2002 LEXUS ES Complaints

ON JUNE 15, 2009 WE WERE DRIVING HOME AND MY HUSBAND FELT THE CAR ALMOST STALLED. THEN WE SMELLED GASOLINE AND SAW SMOKE COMING FROM THE BOTTOM RIGHT UNDER THE ENGINE. WE EXITED THE CAR AND IT WAS ALREADY ON FIRE. THE CAR BURST INTO FLAMES AND WAS COMPLETELY DESTROYED. IT WAS A 2002 LEXUS 300ES WITH ONLY 44,000 MILES. TOYOTA HAS BEEN EXTREMELY RUDE TO US AND TOOK ALMOST A MONTH TO INSPECT THE CAR. THEY SAY THEY CANNOT DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE FIRE. HOW CAN A CAR START ON FIRE WHILE YOU ARE DRIVING IT OVER STRAIGHT ROADS.? WE NEVER HAD AN ACCIDENT OR ANY OTHER PROBLEM. I READ OF A COUPLE OF OTHER LEXUSES THAT CAUGHT FIRE. SOMETHING SHOULD BE DONE TO MAKE TOYOTA FULLY EXAMINE THIS PROBLEM. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 LEXUS ES300. WHILE DRIVING 25 MPH, THE VEHICLE HESITATED AND THE CONTACT SMELLED FUEL. HE PULLED THE VEHICLE OVER AND NOTICED SMOKED UNDER THE HOOD. IN A MATTER OF SECONDS, FLAMES APPEARED. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED. THE PALM BEACH COUNTY POLICE DEPARTMENT FILED REPORT NUMBER 09-092367 AND FIRE REPORT NUMBER 09-50737. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE MANUFACTURER WILL BE NOTIFIED. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 44,000.

THE INSTRUMENTS CANNOT BE SEEN IF THERE IS ANY LIGHT COMING INTO THE CAR. THE RED POINTERS CANNOT BE SEEN. THIS HAS BEEN A PROBLEM SINCE I BOUGHT THE CAR. I SEE THAT IT HAS BEEN KNOWN SINCE 2002 BUT NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE TO FIX IT. I WONDER JUST WHY?? I DON'T LIKE NOT BEING ABLE TO KNOW JUST HOW FAST I AM GOING, FUEL QUANTITY ETC!! *TR

I RECENTLY PURCHASED A 2002 LEXUS ES 300 AND NOT MUCH TO COMPLAIN ABOUT THE INSIDE ETC. THE ACCELERATION AND THROTTLE THOUGH ARE A MAJOR PROBLEM. I ALMOST GOT INTO A CAR ACCIDENT GETTING ONTO 95 TRYING TO PASS A SEMI BECAUSE THE ACCELERATOR " PAUSES" WHEN I STEP ON THE GAS PEDAL. AFTER THE PAUSE IT STARTS TO ACCELERATE SO I BARELY MADE IT WITHOUT HITTING THE SEMI. THIS REALLY CONCERNS ME AND WANT LEXUS TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. ITS JUST PLAIN UNSAFE. *TR

LEXUS 2002 ES 300 82,000 MILES TRANSMISSION WENT COMPLETELY OUT WITH NO WARNING AND WAS SERVICED ON 02/28/2007 WITH 58995 MILES AS AN OIL CHANGE ATTENDANT NOTIFIED MY THAT MY TRANSMISSION FLUID LOOKED COMPLETELY WORN OUT. MY STARTER WAS REPLACED BY LEXUS OF TULSA ON 01/29/2008 THE SERVICE MANAGER SAID HE HAD NEVER SEEN ONE COMPLETELY WORN OUT AS THIS WITH SO FEW MILES. I WONDER IF I HAVE A LEMON. LEXUS OF TULSA HAS QUOTED A TRANSMISSION REPLACEMENT OF 4200-4600 DOLLARS THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE. MY WIFE AND I HAVE A NEW BABY AT HOME AND THIS IS OUR ONLY CAR THAT THE BABY'S CAR SEAT CAN TRAVEL IN. WE NEED HELP. *TR

MY 2002 ES 300 HAS HEADLIGHT SENSORS WHICH MAKE IT GO UP AND DOWN DEPENDING ON WHAT ANGLE THE CAR IS PARKED/MOVING AT. SO GOING DOWNHILL, IT SHOULD DIP DOWN TO AVOID ONCOMING TRAFFIC FROM GLARE AND GOING UPHILL, IT SHOULD MAKE THE LIGHT GO FARTHER. SOMEHOW THE SENSOR (OR SOMETHING ELSE) GOT FAULTY. LEXUS DEALERSHIP MADE ME DRIVE AT LEAST 5000 MILES (I USED TO LIVE IN FARGO, ND AND THE NEAREST DEALERSHIP WITH 225+ MILES ONE WAY) BEFORE THEY COULD ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THERE WAS SOMETHING WRONG WITH THE LIGHTS. I HAD TO MAKE A VIDEO AT NIGHT (AS THEY DENIED TEST DRIVING AT NIGHT) TO SHOW THEM MY SAFETY CONCERNS ABOUT THE HEADLIGHTS. THE DISTANCE I COULD SEE WAS VERY SMALL AND IT GOT DANGEROUS AT NIGHT TIME, UNLESS I TURNED MY HIGH BEAM ON. LEXUS ACKNOWLEDGED THE PROBLEM, KEPT MY CAR FOR ONE MONTH, DROVE IT FOR APPROXIMATELY 3000 MILES. ENGINEERS FROM CHICAGO AND LA CAME (I WAS TOLD) AND THE ANSWER WAS: WE COULD NOT FIND WHAT EXACTLY IS CAUSING THIS, BUT THERE IS SOME MAGNETIC FIELD AROUND THE WIRE TO THE SENSOR WHICH DISRUPTS THE FUNCTIONING OF THE SENSOR. WE HAVE PUT THE SHIELDED WIRE AROUND THE WIRE AND IT SHOULD NOT HAPPEN AGAIN. I HAD NOT BEEN DRIVING THIS CAR MUCH SINCE THEN AT NIGHT TIME DUE TO SAFETY CONCERNS, TILL I MOVED TO ALBUQUERQUE. THE TERRAIN HERE IS HILLY AND I DON'T SEE THE LIGHTS TO DIP DOWN OR GO FARTHER WHILE GOING DOWNHILL AND UPHILL RESPECTIVELY. WHILE MAKING TURNS AROUND CANYONS AND CLIFFS , GOING UPHILL, IT BECOMES DANGEROUS AS YOU CAN' SEE MORE THAN 30-40 FEET (OR LESS) ON A FREEWAY WHICH IS NOT A SAFE BRAKING DISTANCE AT 65-70 MILES/HR AND IF YOU TURN THE HIGH BEAM ON IT'S NOT SAFE FOR THE ONCOMING TRAFFIC. I URGE THAT NHTSA INVESTIGATE THIS ISSUE AND I AM WILLING TO PROVIDE MY CAR FOR DRIVING UP TO 300-400 MILES. EVEN THOUGH I HAVE PUT AUG 22ND 2003 AS THE INCIDENT DATE, THAT IS MY PURCHASE DATE FROM MY UNCLE (THE ORIGINAL OWNER) AND IT HAPPENS . EVERYTIME I DRIVE. THANKS FOR YOUR TIME IN THIS MATTER. *TR

CAR ACCELERATES WHEN NOT APPROPRIATE AND SHIFTS VERY POORLY ESPECIALLY WHEN THE AIR CONDITIONING IS ON. SEEMS TO BE STUCK IN GEAR WHEN TRYING TO ACCELERATE TO PASS ANOTHER VEHICLE. HESITATION. BUCKS AND SHIFTS REALLY HARD INTERMITTENTLY. *JB

CARS PULLS TO THE LEFT WHEN ON FREEWAY. LEXUS DEALER WHERE I BOUGHT CAR HAS DETERMINED THAT BECAUSE I'M OVER WEIGHT IT PULLS TO THE LEFT. THEY DETERMINED THAT ALMOST 2 YEARS AFTER I BOUGHT THE CAR. EVERY TIME I BROUGHT IT IN THEY SAID NOTHING IS WRONG. THE TOLD ME THE CASTER WAS OFF AND WAS GOING TO FIX IT THEN THEY SAID THE CASTER WAS FINE AND IT WAS ME BEING OVER WEIGHT I'M ABOUT 350LBS. MY CAR STILL PULLS TO THE LEFT AND THEY MISALIGNED MY CAR TELLING ME IT WAS GOING TO FIX IT. LEFT IS AT 1.8 RIGHT IS AT 1.5. *TR

ON MANY OCCASIONS THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT HAS COME ON IN MY 2002 LEXUS ES300. I INFORMED THE DEALER AND WAS INSTRUCTED TO UNSCREW THE GAS CAP AND RE-SCREW IT AND THE LIGHT WOULD GO OFF. IT DID NOT SOLVE THE PROBLEM. THE DEALER WANTS TO CHARGE ME TO REPLACE AN OXYGEN SENSOR AFTER THE DEALERS INSPECTION AND FINDING A DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODE. THE CAR HAD THE PROBLEM WHEN IT WAS UNDER WARRANTY AND I WAS NOT INFORMED THAT IT WOULD BE A COSTLY PROBLEM LATER. *JB

THE BRAKES WILL FADE/RELEASE AFTER BEING STOPPED FOR 1-2 MINUTES WITH THE FOOT ON THE BRAKE PEDAL. IT APPEARS THAT THIS HAPPENS AS THE ENGINE RPM DECREASES ABOUT 100-200 AND THE BRAKE PRESSURE EBBS. THE CAR WILL SOMETIMES MOVE FORWARD ABOUT 1-2 FEET BEFORE IT STOPS AGAIN. *NM