Traction Control System Problems

[jessematt]

Marchab,
Thanks for the reply, and I'm sorry you all are going through this. I'm concerned to the point that my wife and I are sending the kids out tomorrow night and we are going to test drive some 4runners. I hate having a car payment again...out 2002 is paid off, but I am concerned this could potentially be a safety issue, despite what Toyota thinks. We also had a problem with the broken door handle.
Don't know what to tell you other than I appreciate you replying on this forum.

[romanchirva]

Originally Posted by jessematt

Took my wife's 2002 SR5 2WD Sequoia (60,051 miles) in today to the local TOYOTA dealership to have them check on the Traction Control lights coming on. Here is what they told me after 1/2 visit for $54.00.

Description Cause Price
-------------------------------------------------------------------
VSC TRAC OUTTIME code C1249 54.00
TRAC OFF clear code, if reappear
ABS lights on need further testing

STOP light switch if light comes on again 281.00

Recommended other service
---------------------------
Front brake pads, 5/10% remain, glaze and 325.00
resurface rotor groove

Rear brake pads, 5/10% remain, glaze and 365.00
resurface rotor groove

Brake flush fluid dirty 87.00

Recommend 60K 400.00
service

Tune-up 8 spark 128.00
plugs

Mass air flow sensor dirty 194.00

EFI induction service carbon 198.00

Injector service mileage recommended 160.00

Cabin mold service dirty 150.00
A/C evaporation
cleansing

Power steering flush fluid discolored 87.00

Serpentine belt cracked 270.00

GRAND TOTAL 2,645.00

Wow! Trying to give me the old scroogie! What do you folks think? Have they addressed my original problem at all?

I trust this board far more than anyone at the dealership.

They are "raping" you.

[jessematt]

Originally Posted by romanchirva

They are "raping" you.

They are trying to, but I didn't let them. Took the Sequoia to a local guy and he did the same work for 1/2 the price. He has an excellent reputation and got all the work done in one day. He recommended that many of the items that were originally recommended were nice to have done items, but really unnecessary.

[marchab]

Originally Posted by marchab

For the past year, when my wife has turned a corner into our driveway, the vsc light comes on and the feature activates. She didn't realize that anything was abnormal until about a week ago. At that time, the VSC actuation and VSC Off lights come on and stayed on. When she first started the car, the VSC feature activated with the loud noise for about 50 feet- it felt like a meat grinder. We took the car in today (2003 Sequoia, Limited, 4x4) and the service tech said that similar problems have been occuring on other Sequoias, Siennas, etc. Apparently, it's a sensor in the steering column that is bad?! We'll see what the diagnosis is after they look at it.

With only 60,000 miles, I expect more from Toyota. I have a '99 4 runner with 165,000 miles, with which I've had virtually no problems. With the Sequoia, we have had a noisy heater fan, jumpy acceleration pedal, broken driver side door handle, and faulty rear door cable. We're now looking for another car for her, but I'm starting to get nervous about keeping the Sequoia.

(Oh, by the way, as the service tech politely told us it would cost $85 just to look at the car, he indicated that it wouldn't be considered a safety item nor under warranty.) Any advise?

3/1/06 Follow up
Apparently, Sequoias have had a lot of problems with the VSC. The tech told me that they stock the parts (Computers) that costs approx. $1200 + labor to replace. They apparently only stock items that have heavy demand. At first they wanted me to pay to $1400 total. I asked them to just disable the box. They couldn't (or wouldn't) disable the computer but agreed to replace the computer on 'good will' if I would pay the labor (approx $200). I've lost faith in the Sequoia and Toyota.

[rinkman]

I had the same problem with my 2003... really frustrating... but guess what I finally found this post on another site and guess what... 7 months now without the problem....

Take it to your dealer and tell them to FIX IT! Here is the mail from the other site... Best of luck to you all....

Tell the Dealer to pull their head.
If you jump the DCL connector under the dash--> PINS (TC & CG)
The ABS light will flash a deep rooted code, My guess (i have a crystal ball) is it is a 63.
This indicates and malfunctioning pressure sensor in the Brake Booster assy.
If they find NO CODE, my other sugestion would be the SKID CONTROL ECU.
It is bolted to the ABS Actuator under the hood. There is a TSB on 03 SEQ's for a problem with them, every now and then a 01 has the same problem.(but unlikely)
My best guess would be the BRAKE BOOSTER 90% sure of this.
__________________

[rinkman]

BTW - here are the latest of the TSB on the 2003 Sequoia... I think everyone has seen the first two... but check out the rest... they are all surrounding the problem with the ABS and TRAC lights... see my previous post for the answer to the problem... so they all knew that it was a problem all the way back to 2003... the first time it happened to us was 10 days after we bought it. Still LOVE Toyota.. just think they have a real problem on this one and their Service Departments stink. Just another money maker for the dealerships.


