2001 TOYOTA SEQUOIA — Complaint #626026
Open-data reference.
NHTSA Complaint about SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM:LOWER BALL JOINT filed June 1, 2007
NHTSA complaint #626026 (ODI reference 10192262) concerns a 2001 TOYOTA SEQUOIA and was filed on June 1, 2007. The owner reports the failure occurred on May 25, 2007. The vehicle had 140,000 miles on the odometer at the time of the incident. The report was geocoded to California based on the filer's self-reported location. The affected component is categorized as suspension:front:control arm:lower ball joint, one of NHTSA's standardized taxonomy codes used to group defect patterns across make, model, and year.
The filer flagged the following severity indicators: crash: yes, fire: no, injuries: 0, fatalities: 0. A complaint that flags a crash, fire, or fatality is escalated on NHTSA's internal review queue and factors more heavily into any Preliminary Evaluation decision on this make and model. Because a VIN was supplied, this complaint is tied to a specific vehicle and not just a model-year cohort.
Individual complaints are consumer-submitted and unverified by NHTSA engineers — the agency's role at this stage is to collect, index, and make them searchable. What matters for federal action is the pattern: when many owners of the same TOYOTA SEQUOIA cohort independently describe similar suspension:front:control arm:lower ball joint failures, defect investigators have grounds to open a PE and request manufacturer data. Related filings for the same vehicle and component appear below, and the detail page for the full 2001 TOYOTA SEQUOIA shows the complete component-level complaint distribution alongside any active investigations or recalls.
Complaint Description
ON FRIDAY, MAY 25, 2007 AT APPROXIMATELY 2:45PM, MY WIFE (BELINDA) WAS TRAVELING ON THE NORTHBOUND 57 FREEWAY TRANSITIONING TO THE WESTBOUND 210 FREEWAY. AT THIS POINT, SHE LOST CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. HYSTERICAL, SHE STILL MANAGED TO NAVIGATE THE VEHICLE OVER TO WHAT IS A QUASI SHOULDER ON THIS TRANSITION ONLY TO EXIT THE VEHICLE, EXAMINE THE AFFECTED AREA (PASSENGER FRONT WHEEL), TO FIND THAT THE WHEEL ITSELF HAD COME APART FROM THE VEHICLE LOOKING LIKE A \"PANCAKE.\" IT WOULD ONLY BE A FEW MOMENTS BEFORE PASSERSBY STOPPED STATING TO HER (AFTER THEY HAD EXAMINED THE DAMAGE) THAT HER BALL-JOINT HAD BROKEN ALONG WITH SEVERAL OTHER PARTS OF THE SUSPENSION. SHE WAS LUCKY SHE WASN'T KILLED (OR, MY ENTIRE FAMILY FOR THAT MATTER ON A TRIP TO SAN FRANCISCO WE HAD TAKEN ONLY THREE WEEKS BEFORE THIS DATE). MY WIFE TELEPHONED ME ON MY CELL PHONE, AT WHICH POINT I CALLED THE AUTO CLUB FOR A TOW. SHORTLY AFTER, A CHP OFFICER HAD APPEARED ON THE SCENE AS WELL AS A TOW-TRUCK DRIVER. TRAFFIC
Complaint Details
| NHTSA Complaint ID | 626026 |
| ODI Number | 10192262 |
| Date Filed | June 1, 2007 |
| Failure Date | May 25, 2007 |
| VIN | 5TDBT48A51S |
Similar SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM:LOWER BALL JOINT Complaints for 2001 TOYOTA SEQUOIA
Complete failure and separation of the lower ball joint. Caused the wheel to fall off, damaging the front fender and jamming the front door making the door stuck closed. Fortunate we did not crash int
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 TOYOTA SEQUOIA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE DRIVER'S SIDE FRONT LOWER BALL JOINT FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 TOYOTA SEQUOIA. THE CONTACT STATED WHEN HE STOPPED THE VEHICLE, THE ENTIRE SUSPENSION SYSTEM COLLAPSED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP, WHERE THE CONTA
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 TOYOTA SEQUOIA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 60 MPH, THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE VEHICLE COLLAPSED DOWN ONTO THE TIRES AS THE LOWER BALL JOINTS FRACTURED. THE VEHICLE WA
FRONT SUSPENSION, LOWER CONTROL ARM, BALL JOINT SEPARATED WHILE BACKING THE VEHICLE OUT OF THE DRIVEWAY. THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE WHEEL COLLAPSED AND FOLDED UNDER THE WHEEL WELL CAUSING DAMAGE TO THE
Source: NHTSA Vehicle Complaints Database. Component taxonomy and severity codes are standardized by NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.