Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2006 Toyota Sequoia owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Toyota Sequoia (ball joints recall) was driving on highway I-5 northbound just after the bridge that goes over the sacramento river I was on the bypass/cosway bridge driving in the #1 (of 2) lane going 65 MPH when suddenly my front end driver's side of my vehicle dropped completely and I was skidding on complete metal, I had no breaks and continued to skid for what seemed like forever, and steered to my to my right passing the #2 lane going up against the edge of the right side on the bridge. I was completely shocked. I couldn't open my driver's side door due the traffic right up against me. I immediately called my insurance road-side assistance who dispatched a tow truck. Due to the nature of the location, the tow truck required the assistance of highway patrol. …
While driving at 35 MPH, the check engine light, vsc off light, and vsc trac 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 and 16 MPH on an incline, in addition, during start up, the engine makes a high-pitch vacuum noise, which drops off and normal engine sound returns. I have had the car diagnosed; error codes p2440, p441 and p444 are all present indicating a failure of the air injection pump. This is a known problem on Toyota sequoias and tundras; however, Toyota has only acknowledged it on the 07-10 Sequoia by extending the warranty to 10 years and 150,000K miles for this part. …
Vsc trac on/off brake indicator lights appear while driving in the 35-45mph range. If you attempt to stop the vehicle (firm or light brake pressure), there is a loud grinding noise, as if it is activating the ABS, which takes a little longer to come to a complete stop. It would've been nice if Toyota created a vsc trac on/off switch (at this rate, I May have to create my own). Some websites mention dirty sensors (speed sensors), some mention possible faulty yaw rate sensor (level warning switch, located in the center console), steering angle sensor May need adjusting. Who knows, but this would be a definite accident waiting to happen. I'm surprised this hasn't been considered a recall? Http://ww2.justanswer.com/uploads/ts/tsmodie/2012-10-29_191900_1.gif
The vehicle vsc trac system goes on for no reason when the car is in motion (roads are straight, and dry). As a result, the brakes go into a loud grind mode and do not engage, a loud blaring beeping sounds, the vehicle starts to vibrates horribly, I can not accelerate and the steering is difficult. It is not safe, as I was on a country road going 55 MPH on a straight 2 way road with traffic! It has happened twice and as far as I can see it has happened to many other 2006 sequoias owners yet only the 2003 were recalled for this issue. Unacceptable!
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 Toyota Sequoia. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, while depressing the brake pedal, the vehicle accelerated independently without warning. The failure recurred twice. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and was diagnosed that the throttle body needed to be cleaned. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 134,000. Th VIN was invalid.
After putting gas in the vehicle, I pulled away from the gas station and when I came to a stop sign before entering the main thoroughfare the brake pedal was so hard to depress that I almost had to stand on it to get the vehicle to stop, and nearly was unable to before plowing into oncoming traffic I also noticed that the "trac off", "vsc trac", and brake malfunction indicator were all illuminated. It was a real panic situation because it was totally unexpected and my wife and 2 young daughters were in the vehicle with me. I am an 20 year + ase master automotive technician with over 30 years experience. I stopped the vehicle and visually checked the brake system as well as I could on the side of the road and saw no obvious cause for the issue. The only way I could get the warning lights off and the brakes to work was to turn off and restart the ignition. …
2006 Toyota Sequoia has experienced intermittent electrical problems since purchase. On 30 July 09 vehicle experienced multiple computer failure of ECU, vsc, and other computers. Toyota tech reps say vehicle could not have caused problem, therefore it must be an "external' fault. However, there is absolutely no evidence of any external arcing or other power surge indicative of an "external" event. Toyota refuses to admit potential of a latent defect and says incident must be referred for insurance. Toyota will not address logical questions as to why other (non-protected systems such as the radio) in the vehicle still function in light of the alleged "external event." additionally, there were no circuit breaker or fuses blown, so again how is it possible for the "external event" theory to be valid? …
While driving at low speeds the vehicle experienced a momentary loss of power and a grinding/vibrating of the brakes while in motion. The trac off and vsc trac warning lights came on along with the brake light. The warning lights and vibrating of the brakes could only be reset by turning the ignition off and restarting the vehicle. It happened twice in the last 12 hours.
On two different occasions, while pulling into traffic from a stop, at less than 10 MPH, the car lost power, the gas pedal was non-responsive, and the car seemed to brake for a few seconds resulting in my temporary loss of control of the vehicle. The vsc light on the dashboard flashed several times. After a few seconds, power to the vehicle returned.
ABS, trac, vsc and brake and check engine lights all signaled fault codes. Codes are #1251 and #1223, again, this after computer module was replaced at full cost to the consumer $1,059. The same fault has re-occurred in less than 6 (six) months of having replaced the ABS, trac, vsc computer module.
Acceleration complaints in other Sequoia years
Frequently asked questions
How common are acceleration problems on the 2006 Toyota Sequoia?
NHTSA has 21 complaints about the speed control & acceleration of the 2006 Toyota Sequoia, 10% of the model year's 202 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2006 Toyota Sequoia acceleration problems?
No. NHTSA lists no speed control & acceleration recall for the 2006 Toyota Sequoia, though it has 8 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 2006 Toyota Sequoia acceleration problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 91,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 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.