Problems · by component
2002 Toyota Sequoia electronic stability control (esc) problems
196 owner complaints to NHTSA about the 2002 Toyota Sequoia cite electronic stability control (esc), 28% of all 692 complaints for this model year.
Complaints
196
28% of all complaints
Crashes
3
Reported by owners
Fires
0
Reported by owners
Injuries
9
Reported by owners
What owners say about the electronic stability control (esc)
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
“GRINDING NOISE, BEEPING, WARNING LIGHTS FLASHING, DIFFICULTY STEERING, DIFFICULTY BRAKING, CLUNKING WHEN BRAKING, VSC AND ABS LIGHTS ON. VERY SCARY. I WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 50 MPH. IT ALSO HAPPENED WHEN MY DAUGHTER WAS DRIVING IT. VERY INTERMITTENT. I WAS GOING STRAIGHT, NO TURNING, NO BUMPS IN THE ROAD. SO RANDOM. I HAVE RESEARCHED THE MUCH ON YOUTUBE AND THE INTERNET AND THERE ARE MANY OTHERS WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED THIS SCARY SITUATION. I AM AFRAID TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE AND IT IS A MAJOR SAFETY HAZARD AND MUST BE FIXED! I HEARD THEY RECALLED THE 2003'S BUT NOT THE 2002'S BUT THEY HAVE THE SAME PARTS. I WILL SEND PICTURES OF OTHERS WHO HAVE SIMILAR COMPLAINTS. IF YOU GO TO THE WEBSITE I SENT YOU WILL FIND MANY OTHERS WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED THE SAME THING. I AM SENDING ONLY A SAMPLE. PLEASE DO SOMETHING. SERIOUS SAFETY HAZARD, WHATEVER THE PROBLEM IS! I HAVE NOT DRIVEN IT MUCH SINCE IT HAPPENED. I HAVE BEEN VERY DISTRACTED SINCE MY BOYFRIEND PASSED AWAY. I DID CALL THE LOCAL TOYOTA DEALER AFTER IT FIRST HAPPENED AND ALSO THE NATIONAL NUMBER FOR TOYOTA AND WAS TOLD THERE IS NO RECALL. YET! GO TO CARPROBLEMZOO.COM AND INPUT "BRAKE GRINDING NOISE OF TOYOTA SEQUOIA…”
“AS I DRIVE DOWN A HIGHWAY, GRAVEL ROAD, DRIVEWAY, STREET, ANYWHERE, GOING SLOW OR THE SPEED LIMIT, ALL OF A SUDDEN MY VSC LIGHT AND TRACTION CONTROL LIGHT ON THE DASH WILL START FLASHING ACCOMPANIED BY AN ALARM IN THE DASH, CAUSING THE CAR TO MOMENTARILY FEEL ALMOST AS IF ITS HYDROPLANING. THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN IT WILL GO BACK TO NORMAL BUT THE LIGHTS WILL STAY ON. SOMETIMES IT DOES IT 2-3 TIMES EACH TIME THE CAR IS TURNED ON. IT HAS ALSO BEEN DOING IT WHEN I COME TO A COMPLETE STOP, THEN GO TO TAKE OFF AGAIN IT WILL FLASH THE LIGHTS AND MAKE A WEIRD GRINDING NOISE FOR ABOUT 5-10 SECS NOT LETTING THE CAR MOVE AT ALL. THEN IT WILL ALL OF A SUDDEN START MOVING AGAIN. I HAVE 7 KIDS THAT RIDE WITH ME DAILY AND I FIND THIS EXTREMELY SCARY. IT'S BEEN HAPPENING FOR 6/01/2020 TO NOW/PRESENT/DAILY/”
