johnstonls430

- I did take a nose dive on the year--oops...i meant 2001 new body style but it was manuf in mid-2000. Anyway, that's right, nothing comes on or stays on. Yesterday, sitting at a light, A/C on as usual, briefly accelerated and then everything just shut down. No hesistation or anything. Just off. I turned the car off briefly, then back on and it started back up in [less than 2-4 minutes of wait time].

Thanks--had a syntax error on the year. I appreciate all the help. I am shocked a certified lexus tech AND a lexus rep cannot figure it out...or care for that matter. It sounds like it could be something in the ecu that expands and disconnects, Then cools down and reconnects like a crack in a circuit board or something on those lines. Just a guess, I had a car back in the 80's that did this and it reminds me of my few times going down the road then WHAM totally off, disconnected, shutdown. 5 min. later it would start and I never knew when it would happen again. I agree, it sounds like it's the ecu unit. I'm SUPRISED the lexus dealership didn't check that, but instead spent their time on the throttle body. You say it only happens with the A/C unit on??? I wonder if the alternator is bad. The a/c electrical pull could be too much for the alternator, which kills the car. Maybe the battery is strong enough to restart the car, but once the alternator gets loaded down, it kills it again.... I'm printing the last two and marching up to the dealership--this hasn't been approached. Thanks folks.

Please help help!! I've got a 2001 LS430 that, while driving [with the a/c on and in auto] at any speed, will just shut off for no apparent reason--you never know when it will 'strike'. I mean everything shuts down immediately--like you never put the key in. I've had several lexus mechanics attempt to diagnose and duplicate without success. Throttle body cleaned and replaced, throttle gasket replaced, etc etc. Once the vehicle stops and sits for a moment...it starts back up and runs normally. Any ideas?? Nothing is more dangerous that traveling at highway or surface street speeds and you lose everything...left lanes are a thing of the past for me. I really appreciate any help here.