Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2004 Toyota Sequoia owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The vehicle was stationary then the gears were moved while having foot on brakes however the breaks were stuck and the vehicle was not able to be stopped causing it to run into the house which had caused unbelievable damage. None of the airbags deployed.
July 2015 I received notice of the airbag recall for my vehicle. I have called the information # x2 only to be told this recall will be managed by zones. There is no plan for my zone apparently and no one at Toyota can tell me what zone I am in and when that zone will receive attention. In addition, although they offer you an alternative vehicle they do not offer you a comparable vehicle. I now have a vehicle that I can't fit eveyone in, no plan to fix my vehicle and no workable replacement vehicle. To add to the safety concerns there is no guarantee by vehicle will get fixed within the next year, much less be available and safe for the winter months when ice and snow in mn often require a 4 wheel drive vehicle for the 50 mile round trip to work.
I have had a safety recall on my vehicle. First notification came in July. 6-7 weeks later still waiting. Contacted Toyota directly via the number provided. Their only comment is that they have done their part by alerting me to the safety issue and when the "part comes the part comes." they had no concern for the fact that this means I have to drive two vehicles to get my family anywhere, although they did encourage me to go rent a vehicle from the dealership until the parts come in. Really? An indefinite rental cost for something that is a manufacturer defect? I think toyotas are great because they last and last, however I think Toyota corp is the worst when it comes to dealing with things they are responsible for.
Tl contact owns a 2004 Toyota Sequoia. While driving approximately 35 MPH, another vehicle crashed into her rear passenger door. The vehicle rolled over twice. None of the 4 air bags deployed. The dealer stated that the contact should call the manufacturer. The contact sustained injuries to her head, heart and body. There was major vehicle damage to the frame. There is a police report. The current and failure mileages were 47000.
We were traveling 70 MPH north on i35 heading home from austin, texas in our 2004 Toyota Sequoia. A man in the far right lane fell asleep and hit a cement barrier and over correct steering to the left. He in turn shot into the road into our vehicle. The vehicle struck or vehicle on the right mid passenger door. Our vehicle to rollover to the right 2.5 times and skid 200 feet. No airbags deployed at all! Their were 6 passengers in our Sequoia that day and everyone was wearing their seat belt. My husband the driver sustained the following injuries: head, and left arm contusions and abrasions and complained of headache. He also suffered neck and back pain. Myself: I suffered a concussion from hitting the right frontal and top portion of my head, severe neck and back pain & headache, left wrist & hand contusion with tendon & ligament damage. Bilateral knee pain with ligament damage. …
Takata recall Toyota customer service and my local Toyota have been unable to remedy this defect in the last 3 weeks nor can they tell me when they might be able to. My answer is always, "the part is on backorder". I was also told by Toyota customer service that my vehicle was safe to drive as long as there was no one in the passenger seat, that there were sensors that would not allow it to deploy if there was no weight in the passenger. I have specific questions: 1. Are there sensors on a 2004 model 2. Is my vehicle safe to drive with no one in the passenger seat 3. Does Toyota in fact have a priority system set up for owners who live in high moisture areas. 4. If vehicles can be traded from dealership to dealership why can's parts? …
When temperatures fall to 32 degrees f (sometimes higher) or below airbag light illuminates on 2004 Toyota Sequoia. When the car is started the SRS (airbag) light illuminates in cold temperatures. After car warms up and if the car is turned off and back on SRS light will go back off. Following airbag codes are stored in SRS airbag module (ECU): b1141 b0116 this is a known problem by Toyota since 2004 but they are not recalling this part or offering replacement. Affected part number: 89170-0c070 this is especially dangerous since it disables all airbags. The only repair option is to replace the airbag ECU that has been updated. This affects the following vehicles: 2003 - 2004 Toyota Sequoia 2001 - 2003 Toyota highlander here is the official Toyota technical service bulletin: air bag system - MIL on/DTC's b1140/b1141 set electrical el007-04 title: m.I.l. …
My Toyota Sequoia sr5 is showing some lights in dashboard. First it was the vsc solid light coming on then off on it own, after some months, the airbag light came on then off then solid on, I went to the Toyota dealer to get it check out, and they couldn`t find what is making the airbags light to come on. More recently, I started having a cruise control problem as well. The cruise control will sometimes work and also some other time refuse to work unless you turn the steering wheel over and over again and then it will sometimes kick -in. I have also noticed that the car will loose power while simply driving it, when it does so, the system will still be running but simply will get weak no matter how much gas you`re giving to the pedal. I hope to have this issues investigated since Toyota doesn't really address them when I call them. Warm regards,
Takata recall. I received the recall notice around June or July of this year. I scheduled the repair with our local Toyota dealership. They gave us the date to bring it in. My wife took off from work and took the car and then they did not have the repair parts in stock and said we would have to reschedule. I am off work for the rest of year for holidays so this morning I called to reschedule and now they tell me they only have one tech who can do the repair and he is off until jan 15th. Now if this is an urgent safety recall and no one should ride in the passenger seat, please explain to the Toyota dealers what urgent safety recall means.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 Toyota Sequoia. The contact stated that another vehicle crashed into the front drivers side of the vehicle. The contact stated that the air bags failed to deploy. A police report was filed. Additionally the contact stated the brake warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a private mechanic and the vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure and current mileage was unknown.
