Problems with 2001 Toyota Sequoia ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL

Driving the family from co to ca. on the last leg between las vegas and los angeles. cruising along at 75 when the vsc and trac off lights came on. my truck immediately braked and pulled to the left while decelerating. longest 5 seconds of my life. luckily there was no one to my immediate left. taking it to a dealer shortly for consultation. someone will get hurt if this is not addressed! *tr

Multiple times over the past 5 months my 2001 sequoia will suddenly apply the brakes strongly while driving, sometimes causing the steering to pull to the right. thankfully this seems to happen shortly after beginning to drive, so the speeds have been municipal speed, rather than highway. at the same time, a warning bell sounds and the vsc and abs lights come on in yellow. sometimes when i start the vehicle, the vsc and abs lights are already on, so the sudden braking does not occur. if the lights are off, i have learned to prepare for the sudden braking. i will take this to toyota before the snow flies here in northern ny because this is a definite safety hazard, and could cause an accident when the roads are snow and ice covered. *js

While i was driving the vsc trac light came on, the vehicle started grinding while i was pressing the gas and brakes. the vehicle felt as if it was loosing power, i almost lost control of the steering wheel because car was losing power and control. the abs light also came on and vehicle started shaking very badly. this happens several times while i'm driving vehicle. i have taken it to be serviced from the dealer but the problem still exists. i will talk with an attorney about these problems because i am very afraid of a serious accident while driving my wife and kids. *tr

I have a 2001 toyota sequoia with 120,000 miles on it and on 3/3/13 i had a very bad incident happen with the vehicle stability control (vsc). the problem happened twice within less than a mile. i was driving on sunny day on a straightaway about 35 mph both times when out of nowhere the vsc light came on and the steering wheel started to shake violently, the brakes pedal felt like something had broken with it, and it would not allowing me to stop the vehicle. the car for lack of a better way to word it was acting like it was possessed. at this point i have very little control over the vehicle and i had to do something asap. i was able to pull off to the side of the road on a very steep downward bank. i was losing control of the vehicle and i was very lucky to have not been on a major highway. i had 2 adults and 4 children in the vehicle when this happened and i feel luck that there was no accident and no one was hurt or killed! i am now at the point that i?m scarred to drive my vehicle. think about this, what a horrible feeling to have to deal with and when will this happen again? so now i am at the point do i sell it because i don't trust it and pass on a problem to another person. *tr

1.on dry pavement circular entrance/exit ramps the vehicle skid control system kicks in at about 35-40 mph which is not only alarming but possibly dangerous if someone is tailgating. i'm assuming this is something related to pulling g forces since it's never done this in a straight line. 2.i tested under both 2wd and 4wd and it behaved the same. 3.when i kicked in the vsc off button under 4wd before entering the ramp, the vsc did not kick in, so that seems to be working. see numerous other identical complaints at this link: http://www.carcomplaints.com/toyota/sequoia/2001/brakes/electronic_stability_control.shtml. *tr

I own a 2001 toyota sequoia and experienced a loss of steering control on three separate occasions. the first incident occurred while driving through a shopping mall parking lot at 5 mph. our vehicle shuddered and swerved to the right while a buzzer went off & then the vsc and trac off lights illuminated. the next two incidents occurred over the next few days while driving on the highway between 20-25 mph. on both occasions our vehicle lost control and veered to the right before i was able to gain control of the vehicle. this is a serious life safety defect that has been acknowledged by toyota for the 2003 sequoia's and by the vast amount of complaints should extend to earlier models as well. i recently took our sequoia into a mechanic and their trouble shooting revealed that the skid control ecu would need to be replaced, costing over $3400. *tr

This was the first incident: as i was driving then suddenly the truck started to beep and moves back and forth and made a braking sound. and i went into the side and hit a small post and the seat belt tighten. now my back has been hurting me since. and some lights were on. the vsc trac and trac off lights were on. then after that one i have been driving very careful but it will still do the same thing. the beep starts and the swirling back and forth. but i have been driving slower too so i don't get out of control. this is very scary. after the i turn off the truck the lights are not on. but the thing is that it just happens. i have no i idea when or what time. i hope i can get help on fixing this problem. thank you *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2001 toyota sequoia. the contact stated that while driving approximately 70 mph, the vehicle shook violently as the vsc warning light illuminated. the vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the yaw rate sensor needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 180,000 and the current mileage was 192,000. the vin was not available.

Today driving at 40mph my 2001 sequoia suddenly jolted and brake with a terrible grinding noise, this while i was using the gas pedal! it was very scary and shocking that it could possibly do such an unsafe maneuver. my children & i were terrified as the beeping started and then a steady noise while the grinding persisted. i am so glad the car behind us did not plow into us, and still do not know how they did not. to everyone that has stated this: "people will be killed because of this", you are very correct. it is dangerous to have such a faulty system in a car on the road. we had is towed away, and frankly i know not what to do since reading all of these other incidents. even if we have it fixed, it sounds like it will not cease. i had this happen twice in the last 2 days, but thought i'd run over a pothole or something. today, it was smooth pavement and nice weather. we really need a recall to save lives! *tr

Wife was pulling off from a stoplight when the traction control system light (skidding car icon) and warning buzzer came on and the vehicle started making a loud grinding sound, vibrating, and pulling to the right. she pulled the vehicle over, turned it off, and called me to come swap vehicles with her. when i started the car, of course, the symptoms had gone away. several days later on a family trip, i was driving the vehicle on the interstate at 65-70 mph when the vehicle did the same thing she had described. we pulled over, the noise stopped, and then the vsc/trac and trac off came on. this should be a recall fix. too many vehicles have had this problem, over several production years (2003's actually have a recall for a similar issue). however, reading various forums has made me think toyota doesn't even know the root cause of this. but it's definitely a safety issue that needs to be checked out. *tr

Vehicle's traction control system malfunctioned while driving on dry flat pavement. vsc and trac control lights came on, vehicle pulled hard to the right, made loud grinding noise, and was extremely difficult to control steering and braking. this continued for approximately one minute, stopped, and then did it again. this is a very dangerous situation which could potentially lead to fatal accident if it occurs at higher speeds. it happened with our children in the car and scared everyone. this is the second time it has happened to us, but appears to be a very common problem with this make/model. i would like to see a recall. *tr

Going around slight curve. alarm sounded vsc trac lights came on and vehicle tried to steer off road into a ditch. took all i could do to correct it back on the road. perfect weather dry pavement. not the first time the system has done crazy things. *jb

Two days ago, i happened to be on my way home on a back road and only going around 40 mph when my stability control light, vsc trac, and trac off light came on and my car started making a beeping noise and i could not control my vehicle. this is for a 2001 toyota sequoia. i have seen many complaints since on different forums about this same problem. what can be done about this problem? i am very disappointed with toyota and hope that there will be a recall on this problem or they could be facing some lawsuits if these kind of problems persist and someone gets injured or even killed because of negligence on toyota's part. as for me and my family, we have owned toyota vehicles for years, my great uncle was even asked to be in a toyota commercial because of the devotion our family has had to toyota. i really hope they do the right thing because there will be challenges made against their company if not. *tr

Had just turned onto a road at 25 mph and vcs/trac lights came on, started beeping, made a grinding noise and was hard to steer, pulled off road as thinking i had ran over something....very scared. now does it approximately 2 x weekly with no rhyme or reason. *tr

Was driving out my driveway, not going fast at all...turned on a major street and suddenly, a picture of the skidding car appeared and then the trac/vsc lights came on with a horrendous noise. took car to the local toyota dealership and of course they couldn't find anything wrong with it after relinquishing $100.00 diagnostic fee. the light and noise from the vsc engaging or disengaging is really loud and has happened every day since the initial issue. does this present a problem? i'm afraid to drive my car but is very much needed for work and recreational activities. i've searched online and it appears that this is an ongoing issue that toyota is aware of but fail to do a recall. *tr

