NHTSA Complaint #11319467 — 2007 TOYOTA SEQUOIA

AS IN NHTSA COMPLAINT ID # 11316132, MY 2007 TOYOTA SEQUOIA BEGAN MAKING A LOUD VACUUM NOISE UPON COLD START FOR APPROX 1 MIN IN MID TO LATE FEBRUARY 2020. WITHIN ABOUT 1 WEEK, THE NOISE CONTINUED AND MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AS WELL AS VSC AND VSC TRAC LIGHTS CAME ON. UPON TAKING MY VEHICLE TO LOCAL TOYOTA DEALERSHIP, THEY INFORMED ME THAT MY SECONDARY AIR INJECTION PUMP NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AS A RESULT OF CODES P1445 AND TSB 0230 12. THE ISSUE IS NOW AFFECTING MY ACCELERATION. I'M NO LONGER ABLE TO ACCELERATE WHEN QUICK SPEED IS NECESSARY FOR FREEWAY ENTRY. I'M ALSO UNABLE TO GO ABOVE 65MPH. MY CAR MUST BE FIXED IN ORDER TO PASS SMOG, HOWEVER VEHICLE WILL NOT PASS SMOG IN CA WITH A CHECK ENGINE LIGHT. UPON RESEARCH, I FOUND THAT TOYOTA WAS REIMBURSING CUSTOMERS FOR THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM FOR MODELS BETWEEN 2008 AND 2010, BUT NOT FOR 2007. THIS SEEMS TO BE A WIDESPREAD PROBLEM, AS I'VE FOUND THERE IN SEVERAL ONLINE TOYOTA FORUMS THAT THERE IS ACTUALLY A BYPASS KIT FOR SALE FOR A FEW HUNDRED DOLLARS THAT ALLOWS THE SECONDARY AIR INJECTION PUMP TO BE BYPASSED. THAT IS MUCH MORE COST EFFECTIVE THAN THE ACTUAL REPAIR WHICH IS ALMOST $2,500. I CALLED TOYOTA TO NOTIFY THEM OF THE ISSUE AND INQUIRE AS TO WHETHER THEY WOULD EXTEND THE PROGRAM FOR 2008 - 2010 TO 2007 AND AT THIS TIME THEY WILL NOT. FILING A COMPLAINT IN ORDER TO ELEVATE THE ISSUE AND HELP TOYOTA UNDERSTAND THEY NEED TO EXTEND THE PROGRAM OF AN ALREADY IDENTIFIED ISSUE THAT IS AFFECTING MORE THAN THE YEARS IN EXISTING SCOPE.