Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (service brakes, ABS, rotors and pads, parking brake).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2003 Toyota Sequoia SR5 owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Two months after purchasing the vehicle, vsc and trac off lights became illuminated, no other symptoms. Stayed on for 2 days then disappeared again. Two months later the brake light had become illuminated, put it in park to load passengers, and when returned to drive, the vsc and trac off lights were illuminated and a grinding sound was heard when applying brakes - along with the vehicle pulling to the right. Turned the car off, checked fluids and fuses, when restarted only brake light was illuminated and car appeared to be driving normally. Took it in to Toyota today to have the problem checked out as the brake light is still on, and the grinding noise was a concern - and am told the brake booster needs to be replaced. …
The ABS actuator on my 2003 Toyota Sequoia SR5 caught fire as I was driving home. The first sign of trouble was when I pulled out of a parking spot and switched from reverse to drive and was temporarily unable to accelerate. The brake pedal also shuddered before I regained acceleration. One mile down the road, at a speed of approx. 30 MPH, 3 warning lights on the dash illuminated (vsc light, ABS light, brake light) followed by the brake pedal going all the way to the floor by itself. Luckily, I wasn't rear-ended, but by this time, smoke was coming from under the hood. Upon further inspection, I could see flames coming from the actuator assembly. The fire department responded and extinguished the fire. The vehicle was deemed a total loss due to the damage to the actuator assembly, wire harness, wiper motor and hood.
Starting in December of 2014 my 2003 Toyota Sequoia has had the brake light coming on and when applying the breaks having shaking in the front end. I took my vehicle into Toyota and they said it was the wheel speed sensor, ECU. They replaced the skid control ECU and the right rear speed sensor. Costing me 1196.90. Then in March the brake light started coming on and off again periodically. It is now October 2015 and on the way home from church the brake lights and vsc and traction control , and engine lights keep coming on. I was turning and the engine stalled and nearly died in one of the busiest intersections. I have since parked it in the driveway and will have to get someone over here to look at it because I do not feel safe or comfortable driving this vehicle.
Defective ABS system since initial purchase. At first, an intermittent problem but now a safety hazard. Brake light, vsc light &trac light constantly are on & now on several occasions going only 10 MPH brakes are affected where there is a loud grinding noise & brakes don't function properly. I was told the yaw sensor would take care of this costing $880, but it didn't; now its the skid control another $875 which I agreed to & when calling to get status of my car, I'm told it didn't fix the issue & now it's the booster another $1,000 which I'm not paying. This should be a recall as this is issue makes it a very unsafe vehicle to drive. My car is still sitting in the shop and I don't know what to do at this point.
I purchased a 2003 Toyota Sequoia from thousand oaks Toyota dealer on jan 22, 2011. I noticed on the third week of driving it, the brake light, and vsc light would go on intermittently while driving. I was told that there was a recall on the aog computer, and was told that this update would most likely filx the problem. After the aog was updated12 mar 2011, now both the brake light and the vsc track off lights come on, and the brakes shudder to a stop. Unfortunately this does not happen each and everytime I'm driving the car, but rather sporadically. I've taken the SUV back to the dealer, and they seem to be guessing as to the problem, and solution. They have suggested that I need to replace the master cylinder and brake booster, however blogs that I have read on this issue indicate changing these particular parts will not resolve the problem. …
I received a recall notice from Toyota for undercarriage rusting. I took my vehicle to the dealership for treatment. They kept the vehicle overnight and I picked it up the next day. Six months later (I'm not sure exactly when it happened because we have more than one vehicle), while driving the Sequoia, which I never had problems with before, I smelled something burning as I drove the vehicle and thought that with the new treatment it was just burning off the excess. However, the vehicle began to shake, I looked under the vehicle and noticed that the brake rotors had rusted to the point that I could rub my hand on them and rub the metal off. I called the dealer to ask them what the vehicle had been treated with because in all the years that I had the vehicle the rotors had never rusted. …
Tl contact owns a 2003 Toyota Sequoia SR5. When pressure was applied to the brake pedal, the vsc/ABS/brake controller warning light illuminated intermittently on the instrument panel and the front end of the vehicle began shaking excessively. The vehicle was taken to the dealer multiple times in which the technicians concluded that the computerized system sensor failed. The technicians replaced the translate computer, the ECU, the transmission temperature sensor, and the brake power booster. None of the repairs have remedied the failure. The manufacturer was investigating the failures. The failure mileage was 9,322 and the current mileage was 122,000. Updated 11/10/09 the consumer stated the vsc/brake and ABS lights have been on, since taking ownership of the vehicle. …
The skid control ECU on my 2003 Toyota Sequoia recently started intermittently reporting failure via parking warning light and disables the ABS system. Recently we were driving at highway speeds and it disabled itself as we were braking. There was a TSB br006-06 put out by Toyota to replace the ECU in 2006 only if the customer reported the problem. It was a known logic problem with the ECU. We are lucky so far that we have been able to pull-over and turn off the vehicle and turn-it back on to clear the ABS fault and continue driving without any accident. Toyota service is telling me the ECU needs replacement at my expense for a cost of over $1500. …
I just purchased a used 2003 Toyota Sequoia SR5 2 days ago from the dealer. Although, the vehicle comes under no warranty, I would like to file a defect that has been reported by other 2003 Toyota Sequoia SR5 owners. The problem ' trac off light came on, vsc light came on and the brake light came on. I called the dealership and was told that they need to see the vehicle and it was the skid ECU and it needed to be replaced at $1200.00 for the part and $232.30 for labor. The service tech told me this is a major safety issue as this is the brain of the braking system and the ABS will lock up and the brakes will fail. The lights remained on until the next day. I went on line to research the cause and defect and found out that there are quite a few owners experiencing the problem I have. Please investigate and hoping to resolve this malfunction before people are killed.
2003 Toyota Sequoia vsc light (vehicle stability control) and anti skid brakes light illuminate. First intermittently now on all the time. Toyota dealer does not seem to have expertise to scientifically determine the problem. Toyota and dealer seem to be indifferent and also will not honor extended warranty. Been back to dealership on multiple occasions. 2003 SR5 model,garaged since purchase in 2003, lightly driven with 30652 miles on the vehicle. No accident involved. After a careful review of other owners identical complaints this vehicle is unsafe to drive. Design flaw or engineering defect with the stability control system or anti lock brake system. Reporting issue to go on record in the event a recall does get issued.
Brake complaints in other Sequoia SR5 years
Frequently asked questions
How common are brake problems on the 2003 Toyota Sequoia SR5?
NHTSA has 28 complaints about the brakes of the 2003 Toyota Sequoia SR5, 26% of the model year's 107 complaints. The component named most often is antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip (1 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2003 Toyota Sequoia SR5 brake problems?
No. NHTSA lists no brakes recall for the 2003 Toyota Sequoia SR5. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2003 Toyota Sequoia SR5 brake problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 105,000 miles, and 4% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 1 fire and 0 injuries to brakes problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.