2001 LEXUS LS430 Complaints

THIS IS AN ADDITIONAL COMMENT TO MY INITIAL COMPLAINT # 10181946 WHICH IS BASICALLY THE SAME COMPLAINT AS # 10178801. I HAVE POSTED MY COMPLAINT ON EDMUNDS CHAT ROOM AND GOT THIS RESPONSE: "I HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM WITH MY 2001 LS 430 TRUNK STRUTS. I HAVE CALLED AND VISITED 5 DIFFERENT AUTO PARTS STORES AND THE STRUTS ARE ONLY AVAILABLE THROUGH THE DEALER. THE TRUNK LID HAS FELL ON MY HEAD NUMEROUS TIMES. IT IS INDEED A SAFETY ISSUE AND NOT OF LEXUS QUALITY. THE TRUNK STRUTS/SHOCKS ARE LABELED AS "1FE28 W676". LET ME KNOW IF YOU HAVE FOUND ANY AFTERMARKET ALTERNATIVES. I DO NOT WANT TO BUY NEW ONES FROM LEXUS IF THEY ARE ONLY GOING TO FAIL AGAIN IN A SHORT TIME. IF YOU ARE EXPERIENCING THE SAME PROBLEM W/THE TRUNK STRUTS/SHOCKS, I WANT TO ENCOURAGE OTHERS TO RESPOND TO THE MESSAGE POSTED BY "SLEXY1" (MSG. #8044)OR THIS MESSAGE, TO VOICE YOUR CONCERNS TO YOUR LOCAL LEXUS DEALER, AND FINALLY TO CONTACT LEXUS BY THE 800 NUMBER FOR CUSTOMER CARE. MAYBE WE CAN GET SOME POSITIVE RESPONSES IF WE ALL COMPLAIN TOGETHER. THANKS! MATTHEW MANNING RXSTUDENTSBCGLOBAL.NET " PLEASE KNOW THIS NEW INFORMATION THAT I FOUND OUT FROM MY LOCAL LEXUS DEALER. I BASICALLY FOUND OUT FROM THE DEALER I BOUGHT THE CAR AT IN 10/00 THAT THE PART NUMBER FOR THOSE TRUNK STRUTS WAS CHANGED FROM ENDING IN "30" TO "31" SOMETIME AFTER 2001. LEXUS KEEPS THE REASONS FOR THESE CHANGES A SECRET EVEN FROM THEIR DEALERS, SO I COULD NOT FIND OUT "WHY" FOR THE CHANGE. BUT, I'M REQUESTING THAT LEXUS CORPORATE ALLOW MY DEALER TO INSTALL THE "31" TRUNK STRUTS, AS I'M FAIRLY SURE THAT THE NEW ONES HAVE BEEN "BEEFED UP". *JB

MY WIFE, WHO IS GETTING OVER BREAST CANCER, HAS BEEN HIT IN THE HEAD MANY TIMES, AS I HAVE, BY THE 2001 LS 430 TRUNK LID COMING DOWN DUE TO MODERATE WINDS AND JUST PUTTING GROCERIES IN THE TRUNK. I SAID THAT AT LEAST THREE DEALER SERVICE MANAGERS HAVE TOLD ME THAT THE SHOCKS THAT ARE SUPPOSED TO HOLD UP THE TRUNK ARE UNDER ENGINEERED, AND NOT SUBSTANTIAL ENOUGH TO HOLD UP THE TRUNK LID. THIS CONDITION GETS WORSE OVER TIME, BUT I DID COMPLAIN ABOUT IT TO SEWELL LEXUS OF FORT WORTH MANY YEARS AGO. IT WAS NEVER WRITTEN UP AS I WAS TOLD THAT THE ONLY THING THAT COULD BE DONE WAS TO REPLACE THOSE SHOCKS WITH THE EXACT SAME SHOCKS. THAT WAS UNSATISFACTORY TO ME AT THE TIME, IT STILL IS, AND I WAS NEVER TOLD TO CALL THE LEXUS 800 NUMBER UNTIL KEVIN (SERVICE MGR. AT LEXUS OF EL CAJON, CA.) SUGGESTED THAT I AT LEAST TRY. THIS IS THE SAME PROBLEM EXPLAINED IN COMPLAINT NUMBER 10178801 BY "JB". I HOPE SOMEONE AT LEXUS HAS IMPROVED STRUTS MADE FOR THIS TRUNK LID AND NOTIFIES ME TO HAVE THEM INSTALLED WITH A RECALL NOTICE FOR ALL 2001 LS 430 OWNERS. *NM

I HAD OPENED THE TRUNK ON MY LEXUS SL-430 TO PLACE SOME PERSONAL ITEMS FOR TRANSPORT. I WAS LEANING DOWN WHEN SUDDENLY THE TRUNK LID CAME CRASHING DOWN WITH THE CORNER OF THE TRUNK STRIKING ME IN THE AREA AROUND THE EYE AND THE UPPER CHEEK BONE. THE INJURY RESULTED IN BRUISING AND SWELLING AROUND THE EYE AND HAS RESULTED IN CONTINUING PAIN, SWELLING AND DISCOMFORT IN THE EYE, EAR AND CHEEK BONE. AFTER THE INCIDENT THE TRUNK WAS INSPECTED BY ME AND OTHER COMPANY PERSONNEL AND IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT THE HYDRAULIC TRUNK STRUTS NECESSARY FOR THE SAFE OPERATION OF THE TRUNK HAD BOTH FAILED. I HAVE SINCE HAD THE TRUNK STRUTS REPLACED. *JB

