2001 Toyota Sequoia service brakes, hydraulic problems

“TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 TOYOTA SEQUOIA. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 50 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED. DURING THE FAILURE, THE TRACTION CONTROL AND ABS INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE RESTARTED, BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED SEVERAL TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC, BUT THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE COULD NOT BE DETERMINED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 110,000.”

“VSC LIGHT ILLUMINATION/FAILURES INITIALLY APPEARED AT 42,000 MILES, VERY INTERMITTENT AND SEEMINGLY RANDOM. FREQUENCY INCREASED AFTER 75,000 MILES; ABS LIGHT APPEARED LATER. 1. VSC OFF LIGHT ILLUMINATED (VARIABLE SPEED CONTROL) INITIALLY AT INTERMITTENT TIME WHILE DRIVING, NOW ILLUMINATED FULL-TIME. 2. VSC TRAC LIGHT ILLUMINATED (VARIABLE SPEED CONTROL) INITIALLY AT INTERMITTENT TIME WHILE DRIVING, NOW ILLUMINATED FULL-TIME. 3. ABS LIGHT ILLUMINATED (ANTI LOCK BRAKES) INITIALLY AT INTERMITTENT TIME WHILE DRIVING, NOW ILLUMINATED FULL-TIME. ABS NOW INOPERABLE. TESTED TO VALIDATE INOPERABLE STATUS - FULL BRAKE LOCKUP, NO ABS OPERATION. VARIABLE SPEED CONTROL NOW INOPERABLE. SPUN OUT TWICE RECENTLY IN SLOW SPEED RIGHT HAND OFF-CAMBER TURN ON WET PAVEMENT.”

“RECENTLY HAD NEW TIRES INSTALLED, WHILE ACCELERATING UP FREEWAY ON RAMP I COULD FEEL POWER BEING TAKEN AWAY, LOOKED DOWN AND SKID CONTROL LIGHT WAS LIT UP. ASKED MECHANIC ABOUT IT AND RECOMMENDED ZERO POINT CALIBRATION TO REST SENSORS FOR STEERING YAW AND PITCH. AFTER ZPC VSC TRAC AND VSC OFF LIGHTS WERE ON. CODE PULLED C1231 STEERING ANGLE. ZPC AGAIN. CODE AND LIGHTS STILL, CODE WILL NOT CLEAR WITH TOYOTA INTELLIGENT 2 SCANNER. MONITORING STEERING SENSOR WITH SCANNER SHOW BOTH POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE NUMBERS WITH ZERO AT WHEELS STRAIGHT. MECHANIC WANT TO CHANGE OUT SPENDY VSC CPU AND TRANSLATE CPU AND SAYS THAT IS NO GUARANTEE TO FIX. I AM DRIVING IT WITH LIGHTS ONE DUE TO UNABLE TO PAY $2K FOR SOMETHING OUT OF KNOW WHERE AND NO PART PHYSICALLY BROKE TO PROMOTE. IN LOOKING AROUND I SEE THIS IS NOT AN ISOLATED ISSUE. *TR”

“VEHICLE: TOYOTA SEQUOIA 2001 4WD LTD TEMPERATURE: 87 DEGREES F CONDITIONS: SUNNY & CLEAR - NO RAIN/WATER PRESENT - NO OBVIOUS SLIPPERY CONDITIONS SURFACE: PAVED SURFACE ROAD ACCESSORIES ACTIVE: AIR CONDITIONING WAS ON & RADIO WAS ON WHILE TRAVELING AT APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH IN A STRAIGHT LINE THE TRACTION CONTROL LIGHT ILLUMINATED (VEHICLE SYMBOL THAT INCLUDES 3 WAVY LINES) AND SOUNDED AN AUDIBLE SIGNAL IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWED BY THE "VSC TRAC" & "VSC OFF" LIGHTS ILLUMINATING. TO MEMORY, THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS BEING PRESSED AS NORMAL. WHEN THE ABOVE DASHBOARD LIGHTS ILLUMINATED A NEGATIVE SENSATION COULD BE FELT THROUGH THE STEERING WHEEL, BUT THE VEHICLE DID NOT VEER OFF COURSE. NEXT, THE EMERGENCY FLASHER HAZARD LIGHT WAS TURNED ON, THE A/C & RADIO WERE TURNED OFF AND THE FOUR MAIN WINDOWS WERE LOWERED TO THEIR FULL DOWN POSITIONS BY THE DRIVER AND THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN TO A SIDE STREET APPROXIMATELY 1/8 MILE AHEAD, STOPPED AND PARKED. THE DRIVER KEPT THE VEHICLE RUNNING. THE VEHICLE WAS THEN INSPECTED BY THE DRIVER FOR SIGNS OF OBVIOUS MECHANICAL FAILURE. THE BRAKE, DRIVELINE AND SUSPENSION COMPONENTS DID NOT SHOW ANY OBVIOUS SIGNS OF FAILURE. THE OWNER'S…”

“ABS, TRAC CONTROL, AND VSC LIGHT COME ON INTERMITTENTLY ALL AT THE SAME TIME. THERE IS A TOTAL LOSS OF ABS AND TRACTION CONTROL - VERY SCARY ON ICY ROADS. PROBLEM COMES AND GOES. CANNOT SEEM TO GET A FAULT CODE. BASED ON THE POSTINGS I SEE, THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM. *TR”

“FRONT BRAKES CAUSED VIOLENT SHAKING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. HAD PREPARED VEHICLE FOR LENGTHY HOLIDAY TRIP BY INSPECTING AND ROTATING TIRES, HAVING WHEEL ALIGNMENT, CHECKING BRAKE PADS, ROTORS, BLEEDING BRAKE LINES WITH NEW DOT3 BRAKE FLUID, ENGINE OIL CHANGE, COOLANT FLUSHED, ETC.... THIS WAS NOT THE FIRST INCIDENT, BUT DEFINITELY THE WORST. TOYOTA DEALERSHIP HAS TOLD ME ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS THAT THEY COULD NOT FIX IT. HOW DISAPPOINTING. I RECENTLY FOUND THAT THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE THAT THEY DON'T WANT TO ADDRESS. PEOPLE WILL DIE AS A RESULT OF THEIR RECKLESSNESS. DEFINITELY A TOYOTA PROBLEM DUE TO IMPROPERLY UNDERSIZED BRAKING SYSTEM. YOU MIGHT END UP BEING IN THE VEHICLE THAT ONE OF THESE SUVS REARENDS. *TR”