New problem on my '04 LS430, the ignition key must now be pushed in HARD in order to start the car. At first I thought it was a sticking steering wheel and tried to jiggle it so the key would start. But I found out that the key must be FORCED into the ignition before it turns, regardless of the steering wheel position. Anyone else ever had this? I love this car but my wife's 2003 Explorer has had less problems.

 

Do you have SmartAccess?

 

Don't force it. It probably has a small obstruction of some sort. Clean it out with some WD-40. If you force it you face the possibility of bending the wafers which will be a big headache for you.

Take care,

Tami

 

I HAVE to force it, or no go! It seems to work fine when forced. And it's the DEALER'S problem, not mine. At least it's his expense. Or that of Lexus.

 

Actually, I don't think you understand. First of all, I do not have Smartass. Second of all, the key goes into the hole fine. But once it's all the way in, it requires additional INWARD pressure before it will be allowed to turn. Undue, unusual inward pressure that it did not require during the first 18,000 miles.

 

Your right D40, let the dealer and or Lexus deal with it, your still under warranty. I myself, a while back had some complaints about the recent problems with some of the lexus models in the last 4 years. I was told by some on this site I need to go back to Benz if I don't like the problems. This is just another example of what I have noticed in my 9 years of Lexus ownership. In the past 4-5 years there have been more troubles than I remember, compared to my first 4 years (1997-2000). I'm not saying i'm not still a Lexus fan, but some of the quality has slipped. I notice annoying sqeaks and lose accesories among other things (gear shift was stuck,steering wheel operated poorly when extending or retracting). Also dealers who have shady sales tactics. I feel that they are heading in the direction of Benz, seeking quantity over quality. They started of with Acura like prices, and are on there way to Benz #'s in about 5 years, maybe less with the new LS450 or LS460 whatever there working on now. Don't get me wrong if you can charge more in business do so. One thing though, Wal-Mart figured out to much change is bad for business. Go back to quality Lexus your true fans like me don't care about competing with Benz. And like me, they little by little will come to Lexus. /Back up your rep with less of the problems like D40's and others I've seen more recently and customers will come. Despite that classic line in the movie "Wall Street" said by one of my favorite actors Micheal Douglas and here it is "Greed is Good" in some cases maybe but in this super competitive car war not so, look at Benz's decline and Jaguar. Also Lexus watch out for your little brother Acura there growing up and have had a good year so far.(GOD IS GOOD ALL THE TIME)

 

maybe the key isn't cut very well or so. on my old old carmy, after yrs of use the key sorta get "stripped" out and i had to push in order to turn it

 

Nope, the key worked fine for the first 18,000 miles. And the problem is with any/all of the keys...that also worked fine for 18,000 miles.

 

maybe the ignition has some problems?

 

Took it to my dealer and they agreed that the cylinder needs to be replaced. And that requires all of the locks to be replaced to match. Fortunately it's under warranty and they'll keep the car until parts arrive. They were out of loaner cars but rented me a brand new Jaguar Xtype (1300 miles) from the local ENTERPRISE Rent-A-Car. So I guess I'm drivin' a Jag for the weekend and then some.

 

Thank God for car warranties, and it's great they rented you the Jag, I know it drives like a dream. I hope when you get the LS430 back there aren't anymore major pronlems. It's a great car and the redesign is special, so hope that things go smoother when you get it back. (GOD IS GOOD ALL THE TIME).

 

glad that they are replcing everything!

and the loaner isn't too bad i think

 

Jaguar X type is a far cry from the LS, but compared to the usual loaners you get, the ES or RX, it's not bad. I won't mind they rent me a Jag for a change the next time I take my car in for maintainence

 

hahhaa it's all about comparison man. the x type of cousre isn't like the LS, but it's not bad neither

i hate to say, but you should see what some people got as loaners when they leave their acura for warranty work. if i got one i will probably rent another car myself