Technical Service Bulletins
Date: 06/27/2005
Component Name: 021540 SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM:LOWER BALL JOINT
NHTSA #: 05015
SUMMARY: SPECIAL SERVICE CAMPAIGN 50J - PHASE I - FRONT SUSPENSION LOWER BALL JOINT MAY EXPERIENCE EXCESSIVE WEAR AND LOOSENESS CAUSING INCREASED STEERING, EFFORT, REDUCED VEHICLE SELF-CENTERING, AND NOISE IN THE FRONT SUSPENSION. *TT
Date: 06/27/2005
Component Name: 021540 SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM:LOWER BALL JOINT
NHTSA #: 05015
SUMMARY: SPECIAL SERVICE CAMPAIGN 50J - PHASE I - FRONT SUSPENSION LOWER BALL JOINT MAY EXPERIENCE EXCESSIVE WEAR AND LOOSENESS CAUSING INCREASED STEERING, EFFORT, REDUCED VEHICLE SELF-CENTERING, AND NOISE IN THE FRONT SUSPENSION. *TT
Date: 11/18/2003
Component Name: 036000 SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK
NHTSA #: 00303
SUMMARY: VSC LIGHT ON CONDITION WITH DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODE C1231 IN THE SKID CONTROL COMPUTER MEMORY. A MODIFICATION TO THE SKID CONTROL COMPUTER LOGIC HAS BEEN MADE TO PREVENT THIS CONDITION. *TT
Date: 09/03/2003
Component Name: 036000 SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK
NHTSA #: BR00203
SUMMARY: VSC COMMUNICATION BETWEEN SKID CONTROL COMPUTER AND ENGINE CONTROL MODULE (ECM) - DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODE (DTC) C1203. *TT
Date: 09/03/2003
Component Name: 036000 SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK
NHTSA #: BR00203
SUMMARY: VSC COMMUNICATION BETWEEN SKID CONTROL COMPUTER AND ENGINE CONTROL MODULE (ECM) - DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODE (DTC) C1203. REVISED. *TT
Date: 12/14/2004
Component Name: 036000 SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK
NHTSA #: 4429
SUMMARY: ABS WITH EBD & BA & TRAC & VSC SYSTEM REPAIR MANUAL CORRECTION FOR THE 2003 SEQUOIA. 00400-RM959-U1. *TT
Date: 12/14/2004
Component Name: 036000 SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK
NHTSA #: 4429
SUMMARY: ABS WITH EBD & BA & TRAC & VSC SYSTEM REPAIR MANUAL CORRECTION FOR THE 2003 SEQUOIA. 00400-RM959-U1. *TT
Date: 11/18/2003
Component Name: 036000 SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK
NHTSA #: 00303
SUMMARY: VSC LIGHT ON CONDITION WITH DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODE C1231 IN THE SKID CONTROL COMPUTER MEMORY. A MODIFICATION TO THE SKID CONTROL COMPUTER LOGIC HAS BEEN MADE TO PREVENT THIS CONDITION. *TT
Date: 09/03/2003
Component Name: 036000 SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK
NHTSA #: BR00203
SUMMARY: VSC COMMUNICATION BETWEEN SKID CONTROL COMPUTER AND ENGINE CONTROL MODULE (ECM) - DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODE (DTC) C1203. *TT
Date: 09/03/2003
Component Name: 036000 SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK
NHTSA #: BR00203
SUMMARY: VSC COMMUNICATION BETWEEN SKID CONTROL COMPUTER AND ENGINE CONTROL MODULE (ECM) - DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODE (DTC) C1203. REVISED. *TT
Date: 12/14/2004
Component Name: 036000 SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK
NHTSA #: 4429
SUMMARY: ABS WITH EBD & BA & TRAC & VSC SYSTEM REPAIR MANUAL CORRECTION FOR THE 2003 SEQUOIA. 00400-RM959-U1. *TT
Date: 12/14/2004
Component Name: 036000 SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK
NHTSA #: 4429
SUMMARY: ABS WITH EBD & BA & TRAC & VSC SYSTEM REPAIR MANUAL CORRECTION FOR THE 2003 SEQUOIA. 00400-RM959-U1. *TT

[AmercanMuscle92]

i own a 2003 sequoia SR5 and it has been living hell dealing w/ this vehicle

the 2003 has known problems w/ the traction control and abs systems that are dangerous along w/ many other problems

if you have a 2003 get rid of it they are death traps

i have had ABS kick in too early
not kick in at all
traction control fail causing the engine to die in corners and exaust systems are crap
the body work is falling apart at 50,000 miles of city driving

the road gets a little wet and this thing slides

once my warentty is up im chopping it and making it into a strict off road only vehicle

