2008 Lexus LS460

WHILE DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS (70 MPH) I ENCOUNTERED ILLUMINATION OF BRAKE/ABS WARNING LIGHTS ON THE DASH ADVISING ME THAT THE SAFETY BRAKE/ABS/TRACTION FEATURES ON MY CAR ARE NON OPERATIONAL. UPON PULLING OVER, I READ A MESSAGE DISPLAYED ON THE DASH ALERTING ME TO TAKE MY CAR TO THE NEAREST LEXUS DEALER. UPON ARRIVAL AT THE LEXUS DEALERSHIP, I WAS ADVISED BY THE SERVICE ADVISOR THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM ON THIS MODEL AND MORE LIKELY THEN NOT THE FAULTY BRAKE ACTUATOR WILL NEED TO BE REPLACED. THIS WAS CONFIRMED THE FOLLOWING BUSINESS DAY WHEN I RECEIVED A CALL FROM THE SERVICE ADVISOR CONFIRMING THAT THE BRAKE ACTUATOR HAS FAILED. UPON QUESTIONING THE ADVISOR OF THE CAUSE, HE ONCE AGAIN ACKNOWLEDGED THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM AND THAT LEXUS HAS ISSUED AN UPDATED PART AS A REPLACEMENT. IT CONCERNS ME THAT LEXUS HAS NOT PERFORMED A VOLUNTARY RECALL ON SAID BRAKE ACTUATOR SINCE THIS IS A CRITICAL SAFETY DEVICE AND THEY (LEXUS) ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THERE IS DEFECT TO THE ORIGINAL PART BY PROVIDING AN "IMPROVED" BRAKE ACTUATOR ASSEMBLY. FURTHERMORE, BY PERFORMING A SIMPLE INTERNET SEARCH I ENCOUNTERED NUMEROUS TOPICS ABOUT IDENTICAL ISSUES AS MINE ON THE MODEL/YEAR (2007-2010 LEXUS LS460). I WOULD LIKE TO DULY REQUEST THAT NTSB PERFORMS AN INQUIRY WITH LEXUS REGARDING BRAKE ACTUATOR ISSUES STATED ABOVE.

EVERY TIME YOU'RE PRESSING THE BRAKE YOU GET A CLICKING AND A KNOCKING NOISE THEY'LL TELL YOU THAT IS NORMAL ARE THERE NOT SURE WHAT IT IS BUT WE NEED TO GET ONLINE AND READ ABOUT IT EVERYBODY IS COMPLAINING ABOUT IT BECAUSE THEY SAY SOMETIMES YOU CAN REPLACE THE ACTUATOR BUT THAT'S ABOUT $4,000 LOTS OF COMPLAINTS ONLINE WRITING ABOUT THIS, I JUST BOUGHT THE CAR A WEEK AGO

WHEN DRIVING ON A HIGHWAY, WARNING LIGHTS "CHECK ABS" "CHECK VSC SYSTEM" "CHECK BRAKE SYSTEM" "BRAKE MALFUNCTION" "STOP THE VEHICLE IN A SAFE PLACE IMMEDIATELY. CONTACT A DEALER" SUDDENLY CAME ON AND A 5 OTHER LIGHTS ALSO CAME UP. IT WAS SCARY ME SO MUCH. I HAD TO PULL OVER AND STOP. AFTER CHECKING TO SURE THE BRAKE STILL FUNCTION, I SLOWLY DRIVE HOME WITH THE EMERGENCY LIGHT ON. CAME HOME, I DID A LITTLE RESEARCH ON THE INTERNET, AND IT TURNED OUT THIS IS A KNOWN AND VERY COMMON PROBLEM FOR THIS CAR, AND LEXUS CONTINUE TO DENY THE PROBLEM, AND FAILED TO RECALL TO FIX THE PROBLEM. IT'S BRAKE ACTUATOR THAT FAILED AROUND 114,830 MILES. I REALLY DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO NOW OTHER THAN TO TAKE THE CAR TO THE DEALER THIS SATURDAY.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 LEXUS LS460. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE INDEPENDENTLY SURGED FORWARD AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT APPLIED FORCE TO THE BRAKE PEDAL, BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED WITHOUT WARNING. WHILE AT A STOP WITH THE BRAKE PEDAL APPLIED, THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE SURGED FORWARD AND CRASHED INTO THE PRECEDING VEHICLE, WHICH THEN CRASHED INTO ANOTHER VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A REPAIR SHOP BY THE INSURANCE COMPANY WHO REPAIRED THE BODY DAMAGES TO THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED BY AN AUTHORIZED DEALER TO DETERMINE THE FAILURE. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE DRIVER SUSTAINED WHIPLASH THAT REQUIRED MEDICAL ATTENTION. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS NOT AVAILABLE. UPDATED 01/20/16*LJ *CN

