2005 Toyota Sequoia Problems, Recalls & Reliability
558 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2005 Toyota Sequoia, alongside 11 recall campaigns and 4 defect investigations. It scores 46/100 on the trouble index — a below-average year for this model. Other leads the reports, typically around 87,500 miles.
Below average
Where 2005 sits among all Sequoia years
What owners report
“Mileage is 76,500 and driving on city street and my vsc trac, vsc off and break light comes on with a grinding noise. I pulled the car on the side and turn off the car. Ever since the vsc trac, vsc off and break light are always on. I went online and i see a lot of sequoia owners have the same…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2005 Sequoia
“I get constant warning lights for brake, vsc and trac. This is a very common problem with the sequoia. It shuts down those safety features.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2005 Sequoia
“Malfunction indicator lights - Check engine, VSC off and TRAC off. The vehicle goes into limp mode. The issue is both a mechanical and engineering defect causing the override of the entire AIP system. Parts affected are Air injection pumps, Air switching valves, Air pump inlets/covers,…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2005 Sequoia
“Vsc trac---vsc--check engine light--and then problems with acceleration on a street doing 35 mph. Would be very dangerous if it happened on a highway. Needs to be a recall- many similar complaints online”— owner report to NHTSA, 2005 Sequoia
“Received notice of at the beginning of 2016 indicating recall in curtain shield airbag to date no parts have been provided to local toyota service centers. When are the parts going to be available first we were told september but now they don't know???”— owner report to NHTSA, 2005 Sequoia
“Vsc/trac control/ check engine dash warning lights come on and will not reset. Have had the vehicle at two different toyota dealers and they cannot find the proplem. They want me to pay them to go into the motor to find the problem. Have found several complaints on line about the same issue.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2005 Sequoia
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 417 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 92,000 miles. Half of those reports fall between 60,000 and 120,000 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (11)
Tenneco Automotive (DRiV) is recalling certain aftermarket ball joints for 2004-2007 Toyota Sequoia and 2004-2006 Toyota Tundra vehicles, MOOG part number K80521, K80522, NAPA part number NCP2601633, NCP2601634, ACDelco part number 45D2344, and 45D2345. The…
Fix: DRiV will work with distributors to return unsold parts. Dealers will inspect and replace the ball joint as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on March 17, 2022.…
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…
Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain 2005-2011 4Runner, Highlander, Sequoia, and Sienna, 2005-2010 Avalon and Tundra, 2006-2008 Camry Solara, 2006-2010 Highlander hybrid, 2006-2011 Rav4 and Tacoma, 2007-2010 FJ Cruiser, 2007-2011…
Fix: SET will notify owners, and dealers will disconnect the seat heaters, free of charge, and refund the purchase price of the seat heater accessory. The recall began on July 14, 2016. Owners may contact…
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2003-2006 Toyota Land Cruiser and Lexus LX470, 2005-2006 Toyota Tundra and Sequoia, 2004-2006 Toyota 4Runner and Lexus GX470 vehicles equipped with side curtain-shield-air bags.…
Fix: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the air bag control module with one that has improved programming, free of charge. The recall began on December 1, 2016. Owners may contact…
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…
Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain model year 2010-2011 Prius and Corolla, 2009-2011 Venza, 2006-2010 Avalon, 2007-2010 FJ Cruiser, 2005-2011 Sienna and Sequoia, 2006-2011 Tacoma 4x2 and 4x4, Camry, Highlander, Tundra 4x2 and 4x4,…
Fix: SET will notify owners, and dealers will disconnect the heaters with copper strand heating elements and refund the purchase price of the seat heater accessory, free of charge. The recall is expected…
SOUTHEAST TOYOTA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2005-2011 PASSENGER VEHICLES FOR FAILING TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 110, "TIRE SELECTION AND RIMS." THESE VEHICLES WERE SOLD WITHOUT THE REQUISITE LOAD…
Fix: DEALERS WILL MAIL TO CONSUMERS THE CORRECTED LABEL OR THE CUSTOMER WILL HAVE THE OPTION FOR DEALERS TO INSTALL THE LABEL FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON MAY 27, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT…
CERTAIN CARDONE MASTER CYLINDERS WITH PART NUMBERS 10-2925, 10-2987, 10-2987MZA, 10-3083, 11-3015, 11-3042, 11-3044, 11-3045, 11-3047, 11-3064, AND 11-3156, AND WITH DATE CODES LOWER THAN DCA7078 SOLD AS REPLACEMENT EQUIPMENT FOR USE ON THE VEHICLES LISTED…
Fix: 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.
ON CERTAIN TRUCKS AND MINI VANS, DUE TO POSSIBLE IMPROPER FINISHING OF THE FRONT SUSPENSION LOWER BALL JOINT, SOME BALL JOINTS MAY EXPERIENCE AN INCIDENTAL DETERIORATION OF THE INTERNAL LUBRICATION. THIS MAY CAUSE THE BALL JOINT TO WEAR AND LOOSEN…
Fix: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE FRONT SUSPENSION LOWER BALL JOINTS. THE RECALL BEGAN ON FEBRUARY 28, 2007. 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 07V013000.
Technical service bulletins
222 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on body & structure and electrical — are on file for the 2005 Toyota Sequoia. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
See the 2005 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 2005 Toyota Sequoia reliable?
The 2005 Toyota Sequoia drew 558 complaints in federal safety records — a below-average year for this model. Its trouble index is 46/100, scored against the model's worst year (2002).
What are the most common 2005 Toyota Sequoia problems?
The top reported problems for the 2005 Toyota Sequoia are other (139 complaints), brakes & stability (90), and speed control (85).
At what mileage do 2005 Toyota Sequoia problems show up?
Owners most often report 2005 Toyota Sequoia problems around 92,000 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 60,000 and 120,000 miles.
Does the 2005 Toyota Sequoia have recalls?
11 recall campaigns apply to the 2005 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.