NHTSA Complaint #10836184 — 1996 LEXUS LS400

PER LEXUS TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN EG002-97, WHICH DOESN'T APPEAR ON THE NHTSA WEBSITE BUT WHICH CAN BE FOUND ONLINE BY CLICKING ON THE LINK FROM POST #77 AT THIS WEB PAGE: HTTP://US.LEXUSOWNERSCLUB.COM/FORUMS/TOPIC/15699-9596-LS400-LOW-IDLE-ENGINE-DIES-AND-JERKING-THRE/PAGE-6 MY '96 LS400 HAS THE SAME ENGINE-STALL-AT-IDLE-AFTER-CONTINUOUS-LONG-DRIVE PROBLEM AS EVERY OTHER EARLY PRODUCTION CAR MADE WITH VINS BEFORE [XXX]. GO ON THE HIGHWAY, DRIVE 50 MILES, EXIT, THE CAR IDLE SPEED DROPS TO WHERE THE CAR STALLS OUT. PUT IT INTO NEUTRAL, TURN THE KEY, IT STARTS RIGHT BACK UP, NO MORE PROBLEM. OR, DRIVE ON THE HIGHWAY, DRIVE 50 MILES, ENCOUNTER STOP-AND-GO TRAFFIC, THE IDLE SPEED DROPS TO WHERE THE CAR STALLS OUT. PUT IT INTO NEUTRAL, TURN THE KEY, IT STARTS RIGHT BACK UP, NO MORE PROBLEM. I GOT TAPPED BY THE CAR BEHIND ME WHEN AT 1 MPH I WAS COMING TO A RED LIGHT EXITING THE FREEWAY AND THE CAR DIED, THE LIGHT TURNED GREEN AND IT TOOK ME A FRANTIC MOMENT TO TRY PUTTING THE CAR INTO NEUTRAL AND RESTARTING IT WHILE STOPPED IN THE MIDDLE OF TRAFFIC. THIS IS A CLEAR SAFETY ISSUE THAT LEXUS CLEARLY KNOWS ABOUT (SEE EG002-97) BUT WHICH THE NHTSA HAS DONE NOTHING ABOUT VIS-A-VIS A RECALL, EVEN THOUGH LEXUS THEMSELVES FIXED THE PROBLEM IN LATER-PRODUCTION '96 LS400S. THE PROBLEM IS IN THE ENGINE CONTROL MODULE SOFTWARE, RESULTING IN A FIX AND A NEW PART # FOR THE ECM, GOING FROM 89661-50302 TO 89661-50303. DOING A GOOGLE SEARCH ONE CAN FIND MANY FORUMS WHERE PEOPLE DESCRIBE HAVING THE PROBLEM AND FIXING IT WITH THE CHANGED ECM. I JUST BOUGHT THE CAR USED AND HAD NO IDEA THIS PROBLEM EXISTED. LEXUS CORPORATE REFUSES TO PAY FOR THE SWAPOUT, SAYING THE WARRANTY PERIOD IS PAST. THE SAME PROBLEM AFFECTED '95 LS400'S -- SEE NHTSA COMPLAINTS 10692841, 10483633, 10438716, 10067491, ETC. NHTSA - HELP, MAKE THEM DO A RECALL & GIVE US THE FIX. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR