Toyota Sequoia years to avoid
Toyota Sequoia years to avoid, by NHTSA owner complaints: the 2002 (692 complaints, led by electronic stability control at 196 and speed control at 135) and the 2003 (684, led by electronic stability control at 192 and speed control at 123) drew the most of the 2001–2025 model years on record as of November 10, 2026; complaints are owner reports, not proven defects, and the counts also reflect each year’s age and sales. Before buying a used Sequoia, run its VIN: the $14.99 original ClearVIN PDF shows title brands, odometer readings, accident and auction records on file.
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The 2002 (692) and 2003 (684) drew the most owner complaints to NHTSA of the 2001–2025 Toyota Sequoia model years on record, as of November 10, 2026.
2009–2025 have fewer than 40 complaints on file, too few to compare.
Fewest complaints: of the Toyota Sequoia model years from 2001 to 2020 with at least 40 complaints on file, the 2008 (67) and 2007 (136) drew the fewest. Fewer complaints can also mean fewer sold or fewer still on the road, so it is a starting point, not a clean bill of health; years after 2020 are left out because they have had less time to collect complaints.
Half of the 2,320 NHTSA owner complaints on the Toyota Sequoia that list mileage came after 97,000 miles (NHTSA complaints file of November 11, 2026). How many miles will a Toyota Sequoia last? →
Toyota Sequoia complaints and recalls by model year, 2001–2025
This table lists the 25 Toyota Sequoia model years NHTSA holds records for between 2001 and 2025, collected from NHTSA’s complaints and recalls APIs on November 10, 2026. Each owner complaint is counted once, by its NHTSA number, and a complaint can name more than one component; recall campaigns are counted once per model year, by campaign number. Across these years NHTSA lists 37 distinct recall campaigns, the newest filed Mar 24, 2026.
| Model year | Owner complaints | Most-reported components | Recall campaigns | Newest recall filed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 Sequoia | 530 | electronic stability control (124), body structure (101), speed control (101) | 3 | Mar 29, 2007 |
| 2002 Sequoia | 692 · most | electronic stability control (196), speed control (135), body structure (96) | 8 | Oct 17, 2019 |
| 2003 Sequoia | 684 · most | electronic stability control (192), speed control (123), body structure (108) | 7 | Oct 17, 2019 |
| 2004 Sequoia | 380 | electronic stability control (98), body structure (77), speed control (53) | 9 | Jan 14, 2022 |
| 2005 Sequoia | 352 | electronic stability control (93), speed control (85), brakes (60) | 11 | Jan 14, 2022 |
| 2006 Sequoia | 202 | airbags (46), body structure (45), electronic stability control (36) | 10 | Jan 14, 2022 |
| 2007 Sequoia | 136 | airbags (34), body structure (25), engine (16) | 9 | Jan 14, 2022 |
| 2008 Sequoia | 67 | body structure (16), speed control (9), powertrain (7) | 9 | Dec 23, 2021 |
| 2009 Sequoia | 6 · too few to compare | — | 9 | Dec 23, 2021 |
| 2010 Sequoia | 31 · too few to compare | engine cooling (8), body structure (5), electrical system (4) | 10 | Dec 23, 2021 |
| 2011 Sequoia | 17 · too few to compare | — | 7 | Dec 23, 2021 |
| 2012 Sequoia | 20 · too few to compare | brakes (6), electrical system (5), electronic stability control (4) | 4 | Dec 23, 2021 |
| 2013 Sequoia | 12 · too few to compare | engine (3), body structure (2) | 3 | Dec 23, 2021 |
| 2014 Sequoia | 17 · too few to compare | body structure (3) | 3 | Dec 23, 2021 |
| 2015 Sequoia | 9 · too few to compare | airbags (2), electrical system (2), speed control (2) | 3 | Dec 23, 2021 |
| 2016 Sequoia | 11 · too few to compare | brakes (4), electrical system (3), speed control (2) | 3 | Dec 23, 2021 |
| 2017 Sequoia | 7 · too few to compare | fuel system (2) | 3 | Dec 23, 2021 |
| 2018 Sequoia | 20 · too few to compare | electrical system (7), electronic stability control (4), speed control (4) | 5 | Dec 23, 2021 |
| 2019 Sequoia | 7 · too few to compare | fuel system (2) | 6 | Dec 23, 2021 |
| 2020 Sequoia | 4 · too few to compare | powertrain (2), suspension (1) | 2 | Dec 23, 2021 |
| 2021 Sequoia | 4 · too few to compare | — | 2 | Dec 23, 2021 |
