NHTSA Complaint #10816137 — 1996 LEXUS LS400

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.