DDLexus

Howdy all,
My 98 GS400 has been acting very strange lately. I first noticed that I had a problem when I backed outta my driveway and then put the car into Drive. I pushed the accellerate down to pull away and the car didn't respond. The rpms didn't increase and I looked down at the instrument panel and found that the Engine light, VSC, and VSC OFF lights came on. When I pushed the accelerator to the floor, the car responded with high rev's. I then called the stealership and that asked me when I last put gas in the car. I told them the night before. They instructed me to make sure the gas cap is securely tightened, this is a common problem.

So, I did so, turned the car off, then on again. Then off, and on again. This finally made all the lights not come on. Problem solved? Not quite.

The next day, similar problem. I backed outta the driveway, drove about two city blocks and then came to a stop sign. When I pushed the accelerator, the car just sat motionless. When I floored it, it moved. I shut the car off, re-started it and the accellerator pedal worked normal again. However, the three engine lights have been illuminated again. I drive about 50 miles like this, then thought I'd try the old gas cap trick again. Like the dealer said, problem solved.

My concern is that the throtle is not responding when the problem occurs. If I haven't put gas in the car over my two days, then why would the light be caused by the gas cap not being on tight?

Anyone seen this problem? Any suggestions?

-Damon

alexulan

Take it in for a service.
It might be a loose seal on the gas cap.
Or low Tyranny Fluid.
Whatever it is you should have it checked out.
The Lexus automatics are also a little slow on take off.
Depending on how you drive. Self-learning transmission.
The benz also has this feature.

amlin423

This EXACT same thing happend to me a few weeks ago...happend twice as a matter of fact...Restarting the engine usually solved the problem (lights are still on however) ....the lights usually go off in like 24 hrs.......hasn't happend for two weeks so I 'm still thinking whether or not to take it in...

biggie27

this happens to me alot too, Ive been told its caused by the throttle sensor, and it needs to be replaced I havent replaced it yet but im going to soon for some reason this only happens in the cold weather never had any problems during the summer but as soon as winter hits boom it lights up like a christmas tree. Im wondering does everyone who has this problem live in a cold or wet climate?

DDLexus

I'M here in Minneasota, so the temperature is cold. Its been colder outside, and none of these problems occured. I'll call the Lexus Dealer today and see what they recommend.

Anyone else know if this could be related to the "YAW RATE SENSOR" that was recalled?

-Damon

Juan C. Cos

I haven't had any problems on my '98 like you described; only the headlight adjustment light came on once a few months back (daylight), but reset itself the next time I started the car. It was weird because I hardly ever use the lights, the auto-feature is "off", and the car hasn't seen rain but once. I think the stupid motor still "adjusts" the headlight aim every time the car is started, so it might fail in the future, huh?

My concern is if your problem is covered by the powertrain warranty (6 yrs), or the bumper-to-bumper. My car will be out of warranty in a month, and with 13K miles on the clock, I don't think an expensive extended warranty makes sense, which hardly covers anything anyway.

Please keep us posted on the culprit of your problem, will ya?
The fact that the car doesn't respond to throttle input is very dangerous, and I think unrelated to the gas cap issue (I don't think a gas cap can hold a vacuum overnight, which could be the only explanation for engine not responding). For your own safety, get the problem corrected immediately.

Mr GS400

It's the 'infamous' throttle sensor bug. Take your car to your Lexus dealer and they'll replace the unit. I don't know the technical problem cause but in simple terms the throttle sensor is sending bogus information to the Engine Management ECU. I had my throttle sensor replaced about a year ago and so far it's been just fine. It's a well known Lexus problem that your dealer will certainly be familar with.

DDLexus

Your right. I took the car into the stealership this morning. The said that they needed to do a diagonositc check of the system and see what they could find. I got a call shortly after I left the dealer in a loaner. They told me that it was the Throttle Lever Assembly. They said it needed to be replace. From a non-technical level, this part was malfunctioning. The part could not determine the prescence of my foot on the accelerator. So, they quoted me a price of $401.46 (price included diagnostic). The actual part cost $271.29. I assume this part is easy as cake to put in, but I didn't bother.

