2003 Toyota Sequoia Limited 4.7

Summary:

Cheap parts, but not a cheap price

Faults:

Many issues with car - rear window motor failed, transfer case failed, these were replaced under warranty.

Rear hatch handle failed twice. Several hundred dollars to repair each time.

Also, YOU CAN'T CHANGE YOUR FLAT TIRE if the hatch handle breaks, as you won't be able to get the rear hatch open, so you can't crank the spare down. This is a SERIOUS problem if you expect to be able to deal with a flat.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 4th October, 2009

2003 Toyota Sequoia Limited 1.7

Faults:

The tailgate handle assembly on my 2003 Sequoia broke in the open position, but the tailgate itself was still locked. I took it into the dealer today, and they knew right away what the likely cause was, and that it would cost $230.00 to fix, due mostly to labor to tear out and reinstall the interior to get at the part.

The Toyota "platinum warranty" I had purchased when I bought the vehicle isn't worth the paper it's written on, and they declined the claim for it, so I called Toyota Motors National. They said they hadn't received any complaints about this problem before, so there's nothing they would do to offset the cost.

I informed the service tech of their response, and he said "that's funny, let's just say we've fixed enough of these that we always keep the parts in stock. The part is plastic and it breaks."

Come on Toyota, man up when you've built an inferior mechanism in your vehicle and numerous owners are bringing them in for repair. We're talking about the handle to open the tailgate. I only open it a couple times every week or two for groceries. Needless to say I'm disappointed in your lack of acknowledgment or assistance.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 7th May, 2008

2003 Toyota Sequoia SR5 4.7L 2WD

Summary:

Dependable, but needs more horsepower

Faults:

Front brakes go out constantly and heat up because there is a lot of weight.

60,000 Replaced front rotors. Upgraded to cross drilled slotted. Dramatically improved the performance of the braking system. Has prevented several accidents from happening and brake system no longer heats up (not even while towing 6,000 pounds on a downhill for an hour and a half). $125.00.

75,000 Replaced the intake system to a performance intake with heat shield. The cone is about 18 inches long. It has improved performance. $75.00.

80,000 Inserted a throttle body spacer. These combined with the intake system improved my gas mileage tremendously. I got about 19 highway miles to the gallon on a trip to San Fransisco. One Tank on the way there and another on the way back. $25.00.

90,000 Rear Differential Spider Gears gave out. The teeth are COMPLETELY worn out. My warranty does not cover this any longer. I went to the dealership and the service tech was stumped when he saw the gears completely chewed out. He just said "Man, we've never had to do any diff changes to the Sequoia." Cost for parts are $1,000.

General Comments:

$ 125.00 Cross-drilled, slotted front rotors

$ 75.00 Performance intake system w/heat shield

$ 25.00 Throttle body spacer

$1000.00 Rear differential.

I really recommend that you make sure that the differential oil is changed every 30,000 miles (the major service is SUPPOSED to do that).

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 23rd June, 2007

23rd Jun 2007, 22:15

If your brakes are heating up that probably indicates the need to down shift going down hills. That's what your gears are for and it will save your brakes. That being said there are a LOT of people on here complaining about the Sequoia braking system so it could just be a manufacturing defect.

24th Jun 2007, 16:36

It was not a problem of down-shifting or anything else because the braking system is SUPERB now that I have the cross drilled slotted system installed on there.

25th Oct 2007, 08:08

Have 2003 SR5 Toyota Sequoia

At ~70,000 miles vehicle vibrated significantly when brakes were applied. When replacing pads noticed rotors were warped already.

In addition, brake TRAC light now coming on. Computer diagnostics cannot determine that anything is wrong. Dealer charging $75 just to look at the vehicle.

13th Mar 2009, 17:07

Bad differential has nothing to do with getting oil replaced. Practically speaking, a well-sealed differential really will never need its oil changed.