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2011 Toyota Sequoia problems

The most common problem on the 2011 Toyota Sequoia is engine and cooling. It has fewer complaints than a typical Sequoia model year.

Typical yearClose to a typical year
Year score
74/100
Owner complaints
17
Recalls
6
Service bulletins
257
Worst area
Engine
Fuel economy
14-16mpg

The worst 2011 Toyota Sequoia problems

Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.

  • Engine
    4
  • Brakes
    3
  • Electrical
    2
  • Fuel system
    2
  • Seats
    2

Problems by type

Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.

  • Engine
    4
  • Brakes
    3
  • Electrical
    2
  • Fuel system
    2
  • Seats
    2
  • Acceleration
    1
  • Airbags
    1
  • Body
    1
  • Locks
    1
  • Steering
    1

Recalls 6

Steering: hydraulic power assist systemReported November 23, 2021 · 22,462 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2008-2022 Sequoia and 2007-2021 Tundra vehicles. The power steering gear assembly may have been manufactured incorrectly, which can result in an oil leak.
Risk
An oil leak may cause a sudden loss of power steering assist, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Dealers will inspect and replace the power steering gear assembly as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on January 21, 2022. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1‑800‑331‑4331. Toyota's numbers for this recall are 21TB10 and 21TA10.

Recall number 21V920000 · Recall details

Seats: front assembly: seat heater/coolerReported June 2, 2016 · 7,749 vehicles affected
What is wrong
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 Camry hybrid, 2009-2010 Venza, 2010-2012 Prius, 1988-1990 and 2005-2010 Camry, and 1989 and 2009-2010 Corolla vehicles equipped with aftermarket accessory seat heaters with a copper strand heating element. The electrical wiring in the seat heaters may be damaged when the seat cushion is compressed.
Risk
If damaged, the copper strand heating element may short circuit, increasing the risk of a fire.
Remedy
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 SET customer service at 1‑866‑405‑4226. SET number for this recall is SET16B.

Recall number 16V396000 · Recall details

Visibility: power window devices and controlsReported October 22, 2015 · 1,814,284 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Toyota Motor Company (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2009-2011 Tundra, Sequoia, Corolla, Corolla Matrix and Scion xB, 2008-2011 Highlander and Highlander Hybrid, 2007 Camry and Camry Hybrid, 2009 Camry and Camry Hybrid, 2006-2011 RAV4, 2006-2010 Yaris, and 2009-2010 Scion xD and Pontiac Vibe vehicles. During the manufacturing of the Power Window Master Switch (PWMS), grease lubricant may have been inconsistently applied to the sliding electrical contacts.
Risk
If the sliding electrical contacts are not protected by lubricant, debris and moisture that get into the switch may cause a short circuit and the switch assembly may overheat and melt, increasing the risk of a fire.
Remedy
Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the switch, applying a lubricant if no abnormality is found. If abnormality is found, the PWMS circuit board will be replaced, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin December 20, 2015. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1‑800‑331‑4331. Toyota's number for this recall is C0M.

Recall number 15V689000 · Recall details

Seats: front assembly: seat heater/coolerReported November 19, 2014 · 3,233 vehicles affected
What is wrong
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, and 2007-2011 Rav4 and 4Runner. The affected vehicles may experience compression of the seat cushion which may damage the seat heater wiring.
Risk
Damage to the seat heater wiring could cause the wires to short, increasing the risk of the seat burning and causing personal injury to the occupant.
Remedy
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 to began in January 2015. Owners may contact SET customer service at 1‑866‑405‑4226.

Recall number 14V743000 · Recall details

SeatsReported January 16, 2013 · 3,235 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain models interspersed through model years 2009 through 2013 as follows: model year 2009-2012 Tacoma, 4Runner, Camry, Camry Hybrid, Prius, and RAV4; model year 2009-2010 Avalon, FJ Cruiser, and Highlander Hybrid; model year 2010-2013 model year Corolla, Sienna and Tundra; model year 2009-2013 Highlander and Venza; model year 2012 Prius V; and model year 2010-2012 Sequoia. During modification by SET to include accessories such as leather seat covers, seat heaters or headrest DVD systems, these vehicles may not have had the passenger seat occupant sensing system calibration tested. Without passing the calibration test, the occupant sensing system may not operate as designed.
Risk
If the front passenger seat occupant sensing system is out of calibration, the front passenger airbags may not deploy or they may deploy inappropriately for the passenger's size and position. This could increase the risk of personal injury during the event of a vehicle crash necessitating airbag deployment.
Remedy
Southeast Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will test the sensitivity of the occupant detection sensors, and recalibrate them as necessary. The recall began on March 21, 2013. Owners may contact Southeast Toyota at 1‑800‑301‑6859.

