Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (door latches, locks, hood and tailgate latches).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2002 Toyota Sequoia owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Dt: in September 2002 the owner went to open the door handle and it fell off in her hand. It was the driver's door handle that broke. Then the owner called the dealership and made appointment for repairs. T the dealership repaired the door handle without charge since the car was under warranty. Then, in June 2005 there was a passenger who got of out of the passenger side door and the door wouldn't close. The owner got it to close by using a bungee cord. In June while owner was driving on a main road the passenger's door opened. The owner did not know what caused the door to open. The dealership repaired the inside door latch for about $300. Then, last week the owner was trying to open the hatch back and couldn't get the hatchback door open. The owner called the manufacturer. Toyota will pay for the part, but the owner will pay for the labor. …
Rear door (hatch) will not open. I have spoken to three other people who have the same vehicle and they are or had the same problem. The locking mechanism seem to rust out and this is suppose to be a seal compartment, the cost of the repair is about 500.00. This lock is in a place where you as a owner has no control over it nor is there a way for you to maintain it or do preventive maintenance. On it. This problem just happens with no warning, I took it to the dealer the first time and they fix it so it would work and it did for about two months then it fail again this when the dealer inform me of the cost of the repair. Is about 500.00. The next time I went to the dealer for this problem I was charge 59.00 just to find out the problem, when the dealer inform me of the cost of the repair. …
In July of last year, my 2002 Toyota Sequoia experienced car trouble. The vehicle experienced 3 major problems. First, the rear window on the back of the vehicle would suddenly open all by itself. This self opening would occur at numerous times. The window would open when the vehicle was being driven, when it was stationary or even while it was unoccupied. The scariest however, was when the vehicle was being driven. Fortunately for me and my family no one was injured. The second major problem occurred with the door locks. The locks would lock and unlock themselves repeatedly without anyone touching them. This locking/unlocking would again take place when the vehicle was being driven, stationary or even unoccupied. The last complaint is that the gas gauge will drop to empty without any reason so there are many times that I do not know how much gasoline I have left in the tank. …
While making a turn on the road the rear trunk opened spilling all contents out on the highway. The latch has been an issue before - appears locked but really is not. This could have caused an accident with someone behind me not to mention that if a child (or animal) was in the rear of the vehicle they would have fallen out. The latch was rusted and had to be replaced to the tune of over $300.00. Toyota has acknowledged that this is a problem but not on the recall list. This should be - along with the leather seats peeling and the rust all over the bottom of the vehicle. I had to also replace stability links (not ball joints which are under recall) rods as well - to the tune of almost 1K...also rusted. There appears to be a significant rusting issue with these particular vehicles! (Toyota Sequoia 2002).
The rear lift door on our 2002 Toyota Sequoia refused to open. As I attempted to open the door, it finally occurred to me that, if something happened to disable the battery and a fire were to start in the front half of the vehicle, the is no way to remove occupants from the rear of the vehicle or for the occupants to open the rear door from the inside. There is no physical mechanism for unlocking and opening the rear door without electricity being available to the door and the electrical part of the door latch mechanism working properly. Why have manufacturers of suvs been allowed to design automobiles that do not allow for an escape mechanism from the inside going out the rear door? This is a disaster waiting to happen (it probably already has happened during a wreck).
I own a 2002 Toyota Sequoia and have had three instances of the back hatch latch assembly breaking and becoming unlatched while the vehicle was in operation. The latch assembly became unlatched after the rear window was rolled down. In each case the rear hatch would not relatch and to be tied shut. The latch assembly had to be replaced by a dealer in order to restore the hatch to operation in each case. During the third replacement of the rear hatch latch assembly the dealer technician noticed that the latch operating cable harness was routed incorrectly inside the rear hatch which is why the rear window was putting stress on it and damaging the latch assembly. The latch broke twice in 08/2002, and again in 06/2005.
The back door handle/latch malfunctions and I can no longer open the back door. In 2007 I went to open the back door as usual and the handle snapped. I tried to close the liftgate and it didn't latch. Had to tie the door shut. The next day I took it to the dealer and they replaced the latch and handle for appx 280.00. A few weeks ago the handle snapped again, and now the door does not open. The dealer said I can have them replace it again. Why should I have to fork out more money. In my opinion this is a safety issue. All doors in a vehicle should work. Heaven forbid there was a crash and the only exit is the back door. Dealer is no help at all.
Interior door handle failure - only method of exiting vehicle. Failed for a third time under normal use before reporting to NHTSA. If vehicle is in a crash, on fire, or under water, a person will panic and exert greater force than normal on the handle, snapping it, leading to potential death. Dealer told me they have "hundreds" of these come through. Ask Toyota how many they have replaced to get actual scope. They have no incentive to correct failure since dealer makes $250.00 to correct the failure. No egress in a burning car is equivalent to no fire exit doors in a burning building.
First occurence of lift gate failure was feb 2005. Lift gate unable to be opened, rear window inoperable, and rear windshield wiper worked only sporadically. Took car to the dealer who said that water had gone down window into lift gate and had rusted out liftgate door lock, handle and cabling components and would cost approx. $500 to fix with no guarantee that same failure would not occur in the future. We had repair done and it worked fine until July 1, 2005 and we are having the exact same problem again and of course this is something that the dealer says is not covered by our warranty.
Driving on ny thruway transmission went. Towed to nearest service station where new transmission was installed after which we were told that the chassis was extremely rusty. Two days later, the engine light came on - took car to sears to find out trans fluid leak and frame rotted and declined servicing vehicle. Followed up at Toyota dealer for leak and frame inspection. Technician found power steering line leaking power steering fluid and excessive frame perforation / corrosion. They would not work on it. Technician installed a new hook lock and cable assembly as hood would not lock.
Door Lock & Latch complaints in other Sequoia years
Frequently asked questions
How common are door lock & latch problems on the 2002 Toyota Sequoia?
NHTSA has 30 complaints about the locks & latches of the 2002 Toyota Sequoia, 5% of the model year's 666 complaints. The component named most often is doors › latch (9 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2002 Toyota Sequoia door lock & latch problems?
No. NHTSA lists no locks & latches recall for the 2002 Toyota Sequoia, though it has 6 recalls for other components. 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 2002 Toyota Sequoia door lock & latch problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 72,000 miles, and 12% before 25,000 miles.
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.