2000 Gs300 cuts off

[Mobe]

My 2000 GS300 would not start one day; it cranked but would not turn over. After reading my Owner's Manual for 30 minutes, I read where it said to try another key. My spare key immediately started the car. I drove to the Lexus dealer to demonstrate that I likely had a computer chip problem in my original key, and when the Service Rep tried my original key the engine immediately started, making me look foolish.

Two weeks later while waiting at a traffic signal with the car idling, the motor simply choked down and QUIT. (Totally different circumstance from the original cold-start problem.) I had to wait 2 hours for the AAA wrecker to arrive, and during that time I tried my spare key a couple of times just to see if that magic would work again--but to no avail. When the wrecker finally arrived I suggested just trying my spare key again---and this time the motor started right up. In fact we tried my original key and it also worked.

The wrecker driver agreed to follow me while I drove to the Lexus dealer. I left my car with them all afternoon, and the Service Rep later reported they had checked every imaginable thing it might be and could come up with nothing. I inquired whether they could call some Lexus Headquarters in CA, and he said that's what they would do the next day--now that they had checked it out. He told me that unless they can have the car there when it "won't work" they cannot diagnose it.

Tomorrow will be one week since this last mishap, and I've purposely been driving it, hoping it will cut off again so I can try to get it towed to Lexus before the thing starts working again. Meanwhile, it's running fine. Just my luck.

If anyone has heard of such a thing or has any clues I would appreciate hearing from you. Thanks.

[SRK]

That type of stall (it is not an engine "failure" as such) is quite common on modern cars. As you didn't get a CEL or a stored code, like many others it tends to be outside the PCM's realm, and that puts the trouble in a relay in most cases.

Fuel pump or main relays will trip off, or the ground path for the relay will be lost, and the engine stops, only to restart again.

The dealer is right, the stall has to occur for them to diagnosis it. As long as they believe you, and if the stall becomes more frequent, they will fix it.

[SKperformance]

you have a transponder key issue.

I am renaming the thread as it is completely irrelevant to the actual issue

[Tom331]

My 2000 GS300 would not start one day; it cranked but would not turn over. After reading my Owner's Manual for 30 minutes, I read where it said to try another key. My spare key immediately started the car. I drove to the Lexus dealer to demonstrate that I likely had a computer chip problem in my original key, and when the Service Rep tried my original key the engine immediately started, making me look foolish.

Two weeks later while waiting at a traffic signal with the car idling, the motor simply choked down and QUIT. (Totally different circumstance from the original cold-start problem.) I had to wait 2 hours for the AAA wrecker to arrive, and during that time I tried my spare key a couple of times just to see if that magic would work again--but to no avail. When the wrecker finally arrived I suggested just trying my spare key again---and this time the motor started right up. In fact we tried my original key and it also worked.

The wrecker driver agreed to follow me while I drove to the Lexus dealer. I left my car with them all afternoon, and the Service Rep later reported they had checked every imaginable thing it might be and could come up with nothing. I inquired whether they could call some Lexus Headquarters in CA, and he said that's what they would do the next day--now that they had checked it out. He told me that unless they can have the car there when it "won't work" they cannot diagnose it.

Tomorrow will be one week since this last mishap, and I've purposely been driving it, hoping it will cut off again so I can try to get it towed to Lexus before the thing starts working again. Meanwhile, it's running fine. Just my luck.

If anyone has heard of such a thing or has any clues I would appreciate hearing from you. Thanks.

Mobe,

Is the problem from your car being resolved yet? My GS300 has experienced the same symptom as your car had experienced. My daughter is afraid to drive it to school because it was stalled and failed to restart after many tries. Hours later, the engine started without any issue. I have noticed that check engine light did not turn on when the car failed to start. The check engine light was on when I am able to start the car.

Please let me know whether the dealer has found the root cause of the problem from your car.

Thanks!

Tom