Pre-Purchase Inspection Checklist

2022 Toyota Sequoia pre-purchase inspection checklist

What to check before you buy, built from NHTSA recall data, owner-reported failures, and mechanic intel. Print it or bring it to your mechanic.

Pre-purchase inspection · 2022 Toyota Sequoia
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2022 Toyota Sequoia
SR5 / Limited / Platinum / TRD Sport / TRD Pro (2nd gen XK60, 2008–2022 — final V8 model year)
Monitor

The 2022 Sequoia is the last year of a body-on-frame design Toyota sold essentially unchanged since 2008, and the last V8 SUV Toyota ever built. Treat it as a known, mature, thoroughly-documented truck rather than a new one — the opposite of the 2023 redesign that replaced it. The 3UR-FE V8 is durable but has three well-mapped, labour-expensive failure patterns that decide whether a given car is a good buy: cam-tower oil seepage, the buried secondary air-injection system, and — on Limited and Platinum only — the rear load-levelling air suspension. None of these are cheap, and all three are far easier to find before purchase than after. Fuel economy is poor by any modern standard (13–14 mpg combined). There is no Takata inflator campaign on this truck — Toyota’s Sequoia Takata scope is the 2002–2007 first-generation model — so treat any carry-over claim as an error.

Items to check
11
Open recalls
1
NHTSA complaints
85
Top concern
Engine (oil leaks / air injection) / Suspension

Engine — 5.7L 3UR-FE V8

Cam tower oil leak — the signature 3UR-FE failure

High Risk
The factory FIPG sealant between the cam towers and the cylinder heads degrades with heat cycling and weeps oil. It is not a cracked head and it is not urgent, but it is deep in the engine and the bill is almost entirely labour.
With the engine cold, look down the front of each cylinder head and along the valve-cover-to-head seam for wet oil, baked-on residue, or fresh sealant. Check the underside of the engine and the front skid plate for drips. Ask whether it has already been resealed — a documented repair is a plus, not a minus.
Est. cost: $1,200–$3,500 depending on how far the shop goes Source: Independent 3UR-FE repair guidance; owner-community consensus

Secondary air injection system (P2440 / P2442 / P2445)

High Risk
Moisture reaches the air pumps and switching valves, which sit under the intake manifold. They seize, the truck throws a code, and on some cars enters limp mode. The parts are not the problem — the access is.
Scan for stored and pending P244x codes even if no light is on — a seller can clear codes the morning of the viewing. Cold-start the truck and listen for the pump running for roughly 30 seconds; silence on a cold start is a red flag. Ask for records of any pump or valve replacement.
Est. cost: $1,300–$1,500 typical independent; $2,000–$4,000+ at a dealer Source: RepairPal Sequoia air pump estimates; Toyota V8 owner-community data

Exhaust manifold cracking and timing-cover seepage

Monitor
Both are age-and-heat-cycle items on this V8 rather than defects. A cracked manifold sounds like an exhaust tick that fades as the engine warms.
Cold-start and listen for a ticking that quietens after a few minutes. Look for soot staining at the manifold-to-head joint and oil seepage at the front timing cover.
Est. cost: $600–$1,800 per side for a manifold Source: AutoVetting editorial

Water pump and coolant condition

Monitor
A wear item on a 3UR-FE that has usually been done once by this mileage on higher-mile cars.
Check for pink crust or drip trails at the pump weep hole. Confirm Toyota SLLC pink coolant, not a topped-up mix.
Est. cost: $600–$1,000 Source: AutoVetting editorial

Transmission and Driveline

Torque converter shudder (6-speed AB60)

Monitor
A light shudder under gentle throttle at 35–55 mph, most often fluid-related and often fixable with a proper drain-and-fill on the correct Toyota WS fluid.
On the test drive, hold light throttle at 40–50 mph on a flat road and feel for a fine vibration through the floor. Confirm the transmission has had fluid service — "lifetime fill" is a maintenance record, not a fact.
Est. cost: $250–$500 for correct fluid service; far more if ignored Source: AutoVetting editorial

