Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2005 Toyota Sequoia owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
After several years of fighting problems with, after braking to a brief stop, the loss of power/abs grinding when accelerating and turning right, now the ABS is completely dysfunctional. Both TRC lights will turn on and usually the parking brake, and when braking at speeds less than 10mph the abs will activate and prevent bring the truck to a stop without pumping them, on dry pavement. When the ABS light turns on, then braking is possible, but all pressure is gone from brake booster and brakes sound like they're grinding, not like the sound of abs engaging. Very dangerous to drive in snow as front brakes work but drive axle doesn't disengage when the brake pedal is depressed. Regular mechanic won't engage with diagnosing issues as he feels the problem is partly computer malfunction and Toyota won't allow for used part mismatching. ABS/ECU is failed.
Malfunction indicator lights - Check engine, VSC off and TRAC off. The vehicle goes into limp mode. The issue is both a mechanical and engineering defect causing the override of the entire AIP system. Parts affected are Air injection pumps, Air switching valves, Air pump inlets/covers, Gaskets/connectors/clamps and Speed sensors.
My vehicle will suddenly accelerate for no reason. This sudden "unintended acceleration of power" comes on with no notice. I have almost hit a person and have been in one car accident as a result. This unintended acceleration problem has occurred about 10 to 12 times. The unintended acceleration has occurred both in stationary & in motion; and both on a city street and highway. Turning has not been affected by unintended acceleration. Toyota has tested and provided the attached report to me but without any interpretation. My vehicle repair cost because of the unintended acceleration was $4,529.24. Toyota still has not responded to this dangerous and life threatening situation. The manufacturer could not duplicate the failure. Updated 10/04/2017
While driving at 35 MPH, the check engine light, vsc off light, vsc trac light, and the emergency brake light all came on at once, and the vehicle stopped accelerating, and I experienced a dramatic decrease in vehicle power. I drove the vehicle home noticing a drastic change in acceleration as the Sequoia would not accelerate normally; it would accelerate at a significantly reduced rate, topping out at 35mph on the flats, 30 MPH on an incline, I was able to reach 70mph going down hill on a highway. Since that day, during start up, the engine makes a high-pitch vacuum noise, which drops off and normal engine sound returns. All dashboard lights are normal, until 10-15 seconds after start, when the vsc off/vsc trac/brake lights all illuminate, and remain on until the engine is turned off and the poor acceleration and decrease power are now the norm. …
Oyota Sequoia 2005 engine light on ,vsc off light and trac vsc light on. These complaints are about this problems http://www.automotiveforums.com/t544406-sequoia_vsc_trac_problem.html,http://www.carcomplaints.com/Toyota/Sequoia/2003/electrical/vsc_trac_lights_are_on.shtml,here are tons of other complaints on this problem and it is not limited to our year model. If all of the complaints were compiled in one area and presented to the ntsb, I'm sure that Toyota would be forced to deal with this issue and correct it. Its a big issue estimated cost for that around $ 2000 to $ 5000 I don`t know if u investigate or no .I am not going to get this issue repair until I will hear from you .please take it seriously
Sequoia 2005 2wd. The 2005 should be recalled. (1) while pulling into a parking spot at about 5 MPH, the car suddenly accelerated, driving over a parking curb & down a hill. (2) after coming to a complete stop at a stop sign, I tapped on the gas to go & the car suddenly accelerated, lurching forward. After this happened I took the car to the dealer, who inspected it & failed to find a problem. Floor mats were no where near the brake & is not possible that the gas pedal stuck, because it accelerated suddenly. If the gas pedal merely got stuck, then the car would have continued forward at the same rate of speed, but in my case it accelerated suddenly both times. Tw*
We noticed that our frame had severe rust last winter. (2/14) we always did the regular recommended maintenance. We purchased this new in '05. I'm sure others haven't reported this as they haven't looked for this problem not expecting it from such an expensive vehicle that you would expect to be very reliable. We did put in a claim to Toyota last February and we were told that it wasn't a problem that they had many complaints on. I know there were recalls in the past with Toyota vehicles that had the tubular frames. This also has a tubular frame. We also have the same problem with vsc and tracking that many others on this site have complained about.
I bought a Toyota Sequoia 2005 back in 2005 at rice Toyota dealer in greensboro . Today , when I was driving on the street and turned on the left light signal with less than 15 MPH while using the brake, I heard a very loud grinding noise and that instantly I saw all 3 signs ( trac off, vsc trac, brake ) on at the same time. I am almost out of breath and scared to death. The signs (trac off, vsc trac, brake ) once in a while appeared in the past and disappeared by themselve and I did not have any serious problems in the past , but today the car just acted like a dead car at that momentarily. I was so scared and scared.
When accelerating from low speed or stops the Sequoia activates the vsc and the traction control system and refuses to accelerate. Happens consistently but not consistently enough to know when to expect it. The traction control/skid control light activates for around 5 seconds and then vehicle returns to normal operation. It can be nerveracking. From all my investigation it seems identical to the problems that LED to the 2003 Sequoia recall. I do believe that this is a significant safety issue. Again from my research this is a very common problem among many model years of sequoias.
I experienced a problem with engine warning and vsc trac off lights going on. The check engine light also came on. My family and I were on a trip and our Sequoia all of a sudden lost power. It slowed down dramatically even though the engine was fine. It was a very dangerous situation because we were on an interstate where the speed is 70 MPH. I also experienced all the brakes making a massive grinding noise while going slow into a restaurant. (the brakes have less than 3000 miles on them.) the parking brake light also comes on periodically.
Acceleration complaints in other Sequoia years
Frequently asked questions
How common are acceleration problems on the 2005 Toyota Sequoia?
NHTSA has 85 complaints about the speed control & acceleration of the 2005 Toyota Sequoia, 24% of the model year's 352 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2005 Toyota Sequoia acceleration problems?
No. NHTSA lists no speed control & acceleration recall for the 2005 Toyota Sequoia, though it has 9 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 2005 Toyota Sequoia acceleration problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 92,000 miles, and 7% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 2 crashes, 0 fires and 0 injuries to speed control & acceleration 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.