NHTSA Complaint #10726948 — 2001 TOYOTA SEQUOIA

WAS DRIVING THROUGH TOWN AT ABOUT 50MPH WHEN THE WHOLE CAR STARTED TO SWAY BACK AND FORTH. WE IMMEDIATELY CALLED MY MAINTENANCE GUY AT MIDAS AND DROVE IT OVER. TURNS OUT THE ENTIRE FRAME RUSTED AND ROTTED THROUGH FROM THE INSIDE OUT. WE HAD IT THOROUGHLY CHECKED OUT BY A COUPLE OF PEOPLE LAST YEAR BEFORE PUTTING MONEY INTO FIXING IT UP AND KEEPING IT FOR MY SON TO DRIVE. IT CHECKED OUT FINE. NOBODY COULD TELL IT WAS ROTTING FROM THE INSIDE OUT. IF THE FRAME HAD FALLEN APART 4 DAYS EARLIER, MY SON AND I WOULD HAVE BEEN SEVERELY INJURED, AS HE DROVE IT FOR 2 HRS AROUND THE HIGHWAY. WE WERE TOLD THAT IF IT HAD FALLEN APART AROUND A TURN ON THE INTERSTATE OR ON AN OFF RAMP, IT WOULD HAVE FLIPPED OVER. I DON'T KNOW HOW IT DIDN'T HAPPEN THEN, BUT AM GRATEFUL IT DIDN'T WHILE HE WAS DRIVING. THE SERVICE MANAGER AT MIDAS HAS SAID HE HAS NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE IT IN ALL HIS YEARS WORKING ON CARS. WHEN I CALLED TOYOTA ABOUT THE PROBLEM AND KNOWING THAT ONLINE WE HAVE READ MANY STORIES OF THE SAME PROBLEM, THEY STONEWALLED ME AND TOLD ME THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO. I AM TRULY CONCERNED FOR ANYONE ELSE DRIVING ONE OF THESE SEQUOIAS AND NOT KNOWING THAT IT COULD FALL APART AT ANY TIME. THE REST OF THE VEHICLE IS IN AMAZING SHAPE, AND IT IS DISAPPOINTING THAT TOYOTA HAD NOT RECALLED THESE, AS THEY DID THE TACOMAS SEVERAL YEARS AGO. IT IS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION!