Globalinx

I have 2005 gx. Another day while driving the check engine light came on, followed by the rest TRAC OFF, vsc off, skid... A few seconds later. I did read a lot on this as my old 03 had the same without the check engine light, it was a speed sensor, and a steering positioning sensor. So now with the check engine on my 05, its an obvious emissions system issue. Seriously WTF? Why my life and my passengers life had to be intentionally endangered by TOYOTA during a snow fall? Why in the world they designed a car that will shut off safety features such as skid and traction control which also impairs the all wheel drive because of an emissions failure? Whats next from Toyota? Wheels will fall off or steering wheel lock when an O2 sensor fails, or a gas cap not tight enough? I swear my family and i have been toyota product people for 10s of years, but this kind of intentional endangerment is not acceptable and is a complete absurd!!! And im about to start a safety campaign against Toyota vehicles if this issue wont be addressed and fixed by the company. Can anyone guide me to whom i may forward this complain at toyota?
Btw, any one knows if 08+ sequoia has the same issue as i was gonna get one, and if anyone knows whats a good comparing vehicle would be from another manufacturer which doesn't uneceserrely jeopardize lives of people?
Update:
For now i bought an OBD code scanner/eraser tool for $80. It showed "catalyst efficiency". So i deleted the code and it was okay for the first 500 miles. Had to do it again today. TOYOTA better hope that due to their atrocious disregard to safety and peoples lives nor myself or anyone else do not get hurt while taking an off ramp in the snow or slippery conditions, because of low quality cats they had put in in the first place.
Thanks guys

GreatHim

well you are most welcome to go buy a BMW or Mercedes ect... but i can assure you the same thing will happen, its not poor quality cars, its poor quality care being provided to the vehicle. almost all new cars will have this type of system redundancy built into them, its not Toyota choice to do this, you can thank the EPA and other groups for this.

how old are you? what did you do 20 years ago when there was no such thing as traction control and vehicle stability control? did you just not drive in the snow or inclement weather? what did you ever do without ABS? did you just walk or refuse to drive because vehicles were unsafe? i could go on and on, but i think you get my point. slow down take due caution and be an adult. stop relying on a vehicle to keep you safe, you need to keep you and your family safe. -are you gonna sue international because their delivery truck on the road next to you does not have ABS or TC or VSC? what does it do in the snow? like it or not Toyota still makes one of the most reliable and technologically advanced vehicles on the road. this vehicle is 10 years old, and is about 13 year old technology... are you gonna sue Windows and Norton because the system you are using is from 2005 and is old and not up to date or providing you with the most up to date security for your personal information?

Globalinx

Dear GreatHim, i have been driving cars perhaps not as long as some others, but it doesnt defeat my concern for the malicious actions by Toyota to disrespect others lives yet again. ( like i said i was probably the major aficionado of their product, but now im in doubt for the average consumer) Is this really an EPA? : lets kill people while they driving on ice and snow because the gas cap is not tight or the catalytic converter ate too much oil?
Seriously, i do not know any other car manufacturer who would put peoples lives at such danger by intentionally disabling safety controls to the vehicle they made. I truly do not want to see you going into a turn on a snowed on surface (after all most of us bought those vehicles for) and a cell decided u deserve a possible accident. How fast will you react to the changes of the car?

I am a 35 yo, who has been driving Ladas and recently sold his 1994 Dodge Viper which had no electronic assist whatsoever, no ABS, TRAC, SKID, just to replace it with a 2005 Viper ( has an ABS system and nothing else but more HP) and i do that with my GX ( dif lock vcs off):


To your question Sir, no i did not stop driving, and i did not have all the toys or assist. But when i rely on something that the manufacturer offers, its better be there. I could understand failure on a system, and things brake, i understand. What i do not understand is a malicious sabotage of a safety features by Toyota which are not related to the problem.
Oh and i still have a 2000 GS400 (bought brand new if that matters) 16 yo now, which occasionally throws an O2 cell. It does not disable vsc and trac...
The car is dangerous and unsafe to rive, this is bottom line!!! Any other car that disables safety features at will without a substantial cause or damage, is unsafe and dangerous and a malicious by a manufacturer. In this scenario Toyota!

techrep

I say bust out the Viper in the snow and have some fun...

chiph9

A lot of those systems are on modern cars not only because customers want them, but because the EPA & NHTSA has made them mandatory. Plus, cars today are essentially computer systems with wheels, and a lot of these systems have complex inter-dependencies. So it's entirely likely that an emissions-system failure could affect other systems.

