1998 LEXUS LS400 Complaints

THE VEHICLE WAS DAMAGED WITH ALTERED PAPER AND THE REAR PASSENGER PANEL WAS SCRAPED BEHIND THE TIRE. IT APPEARED AS THOUGH THIS DAMAGE WAS PRE-EXISTING. *BF THE DAMAGES OCCURRED WHILE BEING SIPPED FROM FLORIDA TO NEW JERSEY. *SC

DRIVING AT 25 MPH I HEARD A BEEPING SOUND AND THE VSC OFF LIGHT ON THE DASH CAME UP ALONG WITH THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT. I BELIEVE MY VEHICLE THEN WENT INTO FAIL SAFE MODE BECAUSE THE VEHICLE WOULD NO LONGER ALLOW ME TO ACCELERATE WITH GAS PEDAL. HOWEVER VEHICLE WOULD MOVE APPROXIMATELY 12(MPH) ON ITS OWN WHEN I RELEASE CONSTANT PRESSURE FROM THE BRAKE PEDAL. WHEN I PLACED IN NEUTRAL OR PARK POSITION, RPM'S WOULD RISE TO ABOUT 2000(RPM). TURNED OFF POWER TO VEHICLE AND RESTARTED, STILL VEHICLE WOULD ONLY MOVE 12(MPH) ON ITS OWN. AGAIN POWERED DOWN VEHICLE AND RESTARTED THEN TURNED OFF THE VSC BEFORE THE CAR WOULD SCAN FOR TROUBLE AND THIS ACTION RETURNED TO ME CONTROL OVER THE VEHICLE. I NOTICED THE GS300 AND GS400 LEXUS WAS RECALLED APRIL 16, 1998-NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 98V080000. MY QUESTION IS IF THE SAME VSC SYSTEM IS ON THE LS400, I BELIEVE IT SHOULD RECEIVE EQUAL TREATMENT IF PERHAPS THIS PROBLEM IS RELATED IN SOME ODD WAY TO THE YAW RATE SENSOR.*AK

STOPPED AT A RED LIGHT AND THE CAR ACCELERATED TO THE POINT IT WAS SPINNING TIRES. CAR WAS PUT INTO PARK AND THE CAR WAS BROUGHT UNDER CONTROL. *AK

CONSUMER STATES WHILE APPLYING BRAKES SUUDENLY VEHICLE SURGED FORWARD. DEALER NOTIFIED. *AK

WHILE TRYING TO PARK, VEHICLE SUDDENLY SURGED FORWARD AND RAN INTO A STORE BEFORE STOPPING. CONSUMER HAD BRAKES APPLIED. CONTACTED DEALER. *AK JLG

WHILE PARKING VEHICLE AT 5 MPH, AND WITHOUT WARNING, VEHICLE SUDDENLY LUNGED FOWARD, SLAMMING INTO A WALL. VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A BODY SHOP. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK

AT A STOP VEHICLE LURCHED OUT OF CONTROL AND ACCELERATED WITHOUT TOUCHING GAS PEDAL. BRAKES DID NOT STOP VEHICLE, AND REARENDED ANOTHER VEHICLE. DAMAGED HOOD AND GRILL ON VEHICLE. CONTACTED DEALER AND VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED.*AK

DRIVING UNDER NORMAL CONDITIONS, TRACTION CONTROL WARNING BEEPER AND LIGHT WOULD COME ON, CAR WOULD SWERVE AS BRAKES AND ACCELLERATOR WOULD ACTUATE WITHOUT INPUT FROM DRIVER. THIS HAPPENED FOUR TIMES OVER THE PAST YEAR. EACH TIME CAR WAS TAKEN TO DEALERSHIP. THEY SAY THEY CAN'T DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM SO TAKE CAR BACK AND BRING IT IN WHEN IT DOES IT AGAIN. WE HAVE DONE THAT 4 TIMES NOW. PROBLEM DOES NOT GET FIXED. WHILE WE CAN'T PREDICT WHEN IT WILL OCCUR, THE SWERVING WAS MORE PRONOUNCED ON THIS LAST EPISODE AND ALMOST CAUSED VEERING INTO ON-COMING TRAFFIC. THIS CAR IS NOW IN THE DANGEROUS LIVES THREATENING PROBLEM CATEGORY. WHILE EVERYONE AT LEXUS WE HAVE CONTACTED IS POLITE, ETC. THE PROBLEM DOES NOT GET SOLVED AND THEY WANT US TO TAKE THE CAR BACK AND, "BRING IT IN WHEN IT HAPPENS AGAIN." THAT IS NOT A SOLUTION, IT IS A HAND BACK THE PROBLEM TO THE CUSTOMERACTION. WE ARE CONCERNED THAT PROBLEM WILL CAUSE A SERIOUS ACCIDENT, ANT THINK THAT THE MAUFACTURER SHOULD TAKE THE CAR BACK, CHANGE OUT EVERY COMPUTER, SENSOR, AND CHIP RELATED TO ANY SYSTEM THAT COULD ACTUATE THE TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM PHENOMENA WE ARE EXPERIENCING. WE HAVE CONTACTED LEXUS OF US IN TORRANCE, CA. AND THE DEALERSHIP HERE IN MELBOURNE F WE ALSO CONTACTED NHTSA BY PHONE AND SPOKE TO A REP WHO ASSIGNED AN ID# 607064 AND SAID FORMS WOULD BE SENT TO US BY MAIL. WE HAVE NOT YET RECEIVED ANYTHING. THIS IS TO ASK FOR HELP IN GETTING THIS PROBLEM FIXED BEFORE SOMEONE GETS KILLED OR SERIOUSLY INJURED.L.TEM THAT. *AK

AUTOMATIC TRACTION CONTROL LIGHT COMES ON, THERE IS A BEEPING SOUND, AND VEHICLE SWERVES LIKE IT IS GOING INTO A CURVE, USUALLY TO LEFT. PROBLEM WILL OCCUR RANDOMLY OVER 40 MPH, WEATHER CONDITIONS DO NOT PLAY A FACTOR IN DEFECT. *AK CONSUMER STATES WHEN PROBLEM OCCURS, THE ACCELERATOR, BRAKES, AND STEERING ARE ACTUATED WITHOUT ANY INPUT FROM THE DRIVER AND PROBLEM IS NOT WEATHER RELATED, DEALER HAS KEPT VEHICLE LONG PERIODS OF TIME, ONE INSTANCE FOR ALMOST 1 MONTH, ALWAYS COMES BACK AND CAN NOT FIGURE OUT THE PROBLEM, CONSUMER FEELS THE PROBLEM IS RELATED TO COMPUTER OR SENSOR DEFECT. *SLC

THE BRIDGESTONE TIRES ON THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCED TWO FLATS ON BOTH RIGHT REAR AND LEFT REAR WITHIN 4 MONTHS, CONSUMER REPLACED ALL THE BRIDGESTONE TIRES DUE TO PROBLEMS, TIRES WERE REPLACEMENT TIRES NOT ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT. *MJS