1996 Lexus LS400 problems

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

PER LEXUS TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN EG002-97, WHICH DOESN'T APPEAR ON THE NHTSA WEBSITE BUT WHICH CAN BE FOUND ONLINE BY CLICKING ON THE LINK FROM POST #77 AT THIS WEB PAGE: HTTP://US.LEXUSOWNERSCLUB.COM/FORUMS/TOPIC/15699-9596-LS400-LOW-IDLE-ENGINE-DIES-AND-JERKING-THRE/PAGE-6 MY '96 LS400 HAS THE SAME ENGINE-STALL-AT-IDLE-AFTER-CONTINUOUS-LONG-DRIVE PROBLEM AS EVERY OTHER EARLY PRODUCTION CAR MADE WITH VINS BEFORE [XXX]. GO ON THE HIGHWAY, DRIVE 50 MILES, EXIT, THE CAR IDLE SPEED DROPS TO WHERE THE CAR STALLS OUT. PUT IT INTO NEUTRAL, TURN THE KEY, IT STARTS RIGHT BACK UP, NO MORE PROBLEM. OR, DRIVE ON THE HIGHWAY, DRIVE 50 MILES, ENCOUNTER STOP-AND-GO TRAFFIC, THE IDLE SPEED DROPS TO WHERE THE CAR STALLS OUT. PUT IT INTO NEUTRAL, TURN THE KEY, IT STARTS RIGHT BACK UP, NO MORE PROBLEM. I GOT TAPPED BY THE CAR BEHIND ME WHEN AT 1 MPH I WAS COMING TO A RED LIGHT EXITING THE FREEWAY AND THE CAR DIED, THE LIGHT TURNED GREEN AND IT TOOK ME A FRANTIC MOMENT TO TRY PUTTING THE CAR INTO NEUTRAL AND RESTARTING IT WHILE STOPPED IN THE MIDDLE OF TRAFFIC. THIS IS A CLEAR SAFETY ISSUE THAT LEXUS CLEARLY KNOWS ABOUT (SEE EG002-97) BUT WHICH THE NHTSA HAS DONE NOTHING ABOUT VIS-A-VIS A RECALL, EVEN THOUGH LEXUS THEMSELVES FIXED THE PROBLEM IN LATER-PRODUCTION '96 LS400S. THE PROBLEM IS IN THE ENGINE CONTROL MODULE SOFTWARE, RESULTING IN A FIX AND A NEW PART # FOR THE ECM, GOING FROM 89661-50302 TO 89661-50303. DOING A GOOGLE SEARCH ONE CAN FIND MANY FORUMS WHERE PEOPLE DESCRIBE HAVING THE PROBLEM AND FIXING IT WITH THE CHANGED ECM. I JUST BOUGHT THE CAR USED AND HAD NO IDEA THIS PROBLEM EXISTED. LEXUS CORPORATE REFUSES TO PAY FOR THE SWAPOUT, SAYING THE WARRANTY PERIOD IS PAST. THE SAME PROBLEM AFFECTED '95 LS400'S -- SEE NHTSA COMPLAINTS 10692841, 10483633, 10438716, 10067491, ETC. NHTSA - HELP, MAKE THEM DO A RECALL & GIVE US THE FIX. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

NHTSA complaint #10836184 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

THE NHTSA WEBSITE FOR REPORTING/DISPLAYING VEHICLE SAFETY PROBLEMS FOR MY 96 LEXUS LS400 (SAFERCAR.GOV) SHOWS THERE WERE ONLY 12 SERVICE BULLETINS, YET IN FACT THERE WERE MANY MANY MORE NOT SHOWN ON THE NHTSA SITE. GOING TO THE SITE WWW.ALLDATADIY.COM/TSB/31/96310210.HTML ONE CAN SEE A COMPLETE LIST OF SERVICE BULLETINS, 108 BY MY COUNT. A SIMILAR DISPARITY IN LISTS APPLIES TO THE NHTSA WEBSITE FOR THE 95 LS400, WHICH ON WWW.ALLDATADIY.COM/TSB/31/95310210.HTML SHOWS 128 SERVICE BULLETINS APPLY, BUT A NHTSA WEBSITE SAFERCAR.GOV SEARCH ONLY SHOWS 12, SAME NUMBER IT SHOWS FOR 96. NOW OBVIOUSLY THE TWO YEARS AREN'T IN REALITY GOING TO HAVE THE EXACT SAME NUMBER OF SERVICE BULLETINS, YET THAT IS WHAT THE NHTSA SITE SHOWS, 12 EACH YEAR, BOTH WAY SHORT OF THE REAL NUMBERS OF 128 AND 108 BULLETINS, RESPECTIVELY, FOR THE 95 AND 96 MODEL YEARS. THIS ISSUE OF INCOMPLETE DATA AT THE NHTSA MAKES IT DIFFICULT TO REFERENCE A PARTICULAR SERVICE BULLETIN WHEN REPORTING A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE WITH A PARTICULAR CAR BECAUSE IT SEEMS THE NHTSA HAS NO KNOWLEDGE OF ALL THE RELEVANT BULLETINS AND SO CANNOT VERIFY THAT THE MANUFACTURER KNOWS ABOUT AND HAS A FIX FOR A PARTICULAR PROBLEM BUT HAS NONETHELESS FAILED TO ELEVATE IT TO THE LEVEL OF A RECALL, LEAVING THE POOR OWNERS TO FEND FOR THEMSELVES IF THEY BRING IN A CAR WITH A PROBLEM AND THE DEALER FAILS TO DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM AS ONE DESCRIBED IN ONE OF THEIR OWN SERVICE BULLETINS. NHTSA NEEDS TO GET ITS DATA-UPDATING PROCESS FIXED SO ALL THE SERVICE BULLETINS FOR A VEHICLE APPEAR ON THEIR OWN SAFERCAR.,GOV SITE, FOR USE BY PEOPLE CREATING COMPLAINTS AS WELL AS BY THE NHTSA INVESTIGATORS THEMSELVES, SO PEOPLE CAN REQUEST THAT NHTSA ELEVATE SERIOUS SAFETY PROBLEMS (LIKE THE ONE IN LEXUS TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN EG002-97, WHERE CARS STALL WHEN IDLING ON THE FREEWAY) TO THE LEVEL OF A RECALL AND NOT JUST A BULLETIN GIVEN TO DEALERS.

NHTSA complaint #10816137 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1996 LEXUS LS400. THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO START THE VEHICLE WHEN THE BATTERY CAUGHT ON FIRE AT THE POSITIVE POST. HE STATED THAT HE WAS ABLE TO EXTINGUISH THE FIRE YET THE VEHICLE WOULD NO LONGER START. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL MECHANIC FOR THE FAILURE WHERE THE MECHANIC ADVISED HIM OF A RECALL UNDER NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 98V016000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM; STARTER ASSEMBLY). HE THEN CALLED THE MANUFACTURER AND WAS ADVISED THAT THE RECALL WORK HAD PREVIOUSLY BEEN PERFORMED ON THE VEHICLE. THE MECHANIC ADVISED HIM THAT THE STARTER, BATTERY AND BATTERY CABLES WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT HE WAS UNABLE TO SHIFT GEARS. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 170,000.

NHTSA complaint #10394168 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

SUDDEN ACCELERATION.

NHTSA complaint #10061846 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

STEERING:HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM

AFTER MAKING A COMPLETE STOP VEHICLE ROLLED FOR ABOUT 4-5 FEET CAUSING A REAREND COLLISION. DEALER COULD NOT DETERMINE THE CAUSE.

NHTSA complaint #845454 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.