Vehicle skid control and vehicle trac lights come on and they cannot be turned off. it feels like their is less traction and this causes the brakes to wear. *js

Vehicle: toyota sequoia 2001 4wd ltd temperature: 87 degrees f conditions: sunny & clear - no rain/water present - no obvious slippery conditions surface: paved surface road accessories active: air conditioning was on & radio was on while traveling at approximately 35 mph in a straight line the traction control light illuminated (vehicle symbol that includes 3 wavy lines) and sounded an audible signal immediately followed by the "vsc trac" & "vsc off" lights illuminating. to memory, the accelerator pedal was being pressed as normal. when the above dashboard lights illuminated a negative sensation could be felt through the steering wheel, but the vehicle did not veer off course. next, the emergency flasher hazard light was turned on, the a/c & radio were turned off and the four main windows were lowered to their full down positions by the driver and the vehicle was driven to a side street approximately 1/8 mile ahead, stopped and parked. the driver kept the vehicle running. the vehicle was then inspected by the driver for signs of obvious mechanical failure. the brake, driveline and suspension components did not show any obvious signs of failure. the owner's manual was checked and it did not indicate that the vehicle could not be driven in the current state. the vehicle's a/c system was switched back on (the radio was left off) and the vehicle was then driven approximately 10 miles, parked and turned off. after approximately 4 hours of the vehicle being parked & not running the vehicle was restarted. the previous dashboard lights at first did not illuminate. after approximately 1/4 mile of driving the "vsc trac" & "vsc off" lights illuminated again upon depressing the brake pedal. vehicle was driven approximately 50 miles, parked and turned off. there were no unusual mechanical sensations felt or heard during either 10 or 50 mile drives. *tr

Recently had new tires installed, while accelerating up freeway on ramp i could feel power being taken away, looked down and skid control light was lit up. asked mechanic about it and recommended zero point calibration to rest sensors for steering yaw and pitch. after zpc vsc trac and vsc off lights were on. code pulled c1231 steering angle. zpc again. code and lights still, code will not clear with toyota intelligent 2 scanner. monitoring steering sensor with scanner show both positive and negative numbers with zero at wheels straight. mechanic want to change out spendy vsc cpu and translate cpu and says that is no guarantee to fix. i am driving it with lights one due to unable to pay $2k for something out of know where and no part physically broke to promote. in looking around i see this is not an isolated issue. *tr

Recently, my 01 sequoia has been making a loud metal-like grinding noise coming from the front end of the car. sounded like it came from the engine or the tires. this caused the car to become unstable on the road and it was swerving, the vsc trac light and vsc off light flashed and beeped rapidly, and worst thing of all was that the brakes did not work either. the more i put pressure on the brakes, the more the metal grinding noise was intensified. felt like the engine was going to be dropped in the middle of the road or the tires were scraped to the bone. problem first happened in april, but thought it was nothing because as fast as it came out of nowhere, it quickly went away also. however, 2 weeks ago, my husband and my son were in my car and it happened again. this time it lasted longer and my husband had to try his best to control the vehicle because it was swerving and shaking so bad, and the loud grinding noise was back. we kept the car in the garage for a week in hopes that it will "go away." today, 5/16/12, as i'm driving at 50mph it happened again.thankfully, there were no cars behind me, and just a truck a little ways ahead of me. because i was driving at a speed of 55mph, it was very difficult to stop. i put pressure on my brakes to no avail because the more i tried to push the brakes, the louder the noise was and the more the car was shaking. this is one of the most terrifying events in my life because i saw that i was approaching the back of the truck fast and i couldn't stop, i tried to pull to the side but there were no room because the sides were just guard rails. at that point, i put more pressure on my brakes because i didn't wanna be killed or hurt anyone else, so my car finally started to slowed down. the scariest part was that i could not brake. the more i applied my brakes, the louder the noise, and the more the car was shaking.

Sudden loss of acceleration on highway. vsc and trac light came on, then could not accelerate. had to pull over extremely fast before getting rear ended by other vehicles. can would not accelerate at all. check engine light came on as well. extremely dangerous condition and could have been severely hurt with entire family in car. luckily there was a shoulder to pull off on, otherwise, we would have been in an terrible accident. car was not safe at all! toyota needs to know about this vsc issue! *tr

Driving my recently purchased 2001 sequoia and the vsc system goes off like we're on ice. does it until the system stays off. it has been doing this randomly. very scary... recall needs to be done. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2001 toyota sequoia. the contact was driving 45 mph when the abs caused the vehicle to decelerate. the trac and vsc warning lights were illuminated constantly. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who informed the contact that the skid computer needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was contacted and offered no further assistance. the failure mileage was 176,791. the vin was not available.

Oh hwy 26 in left lane. alarm sounds vsc trac lights come on. vehicle surges to the right. i had to correct it, to keep it in my lane. dry pavement totally unannounced. very scary situation. whole family in car at the time.

My car automatically applied it's brakes and veered sharply to the right. the vsc and trac off lights came on. this event repeated itself several times before i could get home. it almost forced me off the road. if i had been in the left lane, i would have hit any car in the right lane or if i had been going faster at the time, it would have been an accident. the cars behind me had to slam on brakes to avoid me. i checked online and there are many other similar complaints on the toyota sequoia in multiple years. there is a recall on the early 2003 models. toyota service says it's a common problem with the yaw sensor and an $800 repair.

Tl* the contact owns a 2001 toyota sequoia. the contact stated that the vehicle stability control light illuminated on the instrument panel while driving 50 mph. during the failure, the front wheels locked and the vehicle pulled towards the right. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where they were unable to diagnose the failure. the manufacturer was not notified. the failure and current mileages were approximately 119,000. the vin was unavailable.

Audible sound goes off; truck abs brakes and pulles to the right; vsc light comes on and traction light comes on and stays on; grinding noises comes from front and middled of truck. this occured while riding hwy i-95s at 80mph on sunny dry day. this has to happen mutible times over last 5yrs; mileage when it started was 128,000 and present have 159,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2001 toyota sequoia. the contact stated while driving 40 mph the electronic stability control system engaged which caused the brakes without any warning. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the ecm malfunctioned and needed to be reset which failed to remedy the problem. the vehicle was taken back to the dealer who diagnosed the incorrect brake fluid was used which caused the brake gasket lining to malfunction. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure but did not offer any assistance. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 150,000 and the current mileage was 162,000.

Skid control engage unexpectedly. *tr

2001 toyota sequoia. vsc trac/vsc off skid control lights all illuminate. vehicle shutters aggressively and decelerates suddenly (occurred at least 8 times between 65 and 45 mph). vehicle becomes very unstable and difficult to control until full stop. unsafe to operate!! *tr

My 2001 toyota sequoia traction control system/vehicle stability control system (vsc) or anti lock braking system (abs) seems to be failing. this problem started about a year ago. the problem is an intermittent ratcheting or grinding noise coming from the front of the vehicle which causes the wheels and steering to vibrate immensely and have feelings of lost control (stalling) while driving. this has occurred at all different road speeds and conditions. *tr

Vsc / trac system engages randomly... sometimes three times per week. started about one month ago. various speeds, various circumstances... nothing consistent. it has pulled me off the road twice, but most of the time just engages with a rumble sound and hard to drive. the computer diagnostics finds nothing. i have used auto-blog and discovered dozens of people with the same problem. *tr

My 2001 toyota sequoia traction control system/vehicle stability control system (vsc) or anti lock braking system (abs) has failed. this problem has just started to occur summer 2010. the problem is an intermittent ratcheting or grinding noise coming from the front of the vehicle which causes the wheels and steering to vibrate immensely and have feelings of lost control while driving. this has occurred at all different road speeds, specifically it has occurred while i was driving at full highway speed of 70 mph. the reason i mention both the vsc and the abs, is that these two systems are interworked for control, and at this time it could be either or both which are failed. *tr

