The G Man

Frankly, I would be very surprise if they do find something wrong with that car. They have been trying to find the problem for years now with no luck. So far the only things that they come up with is when two system failing at the same time and they keep writing that off as highly unlikely. Maybe the stars are lining up in some of these accidents and they should really consider the highly unlikely senarios at this point.

I tried this on my Prius...floor the accelerator and press the brakes...immediately goes to idle.

You can illuminate the brake lights by just barely applying the brakes while driving. You have to APPLY the brakes to make the accelerator kick off. For instance you can barely apply the brakes and make the lights come on without canceling the cruise control.

I think this guy's a fraud.

There is no evidence so far that this guy is a fraud, just speculations due to his pass history. When the CA police was next to him, he can smell the brakes from the Prius because Sikes was pushing the brakes so hard, at the same time, the Prius was accelerating. If all system was working properly, the brake over ride should have stop the engine. Here is a quote from his attorney.

"Gomez said the best evidence that his client was frantically slamming the brakes is that a California Highway Patrol officer who was giving Sikes instructions over a loudspeaker smelled burning brakes and saw the lights on."

I just read this article about this Sikes guy. The Prius he was driving was equipped with Toyota's brake over ride system. If he was a fake, there would not be a way for him to brake and accelarate at the same time with this system in place. That is exactly what the policeman saw when he was driving next to him, his brake lights were on and the Prius was still accelarating.

http://bostonherald.com/business/automotiv...uto#articleFull

This guy does have a shady history.

Watch a you tube video on how to slow down a Prius. Looked pretty simple getting the car in neutral. I know Toyota has a problem, but I don't trust this guy. He said he was scared the car would flip if he put in neutral? If you own a Toyota, haven't you been watching the news and all the reports on what to your car takes off on you? I did. Its not a big secret. This guys a joke and on his way to talk show world.

Tim

The guy said the Prius almost flip a few times, I am sure driving a Prius over 90 MPH on a windy two lane highway in traffic is no fun. The Prius is not exactly a good handling car.

RhoXs, very well said. Toyota have gotten too big for its own good. Toyota President Akio Toyoda admitted to Congress that the desire for growth led to Toyota’s current woes.

As the company got bigger and bigger, spending and labor cost got out of control and there are too many lawyers in charge of preventing law suits and too many bean counters trying to cut cost. I remember the good old days when I call up Toyota and I could talk to an operator that is not reading off a script. Now a days, I might as well talk to a recording, the operators at Toyota and Lexus are nothing more than robots. I too wrote a whole paragraph in the survey about locking out the passenger from using the Navi while on long trips. It probably got filed in the round file cabinet like yours.

I have owned Toyotas and Lexus for over 15 years. In my opinion Toyota and Lexus' quality have been in decline for 6 or 7 years, too many bean counters and too many lawyers running the company instead of engineers and designers.

I'm looking with no avail, for mudflaps for an '08 GS350. Body colored matched if possible. I know Lexus doesn't carry any. Anyone know???

Sorry, its actually sold in I-tuned parts, here is the link:

http://www.l-tunedparts.com/product/?id=2017

I have had RX's with and without the Levinson system and I must say that I much prefer it to the standard sound system. I know that in the standard system there are 8 speakers and Levinson has 11. Other than the amp and the speakers, can anyone tell me if the head unit is the same (minus the Levinson name on it) and if the wiring is the same? Are any of the speakers the same or are they all different? I am aware that there is one additional location - namely just above the navi display on the top of the instrument panel.

Many Thanks,

dentate

Ontario, Canada

I know that the amp and the speakers are different in the ML, not sure about the head unit. The ML also comes with a digital signal processor.

G Man-

You are reading to much into my post or not reading them at all. I have said Toyota is having problems, but I don't buy this ONE. It just seemed funny to me. In the business that I am in I see fraud all of the time...this has nothing to do with loyalty of a foreign car company or at least not to me. But I hope you do also consider the jobs that Toyota has brought to this country while GM and Ford are sending them out of this country. This is off subject and has nothing to do with this but I am not defending Toyota...they have problems...there have been deaths and multiple accidents. IT IS this case that I just don't buy...I could be wrong and this guy may have been a real "victim"... So what? I am able to express my opinion. I think if the guy had enough time to reach down and try to grab the gas pedal with his hand then he should have been able to also try shutting off the car or put it in N...my opinion has nothing to do with all of the other Toyota...Lexus problems at all. So I am not sure the point you are even trying to prove.

I wasn’t really pointing you out, even though I quoted you, I was merely pointing out how people in general are blaming all the victims in all these sudden acceleration incidents instead of blaming Toyota. What ever happen to innocent until proven guilty?

I am not saying this guy is not a fake either, but let’s give him the benefit of a doubt here. From what I understand is that the 911 operator ask his to put the car into neutral and then shut off the car. He had put the phone down so he could steer the car at 90 mph, so he did not hear the instructions. He was calling out mile markers to the 911 operator so the trooper would know where to find him. By the time the trooper caught up to him, the trooper can smell the brakes and see brake materials all over the high way. He also saw the car doing over 80 MPH with the brake lights on. He instruct the driver to put the car into neutral. The driver shake his head signaling to the police that it doesn’t work. The policeman then ask him to apply both feet on the brakes and engage the parking brakes. The car slow down to about 58 MPH, at that point he shut off the ignition.

G Man-

You are reading to much into my post or not reading them at all. I have said Toyota is having problems, but I don't buy this ONE. It just seemed funny to me. In the business that I am in I see fraud all of the time...this has nothing to do with loyalty of a foreign car company or at least not to me. But I hope you do also consider the jobs that Toyota has brought to this country while GM and Ford are sending them out of this country. This is off subject and has nothing to do with this but I am not defending Toyota...they have problems...there have been deaths and multiple accidents. IT IS this case that I just don't buy...I could be wrong and this guy may have been a real "victim"... So what? I am able to express my opinion. I think if the guy had enough time to reach down and try to grab the gas pedal with his hand then he should have been able to also try shutting off the car or put it in N...my opinion has nothing to do with all of the other Toyota...Lexus problems at all. So I am not sure the point you are even trying to prove.

I wasn’t really pointing you out, even though I quoted you, I was merely pointing out how people in general are blaming all the victims in all these sudden acceleration incidents instead of blaming Toyota. What ever happen to innocent until proven guilty?

I am not saying this guy is not a fake either, but let’s give him the benefit of a doubt here. From what I understand is that the 911 operator ask his to put the car into neutral and then shut off the car. He had put the phone down so he could steer the car at 90 mph, so he did not hear the instructions. He was calling out mile markers to the 911 operator so the trooper would know where to find him. By the time the trooper caught up to him, the trooper can smell the brakes and see brake materials all over the high way. He also saw the car doing over 80 MPH with the brake lights on. He instruct the driver to put the car into neutral. The driver shake his head signaling to the police that it doesn’t work. The policeman then ask him to apply both feet on the brakes and engage the parking brakes. The car slow down to about 58 MPH, at that point he shut off the ignition.

I swear the car was making strange vibration noises in the garage last night, It sounded like an air pump. The car was off Today started it and the light s are on ,no noise now- any ideas

I checked for loose lines, gas cap tight, have not even fueled it a week or so- suggestions

Thats two different problem you are dealing with, the air pump noise is just the gas vapor system purging itself. The check engine and VSC light can mean a number of things. Have your dealer pull the error code and determine what it is.

I'm looking with no avail, for mudflaps for an '08 GS350. Body colored matched if possible. I know Lexus doesn't carry any. Anyone know???

I think Sewell Lexus carry them, they are japanese GS version parts so they are expensive. I believe they are $400 for a set.

Well sorry G Man if he could reach down and try to grab the gas pedal with his hand then I would think that he could try putting the car in N. Or at least he was not so busy trying to control the car that it would be impossible to attempt to put the car in N or try shutting off the engine. G Man...I am not saying Toyota is not having problems...I just am not buying this as you call "victims" whole story. I think the whole thing just sounded funny I have listened to the 911 call a couple of different times and everytime the 911 operator tried to tell him something he could try it seemed like he just started rambling on. Who knows what actually happened to the car...I am sure that they will find out...and when they do I would not be surprised if this one case was not staged. People will do anything.

Even if this guy is a fake, how about all those other thousands of reports of sudden accelerations? Are they all fake too?

How about that CA policeman who crashed with his Lexus and kill his whole family, do you think he was faking it too?

This just goes to prove my point, people in general are so cynical these days. They presume everyone is out for a quick buck, I guess we are just a victim of our law sue happy society. It never seize to amaze me that people actually have more loyalty in a foreign car company than the human race.

WHAT IF Judges threw the book at some, and said "It's YOUR responsibility to know how to operate YOUR motor vehicle".

Then it would be like the system the Europeans have, they actaully expect the driver to know all the ins and outs of operating a automoblie and to know the traffic laws, unlike here in the good old USA.

The 911 operator asked him if he tried to put the car in N, no response from him. I just don't buy this one...come on he said he reached down with his hand and tried to free the gas pedal but did not try to shut the car off...or put it in N. CA is full of great actors...

I just love how people are blaming the victims here which happens to be our fellow countryman instead of a muti billion foreign car company from a country that attack us in world war two, and people say there is no such thing as patriotism anymore. :) :)

By the way, I think he was a little busy try to control his prius doing 90 MPH instead of trying holding the cell with one hand and steering a out of control car with the other hand. The article in the above post suggust that he try to put the car in neutral but it didnt work.

As poor as the all-wheel-drive system is in the RX series, I doubt if the vehicle will be sensitive enough to detect the difference in treadwear if you decide to work your spare into the rotation. Be aware that by not rotating your tires often enough, you are shortening their lifespan regardless of how evenly you believe they are wearing. Front tires always suffer more edgewear at the side blocks as a result of constant steering and turning requirements regardless of psi or alignment specs. Rotate your tires more often to help balance out this effect. A good rule of thumb is to rotate your tires at every oil & filter change....