I HAD REMARKED TO THE LOCAL DEALER THAT IT MADE A CLUNK NOISE WHEN STARTING THE VEHICLE AND DEPRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL. THIS WAS AT 63K MI WHEN I PURCHASED IT. I WAS TOLD IT WAS NORMAL. APPROXIMATELY 1 YEAR AND 10K MI. AFTER I STARTED TO EXPERIENCE SQUEALING WHEN BRAKING. I WAS TOLD BY THE DEALER THAT NO ISSUES WERE FOUND AND THAT IT WAS MOST LIKELY CAUSED BY CHEAP AFTERMARKET BRAKES. I BROUGHT THE VEHICLE IN FOR THE BRAKES AGAIN AND WAS TOLD THAT THEY FOUND NOTHING WRONG, PROBABLY JUST CHEAP PADS. APPROXIMATELY 3K MI. LATER WHEN DRIVING AT APPROX. 35MPH. WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED, AND STATED TO TAKE IMMEDIATELY TO THE DEALER. WHEN I TOOK IT I WAS INFORMED THERE WERE CODES REGARDING AN ELECTRICAL MALFUNCTION AND LEAK, BUT THEY FOUND NO EVIDENCE OF THE PROBLEM. THEY RESET THE CAR AND ATTEMPTED TO RE-ILLUMINATE THE WARNING LIGHTS, WHICH THEY WERE UNABLE TO DO. APPROX. 1K MI. LATER THE WARNING LIGHT RE-ILLUMINATED. WHEN I SPOKE TO THE DEALER THEY ASKED IF I HAD ANY DRIVEABILITY, OR BRAKING ISSUES, WHICH I DID NOT, THE CAR DROVE AND BRAKED NORMALLY. I WAS TOLD THEY COULD LOOK AT THE CODES AGAIN AND RESET THEM, BUT THEY WOULD MOST LIKELY COME BACK ON AGAIN IF IT WAS SOME OTHER TYPE OF MALFUNCTION. I WAS PLANNING ON PUTTING THE CAR AWAY FOR THE WINTER AND ADDRESSING THE ISSUE THEN, THE DEALER AGREED THAT IT WAS MOST LIKELY THE BEST TO BRING IT IN PRIOR TO TAKING IT OFF THE ROAD FOR WINTER. ONCE AGAIN APPROX. 1K MI. LATER A CONSTANT BEEPING STARTED WHILE DRIVING SHORTLY AFTER A HARD BRAKING INCIDENT. IT STOPPED, BUT STARTED AGAIN 2 WKS LATER WHILE DRIVING HOME AS I APPROACHED AN EXIT RAMP. I DEPRESSED THE BRAKE PEDAL TO FIND I HAD NO BRAKING ABILITY. PEDAL TO THE FLOOR. I ENTERED THE 1/16TH OF A MILE RAMP AT 65MPH. I SWIFTLY DOWNSHIFTED ENOUGH THAT I MADE THE TURN AT THE END T ON TO MY STREET WITH ONLY MINIMAL FISHTAIL AND FOUND THAT THE VSC WAS STILL FUNCTIONING.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 LEXUS LS460. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 30 MPH, THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED AND THERE WAS AN EXCESSIVE DELAYED RESPONSE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE ABS ACTUATOR WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 130,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 LEXUS LS460. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE SURFACE OF THE DASHBOARD BEGAN TO DETERIORATE AND PRODUCED A STICKY SUBSTANCE. WHILE OPERATING THE VEHICLE, THE SUNLIGHT CREATED A GLARE ON THE DASHBOARD THAT IMPAIRED THE DRIVER'S VISION. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO INDICATED THAT THE FAILURE WAS CAUSED BY A CHEMICAL REACTION IN THE DASHBOARD AND THAT IT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 45,000.