alaska_LX

None of the ES' you mention are affected by this problem. The problem is only found in 1997-2001 Camrys, Solaras, Siennas, Avalons, Celicas and Highlanders as well as 1997-2001 Lexus ES300s and RX300s, so I'm not surprised those older ES' have held up so well. It is a huge across the board issue on the 97-01's. If you maintain your car properly, you'll just see the problem at a later mileage. I resurrected this only because I am new here and saw it for the first time. Why do I still drive a lexus product? I don't understand the connection. I was merely responding to someone's comment on this discussion- they stated that Ford and Chrysler don't stand behind their products like Toyota and Honda do, and I pointed out how Toyotra and Honda both avoided recalls even though they had acknowledged design faults, so they are no better than the domestic automakers in that respect. Just because someone has a problem with one aspect of a company doesn't mean they will abandon the company completely- constructive criticism and suggesting improvements is what I'm doing. I was merely pointing out that all car companies do this to some extent, and I believe Toyota could do better. Moreover, I would never buy a lexus affected by this problem- I bought a '97 LX after doing a lot of research. If I had come across a problem like this on the LX, I would never have considered the vehicle.

Why is this "Special Policy Adjustment" only offered on 1997-2001 Camrys, Solaras, Siennas, Avalons, Celicas and Highlanders as well as 1997-2001 Lexus ES300s and RX300s, and not any of the older or newer Toyotas? Because those SPECIFIC years are the ones with the design flaws! Toyota made a design CHANGE to fix this problem in newer engines (see http://www.autonews.com/article.cms?articleId=38921 ), so it obviously indicates they are aware of the design flaw. Toyota initially said there was no problem and blamed it on the consumer, then when the complaints grewe louder, they said they would only cover sludge repairs for 1 year, more complaints so now they say they will pay for sludge-related repairs for 8 years from the date of purchase- most people buy Toyotas to keep them for a long time, well over 100k miles, so I feel this is inadequate. They wait for people to have the problem before they fix it even though it is an acknowledged design problem. Blaming the consumer is not the answer here- I have friends who have skipped an oil change or 3 on their older Toyotas and have had no problems whatsoever. The reason there is such a big problem with these specific models is because there is an underlying design flaw. They should step up to the plate and do a recall.

The Toyota manual recommends 5k oil changes, not 3k. I have friends that have had the problem even though they stuck to 5k and even 3k oil change intervals- the problem accumulates over time, so even an engine with 3k change intervals will likely have the problem by the time it reaches 100k. It is a design flaw, and it should be fixed. What is causing this problem- ppl not changing their oil often enough, or a design flaw in the engine? The answer is a design flaw in the engine. The gelling problem will eventually occur in every engine, so it should be fixed in every engine. Toyota is not addressing the core problem, they are tryying to get out of as many cases as possible by blaming the owner when it is actually a known design flaw they should take responsibility for.

Can someone please post a pic showing the wiring harness and wheew it frays? Thanks!

Known issue. Have switched to synthetic (full fluid exchange) and still does it- have confirmed others do the same. My '93 LC (with a different tranny) did the same.

That is fine, but it still doesn't address the issue of Toyota choosing to avoid a recall to fix what is a design problem.

YES, this is a well-known issue with the LX450 shocks. Most dealerships will at least acknowledge that it is a known issue. It is because of the too-soft LX shocks. Solution: relplace the shocks with standard Landcruiser shocks, or change tires to a a tire with a stiffer sidewall (I'm using Bridgestone Dueler A/T Revos and they solved the problem 90% but I kept the LX shocks because it is too expensive to changeover)

A common problem on the LX/LCs is sludge buildup in the radiator. Have them pressure test your radiator- I'll bet you'll find it is blocked. This is possible even though it looks clean from the top.

Hi everyone- new here. Sorry but Honda and Toyota are guilty of the same behavior: Honda with its transmission problems on the 2000-03 Accord and Acura CL/TL (acknowledfged design problem, refused to do a recall), and Toyota with its engine oil gelling problem (refused to do a recall, suggests more frequent oil changes). Extending a warranty instead of fixing a design problem is a cop-out, and Honda and Toyota are just as guilty as the domestic automakers.