NHTSA Complaint #10167915 — 2003 TOYOTA SEQUOIA

WHEN WE FIRST BOUGHT THE VEHICLE THE TRAC SYSTEM LIGHTS KEPT COMING ON AND THE BRAKES FELT MUSHY; WE TOOK IT IN TO TOYOTA AND THEY REPLACED THE COMPUTER SYSTEM WHICH SEEMED TO RECTIFY THE PROBLEM. THEN ABOUT 9 MO TO A YEAR LATER THE LIGHTS KEPT COMING ON AGAIN AND THE BRAKES FAILED TWICE, TOYOTA STATED THEY WOULD REPLACE THE BRAKE SYSTEM FLUID AND THE MASTER CYLINDER AT OUR COST BECAUSE WE HAD TAKEN IT ELSEWHERE AND THEY FELT THAT IT HAD CONTAMINATED BRAKE FLUID, WHICH OUR MECHANIC STATED IN WRITING WAS NOT. ALTHOUGH WE TRIED NUMEROUS TIMES TO HAVE TOYOTA FIX IT UNDER WARRANTY; WE GOT THE VEHICLE REPAIRED THROUGH OUR OWN MECHANIC AND THEN SHORTLY LATER THE BRAKES FAILED RESULTING IN A CRASH ON THE FREEWAY. WHEN IT WAS DECIDED THAT THE SEQ WOULD BE REPAIRED VIA INS THERE WAS A CODE THAT SHOWED UP ON THE COMPUTER SYSTEM THAT SHOWED THAT BRAKES INDEED DID FAIL; HOWEVER WHEN TAKING IT TO TOYOTA THE SAME CODE DID NOT SHOW UP. THE VEHICLE DID WELL, HOWEVER WE LIVE BY A DIRT ROAD AND WHEN TRAVELING DOWN THE ROAD OR GOING AROUND A CORNER QUICKLY THE TRAC SYSTEM LIGHTS GO ON AND NOW THE VEHICLE ACTS LIKE IT WON'T GO WHEN THE TRAC SYSTEM IS ON AND YOU SLOW DOWN OR START UP AGAIN--AT PRESENT THE SYSTEM IS TURNED OFF; IT HAS REALLY NEVER WORKED CORRECTLY. *NM