The only good news is that my car got washed, vacuumed, and they put some tire dressing to make it shinny.

Thanks for all the responses. I will continue to post my problems, successes, and knowledge on this board. Glad we're all in this together.

PS. In my original post, I mentioned that the dealer said that the problem was the gas cap. Yes, the gas cap not being on tight will trigger some error codes to appear. However, in this case, the gas cap had nothing to do with the problem of the throttle lever.

Cheers.
Damon

amlin423

Are you out of your warranty? If not shouldn't it be covered under warranty?

the gas cap will only give you the engine light i and not the VSC lights...

Mr GS400

They'd have to wash, vacuum & wax car for it's lifetime before I'd give $400 to fix the problem. I guess your car was out of warranty and hence the charge. I'd talk to the Service Manager; this problem is a design or manufacturing fault and should be corrected at no charge or at least minimal charge. If that doesn't work call or write Lexus Customer Support and voice a loud complaint. There are just too many occurences of 'bad throttle sensors'.

Bottomline: Get tough with them!

gsfour

I've had similar experiences where right after I fill it up, the engine light comes on and I have to restart. It's happened twice so far. I'll be sure to tighten the gas cap from now on. But if it happens again, I'll mention the throttle problem to the dealer.

2KGS400

mumbles

This sounds odd to me. If it couldn't detect your foot, how was the engine revving? More than likely it's communication between the engine and the tranny.
Anyway, you might try approaching the dealer from a safety related angle... what happens if you are trying to cross an intersection, and the car suddenly stops responding to throttle input? In anycase, I would definitely get this fixed since it doesn't sound very safe.
Best of luck.

DDLexus

I know, this should be covered under a standard Lexus warranty. But, since my car has over 60,000 miles on it, the Lexus warranty has expired. I did purchase a warranty from another company, Western Diversified. I am submitting my claim today and expect to get re-imbursed for my expeses (less the $50 deductible).

I agree, if this problem is "common," then Lexus should be notified and possibly recall the part. I'll create a formal letter to explain my situation to Lexus. I'll post the letter back to this message so all can review. If you want to make comments or additions, I'll try to incorporate them.

This was most definately a safety hazard that could've been the end for me. I WAS at an intersection trying to pull across the road when this occurred the second time. If traffic would've been heavy or even light, my car would've been side swiped.

Anyway, whats done is done. I'll complain to Lexus and let you know what happens.

A list of people who have experienced this problem would be nice to include in the letter. You can PM me with you Name, Car Make and Model and Year, and possibly e-mail or snail mail address. The more people responding, the higher liklihood this part will be replace at no charge later.

Cheers.
Damon

DDLexus

Alright. Here is the story from Customer Service (800-255-3987).

I told Lexus CS that I was disappointed that Lexus has not offered a recall and I was interested in submitting a petition or document supporting my claims of Lexus Throttle Lever failing routinely. I was informed that I don't need to do that. I was told that Lexus has several "checks" in place that will aleart the manufacturer of common problem areas. Such as, if there is a noticeable high number of parts ordered for the throttle lever, or dealers are contacting the manufacturer about numerous repairs to the particular part, THEN Lexus will consider a recall. And, since 1998, the GS400 has been virtually unchanged. Meaning, there are thousands of GS4's on the road, and their database would notice if an overwhelming number of them have been having this problem.

The CS agent went onto say, a three-four year old car will begin to see part failure. This is NORMAL. He made a note of my complaint, but said nothing will be done until more people either call the Customer Service department with their concerns or the dealerships notify Lexus of frequent part replacement.

Sounds like a load of crap to me. I think Lexus might just be too proud to admit failure. I am sure that as the owners of the GS4's watch their cars age, have the same problem, this will be recalled. Until them, hope you have a warranty or $404 when the time comes.

-Damon

mooretorque

Could be worse. If it were German, it would cost 2-3X and/or catch fire.

Sorry you're out but it looks like you'll get your money's worth out of the extended warranty, at least.