List of Air Suspension Problems in the Toyota Sequoia (5+ Expert Tips)

By Vroomouk
Page last updated: 11/08/2023 | Next review date: 11/08/2025
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In this brief article, we are going to discuss the Toyota Sequoia Air suspension problems, what the causes are, and how these issues can be effectively dealt with.

Top 3 Suspension Problems in the Toyota Sequoia Air suspension

The 3 most common Air Suspension Problems in the Toyota Sequoia are:

  • Air Spring Collapse
  • Loss in Ride Height while parked
  • Vehicle Leaning to one side when parked

Is Toyota Sequoia the same as Land Cruiser?

In terms of size, the Sequoia can be considered to be in between the Toyota 4Runner and the premium Toyota Land Cruiser in the North American Toyota SUV range of products. The Sequoia does share the same V8 engine with the Land Cruiser though. Currently, the Sequoia is the biggest SUV that Toyota manufactures.

What suspension does the Toyota Sequoia have?

Front Suspension

The front suspension of the Sequoia is based on the Toyota Tundra, which is a double-wishbone coil spring set-up.

Rear Suspension

Prior to 2008, the First-generation of Toyota Sequoia had a rigid-axle 5-link suspension set-up. It consisted of 4 control-arms, one Panhard rod, coil springs, shock absorber and anti roll bar.

Post 2008, the rear suspension became an independent double-wishbone suspension. 

The Sequoia Platinum model comes with rear Air Suspension that is Height-adjustable and Toyota’s Adaptive Variable Suspension (AVS) Dampers that have ‘Comfort’, ‘Normal’ and ‘Sport’ modes that the driver can select.

What are the common problems with the Toyota Sequoia Suspension?

The most common suspension problems with the Toyota Sequoia  are:

Air Spring Seat Collapse

Symptoms:

  • Sudden Air Spring collapse
  • Inability of the air spring to retain air pressure

Root Cause:

  • At extreme low-temperature weather, the internal top and bottom Bump Stops got stuck to each other
  • Later, when the suspension was jacked, due to the axle hanging under gravity, the Air Spring mounting plate got Ripped out of place
  • This caused a tear in the Air Spring

PRO-TIP:

  • Air Spring Replacement. First attach the top Air Spring mounts
  • Reset the Air Compressor to start the Air Spring inflation
  • Attach the bottom mounts

Loss in Ride Height while parked

Symptoms:

  • Air system seems to be functioning as compressor ir observed to be working
  • Over a matter of days, there is a Gradual reduction in ride height
  • Bump stop often hitting the rear axle even under normal driving conditions

Root Cause:

  • Check for Cracks/Tears or Holes in the Air Spring using Soap water spray bubble test
  • Check for Air-line leakages, using soap water bubble test
  • Check for the Solenoid Valve that distributes LH/RH Airs Spring Pressure

PRO-TIP:

  • Replace all 4 of the Gas Chambers after releasing the hydraulic pressure and bleeding the system. Once fitted, the system will need to be replenished with new Hydraulic Fluid and bleeded to eliminate air bubbles ( similar to brake hydraulics). 

Vehicle Leaning to one side when parked

Symptom:

When viewing your car from the front it would seem like either the left or right side sits a bit taller than the other side. You may verify it visually from the rear as well. Again, verify by measuring the fender bottom from the ground

Root Cause:

  • The Control Arm of the Ride Height sensor has an adjustable slot that is bolted on to the chassis by one M10 nut and bolt.
  • It is possible that this adjustable Bolt might have got displaced probably due to a hard bump that caused the suspension to completely contact the Bump Stops

PRO-TIP:

  • This is a DIY fix since there is only one bolt at each corner that needs to be adjusted.
  • The Height Sensor Bracket has a Calibration adjustment on the Control Arm pivot. It is basically a Nut and Bolt on a vertical Slotted Hole, joining the arm and the bracket.
  • You can move the Control Arm along the slot back and forth and adjust it on both the LH and RH such that you get the same Ride Height

Other articles about Toyota you may be interested in

Is it Easy to Mod a Toyota Corolla?

Toyota Prado Suspension Issues Explained

Toyota Land Cruiser KDSS Suspension Issues Explained

Conclusion

In this brief article we have discussed the Toyota Sequoia Air suspension problems, what the causes are, and how these issues can be effectively dealt with.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): 

 How do I know if my air suspension is bad?

You will know that your air suspension has gone bad by looking out for the following symptoms:

  • Vehicle riding lower than normal
  • Abnormal noises during operation
  • The compressor does not start

Vehicle riding lower than normal

Visually, if the vehicle sits at a lower ride height, it could be that the compressor is worn or is having a problem. Because of this, the compressor may be unable to adequately pressurize the air springs. Due to lower than normal pressure, the vehicle sits and rides lower.

Abnormal noises during operation

While the vehicle runs, if there are any unusual sounds, like loud clicking, whine, or grinding, then it could be an indication of an issue with the air suspension compressor. 

The compressor does not start/ No compressor working sound

While normal driving, if you never hear any sound of the compressor, that you would have normally heard, it could be that the compressor has an issue, or the software has disabled the compressor due to a detected leakage.

Does Toyota Sequoia have air suspension?

 What happens when air suspension fails?

When the air suspension fails one or more of the following could happen:

  • Drastic difference in Ride Quality. It will feel as if there is no suspension, or that the axle bump stops are contacting almost all the time
  • Since the bump stops contact most of the time, there could be Severe impact damage to the body at the bump stop location and damage to the shock absorbers
  • Feeling of lack of vehicle stability or control whilst normal driving. Since the Air suspension failed, it means that the system would have lost all pressure, which means that there is effectively no spring to maintain tire-to-road contact, especially while going over a rough patch of road

When should air suspension be replaced?

The air suspension Air Bellow should last between 50,000 and 70,000 miles, or upto a maximum of 10 years, whichever comes first.