2001 Toyota Sequoia Problems and Recalls (524 Complaints)
The most-reported problem on the 2001 Toyota Sequoia is Brakes (18% of 524 owner reports). There are 3 safety recalls. Check the VIN and inspect Brakes — this is the NHTSA file, not a score.
NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-09-07 524 complaints · 3 recalls
What problems show up on the 2001 Toyota Sequoia?
94 of 524 filings named Brakes (18% of the file). That is what owners wrote, not a shop diagnosis of the vehicle in the driveway.
Second is Body / frame (88 reports).
There are 3 official safety recalls on this year. They were filed about Brakes. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov — a campaign on this page can still be open on a specific truck.
The previous year is not published here. Use the year list to jump around.
What owners reported
System named most often: Brakes 94 complaints · 17.9% of the file
Crashes, fires, injuries and deaths in those filings:
- Crashes 20
- Fires 0
- Injuries 16
- Deaths 1
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-09-07 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →
Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.
Which systems owners named
Share of owner complaints filed against each vehicle system. These shares are not adjusted for how many vehicles were sold.
“Unclassified NHTSA leftover” is not a car part. It is a filing bucket and always sits last.
View component data as a table
| System / Component | Complaints | Share of Reports | Safety Reports (Crashes / Fires) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES) | 94 | 17.9% | 3 crashes · 0 fires |
| Body / frame (STRUCTURE) | 88 | 16.8% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
| Cruise / speed control (VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL) | 59 | 11.3% | 5 crashes · 0 fires |
| Suspension (SUSPENSION) | 31 | 5.9% | 2 crashes · 0 fires |
| Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN) | 28 | 5.3% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
| Steering (STEERING) | 23 | 4.4% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
| Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM) | 17 | 3.2% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
| Engine (ENGINE) | 16 | 3.1% | 1 crashes · 0 fires |
| Airbags (AIR BAGS) | 6 | 1.2% | 4 crashes · 0 fires |
| Unclassified NHTSA leftover | 346 | 66.0% | 8 crashes · 0 fires |
NHTSA Consumer Complaints, NHTSA Safety Recalls, and NHTSA Defect Investigations Snapshot 2026-09-07 Open source record
Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.
When reports and recalls showed up
When owners filed reports, and when recall campaigns showed up.
- Campaign 07E023000 was reported 2,191 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
| Date | Record type | Count | Record identifier |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001-Q1 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2001-Q2 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2002-Q1 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2002-Q2 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2002-Q3 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2003-Q1 | Owner reports | 9 | |
| 2003-Q2 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2003-Q3 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2003-Q4 | Owner reports | 6 | |
| 2004-Q1 | Owner reports | 11 | |
| 2004-Q2 | Owner reports | 8 | |
| 2004-Q3 | Owner reports | 5 | |
| 2004-Q4 | Owner reports | 9 | |
| 2005-Q1 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2005-Q2 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2005-Q4 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2006-Q1 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2006-Q2 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2006-Q3 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2006-Q4 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2007-Q1 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2007-Q2 | Owner reports | 6 | |
| 2007-Q3 | Owner reports | 8 | |
| 2007-Q4 | Owner reports | 7 | |
| 2008-Q1 | Owner reports | 5 | |
| 2008-Q2 | Owner reports | 8 | |
| 2008-Q3 | Owner reports | 7 | |
| 2008-Q4 | Owner reports | 10 | |
| 2009-Q1 | Owner reports | 6 | |
| 2009-Q2 | Owner reports | 9 | |
| 2009-Q3 | Owner reports | 13 | |
| 2009-Q4 | Owner reports | 6 | |
| 2010-Q1 | Owner reports | 16 | |
| 2010-Q2 | Owner reports | 20 | |
| 2010-Q3 | Owner reports | 7 | |
| 2010-Q4 | Owner reports | 23 | |
| 2011-Q1 | Owner reports | 8 | |
| 2011-Q2 | Owner reports | 7 | |
| 2011-Q3 | Owner reports | 20 | |
| 2011-Q4 | Owner reports | 14 | |
| 2012-Q1 | Owner reports | 14 | |
| 2012-Q2 | Owner reports | 16 | |
| 2012-Q3 | Owner reports | 11 | |
| 2012-Q4 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2013-Q1 | Owner reports | 11 | |
| 2013-Q2 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2013-Q3 | Owner reports | 5 | |
| 2013-Q4 | Owner reports | 8 | |
| 2014-Q1 | Owner reports | 6 | |
| 2014-Q2 | Owner reports | 9 | |
| 2014-Q3 | Owner reports | 15 | |
| 2014-Q4 | Owner reports | 5 | |
| 2015-Q1 | Owner reports | 7 | |
| 2015-Q2 | Owner reports | 9 | |
| 2015-Q3 | Owner reports | 9 | |
| 2015-Q4 | Owner reports | 5 | |
| 2016-Q1 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2016-Q2 | Owner reports | 9 | |
| 2016-Q3 | Owner reports | 8 | |
| 2016-Q4 | Owner reports | 7 | |
| 2017-Q1 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2017-Q2 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2017-Q3 | Owner reports | 5 | |
