2000 Lexus LX470 problems

ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)

VEHICLE LOCKS UP ON RIGHT HAND CURVES OVER 30 MPH CAUSING VEHICLE TO SLIDE INTO OTHER LANES. VERY DANGEROUS CONDITION WHICH INTERMITTENT AND UNPREDICTABLE. SIMILAR PROBLEMS WITH SAME MAKE, MODEL AND YEAR ACROSS THE WEB.

NHTSA complaint #11182396 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

SUSPENSION

DRIVERS SIDE FRONT SWAY BAR MOUNT ON FRAME BREAKS FREE DUE TO CORROSION FROM A/C CONDENSING WATER DRAIN ABOVE,

NHTSA complaint #11072803 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)

SEVERAL TIMES NOW THE VSC (ELECTRONIC VEHICLE STABILITY CONTROL) ENGAGES AT VERY INAPPROPRIATE TIMES NEARLY RESULTING IN A COLLISION OR BEING PULLED OFF THE ROAD. IT HAPPENED ON HIGHWAYS, IN CLEAR WEATHER, AND ALMOST ALWAYS ON A VERY SLIGHT TURN. THE SPEED HAS VARIED BETWEEN 45 - 65 WHEN THIS OCCURRED. I WANT TO STRESS THAT THIS WAS IN 70 DEGREE WEATHER. NO RAIN. NO SNOW. NO ICE. THERE WAS ZERO TRACTION SLIPPAGE THAT COULD HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO THIS ENGAGING. THE VEHICLE NEARLY STOPS AND WE HAVE BEEN FORTUNATE TO NOT BE REAR ENDED BY SEMI-TRUCKS ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS. THERE IS A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS HAPPENING FROM LEXUS LX470 OWNERS, BUT WITH VERY LITTLE SUCCESS IN IDENTIFYING AND FIXING THE PROBLEM FROM LEXUS DEALERSHIPS AND CORPORATE. PLEASE INVESTIGATE THIS AND REQUIRE A MANDATORY RECALL FROM LEXUS BEFORE SOMEONE IS KILLED.

NHTSA complaint #10918638 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

STRUCTURE:BODY

PAINT DEFECT ON 1999 AND 2000 LEXUS LX 470. EXCEEDINGLY BAD FADING PAINT ON MANY PANELS OF THE CAR.

NHTSA complaint #10905095 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)

THE ABOVE VIN IS FOR A VEHICLE THAT I OWN BUT HAVE OWNED FOR ONLY A COUPLE OF WEEKS. IT HAS NOT EXPERIENCED ANY SAFETY ISSUES OVER THE SHORT PERIOD THAT I HAVE OWNED IT. SINCE I PURCHASED THE CAR I HAVE BECOME AWARE THAT SIMILAR 2000 AND 2001 MODEL YEARS LX470S HAVE EXPERIENCED VEHICLE STABILITY CONTROL (VSC) PROBLEMS THAT SEEM TO REPRESENT A SAFETY CONCERN. I HAVE SUBMITTED A COPY OF A THREAD ON A LEXUS OWNER FORUM THAT DESCRIBES THE ISSUE - WHICH IS OFTEN DESCRIBED AS TERRIFYING, OR WORDS TO THAT EFFECT, BY THOSE THAT HAVE EXPERIENCED IT. THIS LX470 PROBLEM DESCRIBED SEEMS TO BE VERY SIMILAR TO THE VEHICLE STABILITY CONTROL PROBLEMS THAT HAVE BEEN EXPERIENCED ON THE 2001 AND 2002 TOYOTA SEQUOIA - FOR WHICH I UNDERSTAND THE NHTSA HAS OPENED AN INVESTIGATION. IT IS MY UNDERSTANDING THAT THE TWO TOYOTA STABILITY CONTROL SYSTEMS ARE VERY SIMILAR, AND OF COURSE THE TIMEFRAMES ARE VERY SIMILAR. (THE 2000 MODEL YEAR WAS THE FIRST YEAR OF VSC ON THE LX470. 2001 WAS THE FIRST MODEL YEAR FOR THE SEQUOIA.) I AM MAKING THIS SUBMISSION ONLY TO MAKE THE NHTSA AWARE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF INTERRELATION BETWEEN THE SEQUOIA AND LX470 PROBLEMS.

