NHTSA Complaint #10743896 — 1999 LEXUS LX470

THE CAR HAD BEEN DRIVING NORMALLY ON THE FREEWAY FOR APPROXIMATELY ONE HOUR. SUDDENLY, THE ABS WARNING LIGHT AND THE BRAKE WARNING LIGHTS BECAME ILLUMINATED ON THE DASHBOARD, FOLLOWED SHORTLY AFTERWARDS BY A BEEPING ALARM. THE CAR WAS IMMEDIATELY PULLED OFF THE FREEWAY AT THE NEXT EXIT AND WAS ABLE TO DRIVE 1 BLOCK INTO A PARKING LOT. ONCE IN THE PARKING LOT, THE BRAKES FAILED COMPLETELY AND THE ONLY WAY TO STOP THE VEHICLE WAS WITH THE EMERGENCY BRAKE. FURTHER TESTING FOUND THAT WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED, THE PEDAL WOULD GO DIRECTLY TO THE FLOOR WITH LESS THAN 5% EFFECT ON BRAKING THE VEHICLE. LATER INVESTIGATION BY THE MECHANIC DETERMINED THE BRAKE FAILURE TO BE THE RESULT OF A FAILED ABS MOTOR AND ACCUMULATOR. FURTHER INVESTIGATION SHOWS THIS SEEMS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM AMONG THE 1998 AND 1999 TOYOTA LANDCRUISER AND LEXUS LX-470 VEHICLES. NO RECALL HAS BEEN REGISTERED, NOR WILL TOYOTA / LEXUS ACKNOWLEDGE THIS AS A REOCCURRING PROBLEM. (THOUGH CLEARLY THIS IS A PROBLEM WHEN ANY RESEARCH IS DONE). THIS IS A SERIOUS PROBLEM THAT RESULTS IN ALMOST A COMPLETE LOSS OF BRAKING OF THE VEHICLE. IT WAS ONLY BECAUSE THE VEHICLE WAS PULLED OFF THE ROAD IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE WARNING LIGHTS AND ALARM SOUNDED THAT A SERIOUS, FREEWAY SPEED ACCIDENT WAS AVOIDED.