Recall number 13V014000 · Recall details

Tires: pressure monitoring and regulating systemsReported March 4, 2011 · 22,000 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Toyota is recalling certain model year 2008 through 2011 fj cruiser, land cruiser, tacoma, sequoia and tundra vehicles for failing to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 138, "tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS)." when factory-installed wheels and tires were replaced with toyota authorized accessory wheels and lt tires prior to first sale, the tire pressure monitoring systems were not re-calibrated correctly and therefore do not start illuminating the low tire pressure warning telltale at the required minimum activation pressure.
Risk
Failure to warn of tire deflations is a non-compliance with fmvss 138 and could lead to tire failure increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
For the land cruiser, sequoia, tacoma and tundra vehicles, the dealer will re-calibrate the tire pressure monitoring system on affected vehicles and install an updated tire and loading information label at no charge. For the fj cruiser vehicles, the TPMS cannot be reset so the electronic control unit (ecu) for the TPMS will be replaced. Toyota is currently developing the remedy ecu. If an owner is not certain whether his or her vehicle is equipped with these accessories, please contact any toyota dealer for an inspection at no charge. The safety recall began on march 31, 2011. Owners may contact toyota at 1‑800‑331‑4331.

Recall number 11V148000 · Recall details

See all 6 recalls for the 2011 Toyota Sequoia

Technical service bulletins for the 2011 Toyota Sequoia 257

Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.

See all 257 bulletins for the 2011 Toyota Sequoia

2011 Toyota Sequoia fuel economy

Official EPA estimates in miles per gallon (MPGe for electric). Ranges cover trims that share the same engine.

EngineDriveCityHighwayCombined
4.6L 8‑cylRWD142016
5.7L 8‑cylRWD141916
4.6L 8‑cyl4WD141915
5.7L 8‑cyl4WD131814-15

What 2011 Toyota Sequoia owners say

Most recent owner complaints, unedited.

Filed Jan 13, 2026 · Fuel system · KS

The vehicle fuel tank was punctured and then patched with JB Weld Epoxy. This vehicle was sold to me by a private owner that did not disclose this information to me. The safety of my family as well as thousands of others were at risk as the vehicle was parked in several parking garages of large buildings. The fuel tank and fuel pump has been replaced by Lewis Toyota of Topeka, KS. Several occurrences of a strong fuel smell had taken place for the two week time frame from the previous owner selling it to me. A fuel smell was present at inspection before purchase, however the owner stated that he had spilled fuel.

Filed Mar 22, 2024 · Brakes, Engine · NY

On [XXX] while driving our 2011 Toyota Sequoia 4x4 Limited (5.7 iforce non flex fuel) my wife was preparing to stop at a traffic light. Completely unexpected and with no warning, the vehicle started bucking, the engine began making a knocking noise and numerous dashboard lights started flashing. It immediately stalled while attempting to stop, thus, causing a very dangerous situation, losing total control of the brakes and steering, nearly causing a collision with the vehicle in front of her. The vehicle had to be towed from the middle of the road, while in heavy traffic. Eventually it was diagnosed (at my mechanics shop) and determined to be a broken valve spring in cylinder #7. This caused the valve to drop into the cylinder bore, making contact with the piston, known as "catastrophic failure on an 'interference' engine"..I later learned that these DEFECTIVE ($5) valve springs, are used in my meticulously maintained 5.7 Toyota motor,...THE SAME PART NUMBER UNDER RECALL IN SEVERAL LEXUS VEHICLES!! Being that I constantly maintained this vehicle and it being in overall excellent condition, I determined it was less expensive to have the engine replaced over repaired. I spent over $4600 in a used motor with 88k miles, and $5400 in labor for the replacement.. total cost of over $10,000 for a $5 defective part that was only recalled on the Lexus vehicles. I kept the original engine in case I can (eventually) have Toyota Corp do an inspection on it and get some kind of compensation on this dangerous, avoidable, selective vehicle recall. No luck thus far but have pictures, invoices and all documents on this situation that I can provide when requested. I am having difficulty downloading these documents to this site. Thank you very much. [XXX] [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed May 2, 2023 · Locks · 178,000 miles · MN

The contact owns a 2011 Toyota Sequoia. The contact stated that while driving approximately 60 MPH, the rear liftgate opened unintendedly. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the liftgate latch assembly was rusted and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The local dealer was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 178,000.

Filed Jan 28, 2022 · UT

While returning home from a vacation, the glass over our sunroof suddenly exploded. We were traveling about 50 MPH and just heard a sudden bang. We pulled over to investigate and it looked like it had exploded outward. We had a luggage carrier on top of the car that covered most of the sunroof, so I am confident that it was not struck by any objects.

Filed Sep 21, 2020 · Body · 97,000 miles · VA

The rear hatch has a rust spot next to the latch that is rusted thru and breaking chunks of metal from around it. The latch mechanism may split from the rear door aseembly and fail to remain closed and open unexpectedly on the highway allowing all contents to fly out of the vehicle. Source of problem may be improper welds allowing water to get inside the tailgate frame.

Filed Mar 23, 2020 · Engine · 137,000 miles · UT

Toyota has a faulty design on 5.7 liter sequoias and tundras where the engine camshaft tower sealant leaks oil towards the cabin. Since the engine is tilted back, the engine oil is directed to a heat shield and then directly to the exhaust pipe. Upon reaching the exhaust it causes smoke. The smoke will enter into the cabin causing engine fumes which occur when driving or parked until the engine cools. The engine could have caught fire, based on the amount of smoke that came out. Upon further research, this issue has caused fires. Evidence of this problem is readily available searching "toyota tundra cam leak fire", furthermore, change.org petition has over 5,178 signatures requesting the recall. This issue has occurred in vehicles from 1,000 miles and up. Toyota now uses a different sealant to prevent this leaking, so they must have recognized the issue but have remained silent. Upon contacting toyota, the customer service representative stated that he "had never heard of this problem". The dealership that is fixing this has a number of experienced mechanics that do see this often. It is unsafe to drive with this condition and the cost to repair is over $3,000!

Filed Dec 11, 2018 · Electrical · 130,000 miles · MS

The door lock actuator on each of the doors on the SUV have failed. The doors will not lock/unlock without using the key, and the only door with key access is the driver's door. The doors can be locked/unlocked from inside. The replacement parts seem excessively high, and it appears that this is a common occurrence on toyota vehicles. Since the actuator is part of the door latch, I am concerned that the actuator failure may lead to a latch problem. This occurs when the vehicle is at rest.

Filed Apr 22, 2017 · 60,000 miles · ND

Rear window randomly shattered while driving in town- 10 MPH. No chips, no issues with window prior, just blew. It was winter here, and the rear defrost was on. My friend received a recall notice for his rav 4, for this exact same issue. I've seen others complaining online about the exact same thing as well

Filed Jan 19, 2016 · Brakes · 12,572 miles · OR

Purchased the vehicle new. Brake rotors severely warped at12,572 miles creating severe vibration/shaking throughout the vehicle when brakes applied. Problem is particularly severe when utilizing breaks on a downhill grade. The severe vibration created a significant safety hazard as it impairs break performance particularly when roads are wet or icy. Car was under warranty. Toyota's solution was to resurface/grind the rotors back to smooth. Unfortunately this process removes metal, and mass, from the brake rotors which exacerbates the problem. Less mass, less ability to dissipate heat. The same problem occurred again at 22,391 miles. Dealership refused to acknowledge the vibration. Returned to dealership at 24,564 miles. Dealership now acknowledged the problem as it was so severe it was impossible to ignore. Once the problem was acknowledged the dealership informed me I would have to pay to have the rotors resurfaced as the car was now out of warranty. Informed them I believe this is a warranty issue as it started during the warranty, but was informed they look at the rotor issues as individual occurrences. Rotors once again turned, further reducing mass and further exacerbating problem. Now a matter of time until issue returns. Brake rotors are clearly made of materials insufficient to handle the weight of the vehicle. This issue also causes severe tire wear, further impairing stopping performance of the vehicle. Toyota refuses to acknowledge tire wear caused by rotor issue.

Filed Jul 20, 2015 · Engine · LA

2011 toyota sequoia. Consumer writes in regards to vehicle air pump repair problems. *smd the dealer informed the consumer, the vehicle needed a new air pump and a new air pump driver at a cost of $ 2643 before taxes. The dealer noted the problem was cause by possibly water intrusion. *jb ma 10/21/15 updated 10/12/2017

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Other model years

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Questions about the 2011 Toyota Sequoia

Is the 2011 Toyota Sequoia reliable?

Owners have filed 17 complaints about the 2011 Toyota Sequoia, fewer than a typical Sequoia model year.

What is the 2011 Toyota Sequoia year score?

The 2011 Toyota Sequoia scores 74 out of 100 (average). The score compares it with the other model years of the Toyota Sequoia: 75 is a typical year, 50 means twice the usual complaints, and serious complaints and recalls lower it.

What is the most common problem with the 2011 Toyota Sequoia?

Engine and cooling, with 4 complaints. Next is brakes (3).

How many recalls does the 2011 Toyota Sequoia have?

6 recalls, covering steering, seats and visibility.

What year does the Toyota Sequoia have bad engine?

The Toyota Sequoia model years with the most engine complaints are 2005 (55 complaints), 2003 (30 complaints) and 2007 (22 complaints).

What gas mileage does the 2011 Toyota Sequoia get?

Official estimates for the 2011 Toyota Sequoia range from 14 to 16 mpg combined. The most efficient version (4.6L 8-cyl, RWD) gets 14 city and 20 highway.

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