Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (power steering, steering column, rack and pinion).
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).
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. …
I was driving my 2002 Toyota Sequoia on the freeway at approximately 65 mph on the [redacted] when suddenly the vehicle made a beeping noise and the VSC Light and TRAC Light came on. The vehicle suddenly lost control in the wheels and tires and suddenly decelerated out-of-nowhere. Due to the sudden, abrupt movement and loss of control, the vehicle nearly flipped over. It was an extremely dangerous, possibly life-threatening situation. Thankfully, I was attentive and alert and had both hands on the wheel and was able to get the vehicle in control. This happened before two times and this would be the third time. I have taken the vehicle to several different auto repair shops and they have been unable to pin point and fix the problem. …
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!
The left rear frame broke away from rear sway bar. I was just leaving my house when I heard a thunk. I noticed the problem when I turned onto the faster road as I accelerated the whole backend moved right, pushing the front end left (into oncoming traffic). Letting up on the accelerator cased the reverse to happen, the back end swung left and the front turned right. So, glad it happened slower streets and not the highway. There was a limited service recall on this model to coat with a rust proofing paint and we had the service done in 2012. This failure would have probably killed someone if it had happened on the freeway or cloverleaf. These vehicles should be either repaired by Toyota or off the road.
The frame of the vehicle has severe rust and now has holes in the frame, making it unsafe to drive and possibly causing an accident. Meticulous care has been taken of this vehicle and it is never taken off road or abused. I've had several other vehicles and have never had this frame rust safety issue.
Rack and pinion rusted out and had to be replaced. It cracked in the middle of the highway and left me inching to safety. Never fully recovered 186k, frame is fully rusted and will not pass inspection due to faulty oxygen sensors and excessive rust and corrosion. Will need to replace exhaust to input a new sensor at 4k Vechicle is fully operable and functional but cannot pass inspection without the safety of rust treatment or replacement It's a great vechicle but unfortunate that the 2002 series is left out of the recall . There are a lot of early generations that have these issues and although the trucks are reliable and have a long life , are undriveable because they can't pass inspection. Please consider extended the rust recall to 2001-2003 Sequoias. …
When driving 70 MPH on the interstate, the vehicle periodically yanks hard to the right, it sounds like I have a flat tire, front right tire feels and sounds like it stopped turning. Car slows, vsc system idiot lights flash and beep. After I have successfully though unintentionally run another car off the road it returns to normal. The idiot lights stay on until the car is turned off. Has been taken to mechanics numerous times in last few weeks, cannot find a problem. But keeps happening. Mechanic is aware of 2003 and newer recall for the same reason, tried recalibrating yaw sensor successfully. 3 days later it happened again mechanics says the sensor May be periodically malfunctioning, over correcting for a nonexistent problem. It has happened going 30 MPH once, as well as today the lights and beeping went off at a dead stop in my driveway. …
The first indication that something was wrong was the first week of September 2019. I was driving down a county road when the lights indicator lights for the trac and vsc started flashing and beeping when I drove over some bumps. The lights would not go off even when pressing trac off. I turned off the car and restarted it and the lights were off but only for about 15 minutes into my drive. I took it to the Toyota dealership and the agent said he did not know anything about the system and I would have to bring it back for diagnostics. That night I was getting ready to go over a rather large bridge when all of the sudden the car jerked twice to the right with the second event pulling me off the road. It was extremely frightening and terrified us all. Thank god it did not happen on the bridge or under other circumstances. …
Grinding noise, beeping, warning lights flashing, difficulty steering, difficulty braking, clunking when braking, vsc and ABS lights on. Very scary. I was driving approximately 50 MPH. It also happened when my daughter was driving it. Very intermittent. I was going straight, no turning, no bumps in the road. So random. I have researched the much on youtube and the internet and there are many others who have experienced this scary situation. I am afraid to drive the vehicle and it is a major safety hazard and must be fixed! I heard they recalled the 2003's but not the 2002's but they have the same parts. I will send pictures of others who have similar complaints. If you go to the website I sent you will find many others who have experienced the same thing. I am sending only a sample. Please do something. Serious safety hazard, whatever the problem is! …
Driving on paved public road, dry road conditions in summertime at low speed,10-20 MPH, the vsc and trac off warning lights on instrument panel light up with and audible bell type alarm at the same time the right front wheel makes a loud thump causing the vehicle to pull hard to the right and with very hard front end vibration. At which time there is no brake control, steering control or acceleration control for approximately 20 seconds that has caused a few near miss vehicle collisions with other vehicles or off the road towards an embankment. The Sequoia was taken to a Toyota dealership service center where the technician stated they can only clear the fault code in the vehicle's computer. …
Steering complaints in other Sequoia years
Frequently asked questions
How common are steering problems on the 2002 Toyota Sequoia?
NHTSA has 78 complaints about the steering of the 2002 Toyota Sequoia, 12% of the model year's 666 complaints. The component named most often is gear box › shaft sector (1 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2002 Toyota Sequoia steering problems?
No. NHTSA lists no steering 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 steering problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 136,000 miles, and 5% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 6 crashes, 0 fires and 13 injuries to steering 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.