2002 Toyota Sequoia

The 2002 Sequoia sits at the apex of the first-generation complaint curve, posting 692 complaints — the highest single-year total across the entire 2001-2022 span — alongside eight recalls and four investigations, both exceeding the 2001 debut year (530 complaints, three recalls, one investigation) and the 2003 follow-up (682 complaints, seven recalls, five investigations). Complaints then fall sharply to 379 in 2004 and continue a steady decline, while recall counts remain elevated through 2011 and TSB volumes climb steadily, reflecting ongoing service documentation rather than rising defect rates. The 2002 complaint profile is led by Electronic Stability Control (67), Structure (60), and Service Brakes, Hydraulic (55), with 25 crash complaints and one fire complaint recorded; the data does not specify root causes for these concentrations. This year represents the most intensive federal scrutiny of the generation, combining peak owner-reported issues with the highest investigation count tied with later years. For a buyer, the 2002 model carries the heaviest documented burden of early-production problems in this platform; unless every recall has been verified complete and the ESC, structural, and brake systems have been thoroughly inspected, a later, lower-complaint year such as 2004-2007 presents a materially lower-risk purchase.