NHTSA Complaint #10146894 — 2001 TOYOTA SEQUOIA

DRIVING SOUTH BOUND ON RT. 301 IN BOWIE, MD. BEGAN TO SLOW AND MOVED RIGHT INTO THE EXIT LANE TOWARDS MOUNT OAK RD. WEST BOUND. HEARD A LOUD NOISE AND THE 2001 TOYOTA SEQUOIA LEANED OVER TOWARD THE DRIVERS SIDE FRONT WHEEL. IT BECAME EXTREMELY HARD TO TURN THE STEERING WHEEL AND BRAKING POWER WAS GREATLY REDUCED AND THE SEQUOIA WAS BASICALLY UNCONTROLLABLE. WAS ABLE TO STEER SLIGHT TOWARDS THE RIGHT TO AVOID BEING PULLED BACK INTO TRAFFIC. IMPACTED A SAFETY MEDIAN, DESIGNED TO PROTECT CARS ENTERING THE HIGHWAY FROM THOSE EXITING THE HIGHWAY, AND CROSSED COMPLETELY OVER IT THE WHEEL HUB HAD SEPARATED FROM THE LOWER CONTROL ARM. THE TIRE, WHEEL RIM, HUB, STEERING RACK, STEERING TIE ROD, CONTROL ARMS, BRAKE LINES, DRIVE AXLE, ETC. HAD ALL BEEN DAMAGE SEVERELY. PICTURES OF THE SCENE SHOW A SINGLE SKID MARK FROM THE DRIVER'S SIDE FRONT WHEEL CLEARLY. THE SINGLE SKID MARK INDICATES THAT ONE WHEEL WAS NOT ROTATING AT ALL, WHILE THE OTHER THREE WERE ROTATING FREELY, OR UNDER THE CONTROL OF THE ANTI-LOCK BRAKES. I FOUND NO MY 2001 RECALLS. I LATER FOUND NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER : 05V225000 INDICATING A RECALL DUE TO FAILED BALL JOINTS IN THE 2002-2004 SEQUOIA. THE SEQUOIA MODEL WAS FIRST AVAILABLE AS A MY2001 AND INITIAL INTRODUCTION WAS LATE IN 2000. MY2002 STARTED IN THE LATE SUMMER OF 2001. I FIND IT HARD TO BELIEVE THAT SO QUICKLY AFTER THE MODEL INTRODUCTION TOYOTA WOULD MAKE MAJOR CHANGES IN THE SUSPENSION AND/OR BALL JOINTS. IT WAS BY LUCK ONLY THAT NO ONE WAS INJURED OR KILLED DUE TO THE SUSPENSION FAILURE, TOYOTA NEEDS TO REACT QUICKLY AND NOTIFY MY2001 OWNERS OF THIS DANGEROUS DEFECT. NOT ONLY DID THE SUSPENSION FAIL, CAUSING THE WHEEL TO MOVE BACK AND JAM INTO THE REAR WHEEL WELL AREA, BUT IT SEEMED TO CAUSE AN ALMOST TOTAL LOSS OF BRAKING ABILITY. I BELIEVE THE ANTI-LOCK BRAKES RESPONDED TO THE LOCKED FRONT WHEEL BY MODULATING THE POWER TO THE OTHER WHEELS RESULTING IN LESS BRAKING FORCE. *JB