1999 LEXUS LX470 — Problems, Recalls & Safety Data

The contact owns a 1999 Lexus LX470. The contact stated that after a vehicle inspection, it was discovered that the subframe of the vehicle had sustained severe corrosion making the vehicle unsafe to drive. The cause of the corrosion was not determined. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but no assistance was offered. The local dealer was not yet contacted. The approximate failure mileage was 134,000.

I WAS WAITING AT A STOPLIGHT BEHIND A HIGH VOLUME OF TRAFFIC AND STOPPING AND GOING AS THE LIGHT LET VEHICLES THROUGH. MY ABS LIGHT AND BRAKE LIGHT CAME ON ALONG WITH A LOUD CONSISTENT ALARM. I PROCEEDED THROUGH THE LIGHT AND PULLED OVER AT THE NEAREST PARKING LOT. AS I PULLED INTO A PARKING SPOT, THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR AND I HAD TO APPLY SIGNIFICANT FORCE TO THE BRAKE PEDAL TO GET THE VEHICLE TO STOP. IN THE PARKING LOT UNDER SAFE CONDITIONS I TESTED THE MINIMAL BRAKING I HAD LEFT AND DETERMINED THE VEHICLE WAS UNSAFE TO DRIVE HOME. I HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO THE LOCAL SHOP AND THE ISSUE WAS DIAGNOSED AS THE ABS ACCUMULATOR PUMP HAD FAILED (HAD COMPLETELY SEIZED UP). THIS SEEMS LIKE A MAJOR DESIGN FLAW. I HAD A VERY SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME TO REACT TO THE ALARMS I WAS GIVEN. A FAILURE OF SUCH A CRITICAL COMPONENT CAUSES THE LOSS OF ALL POWER BRAKES. WHAT IF I HAD NOT GOTTEN THE WARNINGS I DID? I RECENTLY HAD A NEW PUMP INSTALLED AND I AM BACK ON THE ROAD. I AM VERY LUCKY THIS ISSUE DID NOT HAPPEN AT HIGH SPEEDS OR ELSE THE OUTCOME COULD HAVE BEEN MUCH WORSE.

STARTED VEHICLE....ABS AND BRAKE LIGHT CAME ON AS WELL AS AN AUDIBLE BUZZER. DROVE THE TRUCK 3 MILES AND LOST ALL BRAKES, PEDAL TO THE FLOOR AND HAD TO USE HAND BRAKE (EMERGENCY BRAKE) TO GET STOPPED.

THE CAR HAD BEEN DRIVING NORMALLY ON THE FREEWAY FOR APPROXIMATELY ONE HOUR. SUDDENLY, THE ABS WARNING LIGHT AND THE BRAKE WARNING LIGHTS BECAME ILLUMINATED ON THE DASHBOARD, FOLLOWED SHORTLY AFTERWARDS BY A BEEPING ALARM. THE CAR WAS IMMEDIATELY PULLED OFF THE FREEWAY AT THE NEXT EXIT AND WAS ABLE TO DRIVE 1 BLOCK INTO A PARKING LOT. ONCE IN THE PARKING LOT, THE BRAKES FAILED COMPLETELY AND THE ONLY WAY TO STOP THE VEHICLE WAS WITH THE EMERGENCY BRAKE. FURTHER TESTING FOUND THAT WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED, THE PEDAL WOULD GO DIRECTLY TO THE FLOOR WITH LESS THAN 5% EFFECT ON BRAKING THE VEHICLE. LATER INVESTIGATION BY THE MECHANIC DETERMINED THE BRAKE FAILURE TO BE THE RESULT OF A FAILED ABS MOTOR AND ACCUMULATOR. FURTHER INVESTIGATION SHOWS THIS SEEMS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM AMONG THE 1998 AND 1999 TOYOTA LANDCRUISER AND LEXUS LX-470 VEHICLES. NO RECALL HAS BEEN REGISTERED, NOR WILL TOYOTA / LEXUS ACKNOWLEDGE THIS AS A REOCCURRING PROBLEM. (THOUGH CLEARLY THIS IS A PROBLEM WHEN ANY RESEARCH IS DONE). THIS IS A SERIOUS PROBLEM THAT RESULTS IN ALMOST A COMPLETE LOSS OF BRAKING OF THE VEHICLE. IT WAS ONLY BECAUSE THE VEHICLE WAS PULLED OFF THE ROAD IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE WARNING LIGHTS AND ALARM SOUNDED THAT A SERIOUS, FREEWAY SPEED ACCIDENT WAS AVOIDED.

WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE, IT WILL SUDDENLY IGNORE THROTTLE INPUT, AND WILL BE IDLING ONLY. WHILE NOT STALLED, IT IS DIFFICULT TO MANEUVER THE VEHICLE AND GET OUT OF THE WAY OF TRAFFIC. THIS CAN HAPPEN AT ANY TIME. TO REMEDY THE SITUATION, IT IS NECESSARY TO SHUT THE ENGINE OFF AND RESTART. IT CAN BE A DANGEROUS SITUATION BECAUSE IT HAS HAPPENED RIGHT AT THE ENTRANCE TO A MAJOR INTERSECTION, AND WHILE TRAVELING IN CONGESTED FREEWAY DRIVING. ONE REPAIR SHOP REPLACED THE THROTTLE POSITION SENSOR, BUT THIS HAS NOT FIXED THE PROBLEM. IT IS GETTING WORSE, AND OCCURS MORE FREQUENTLY THAN EVER. *TR