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Transmission and drivetrainPart report

2003 Toyota Sequoia Transmission and drivetrain Problems

Complaints
13about this part
Share
2%of 565 total for the year
Median mileage
87,000miles
Trend
Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.

NHTSA recorded 13 complaints about the transmission and drivetrain of the 2003 Toyota Sequoia, 2% of the 565 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 87,000 miles. 2 of these say a crash was involved, according to the filers.

Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.

Example complaints

Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.

“I have my A/C on and the brake light turns on and trac and vsc lights come on. This has been heaping since 60000 miles and there was a recall on it but not on mine. They do test and can't find the problem. When I trun the car off they come off.”

NHTSA complaint #10584721, filed 2014-04, 87,000 miles

“I have a 2003 Toyota Sequoia and my vsc trac,vsc off lights stay on. I have been told it is the transmission however it is a defect from Toyota. The ABS light and check engine light comes on as a result. I have seen lots of complaints on this issue as well and think that Toyota should do a recall to fix this problem.”

NHTSA complaint #10257810, filed 2009-02, 103,777 miles

“My wife was on freeway, driving our 2003 Toyota Sequoia limited 2wd, when vsc light lit up and a buzzer sounded. At the same time, her vehicle started to decelerate on its own, causing vehicles behind her to have to brake to keep from rear-ending her vehicle. This was accompanied by a horrific grinding and banging sound. My wife found a safer place to pull to the side of the freeway and stop the vehicle. A tow truck was called and vehicle was flat-bed towed to repair garage.”

NHTSA complaint #10501035, filed 2013-03, 86,000 miles

“It was raining, I was going around a turn ,10 - 15 MPH the back tire started to spin, the vsc trac,vsc off,and ABS lights came on, this is after the trk. Went to the dealer to check out a recall on the vsc. They said it wasn't under a recall, we parked the Sequoia and wont drive it until it's repaired, safety reasons, I moved it , tried to go over a curb on an angle and the right rear tire just was spinning on the asphalt road. This cant be good for the Sequoia ,its 4 wheel drive, and its making a noise, in the drive train ,clunking?? …”

NHTSA complaint #10435136, filed 2011-11, 102,000 miles

“Put my Sequoia in park and shut off .I got out to go into gas station, as I shut the door to the vehicle, the car jerked and began making a grinding noise and proceeded to go in reverse back. I went to get into the vehicle to make sure I had gotten it into the park position and it was. I couldn't stop it and by that time it was too late for me to get away from the vehicle. It ended up pinning my legs between a concrete barrier that protects the gas pumps and the door of my vehicle. …”

NHTSA complaint #10087007, filed 2004-08, 40,000 miles

Related service bulletins

Transmission and drivetrain: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
2015111%
201318%
201215%
201026%
2008710%
200754%
2006136%
2005144%
2004174%
2003132%
2002568%
2001357%

Other parts of the 2003 Toyota Sequoia

Electronic stability control
165 complaintsBrakes
155 complaintsBody and structure
98 complaintsVehicle speed control
91 complaintsOther or unknown
80 complaintsElectrical system
66 complaintsAir bags
41 complaintsSuspension
40 complaintsSteering
23 complaintsEngine cooling
16 complaintsEngine
14 complaintsLatches, locks and linkages
13 complaints

← All problems reported for the 2003 Toyota Sequoia

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 30, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.

To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology