2005 Toyota Sequoia

Watch out for

Reputation: what owners and the press report. Tap one to see what to check.

• Rusted frame All years Walk away if found

  What to check: Get the truck on a lift and look along the whole frame, the rear crossmember and the mounts near the rear axle for scale, flaking and holes.

  Autotrader calls frame rust the 1st gen's main concern. Nineteen owners of 2001s on one CarComplaints.com page report frame or underbody rust, several with frames judged unsafe and Toyota offering no help. Wikipedia says the Sequoia shared a frame rust recall with the Tacoma and Tundra, without naming its years.

  Sources ^6,7,2

• Power rear window stops working All years

  What to check: Run the tailgate window down and up from the key and the dash switch.

  The second-worst 2003 problem on CarComplaints.com, and Edmunds' 2005 page lists rear window failures among owners' reports.

  Sources ^8,1

• Timing belt with no proof it was changed All years One source so far

  What to check: Ask for the receipt for the last timing belt change, and whether the water pump was done with it.

  Two members of one IH8MUD thread on buying a 1st gen raise the 4.7L's timing belt. One says to check the belt service, with the water pump, PCV valve and spark plugs done at the same time.

  Sources ⁹

Recalls

• 07V013000 2004–2007

  Front lower ball joints can wear early and, in extreme cases, separate. They are replaced.^10,11,12,13

• 15V286000 2002–2007

  The passenger front airbag inflator can rupture in a crash. The airbag is replaced.^{14,15,10,11,12,13}

• 15V285000 2002–2007

  The passenger front airbag inflator can build too much pressure and rupture. The airbag is replaced.^{14,15,10,11,12,13}

• 16V065000 2005–2006

  A wrongly programmed control unit can fire the curtain airbags unexpectedly. The unit is replaced.^11,12

• 18V883000 2002–2005

  The passenger airbag inflator can rupture when it deploys. The inflator or airbag is replaced.^14,15,10,11

• 19V741000 2002–2007

  A replacement passenger airbag inflator can explode. The inflator or airbag is replaced.^{14,15,10,11,12,13}

What buyers say

Reputation: what owners and the press report

• Sought after: Later trucks, and any that were kept up All years

  Three members across two IH8MUD threads speak well of the 1st gen. One recommends the 2005 to 2007 trucks with variable valve timing over the earlier ones, an owner of a 2002 reports no major repairs, and the family of a 2006 owner says they really like it.^9,16

• Avoid: The 1st gen as a whole All years Less sought after One source so far

  Autotrader calls it the riskiest generation to buy, for its age and its rust, and says to have the underside inspected.⁶

Before you pay

Open the buyer's checklist

Every warning and recall for this generation, with a box to tick.