Hi,
I have a 1999 ES300 with 58,000 miles on it and I have had ongoing problems with the engine light and trac off lite coming on requiring about 4 trips to have O2 sensors replaced(I understand there are only 3 but I must be replacing the same ones more than once). Anyway when my engine light came on yesterday, I readon this forum(thank you very much) I could go to Advance Auto and get them to scan it for free, which I did. I got the readout, and it says "P0446 EVAP Emission control System Vent circuit Malfuntion", then it says "this indicates a malfunction in ceratin systems or components". Can somebody tell me what this means and what I need to get fixed this time? I just had it inspected in June for emissions control and it passed. I love the car otherwise. thank you.
Kfit103710

 

Either the charcoal canister is cracked or the VSV near it is defective more than likely.

 

kfit103710, read the following thread where a member came across a similar problem with his 2000 ES and fixed it by replacing the charcoal canister:

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=293235

BTW welcome to ClubLexus!

 

Thanks guys. I see in the original thread about the charcoal canister that Lexus is supposed to replace it for free, and that someone requested the site where that is stated, but I did not see the reply. Where can I find the place it states it is a covered item , just in case Lexus has a problem with their memory. Thanks in advance. I cant believe I have replaced so many of the
o2 sensors. ( I wonder if they really needed replacing or if it has been the charcoal cannister all along.)

 

Well FWIW - the o2 sensers usually last about 100K or so. So they might or might not have been bad. But to replace all 3 so early suggests that the shop who did the repairs maybe throwing parts at it, i.e. "automotive baseball"
strike 1
strike 2



I would check the canister and the vsv attached to it...
Good luck!

edit: Not sure about the warranty thing

 

I hate to say it but how does this happen to an es with only 58k on it thats insane?

 

My feelings exactly....I thought I had really gotten a great deal when I bought the car 4 years ago with only 27,000 miles on it, but I am having way too many problems for a car with so few miles on it, it seems to me. I am diligent about keeping the routine maintenance up, but the O2/ emissions control has been an ongoing problem. Unfortunately the overall warranty on the car does not go by the miles, generally speaking, but by the years, and the warranty is out(except for the charcoal canister--hopefully this will prove to be the problem and they will fix it once and for all). Will update when I get an answer from Lexus.

 

UPDATEI wrote to Lexus and they said my car would NOT qualify for a replacement of the charcoal cannister--that it was just thru 1998. They wanted my vin number, which I gave them. Then they said it was a 1999, and that the warranties were just thru the 1998's. Funny but my 99 was sold to the original owner in the last month of 1998. So what are they trying to pull here? Any thots on how to handle this. I take it in to the dealer tomorrow and if they are not going to honor the warranty for the cannister, I'm taking it back to my mechanic who will do it much cheaper.

 

I dont think they are trying to pull anything as far as the warranty dates. You say that your car was sold to the original owner within the last tef months of 98; then it is considered to be a 99 model year car. I think,if I remember correctly, that the manufacturers' model year calendar span from sept of one year to sept of the following year. This is not a Lexus thing, I know that all car manufacturers' bring out their new model year around the later part of the current year (sept I think, but dont quote me). Just because your car may have been sold to the orignial owner in the last month of 98 doesnt necessarily quality it to be a 98. The fact that Lexus asked for your VIN number to cross check and make sure of the model year before they said yes or no to the warranty recall is standard. In taking it to the dealer tomorrow to have the repairs done, I am sure they can do the repairs, however it will be at your expense and not under warranty. I think it will be cheaper for you to take to your trusted mechanic. The dealership is not gonna overrule the Lexus guideline warranty(ie. warranty is for 98 and yours is a 99), and your VIN number is pretty much gonna solidify the model year car you have and disqualify you from coverage.

In searching www.lexuspartsonline.com I found this,,,

Mechanical Catalog Emission system , Vapor canister

1999 Lexus Es300

Alternator
Automatic transaxle
Body hardware
Brakes
Cooling system
Electrical
Emission system
Egr system
Pcv valve
Vapor canister
Vapor canister
Engine
Exhaust system
Front drive axle
Front suspension
Fuel system
Hvac
Maintenance & lubrication
Rear suspension
Starter
Steering
Steering column


Keyword or Part Number


Description Year Core Price Your Price
Vapor canister, es300 1999 $223.86




We can get any part for your Lexus.

