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#BS-2002-TOYSEQ-6BC72002 Toyota SequoiaProblems, Recalls & Reliability
Based on reports from 1,126 owners and 8 recalls for this exact model.
Data updated ·checked October 21, 2026 · NHTSA complaints through October 19, 2026
Preliminary Verdict
Red Flag
Based on 1,126 complaints, 41 crashes, 1 fires, and 8 recalls. Complaint rate is 2.6x the class average. This is the worst model year for this vehicle.
Top reported problems
handle on the rear hatch door broke
12 complaints • Severity 7.7/10
transmission failure
12 complaints • Severity 9.3/10
vsc light comes on brakes engage
6 complaints • Severity 9.7/10
vsc activates for no reason
6 complaints • Severity 7.3/10
engine died coming to a stop
5 complaints • Severity 10/10
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Mechanic Inspection Checklist
196 owners reported stability control issues — failures commonly reported around 120K miles.
Failure Timeline by Mileage
Peak failure range: 150K+ miles (281 reports) • Median: 120K miles
30,000-Mile Cost Projection
Best Case
Most Likely
Worst Case
Top cost driver: Stability Control (196 reports).
Also in your report
Owner Intelligence
AI-synthesized themes from real complaints
Buyer Lot Checklist
Questions, test drive checks, walk-away triggers
Negotiation Talking Points
Data-backed dollar deductions
Buy / Skip Verdict
Final recommendation with conditions
Where the complaints fall
2002 Toyota Sequoia: Known Issues & Problem Areas
Stability Control Issues
Stability Control complaints account for 17% of all reports filed for the 2002 Toyota Sequoia, with 196 owners filing complaints with NHTSA. The median mileage at time of complaint is 120,000 miles, suggesting issues tend to surface around the 120K-mile mark.
Brakes Issues
Brakes complaints account for 12% of all reports filed for the 2002 Toyota Sequoia, with 136 owners filing complaints with NHTSA. Owners should pay attention to brakes-related symptoms during test drives and pre-purchase inspections.
Speed Control Issues
Speed Control complaints account for 12% of all reports filed for the 2002 Toyota Sequoia, with 134 owners filing complaints with NHTSA. Owners should pay attention to speed control-related symptoms during test drives and pre-purchase inspections.
Steering Issues
Steering complaints account for 6% of all reports filed for the 2002 Toyota Sequoia, with 73 owners filing complaints with NHTSA. Owners should pay attention to steering-related symptoms during test drives and pre-purchase inspections.
Data sourced from NHTSA owner complaints and community reports. The full report analyzes severity, repair costs, and failure patterns for each category.
Complaint trend by year
Complaints filed with NHTSA by year for the 2002 Toyota Sequoia. Recent trend: decreasing.



Don't negotiate blind — know what this car costs to own
Repair costs • Negotiation scripts • Mechanic checklist • Buy/skip verdict
Recall History (8 recalls)
WHEELS
ON CERTAIN 4X2 VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH AN ALLOY WHEEL TIRE UPGRADE (OPTIONS WM4, WM8, ZL1-ZL4, DH4, OR DH5) INSTALLED BY THE PROCESSING CENTERS IN JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA OR COMMERCE, GEORGIA, A LABEL IDENTIFYING THE SPARE TIRE AS A TEMPORARY USE SPARE TIRE WAS NOT INSTALLED. THE UPGRADE INCLUDES 4 LARGER SIZE TIRES WITH ALLOY WHEELS. THE ORIGINAL SPARE TIRE/STEEL WHEEL IS NOT PART OF THE UPGRADE AND WAS NOT CHANGED.
SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM:LOWER BALL JOINT
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 LOOSENESS, RESULTING IN INCREASED STEERING EFFORT.
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
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 FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT.
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:MASTER CYLINDER
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 ABOVE. THE SEAL ON MASTER CYLINDER CAN FAIL AND LEAK BRAKE FLUID.
AIR BAGS
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, to August 25, 2004. On June 16, 2015, Toyota expanded the recall to include an additional 1,270,468 vehicles, including model year 2002-2003 and 2005-2007 Sequoia, 2005-2006 Tundra, 2003-2007 Corolla, 2003-2007 Corolla Matrix, 2003-2007 Pontiac Vibe and 2002-2007 Lexus SC vehicles. This is to address a safety defect in the passenger side frontal air bag inflator which may produce excessive internal pressure causing the inflator to rupture upon deployment of the air bag. This recall addresses both the passenger side frontal air bags that were originally installed in the vehicles, as well as replacement air bags that may have been installed as replacement service parts. A replacement air bag may have been installed, as one example, if a vehicle had been in a crash necessitating the replacement of the passenger side frontal air bag.
+ 3 more recalls in the full report
Recall severity analysis & seller scripts
The full report rates each recall's severity and gives you scripts for asking the seller about recall completion.
NHTSA Defect Investigations (4)
2 investigations still open: NHTSA is examining whether a defect warrants a recall.
Air Bag Inflator Rupture
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
Air Bag Inflator Rupture
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
Yaw rate sensor malfunction
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL
This is the worst model year for the Toyota Sequoia according to owner complaint data. The biggest problem area is brakes.
2002 Toyota Sequoia vs. Class Average (Sport Utility Vehicle - 2WD)
This vehicle
1,126
Class avg
432
2.6x the class average — significantly more complaints than typical sport utility vehicle - 2wd vehicles.
Complaint counts correlate with sales volume — popular vehicles naturally generate more reports. The full report normalizes for this.
About this data
NHTSA Complaints
Federal database of owner-filed safety complaints. 1,126 records for this vehicle.
NHTSA Recalls
Manufacturer-issued safety recalls. 8 recalls found for this vehicle.
Repair Cost Data
Real-world repair costs from owner reports and independent databases.
Last updated (checked October 21, 2026). NHTSA complaints received through October 19, 2026.
Other Toyota Sequoia Model Years
View all Toyota Sequoia years →2002 Toyota Sequoia: Frequently Asked Questions
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