2011 Toyota Sequoia problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Seats (2) · Electrical System (2) · Vehicle Speed Control (1)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Toyota Sequoia model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
Safety recalls (7)
Steering:rack And Pinion 2021-12-23 · campaign 21E103000 · 151 vehicles
Defect: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain JTEKT power steering gear assembly service parts for 2007-2021 Tundra and 2008-2022 Sequoia, part numbers 44250-0C160, 44250-0C131, 44250-0C170, and 11250-0C121. The power steering gear assembly may have been manufactured incorrectly, which can result in an oil leak.
Risk: An oil leak may cause a sudden loss of power steering assist, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and replace the power steering gear assembly, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on February 17, 2022. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is 21TH01.
Steering:hydraulic Power Assist System 2021-11-23 · campaign 21V920000 · 22,462 vehicles
Defect: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2008-2022 Sequoia and 2007-2021 Tundra vehicles. The power steering gear assembly may have been manufactured incorrectly, which can result in an oil leak.
Risk: An oil leak may cause a sudden loss of power steering assist, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and replace the power steering gear assembly as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on January 21, 2022. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's numbers for this recall are 21TB10 and 21TA10.
Seats:front Assembly:seat Heater/Cooler 2016-06-02 · campaign 16V396000 · 7,749 vehicles
Defect: Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain 2005-2011 4Runner, Highlander, Sequoia, and Sienna, 2005-2010 Avalon and Tundra, 2006-2008 Camry Solara, 2006-2010 Highlander hybrid, 2006-2011 Rav4 and Tacoma, 2007-2010 FJ Cruiser, 2007-2011 Camry hybrid, 2009-2010 Venza, 2010-2012 Prius, 1988-1990 and 2005-2010 Camry, and 1989 and 2009-2010 Corolla vehicles equipped with aftermarket accessory seat heaters with a copper strand heating element. The electrical wiring in the seat heat
Risk: If damaged, the copper strand heating element may short circuit, increasing the risk of a fire.
Fix: SET will notify owners, and dealers will disconnect the seat heaters, free of charge, and refund the purchase price of the seat heater accessory. The recall began on July 14, 2016. Owners may contact SET customer service at 1-866-405-4226. SET number for this recall is SET16B.
Visibility:power Window Devices And Controls 2015-10-22 · campaign 15V689000 · 1,814,284 vehicles
Defect: Toyota Motor Company (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2009-2011 Tundra, Sequoia, Corolla, Corolla Matrix and Scion xB, 2008-2011 Highlander and Highlander Hybrid, 2007 Camry and Camry Hybrid, 2009 Camry and Camry Hybrid, 2006-2011 RAV4, 2006-2010 Yaris, and 2009-2010 Scion xD and Pontiac Vibe vehicles. During the manufacturing of the Power Window Master Switch (PWMS), grease lubricant may have been inconsistently applied to the sliding electrical contacts.
Risk: If the sliding electrical contacts are not protected by lubricant, debris and moisture that get into the switch may cause a short circuit and the switch assembly may overheat and melt, increasing the risk of a fire.
Fix: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the switch, applying a lubricant if no abnormality is found. If abnormality is found, the PWMS circuit board will be replaced, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin December 20, 2015. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is C0M.
Seats:front Assembly:seat Heater/Cooler 2014-11-19 · campaign 14V743000 · 3,233 vehicles
Defect: Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain model year 2010-2011 Prius and Corolla, 2009-2011 Venza, 2006-2010 Avalon, 2007-2010 FJ Cruiser, 2005-2011 Sienna and Sequoia, 2006-2011 Tacoma 4x2 and 4x4, Camry, Highlander, Tundra 4x2 and 4x4, and 2007-2011 Rav4 and 4Runner. The affected vehicles may experience compression of the seat cushion which may damage the seat heater wiring.
Risk: Damage to the seat heater wiring could cause the wires to short, increasing the risk of the seat burning and causing personal injury to the occupant.
Fix: SET will notify owners, and dealers will disconnect the heaters with copper strand heating elements and refund the purchase price of the seat heater accessory, free of charge. The recall is expected to began in January 2015. Owners may contact SET customer service at 1-866-405-4226.
Seats 2013-01-16 · campaign 13V014000 · 3,235 vehicles
Defect: Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain models interspersed through model years 2009 through 2013 as follows: model year 2009-2012 Tacoma, 4Runner, Camry, Camry Hybrid, Prius, and RAV4; model year 2009-2010 Avalon, FJ Cruiser, and Highlander Hybrid; model year 2010-2013 model year Corolla, Sienna and Tundra; model year 2009-2013 Highlander and Venza; model year 2012 Prius V; and model year 2010-2012 Sequoia. During modification by SET to include accessories such as leather
Risk: If the front passenger seat occupant sensing system is out of calibration, the front passenger airbags may not deploy or they may deploy inappropriately for the passenger's size and position. This could increase the risk of personal injury during the event of a vehicle crash necessitating airbag deployment.
Fix: Southeast Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will test the sensitivity of the occupant detection sensors, and recalibrate them as necessary. The recall began on March 21, 2013. Owners may contact Southeast Toyota at 1-800-301-6859.
Tires:pressure Monitoring And Regulating Systems 2011-03-04 · campaign 11V148000 · 22,000 vehicles
Defect: TOYOTA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2008 THROUGH 2011 FJ CRUISER, LAND CRUISER, TACOMA, SEQUOIA AND TUNDRA VEHICLES FOR FAILING TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 138, "TIRE PRESSURE MONITORING SYSTEM (TPMS)." WHEN FACTORY-INSTALLED WHEELS AND TIRES WERE REPLACED WITH TOYOTA AUTHORIZED ACCESSORY WHEELS AND LT TIRES PRIOR TO FIRST SALE, THE TIRE PRESSURE MONITORING SYSTEMS WERE NOT RE-CALIBRATED CORRECTLY AND THEREFORE DO NOT START ILLUMINATING THE L
Risk: FAILURE TO WARN OF TIRE DEFLATIONS IS A NON-COMPLIANCE WITH FMVSS 138 AND COULD LEAD TO TIRE FAILURE INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
Fix: FOR THE LAND CRUISER, SEQUOIA, TACOMA AND TUNDRA VEHICLES, THE DEALER WILL RE-CALIBRATE THE TIRE PRESSURE MONITORING SYSTEM ON AFFECTED VEHICLES AND INSTALL AN UPDATED TIRE AND LOADING INFORMATION LABEL AT NO CHARGE. FOR THE FJ CRUISER VEHICLES, THE TPMS CANNOT BE RESET SO THE ELECTRONIC CONTROL UNIT (ECU) FOR THE TPMS WILL BE REPLACED. TOYOTA IS CURRENTLY DEVELOPING THE REMEDY ECU. IF AN OWNER IS NOT CERTAIN WHETHER HIS OR HER VEHICLE IS EQUIPPED WITH THESE ACCESSORIES, PLEASE CONTACT ANY TO
Service bulletins (257)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Unknown Or Other 2026-01-07 · T-SB-0055-24 Rev2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
some 2005 – 2026 toyota vehicles that have undergone water intrusion may exhibit a condition in which a musty odor is present. follow the procedures in this bulletin to remediate the odor and address this condition. the purpose of this service bulletin is to provide general guidelines and procedures
Structure:body 2024-12-06 · T-SB-0039-24 Rev2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
the condition known as acid rain is caused by airborne chemicals or particles in the atmosphere, which mix with rainwater, nighttime dew, or high humidity to form acidic compounds. if these contaminants settle and remain on a painted vehicle surface, especially the horizonal areas of the hood, roof,
Structure:body 2024-12-06 · T-SB-0038-24 Rev2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
to prevent brake rotor rust from forming during transportation and storage, wheel film will be used instead of a cardboard type of anti-rust cover. the purpose of the wheel film is to shield the disc brake rotor from weather elements and initial rust before the vehicle is delivered to the customer.
