Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (doors, hood, frame, rust, paint and trim).
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).
The contact owned a 2005 Toyota Sequoia. The contact stated that the vehicle had been taken to the dealer on August 7th, 2023, where a protective chemical coating was sprayed on the sub frame. The contact stated that after driving, he noticed that power steering fluid was leaking from the vehicle. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact's brother who is an independent mechanic, informed him about the source of the leak and noticed there was rust on the puncher frame. The vehicle was towed to the same local dealer, where it was placed on the lift, and it was diagnosed that the frame had rusted and was damaged beyond repair. The mechanic was able to peel and remove rust while using a screwdriver. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 198,000.
The recall warranty expired on this vehicle on January 31, 2017. I first received notice of this defect when I took my vehicle to the dealership for another issue I was experiencing. The dealership notified me that the recall was for rusting of the vehicle's chassis and is dangerous for me to continue driving my vehicle. I usually receive notices, as I did for the airbag recall, however, I never received any notice with regard to the recall for the vehicle chassis. I have kept the same address for the past 20 years. I attempted to call Toyota and Toyota told me I should have visually noticed the defect. The defect is the rust underneath my car, which is not open and obvious. This was also admitted by the agent/supervisor. Toyota failed to even offer 50% coverage on this recall. …
Vehicle had new front shocks put on as front shocks were rusted and seized, after inspection of vehicle, technician told us frame of the car was severely rusted and had holes in it. He felt it was very unsafe as spare tire could fall off and SUV May not take impact from a crash correctly. We phoned Toyota directly and we asked for a technician to come over to our dealer to view the SUV. We were told they could not do that, and we had to go to dealer and have dealer look at it. Dealer looked at it and took pictures and advised us that is in poor condition. They are sending that information over to Toyota. Toyota should take this much more seriously as they have had recalls on other vehicles with this same issue. I do not feel safe at all in my car and I bought this new and paid a lot of money for this vehicle. There should be a recall on this issue as this is definitely a safety issue.
I took my Toyota in for an alignment. They took me out to look at it and the frame was so rusted that the swaybar had broken and was resting against the boot, which it ripped a hole in. The other side was eaten away with rust and ready to break at any moment. The whole frame from front to back was rusted. I took it to my local dealer and they declared it unsafe to drive. I called Toyota and they said there was no recall on mine. So they won't do anything. I still owe about $7000 on it and the way it is, has no resale value. I can't afford to buy anything else and shouldn't have to. This is not normal and they had to have used subpar metal on these frames. I am very fortunate that I wasn't in a wreck with dire consequences.
My 2005 Sequoia has the vsc off and vsc trac lights on and it causes a hesitation in acceleration - which is a significant crash hazard. I notified Toyota about this and asked if they would fix it because they recalled other years of sequoias for the same problem. Toyota will not fix it and said that the 2005 has different parts than the years that they recalled. That is silly because the problem is there even if the parts are different. The hatchback latch has also broke and the hatchback will not open. I looked online and saw that this is another well known problem with 2005 sequoias that Toyota refuses to fix despite the dangers if there were a crash and somebody needed to exit from the hatch area.
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.
My rear hatch quit 48 months after purchase. First the rear defrost/wiper/window quit soon followed by the hatch not opening at all. The issue lies with the inadequate 360 degree sealing of the rear hatch itself. Several issues have resulted from the inadequate seal: water coming in under the hatch and mold forming inside the vehicle. Dust comes in the vehicle while driving on dirt roads. Night driving is especially difficult due to the rear wiper and defrost not working. Every 03-05 owner I speak with has an issue with the rear hatch and the internet forums are endless.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 Toyota Sequoia. The contact stated that the rear driver's side frame corroded and the suspension arms that holds the frame springs were also corroded. The contact became aware of the failure while driving approximately 30 MPH, when the contact heard an abnormally loud sound. The contact drove the vehicle home. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer for inspection. The manufacturer informed the contact that the warranty had expired for the corrosion repair. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 240,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 Toyota Sequoia. When the vehicle was being inspected by the dealer, it was noticed that the frame was rusted and was unable to be repaired. The dealer stated that the vehicle was unsafe to drive and the frame needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 160,000.
I was driving when I felt the vehicle swaying side to side when I tried to accelerate past 40 MPH. I pulled over and checked the tires there was no problem there, upon further investigation I noticed the frame of the vehicle had snapped and was about to break. I had it towed to a garage where I was told it was unsafe to drive, and that's where it's located now.
Body complaints in other Sequoia years
Frequently asked questions
How common are body problems on the 2005 Toyota Sequoia?
NHTSA has 26 complaints about the body & structure of the 2005 Toyota Sequoia, 7% of the model year's 352 complaints. The component named most often is body (19 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2005 Toyota Sequoia body problems?
No. NHTSA lists no body & structure 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 body problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 150,000 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.