Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE | |||||
| EG002 | 05/29/1998 | 601429 | Charcoal canister assembly supply parts have been changed to simplify parts production and permit interchangeability with current model vehicles. *yc | 08/04/1998 | |
Investigations
| NHTSA ID | Manufacturer | Date open | Date close | Subject | Recall campaign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | ||||||
| DP02004 | TOYOTA MOTOR NORTH AMERICA, INC. | 04/30/2002 | 06/20/2002 | ENGINE SEIZURE | ||
| Alleged that the engine seizure due to oil sludge | ||||||
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | |||
| 10/15/2003 | 86068 | ||
| Engine failed (seized up) due to oil sludge, despite the fact that the car's oil had been regularly changed. in fact, the car's oil was changed every 3-4,000 miles, not every 5,000 as recommended by lexus. car was also completely serviced by lexus at 70,000 miles and they obviously didn't look at the engine very well . . . there must have been evidence of sludge by that time. | |||
| 10/15/2003 | 93000 | ||
| My oil light came on in march. i took the car to the lexus dealer on 141 in norcross because i knew my 3 year warrenty ran out in may. the lexus dealer told me that the oil was not flowing properly. he suggested the previous owner did not change the oil and the oil became caked to the engine. the oil was then braking up in pieces and clogging the engine. he said i needed to get another car. i still had payments left (around 6k) and could not afford it. in october, the engine broke. i called lexus and they told me they can't to anything for me. they wanted 11.5k for a new engine. i had to pay $5,037.49 for a new engine to baron's garage. i changed my oil religiously every 3,000 miles. please call me at 678-642-9913, i want my money refunded | |||
| 07/15/2003 | 98143 | ||
| "check engine" light illuminates intermittently, blue exhaust smoke on startup, excessive oil consumption, gelled oil or sludge present beneath oil filler cap on valve cover after going to lexus the best they would offer was to eat the parts cost, about $500 but i would still have to pay $1500 for a head job that anyone else charges $950 for | |||
| 03/15/2003 | 109000 | ||
| Engine oil sludge we spent a total of 2716.00 for a used engine, the mileage 109,313, i bought the engine on march 10, 2003....and the breakdown occured about a week prior.. | |||
| 12/15/2000 | 121000 | ||
| Engine seized in december 2000. lexus said it was out of warranty. suggested i find a third party to put a new engine in the car which i did. | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE | |||
| 07/14/2005 | 145000 | 1 | 03/02/2003 |
| 1996 lexus es300; sludge build-up; excessive oil consumption; white smoke on start-up; dealer says the engine needs to be rebuilt at a cost of about $7000. this is the same problem that toyota/lexus has acknowledged for 1997 to 2001 models with the v-6 engine. why won't they honor the repair to the engine for a 1996 model? *nm | |||
| 07/22/2003 | 98000 | 1 | 06/06/1998 |
| Engine check light intermittently on, blue exhaust in engine smoke, abnormal oil consumption, gelled oil or sludge present inside valve cover below oil filler cap. called lexus america, brought car into dealer, they tell me i must pay $2,071.06 for repairs and pretend not to know of this common 3.0l v-6 engine problem that is extensively documented on the internet and that lexus has already started reimbursing car owners starting with 1997 models.*ak | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE - GASOLINE | |||
| Excessive blue smoke comes out of the tailpipe. engine oil consumption is very high. engine damage due to oil gelling/sludge. *ak | |||
| 03/05/2002 | 1 | ||
| I just recently purcharsed this car and i am already $1000.00 in the hole and looking at $2000 just to be able to drive it.it was a lemon from the start and nobody is willing to cover are assit with the repair just trying to see what legal options i have .i have'nt made a payment on it yet ,but it's undriveable at this point. no safetyd efect listed. *ak | |||
| 08/26/2001 | 1 | 12/13/1999 | |
| While driving engine check light would come on. engine blew due to sludge(hard oil in engine). vehicle was repaired in november. the problem arose again in december. there was main bearing damage, too severe to repair and has had problems with the rear main oil seal. *jg *ak | |||
| 02/01/1997 | 1 | 11/01/1995 | |
| Engine fire. | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM | |||
| 07/22/2003 | 98000 | 1 | 06/06/1998 |
| Engine check light intermittently on, blue exhaust in engine smoke, abnormal oil consumption, gelled oil or sludge present inside valve cover below oil filler cap. called lexus america, brought car into dealer, they tell me i must pay $2,071.06 for repairs and pretend not to know of this common 3.0l v-6 engine problem that is extensively documented on the internet and that lexus has already started reimbursing car owners starting with 1997 models.*ak | |||