NHTSA Complaint #10950212 — 2001 LEXUS LX470

SO THIS PROBLEM OCCURRED WHILE DRIVING ORIGINALLY AND IT WAS SO LOUD THAT NOT ONLY DID IT EFFECT MY HEARING, BUT IT ALMOST MADE ME RUN OFF THE ROAD. IT THEN PROCEEDED TO GET WORSE JUST WHEN THE KEY WAS IN THE IGNITION AND WASN'T EVEN STARTED. IT IS A LOUD POPPING, CRACKING NOISE COMING FROM THE SPEAKER AREAS, AND FROM WHAT I HAVE NOW DETERMINED IT IS A DIRECT RESULT OF THE MARK LEVINSON AMPLIFIER NOT WORKING PROPERLY. IT BASICALLY RENDERS THE VEHICLE USELESS (DUE TO THE SOUND) UNTIL YOU PULL THE AMPLIFIER OUT, PULLING THE STEREO FUSE DIDN'T GET RID OF IT EITHER. THESE AMPS AND THESE STEREOS SHOULD HAVE BEEN RECALLED LONG AGO AS THEY ARE TRULY A DANGER TO THE MOTORIST WHO OWNS THEM. THERE IS NO DOCUMENTATION ON HOW TO DISABLE THEM WITHOUT PHYSICALLY REMOVING THEM AND THE SOUND THAT COMES OUT OF THEM WHEN THEY HAVE AN ISSUE IS HORRENDOUS. THIS RECALL NEEDS TO HAPPEN FOR SAFETY AND ALSO FOR THE SIMPLE FACT THAT CONSUMERS ARE GETTING COMPLETELY SCREWED OVER BY THE FACT THAT THESE ARE NOT A LEXUS PART BUT RATHER SOME SORT OF MONOPOLY THAT CAN'T BE CHANGED OUT LIKE MOST CONVENTIONAL AFTER MARKET AMPLIFIERS/ STEREOS. THEY WANT $2200 FOR A NEW ONE OR YOUR ONLY OPTION IS TO DRIVE A VEHICLE WITHOUT A STEREO. PLEASE GET ONLINE AND RESEARCH ALL THE PROBLEMS THESE SYSTEMS HAVE CAUSED OWNERS OVER THE YEARS. THEN PLEASE DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. THERE'S NO DOUBT THAT HAD THE CIRCUMSTANCE HAVE BEEN RIGHT WHEN THAT FIRST GIANT POP WAS HEARD, I COULD HAVE EASILY ENDED UP IN A DITCH OR HEAD ON BECAUSE OF THE SOUND. THE PART NUMBER FOR THE AMPLIFIER IS 86280-0W050 I'M SURE THERE IS OTHER MODELS THAT ARE SIMILAR, BUT AT LEAST LEXUS SHOULD SPEND SOME TIME FIGURING OUT AN ALTERNATIVE WAY TO INSTALL AN AFTERMARKET STEREO NOT PRONE TO THIS PROBLEM FOR SAFETY SAKE. ALL OTHER VEHICLES HAVE THE ABILITY TO CHANGE OUT STEREO, AMPS, SPEAKERS WITHOUT TAPPING INTO THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER.