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2004 TOYOTA SEQUOIA — EXTERIOR LIGHTING:BRAKE LIGHTS

crash · 541193 · 2005-06-24

Vehicle

Make
TOYOTA
Model
SEQUOIA
Year
2004
Manufacturer
Toyota Motor Corporation
Component
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:BRAKE LIGHTS
Miles at failure
24,500

Severity

Deaths
0
Injured
0
Fire
No
Crash
Yes
Police report
Yes
Medical attention
No
Vehicle towed
No

Narrative

WE HAVE HAD 2 REAR END COLLISIONS IN OUR 2004 TOYOTA SEQUOIA IN LESS THAN 10 MONTHS OF OWNERSHIP. WE HAVE NEVER HAD A REAR END COLLISION IN 12 YEARS OF DRIVING OTHER MODEL SUVS, AND 20+ YEARS OF DRIVING ALL TYPES OF VEHICLES. I BELIEVE THERE IS A SAFETY DESIGN FLAW IN THE REAR BRAKE LIGHTS OF THE SEQUOIA. THE LARGE RED LIGHTS ON THE RIGHT AND LEFT SIDE OF THE TAILGATE DO NOT FUNCTION AS BRAKE LIGHTS. THEY ONLY LIGHT UP WHEN THE HEADLAMPS ARE ILLUMINATED. THEREFORE, THE LARGEST RED LIGHT SURFACE AREA ON THE BACK OF THE CAR DOES NOT ILLUMINATE WHEN BRAKES ARE APPLIED. I BELIEVE THIS LEADS DRIVERS TO MISS THE FACT THAT THE BRAKES HAVE BEEN APPLIED. THE ONLY DRIVER EYE-LEVEL BRAKE LIGHTS ARE ON THE SIDE PANELS AND THE HIGH-MOUNT LIGHT OVER THE TAILGATE, WHICH IS FAIRLY SMALL. THE PROPORTIONAL SIZE OF THE SIDE EYE-LEVEL BRAKE LIGHTS IS SIGNIFICANTLY SMALLER THAN THE RED LENSES ON THE TAILGATE. WE REQUEST THAT NHTSA LOOK INTO THIS MATTER, BECAUSE THE DESIGN DEFIES COMMON SENSE AND WE BELIEVE HAS LED TO TWO REAR-END COLLISIONS IN LESS THAN A YEAR. WE ARE SERIOUSLY CONSIDERING SELLING THIS VEHICLE BECAUSE I HAVE LOST CONFIDENCE THAT IT IS SAFE FOR MY FAMILY.

Source

Authoritative
NHTSA ODI Flat-File Downloads
ODI Number
10126537
Machine
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