'04 LS430 Being Recalled

Make : LEXUS Model : LS 430 Year : 2004 NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID Number : 04V317000 Recall Date : JUN 30, 2004 Component: POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION Potential Number Of Units Affected : 13000 Summary: ON CERTAIN VEHICLES WHEN THE ACCELERATOR IS OPERATED QUICKLY, A SMALL PIECE OF METAL MAY SEPARATE FROM A RETAINING COLLAR LOCATED IN THE INNER PART OF THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION. THIS SMALL PIECE OF METAL MAY BECOME CAUGHT IN THE PARKING LOCK MECHANISM. Consequence: THIS MAY CAUSE THE PARKING LOCK SYSTEM TO BE INOPERATIVE WHEN THE TRANSMISSION SHIFT LEVER IS PLACED IN THE PARK POSITION, THEREBY INCREASING THE RISK OF VEHICLE ROLL-AWAY, WHICH COULD RESULT IN A CRASH. Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION. OWNER NOTIFICATION IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING JULY 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT LEXUS AT 1-800-255-3987. Notes: TOYOTA (LEXUS) RECALL NO. 4LC. CUSTOMERS CAN ALSO CONTACT THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION?S AUTO SAFETY HOTLINE AT

Does that fix the killer slow shift?

Wow. Replacing the transmission is a big deal. That's gotta cost Lexus some $$$$.

Why would it only affect some vehicles? Don't all LS430s have the same transmission? Maybe it's an isolated manufacturing problem rather than a design problem.

NATIONAL

I would suspect that it was a manufacturing defect, and that after some date vehicles going forward got properly made trannys. 14000 cars sounds like the majority of the 2004 LS430s. How many $60,000 vehicles can they sell? 14000 in a year sounds about right.

When you're talking LS customers, this is a necessary thing.

Besides, when you charge $70K for a car that costs only a little more than a Camry to build, you can afford to take care of those customers.

Which is why they've turned their corporate backs on ES owners who have the killer hesitation issue...not near the margin in the ES as in the LS, so it doesn't make financial sense to spend engineering time fixing a lower margin product that's already out the door.

It's all about properly assessing the existential risk; i.e., like estimating the number of LS430's owned or leased by attorneys vs the number of them who own an ES. No matter what the acronyms really stand for, everyone knows the "L" in LS stands for luxury and the "E" stands for economy.

If you're a manufacturer, you want to put the FIRE out. The glowing embers will eventually burn themselves down to ashes and blow away.

It also depends >Which is why they've turned their corporate backs on ES owners who have the

Steve: About your profit margin notion, I find it PERVERSELY REASSURING that models with even less profit margin won't be burdened or cursed with fly-by-wire or 5 speed automatics anytime soon LOL

Previously in alt.autos.lexus, wdg@[206.180.145.133] (New Owner) proclaimed :

whoa! Wait a minute. The recall is because a defect *unrelated* to the hesitation issue. It's about *parts breaking off*.

The hesitation has been an ongoing and *continuing* issue with *both* the ES and LS series. If they were concerned with lawyers and them owning LS cars, they would of fixed the hesitation issue a LONG time ago (and they haven't).

The *good* news is that if/when they fix the hesitation issue in the LS, the procedure to fix the ES will be (most likely), nearly or exactly the same.

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Why do you troll a Lexus newsgroup if you don't own a Lexus? Did they kick you out of the Toyota newsgroup?

I don't think this comment is fair, Steve. Philip may be a bit abrasive, but he's quite knowledgeable and I've learned from his postings. He's definitely not a troll.

OTOH, your relentless comments regarding the ES tranny lag issue border on trolling.

burdened

Steve: Ya can't get kicked out of any unmoderated group. LOL Why do you call my innocuous visits here a "troll?" I speak truthfully, I don't abuse anybody, get grudging agreements, and really ... I'm just a loveable little fuzzball! ;-)

--

- Philip @ Maximum Torque RPM

Steve Lars> Why do you troll a Lexus newsgroup if you don't own a Lexus? Did

I disagree with you on both points.

Let me help you understand. The only way to educate the ignorant buying public about the problems with the ES series is to drive the point home. Witness all the local political signs that go up prior to the elections, along with all the unsolicited phone calls and tv and radio ads. They're hammering their point home because people are either too busy or too uneducated to learn about the candidates otherwise. Same point with the ES problems. I am seeing tons more of these defective things on the street within the past 6 months. That means people are ignorant to the problems, so clearly the message is not being delivered widely enough. My "relentless comments regarding the ES tranny lag issue" are hopefully serving to educate people who are smart enough or connected enough to do adequate and thorough research prior to their purchase. Informal newsgroups and online forums are just one place to obtain information, while professional reviews are another source. At least my posts are on topic and provide relevent helpful information to potential buyers. I can't say the same for Philip, who takes every opportunity to piss in the wind about how great his Corolla is, and offers nothing meaningful or helpful within the Lexus context.

A little full of yourself, aren't you?

I bought an ES330 about a month ago. I'm glad that I read the warnings about the tranny lag issue by you and some other folks on the net. I'm glad that I knew about the issue before my purchase rather than after purchase. That's just the kind of buyer I am.

Now that I've driven it about 1,200 miles, I don't even think about it. I love my ES. I've felt the lag once or twice, but it's no big deal. Actually, I've learned how to tickle the throttle just right so that I get the response from the car that I want. To those of you who claim that it's a safety issue, I say that you're driving too aggressively.

Bullshit. I knew about it before I bought it. And I bought it anyway.

Did it ever occur to you that if the story had legs it wouldn't need you to promote it? Did it ever occur ot you that you might be overstating the problem? Did it ever occur to you that Lexus' solution to the problem is to make the second generation intelligent transmission better?

None of the professional reviews I read before my purchase even mentioned anything about the tranny lag issue. And I read 3 or 4 of the major car magazines' reviews.

I agree. But anything good can become bad in excess.

I disagree. I found Philips comments about oil change frequency very helpful. He gave me a much better understanding of the importance of timely oil changes.

I like what Phillip says, and see that he brings a little dose of reality reguarding Lexus value. Trying to beat a Corolla with any Lexus in terms of value is a big up hill fight.

And he's usually pretty close technically.

Dear Steve ...

"piss in the wind?"

"offers nothing meaningful or helpful..."

My friend, you refuse to see the forest for the trees. YOU and your righteous indignation will not .... not ... get your Lexus fixed to your satisfaction anytime soon. The practical thing is to get a car that does not have this bleeding edge technology. Frankly, you do get some secondary benefit in continuing to own this car with such a defect. DO what YOU can do about it.... sell it off and be done with it. Life is too short.... >:^/

Glad I took that motorcycle ride today. Had I read your post this morning, I might have needed a shoe horn to get my helmet on. ;-)

Ladies and Gentlemen, Enough already. Let us talk/write about Lexus automobiles and not about each other.