NHTSA complaint #10875445 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)

I OWN A LX470 2000 WITH ABOUT 148,000 MILES. OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF MONTHS, I HAVE EXPERIENCED 8 DIFFERENT TIMES WITH THE TRACTION CONTROL PROBLEMS AS DESCRIBING HERE. I WAS TRAVELING AT 65MPH ON A STRAIGHT DRY ROAD MY VSC WARNING LIGHT AND AUDIBLE ALARM CAME ON AND VEHICLE BEGAN SWERVING VIOLENTLY BACK AND FORTH APPARENTLY DUE TO LEFT AND RIGHT BRAKES ENGAGING ALTERNATELY. HAPPENED A FEW MORE TIMES WHILE DRIVING AT 35-40 MPH. EVERY SINGLE OCCURRENCE, THE SYSTEM ENGAGED RANDOMLY WITHOUT WARNING AND THE STEERING WHEEL PULLED TO THE RIGHT AND UNABLE TO CONTROL THE VEHICLE UNTIL THE SPEED DROPPED TO ABOUT 20MPH. THE DURATION OF EACH OCCURRENCE HAS BEEN FROM A COUPLE SECONDS TO 10 SECONDS. THIS HAS CAUSED A LOT OF SAFETY CONCERNS AND FRUSTRATIONS BECAUSE THE DEALERSHIP AND INDEPENDENT MECHANICS DON'T HAVE A CLUE HOW TO FIX IT. PLEASE HELP IN IDENTIFYING THE FAULTY COMPONENT(S).

NHTSA complaint #10790085 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:ALTERNATOR/GENERATOR/REGULATOR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 LEXUS LX470. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 60 MPH, THE TRACTION CONTROL WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND THE STEERING WHEEL WOULD VEER TO THE LEFT AND RIGHT. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER, WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE ALTERNATOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED BUT THE FAILURE PERSISTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 203,000.

NHTSA complaint #10652166 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS

VEHICLE TAKEN IN FOR AIR CONDITIONER PROBLEM. INFORMED BY DEALER THERE WAS SEVERE RUST ON FRAME AND UNDERCARRIAGE COMPONENTS.

NHTSA complaint #10416686 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

TIRES

BOUGH A SET OF GOODYEAR FORTERA, P275X70R16 IN 2004. HAD A FLAT TIRE ABOUT 2 WEEKS AGO. WENT TO THE GOODYEAR TORE TO HAVE IT FIXED. NOTE....VERY EASY DRIVER AND DRIVE LIKE GRANDPA. HAVE 1/2 TREAD STILL LEFT. TIRES ARE NOT ROTTING...CAR GARAGED. GOODYEAR SERVICE MAN FOUND SEVERAL LARGE CRACKS AT THE TIRE....HE TOLD ME THAT HE HAD NEVER SEEN THIS BEFORE. HAVE A ROAD HAZARD WARRANTY. WHEN HE CALLED GOODYEAR, THEY WANTED HIM TO RETURN THE TIRE DIRECTLY. THEY WERE CONCERNED ABOUT THIS UNIQUE DEFECT. I KNOW THERE IS ANOTHER TIRE ON THE CAR WITH THE SAME CONDITION. I DID NOT BUY ANY TIRES FROM GOODYEAR. I REFUSED TO GIVE THE TIRE BACK TO THE MANUFACTURER AS THEY COULD HIDE A SAFETY DEFECT. NOW SCARED TO TAKE CAR ON FREEWAY. THEN TOOK IT TO DISCOUNT TIRE HERE IN HOUSTON TX.. THEY CHECKED OUT THE TIRE;AND TOLD ME THE TIRE COULD NOT BE FIXED AND WAS UNSAFE TO RIDE ON. DUE TO THE CRACKS IN THE TREAD. I'VE NEVER HAD ANY TIRE DO THIS TO ME AND I'M 62/YR. HAVE HAD PLENTY OF TIRES IN MY LIFE. I OFFER THE TIRE TO NHTSA AS I'M SURE YOU WOULD WANT TO SEE THE ACTUAL DEFECT. OH, I HAVE WRITTEN YOU RECENTLY ABOUT RUNAWAY ACCELERATION WITH A TOYOTA EARLIER IN THE DECADE. TOYOTA MUST BE DISTORTING THE RECENT NEWS ABOUT LACK OF FINDING ABOUT THE ISSUE. DON'T TRUST THOSE PEOPLE. I WAS REAL AND HAD TO REPLACE THE CAR. DANGEROUS IN CITY TRAFFIC....NEVER HAD THE PROBLEM ON THE ROAD...ONLY CITY DRIVING. NAME IS [XXX] . IMPORTANT.....MENTALLY DISABLED AND ON SSDI. UNDER THE TERMS OF THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT AS AMENDED ON 1/1/2009.....PLEASE RESPOND BY PHONE OR WRITTEN LETTER. READING SKILLS ARE VERY POOR THESE DAYS. WOULD LIKE A PROMPT REPLY WITHIN 30 DAYS PLUS. I AM GUARANTEED A QUICK REPLY ACCORDING TO THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE IN WASHINGTON DC. ANY QUESTIONS...CHECK WITH THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT, ADA SECTION IN DC. PHONE NUMBERS ARE [XXX] THANK YOU [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

