I am submitting this complaint to report a significant safety defect in my Lexus vehicle. Without any prior warning or history of mechanical problems, the vehicle experienced a sudden and severe loss of engine power while I was merging onto a busy highway. The vehicle rapidly decelerated despite continued acceleration input, forcing me to navigate to the shoulder while surrounding traffic was traveling at high speed. This unexpected loss of power created an immediate and substantial risk of a collision and posed a serious danger to myself and other motorists. Following this incident, I took the vehicle to a local auto shop, which identified diagnostic code P030002, indicating a misfire in Cylinder 2. I then promptly brought the vehicle to an authorized Lexus dealership. Their diagnostic confirmed the same code and attributed the failure to a “Cylinder 2 direct fuel injector leaking.” Lexus has already acknowledged this defect in TSB L-SB-0007-21, demonstrating that the manufacturer is aware of this recurring issue. My vehicle is five years old with fewer than 100,000 miles, yet this defect resulted in a dangerous loss of engine power under highway conditions. The dealership quoted over $3,000 to replace a single injector, and the remaining injectors may fail at any time, further compounding the safety risk. Despite its knowledge of this defect, Lexus has not issued a recall, implemented preventive measures, or offered assistance, citing that the vehicle is slightly outside the 70,000-mile warranty. I have therefore been left with a vehicle that is unsafe for continued highway operation. Given the severity of the incident, the known recurrence of this defect, and the manufacturer’s lack of corrective action, I respectfully request that NHTSA investigate this matter, as it presents a substantial and ongoing hazard to consumers and the driving public.
NHTSA ODI 11702843