NHTSA Complaint #10616667 — 2009 LEXUS LS

2009 LEXUS LS 460 AWD THE CAR LOST POWER UPON ACCELERATION AFTER THE 90,000 MILE SERVICE. I BROUGHT IT BACK TO DEALER (LEXUS OF NAPERVILLE) THEY SAID THAT THEY REFLASHED THE CONTROLLER. THE CAR LOST PERFORMANCE BUT DID NOT LOOSE POWER UNTIL THE NEXT OIL CHANGE. AT 94000 MILES A FEW DAYS AFTER SERVICE THE CAR LOST POWER ON ACCELERATION AGAIN, I BROUGHT IT BACK TO DEALER AT WHICH TIME THEY REBUILT THE TOP OF THE ENGINE FOR A COST OF $11,500.00 UNDER WARRANTY. THE CAR RAN FINE UNTIL THE NEXT SERVICE ON 7/03/14. WHEN I LEFT THE DEALER ON THE WAY HOME I MADE A LEGAL RIGHT TURN ON RED AND PRESSED THE ACCELERATOR, THE CAR STARTED TO ACCELERATE THEN LOSS ALL POWER LUCKILY I WAS ABLE TO GET TO THE SHOULDER AND AWAY FROM THE SEMI THAT WAS ABOUT TO RUN ME OVER. I CALLED THE DEALER AND TOLD THEM WHAT HAPPENED, THEY BROUGHT A LOANER AND TOOK MY CAR FOR SERVICE. AFTER THREE WEEKS THEY TOLD ME THAT THE PROBLEM WAS CONFIRMED AND THAT LEXUS IS HAVING A PROBLEM WITH THE KNOCK SENSOR ON THAT PARTICULAR ENGINE AND IT WILL RANDOMLY RETARD THE TIMING RESULTING IN A LOSS OF POWER. I WAS ALSO TOLD THAT THEY DO NOT HAVE A FIX AT THIS TIME AND THAT THE CAR IS SAFE TO DRIVE MY CAR AND THEY WILL TELL ME WHEN I SHOULD BRING IT BACK. I LEFT THE CAR AT THE DEALER AND WALKED HOME BECAUSE I BELIEVED THAT IF I WOULD HAVE ACCEPTED THE CAR AND DRIVEN IT KNOWING THAT IT HAD THAT DEFECT AND BECAME INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT I WOULD BE AS MUCH TO BLAME AS LEXUS. I HAD THE SAME PROBLEM IN MY 2007 LS460 BUT WAS TOLD THEY HAD THE PROBLEM FIXED IN THE 2009 THAT I PURCHASED. I WAS ALSO TOLD THEY HAD A FEW OTHERS AT THE DEALERSHIP WITH SAME PROBLEM. *JS