“DRIVING STRAIGHT DOWN 35 MPH ROAD AND ESC LIGHT STARTS FLASHING, DASH BEEPING, ANTI LOCK BRAKES START SURGING WITHOUT PRESSING PEDAL. CAR SHAKING. COME TO A STOP. AFTER 10 SECONDS, BEEPING STOPS, ESC STOPS FLASHING. TRAC OFF AND VSC LIGHT COME ON AND STAY ON. CAR DRIVES FINE NOW WITH LIGHTS ON. MECHANIC SAID NEED NEW BRAKES AND YAW SENSOR OUT OF CALIBRATION PROBABLY DUE TO BRAKES. REPLACED ALL BRAKES AND ROTORS, RE-CALIBRATED YAW SENSOR FOR $1000. SAME THING HAPPENED AGAIN 600 MILES LATER. THIS TIME WHEN IT HAPPENED, MY 18 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER WAS DRIVING. SHE WILL NOT DRIVE THE VEHICLE ANYMORE. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS. I RESEARCHED AND MANY 2002 SEQUOIAS HAVE THIS PROBLEM, SOMETIMES AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. THERE WAS A RECALL FOR 2003 SEQUOIAS, THEY NEED TO COVER THIS YEAR. *TR”
“AT 247,000 PLUS MILES THE ABS SYSTEM WOULD SUDDENLY ENGAGE GOING AROUND SHARPER CURVES ON THE HIGHWAY AT 65+ MPH. RECENTLY THE ABS SYSTEM ENGAGED AT 32 MPH AROUND A SHARPER CURVE ON A MOUNTAIN ROAD. I BROUGHT IT INTO THE DEALER IN AUGUST 2019. AS OF FEBRUARY 2020 IT IS STILL NOT FIXED, DESPITE SPENDING A LOT OF MONEY. BESIDES BEING NERVE WRACKING, IT IS A POTENTIALLY HAZARDOUS PROBLEM, ESPECIALLY IN SNOW AND ICE, THAT SHOULD QUALIFY FOR A RECALL.”
“WHEN I START THE VEHICLE THE TRAC OFF AND VSC TRAC LIGHT IS ILLUMINATED ON THE DASH. AFTER DRIVING A SHORT TIME THE VEHICLE BEEPS AND GOES INTO A SKIP AND BREAKS TO ONE SIDE. IT CORRECTS ITSELF IN A SECOND. SOMETIMES IT BEEPS AND NO SKID. THIS STARTED A YEAR AGO. FREQUENCY WAS A FEW TIMES A YEAR THEN. NOW IT HAPPENS SEVERAL TIMES A WEEK. I BELIEVE TOYOTA ADDRESSED THE ISSUE ON 2003'S, BUT NOT 2002'S. MOST OF TIME THE VEHICLE IS ON CITY STREETS WHEN THIS HAPPENS AND IT IS MORE LIKELY TO HAPPEN AFTER DRIVING A FEW MINUTES. IT ALWAYS HAPPENS WHEN I AM DRIVING STRAIGHT.”
“ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS RECENTLY WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY IN A STRAIGHT LINE MANNER, THE REAR BRAKES EITHER THE LEFT OR RIGHT HAVE AUTOMATICALLY ENGAGED CAUSING MY SEQUIOA TO JERK TO THE LEFT OR RIGHT WHILE AT HIGHWAY SPEED. MY VEHICLE JERKS VIOLENTLY, A BUZZER SOUNDS, AND THE VSC AND TRAC LIGHTS ILLUMINATE AND REMAIN ILLUMINATED. IF THOSE LIGHTS ARE ILLUMINATED IT NO LONGER DOES THIS; HOWEVER, IF THE LIGHTS ARE NOT ILLUMINATED IT'S A COIN FLIP WHETHER BEING JERKED TO THE LEFT OR RIGHT WHILE DRIVING IN A STRAIGHT LINE ON THE HIGHWAY. TOYOTA DEALERSHIP DOESN'T KNOW WHAT PROBLEM IS. APPARENTLY IT COULD BE A DOZEN DIFFERENT THINGS AND THEY HAVE TO START REPLACING EACH ONE AT A TIME TO SEE IF THE PROBLEM GOES AWAY. TO REPLACE EVERYTHING IS SEVERAL THOUSAND DOLLARS, PROBABLY MORE THAN THE BOOK VALUE OF THE VEHICLE.”
Showing 6 of 196 reports. Read every report on NHTSA.gov.
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 11, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.