This is a ballpark of what you are looking to spend to replace. This place supplies OEM parts. I, personally, am not sure if there are any aftermarkets available. Hope this helps a little.

 

ANOTHER Interesting update: I checked the National Highway Traffic Safety peoples website. They have a division called "office of defects investigation". And under ES1999, one of the items it lists as having a defect is this P0446 code. It says specifically "exhibiting a false malfunction indicator lamp on with diagnostic trouble code P0446". That is very interesting. If I understand what they are saying, it is that the light comes on and this particular code pops up, but there is not really a problem. In 3 days of emailing both the Lexus dealer and the National office with questions about this code, nobody has mentioned this yet. You'd think they would have all this stuff on computer or something, wouldnt you?

 

NHTSA only compiles an evaluated list of complaints by you and I, the consumer. This simply means that there have been some complaints by people having this problem, and it has/is being investigated. When they complile a large enough list of complaints for the same issue, by the consumer, they may choose to do their own independent investigation. If in their findings, they find the problem to be safety related (life threatening) they will approach the manufacturer with their findings in order to mandate a resolution. Keep in mind, their mandate will really only take presidence if it is a consumer SAFETY issue related problem, and their own findings are condusive with the consumer complaints as well. In some cases, NHTSA will alert a manufacturer of a growing number of complaints for a specific problem and, the manufacturer may take it upon themselves to investigate and issue a recall if warranted. Keep in mind that they are all here to make money, and if the recall is something minor (fuse, light,something small) in most cases they may not bother to issue a recall. They are gonna do what best profits their bottom line. If the cost of replacement means Billions of dollars off their bottom line profits and they really are not selling well, recall may not ensue. If they recall is a safety related problem, which WILL endanger the lives of their consumer, and the NHTSA has conducted their own investigation and found the claims plausible, then recall will be necessary. On the other hand as well, some manufacturers can issue a recall for an item/problem which has found to be defective or NHTSA has alerted them to the growing number of complaints rising, out of good will. This may have been the case with the original recall/warranty replacement for the models up to 98. Once a recall/warranty replacement advisory has been issued for a current year, you can definitely be sure they go back and revamp their systems and correct whatever the defect is for the next model year, such as in your 99 and why it was not covered.

 

kfit, how did your repair go, and what was your result of trying to get Lexus to cover you under warranty?

 

After finding the tidbit on the NHTSa website about the P0466 code being basically worthless as far as meaning what it says, and asking Lexus National about it and being told that yea, it does short out and it does need to be fixed but we wont do it for free, I just decided I would put up with the engine lite on, and then the engine light went off. So I will just wait until I can take it to my mechanic and let him take a look at the cannister when he has it up for an oil change. I cancelled my appointment with the Lexus Dealer. They have not been trustworthy in the past, in my opinion, and I did not expect they would this time. I was dreading even going in. They just built this HUGE glass building complete with juice and coffee bar, and I am not in a position to help them pay for it.

 

[QUOTE=trukn1;2810186]
"I dont think they are trying to pull anything as far as the warranty dates. "Trukn1

I wanted to check the dates before responding. When I bought my Lexus, it still had 3 months left on the original warranty. That was one reason I bought it because it still had some warranty on it. In those last 3 months I had I major problem the repair costs $2,000 . I said, no problem, it is still under warranty. The dealer told me that since the original owner picked the car up in Sept 1998, even tho it was a 1999 car, they had to count the 3 months of 1998 on her warranty, meaning that even tho it was nowonly Sept 2003, the warranty had expired because they applied it to her3 months in 98. Can you believe that? I had a car I just bought and was told was still under warranty, and i think it was, but because the origianl owner got it early, they deducted those months in 1998 from 2003. I thot this was a big stinker, and I have not gone back there since. Unfortunately every now and then you must use a dealer for something and I was dreading it.