2008 Lexus LS460

I HAD REMARKED TO THE LOCAL DEALER THAT IT MADE A CLUNK NOISE WHEN STARTING THE VEHICLE AND DEPRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL. THIS WAS AT 63K MI WHEN I PURCHASED IT. I WAS TOLD IT WAS NORMAL. APPROXIMATELY 1 YEAR AND 10K MI. AFTER I STARTED TO EXPERIENCE SQUEALING WHEN BRAKING. I WAS TOLD BY THE DEALER THAT NO ISSUES WERE FOUND AND THAT IT WAS MOST LIKELY CAUSED BY CHEAP AFTERMARKET BRAKES. I BROUGHT THE VEHICLE IN FOR THE BRAKES AGAIN AND WAS TOLD THAT THEY FOUND NOTHING WRONG, PROBABLY JUST CHEAP PADS. APPROXIMATELY 3K MI. LATER WHEN DRIVING AT APPROX. 35MPH. WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED, AND STATED TO TAKE IMMEDIATELY TO THE DEALER. WHEN I TOOK IT I WAS INFORMED THERE WERE CODES REGARDING AN ELECTRICAL MALFUNCTION AND LEAK, BUT THEY FOUND NO EVIDENCE OF THE PROBLEM. THEY RESET THE CAR AND ATTEMPTED TO RE-ILLUMINATE THE WARNING LIGHTS, WHICH THEY WERE UNABLE TO DO. APPROX. 1K MI. LATER THE WARNING LIGHT RE-ILLUMINATED. WHEN I SPOKE TO THE DEALER THEY ASKED IF I HAD ANY DRIVEABILITY, OR BRAKING ISSUES, WHICH I DID NOT, THE CAR DROVE AND BRAKED NORMALLY. I WAS TOLD THEY COULD LOOK AT THE CODES AGAIN AND RESET THEM, BUT THEY WOULD MOST LIKELY COME BACK ON AGAIN IF IT WAS SOME OTHER TYPE OF MALFUNCTION. I WAS PLANNING ON PUTTING THE CAR AWAY FOR THE WINTER AND ADDRESSING THE ISSUE THEN, THE DEALER AGREED THAT IT WAS MOST LIKELY THE BEST TO BRING IT IN PRIOR TO TAKING IT OFF THE ROAD FOR WINTER. ONCE AGAIN APPROX. 1K MI. LATER A CONSTANT BEEPING STARTED WHILE DRIVING SHORTLY AFTER A HARD BRAKING INCIDENT. IT STOPPED, BUT STARTED AGAIN 2 WKS LATER WHILE DRIVING HOME AS I APPROACHED AN EXIT RAMP. I DEPRESSED THE BRAKE PEDAL TO FIND I HAD NO BRAKING ABILITY. PEDAL TO THE FLOOR. I ENTERED THE 1/16TH OF A MILE RAMP AT 65MPH. I SWIFTLY DOWNSHIFTED ENOUGH THAT I MADE THE TURN AT THE END T ON TO MY STREET WITH ONLY MINIMAL FISHTAIL AND FOUND THAT THE VSC WAS STILL FUNCTIONING.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 LEXUS LS460. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 30 MPH, THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED AND THERE WAS AN EXCESSIVE DELAYED RESPONSE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE ABS ACTUATOR WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 130,000.

I WAS ADVISED THAT THE WATER IN THE WHEEL WELL HAD COMPROMISED THE ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS OF THE VEHICLE AND MAY HAVE CAUSED ELECTRICAL FIRE DAMAGE IF THIS DEFICIENCY HAD NOT BEEN FOUND. PLEASE PROVIDE A COPY OF THE INSPECTION REPORT WHICH WAS PERFORMED AT THE HARVEY LEXUS OF SHREVEPORT BOSSIER DEALERSHIP ON 4/14/15, WITH REGARD TO THE 2008 LEXUS LS 460 (6/10 INCHES OF WATER IN WHEEL WELL, BRAKE ACTUATOR/CONTROL MODULE KNOCKING SOUND, SENSOR AND PERSONAL PROPERTY DAMAGES) WHICH I PURCHASED AT LEXUS OF NEW ORLEANS ON 3/15/15. PER OUR CONVERSATION ON YESTERDAY, APRIL 15, 2015 (1800HRS).WE DISCUSSED THE INSPECTION OF THE VEHICLE WHICH IS BEING PERFORMED AT LEXUS OF SHREVEPORT BOSSIER. THE VEHICLE WAS FOUND TO HAVE WATER IN THE WHEEL WELL ON FRIDAY, APRIL 10, 2015 AT 1830HRS. I ENTERED THE TRUNK REMOVED MY CAMERA FOR USE TO FIND MILDEW/MOLD ON THE CASE. I IMMEDIATELY REPORTED THIS ISSUE TO [XXX]. VIA TEXT MESSAGE WITH PICTURES. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO LEXUS OF S/B SATURDAY, APRIL 11, 2008 AT 0800HRS. [XXX] DID THE INTAKE INSPECTION, WHICH [XXX]. AND THE LEAD SERVICE TECHNICIAN WITNESSED THE 6/10 INCHES OF WATER IN THE WHETHER IS A PROBLEM WITH THE BRAKE ACTUATOR/BRAKE CONTROL MODULE CLICKING/KNOCKING SOUND. HE MENTIONED THAT THERE IS A RECALL FOR A SENSOR ON THE 2008 LS 460 MODEL. AS OF THIS DATE, 4/16/15 (0406HRS) THE VEHICLE IS AT THE DEALERSHIP NOTE: I AM A LOYAL LEXUS CONSUMER SINCE 1998. I PURCHASED MY FIRST GS 300 LEXUS ON THE ISLAND OF GUAM. I HAVE FOUND THAT LEXUS IS AN EXTREMELY WELL MADE VEHICLE AND PROVIDE QUALITY SERVICE. I PRESENTLY OWN A 2003 GX 470, 2006 GS 300, 2007 SC 430 AND 2008 LS 460, WHICH I PURCHASED TWO(2) FROM LEXUS OF SHREVEPORT BOSSIER AND TWO(2) FROM LEXUS OF NEW ORLEANS. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

