NHTSA Complaint #10052388 — 2001 TOYOTA SEQUOIA

TOYOTA SEQUOIA SR5 2001. REAR LIFTGATE GLASS IS LOWERED BY ITSELF WHEN THE VEHICLE IS NOT RUNNING AND LOCKED-UP. HIS PROBLEM WAS REPORTED TO ME BY THE ORIGINAL OWNER. I NOTICED IT ONCE IN NOVEMBER 2003. SUSPECTED THAT THE KEY ON THE REMOTE CONTROL THAT LOWERS THE LIFTGATE WINDOW MAY HAVE ACCIDENTALLY BEEN DEPRESSED, CAUSING THE WINDOW TO LOWER. THEN DECIDED TO HAVE THE MANUAL LOCK THAT DISABLES ALL POWER WINDOW AND LIFTGATE GLASS SWITCHES DEPRESSED TO DISABLE THE POWER WINDOW OPTIONS. VERIFIED THAT WITH THIS KEY DEPRESSED, I COULD NOT LOWER THE LIFYGATE WINDOW NEITHER BY DEPRESSING THE REMOTE CONTROL KEY, NOR BY THE SWITCH ON THE DASHBOARD. THEN IN DECEMBER 2003, ON TWO OCCASIONS, I NOTICED THAT ON TWO OCCASIONS THE LIFTGATE WINDOW HAD LOWERED BY ITSELF. I ENSURDED THAT THE KEY FOR DISABLING THE POWER WINDOW AND LIFTGATE GLASS WAS STILL ENGAGED. CALLED THE DEALER. TOYOTA DEALER INDICATED THERE IS A SERVICE BULLETINE FOR REPLACING THE REMOTE CONTROL UNIT (FOR POWER LOCK AND LOWERING THE LIFTGATE GLASS). I HAVE AGREED TO REPLACING THE REMOTE CONTROL UNITS, BUT STRONGLY DISAGREE WITH TOYOTA'S POSITION THAT CHANGING THE REMOTE CONTROL UNIT WILL ADDRESS THIS PROBLEM. THE PROBLEM HAPPENS WHEN THE KEY TO DISENGAGE THE POWER WINDOW AND REAR LIFTGATE GLASS KEYS IS ENGAGE. I SUSPECT THAT THE PROBLEM IS WITH A CONTROL MODULE ACTIVATING THE LIFTGATE MOTOR RATHER THAN THE REMOTE CONTROL UNIT (BASED ON THE CONDITION UNDER WITH THE LIFTGATE GLASS IN MY CAR HAS BEEN LOWERED ON TWO OCCASIONS IN DEC 2003). *AK