My 2001 toyota sequoia traction control system/vehicle stability control system (vsc) or anti lock braking system (abs) has failed. this problem started last summer 2009, and now this problem has become consistent and at every acceleration from a dead stop. the vehicle stalls momentarily and the vsc light/s come on the same time. the reason i mention both the vsc and the abs, is that these two systems are interworked for control, and at this time it could be either or both which are failed. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2001 toyota sequoia. while driving approximately 25 mph the vsc-trac, vsc-off, abs, and parking brake lights began illuminating on the dashboard. the vehicle was driven onto the emergency lane and shut off. upon restarting the vehicle the warning lights were no longer illuminated. the failure began to recur intermittently and the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where who stated that the brake booster needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 60,000 and the current mileage was 61,000.

Warning lights for vehicle skid control, anti-lock brakes and parking brake are consistently on reporting a failure. *tr

Brakes intermittently apply on there own, pulling the car left or right. i am supposed to have the option of disabling the vsc on this vehicle but that function does not work. it will disable itself after an episode, later it will self enable and it starts over again. i've had it in to toyota service to fix this issue and was told i would have to pay for a new cpu, but that would not necessarily fix the problem. i've seen other sequoia owners have had the same problem on many sequoia owner forums. this is a very dangerous situation for sequoia owners. the dealer have no idea how to fix this problem. *tr

The vsc light comes on while driving, alarm beeps, grinding noises an difficulty stopping car. this happened at 35 mph the first time on dry road. contacted dealer and they suggested to just pull over if it happens again and bring car in. second time it happened at 65/70 mph on highway. had to pull into break down lane, came to complete stop, while driving in breakdown lane to next exit, happened again. brought to dealer in area, could not find a problem. brought to dealer where car is always serviced and they cannot find the problem either. both incidents were very scary and felt like the vehicle was not going to stop. due to pick up vehicle from dealer tomorrow but have printed out numerous similar complaints to show the service department. *tr

The vsc and other lights in dash light up and has caused the vehicles brakes to engaged without warning. its pulls the steering wheel violently to the to left. it happens at high and low speeds. went to dealership and they said it was the skid control computer and the cost to replace it is 1,200 dollars. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2001 toyota sequoia. the contact stated while driving at approximate speeds of 30 mph, the vehicle abnormally decelerated to speeds of 5 mph without warrant. the vehicle had not yet been taken to the dealer for a diagnosis of the failure. in addition, the contact stated the electronic stability control exhibited unknown signs of failure. the approximate failure mileage was 31,000 and the current mileage was unknown.

2001 toyota sequoia yaw sensor failed while on i95, causing a loud warning buzzer, the vsc warning light on dashboard started flashing, traction control warning indicator flashed, brakes were unable to quickly slow the suv and a loud grinding noise until the car coasted to a stop. we had to pay toyota to replace the yaw sensor, the second time since we bought the car in 2001. the first replacement was in 2003/4. we have documented over ten complaints to dealer since purchase that vsc lights would not turn off after starting truck. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2001 toyota sequoia. the contact stated that the vsc and traction lights were illuminated on the dashboard, and the vehicle would pull to the right, limiting acceleration. the failure would occur on a daily basis. the vehicle was inspected by an independent mechanic who advised him to take the vehicle to an authorized dealer. the manufacturer also advised the contact to take the vehicle to the dealer for a diagnosis of the failure. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer. the failure mileage was approximately 115,000 and the current mileage was approximately 120,000.

Upon starting my vehicle, the "vsc off" and "trac" lights on my dash come on. this could indicate potential vsc computer failure. the system is tied in with the abs brake system and failure could result in loss of vehicle control. i feel as though this is a significant safety issue and should be addressed.

