Curious about the Sequoia

[Miranda Kay]

Any Sequoia owners out there have more information they would like to offer on the Sequoia? I would like to learn more about what it has to offer, real life mpg, capabilities etc. Any frequent problems with the Sequoia?

 

[shaka]

I have an older one. 2004 year SR5. I like it. No major issues so far. I enjoy driving Toyotas.

 

[Bruce Colbert]

Love my 2005 Limited. Bought at 125K now has 150K. Had typical problems of rear latch handle breaking (b/c it's plastic) rear door latch freezing ( a pain ) and rear window not rolling down due to faulty break (easy fix). One can say Toyota is so consistent in their manufacturing that if there's a defect, that defect also is going to come out every time, just as the quality will.

 

[shaka]

Love my 2005 Limited. Bought at 125K now has 150K. Had typical problems of rear latch handle breaking (b/c it's plastic) rear door latch freezing ( a pain ) and rear window not rolling down due to faulty break (easy fix). One can say Toyota is so consistent in their manufacturing that if there's a defect, that defect also is going to come out every time, just as the quality will.

Yeah I had the rear latch defect. Haven't had the rear window issue. Do you have the "clunk" from the drive shaft? I've had that in the 06 Tundra I had as well as my Sequoia.

 

[Bruce Colbert]

Yeah I had the rear latch defect. Haven't had the rear window issue. Do you have the "clunk" from the drive shaft? I've had that in the 06 Tundra I had as well as my Sequoia.

Ah yes. Me too. I've never heard that it is a issue that must be fixed, just an annoyance. I can imagine actually getting bumped from behind one day and just driving off not knowing.

 

[toyotafan]

Does the clunk happen when going from reverse into drive only (or mostly) or does it also happen at other times like when you're at idle and take off from a dead stop or when you're gassing it after coasting down a hill?

 

[Bruce Colbert]

Does the clunk happen when...

Never noticed it from R to D. Always from stopped. Seems like it happens when I stop harder, but that could be my imagination.

 

[toyotafan]

Oh, a clunk when you stop, thought is that it's just part of the design of the driveline. No pun intended, but I wonder how universal of a problem this is.

 

[shaka]

Toyotafan its the second description you stated. As Bruce also stated, the harder you stop, the more its noticeable. My local Toyota dealership told me its the "yoke in the driveshaft". They told me for 900 bucks they could put a new driveshaft in or I could take the driveshaft to a local shop in my area to have it worked on to fix the issue. I've had the same issue with a Yukon that I owned. I use to get a buddy to grease the yoke in the diveshaft every so often as a temporary fix.

 

[Bruce Colbert]

Toyotafan its the second description you stated. As Bruce also stated, the harder you stop, the more its noticeable. My local Toyota dealership told me its the "yoke in the driveshaft". They told me for 900 bucks they could put a new driveshaft in or I could take the driveshaft to a local shop in my area to have it worked on to fix the issue. I've had the same issue with a Yukon that I owned. I use to get a buddy to grease the yoke in the diveshaft every so often as a temporary fix.

In your knowledge is it just an annoyance or can it be destructive if not taken care of?

 

[shaka]

In your knowledge is it just an annoyance or can it be destructive if not taken care of?

I asked a guy who had a 06 Tundra and he said he bought his truck brand new. By 07 or 08 he said he started to notice the clunk. He said he has learned to deal with it and has had no problems with it. So I guess its ok... It aggravates me to no end... I want to get it fixed.

 

[toyotafan]

Eventually it will cause problems, but usually something else will give out before then, so it's a non issue. Get underneath and see how much play you have in the driveline.

 

[shaka]

Ok will do. Is the only fix is replacing drive shaft?

 

[toyotafan]

Well not exactly, the problem is not the driveshaft, it's the connections on either end of the unit.

I found a good image of a driveshaft assembly blown-up and segmented and I think it should show you some of the issues that you're reporting. Anywhere along the line where something gets a little bit too much slack you're going to get movement before it engages, if you get a lot then you're going to get a clunk. It's not unique to any vehicle manufacturer in fact, it's a general driveline issue.

 

[shaka]

Yep because I had a GMC Yukon that did the same thing.