2012 Toyota Sequoia reliability

Is it reliable?

Owners have filed 20 complaints with NHTSA about the 2012 Toyota Sequoia over 15 years — 3 per year. That is more complaints per year than most Sequoia years here — over the median of the other years, which is 1. NHTSA has 4 recalls on file, including Hydraulic power steering, Labels, and Inactive sensor control module.

2010 Toyota Sequoia Limited — Photo by RL GNZLZ from Chile, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 2.0

Complaints

Per year

Recalls

Years on the road

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Service brakes (6 of 20), then Electrical system (5) and Electronic stability control (ESC) (4). Those filings include 1 that reports an injury.

Next to 2013

The 2013 Sequoia has 12 complaints, 1 per year. The 2012 has more complaints per year than the 2013.

The complaint rate is complaints filed in this year’s first 3 years on the road, divided by however many of those years have passed. Recalls are a separate count. The numbers are for the US-market 2012 Toyota Sequoia. How we count. Data as of 2026-10-16.

Recalls (4)

Recall steering, hydraulic power steering 2021-12-23 · NHTSA campaign 21E103000

Summary Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain JTEKT power steering gear assembly service parts for 2007-2021 Tundra and 2008-2022 Sequoia, part numbers 44250-0C160, 44250-0C131, 44250-0C170, and 11250-0C121. The power steering gear assembly may have been manufactured incorrectly, which can result in an oil leak.

Remedy Dealers will inspect and replace the power steering gear assembly, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on February 17, 2022. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is 21TH01.

Recall steering, hydraulic power steering 2021-11-23 · NHTSA campaign 21V920000

Summary Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2008-2022 Sequoia and 2007-2021 Tundra vehicles. The power steering gear assembly may have been manufactured incorrectly, which can result in an oil leak.

Remedy Dealers will inspect and replace the power steering gear assembly as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on January 21, 2022. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's numbers for this recall are 21TB10 and 21TA10.

Recall Labels 2013-04-09 · NHTSA campaign 13V123000

Summary Southeast Toyota is recalling certain model year 2008 and 2010-2013 Toyota Tundra, 2010-2012 Rav4, 2012 Toyota Sequoia, 2010-2011 Toyota Corolla, 2010-2011 Toyota Camry and Camry Hybrid, 2010-2013 Toyota Highlander and Highlander Hybrid, 2010-2013 Toyota FJ Cruiser, 2011 Toyota Land Cruiser, 2010-2013 Toyota Venza, 2010-2011 Toyota 4Runner, 2010-2013 Toyota Tacoma, 2011-2012 Toyota Sienna, 2012 Toyota Prius, 2013 Scion FR-S, 2011 Scion XD, 2011 Scion XB, and 2012 Scion TC vehicles. These vehicles were sold with labels that were outside the allowable one percent of accuracy of actual weight added. Thus, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) Number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims."

Remedy Southeast Toyota will notify owners and provide a corrected label with instructions concerning its installation. A small group of the affected vehicles will need additonal remedies which are still being developed. The recall began on May 28, 2013. Owners may contact Southeast Toyota at 1-800-301-6859.

Recall air bags, frontal, inactive sensor control module 2013-01-16 · NHTSA campaign 13V014000

Summary Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain models interspersed through model years 2009 through 2013 as follows: model year 2009-2012 Tacoma, 4Runner, Camry, Camry Hybrid, Prius, and RAV4; model year 2009-2010 Avalon, FJ Cruiser, and Highlander Hybrid; model year 2010-2013 model year Corolla, Sienna and Tundra; model year 2009-2013 Highlander and Venza; model year 2012 Prius V; and model year 2010-2012 Sequoia. During modification by SET to include accessories such as leather seat covers, seat heaters or headrest DVD systems, these vehicles may not have had the passenger seat occupant sensing system calibration tested. Without passing the calibration test, the occupant sensing system may not operate as designed.

Remedy Southeast Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will test the sensitivity of the occupant detection sensors, and recalibrate them as necessary. The recall began on March 21, 2013. Owners may contact Southeast Toyota at 1-800-301-6859.

Complaints by component (20 total)

Service brakes

Electrical system

Electronic stability control (ESC)

Engine

Fuel and propulsion system

Structure

Speed control

Equipment

Powertrain

Steering

Suspension

Traction control

Visibility

Wheels

Show 6 more Show less

Crash-flagged

Fire-flagged

Injury reports

Death reports

Complaints filed per year

Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings

"I am filing a formal complaint regarding a known paint defect on my 2012 Toyota Sequoia, painted in Blizzard Pearl (paint code 070). The paint is peeling and delaminating from multiple areas of the vehicle, including…"
Structure · filed 2025-07-01
"Toyota had a recall on fuel pumps in 2020 mine was not part of the recall even though mine went bad and had to be replaced in February 2020. Now with another fuel pump recall issued in January 2025 I am also told mine…"
Fuel and propulsion system · filed 2025-04-11
"The rear door latch for the lift gate malfunctioned and wouldn’t release. The power motor for the lift gate continued to work, trying to lift the rear gate. The result was bending the left gate hinge and hinge mounting…"
Structure · filed 2022-09-29
"Lower ball joint on drivers side sheared off."
Steering, Suspension, Wheels · filed 2022-04-06
"VEHICLE HAS BEEN RUSTING ONLY ON THE REAR HATCH SINCE 2019. IT'S RUSTING AROUND THE WIPER ASSEMBLY AND NEAR THE LATCH ASSEMBLY. WE HAD IT REPAIRED ONCE BUT IT'S WORSE NOW. I'VE NOTICED MANY OWNERS ON LINE COMPLAINING OF…"
Structure · filed 2021-03-10

NHTSA crash ratings

Version	Overall	Front	Side	Rollover
2012 Toyota Sequoia SUV 2WD	Not rated	Not rated	Not rated	4 stars
2012 Toyota Sequoia SUV 4WD	Not rated	Not rated	Not rated	4 stars

Stars are how this vehicle did in NHTSA crash tests. They are a safety result, separate from the complaint record. Not rated means that test was not run for this version.

Fuel economy

Trim	Engine	Transmission	Drive	City	Hwy	Combined	Annual fuel cost
Sequoia two-wheel drive	4.6L, 8-cyl	Automatic (6-speed)	Rear-wheel drive	14	20	16 MPG	$4050
Sequoia two-wheel drive	5.7L, 8-cyl	Automatic (6-speed)	Rear-wheel drive	13	18	15 MPG	$4300
Sequoia four-wheel drive	4.6L, 8-cyl	Automatic (6-speed)	Part-time four-wheel drive	13	18	15 MPG	$4300
Sequoia four-wheel drive	5.7L, 8-cyl	Automatic (6-speed)	Part-time four-wheel drive	13	17	14 MPG	$4650
Sequoia four-wheel drive flex-fuel	5.7L, 8-cyl	Automatic (6-speed)	Part-time four-wheel drive	13	18	15 MPG	$4300

Specs and fitment

2nd generation, 2008–2022

Body styles SUV

Oil SAE 0W-20 (5.7L i-FORCE V8) , 8.5 qt capacity

Tire size P275/65R18 (SR5/TRD Pro), P275/55R20 (TRD Sport/Limited/Platinum/Nightshade)

Towing capacity 7,400 lbs

Known issues for this generation

NHTSA campaign 21V920 covers certain 2008-2022 Sequoia and 2007-2021 Tundra vehicles (about 22,462 units across both nameplates): the power steering gear assembly may have been manufactured incorrectly and can leak oil, which can cause a sudden loss of power steering assist. Dealers inspect and replace the power steering gear assembly as necessary, free of charge. Toyota's numbers for this recall are 21TB10 and 21TA10. Separately, campaign 20V012 covers certain Toyota and Lexus models, including Sequoia, for a low-pressure fuel pump inside the fuel tank that may fail and cause the engine to stall while driving; Toyota expanded the affected population several times after the January 2020 notice.

Compare

Next year 2013 Toyota Sequoia See every Toyota Sequoia model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2012 Toyota Sequoia reliable?

What are common problems with a 2012 Toyota Sequoia?

The complaints owners file most often name Service brakes (6 of 20), then Electrical system (5) and Electronic stability control (ESC) (4). Those filings include 1 that reports an injury.

Is the 2012 Toyota Sequoia more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2013 Sequoia has 12 complaints, 1 per year. The 2012 has more complaints per year than the 2013.

Has the 2012 Toyota Sequoia been recalled?

The 2012 Toyota Sequoia has 4 recalls on file with NHTSA. See the recalls table on this page for dates, components, and remedies.

How many complaints have owners filed about the 2012 Toyota Sequoia?

Owners have filed 20 complaints about the 2012 Toyota Sequoia with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2012 Toyota Sequoia get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2012 Toyota Sequoia is 15 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

What generation is the 2020 Toyota Sequoia?

2nd generation (2008-2022), 5.7L V8.

What generation is the 2024 Toyota Sequoia?

3rd generation (2023-present), i-FORCE MAX hybrid.

What oil does a Toyota Sequoia take?

2nd-gen 5.7L models use SAE 0W-20 (about 8.5 qt with filter); 2023+ i-FORCE MAX hybrids use SAE 0W-20 (about 7.7 qt with filter).

How much can a Toyota Sequoia tow?

Toyota lists up to 7,400 lb on late 2nd-gen 2WD models and up to 9,500 lb on current i-FORCE MAX models; 4WD and trim choice lower the rating—check the door jamb label and owner's manual for your truck.