| 2022 Sequoia | 1 · too few to compare | steering (1) | 2 | Dec 23, 2021 |
| 2023 Sequoia | 39 · too few to compare | body structure (7), powertrain (6) | 5 | Oct 1, 2025 |
| 2024 Sequoia | 39 · too few to compare | body structure (15), brakes (5), trailer hitches (5) | 5 | Oct 1, 2025 |
| 2025 Sequoia | 11 · too few to compare | body structure (3) | 2 | Mar 24, 2026 |
Toyota Sequoia by model year: mileage, problems and recalls
Each page below covers one model year in NHTSA’s complaints file of November 11, 2026: the mileage when owners reported problems, the most-reported components and the recall campaigns NHTSA’s recall files list. That file is a separate collection from the table above and goes back to the 1981 model year, so its counts can differ and it holds years the table does not.
How to read these numbers
- A higher count is not proof of a worse vehicle. Complaint volume rises with sales volume and with years on the road, so older and best-selling years collect more.
- The comparison is between years of the Toyota Sequoia only. It says nothing about how the Sequoia compares with other models.
- NHTSA publishes owner reports without verifying them. A complaint is an allegation, not a defect finding.
- Recall campaigns cover production ranges. NHTSA’s VIN lookup checks open recalls within its coverage and excludes completed repairs. A zero result does not prove the vehicle’s complete recall or repair history; ask for dated repair documentation.
- NHTSA files some years under body or cab names (for example ACCESS CAB or CREW CAB). This collection asked for the names NHTSA lists, and a year far below its neighbours also under the common cab and body names. Such a year is marked as possibly filed under another name only when NHTSA’s records show it split across names or holding recalls and no complaint; otherwise its count is read as low.
Primary sources behind this page
Open the underlying public source and verify that its scope matches the question you are asking.
- NHTSA recall and complaint datasets: scope and API documentationNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- NHTSA complaints by vehicle APINational Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- NHTSA recalls by vehicle APINational Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Recalls Lookup by VINNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration
Toyota Sequoia year-by-year questions
Which Toyota Sequoia years should I avoid?
Toyota Sequoia years to avoid, by NHTSA owner complaints: the 2002 (692 complaints, led by electronic stability control at 196 and speed control at 135) and the 2003 (684, led by electronic stability control at 192 and speed control at 123) drew the most of the 2001–2025 model years on record as of November 10, 2026; complaints are owner reports, not proven defects, and the counts also reflect each year’s age and sales. 2009–2025 have fewer than 40 complaints on file, too few to compare.
What are the best Toyota Sequoia years?
Complaint counts do not show which model year is best; the closest they come is which years drew the fewest complaints. Of the Toyota Sequoia model years from 2001 to 2020 with at least 40 complaints on file, the 2008 (67) and 2007 (136) drew the fewest. Fewer complaints can also mean fewer sold or fewer still on the road, so it is a starting point, not a clean bill of health; years after 2020 are left out because they have had less time to collect complaints.
Do complaint counts mean the Sequoia is unreliable?
No. NHTSA complaints are unverified owner reports, and the count rises with how many vehicles were sold and how long they have been on the road. They are useful for comparing years of the same model, which is what this page does, not for ranking one model against another.
How do I check a specific Sequoia before buying?
Take the 17-character VIN from the windshield or driver-door label and run it through NHTSA's free recall lookup. It reports open recalls within its coverage and excludes completed repairs. A zero result is not a complete recall or repair history; ask the seller or manufacturer for dated repair documentation. For the vehicle's own past, the original ClearVIN PDF from VIN Lookup shows title brands, odometer readings, accident and auction records on file for that VIN.