NHTSA Complaint #10383270 — 2007 TOYOTA SEQUOIA

ON 2/14/11 I BEGAN TO SMELL A MOLDY, MILDEW SMELL IN MY VEHICLE. AFTER SEARCHING MY CAR, I FOUND THE PADDING UNDERNEATH THE CARPET IN THE CARGO AREA BEHIND THE THIRD ROW SEATS WAS WET. THE TOP OF THE CARPET WAS NOT WET AND DID NOT SHOW SIGNS OF EVER BEING WET. I TOOK THE CAR TO THE TOYOTA DEALER ON 2/15/11. THE DEALER REMOVED BOTH THE SECOND AND THIRD ROW SEATS AND ROLLED THE CARPET AND PADDING BACK. THE CAR HAD STANDING WATER UNDER THE CARPET AND PADDING. THE DEALER TOOK APART ALL OF THE MOLDINGS AND PANELS IN THE CAR AND RAN VARIOUS WATER TESTS. THEY FINALLY DISCOVERED THE WATER WAS ENTERING MY CAR THROUGH THE THIRD BRAKE LIGHT ASSEMBLY ON THE REAR HATCH DOOR. THE WATER TRAIL RAN BETWEEN THE MOLDING/PANELS AND THE FRAME OF THE CAR UNDER THE CARPET TO THE BARE METAL FLOOR. THEY TOLD ME THERE WAS NO WAY OF ME KNOWING WATER WAS ENTERING MY CAR BECAUSE IT WAS HIDDEN BEHIND THE PANELS. THE DEALER EXPLAINED TO ME THERE WAS NO DAMAGE TO THE THIRD BRAKE LIGHT AND THE RUBBER SEAL BEHIND THE BRAKE LIGHT WAS IN TACT WITH NO CUTS, TEARS OR DRY-ROTTING. THEY SAID THE WATER CAME THROUGH THE THIRD BRAKE LIGHT ASSEMBLY DUE TO A PART FAILURE. THIS IS NOW A SAFETY ISSUE BECAUSE OF THE MOLD AND MILDEW IN THE CARPET THAT MY FAMILY AND I HAVE BREATHED IN ON A DAILY BASIS WITHOUT OUR KNOWLEDGE OF WATER DAMAGE TO THE VEHICLE. THIS SEEMS TO BE A MORE COMMON OCCURRENCE THAN NOT WITH TOYOTA VEHICLES BUILT BETWEEN 2005 - 2008. A RECALL SHOULD BE ISSUED FOR THIS PROBLEM, SIMILAR TO THE RECALL THAT WAS ISSUED ON TOYOTA VEHICLES FOR THE 'COWL PANEL WATER LEAK' AND 'ACCESS DOOR WATER LEAK'. *LN