NHTSA Complaint #10479717 — 2007 LEXUS LS460

FOR THE PAST SEVERAL YEARS I HAVE FOLLOWED THE DISCUSSIONS IN THE CLUBLEXUS.COM FORUMS, ESPECIALLY THE LS460, BECAUSE OF MY SPECIAL INTEREST IN A WIND NOISE PROBLEM THAT AFFECTS MANY OF THE '07-'09 MODELS. THERE IS A SOLUTION FOR MOST OF THE WIND NOISE PROBLEMS HERE: HTTP://WWW.CLUBLEXUS.COM/FORUMS/LS460-LS460L-AND-LS600H/506217-INSTRUCTIONS-FOR-THE-JMCRANEY-WIND-NOISE-FIX.HTML THERE HAVE BEEN MANY REPORTS OF PHANTOM DEAD BATTERIES AND REPORTS MOSTLY INDICATE THAT THE ONLY REPAIR WAS TO REPLACE THE BATTERY. I HAVE LONG MAINTAINED THAT THIS IS MOSTLY RELATED TO A FAILURE OF THE EXTERIOR-LIGHTS AUTO-OFF FEATURE TO DO ITS JOB. IN ONE OF THE RECENT DISCUSSION THREADS A VERY ASTUTE OWNER HAS SHOWED US ONE OF THE MAJOR CAUSES OF THIS PROBLEM IS A FAILURE OF THE SWITCH ON THE DRIVER'S DOOR THAT SENSES WHEN THE DOOR IS OPEN. YOU CAN SEE THAT DISCUSSION HERE: HTTP://WWW.CLUBLEXUS.COM/FORUMS/LS460-LS460L-AND-LS600H/658790-BATTERY-KILLER-AND-MEMORY-SEAT-WONT-SET.HTML AND IT IS ESPECIALLY NOTEWORTHY THAT ONE OF THE DISCUSSION CONTRIBUTORS, AN APPARENT TECHNICIAN AT A LEXUS DEALERSHIP, TELLS US THAT THIS IS A COMMON FAILURE IN MANY LEXUS MODELS. WHILE A DISCHARGED BATTERY IS A PROBLEM, MY MAJOR CONCERN IS THAT THIS CONDITION COMPROMISES THE SAFETY FEATURE THAT PROVIDES A WARNING WHEN THE CAR IS BEING LEFT WITH THE ENGINE RUNNING. ANOTHER SAFETY FEATURE THAT IS AFFECTED IS THE CANCELLATION OF THE HOLD FEATURE WHICH IS NORMALLY CANCELED WHEN THE DRIVER'S DOOR IS OPENED. *TR