1996 LEXUS LS400 — Problems, Recalls & Safety Data

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

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.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1996 LEXUS LS400. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 116,000. UPDATED 02/23/16*LJ UPDATED 05/04/18*JB *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1996 LEXUS LS400. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 116,000. UPDATED 02/23/16*LJ UPDATED 05/04/18*JB *TR

DRIVING VEHICLE DOWN FREEWAY STARTED SMELLING GASOLINE ODOR. DROVE STRAIGHT TO NEAREST TOYOTA DEALER. TO MAKE A LONG STORY SHORT, THE SEAMS OF THE FUEL TANK HAD SPLIT OPEN. SINCE THE FUEL TANK IS LOCATED IN THE TRUNK THE FUEL DRAINED INTO THE CABIN OF THE VEHICLE AND ALSO WAS SPILLING OUT ON THE DRIVE OF THE DEALERSHIP WHEN I ARRIVED. TEJAS TOYOTA IN HUMBLE, TX. THE DEALER PERSONNEL IMMEDIATELY TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A REMOTE LOCATION ON THEIR LOT DUE TO THE GREAT POSSIBILITY OF AN EXPLOSION. I CONTACTED LEXUS TO NOTIFY OF THE SITUATION, RECEIVED AN INCIDENT NUMBER. CAR WAS REPAIRED, WHEN COMPLETE I NOTIFIED LEXUS, THEY SEEMED NOT TO CARE MUCH, OFFERED TO MAKE ME AN APPOINTMENT AT A LEXUS DEALERSHIP TO VERIFY THE TOYOTA DEALER HAD INSTALLED THE NEW PARTS CORRECTLY FOR A CHARGE. THAT IS AFTER PAYING OVER $2,300.00 FOR A NEW FUEL TANK. THEY CLOSED THE INCIDENT REPORT MUCH TO MY DISMAY. THE MONEY IS NOT THE ISSUE BUT MY CONCERN THAT THIS MIGHT BE AN AGE ISSUE THAT COULD AFFECT OTHERS. I HAD PUT OUT A CIGARETTE JUST BEFORE A FULL TANK OF FUEL EMPTIED INTO THE VEHICLE. OH AND YES I HAD FILLED THE TANK JUST BEFORE THE INCIDENT. I DO POSSESS THIS ORIGINAL DEFECTIVE TANK. TEJAS TOYOTA CAN VERIFY ALL OF THIS INFORMATION AND THE TANK IS AVAILABLE FOR INSPECTION AT MY HOME. *TR