2003 Toyota Sequoia SR5 problems & reliability
107 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2003 Toyota Sequoia SR5. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
1 complaint report injuries (2 injured).
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Traction Control System | 37 | 35% |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) | 34 | 32% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 29 | 27% |
| Service Brakes | 14 | 13% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 10 | 9% |
| Electrical System | 9 | 8% |
| Structure | 9 | 8% |
| Power Train | 5 | 5% |
| Suspension | 5 | 5% |
| Air Bags | 4 | 4% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 95,350 miles (middle 50% between 69,250 and 124,500 miles), based on 88 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“When driving the back light an traction control light come in brake light stays on an it says codes c1203 c1223 c1247 also saying the abs sensor on master cylinder open circuit also has a code fro 0dtc had it checked out on 7/1/2019”
Vehicle Speed Control · filed Jul 3, 2019
“"ball joint failure" while travelling down freeway at 35-40 mph the passenger front tire had come off and caused the vehicle to drop. Lost steering, brakes and any control of the vehicle at this time. The vehicle skid into the guard rail spinning it around and sliding until it came to a stop. The arm came directly off…”
Steering · filed Apr 15, 2019
“Takata recall never informed my family about the recalls for the frame on toyota sequioas. Therefore for more investigation during repairs to my vehicle not long ago I saw holes in my frame and was very bad and had my worried about my vehicle. I was unable to take photos at the time but am willing to put my vehicle on…”
Structure · filed Apr 7, 2019
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Technical service bulletins
7 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2003 Toyota Sequoia SR5.
This is to advise of various price adjustments that will affect Toyota Genuine Motor Oil and Long Life Coolant, effective March 1, 2024. These products are ordered through the Toyota Complete Maintenance Care (TCMC)…
T-PANT-2024-004- · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 4, 2024
POL: This consolidated Tire Warranty Guide contains the complete warranty terms for all brands of ground and spare tires currently in use by Toyota. This information must be kept near the point of vehicle sale and be…
Toyota PRO19-02 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 12, 2022
Toyota Safety Recall and Service Campaign - Technician Certification Requirements
Toyota Safety Re · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 17, 2021
Update on Technician Certification Requirements.
Safety Recall an · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 21, 2016
Summary to be provided on a future date.
TC13-019 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 1, 2013
Replacement vin plates.
T-PG007-01 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 4, 2001
Product general information.
T-PG002-91 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 18, 1991
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
No NHTSA recall campaigns name the 2003 Toyota Sequoia SR5 in our current data. Recalls may apply only to certain VIN ranges — always confirm with a VIN check.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2003 Toyota Sequoia SR5?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Owners most often reported problems around 95,350 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.