Well, I know we've all been following the headlines on this as it relates to Toyota generally, and notably the Camry and the ES, but this sentence in the news caught my eye yesterday, referring to the "Wins for Toyota - Safety Group" document that was apparently produced by Toyota for an internal presentation in July 2009 link:

The document lists seven "Wins for Toyota & Industry," including "favorable recall outcomes," "secured safety rulemaking favorable to Toyota" and "vehicles not in climate legislation." Another page lists "key safety issues," including "Sudden acceleration on ES/Camry, Tacoma, LS etc."


Well, I don't know about you guys, but I was a little surprised and distressed to see the LS mentioned there.

Has anyone experienced anything like this, or have you received notification from your Lexus dealer about possible problems?

 

I think this is the latest: http://news.moneycentral.msn.com/pro...23&id=11140691

Don't know what model she had, but I know how to turn my ignition off...something to think about!

 

well i know after reading an article the other day that it was a little difficult apparently to turn off the engine on the newer lex's with the push button start... i always sort of called the people a little slow who didn't know how to turn their cars off in the face of this sudden acceleration issue but what i read was something to the effect that you had to hold the push start button in for 3 whole seconds,, this i did not know and haven't ever tried since i don't own a push start button car but i know from driving one that when in P you just pushed it once to turn it off... so i myself may not have known to hold the button down for 3 solid seconds to get the engine to shut off, and even more shocking is that it wasn't even clearly noted in the owners manual that this is what has to be done while the car is in motion and not stopped in P to shut it off... how many people knew this (if it is in fact true)???

 

She was driving an ES350, not an LS: Link to story

Has anyone heard of this problem on the LS? Anyone?

 

Surely, after the much pubilcized CA police officer who was caught off guard by the accelerator sticking under the floor mat on the ES350, every driver has given a little thought to how he/she would stop their car if something like this happened. Put it in neutral and let the engine rev. That way you have power steering and brakes to steer and stop. Then shut down the engine after you stop.

That said, this is a way over-sensationalized story. Loaded with fraud, misinformation, and vendetta, among other things....

 

Out of the 3 million people we have in the U.S., unfortunately there are quite a lot of people who just aren't mentally there. Their perceptions are their realities.

I find it hard to believe that this driver actually put the car in neutral and it kept accelerating. Just doesn't make sense. I suspect the person did all the wrong things while thinking they were doing the right things.

I also think it is outrageous for Congress to allow this kind of testimony before a hearing. But the real question is what is Congress trying to do? Again, it appears there are just too many people with low msentality.

I certainly am not going to be influenced by all this statistically meaningless crap.

 

I think most of us NOW know alternate methods to SLOWING and STOPPING A CAR if the brakes don't slow it down, but it's not the level of intelligence nor the mechanical aptitude of the driver that is on trial here. It's SHOULD BE/IS Toyota.

Funny how we win EVERY game and are perfect passers with 10 touchdowns, no interceptions, etc, as MONDAY MORNING QUARTERBACKS, right?...and everyone else is just plain ole' dumb...

I can't understand how you claim fraud, misinformation, vendetta, and other things (among other things), when these occurances ARE DOCUMENTED.

Can you provide proof for each and every one of your claims...and specifically name all the "other things" you mentioned?

 

What I find hard to believe are all the Toyota/Lex fanbois that continue to just attack the intelligence and integrity of each and every person that comes forward with their actual incident.

Just like you said, "I find it hard to believe that this driver....."

Well...maybe you should START to believe. Apparently her BRAKES and TRANNY were RUINED. How much more evidence is needed?

Wait...she's actually lying when she wrote her complaint letter YEARS AGO. She was actually stepping on the gas with her right foot and the brake with her left foot, and is just looking for a payout, right?????

 

People choose to believe whatever they want to. That is their right, whether they are right or wrong. End of story.

 

An advance request to everyone, please be civil to one another, and stay on topic. This is a potentially heated issue but we need to keep it from getting personal.