Structure:body 2024-12-06 · T-SB-0035-24 Rev2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
acid rain results from rainwater or other airborne moisture that become acidic due to industrial chemical impurities in the atmosphere. if these acidic compounds settle on an exposed vehicle, especially the horizontal areas such as the hood, roof, and decklid, significant damage to the painted surfa
Structure:body 2024-12-05 · T-SB-0061-23 Rev2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
toyota vehicles are currently protected with rapgardtm protective film designed to protect the horizontal painted surfaces. this material protects from acid rain, environmental fallout, and rail contamination. follow the removal procedure in this bulletin to remove the rapgardtm protective film wi
Structure:body 2024-12-03 · T-SB-0062-23 Rev2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
vehicles may occasionally be subjected to contamination by airborne iron particles shed from railroad tracks, train wheels, exposure to heavy machinery facilities, grinding, welding, etc. this type of contamination can be identified by the presence of small, red or brown particles on the paint surfa
Showing the 6 most recent of 257 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-01-13 · Fuel/Propulsion System“the vehicle fuel tank was punctured and then patched with jb weld epoxy. this vehicle was sold to me by a private owner that did not disclose this information to me. the safety of my family as well as thousands of others were at risk as the vehicle was parked in several parking garages of large buildings. the fuel tank and fuel pump has been replac…”
2024-03-22 · Steering“on [xxx] while driving our 2011 toyota sequoia 4x4 limited (5.7 iforce non flex fuel) my wife was preparing to stop at a traffic light. completely unexpected and with no warning, the vehicle started bucking, the engine began making a knocking noise and numerous dashboard lights started flashing. it immediately stalled while attempting to stop, thu…”
2023-05-02 · Latches/Locks/Linkages:hatchback/Liftgate:lock · 178,000 mi“the contact owns a 2011 toyota sequoia. the contact stated that while driving approximately 60 mph, the rear liftgate opened unintendedly. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. the contact was informed that the liftgate latch assembly was rusted and needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not yet repaired. the local deale…”
2022-01-28 · Unknown Or Other“while returning home from a vacation, the glass over our sunroof suddenly exploded. we were traveling about 50 mph and just heard a sudden bang. we pulled over to investigate and it looked like it had exploded outward. we had a luggage carrier on top of the car that covered most of the sunroof, so i am confident that it was not struck by any object…”
2020-09-21 · Structure:body · 97,000 mi“the rear hatch has a rust spot next to the latch that is rusted thru and breaking chunks of metal from around it. the latch mechanism may split from the rear door aseembly and fail to remain closed and open unexpectedly on the highway allowing all contents to fly out of the vehicle. source of problem may be improper welds allowing water to get insi…”
2020-03-23 · Engine · 137,000 mi“toyota has a faulty design on 5.7 liter sequoias and tundras where the engine camshaft tower sealant leaks oil towards the cabin. since the engine is tilted back, the engine oil is directed to a heat shield and then directly to the exhaust pipe. upon reaching the exhaust it causes smoke. the smoke will enter into the cabin causing engine fumes w…”
2018-12-11 · Electrical System · 130,000 mi“the door lock actuator on each of the doors on the suv have failed. the doors will not lock/unlock without using the key, and the only door with key access is the driver's door. the doors can be locked/unlocked from inside. the replacement parts seem excessively high, and it appears that this is a common occurrence on toyota vehicles. since the act…”
2017-04-22 · Unknown Or Other · 60,000 mi“rear window randomly shattered while driving in town- 10 mph. no chips, no issues with window prior, just blew. it was winter here, and the rear defrost was on. my friend received a recall notice for his rav 4, for this exact same issue. i've seen others complaining online about the exact same thing as well…”
2016-01-19 · Service Brakes · 12,572 mi“purchased the vehicle new. brake rotors severely warped at12,572 miles creating severe vibration/shaking throughout the vehicle when brakes applied. problem is particularly severe when utilizing breaks on a downhill grade. the severe vibration created a significant safety hazard as it impairs break performance particularly when roads are wet or …”
2015-07-20 · Engine And Engine Cooling:exhaust System:emission Control“2011 toyota sequoia. consumer writes in regards to vehicle air pump repair problems. *smd the dealer informed the consumer, the vehicle needed a new air pump and a new air pump driver at a cost of $ 2643 before taxes. the dealer noted the problem was cause by possibly water intrusion. *jb ma 10/21/15 updated 10/12/2017*cn…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.