| 2017-Q4 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2018-Q1 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2018-Q2 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2018-Q3 | Owner reports | 5 | |
| 2018-Q4 | Owner reports | 5 | |
| 2019-Q1 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2019-Q2 | Owner reports | 6 | |
| 2019-Q3 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2019-Q4 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2020-Q1 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2020-Q2 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2020-Q3 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2020-Q4 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2021-Q2 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2021-Q3 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2021-Q4 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2022-Q1 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2022-Q2 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2022-Q3 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2022-Q4 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2023-Q2 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2023-Q3 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2024-Q1 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2024-Q2 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2025-Q1 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2025-Q2 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2026-Q3 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 02V129000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 06E049000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 07E023000 | |
| Defect investigation | 1 | PE16006 |
Safety Recalls (3)
Official campaigns. Each one says what could go wrong and what the dealer was told to fix.
In short, these campaigns were filed about Brakes.
-
Recall campaign 02V129000
Safety recall 02V129000
- Report date
- Component:
- Not available in the source record
- Consequence:
- DIFFERENT OPERATING CHARACTERISTICS CAN BE EXPERIENCED WHEN THE SPARE TIRE IS INSTALLED ON THE VEHICLE.
- Remedy:
- OWNERS WILL BE PROVIDED WITH A CAUTION LABEL AND AN INSERT FOR THEIR OWNER'S MANUAL. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN JULY 15, 2002. OWNERS WHO DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT SOUTHEAST TOYOTA AT 1-800-301-6859.
-
Recall campaign 06E049000
Safety recall 06E049000
- Report date
- Component:
- Not available in the source record
- Consequence:
- WITHOUT THE AMBER REFLECTORS, THE VEHICLE WILL BE POORLY ILLUMINATED, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A VEHICLE CRASH WITHOUT WARNING.
- Remedy:
- CK MOTORSPORT WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE NONCOMPLIANT LAMPS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 1, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT CK MOTORSPORT AT 1-909-610-7211.
-
Recall campaign 07E023000
Brakes
- Report date
- Component:
- Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES)
- Consequence:
- LOSS OF BRAKE FLUID CAN RESULT IN POOR BRAKING PERFORMANCE, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A VEHICLE CRASH.
- Remedy:
- CARDONE WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER TO REPURCHASE ANY DEFECTIVE MASTER CYLINDERS. THE RECALL BEGAN DURING APRIL 2007. OWNERS CAN CONTACT CARDONE AT 1-800-777-4780.
Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.
What owners actually wrote
Short excerpts from the public NHTSA file. Look for the same symptom repeating.
Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · snapshot 2026-09-07
Showing 10 of 524 complaints · page 1 of 21
CrashFireInjuryDeath
There is a hole in the frame because of the rust.
CrashFireInjuryDeath
Took my toyota in for repair at they deemed it not safe to drive
CrashFireInjuryDeath
I own a 2001 Toyota Sequoia SR5, which I purchased new in Colorado and moved to Virginia in 2004. I received a Toyota Limited Service Campaign Program notice in 2013 about excessive corrosion on the frame. Alexandria Toyota inspected the vehicle and applied a Corrosion-Resistant Compound to the frame. They also replaced the spare tire carrier assembly due to rusting. Over the years, I've had mechanics mention the rust on the frame but Toyota never issued a recall on the 2001 Sequoia. In November 2024, the following dashboard lights remained on while driving: Vehicle Skid Control (VSC) OFF, VSC TRAC and Brake Lights. I took it to Steven’s Auto Clinic in Alexandria. They found low brake fluid levels were causing the brake system failure. The brake pipes are leaking due to heavy rust. In addition, rust was destroying the under carriage. The brake system and frame would require extensive maintenance. They warned me NOT to drive the car. They refilled the brake fluid to allow me to take the car home. Reading the Complaints under Structure on the NHTSA website, dozens of customers over the years mention serious rusting on the frame of their 2001 Sequoias. I believe Toyota had a recall to replace the frame on the Tundra but never included the 2001 Sequoia even though it was built on the Tundra frame. I now have a vehicle I can’t drive, due to safety concerns, and I can’t sell, except for parts. The Sequoia should have been included in the Tundra recall. Toyota needs to be held accountable. I can provide any paperwork for my 2001 Sequoia including the Limited Service Campaign Program notice and the repair order from Stephen’s Auto Clinic if necessary. I can also provide the vehicle for inspection.
CrashFireInjuryDeath
The contact owns a 2001 Toyota Sequoia. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, he became aware of a cranking sound and the vehicle suddenly started jerking and shaking. An unknown warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle was repaired, and the front wheel speed sensor was replaced; however, the failure persisted. The contact stated the failure had gotten worse over time. The contact also stated that while searching online, he became aware that the failure was a common failure with similar vehicles. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or local dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 181,000.
CrashFireInjuryDeath
The contact owns a 2001 Toyota Sequoia. The contact stated that the vehicle was at the dealer for a diagnostic test; however, the dealer declined to perform the diagnostic test, stating that the sub frame was unstable, and an unknown recall campaign had expired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The contact stated the dealer informed him there was a recall for the sub frame, however, the recall had expired. The failure mileage was unknown.
CrashFireInjuryDeath
No accident. Just frame issues. If you can. Can I please get a voucher for frame repair. I really like this SUV. Thank you!
CrashFireInjuryDeath
Rear axle is rusted to the point where differential fluid is leaking out of the body. There is extreme rust in general which has led to the failure of multiple components such as the oil pressure sending unit. Check engine light is on. This hasn't been verified by a shop or agency, only by me. These issues were discovered shortly after purchase this year.
CrashFireInjuryDeath
While driving my 2001 Sequoia SR5 with only 74,750 miles on freeways at speeds between 55 and 65 mph, the SUV's braking system activates unexpectedly and without cause. The VSC check engine lighting and warning sound illuminate. My SUV veered to the right, the steering wheel vibrated, and it went into a skid when the brakes were abruptly engaged, causing it to skid. My SUV abruptly decelerated as if it had lost power. This situation was hazardous for other vehicles who could not tell if they were applying the brakes due to the absence of visible brake lights to prevent a collision. Fortunately, I responded defensively and avoided collisions with other vehicles and roadside obstacles. This issue is a safety concern; if it occurs at the wrong moment, a tragedy can be avoided. I've seen more than a hundred complaints from other proprietors and a completed NHTSA investigation. Sequoia models from 2001 and subsequent years were recalled for the same issue. Before a life is lost, Toyota must address this issue in all model years.
CrashFireInjuryDeath
No incident. Frame is getting a little rusted. Can you please send me a voucher for a recall.
CrashFireInjuryDeath
The contact owns a 2001 Toyota Sequoia. The contact stated while driving 15 MPH, the front driver’s side wheel bearing fracture causing the tire to detach from the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and the front wheel bearing was repaired; however, the failure reoccurred. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 200,000.
Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems on the 2001 Toyota Sequoia?
Owners named Brakes most often — 94 of 524 reports (18%). That is the NHTSA file, not a diagnosis of every vehicle.
Are there recalls for the 2001 Toyota Sequoia?
NHTSA lists 3 safety recall campaigns. They were filed about Brakes. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov; a campaign on this page can still be open on a specific vehicle.
What should I inspect before buying a 2001 Toyota Sequoia?
Look up the VIN for open recalls. Have a shop check pads, rotors, fluid and whether the pedal feels firm. Then skim owner filings for the same symptom and take that list to a mechanic.
Does a high complaint count mean I should skip this year?
No. Counts are reports people chose to file and they are not adjusted for sales volume. YearTell does not publish scores or a list of years to skip. Inspect the vehicle.
Estimated Ownership Cost
EPA fuel economy ratings and annual operating cost estimates
Data: US EPA Fuel Economy Guide · snapshot 2026-08-21
Adjacent Model Years
Immediate preceding and succeeding model year records
Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.
Methodology & Data Integrity
Source: NHTSA ODI / recalls, snapshot 2026-09-07. YearTell is not a government agency.