For general discussion of the Toyota recalls and acceleration, including the ES 350, please post in this thread:
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/car...merged-42.html

As for the LS, yes it does raise eyebrows to see it mentioned. However, at the hearings, IIRC Mr. Lentz mentioned that the LS was the first to receive the drive-by-wire system, in 2001.
There probably have been a number of NHTSA complaints regarding the LS, as there are with probably every model of car sold in the US. Not all complaints are equal--anyone can file a complaint.

However, I think the scrutiny is focused on the Camry/ES because that is where the bulk of complaints has been. In addition, the Camry/ES does not have the type of pedal that the LS has, which cannot be obstructed underneath.

And, to add, the ES 350 in its first year had the transmission surging complaints and software recall, IIRC. In the years since, the LS 430, LS 460 thus far have not had that level of complaints or problems.

 

Did anyone hear the entire testimony from the Toyota executive who was sitting before Congress today? I'm wondering if he mentioned the LS product line, specifically.

Not surprisingly, he DID say that he could NOT guarantee the sudden acceleration problems were fixed with the all the floormats, gas pedals, driver education, etc.

Quite laughable.

I hope you guys don't hold Toyota $tock.

 

I just read your post regarding the LS mentioned. I searched Youtube but could not find the entire hearing. Does anyone know where the hearings can be viewed or heard?

 

Are you the same guy who has trouble with LS430 wiper arms and bit@hes that Lexus should redesign the wiper system? Maybe a recall for that? Regardless, my comment wasn't for you -- you may well need a 100% recall just to check every item on your Toyota, IDK. Instead, my comment was in response to someone saying that it's "distressing" that there might be a 1 in 3,000,000 chance that their LS430 accelerator might someday not return to idle position when they release it. It shouldn't be distressing -- his chances of an accident -- even dying in an accident -- are many, many thousands of times greater just by getting out on the road in any vehicle. People don't need to get all worked up over this. There are 600 vehicle recalls every year. Ford recalled 4 million vehicles last year, and others recalled millions. Where is the terror, distress, and over-reaction over those recalls?

Still alive and doing relatively well here. What's your point?

I don't really have time to spoon feed you if you aren't aware of the cases people wiring in resistors to accelerator pedal wires, then releasing a "news" story about the resuting vehicle malfuction. The fact the the co-owners of GM and Chrysler are putting Toyota, their biggest competitor on trial with impunity. LaHood running around on national media spouting hints and innuendo about how fundamentally evil Toyota is. Convicted criminals staking requests for re-trial on newly-raised claims of a stuck Toyota gas pedal during the comission of their crime, and the "victims" of the crime suddenly saying that they believe the criminal and at the same time filing a lawsuit against Toyota. And so on and so forth. The stories are coming out of the woodwork at the smell of Toyota's deep pockets, and there's no apparent effort by the media to vet the stories -- they just put them up in the headlines and keep selling advertising. Nobody is saying that Toyota has done no wrong. We're just saying that things are being blown waaaay out of proportion, and some no doubt to a point of criminality.

 

Why Yes! I am the one that hates the wiper blade design, actually. They stink in the snow! Are you the one that can not admit ANY fault(s) of a Toyota product? What is troubling is that you can not, for one second, admit that Toyota has a problem here, without attacking me personally. A badly designed wiper arm has what to do with this? You are distracting and dilluting and detouring the argument and discussion at hand.

Another thing.....who cares about a Ford recall regarding: drivers side window air gap? or Mitsubishi recall: water in turn signal lens? or Kia recall: rattle noise from headliner/sunroof.

None of those faults were jeopardizing a HUMAN LIFE! (aka--KILLED people). C'mon....you know this.

Lastly, with the Monday morning quarterbacking-----I read that you posted a way to slow down and stop the car during unintended acceleration. Obvi-----98% of the people already know this NOW. Why you're posting (and continue to post it like you were an expert), does not make you appear smarter, nor does not add to the credibility of a post. You never ever EVER will know how you will react to an emergency. Will you know how to react to THIS emergency in the future? Of course.

 

I invite anyone to read the thread and decide who started attacking who. You continue to do so, yet in pot/kettle/black fashion, accuse me.

The 600K Hondas were recalled for risk of fire, IIRC.