2003 Toyota Sequoia Problems, Recalls & Reliability
877 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2003 Toyota Sequoia, alongside 7 recall campaigns and 5 defect investigations. It scores 78/100 on the trouble index — one of the years to avoid for this model. Other leads the reports, typically around 89,375 miles.
Avoid this year if you can. The 2003 Toyota Sequoia sits at the top of this model's complaint rankings. Quieter picks in the same family: 2007–2008, 2010, 2012, 2018.
Avoid
Where 2003 sits among all Sequoia years
What owners report
“I have a 2003 Toyota Sequoia 167k miles that has major frame rust. This is now becoming a safety issue and Toyota needs to be held accountable!”— owner report to NHTSA, 2003 Sequoia
“Vsc and trac and abs lights come on 2003 sequoia with 38,000 miles for no reason. Dealer says yaw rate sensor bad but have had problem with these lights since purchase in 2003. Apparently, many sequoias from 2001 to present have problems like this. Toyota needs to be do something.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2003 Sequoia
“Rust issues with the frame - there was a recall that expired 2014 but was not notified of this”— owner report to NHTSA, 2003 Sequoia
“"VSC OFF, VSC TRAC, and ABS" indicators on the dash. YAW sensor failure which controls wheel speed which will cause vehicle to decelerate and possibly cause an accident. Toyota should issue a nationwide recall. Toyota is aware of the issue but has failed to issue a nationwide recall.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2003 Sequoia
“2003 toyota sequoia: vsc, abs and brake lights warning lights are on, repair was more than $600. Jb”— owner report to NHTSA, 2003 Sequoia
“The frame on the car is rusting away with only 40k miles on it. It was garage kept.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2003 Sequoia
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 665 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 85,000 miles. Half of those reports fall between 54,000 and 125,000 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (7)
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2010-2016 4Runner, 2003-2006 Tundra, 2003-2013 Corolla, 2009-2010 Corolla Matrix, 2004-2005 RAV4, 2002-2007 Sequoia, 2011-2013 Sienna, 2008-2012 Scion xB, 2008-2009 Lexus IS-F, 2007-2012…
Fix: Toyota will notify owners. Depending on the vehicle model, dealers will replace the front driver inflator, front passenger airbag inflator, the airbag assembly, or the front passenger airbag…
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2002-2005 Lexus SC and Toyota Sequoia, 2003-2005 Toyota Corolla and Tundra, and 2003-2007 Pontiac Vibe vehicles. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as…
Fix: Toyota will notify the Toyota and Lexus owners. General Motors will notify the Pontiac Vibe owners. Depending on the vehicle model, dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with…
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) notified the agency on May 13, 2015, that they are recalling 2005-2007 Lexus SC, Toyota Corolla, Corolla Matrix, Sequoia, and Pontiac Vibe, and 2005-2006 Toyota Tundra vehicles that were originally sold, or…
Fix: 2003-2004 Corolla and Corolla Matrix vehicles that are recalled under both 15V-043 and 15V-286 are under a Do Not Drive advisory. Owners of these vehicles are advised not to drive their vehicles…
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) notified the agency on May 13, 2015 that they are recalling certain model year 2004 Sequoia vehicles manufactured August 18, 2003, to August 19, 2004, and 2003-2004 Tundra vehicles manufactured March 18, 2003,…
Fix: 2003-2004 Corolla and Corolla Matrix vehicles that are recalled under both 15V-043 and 15V-285 are under a Do Not Drive advisory. Owners of these vehicles are advised not to drive their vehicles…
TOYOTA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2003 SEQUOIA PASSENGER VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM APRIL 1, 2002 THROUGH APRIL 17, 2003. THE CENTER POSITION OF THE STEERING ANGLE SENSOR (SAS) MAY NOT BE STORED CORRECTLY DUE TO IMPROPER LOGIC OF THE SKID CONTROL ECU…
Fix: TOYOTA WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND DEALERS WILL REFLASH THE ECU. IF THE REFLASH CANNOT BE COMPLETED ON A PARTICULAR VEHICLE, THE ECU WILL BE REPLACED WITH A NEW ONE. THIS SERVICE WILL BE PERFORMED FREE…
CERTAIN CK MOTORSPORTS COMBINATION HEADLIGHTS, CLEAR CORNER, BUMPER, AND SIDE MARKER LIGHTS SOLD AS REPLACEMENT LAMPS FOR USE ON THE PASSENGER VEHICLES LISTED ABOVE. SOME COMBINATION LAMPS THAT ARE NOT EQUIPPED WITH AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS FAIL TO CONFORM TO…
Fix: 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.
ON CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, DUE TO A MANUFACTURING ISSUE IN THE FRONT SUSPENSION LOWER BALL JOINT, THERE IS A POSSIBILITY THAT THE SURFACE OF THE BALL OF THE JOINT MAY HAVE BEEN SCRATCHED. THE BALL JOINT MAY EVENTUALLY EXPERIENCE EXCESSIVE WEAR AND…
Fix: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE FRONT SUSPENSION LOWER BALL JOINTS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 5, 2005. OWNERS MAY CONTACT TOYOTA AT 1-800-331-4331.
Federal defect investigations
Still open as of the last data refresh. An investigation is not a recall; it may close with no action. All open investigations →
Component: AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
From 2000 through 2017, Takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("PSAN") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004L. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade,…
Component: AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE14-016 in June 2014 based on six inflator rupture incidents involving consumer owned vehicles produced by five vehicle manufacturers.All six vehicles were operated in Florida or Puerto Rico at the time of the rupture and for the majority of their…
Led to recall campaign 13V172000.
Led to recall campaign 10V176000.
Technical service bulletins
164 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on body & structure and electrical — are on file for the 2003 Toyota Sequoia. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
See the 2003 Sequoia TSB list →
Complaint history for this model year
When owners filed their reports — a long tail means problems kept surfacing for years.
Questions buyers ask
Is the 2003 Toyota Sequoia reliable?
The 2003 Toyota Sequoia drew 877 complaints in federal safety records — one of the years to avoid for this model. Its trouble index is 78/100, scored against the model's worst year (2002).
What are the most common 2003 Toyota Sequoia problems?
The top reported problems for the 2003 Toyota Sequoia are other (255 complaints), brakes & stability (163), and body & structure (98).
At what mileage do 2003 Toyota Sequoia problems show up?
Owners most often report 2003 Toyota Sequoia problems around 85,000 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 54,000 and 125,000 miles.
Does the 2003 Toyota Sequoia have recalls?
7 recall campaigns apply to the 2003 Toyota Sequoia. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer.
Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.