NHTSA complaint #10344861 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

1. ACCELERATING ONTO CITY STREET 2. THE FAILURE - THE LOWER PORTION OF THE GAS PEDAL BECAME STUCK UNDER THE FLOOR MAT. IT HAPPENED TO ME TWICE. AFTER FIGURING OUT WHAT HAPPENED, AS I WAS ACCELERATING, I BENT DOWN AND MOVED THE FLOOR MAT. SCARY, STARTED TO PANIC, AS I COULDN'T BRAKE TO STOP, ACCELERATING AT HIGHER SPEEDS, NOT SAFE TO GET TO THE FLOOR MAT AND READJUST IT WHILE ACCELERATING INTO TRAFFIC. 3. DIDN'T KNOW ANYTHING COULD BE DONE UNTIL LISTENING TO NEWS REPORTS OF THIS RECENTLY.

NHTSA complaint #10302574 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDAL

1. ACCELERATING ONTO CITY STREET 2. THE FAILURE - THE LOWER PORTION OF THE GAS PEDAL BECAME STUCK UNDER THE FLOOR MAT. IT HAPPENED TO ME TWICE. AFTER FIGURING OUT WHAT HAPPENED, AS I WAS ACCELERATING, I BENT DOWN AND MOVED THE FLOOR MAT. SCARY, STARTED TO PANIC, AS I COULDN'T BRAKE TO STOP, ACCELERATING AT HIGHER SPEEDS, NOT SAFE TO GET TO THE FLOOR MAT AND READJUST IT WHILE ACCELERATING INTO TRAFFIC. 3. DIDN'T KNOW ANYTHING COULD BE DONE UNTIL LISTENING TO NEWS REPORTS OF THIS RECENTLY.

NHTSA complaint #10302574 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

STRUCTURE

2000 LX470 - THE PAINT ON THE ENTIRE CAR IS FADING TERRIBLY. SPOKE WITH LEXUS CORPORATE AND WAS TOLD TO GET AN ESTIMATE FOR RE-PAINTING - $6,000 SINCE ENTIRE CAR MUST BE TAKEN APART (HANDLES, MIRRORS, ETC.) LEXUS WOULD ONLY PAY HALF - I REFUSE TO PAY $3,000 BECAUSE THEY HAVE A DEFECTIVE PAINT JOB - SEEN OTHER CARS (TOPAZ COLOR) WITH SAME PROBLEM BUT LEXUS SAYS NOT THERE PROBLEM!!!! MY CAR LOOKS LIKE IT HAS A DISEASE =

NHTSA complaint #10251828 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 LEXUS LX470. HE RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE FOR THE EXTERIOR LIGHTING (NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID# 04V434000). HE MADE AN APPOINTMENT TO HAVE IT REPAIRED HOWEVER AFTER WAITING TWO HOURS; THE DEALER STATED THAT THE PART WAS UNAVAILABLE. THEY STATED THAT THEY WOULD RESCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT. AS OF AUGUST 8, 2007, THE DEALER HAS NOT REPAIRED THE VEHICLE. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 78,965. THERE HAD BEEN NO FAILURE TO DATE. UPDATED 02-01-08 *BF UPDATED 02/01/08

NHTSA complaint #10198913 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

SUSPENSION

FAILURE OF AUTOMATIC HEIGHT CONTROL WHILE DRIVING. REPORTEDLY A RECURRING ISSUE WITH ALL MODELS OF LEXUS LX 470. ON MY CAR THIS PROBLEM ALREADY HAPPENED ONCE AT 55000 MILES AND WAS SUPPOSEDLY "FIXED", BUT HAPPENED AGAIN. VERY DANGEROUS AND APPEARS TO BE A MONEY MAKING SCHEME FOR LEXUS DEALERS SINCE THEY ARE COMPLETELY NONCHALANT ABOUT IT. NHTSA NEEDS TO ADDRESS IT WITH LEXUS/TOYOTA BEFORE SOMEBODY GETS HURT.

NHTSA complaint #10174104 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

PAINT DEFECT ON 1999 AND 2000 LEXUS LX 470. EXCEEDINGLY BAD FADING PAINT ON MANY PANELS OF THE CAR.

NHTSA complaint #10168160 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

TIRES:SIDEWALL

TIRE BLEW OUT ON FREEWAY WHILE DRIVING AT 65MPH. TIRE: MICHELIN LTX M/S 275/70R16 ON A 2000 LEXUS LX470. I HAVE ALSO NOTICED UNEVEN TIRE WEAR ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE TIRE AND NOTIFED THE DEALER A COUPLE OF TIMES BUT THEY SAY IT IS NORMAL.

NHTSA complaint #10002980 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.