Tkx. for your comments. I'll get Lexus to rotate including the spare, and, in the event of a problem, either revert to all used tires or else reduce the pressure very slightly in the newer one. It will be a bit of fight with Lexus: they never want to include the spare.....

The Lexus stability program is pretty conservative, if the spare tire actually have more than 3/32" threads than the other one, I would not include it in the rotation.

Personally, I think rotating tires doesnt make sense financially unless you do it yourself. Each tire rotation cost about $40 at the dealer. So rotating every 5000 miles up to 50000 miles would cost $800. Say if by rotating your tires, you are actually getting 50000 miles out of your tires instead of 40000 miles. Thats is an extra 25% life span. A typical set of tires for the RX cost about $800 to installed and balance, so by rotating your tires every 5000 miles, you are spending $800 to save $200.

I went to Maaco for a $300 paint job 10 years ago, I think my 12 year old son could have done a better job, Then again, one of my friend went there and he paid $2800 for one of their better paint job and it came out pretty good. Almost as good as factory.

My understanding is that all Toyota Hybrids have always had a brake over rides the throttle strategy since the beginning.

If that is the case, then what happen to that Prius makes it even worst for Toyota. That would mean that their brake over ride program does not work in some situations. That would also mean that all the recall vehicles and the new vehicles that have this brake over ride program installed might still be at risk of sudden accelaration.

I read a lot about this lately, WHY DONT PEOPLE KNOW WHAT TO DO? Wife drives rentals with new pushbutton start.

SO, EVERYONE SHOULD PRACTICE WHAT TO DO...

1. Shift into NEUTRAL, coast to side of road. (Doesnt matter if engine races...still have power steer, brakes, etc)

2. TURN ENGINE OFF. Press Start/Stop Button 3 TIMES. PRESS AND HOLD BUTTON if needed. (covers various makes)

Have you ever seen the Prius' shifter? It is like a joy stick. There is no mechanical link between the shifter and the transmission. The shifter sends a signal to the ECU and the ECU tells the transmission what to do. A lot of smart transmssion works that way. If for some reason the ECU is malfunctioning, it will lock you out of the neutral mode. That might explain some owner's claim that they cannot shift into neutral during incidents of sudden accelartion. Although this report did not say rather the driver try to shift into neutral.

Some idiot once told me: Just put Regular in it, and the ECU computer will adjust for it and make it run fine.

I think that is like the sign i saw in a motorcycle shop: "If you got a $10 head, then buy a $10 helmet"

Lol, thats a funny one.

While it is true that the computer and the knock sensor will adjust to the lower octane, the engine will have to start knocking before it adjust the timing. The knocking might be so slight that you will never hear it or feel it, but none the less, it is knocking. The problem is that when the computer pull back timing to adjust for the lower octane, it will slowing advanve timing until it senses knocking, at thet point, it will pull back timing again. The cycle repeats itself time after time. Over time, this slight knocking may or may not cause damage to your engine.

I though the RX requires 91 octane.

Only "required" to squeeze out that last three horsepower. Runs perfectly fine on 87.

Does it say that on the manual? No it doesnt. If it is ok to use 87 permenently, Lexus would have told you so.

I am sure you can put in cheap Kmart engine oil in yout Lexus and it will run too, but why would you want to treat your car like that?

As for the limited number of buyers in 2006, probably you are right. At my dealership - Lexus of Seattle (in Lynnwood) they were getting only 3 GS430 per month.

I think you just answer your own question :)

A automotive professor have found a inherent design flaw with Toyota’s electronics that can cause a vehicle to experience unintended sudden acceleration. According to the professor, “The system is fallible, in fact, it’s got some really troubling design strategies that are employed by Toyota that appear to be outside the norm [of the auto industry]. And their system clearly has a design strategy that has a very slim margin of safety,” said Sean Kane, safety advocate from Safety Research and Strategies. Kane was responsible for first spotting the pattern of so-called “runaway Toyotas” from NHTSA complaints.

http://www.leftlanenews.com/report-toyota-...tion-video.html

I though the RX requires 91 octane.

Yes, you're correct....typo in my original posting

I would use what ever Lexus requires, using 89 octane is not going to save you much money.

Couldn't agree more. This has intermittent ECU problem written all over it to me, and the pedals/mats is just their proactive move to appease people until they figure this out. Have yall seen the way they cut the ends off the pedals. It looks horrible, and I'd never accept it in my car.

Are the shifters in these cars electronic too? I remember seeing a video from a Lexus driving event, and someone driving a RX put it in reverse while driving forward, and the car disregarded the shift to reverse. Can anyone confirm this?

The newer smart transmissions link the gear shifter to the electronic control modules via electronic signals. This is what make it scary for me, the ECM controls everything. So even if you shift into neutral, the ECM might still lock you out. I would take the old fashion mechanical linked shifter any day of the week.