4WD transfer case and front differential (4x4 cars)

Monitor
Many Sequoias never leave pavement and the 4WD system goes unexercised for years.
Engage 4HI and 4LO on a loose surface and confirm both engage and release cleanly with no binding or warning lights. Check the transfer case and front diff for leaks.
Est. cost: Varies Source: AutoVetting editorial

Suspension — Limited and Platinum only

Rear load-levelling air suspension failure

High Risk
Fitted to Limited and Platinum; SR5, TRD Sport and TRD Pro use conventional coils and are not exposed to this. The air springs develop slow leaks, the compressor overworks to compensate, and then the compressor fails too.
Confirm the trim first. Then leave the truck parked overnight if you can, and check the rear has not settled by morning. Listen for the compressor cycling repeatedly at idle, look for an uneven rear ride height, and check for suspension warning lights.
Est. cost: Compressor alone $2,600–$2,700; a full air-spring-and-compressor repair can exceed $2,500. A coil conversion kit is the common long-term fix. Source: RepairPal; Strutmasters Sequoia suspension data

Lower ball joints and steering rack

Monitor
Heavy vehicle, heavy front end. Also relevant: Toyota recalled 2008–2022 Sequoias for a power-steering gear assembly that could have been built incorrectly and leak.
Check for play at the front wheels at 12 and 6 o’clock. Look for fluid weeping at the steering gear. Confirm the power-steering campaign is closed for this specific VIN.
Est. cost: Recall repair is free; ball joints $400–$900 Source: NHTSA; AutoVetting editorial

Body and Underbody

Frame and underbody corrosion (salt-belt cars)

Monitor
A 2022 car is young, but this platform dates to 2008 and salt-belt examples of the family have a corrosion history. Judge the individual truck, not the badge.
Get under it with a flashlight. Inspect the frame rails, rear spring hangers, brake and fuel lines. Scaling flake, as opposed to light surface rust, is a walk-away.
Est. cost: Varies; severe frame corrosion is not economically repairable Source: AutoVetting editorial

Rear hatch glass and power-fold third row

Low Risk
The roll-down rear window and the power third-row seat are convenience features that are annoying and not cheap to fix once broken.
Cycle the rear window down and up, and fold and raise the third row electrically through a full cycle.
Est. cost: $300–$900 Source: AutoVetting editorial

Documentation

Open recall check and service history

High Risk — Check VIN
A 2022 Sequoia falls inside the 2008–2022 power-steering gear campaign, and campaign scopes are added over time.
Run the exact VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls on the day you view the car — not the model year, the VIN. Request full service records; on this engine, evidence of the cam tower and air-injection work being done is worth real money.
Est. cost: Recall repairs are free at any Toyota dealer Source: NHTSA

What the VIN tells you

Toyota encodes the engine in the 5th VIN digit on this generation, not the 8th — the 8th digit is Line & Make (per Toyota’s Part 565 filing, NHTSA MID doc K6-00). ‘Y’ = the 5.7L 3UR-FE V8, 381 hp, and on a 2022 Sequoia that is the only engine there is: every 2022 car is the naturally-aspirated V8 with the 6-speed automatic. The 4th digit is the one worth reading here — it carries body/grade and, critically, 2WD vs 4WD. If a listing for a 2022 Sequoia advertises a twin-turbo V6 or an i-FORCE MAX hybrid, the listing is wrong about the model year. The 3rd-generation XK70 Sequoia (3.4L V35A-FTS hybrid) starts at the 2023 model year; NHTSA campaign scopes confirm this — Tundra campaigns on the new platform run 2022–2025 while the matching Sequoia scopes run 2023–2025. Decode the full VIN at autovetting.com/decode before you agree a price, because a 2023 commands a large premium over a 2022 and the two share no powertrain parts.
After you buy: common DIY repair guides
Planning the upkeep this car will need? Our step-by-step guides cover oil changes, brake pads & rotors, battery replacement, transmission fluid, coolant flushes, and spark plugs — each with the tools, parts, torque specs, and common mistakes that matter. Browse all repair guides →

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