WHILE BRAKING GRADUALLY TO A STOPLIGHT, WITH THE BRAKE PEDAL IN A STEADY POSITION, THE CAR LURCHES/PULSES TO A STOP. THIS HAS HAPPENED ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS AT LOW SPEEDS, WHERE IT FEELS LIKE THE DRIVER IS PRESSING THE BRAKE AND LETTING GO, AND PRESSING AGAIN, BUT IN REALITY, THE BRAKES ARE BEING PRESSED AT A CONSTANT PRESSURE. THE CAR TAKES LONGER TO BRAKE THAN THE DRIVER INTENDS, SINCE THE BRAKES SLOWLY PULSE. THIS IS DIFFERENT THAN THE ABS FEELING, AS THE BRAKE PEDAL DOES NOT TRAVEL BENEATH THE DRIVER'S FOOT, AND THE RELEASE AND GRABBING OF THE BRAKES SEEM VERY SLOW. *TR

WHILE DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS (70 MPH) I ENCOUNTERED ILLUMINATION OF BRAKE/ABS WARNING LIGHTS ON THE DASH ADVISING ME THAT THE SAFETY BRAKE/ABS/TRACTION FEATURES ON MY CAR ARE NON OPERATIONAL. UPON PULLING OVER, I READ A MESSAGE DISPLAYED ON THE DASH ALERTING ME TO TAKE MY CAR TO THE NEAREST LEXUS DEALER. UPON ARRIVAL AT THE LEXUS DEALERSHIP, I WAS ADVISED BY THE SERVICE ADVISOR THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM ON THIS MODEL AND MORE LIKELY THEN NOT THE FAULTY BRAKE ACTUATOR WILL NEED TO BE REPLACED. THIS WAS CONFIRMED THE FOLLOWING BUSINESS DAY WHEN I RECEIVED A CALL FROM THE SERVICE ADVISOR CONFIRMING THAT THE BRAKE ACTUATOR HAS FAILED. UPON QUESTIONING THE ADVISOR OF THE CAUSE, HE ONCE AGAIN ACKNOWLEDGED THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM AND THAT LEXUS HAS ISSUED AN UPDATED PART AS A REPLACEMENT. IT CONCERNS ME THAT LEXUS HAS NOT PERFORMED A VOLUNTARY RECALL ON SAID BRAKE ACTUATOR SINCE THIS IS A CRITICAL SAFETY DEVICE AND THEY (LEXUS) ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THERE IS DEFECT TO THE ORIGINAL PART BY PROVIDING AN "IMPROVED" BRAKE ACTUATOR ASSEMBLY. FURTHERMORE, BY PERFORMING A SIMPLE INTERNET SEARCH I ENCOUNTERED NUMEROUS TOPICS ABOUT IDENTICAL ISSUES AS MINE ON THE MODEL/YEAR (2007-2010 LEXUS LS460). I WOULD LIKE TO DULY REQUEST THAT NTSB PERFORMS AN INQUIRY WITH LEXUS REGARDING BRAKE ACTUATOR ISSUES STATED ABOVE. *TR

I NOTICED THAT WHEN I PUSH THE BRAKES I HEAR CLICKING NOISE AND BRAKES ACTS HEAVILY. I DID A RESEARCH ON THIS ISSUE AND I FOUND MANY COMPLAINTS FROM LEXUS OWNERS. SOME OWNERS WERE LUCKY TO HAVE LEXUS DEALER REPLACE THE ABS ACTUATOR FOR THEM AND OTHER NOT. LEXUS DEALERS TOLD SOME LS460 OWNERS THAT THEY CHANGED THE VENDOR OF THE ABS ACTUATOR DUE A MALFUNCTION ERROR. CURRENTLY I'M CONCERNED TO DRIVE THE CAR ON THE HIGHWAY AS A FEAR TO LOOSE BRAKING POWER. I TRIED TO CONTACT LEXUS BUT THEY DON'T CARE. PLEASE HELP [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR