Have a 2007 LS460L. Recently, I notice when I start the engine, it would start and then, in a fraction of a second, it will shut off. I then have to start over again. This is happening too frequently to be something I'm doing wrong.

Took it to the local Lexus dealership and they could not reproduce it, but told me they have had similar complaints from other owners, including other models as well, with keyless starters.

Repair would cost in the range of $600.00, parts and labor. Their advise was to wait till it was a frequent problem. My fear is I'll be out in the boonies and be stuck.

Hope it becomes frequent enough that there is a recall.

Any thoughts?

 

I never experienced this problem, and this is the first time I come across it.

I assume your warranty is out since they wanted to charge you, isn't?

 

I am having something similar happen to me as well.

What I have noticed is when I get in the car and get ready to start the car, I depress the brake pedal, and as normal the light on the start button turns green and ready to start. I depress the start button and the car starts and idles just fine, but all of a sudden the light on the start button turns off and as soon as I let go of the start button the car shuts off. Its almost as if the car doesn't sense I am pressing the brake pedal any longer and then the security feature shuts off the car. This doesn't happen all the time, and wouldn't you know it, it never happens at the dealership. I thought it tended to happen when the its hot outside after being parked in the sun all day, but it has also happened to me first thing in the morning while being parked in a cool garage all night....

When this does happen it takes like 2 or 3 attempts and then it works fine. And after a successful startup, if I stop the car and then try to make it do it again, it won't happen and it won't happen all day or even a couple of days. But every now and then it happens....

Any thoughts or similar experiences?

thanks

 

do you have extended warranty on the car.If not $600 is not a lot to avoid being stuck in an uncooled car in the summer in some random parking lot. If you will need to replace the part in the future why not do it now to save yourself the irritation of breaking down

 

I am a little bothered by your indication that you start your car by holding the "engine START/STOP" button. I start mine by pressing on the brake and momentarily depressing, and then releasing the switch. In starting my car, I don't give any thought as to whether the engine has started or not, I just press the start button and let it go. I know that the engine emergency shut-down calls for holding the switch depressed for several seconds. I really don't think they intended for you to start your car by holding that switch depressed for an extended period of time.

I looked at my owner's manual for the proper technique for starting and it is vague about how to use that switch. However, I can assure you that its operation is not the equivalent of holding a mechanical key in the start position until you hear the roar of the engine.

 

jmcraney,

I never hold the button for extended during normal situations. I am only doing this during the explanation to prove that as soon as start the car the light goes off and as long as I hold the button the the car stays on and as soon as I let go the car shuts off. Like I said when everything is working perfectly I momentarily depress the button like everybody else.

To be more clear if I momentarily depress the switch like you stated the car dies and the general consensus would be 'go troubleshoot or replace the starter'. When in fact the car starts just fine, its just why does the green light turn off on the start button and subsequently kill the motor when I let go the button....

do you get what I mean?

 

Sorry, no offense intended. For the situation you described it is probably related to a sensor telling the electronics that something is wrong such a compression on one of the cylinders or low oil pressure or something like that. Those sorts of problems should be recorded by the event data recorder and available to the dealership technicians. It is very unlikely related to keyless ignition.

 

No offense taken, I was just trying to be more clear so I can get even more substantial suggestions and insights such as the one you posted. I will try to look at the event data logs myself and see if it anything corresponds to the incidents...

 

The dealership checked the data recorder and could not find anything there.

 

I continue to believe that a record of these events are in your car's data recorder and that the data will provide a clue as to the cause. However analyzing the data may be too time consuming for the technician that worked on your car.

It would be interesting if you and rz_racer would tell us about the status of your valve spring recall and how it correlates to the problem that you are experiencing.

Has the valve spring recall been done?

Did you first experience this problem after the valve spring retrofit?

 

Thanks for your interest. I did not have a "valve spring recall," but had a "V 8 recall." The latter was in November 2010. My ignition problems are only since about mid-June this year. Any thoughts? Thanks.

 

Look no further than this pdf... Your dealer should have known about this, as it's a known problem.

 

This site and its denizens provide a great service for Lexus owners and continuously expose a major problem with the Lexus dealer network. If you will notice, the cited TSIB is dated November 2008. Why did the dealers not know about this????

 

Precisely. When the dealership told me they have had a "handful" of customers with similar problems, I think they knew about the Lexus bulletin, but did not want to admit it. Lexus is getting "Americanized," meaning, they want to wait till they have complaints in the hundreds and thousands before they voluntarily do something about it

 

Lexus USA informed me they would fix my problem