1997 Lexus LS400 problems

“AS I WAS DRIVING, MY VEHICLE STARTED ACCELERATING ON IT'S OWN. WHEN I HAD PREVIOUSLY CHECKED THE SPEED ODOMETER IT SAID 50. ALL OF A SUDDEN THE VEHICLE STARTED GAINING SPEED. I TOOK MY FOOT OFF OF THE GAS PEDAL AND THE SPEED KEPT ACCELERATING. I PRESSED THE BRAKES AND THE BRAKES DID NOT WORK! THE VEHICLE KEPT ACCELERATING. I SAW A SIDE ROAD AND TURNED ONTO IT. I KEPT TRYING TO STOP THE VEHICLE AND IT KEPT GOING. I THOUGHT TO PULL THE EMERGENCY BRAKE AND IT SLOWED THE VEHICLE CONSIDERABLE, BUT IT KEPT MOVING. THE ENGINE CONTINUED TO ACCELERATE. I KEPT PUMPING THE BREAKS WITH THE EMERGENCY BRAKE ON AND THE CAR WAS STILL MOVING. IT FINALLY STOP, BUT THE ENGINE WAS STILL ACCELERATING. I PUT THE VEHICLE IN PARK AND THE MORE THE ENGINE ACCELERATED. I PUT BACK IN DRIVE AND IT CONTINUED TO ACCELERATE. THE VEHICLE STARTED SMOKING. I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO DO OR WHAT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN TO THE VEHICLE. I TOLD MY SONS TO GET OUT OF THE CAR. I TURN THE ENGINE OFF, THE CAR JUMPED AND I RAN AWAY FROM THE CAR. THE VEHICLE WAS STILL SMOKING. I CALLED 911. THE CAR STOPPED SMOKING AND REMAINED IN PLACE. MY HUSBAND CAME AND STARTED THE VEHICLE IT ACCELERATED AND HE PRESSED THE GAS…”

“CRASH CAUSED BY POOR WET TRACTION OF GOODYEAR INTEGRITY TIRES. ACCIDENT WAS PRECEDED BY NUMEROUS INSTANCES OF LOST LATERAL GRIP AND SLIPPING UNDER NORMAL ACCELERATION IN NORMAL DRIVING.”

“VEHICLE DOES NOT START WHEN HOT. STARTER DOES NOT TURN. VEHICLE WAS NEVER RECALLED FOR NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID: 98V016000. MY CAR HAS A PRODUCTION DATE OF 7/97. CUT OFF DATE FOR THIS CAMPAIGN WAS 6/97. I BELIEVE MY VEHICLE SHOULD HAVE BEEN RECALLED FOR THE REPAIR OF THE MAGNETIC SWITCH IN THE STARTER. A NO START CONDITION EXISTS AND A FIRE CAN RESULT IF THE SOLENOID SHORTS OUT. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED.”

“VEHICLE WAS PARKED AND NOTICED THAT THERE WAS SMOKE COMING OUT FROM UNDER THE HOOD IN THE ENGINE AREA. ATTEMPTED TO OPEN THE HOOD AND THE ENGINE WAS BURNED OUT. *AK MR. DAVIS WROTE IN SAYING THIS IS NOT HIS VEHICLE, NOR HAS HIS VEHICLE EXPERIENCED ANY PROBLEMS DESCRIBED, HE HAS NOT FILED ANY COMPLAINTS. *SLC”

“A FIRE STARTED IN ENGINE COMPARTMENT WHILE VEHICLE WAS PARKED IN THE GARAGE. MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED VIA LETTER. *AK CONSUMER STATES THAT 1 WEEK PRIOR TO THE FIRE, ALL THE LIGHTS ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL ILLUMINATED, THE RADIO DIED AND THE WINDSHIELD WIPER DIED, THE PROBLEM WAS THEN DIAGNOSED AS A FAULTY ALTERNATOR. AN INVESTIGATOR CONCLUDED AFTER INSPECTING VEHICLE THAT THE FIRE WAS CAUSED BY AN OVERCURRENT AT THE ABS CONTROLLER VOLTAGE CONDUCTOR, THE 10 GAUGE CABLE IS UNPROTECTED AND HAS 12 VOLT, OR BATTERY, POWER POTENTIAL WHEN THE ENGINE IS NOT RUNNING AND THE ENGINE IS IN THE OFF POSITION, AN OVERCURRENT WILL EVENTUALLY PRODUCE SUFFICIENT HEAT AND METL THE CONNECTOR THAT WAS SECURED TO THE BRACKET ON TOP OF THE CONTROLLER UNIT, ONCE THE PLASTIC MELTS, A DIRECT CONNECTION BETWEEN BATTERY VOLTAGE AND GROUND IS ATTAINED WHICH PRODUCES A SHORT CIRCUIT AND THE RESULTANT FIRE. VEHICLE EXPERIENCED A FRONT BRAKE SHIMMY. VEHICLE EXPERIENCED A ROUGH IDLE. *SLC”