2002 Toyota Sequoia Service Brakes Problems

Source: NHTSA · Updated Jun 13, 2026 · 94 complaints analyzed

Owners have filed 94 complaints with NHTSA about service brakes problems on the 2002 Toyota Sequoia, 14% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 145,000 miles. The words owners use most often: “vsc trac” (37% of reports).

What owners describe

Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.

  • Vsc trac: mentioned in 35 of 94 complaints (37%)
  • Grinding noise: mentioned in 27 of 94 complaints (29%)
  • Skid control: mentioned in 9 of 94 complaints (10%)
  • Yaw sensor: mentioned in 5 of 94 complaints (5%)

At what mileage do service brakes problems happen?

Based on 80 complaints that reported the odometer reading.

Under 10k miles2 · 3%
10k–25k miles0 · 0%
25k–50k miles1 · 1%
50k–75k miles4 · 5%
75k–100k miles6 · 8%
100k–150k miles30 · 38%
150k+ miles37 · 46%

How serious are the reports?

Of 94 complaints, 2 mention a crash, 1 an injury.

Toyota Sequoia service brakes complaints by model year

Peak: 2002, with 94 complaints
2001: 762001762002: 94942003: 552003552004: 50502005: 602005602006: 21212007: 5200752008: 332009: 1200912010: 112011: 2201122012: 662013: 1201312014: 112016: 4201642018: 222019: 120191

n = 383 complaints · Source: NHTSA

Model yearService Brakes complaintsShare of that yearMedian miles
2019 Sequoia114%—
2018 Sequoia210%1,341
2016 Sequoia436%32,550
2014 Sequoia16%—
2013 Sequoia18%15,000
2012 Sequoia630%36,500
2011 Sequoia212%12,572
2010 Sequoia13%5,000
2009 Sequoia117%72,000
2008 Sequoia34%100,000
2007 Sequoia54%90,611
2006 Sequoia2110%99,212
2005 Sequoia6017%109,000
2004 Sequoia5013%111,381
2003 Sequoia5510%118,000
2002 Sequoia9414%145,000
2001 Sequoia7614%148,100

When owners reported it

Peak: 2013, with 16 complaints
2012: 142012142013: 162013162014: 142014142015: 102015102016: 122016122017: 102017102018: 5201852019: 7201972020: 2202022021: 1202112022: 1202212023: 1202312024: 120241

n = 94 complaints · Source: NHTSA

Related recalls (0)

No safety recall lists service brakes for the 2002 Toyota Sequoia. A pattern of complaints does not always lead to a recall.

What owners report

Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.

My vehicle has randomly been flashing vbs/abs/traction control lights. Sometimes nothing happens other than the flashing lights. Other times I’ll be driving & when going around a curve my car makes a beeping noise (sounds like the abs noise activated) & I’ll feel a pulsing under the brake &…

Received Jun 18, 2024 · NHTSA complaint 11594971

While driving on a curved road, the vehicle made a grinding sound with flashing VSC off and Trac off lights, as it pulled violently to the right and almost ran off the road with my two children in the back seat. This was an extremely scary incident. I 1. While driving on a curved road, the vehicle…

Received Oct 7, 2023 · NHTSA complaint 11548841

While driving on a highway at about 60 mph, my vehicle made a loud grinding noise while the steering felt very difficult to control and then the VSC TRAC and TRAC OFF lights both came on. I got off the highway and pulled over to a parking lot to inspect the vehicle, but I did not see anything that…

Received Sep 14, 2022 · NHTSA complaint 11484462
Toyota Sequoia
Front view of a 2023 Toyota Sequoia Capstone SUV.. Representative photo; appearance varies by model year. Photo: deathpallie325, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Frequently asked questions

Do all 2002 Toyota Sequoias have service brakes problems?

No. NHTSA has 94 owner complaints about service brakes for the 2002 Toyota Sequoia (14% of the 666 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.

Was there a recall on the 2002 Toyota Sequoia service brakes?

No recall currently lists service brakes for this vehicle.

At what mileage do service brakes problems start?

The median reported mileage is 145,000 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.

What do owners say about service brakes problems on the 2002 Toyota Sequoia?

The most frequent phrase is “vsc trac”, in 35 of 94 complaints, followed by “grinding noise” (27).

Other 2002 Toyota Sequoia problems

See all 2002 Toyota Sequoia problems or service brakes problems across all Sequoia years.