Problems · by component
2002 Toyota Sequoia steering problems
79 owner complaints to NHTSA about the 2002 Toyota Sequoia cite steering, 11% of all 692 complaints for this model year.
Complaints
79
11% of all complaints
Crashes
6
Reported by owners
Fires
0
Reported by owners
Injuries
13
Reported by owners
What owners say about the steering
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
“I was driving my 2002 Toyota Sequoia on the freeway at approximately 65 mph on the [XXX] when suddenly the vehicle made a beeping noise and the VSC Light and TRAC Light came on. The vehicle suddenly lost control in the wheels and tires and suddenly decelerated out-of-nowhere. Due to the sudden, abrupt movement and loss of control, the vehicle nearly flipped over. It was an extremely dangerous, possibly life-threatening situation. Thankfully, I was attentive and alert and had both hands on the wheel and was able to get the vehicle in control. This happened before two times and this would be the third time. I have taken the vehicle to several different auto repair shops and they have been unable to pin point and fix the problem. Because this issue continues to happen and puts me into dangerous situations repeatedly, I firmly believe that this is a bigger malfunctioning/defect problem that Toyota needs to address and fix.”
“While driving on a curved road, the vehicle made a grinding sound with flashing VSC off and Trac off lights, as it pulled violently to the right and almost ran off the road with my two children in the back seat. This was an extremely scary incident. I 1. While driving on a curved road, the vehicle made a grinding sound with flashing VSC off and Trac off lights, as it pulled violently to the right and almost ran off the road with my two children in the back seat. This was an extremely scary incident. I do understand that many first generation Sequoia owners have reported similar incidents and that there were no recalls, however, I think this is a serious enough issue that will cost innocent people their lives. I was able to pull a reading from the OBD2 and it says there is a fault with the Yaw Rate Sensor. Please help before this causes someone's death. Thank you!do understand that many first generation Sequoia owners have reported similar incidents and that there were no recalls, however, I think this is a serious enough issue that will cost innocent people their lives. I was able to pull a reading from the OBD2 and it says there is a fault with the Yaw Rate…”
“While driving on a highway at about 60 mph, my vehicle made a loud grinding noise while the steering felt very difficult to control and then the VSC TRAC and TRAC OFF lights both came on. I got off the highway and pulled over to a parking lot to inspect the vehicle, but I did not see anything that would cause the vehicle to do that. After a few minutes, I restarted the vehicle and while driving on local roads to get home, the same thing happened again. I was extremely worried for the safety of my wife and children in the vehicle. After reading a few Toyota owners threads online, this seems to be a very familiar pattern with these Toyota Sequoias, and I strongly believe that this will result in very serious injuries or possible deaths if Toyota does not issue a recall to fix the problem causing such dangers for drivers. Please investigate the matter to save lives. Thank you!”
“Rack and pinion rusted out and had to be replaced. It cracked in the middle of the highway and left me inching to safety. Never fully recovered 186k, frame is fully rusted and will not pass inspection due to faulty oxygen sensors and excessive rust and corrosion. Will need to replace exhaust to input a new sensor at 4k Vechicle is fully operable and functional but cannot pass inspection without the safety of rust treatment or replacement It’s a great vechicle but unfortunate that the 2002 series is left out of the recall . There are a lot of early generations that have these issues and although the trucks are reliable and have a long life , are undriveable because they can’t pass inspection. Please consider extended the rust recall to 2001-2003 Sequoias. This was my grandfathers truck and really would like to keep his memory in the family and drive my grandfathers truck as it still runs perfectly but has on going issues with rust and frame issues . There was an extended warranty for 2002 Sequoias that expired in 2014. This is a point where most Sequioas weren’t experiencing this issue. Dealership or recall will not honor and denied any claim for rust It is…”
“The frame of the vehicle has severe rust and now has holes in the frame, making it unsafe to drive and possibly causing an accident. Meticulous care has been taken of this vehicle and it is never taken off road or abused. I’ve had several other vehicles and have never had this frame rust safety issue.”
“The left rear frame broke away from rear sway bar. I was just leaving my house when I heard a thunk. I noticed the problem when I turned onto the faster road as I accelerated the whole backend moved right, pushing the front end left (into oncoming traffic). Letting up on the accelerator cased the reverse to happen, the back end swung left and the front turned right. So, glad it happened slower streets and not the highway. There was a limited service recall on this model to coat with a rust proofing paint and we had the service done in 2012. This failure would have probably killed someone if it had happened on the freeway or cloverleaf. These vehicles should be either repaired by Toyota or off the road.”
Showing 6 of 79 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.