[ChickenFace]

I have a 2005 Sequoia, 2wd, 53,000 and my wife went to start the car and the VSC/TRAC lights went on with the Check Engine light. Lifted the hood, checked the engine, drove it around and nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Read all of the horror stories of the vehicle shutting off in traffic and that never happened to me - everything ran just as normal but feared that the safety issue could be real. I read on one of the websites where someone had disconnected the battery to allow the "computer system/chip" to reset, then reconnected the battery and the problem was solved. I did the same thing and the problem went away. I was real close to dragging my Sequoia in to the dealership and going through the painful process of listening to Joe mechanic tell me what the problem and $2000 later tell me how that might fix the problem - well, I was super happy I stumbled onto the advic and solved my probem. I can only imagine how quick the dealership would have loved to sell me a "new chip" for $1200 to solve my problem.

[AmercanMuscle92]

Okay
i just got FED UP w/ my seqouia
i Own a 2003 2wd SR5 model and have loved alot of things about it ecpecially off road but this just pushed the line.
While driving ive had the system KILL THE ENGINE completely while cornering into traffic or while pulling out of a driveway through anysort of dip in the pavement... i took it to Toyota they replaced the entire computer at my cost and still no fix...I took it back again threatning to go to court w/ the malfunctioning vehicle or have them just disable te system completely... they blew it off and it was turned over in court...
THIS IS DANGEROUS
im young but i know wtf im doing w/ a vehicle and something is very wrong
it was my dads before me and he had the same prblms...
off road i leave the system off b/c otherwise its undriveable...

IN THIS TRUCKS DEFENSE
it did save my life the one time the system functioned correctly
i was going around a curve and was comming up on an intersection at about 4o mph when someguy pulled out in front of me going about 10mph
i had no distance to stop so i made the lane change ona fairly bad very narrow road, i didnt see the puddle of water on the curve and my left front tire hit it... the whole suv just lost control and fishtailed violently 3-4 times before spinning 3 times and comming to a stop facing the oposite direction...if it hadnt been for these systems im sure i wouldnt be here to tell this....

then again as soon as it stopped spinning and i got going again
the trac/vsc and brake lights came on....

im so fed up w/ this vehicle im preparing to strip it down, spray in some bedliner, and waterproof everything i can and start using it off road ONLY

its unsafe, a deathtrap
and to tell you the truth
my 1996 TOYOTA AVALON with 100k miles on itand some mods
is safer, more sure and has had fewer problems than this thing

peace

[janeling]

Originally Posted by marchab

For the past year, when my wife has turned a corner into our driveway, the vsc light comes on and the feature activates. She didn't realize that anything was abnormal until about a week ago. At that time, the VSC actuation and VSC Off lights come on and stayed on. When she first started the car, the VSC feature activated with the loud noise for about 50 feet- it felt like a meat grinder. We took the car in today (2003 Sequoia, Limited, 4x4) and the service tech said that similar problems have been occuring on other Sequoias, Siennas, etc. Apparently, it's a sensor in the steering column that is bad?! We'll see what the diagnosis is after they look at it.

With only 60,000 miles, I expect more from Toyota. I have a '99 4 runner with 165,000 miles, with which I've had virtually no problems. With the Sequoia, we have had a noisy heater fan, jumpy acceleration pedal, broken driver side door handle, and faulty rear door cable. We're now looking for another car for her, but I'm starting to get nervous about keeping the Sequoia.

(Oh, by the way, as the service tech politely told us it would cost $85 just to look at the car, he indicated that it wouldn't be considered a safety item nor under warranty.) Any advise?

Hallo

I have the same problems with my 2002 Sequioa as you describe above.
Live on a small island in the caribbean and do not have good experience with my toyota dealer.
Did yoy find a solution for the problem?
Janeling

[focus7778]

Where do I begin. Our 2003 limited Sequoia started acting up a few months back on a trip from Hilton Head to Florida.
The car's gas pedal would go dead, and we would lose speed. The traction control light would flicker. We were on 95 , going 70, and it brought us down to 40 mph. We tried to give it gas, but it just revved the engine, RPM's went up, but no gas. About 1 min later, we could give it gas and get back up to speed for about 1 - 2 minutes, then the same thing would happen. The gas pedal would go dead...you could floor it and nothing would happen, and we coasted as our speed dropped down to 40. This continued for 30 minutes.
We pulled over, tried restarting, letting it rest - and started again. We did this numerous times on the side of I-95...real safe.
Nothing worked. as soon as we got up to about 60 mph it would happen again. We went through this on a 5 hour car ride. It was horrible. Other cars would ride our tail, as we would be going 70 and dropped down to 40 in 1 minute. It's amazing someone's road rage didn't kick it.

