Major steering issues are the leading problem vehicle owners are facing
Families crave a large SUV for everyday travels and vacations. One popular choice continues to be the Toyota Sequoia. The automaker claims “the 2022 Toyota Sequoia is ready to turn every drive into an adventure.” But since Toyota discovered a major defect in the power steering, promises of an adventure are not so appealing to owners.
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The 2022 Toyota Sequoia 15th model in the SUV’s aging second generation, and the recalls keep piling up. These range from fuel pump failure and engines stalling to oil leakage issues. Many of these obviously serious problems have plagued every model year since the second generation was introduced in 2008. Oil leaks are one of them.
By Christmas 2021, there were already two recalls that affected the 2022 Sequoia. Both of these relate to oil leak issues that affect the power steering. While there are complaints that the parts required to fix the problem aren’t available, no owners have notified the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) about experiences of failures. This might be because the defect was identified in November 2021, relatively soon after it was launched. Also, there were still hundreds of vehicles in new dealer inventory at the time.
| Complaint Category | Number of Complaints |
|---|---|
| Steering |
While both the recalls affect power steering, leaking oil, and the same vehicles and models, they aren’t the same.
The first of the two recalls was issued by Toyota on November 23, 2021 for a total of 22,462 vehicles. It impacts all second generation Sequoia models from 2008 to 2022 and Tundra models from 2007 to 2021. NHTSA Campaign Number 21V920000 explains that these vehicles may have been manufactured incorrectly. If so, the defect could result in an oil leak that may cause a sudden loss of power steering assist. This, in turn, increases the risk of a crash.
According to a safety recall report issued a month later, 25% of these vehicles may contain an incorrectly shaped circlip due to damaged cutting tool teeth. If there is “a sufficient amount of power steering fluid” that leaks when the circlip disengages from the groove, it can cause a sudden loss of power steering assist. The likelihood of this happening depends on vehicle driving conditions.
The second recall was issued on December 23, 2021, for an additional 151 Toyota Sequoia and Tundra vehicles of the same model years. This relates more specifically to certain JTEKT Corporation power steering assembly parts. NHTSA Campaign Number 21E103000 states that the power steering gear may have been incorrectly manufactured. Like the previous recall, this manufacturing defect can result in an oil leak and a sudden loss of power steering assist.
What is particularly interesting is that an equipment recall remedy notice, 21TH01, issued on February 18, 2022, states “approximately 1,800,000 vehicle owners will be notified of this Equipment Recall.”
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A complaint to the NHTSA from an owner in Arizona was lodged on February 1,2022, more than a month after the recall was announced. Although he hadn’t experienced a failure, the complaint states that the part for repair wasn’t available. The owner maintained that “the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair.” On January 20, 2022, Toyota had issued a safety recall remedy notice, 21TA10, that stated Toyota had “sufficient parts to begin a phased implementation of the remedy.” It seems this was not the case.
If you think you have a lemon, you can sit back and let the experts work out your lemon at no cost to you. The law makes Toyota pay legal fees. This means that you may be able to get your lemon out of your life. Every year, auto manufacturers buy back, replace or pay cash settlements to thousands of ‘lemon’ owners like you.
Brian Jones spent more than 30 years working as an ASE Certified Master Tech and Parts Specialist at multiple dealerships. Brian has become an authority in the industry, traveling across the country to consult for car dealerships and contributing his expertise as a writer for several major automotive publications. In his spare time, Brian enjoys working on pickup trucks, muscle cars, Jeeps and anything related to motorsports.
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