NHTSA Complaint #10335620 — 2003 TOYOTA SEQUOIA

THROUGHOUT THE TIME PERIOD I HAVE OWNED MY 2003 TOYOTA SEQUOIA, I HAVE EXPERIENCED DANGEROUS LOW SPEED VEHICLE CONTROL ISSUES, WHEN TRAVELING ON SLIPPERY SURFACES, RELATING TO THE VEHICLE'S STABILITY CONTROL SYSTEM. AT SPEEDS BETWEEN A FEW MILES PER HOUR AND PERHAPS AS MUCH AS 15 MILES PER HOUR, ON MUDDY OR ICY ROADS, THE VEHICLE STABILITY CONTROL SYSTEM WILL KICK IN, PROBABLY AS IT SHOULD, WHILE BRAKING OR INITIATING A TURN, AS INDICATED BY A VSC WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATING IN THE DRIVERS CONTROL CONSOLE. HOWEVER, WHILE IT MAY BE APPROPRIATE FOR THE VSC SYSTEM TO RESPOND, THE VSC IN THE TOYOTA SEQUOIA RESPONDS IN A DANGEROUS MANNER WHICH IS MUCH LESS EFFECTIVE AND APPROPRIATE THAN THE VSC SYSTEMS IN ALL OTHER VEHICLES I OWN OR HAVE DRIVEN. WHEN THE VSC SYSTEM IS ACTIVATED, AS INDICATED BY THE VSC LIGHT COMING ON, POWER IS LOST TO ALL WHEELS IN THE VEHICLE AND VEHICLE HANDLING CHANGES ABRUPTLY. THE CHANGE IN HANDLING RESULTS IN SEVERE UNDERSTEER, AS COMPARED TO WHEN POWER IS BEING DELIVERED TO ALL FOUR WHEELS, AND THE VEHICLE SIGNIFICANTLY OVERSHOOTS ANY CORNER THE DRIVER IS TRYING TO MANEUVER THE VEHICLE AROUND. WHEREAS I AM A CAREFUL DRIVER AND PLAN FOR SUCH ISSUE, I HAVE NOT SO FAR EXPERIENCED AN ACCIDENT AS A RESULT OF THIS ISSUE, BUT SHOULD THE VSC ISSUE ARISE AT AN INAPPROPRIATE TIME, WHEN THERE IS LESS ROOM FOR MANEUVERING, SUCH AS DURING AN EMERGENCY MANEUVER, THE SUDDEN SEVERE UNDERSTEER COULD DEFINITELY RESULT IN AN ACCIDENT. *TR