2011 Toyota Sequoia recalls and problems

The 2011 Toyota Sequoia has 6 safety recalls and 17 owner complaints filed with NHTSA. Recall repairs are free at any Toyota dealer.

Recalls
6
Complaints
17
Crashes / fires
1 / 0
Injuries / deaths
0 / 0

Recalls may cover only some 2011 Toyota Sequoia vehicles. Check your VIN at NHTSA ↗ to see open recalls for your exact car.

2011 Toyota Sequoia recalls

Recall 21V-920: Steering

Reported Nov 23, 2021 · 22,462 vehicles affected · Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing

Problem: 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.

Recall 16V-396: Seats

Reported Jun 2, 2016 · 7,749 vehicles affected · Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC

Problem: 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 heaters may be damaged when the seat cushion is compressed.

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.

Recall 15V-689: Visibility

Reported Oct 22, 2015 · 1,814,284 vehicles affected · Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing

Problem: 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.

Recall 14V-743: Seats

Reported Nov 19, 2014 · 3,233 vehicles affected · Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC

Problem: 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.

Recall 13V-014: Seats, Air Bags

Reported Jan 16, 2013 · 3,235 vehicles affected · Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC

Problem: 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 seat covers, seat heaters or headrest DVD systems, these vehicles may not have had the passenger seat occupant sensing system calibration tested. Without passing the calibration test, the occupant sensing system may not operate as designed.

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.

Recall 11V-148: Tires

Reported Mar 4, 2011 · 22,000 vehicles affected · TOYOTA MOTOR NORTH AMERICA, INC.

Problem: 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 low tire pressure warning telltale at the required minimum activation pressure.

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 toyota dealer for an inspection at no charge. The safety recall began on march 31, 2011. Owners may contact toyota at 1-800-331-4331.

2011 Toyota Sequoia problems reported by owners

Problem areaReports
Engine and Engine Cooling3
Seats2
Electrical System2
Fuel/Propulsion System2
Service Brakes2
Unknown or Other2
Engine2
Air Bags1
Parking Brake1
Vehicle Speed Control1
Structure1
Latches/Locks/Linkages1

Most reported parts

  • Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine — 1
  • Engine and Engine Cooling › Exhaust System — 1
  • Engine and Engine Cooling › Exhaust System › Emission Control — 1
  • Structure › Body — 1
  • Latches/Locks/Linkages › Hatchback/Liftgate › Lock — 1

Typical mileage at the time of the problem: 60,000 miles (median of owner reports).

Problems that are not covered by a recall are paid repairs; labor rates follow local mechanic pay — see what auto mechanics earn in each state.

Recent 2011 Toyota Sequoia complaints

Owner reports filed with NHTSA, as written (personal details removed). Complaints are not verified by NHTSA.

Fuel/Propulsion System · reported Jan 13, 2026
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 replaced by Lewis Toyota of Topeka, KS. Several occurrences of a strong fuel smell had taken place for the two week time frame from the previous owner selling it to me. A fuel smell was present at inspection before purchase, however the owner stated that…
Engine · reported Mar 22, 2024
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, thus, causing a very dangerous situation, losing total control of the brakes and steering, nearly causing a collision with the vehicle in front of her. The vehicle had to be towed from the middle of the road, while in heavy traffic. Eventually it was…
Latches/Locks/Linkages · at 178,000 miles · reported May 2, 2023
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 dealer was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 178,000.
Unknown or Other · reported Jan 28, 2022
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 objects.
Structure · at 97,000 miles · reported Sep 21, 2020
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 inside the tailgate frame.

Other Toyota Sequoia years

Compare all Toyota Sequoia years · All Toyota models

Frequently asked questions

Does the 2011 Toyota Sequoia have any recalls?

Yes — NHTSA lists 6 recalls for the 2011 Toyota Sequoia: 21V-920 (steering), 16V-396 (seats), 15V-689 (visibility), 14V-743 (seats), 13V-014 (seats, air bags) and more. Not every vehicle is affected, so check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

What is the most common problem with the 2011 Toyota Sequoia?

Owners report engine and engine cooling problems most often (3 reports), followed by seats (2). The typical mileage when problems were reported is about 60,000 miles.

Are Toyota recall repairs free?

Yes. Safety recall repairs are free at authorized Toyota dealers, whether you are the first owner or bought the car used.