Toyota & SUV Recall

By: Kara Gilmour
04/29/2010 09:45 AM ET

Toyota & SUV recall has been announced for the 2003 Sequoia. Toyota announced the recall for its SUV because of a problem with its Vehicle Stability Control system. The current software causes a lag in acceleration, but a new upgrade to the software will fix the problem.

“In vehicles without the upgrade, the VSC system could activate at low speed for a few seconds after acceleration from a stopped position and, as a result, the vehicle may not accelerate as quickly as the driver expects,” Toyota said in a statement.

SUV owners shouldn’t be that concerned with this latest Toyota recall. There are no safety issues related to the problem. The automaker has received 96 complains, but there are no reported injuries or accidents.

Problem Affects 50,000 SUVs

Recalls have been plaguing Toyota this year with more than 10 million vehicles. However, the latest problem affects 50,000 SUVs, and it’s based on a software upgrade. This announcement also affects more than 1,500 Sequoias in Canada.

The only thing concerning about the latest Toyota recall is the acceleration. This has been an ongoing problem for the automaker. The vehicles either have sticky gas pedals or a problem in the software that affects the speed.

Toyota was aware of the problem and issued a software update haflway through its production. The SUV doesn’t have any known problems to date. The recall affects 2003 model year Sequoias built earlier in that model year.

This latest issue comes after major safety recalls for the Toyota Prius, Toyota Corolla, and Lexus GX 460. The automaker was also fined $16.4 million by the United States government. Sequoia owners will be contacted by the end of May and the problem will be fixed free of charge.

Vehicle Stability Control System

The Toyota Vehicle Stability Control system helps control loss of traction in turns due to tire slippage. Without the upgrade, the system can malfunction by kicking in as a vehicle speeds up from a stop. This can cause the vehicle to accelerate slower than a driver might anticipate.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is also weighing in on the problem. They conducted their own investigation with the 2003 Toyota Sequoia. Some owners have alleged that their vehicles were almost struck in traffic because of the accelerator response problems.

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