chiseenlow

This is the second time my CEL and TRAC OFF light came on within a week. It has come on before, but usually over time and always the same problem. This time it has come on twice within a week. I went to autozone and got the codes of:

2x - P0440
2x - P0446
1x - P0441

I got a print out of the codes and all have to do with the evap emission control system. I have been searching the forum about gas tank and charcoal canister problems. And have read about the extended warranty that Toyota had agreed upon with the EPA, but this warranty is only for 96-98 models?

I am looking for guidance on what to do. Take it to the dealership and try to get that extended warranty to pay for it or pay out of my own pocket. I will be at drill this weekend and wont be back til sunday evening. I have a stock 2001 ES300 with about 82k. Thank you all for reading and your help.

lexusk8

It could be a one or a lot of things going wrong in the evaporative system, but from my experience when I had the ES, it was a failing charcoal canister. I don't remember exactly which code, but it was one of the 3 you mentioned. I went to Lexus to get it fixed, and I ended up paying around $230 for a replacement of the charcoal canister (just labor, Lexus covered the parts). No more CEL or TRAC OFF light afterwards.

chiseenlow

Sorry for the late update as I was away at drill for the weekend. So, I went to the Lexus dealership to have my CEL diagnosed and they came up with the same codes that Autozone told me. And to my astonishment *sarcasm* it was the charcoal canister and fuel cap. Guy came back with an estimate of $520.11 to have it fixed. This is when I asked about the extended emission warranty that Toyota has with the EPA due to a settlement. So the service manager looks it up and finds the enhanced warranty, but to tell me that it is for vehicles from 96-98 and only for limited vehicles that came from Cali or Mass. Now the thing about having to be from those states I didn't know about, so I politely asked him to call up Lexus Customer Service and look into this for me, he agrees. After about 45 min on the phone and him talking to at least 3 people from 3 different numbers, the final one, he said was a person from the warranty license department or something, the answer was no your vehicle is not covered under this enhanced warranty. He then tells me that for enhanced warranties, Lexus sends you a letter and that if I had the letter it might have helped. Me being the second owner does not have this letter, if there is one. So with that being said, I did not go through with the repair as I need some advice from this elite forum, so I basically paid $46.44 for a car wash and 2 sodas...

So my questions now are:
Should I just bite it and have it fixed for $520.11?
Call up Lexus Customer Service myself and see if I can get anyhelp from them?
Fix it myself (is it hard)?
Keep driving like nothings wrong (they did clear the CEL and TRAC OFF lights)?

Only problem with the last one is that my inspection is due in December and it might not pass if I don't do anything. I know this was a pretty long ramble but any help is appreciated. Thanks for reading and thanks for your time.

lexusk8

Yeah, since you live in NY, the state requires a safety inspection on all vehicles, and there's almost no doubt that the charcoal canister issue will be the ultimate roadblock in getting a passing grade on the inspection.

What you could try to do is get a repair quote from a Toyota dealership. I'm not sure if the parts are interchangeable with Toyota but it never hurts to go over there and inquire. Usually Toyota can do repairs on most Lexus vehicles, and at a much cheaper price.