITY. HOWEVER, RESPONSIBILITY FOR SUCH A COMMON AND RECOGNIZED SAFETY ISSUE SHOULD PROBABLY FALL TO THE MANUFACTURER OF THE DEFECTIVE MOTOR VEHICLE. IT IS MY UNDERSTANDING THAT BY REPLACING THIS COMPUTER THE PROBLEM WILL BE RECTIFIED AND ALL SYSTEMS WILL FUNCTION NORMALLY. TOYOTA IS SO ACUTELY AWARE OF THE PROBLEM THAT THEY MADE CHANGES TO THE SKID CONTROL COMPUTER FOR VEHICLES 2005-CURRENT YEAR MODELS. I HAVE A 2004 WHICH MEANS I HAVE TO PAY FOR THEIR MISTAKE. THIS IS UNFAIR AND UNSAFE. *TR

THE VSC TRAC ABS AND BRAKE LIGHTS LIGHT CAME ON INTERMITTENTLY ON OUR 2004 TOYOTA SEQUOIA WITH 48,645 MILES. TOOK THE CAR IN FOR A DIAGNOSTIC - ($110 TO PLUG IN THE DEVICE THAT READS THE CARS DIAGNOSTIC COMPUTER). DEALER INFORMS US THE SKID CONTROL ECM IS BAD. THE COMPUTER, SKID CONTROL IS $1340.24 DOLLARS - TOTAL PARTS AND LABOR $1,646.24. AFTER SEARCHING THE INTERNET AND SPEAKING WITH LOCAL TOYOTA OWNERS, THIS SEEMS TO BE AN OFTEN REPEATED SCENARIO WITH MOST FAILURES IN THE FORTY THOUSAND MILE RANGE WITH SEVERE SAFETY ISSUES IF NOT IMMEDIATELY REPAIRED. THIS IS AN INHERENT PROBLEM WITH TOYOTA COMPUTERS CONTROLLING THE ABS BRAKES AND ANTI SKID CONTROL AND SHOULD BE A RECALL ITEM REPAIRED BY TOYOTA. BY THE WAY, THE NEW CONTROLLER COMES WITH JUST A ONE YEAR WARRANTY. *TR