we got home, and tried to figure it out. We seem to be able to drive around town and no problem. It seems if we stay under 55 mph, it does not act up. If I hit 57 or so, same story.
I had to travel to Ft. Lauderdale the following week, and I was hoping it would not act up...as it does not do it 100% of the time. But 45 min into my 3 hour drive, and it happened again. it was hell. Ft.Lauderdale traffic, and people honking at me, and many middle fingers. I was so frustrated, going 40 mph on the highway...almost missing my meeting.

I just took it in, and my mechanic, said he saw some things on the internet, and was going to have to take it to Toyota for me tomorrow.
So I wait....wondering what Toyota is going to try to charge me for this issue.

It is a VERY UNSAFE issue, and I cannot believe they have not issued a recall for this issue....especially when it sounds like it is a computer issue.

I'll let you know the damage.

[pilotguy01]

I also had the VSC Trac and Trac Off lights on with an occaisional shimmy on my first drive of the day as the AS was no doubt confused. I went to Toyota of Lewisville (TX) and for $113 they told me it would be $2700 to fix my 03. Wow. I'm a do-it-yourselfer but was pretty intimidated by this job.

Went home and disconnected the batt. and re-connected and "presto" no more lights. I think the computers just got confused for a while and couldn't reset themselves. I've been driving for over two weeks and no lights. Hope I just saved $2700.

[Neville Henry]

I am seeking help by way of an advice form any Toyota Sequoia owner/dealer who has experienced problems with the VSC Trac Computer. My auto electrician told me I needed to replace the steering angle sensor which was done. The VSC light still comes on. Prior to this the VSC lights would come on and go off intermittently.I was later told that VSC trac Computer also needs changing because it is apparently giving a bad reading following the replacement of the steering angle sensor with a new one. I would like to know how other owners delat with the problem which I note is very common with Toyota Sequoias and before spending probably thousands of dollars on a new VSC computer. Please help as this Toyota suits my purpose and I have not experienced any problems with it before (my wife is now threatening to ditch this Sequoia and all Toyota's for good if I don't find a solution in short order).

[tlasalle]

Seems the US Govt DOT is on this now. This guy has been conversing with us so I suggest you contact him for possible remedies.

Michael H. Packard
Federal Engineer - Safety Defects
U.S. Department of Transportation
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
Vehicle Research and Test Center
P.O. Box B37, 10820 SR 347, Bldg. 60
East Liberty, OH 43319-0337
Direct: 937-666-3281
Phone: 937-666-4511 X281
Fax: 937-666-3590 by request

[Nicaflores62]

Sorry my message is long.... please understand

I have a 2006 Sequoia purchased in May 2006. After driving the vehicle for about 4 months. The first time this problem occurred was sometime in September 2006 I was leaving my work parking structure approximately 12:00 noon going about 5 miles an hour to make a right turn on to the main road and my car completely shuts off. No power whatsoever. (Light blinks twice-showing car skidding on the dashboard). My initial reaction is to start the car and it did start.

So, I then brought it to the dealer September 1, 2006(1st Time). I was then informed by the Technician that everything was fine and that all codes have been reset and tested. After a couple of months later the same occurrence happened more than twice month as I was tracking how often this same occurrence was happening it reached to the point that it was occurring at least 5 times a month. So, again I scheduled another appointment for 2nd time. They kept the car for 2 days after until they can figure out what was wrong with the car so they did. After I picked up my car I was told by Service Manager to start putting Chevron gas with techron super unleaded and maybe this occurrence possibly may not happen. According to corrections made at the dealership cleaning the throttle body again to my bewilderment I am not an expert on gas but what was the gas have to do with the malfunction of the car? Anyway I did go to Chevron and filled my gas tank with super unleaded. Today, January 17, 2007 approximately 7:45 AM in the morning as I was on my way to drop off my daughter to school the same occurrence happened again the only difference is the car stalled and power did not completely shut off but I was in the middle of an intersection on Brookhurst Road and Crescent.

What is so frustrating is, I have already taken so much time off from work to try and deal with this quandary and I am very afraid for my family every time I drive this car. I have been very fortunate that every time this occurs there has not been a car behind me running 35 or 40 miles per hour. I think I had given reasonable efforts to the dealer to try to fix the problem I have done my part. I have already bought new tires, and the problem still exist.. I have documented how many times this happened since 2006 through 2010....

Please advise and email me if you are having the same problem please .....