2002 TOYOTA SEQUOIA Latcheslockslinkages Problems

THE REAR HATCH ON MY 2002 TOYOTA SEQUOIA WILL OPEN INTERMITTENTLY. SOMETIMES IT WILL OPEN , BUT MOST OF THE TIME IT WILL NOT. WHEN IT DOES OPEN, IT WILL NOT LOCK. THIS SHOULD BE A SAFETY RECALL BECAUSE IF YOU HAVE A FLAT TIRE, THERE IS NO WAY TO LOWER THE SPARE. *TR

INTERIOR DOOR HANDLE FAILURE - ONLY METHOD OF EXITING VEHICLE. FAILED FOR A THIRD TIME UNDER NORMAL USE BEFORE REPORTING TO NHTSA. IF VEHICLE IS IN A CRASH, ON FIRE, OR UNDER WATER, A PERSON WILL PANIC AND EXERT GREATER FORCE THAN NORMAL ON THE HANDLE, SNAPPING IT, LEADING TO POTENTIAL DEATH. DEALER TOLD ME THEY HAVE "HUNDREDS" OF THESE COME THROUGH. ASK TOYOTA HOW MANY THEY HAVE REPLACED TO GET ACTUAL SCOPE. THEY HAVE NO INCENTIVE TO CORRECT FAILURE SINCE DEALER MAKES $250.00 TO CORRECT THE FAILURE. NO EGRESS IN A BURNING CAR IS EQUIVALENT TO NO FIRE EXIT DOORS IN A BURNING BUILDING. *TR

2002 SEQUOIA. NOW HAVE HAD TO REPLACE THE TRUNK LATCH TWICE AS EACH TIME IT HAS RUSTED OUT AND WOULD NOT LATCH. VERY EXPENSIVE REPAIR. *TR

IN JULY OF LAST YEAR, MY 2002 TOYOTA SEQUOIA EXPERIENCED CAR TROUBLE. THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCED 3 MAJOR PROBLEMS. FIRST, THE REAR WINDOW ON THE BACK OF THE VEHICLE WOULD SUDDENLY OPEN ALL BY ITSELF. THIS SELF OPENING WOULD OCCUR AT NUMEROUS TIMES. THE WINDOW WOULD OPEN WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS BEING DRIVEN, WHEN IT WAS STATIONARY OR EVEN WHILE IT WAS UNOCCUPIED. THE SCARIEST HOWEVER, WAS WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS BEING DRIVEN. FORTUNATELY FOR ME AND MY FAMILY NO ONE WAS INJURED. THE SECOND MAJOR PROBLEM OCCURRED WITH THE DOOR LOCKS. THE LOCKS WOULD LOCK AND UNLOCK THEMSELVES REPEATEDLY WITHOUT ANYONE TOUCHING THEM. THIS LOCKING/UNLOCKING WOULD AGAIN TAKE PLACE WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS BEING DRIVEN, STATIONARY OR EVEN UNOCCUPIED. THE LAST COMPLAINT IS THAT THE GAS GAUGE WILL DROP TO EMPTY WITHOUT ANY REASON SO THERE ARE MANY TIMES THAT I DO NOT KNOW HOW MUCH GASOLINE I HAVE LEFT...

TO DATE, THE REAR DOOR HATCH, INSIDE DRIVER PASSENGER DOOR HANDLE AND NOW THE REAR PASSENGER SIDE DOOR HANDLE HAVE CRACKED. ALL COMPONENT HAVE BROKEN OFF COMPLETELY, MAKING OPENING THE DOORS IMPOSSIBLE. THIS CREATES A DANGER FOR DRIVER AND PASSENGERS BECAUSE THEY CANNOT READILY EXIT VEHICLE. *TR

WHILE MAKING A TURN ON THE ROAD THE REAR TRUNK OPENED SPILLING ALL CONTENTS OUT ON THE HIGHWAY. THE LATCH HAS BEEN AN ISSUE BEFORE - APPEARS LOCKED BUT REALLY IS NOT. THIS COULD HAVE CAUSED AN ACCIDENT WITH SOMEONE BEHIND ME NOT TO MENTION THAT IF A CHILD (OR ANIMAL) WAS IN THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE THEY WOULD HAVE FALLEN OUT. THE LATCH WAS RUSTED AND HAD TO BE REPLACED TO THE TUNE OF OVER $300.00. TOYOTA HAS ACKNOWLEDGED THAT THIS IS A PROBLEM BUT NOT ON THE RECALL LIST. THIS SHOULD BE - ALONG WITH THE LEATHER SEATS PEELING AND THE RUST ALL OVER THE BOTTOM OF THE VEHICLE. I HAD TO ALSO REPLACE STABILITY LINKS (NOT BALL JOINTS WHICH ARE UNDER RECALL) RODS AS WELL - TO THE TUNE OF ALMOST 1K...ALSO RUSTED. THERE APPEARS TO BE A SIGNIFICANT RUSTING ISSUE WITH THESE PARTICULAR VEHICLES! (TOYOTA...

