1997 Lexus LS400

VEHICLE DOES NOT START WHEN HOT. STARTER DOES NOT TURN. VEHICLE WAS NEVER RECALLED FOR NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID: 98V016000. MY CAR HAS A PRODUCTION DATE OF 7/97. CUT OFF DATE FOR THIS CAMPAIGN WAS 6/97. I BELIEVE MY VEHICLE SHOULD HAVE BEEN RECALLED FOR THE REPAIR OF THE MAGNETIC SWITCH IN THE STARTER. A NO START CONDITION EXISTS AND A FIRE CAN RESULT IF THE SOLENOID SHORTS OUT. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED.

AS I WAS DRIVING, MY VEHICLE STARTED ACCELERATING ON IT'S OWN. WHEN I HAD PREVIOUSLY CHECKED THE SPEED ODOMETER IT SAID 50. ALL OF A SUDDEN THE VEHICLE STARTED GAINING SPEED. I TOOK MY FOOT OFF OF THE GAS PEDAL AND THE SPEED KEPT ACCELERATING. I PRESSED THE BRAKES AND THE BRAKES DID NOT WORK! THE VEHICLE KEPT ACCELERATING. I SAW A SIDE ROAD AND TURNED ONTO IT. I KEPT TRYING TO STOP THE VEHICLE AND IT KEPT GOING. I THOUGHT TO PULL THE EMERGENCY BRAKE AND IT SLOWED THE VEHICLE CONSIDERABLE, BUT IT KEPT MOVING. THE ENGINE CONTINUED TO ACCELERATE. I KEPT PUMPING THE BREAKS WITH THE EMERGENCY BRAKE ON AND THE CAR WAS STILL MOVING. IT FINALLY STOP, BUT THE ENGINE WAS STILL ACCELERATING. I PUT THE VEHICLE IN PARK AND THE MORE THE ENGINE ACCELERATED. I PUT BACK IN DRIVE AND IT CONTINUED TO ACCELERATE. THE VEHICLE STARTED SMOKING. I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO DO OR WHAT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN TO THE VEHICLE. I TOLD MY SONS TO GET OUT OF THE CAR. I TURN THE ENGINE OFF, THE CAR JUMPED AND I RAN AWAY FROM THE CAR. THE VEHICLE WAS STILL SMOKING. I CALLED 911. THE CAR STOPPED SMOKING AND REMAINED IN PLACE. MY HUSBAND CAME AND STARTED THE VEHICLE IT ACCELERATED AND HE PRESSED THE GAS PEDAL AND IT STOPPED. I DROVE THE CAR HOME AND PARKED IT. I AM NOT DRIVING THE VEHICLE AND THIS IS THE REASON THAT I HAVE NOT ENTERED A VIN NUMBER. *TR

WHILE DRIVING MY 1997 LEXUS LS400 IN CA ON THE 605 FWY, WEST TOWARD 210 FWY, ALL SYSTEMS ON THE CAR LOCKED (STEERING WHEEL, BRAKES, GAS PEDAL) AS I WAS CHANGING LANES. I HAD NO CONTROL OF THE CAR AND AFTER SPINNING SEVERAL TIMES RAN INTO THE CENTER DIVIDER. I WAS VERY LUCKY NOT TO GO OVER THE DIVIDER INTO ONCOMING TRAFFIC AND BE KILLED. I SUSTAINED NECK AND HEAD INJURIES AND THE CAR WAS TOTALED. I WAS VERY LUCKY THAT I SURVIVED AND THAT NO OTHER CARS OR PEOPLE WERE INVOLVED. EARLY IN 1998 I RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE AND TOOK THE CAR IN TO LEXUS ON 2/24/98. THE RECALL WAS FOR A "STARTER PLUG PROBLEM". I TRUSTED THAT AFTER THE REPAIR I WOULDN'T HAVE ANY PROBLEMS WITH MY LEXUS. IN FACT, JUST OVER A MONTH LATER I HAD THE ACCIDENT AND THE CAR WAS TOTALED. I VERY HAPPILY DROVE LEXUS CARS FROM 1992 UNTIL THE ACCIDENT AND THEY WERE MY FAVORITE CARS. I HAVE 2 FRIENDS WHO HAD THE SAME MALFUNCTION WITH A 1996 AND A 1997 LEXUS LS 400. I FEEL IT IS MY DUTY TO PROVIDE THIS INFORMATION TO MAKE SURE IT'S INCLUDED IN STUDIES AND HISTORICAL DATA THE NHTSA KEEPS. I HOPE THE INFORMATION WILL BE PUT TO GOOD USE TO PREVENT FUTURE ACCIDENTS, INJURIES AND DEATHS, REGARDLESS OF THE AUTO MANUFACTURER. I BELIEVE THE PROBLEMS TOYOTA IS CURRENTLY EXPERIENCING ARE PROBABLY HAPPENING WITH OTHER AUTO MANUFACTURERS. *TR

A FIRE STARTED IN ENGINE COMPARTMENT WHILE VEHICLE WAS PARKED IN THE GARAGE. MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED VIA LETTER. *AK CONSUMER STATES THAT 1 WEEK PRIOR TO THE FIRE, ALL THE LIGHTS ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL ILLUMINATED, THE RADIO DIED AND THE WINDSHIELD WIPER DIED, THE PROBLEM WAS THEN DIAGNOSED AS A FAULTY ALTERNATOR. AN INVESTIGATOR CONCLUDED AFTER INSPECTING VEHICLE THAT THE FIRE WAS CAUSED BY AN OVERCURRENT AT THE ABS CONTROLLER VOLTAGE CONDUCTOR, THE 10 GAUGE CABLE IS UNPROTECTED AND HAS 12 VOLT, OR BATTERY, POWER POTENTIAL WHEN THE ENGINE IS NOT RUNNING AND THE ENGINE IS IN THE OFF POSITION, AN OVERCURRENT WILL EVENTUALLY PRODUCE SUFFICIENT HEAT AND METL THE CONNECTOR THAT WAS SECURED TO THE BRACKET ON TOP OF THE CONTROLLER UNIT, ONCE THE PLASTIC MELTS, A DIRECT CONNECTION BETWEEN BATTERY VOLTAGE AND GROUND IS ATTAINED WHICH PRODUCES A SHORT CIRCUIT AND THE RESULTANT FIRE. VEHICLE EXPERIENCED A FRONT BRAKE SHIMMY. VEHICLE EXPERIENCED A ROUGH IDLE. *SLC

VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN A DRIVER SIDE FRONT FENDER COLLISION AT 50 MPH, AND BOTH FRONTAL AIR BAGS AND SIDE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. DEALER/MANUFACTURER WERE NOTIFIED. *AK TOYOTA'S LEGAL DEPARTMENT CONFIRMED THAT THE DIRECT FRONTAL COLLISON FORCES WERE BELOW THE THRESHOLD FOR DEPLOYMENT, IMPACTING THE SOFTER PORTION OF THE LEFT FRONT CORNER OF THE VEHICLE, AND WAS NOT A DIRECT FRONTAL IMPACT, THEREFORE THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY, TWO PEOPLE WERE INJURED IN THE ACCIDENT. *TT