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Toyota Sequoia grinding brakes problems

277 of the 3,065 owner complaints about the Toyota Sequoia describe grinding or squealing brakes, most of them for the 2002 model year.

owner complaints
277
worst model year
2002
typical repair cost reported
$2,000
typical mileage
117,500
Is there a fix? No recall or service bulletin covers this area of the car yet.

By model year

Often reported together

ABS 51Pulling 38Loss of power 32Jerking 21Check engine light 10Stalling 8Brake failure 7Warning lights 6

Trouble codes mentioned

C1247 2C1223 2C1203 2C1363 1C1310 1C1244 1C1234 1C1231 1

What owners say

Filed Dec 6, 2024 · Suspension · LA

Front strut is failing, but dealer cannot replace strut due to lack of inventory and they say a failure in the strut is only if it is leaking. Strut makes grinding/rumbling noise.

Filed Jun 18, 2024 · Brakes, Driver assistance · FL

My vehicle has randomly been flashing vbs/abs/traction control lights. Sometimes nothing happens other than the flashing lights. Other times I’ll be driving & when going around a curve my car makes a beeping noise (sounds like the abs noise activated) & I’ll feel a pulsing under the brake & hear a grinding sound. It doesn’t allow me to brake effectively. Another time I was coming to a stop behind a car at a red light. It was clear as day, roads weren’t wet & I couldn’t have been going over 10 mph. When hitting my brakes, my steering wheel kind of glided back & forth for a sec and it felt like my tires “floated”in the same motion as wheel until it stopped.

Filed Feb 11, 2024 · Acceleration, Brakes · CO

After several years of fighting problems with, after braking to a brief stop, the loss of power/abs grinding when accelerating and turning right, now the ABS is completely dysfunctional. Both TRC lights will turn on and usually the parking brake, and when braking at speeds less than 10mph the abs will activate and prevent bring the truck to a stop without pumping them, on dry pavement. When the ABS light turns on, then braking is possible, but all pressure is gone from brake booster and brakes sound like they're grinding, not like the sound of abs engaging. Very dangerous to drive in snow as front brakes work but drive axle doesn't disengage when the brake pedal is depressed. Regular mechanic won't engage with diagnosing issues as he feels the problem is partly computer malfunction and Toyota won't allow for used part mismatching. ABS/ECU is failed.

Filed Oct 7, 2023 · Brakes, Steering · GA

While driving on a curved road, the vehicle made a grinding sound with flashing VSC off and Trac off lights, as it pulled violently to the right and almost ran off the road with my two children in the back seat. This was an extremely scary incident. I 1. While driving on a curved road, the vehicle made a grinding sound with flashing VSC off and Trac off lights, as it pulled violently to the right and almost ran off the road with my two children in the back seat. This was an extremely scary incident. I do understand that many first generation Sequoia owners have reported similar incidents and that there were no recalls, however, I think this is a serious enough issue that will cost innocent people their lives. I was able to pull a reading from the OBD2 and it says there is a fault with the Yaw Rate Sensor. Please help before this causes someone's death. Thank you!do understand that many first generation Sequoia owners have reported similar incidents and that there were no recalls, however, I think this is a serious enough issue that will cost innocent people their lives. I was able to pull a reading from the OBD2 and it says there is a fault with the Yaw Rate Sensor. Please help before this causes someone's death. Thank you!

Filed Jul 18, 2023 · Brakes · 222,715 miles · SC

The contact owns a 2002 Toyota Sequoia. The contact stated while driving at various speeds and depressing the brake pedal, the vehicle made an abnormal grinding sound and hesitated to respond. The contact depressed the brake pedal a second time, and the vehicle stopped. The ABS warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the failure had been reoccurring while driving and depressing the brake pedal. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.

Filed Sep 14, 2022 · Acceleration, Brakes · GA

While driving on a highway at about 60 mph, my vehicle made a loud grinding noise while the steering felt very difficult to control and then the VSC TRAC and TRAC OFF lights both came on. I got off the highway and pulled over to a parking lot to inspect the vehicle, but I did not see anything that would cause the vehicle to do that. After a few minutes, I restarted the vehicle and while driving on local roads to get home, the same thing happened again. I was extremely worried for the safety of my wife and children in the vehicle. After reading a few Toyota owners threads online, this seems to be a very familiar pattern with these Toyota Sequoias, and I strongly believe that this will result in very serious injuries or possible deaths if Toyota does not issue a recall to fix the problem causing such dangers for drivers. Please investigate the matter to save lives. Thank you!

Filed Sep 11, 2022 · Brakes, Steering · NJ

I was coming off the highway goi g down the off ramp at a rate of speed in line with the speed limit, and the vsc/abs/brake lights all came on. The truck started making a grinding noise and was difficult to control. I pulled over and checked underneath. Everything was fine and there was no sign of an issue. I turned the truck off and on, and all the lights cleared; however, the lights turn on again when the vehicle is cold. Once it warms up, and you turn the car on and off, the clear. No codes on the scanner. Forums say this happens regularly with this make, model and year, but no one is sure what it is. Everything from emissions, to the brake sensor to the yaw rate sensor.

Filed May 22, 2022 · Brakes · IL

INAPPROPRIATE stability braking, A noticable swerve to the right accompanied by a grinding noise ant the ASC and Traction control warning lights.

Filed Apr 19, 2022 · Suspension · CA

My cars suspension (driver side shock) has been making creaking, grinding, and/or knocking noise when traversing over mild bumps or road defects at slow speeds. The sound can be replicate by bouncing the car up and down. I am concerned my suspension components will fail under prematurely or under extreme stress. Noted, I brought my car to Toyota for inspection on 2/11/22 and they were not able to replicate the sound. Subsequently I found this related TSB: Additionally noted, I have a TRD pro model with a similar setup as far as suspension. I believe the known defect in the 2019-2020 TRD pros (4Runners) applies here. Lastly, there is such a small population or TRD Pro Sequoias (only manufactured for 3 years 2020-2022) I’m concerned it’s not enough to create demand for a TSB.

Filed Aug 4, 2021 · Brakes, Steering · CO

ABS kicks in while driving. It happens at a moderate speeds. IT IS A SAFETY HAZARD since I am in the car with my kids and it causes the car to unexpectedly brake. The VSC light come on and blinks, there is a loud grinding sound. This was reproduced by mechanic. SAFETY HAZARD

Related recalls

No recalls on record for this model year.

Questions about the Toyota Sequoia grinding brakes

Which Toyota Sequoia years have grinding or squealing brakes problems?

The model years with the most reports are 2002 (114 complaints), 2001 (60 complaints) and 2005 (34 complaints).

How much does it cost to fix grinding or squealing brakes on the Toyota Sequoia?

Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $2,000 (median of 26 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.

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