Lexus LS400 stalling problems

Filed Dec 27, 2015 · Engine · 116,500 miles · CA · crash

Per lexus technical service bulletin eg002-97, which doesn't appear on the federal safety agency 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 federal safety agency 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 the federal safety agency complaints 10692841, 10483633, 10438716, 10067491, etc. The federal safety agency - 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).

Filed Dec 9, 2015 · 116,000 miles · CA · crash

The federal safety agency website for reporting/displaying vehicle safety problems for my 96 lexus ls400 shows there were only 12 service bulletins, yet in fact there were many many more not shown on the federal safety agency 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 federal safety agency website for the 95 ls400, which on www.alldatadiy.com/tsb/31/95310210.html shows 128 service bulletins apply, but a the federal safety agency website 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 federal safety agency 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 federal safety agency makes it difficult to reference a particular service bulletin when reporting a serious safety issue with a particular car because it seems the federal safety agency 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. The federal safety agency 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 federal safety agency investigators themselves, so people can request that the federal safety agency 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.

Filed Dec 7, 2015 · Electrical, Engine · 116,000 miles · CA

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

Filed Sep 16, 2015 · Acceleration · 50,000 miles · NY

In approximately 1995, I experienced the "sudden acceleration" problem twice with my lexus ls. At the time, no one had ever heard of it and the dealer said he could not reproduce it and could do nothing. After that I was more careful with the floor mats and thought I had solved the problem. For the last 7 to 8 years, the car suddenly slows and stalls. I have repeatedly complained to new country lexus but they just say that they cannot reproduce the problem and don't know what it is. In june, it happened again and I had to be towed by aaa. At this time I researched "lexus ls stalling problem" and got hundreds of hits. One lexus site perfectly explained the problem, how to reproduce it and how to fix it. The posting on the lexus site was dated 2005, ten years ago. The tow truck driver reproduced the problem within an hour but new country lexus would not sell him the required resistor to fix it. I took the car to new country lexus, just north of albany ny, and they have had it since june. They keep saying that they cannot reproduce the problem. They keep telling me that they cannot reproduce the problem but I keep giving them the print-out from the lexus site and the bill from the towing company explaining exactly how to reproduce and fix the problem. Finally yesterday joe moran said that he could fix it but "as soon as anyone brings up anything to do with sudden acceleration" I am told to stop and do nothing." he said "it is not in the best interest of the company to fix it." they clearly seemed to be telling me that this resistor (or sensor) is part of the rapid acceleration problem with toyota vehicles and, although my vehicle is not on the list of vehicles indicated for a "special protocol," this particular part is traced to the rapid acceleration and they want nothing to do with it.

Filed Apr 20, 2015 · Electrical, Engine · 214,000 miles · CA

Tl* the contact owns a 1995 lexus ls400. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact replaced the alternator and battery, but the failure persisted. The contact also changed the wires to the battery cables. The vehicle was taken to a dealer. The technician was unable to diagnose the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 214,000. The VIN was not available.

Filed Mar 8, 2015 · Brakes, Electrical · 78,223 miles · IA

The evening of 3/7/15 my wife and I drove from cedar rapids, ia. To our home in muscatine, ia. As we exited I-80 after almost one hour of constant interstate driving, the car stalled at approximately 5 MPH as we came to the stop sign at the end of the exit ramp. We lost power steering and power brakes as well, causing panic. This is not the first time this has happened in the two years we have owned this car. It seems to occur after prolonged interstate driving only. It did not occur that morning because we broke up the trip to cr with a stop in iowa city. This is a horribly dangerous condition and after researching on the internet last night, a very inherent problem with this model and year. Toyota's tsb eg003-96 speaks of it and its remedy, published 10/7/96. The remedy is to replace the faulty ECM with part 89661-50224; a very expensive fix and presumably the reason toyota did not voluntarily recall the car. There was no forced recall either, but should have been due to the many complaints reportedly submitted to the federal safety agency and potential deadly consequences of losing control of the vehicle due to faulty ECM programming. Please make this posting available to any potential 1995 ls400 owners and/or force a recall of this vehicle.

Filed Aug 11, 2014 · Electrical, Tires · 104,000 miles · NC

Tl* the contact owns a 2000 lexus ls400. The contact had a new key made for her vehicle, which caused the ignition to fail. The vehicle would stall and the contact would be unable to remove the key from the ignition. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified. The failure mileage was 104,000. Updated 09/16/14*lj the consumer stated the dealer refused to replace the key or refund the cost of the batteries. The dealer failed to determine that the tires were rotten during service check, failed to provide working batteries for keys and original copy of key. There was an overflow of transmission fluid four times. Updated 1/16/2015

Filed Jul 23, 2014 · Electrical, Engine · 160,000 miles · NJ

Tl* the contact owns a 1995 lexus ls400. While driving various speeds, the vehicle would suddenly stall. In addition, the instrument panel indicators would randomly illuminate. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The VIN was unavailable. The failure mileage was 160,000.

Filed Nov 7, 2012 · Engine · 172,100 miles · TX

Tl* the contact owns a 1995 lexus ls400. The contact stated that while traveling 65 MPH the contact attempted to stop at a traffic light when it suddenly stalled. The vehicle was able to be restarted and resumed normal function. The vehicle was able to be driven to the contact's destination. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the failure could not be replicated. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted about the issue. The failure mileage was 172,100 and the current mileage was 172,800.

Filed Apr 20, 2004 · Steering · KY

After driving for a long period of time vehicle stalled while decreasing the speed due to loss of power steering. Vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection, but dealer was unable to resolve the problem.