Related recalls
Air bags › Frontal › Driver side › Inflator module
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2010-2016 4Runner, 2003-2006 Tundra, 2003-2013 Corolla, 2009-2010 Corolla Matrix, 2004-2005 RAV4, 2002-2007 Sequoia, 2011-2013 Sienna, 2008-2012 Scion xB, 2008-2009 Lexus IS-F, 2007-2012 Yaris and Lexus ES350, 2010-2017 Lexus GX460, 2002-2010 Lexus SC430,…
Remedy: Toyota will notify owners. Depending on the vehicle model, dealers will replace the front driver inflator, front passenger airbag inflator, the airbag assembly, or the front passenger airbag sub-assembly and inflator.
Air bags › Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2002-2005 Lexus SC and Toyota Sequoia, 2003-2005 Toyota Corolla and Tundra, and 2003-2007 Pontiac Vibe vehicles.
Remedy: Toyota will notify the Toyota and Lexus owners. General Motors will notify the Pontiac Vibe owners. Depending on the vehicle model, dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator with an alternate inflator,…
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.
Remedy: 2003-2004 Corolla and Corolla Matrix vehicles that are recalled under both 15V-043 and 15V-285 are under a Do Not Drive advisory.
Air bags
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) notified the agency on May 13, 2015, that they are recalling 2005-2007 Lexus SC, Toyota Corolla, Corolla Matrix, Sequoia, and Pontiac Vibe, and 2005-2006 Toyota Tundra vehicles that were originally sold, or ever registered, in Florida, along the Gulf Coast, Puerto Rico, Hawaii,…
Remedy: 2003-2004 Corolla and Corolla Matrix vehicles that are recalled under both 15V-043 and 15V-286 are under a Do Not Drive advisory.
NHTSA investigations
Air Bag Inflator Rupture
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE14-016 in June 2014 based on six inflator rupture incidents involving consumer owned vehicles produced by five vehicle manufacturers.All six vehicles were operated in Florida or Puerto Rico at the time of the rupture and for the majority of their service life, and were equipped with inflators produced by Takata, a tier-one supplier of automotive air bag…
Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture
From 2000 through 2017, Takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("PSAN") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004L. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade, causing the propellant to burn too quickly when ignited.
Air Bag Inflator Rupture
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE14-016 in June 2014 based on six inflator rupture incidents involving consumer owned vehicles produced by five vehicle manufacturers.All six vehicles were operated in Florida or Puerto Rico at the time of the rupture and for the majority of their service life, and were equipped with inflators produced by Takata, a tier-one supplier of automotive air bag…
Airbag complaints in other Sequoia years
Frequently asked questions
How common are airbag problems on the 2004 Toyota Sequoia?
NHTSA has 24 complaints about the air bags of the 2004 Toyota Sequoia, 6% of the model year's 380 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2004 Toyota Sequoia airbag problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 19V-741 (inflator module, Oct 17, 2019); NHTSA recall 18V-883 (inflator module, Dec 12, 2018); NHTSA recall 15V-285 (air bags, May 13, 2015). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2004 Toyota Sequoia airbag problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 165,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 4 crashes, 0 fires and 7 injuries to air bags 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.