CD PLAYER, NOT IN WORKING ORDER, DOESN'T EJECT OR LET CONSUMER PUT IN CD'S. NOT USABLE, CD PLAYER SHOULD BE REPLACED BY MANUFACTURER. *JB

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE BACKING OUT OF A PARKING SPACE, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY LURCHED BACKWARDS WHILE BRAKE PRESSURE WAS APPLIED. THE ENGINE ROARED LOUDLY. THE VEHICLE WAS PLACED IN PARK AND LURCHED FORWARD 5 FEET STRIKING A CONCRETE PILLAR. A BYSTANDER INTERVENED AND TURNED OFF THE IGNITION. ALTHOUGH THERE WAS A CRASH, THE POLICE WERE NOT CONTACTED. THE PASSENGER SUSTAINED MINOR INJURIES AFTER STRIKING THE DASH. BOTH OCCUPANTS OF THE VEHICLE WERE WEARING SEAT BELTS. THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN TO A DEALER TO AWAIT INSPECTION BY A MANUFACTURER REPRESENTATIVE. *JB

DT: THE BRAKES DID NOT WORK PROPERLY. THE BRAKES WERE SOFT AND MUSHY. IT WAS LIKE PUSHING ON A PILLOW. IT WAS HARD TO JUDGE IF THEY WERE GOING TO WORK. TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER, AND SAID EVERYTHING WAS NORMAL. HAVE ANOTHER LEXUS AND IT DID NOT DO THIS. STARTED NOTICING THIS ON MARCH 30, 2005. REAR ENDED ANOTHER VEHICLE. *AK

CONSUMER CONCERNED THAT THE LEXUS MAY HAVE MISREPRESENTED THE EMERGENCY FUNCTION OF LEXUS LINK COMMUNICATION SYSTEM. *BF THE LEXUS LINK SYSTEM WOULD NOT WORK IN SOME OF THE AREAS THE CONSUMER VISITED. ON ONE OCCASION THE CONSUMER PICKED UP THE PHONE AND WAS INTERCEPTED BY A COMPUTER VOICE WHICH SAID THAT HE COULD RECEIVE SERVICE IF HE MADE A CREDIT CARD PAYMENT. THE PHONE HAD NO KEYPAD THEREFORE THE CONSUMER COULD NOT RESPOND. *NM

THIS CAR HAS A "DRIVE-BY-WIRE" THROTTLE CONTROL SYSTEM IN WHICH THE THROTTLE IS NOT DIRECTLY CONNECTED TO THE ENGINE BUT IS DIGITIZED AND SENT TO A COMPUTER FOR ANALYSIS PRIOR TO CONTROLLING THE ENGINE SPEED. THE SPEED CONTROL COMPUTER ANALIZES THE THROTTLE INPUT OVER TIME AND "LEARNS" THE DRIVERS THROTTLE CONTROL HABITS AND ADJUSTS THE ENGINE RESPONSE TO THROTTLE INPUT BASED ON THE LONG-TERM DRIVING HISTORY OF THE DRIVER. IF THE DRIVER DRIVES AGGRESSIVELY ALL OF THE TIME THEN THE THROTTLE RESPONSE IS GOOD. HOWEVER IF THE DRIVER DRIVES CONSERVITIVELY MOST OF THE TIME THEN THE THROTTLE RESPONSE IS POOR. I NORMALLY DRIVE CONSERVATIVELY AND I HAVE FOUND ON MANY OCCASIONS THAT THIS CAR DOES NOT RESPOND IN A TIMELY MANNER IN CASE OF EMERGENCY ACCELLERATION. THAT IS, WHEN I DRIVE CONSERVATIVELY AND THEN NEED TO ACCELLERATE QUICKLY TO AVOID ANOTHER VEHICLE, THIS CAR HESITATES FOR SEVERAL SECONDS BEFORE DECIDING TO SPEED UP, EVEN WHEN I STOMP ON THE ACCELLERATOR. I DO NOT FEEL SAFE IN THIS CAR. I BELIEVE THAT THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY FLAW IN THE DESIGN OF THIS CAR. I HAVE REPORTED THIS PROBLEM TO MY LEXUS DEALER ON EVERY VISIT TO THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT SINCE I PURCHASED THE CAR NEW IN 2000, YET THEY HAVE FAILED TO ADDRESS THE PROBLEM. I WAS TOLD BY THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT THAT LEXUS WAS AWARE OF THE ISSUE AS SEVERAL CUSTOMERS HAVE COMPLAINED ABOUT THE PROBLEM. ON ONE OCCASION I WAS TOLD THAT THE ENGINEERS HAD AN EXPERIMENTAL FIRMWARE UPGRADE THAT THEY WERE TESTING WITH SOME CUSTOMERS. I HAVE CONTACTED LEXUS CUSTOMER SERVICE, BUT THEY JUST REFERRED ME BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP.*AK

INTERMITTENTLY VEHICLE WOULD NOT START. THIS WAS CAUSED BY AN ELECTRICAL SYSTEM FAILURE THAT PREMATURELY SHORTED OUT THE BATTERY .*AK *NLM

RADIO DEAD ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS NAVAGATION SYSTEM PROBLEMS--IN SERVICE 5 OR 6 TIMES ALREADY NAVAGATION MAP OUT OF DATE PLEASE HAVE DENNY CLEMENTS COTACT ME. *JB