Appears cars stability system came on with application of brakes, noise on the brakes. weather was clear. vsc, track light came on. happens every few weeks. *tr

My 2001 toyota sequoia is experiencing false skid indications resulting in dangerous applications of the right front wheel brake. the indications are illumination of the skid symbol, rapid antiskid servo action, right front wheel brake application which last from one second to as much as 30 seconds. once the right front brake application stops, the skid symbol is no longer illuminated and the trac off and vsc trac lights illuminate. this occurs in all driving conditions at low or high speed, smooth road surfaces, and whether going straight or turning. i have had the toyota service department connect their computer several times to determine a cause and they can not definitively tell what has failed. sometimes they tell me it could be the yaw sensor or the skid control ecm, but these are very expensive parts that may or may not fix the problem. this problem has been occurring for about a year. initially, the first sign of a problem with the car occurred while driving at 35 mph and the throttle went to idle and the trac off, vsc trac, and engine lights illuminated. toyota said it was the throttle cable and throttle sensor and i paid them to replace both parts. shortly after this, the false skid failures began. the false skid failures occur randomly and without warning and recently, the frequency of occurrence has increased. *tr

I have a sequoia 2001 limited and the vsc trac and off light come on after you drive for a while and when turning off the vehicle and restart it back again the lights go off. it happened before last year in 2008 a few couple of times and i took it to the dealer a every time it happened and they said it was ok. now in 2009 in the last two months the car will shake a bit and would make this beep beep sound then it looses acceleration and looses power temporarily and i can not seem to apply the breaks properly before the vsc trac vsc off lights go on and stay on. then by turning the ignition off and on the lights go off. this has happened 2 times. i am taking it back to the dealer, but i am that it may cause and accident since it does not seem to break. *tr

Vsc and traction control system lights in my 2001 toyota sequoia come on during normal driving condition. when the vehicle is stopped and restarts the engine, the lights goes off. this problem happened back in the spring of 2003 and the vehicle was still under the new vehicle's 3 year warranty. i told the dealer regarding this problem during my routine maintenance, they said they did not find the problem and there was no code recorded in the computer. they make me feel like i was driving aggressive and cause the problem. this problem was on and off for the last 5 years till last month (july, 2009) when my son was driving in la freeway. he was facing the lost of engine power and unable to speed up when the vsc and traction lights comes on. he has to pull off the freeway and restart the engine. after this incident, i begin to search the internet and discovered that this is a common problem for my 2001 sequoia. this problem is not fixed. *tr

The vehicle skid control light comes on and the system turns off unexpectedly while driving at all different speeds for no apparent reason. this has caused us to come to near vehicle rollover on the interstate and many near crashes which have been very close misses..because you almost lose control of your vehicle. i cannot drive it now due to this problem. this has been an obvious problem that toyota has ignored and it should be recalled . i had noticed it maybe a few years before. the light would come on intermittently and then go off. i haven't driven my vehicle much until lately and now it occurs if i get into my vehicle and back out of my driveway and put it into drive. *tr

Vsc anti - skid and ecu lights stay on and require replacement according to the dealer. *tr

The "vsc off" and vsc skid lights came on and has remained on to the present date. when the lights came on all vsc functions stopped. vehicle was taken to the dealership. repair was not under any warranty. an estimate of approximately $2200 was given to replace the vehicles ecu. no repair was made. occasionally the vehicle would lose power under moderate acceleration for a brief period (usually less than 2 seconds) as if something has cut power 20-30%. i suspect it was the vsc system trying to cut on or engage. this has not happened for some time. vehicle now has 178000 miles. *tt

Tl* the contact owns a 2001 toyota sequoia. when starting the vehicle, every service warning light illuminated on the dashboard. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where the contact was informed that the electronic stability control unit would need to be replaced. the vehicle was serviced by an independent mechanic. the failure has not recurred. the failure mileage was 100,000 and the current mileage was 130,000.