THE LOCK TO THE REAR HATCH WILL NOT OPEN. WITH THIS PROBLEM I'M NOT ABLE TO GET TO MY SPARE TIRE. THE REAR HATCH HAS TO BE OPEN IN ORDER TO CRANK THE SPARE TIRE DOWN FROM ITS STORAGE SPOT UNDER THE TRUCK. *TR

MY REAR LATCH HANDLE SNAPPED AND BROKE. I WAS UNABLE TO OPEN THE REAR LATCH. I PURCHASED THE LATCH PART AT A LOCAL TOYOTA DEALER FOR $72.00. I FOUND A LINK ON THE INTERNET WITH STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS FOR REPLACING THE LATCH. ONLY TOOK ABOUT A HALF HOUR. *TR

THE BACK DOOR HANDLE/LATCH MALFUNCTIONS AND I CAN NO LONGER OPEN THE BACK DOOR. IN 2007 I WENT TO OPEN THE BACK DOOR AS USUAL AND THE HANDLE SNAPPED. I TRIED TO CLOSE THE LIFTGATE AND IT DIDN'T LATCH. HAD TO TIE THE DOOR SHUT. THE NEXT DAY I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER AND THEY REPLACED THE LATCH AND HANDLE FOR APPX 280.00. A FEW WEEKS AGO THE HANDLE SNAPPED AGAIN, AND NOW THE DOOR DOES NOT OPEN. THE DEALER SAID I CAN HAVE THEM REPLACE IT AGAIN. WHY SHOULD I HAVE TO FORK OUT MORE MONEY. IN MY OPINION THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE. ALL DOORS IN A VEHICLE SHOULD WORK. HEAVEN FORBID THERE WAS A CRASH AND THE ONLY EXIT IS THE BACK DOOR. DEALER IS NO HELP AT ALL. *TR

THE REAR LIFT DOOR ON OUR 2002 TOYOTA SEQUOIA REFUSED TO OPEN. AS I ATTEMPTED TO OPEN THE DOOR, IT FINALLY OCCURRED TO ME THAT, IF SOMETHING HAPPENED TO DISABLE THE BATTERY AND A FIRE WERE TO START IN THE FRONT HALF OF THE VEHICLE, THE IS NO WAY TO REMOVE OCCUPANTS FROM THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE OR FOR THE OCCUPANTS TO OPEN THE REAR DOOR FROM THE INSIDE. THERE IS NO PHYSICAL MECHANISM FOR UNLOCKING AND OPENING THE REAR DOOR WITHOUT ELECTRICITY BEING AVAILABLE TO THE DOOR AND THE ELECTRICAL PART OF THE DOOR LATCH MECHANISM WORKING PROPERLY. WHY HAVE MANUFACTURERS OF SUVS BEEN ALLOWED TO DESIGN AUTOMOBILES THAT DO NOT ALLOW FOR AN ESCAPE MECHANISM FROM THE INSIDE GOING OUT THE REAR DOOR? THIS IS A DISASTER WAITING TO HAPPEN (IT PROBABLY ALREADY HAS HAPPENED DURING A WRECK). *TR

THE LOCK ON THE REAR DOOR IS BROKEN AND THERE'S NO WAY TO OPEN DOOR. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE BECAUSE ANYONE SITTING IN THE THIRD ROW OF THE TRUCK HAS NO WAY TO GET OUT OF TRUCK,ALSO YOU CAN'T GET TO SPARE TIRE IF YOU HAVE A FLAT. THE REAR WINDOW WILL NOT OPEN EITHER. TOOK IT TO BE REPAIR AND THE PARTS ARE ON ORDER AND THE DEALER WANTS 850.00 DOLLARS TO REPAIR THIS PROBLEM. THIS LOCK IS SUPPOSE TO BE STAINLESS STEEL AND ENCLOSED IN A COMPARTMENT WHERE IT SHOULDN'T RUST. *TR

REAR DOOR OPENER LATCH HAS BROKEN TWICE IN SIX YEARS FOR NO GOOD REASON. I HAVE NO WAY TO OPEN THE REAR DOOR ONCE THIS OPENER LATCH IS BROKEN. THE LAST BROKEN LATCH IS AVAILABLE. *TR