I think you're over-reacting. Stuff breaks sometimes, and it's not malicious in any way.

Chip H.

Nothnghead

You keep using that word: malicious. It's nothing of the sort. It seems you're being terribly histrionic about this and doing nothing about it. Regardless, it sounds like you'd be happier if you sold the GX and got away from the brand altogether. I know I'd hate feeling angry and betrayed every time I got into my car.

cdew002

Haha. This post reminds me of the cars.com commercial where it's so easy to buy a car, they have to find a way to add more drama into their lives.

...the OP needs a little more drama in his life if this is worthy of a rant like this.

Globalinx

Okay guys, i dont wish it on to no one, but would like to see to what tune you will be singing when you will plant your GX in to a tree, or worth, hurt someone else on the road when your cat reading is off or you forgot to tighten your gas cap. I understand stuff brakes, doesnt mean that the manufacturer should be allowed to disable safety features of the vehicle based on unrelated problem. If it was a speed sensor, or a steering positioning sensor failure that is a direct component of traction and skid control systems like on my 03 GX i wouldn't have made a sound. Yes stuff brakes... But what is happening in my 05 GX is complete absurd. Just saying

And no i dont want any drama, i just wanted to make people aware of Toyotas disregard to peoples safety. Obviously i have attracted a wrong crowd. Enjoy your cars

cdew002

Actually, a manufacturer has the right to design THEIR vehicle however they see fit. It's on you to decide to buy it or not.

Absurd is this post. If you don't like it, sell it. Nobody forces you to get in and crank it up every day.

BlackCat81

Care to clarify how it impairs your AWD? I guess that's a rhetorical question because it doesn't.

IanB2

If your dash is lit up like a Christmas tree with warning lights and the like indicting the electronic driver's aids are disabled, I would expect any reasonable person would adjust their driving style and get their vehicle to a service dept. ASAP if they are not able to diagnose and repair themselves. This whole thread is action-packed with drama, you make it sound like the truck splits in half at highway speed, get real. Electronic driver aids are not a requirement for safe operation of any vehicle.

This is not a Toyota/Lexus specific issue, as others have eluded to.

offroad200

Just so you (the OP) knows, those systems AREN'T actually disabled just because they light up due to a loose gas cap. So yes the TRAC, VSC, etc. light up for a loose gas cap, but they still work. Make sense? You really think Toyota would disable all safety systems over a loose gas cap?

BradTank

Usually when a company does something incredibly stupid and defies common sense, there's a government agency or group of lawyers making them do it.

Not sure why Toyota does this, but obviously it's for some reason that's likely beyond their control, they obviously aren't intentionally trying to create a safety problem because there's an emissions issue. The two simply aren't related.

Maybe it's fear of a lawsuit that you can't rely on these safety systems because the engine is not running properly, so it's letting the driver know there's a malfunction?

To me, it's a hell of a liability that could get them in some sort of class action lawsuit from where I'm standing, similar to GM where the key failure turned off the air bags.

Nothnghead

All flaming aside, if I felt that unsafe in a car, I would get rid of it asap. That's why I don't ride motorcycles but that's me.

Seriously bro, get rid of your GX and be done. Life is full of calculated risks and it sounds like your numbers add up differently than other's on this forum.

470SNC

When I go offroad, I pull the brake booster plug that disables traction control since the Lexus traction control cuts power way too easily even on small inclines. I have no problem driving without all those electronic nannies on even at high speed in the dirt. I suggest you learn to drive with them on and off then, or sell the vehicle.