NHTSA Complaint #11109545 — 2011 LEXUS GX460

LEXUS GX460 & TOYOTA 4.6L EXHAUST MANIFOLD CRACKS AND POTENTIAL CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING. THE SYMPTOMS I IDENTIFIED WERE A DIESEL-LIKE CLATTER ON COLD START WHICH WENT AWAY WHEN THE ENGINE WARMED UP. I DID FEEL ABOVE NORMAL FATIGUE WHEN SITTING IN THE CAR FOR LONG PERIODS. MY MULTIPLE REPAIR ATTEMPTS WITH THE LEXUS DEALER SHOULD BE DOCUMENTED WITH LEXUS. LEXUS AND TOYOTA 4.6L V8 EXHAUST MANIFOLDS HAVE CHRONIC CRACKING PROBLEMS. THESE CRACKS COULD EXPOSE DRIVERS AND PASSENGERS, INCLUDING YOUNG CHILDREN, THE ELDERLY AND PEOPLE IN POOR HEALTH, TO CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING WHEN THE CAR IS IN TRAFFIC OR STATIONARY WITH THE ENGINE RUNNING FOR LONG PERIODS OF TIME. IT TOOK OVER 2 YEARS OF COMPLAINTS WITH MY LOCAL LEXUS DEALER AND ME, THE OWNER, SUGGESTING THE 'HIGHLY TRAINED AND CERTIFIED LEXUS TECH' CHECK OUT THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD. IT WAS DETERMINED THERE WAS A CRACK. THE NOISE WAS CAUSED BY THE CRACK VIBRATING/RATTLING/EXHAUST GASES ESCAPING WHICH REDUCED THE NOISE AFTER THE ENGINE HEATED UP. MY CONCERN IS THE TECHS DID NOT RECEIVE SUFFICIENT TRAINING TO IDENTIFY A POTENTISL,Y INJURIOUS OR FATAL PROBLEM. THE SITUATION IS SIMILAR TO THE CARBON MONOXIDE ISSUE IN LAW ENFORCEMENT FORD EXPLORERS. RESEARCHING ON THE INTERNET I IDENTIFIED A LARGE NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS FROM INDIVIDUALS WITH THE 4.6L TOYOTA V8 ENGINE WHO ALSO HAD EXHAUST MANIFOLD CRACKS. IT WAS ALSO APPARENT, PEOPLE WITH THE GX470, THE GX460S PREDESSOR, HAD SIMILAR ISSUES WITH THEIR 4.7L TOYOTA V8. UNSURE IF THIS IS A DESIGN PROBLEM, MANUFACTURING DEFECT OR BROKEN QUALITY PROCESS WITH LEXUS & TOYOTA OR THEIR VENDORS.