2004 Lexus GX Speed Control & Cruise Problems

I OWN A 2004 LEXUS GX470. IN JUNE 2016, I WAS TURNING INTO A DRIVEWAY AND THE CAR VEHICLE STABILITY CONTROL SYSTEM KICKED IN AND CAUSED THE CAR TO JERK BACK AND FORTH, ALMOST CAUSING AN ACCIDENT. I WAS DRIVING AT A LOW SPEED AND IN IDEAL ROAD CONDITIONS, NO REASON FOR THE VSC TO KICK IN. THE VSC LIGHT CAME ON AND HAS SINCE REMAINED ON. SINCE THAT EVENT, THE VEHICLE STABILITY CONTROL SYSTEM HAS KICKED IN FOR NO REASON NUMEROUS TIMES. JUST A FEW EXAMPLES, IN JULY, WHILE I WAS TRAVELING 25 MPH ON AN EXIT RAMP, SUDDENLY THE VSC TOOK OVER AND IT CAUSED THE CAR TO SWERVE BACK AND FORTH, ALMOST CAUSING ME TO RUN OFF THE RAMP INTO AN EMBANKMENT AND WHILE GOING OVER A SPEED BUMP, IT KICKED IN AND ALMOST CAUSED ME TO SWERVE INTO ONCOMING TRAFFIC. IN EACH CASE, THE ROAD AND WEATHER CONDITIONS WERE NOT AN ISSUE. THE CAR DOES NOT FEEL STABLE, AS IT DID BEFORE. I HAVE TO DRIVE SLOWER, TAKE TURNS SLOWER, AND ADJUST HOW I APPROACH STANDARD DRIVING.I TOOK THE CAR TO THE LEXUS DEALERSHIP AND AFTER $2500 WORTH OF REPAIRS, THE VSC CONTROL LIGHT IS STILL ON AND THE CAR IS STILL UNSTABLE. THEY CLAIMED THEY FIXED A HEIGHT CONTROL ISSUE AND REPLACED A SENSOR, HOWEVER IT DID NOT FIX THE VSC ISSUE. THIS IS A VERY SERIOUS ISSUE AND CAN CAUSE A LIFE THREATENING ACCIDENT. I HAVE RESEARCHED AND IT APPEARS THAT THIS IS A PROBLEM WITH THIS SPECIFIC CAR AND MODEL YEAR, FROM OTHER COMPLAINTS. IT SHOULD BE A RECALL ISSUE AND RECEIVE PRIORITY. PLEASE ADDRESS THIS MATTER, IT IS VITALLY IMPORTANT! THIS PROBLEM CAN CAUSE A FATALITY IF LEFT UNADDRESSED. THANK YOU! *TR

PROBLEM WITH VSC ON MY 2004 LEXUS GX470. I WAS DRIVING FROM A SKI RESORT ON SNOW COVERED ROAD AT APPROX 35-37 MPH. THE FRONT RIGHT WHEEL HIT A POTHOLE AND THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE SHOT SIDEWAYS AND WE WERE HEADED OFF THE ROAD TO THE RIGHT, THEN TRACTION CONTROL OR SOMETHING KICKED IN AND WE SHOT INTO ONCOMING TRAFFIC. I TRIED TO STEER BACK INTO OUR LANE AND THE REAR LEFT AGAIN SENT US INTO A SIDEWAYS SKID ACROSS THE RIGHT LANE AND HEADED OFF OF THE ROAD UNTIL THE RIGHT REAR HIT A POLE. THE CAR CONTINUED TO MOVE AND SHOT US BACK INTO THE RIGHT TRAFFIC LANE AND I WAS ABLE TO FINALLY GAIN CONTROL AND PULL OVER. I HAD NO CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE AND WE VEERED BACK AND FORTH ACROSS THE HIGHWAY FOR SEVERAL YARDS. I HAVE DRIVEN IN WINTER CONDITIONS FOR YEARS AND HAVE BEEN IN SLIDES BEFORE, BUT NEVER WHERE THE CAR CHANGED DIRECTION AND VEERED BACK AND FORTH INSTEAD OF MAINTAINING THE SLIDE TRAJECTORY. I AM CONVINCED THAT THE SENSORS ARE WRONG OR SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH THE VSC AND REPORTED MY CONCERN TO MY INSURANCE COMPANY AND ALSO TO THE LEXUS DEALERSHIP. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO LEXUS AND HAD THEM RUN FULL DIAGNOSTIC, INCLUDING ZERO POINT/YAW RATE. THEY REPORTED THAT THERE WERE NO ISSUES WITH THE VSC. THE TIRES AND BRAKES CHECKED OUT TOO. I HAVE ONLY HAD THIS VEHICLE SERVICED BY LEXUS, EVEN OIL CHANGES. I HAVE BEEN SEARCHING THIS SITE AND OTHERS FOR SIMILAR ESC/VSC COMPLAINTS AND HAVE FOUND A FEW, THEN WHEN THE ANNOUNCEMENT ABOUT THE VSC PROBLEMS WITH THE NEW LEXUS GX CAME OUT, I KNEW I SHOULD REPORT THIS. THERE SHOULD BE AN INVESTIGATION OF ALL LEXUS GX VSC SYSTEMS - WHETHER THEY DEVELOP FLAWS OVER TIME OR IF THERE IS SOME ISSUE INHERENT WITH THE SYSTEM THAT CAUSES THE UNCONTROLLED SKIDS. THIS IS THE SECOND TIME THE CAR HAS GONE INTO AN UNCONTROLLED SLIDE - THE FIRST TIME THERE WERE NO DAMAGES. *TR

MY LEXUS GX 470 HAS ACCELERATED UNCONTROLLABLY SINCE JAN7, 2010 (FIRST OCCURRENCE) AND LAST OCCURRENCE MARCH 12, 2010 . IT GENERALLY OCCURS AT LIGHT THROTTLE FROM A STOP AND TURNING LEFT AT INTERSECTIONS AND IS COMPOUNDED BY A LOSS OF ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL ALSO ON WET PAVEMENT. THUS FAR, I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO REACT QUICKLY ENOUGH TO KEEP SPEEDS UNDER 60 MPH. MY WIFE AND DAUGHTER HAVE NOT BEEN SO FORTUNATE AND WILL NOT DRIVE IN AND /OR BE A PASSENGER IN THE VEHICLE. I'M HANDICAPPED AND HAD A SERVICE DOG WHO WAS KILLED IN ONE OF THE CRASHES. IF A NECK CAN BE BROKEN THEN WE ARE DEALING WITH A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION. I AM A FORMER TOYOTA EXECUTIVE ENGINEER/ CHIEF ENGINEER FOR 8 YEARS AND HAVE A HUGE AMOUNT OF KNOWLEDGE IN THIS SUBJECT , SUCH AS PROGRAM RETENTION OF ECM AND DENSO THROTTLE. TOYOTA KNEW OF THESE ELECTRONIC PROBLEMS BEGINNING IN 2002 HOW MANY DEATHS IN A LEXUS GX 470 , BEFORE A RECALL OCCURS????????? *TR

SUDDEN ACCELERATION PROBLEM OCCURRED WHEN A 2004 GX-470 DECELERATED FROM 30 MPH TO APPROXIMATELY 2 MPH TO TURN LEFT INTO A DRIVEWAY WHEN THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED FULL THROTTLE AND COLLIDED WITH A PARKED CAR IN THE DRIVEWAY. THERE WERE TWO PASSENGERS IN THE VEHICLE, ONE IN THE FRONT NEXT TO THE DRIVER THE SECOND AN INFANT IN A CAR SEAT IN THE BACK CENTER POSITION OF THE VEHICLE. THE SUDDEN ACCELERATION WAS COINCIDENT AS THE DRIVER INITIATED THE TURN INTO THE DRIVEWAY, THE FRONT CAR TIRES WHERE FULLY TURNED TO THE LEFT AND THE PASSENGER IN THE FRONT SEAT OPENED THE FRONT LEFT CAR DOOR TO EXIT THE VEHICLE BEFORE IT WAS FULLY STOPPED. THE SUDDEN ACCELERATION PUSHED THE PASSENGER EXITING THE VEHICLE BACK INTO HIS SEAT AND HE NEVER WAS ABLE TO EXIT THE VEHICLE. IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT THIS PROBLEM OCCURRED IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA AND THERE WERE NO ADDITIONAL MATS IN THE VEHICLE OTHER THAN THE ORIGINAL LEXUS CAR MATS. IN ADDITION A POSSIBLE RELATED SYMPTOM OCCURRED TWICE OVER THE FOUR YEAR HISTORY OF THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN SENT BACK TO LEXUS IN WHICH IT WAS REPORTED THAT WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS IN PALM SPRINGS AND THE TEMPERATURE WAS OVER 110 DEGREES THAT THERE WERE ACCELERATION PROBLEMS WITH THE VEHICLE. LEXUS RETURNED THE VEHICLE INDICATING THAT THEY COULD NOT REPEAT THE PROBLEM BUT DID NOT INVESTIGATE THE PROBLEM UNDER THE HEAT CONDITIONS. EVEN AFTER THE ACCIDENT LEXUS REFUSES TO TEST THE VEHICLE UNDER THE HEAT CONDITIONS. THE DAY OF THE ACCIDENT THE TEMPERATURE WAS ABOUT 75 DEGREES. THE PASSENGER IN THE FRONT SEAT IS AN ELECTRONIC ENGINEERING THAT RUNS A COMPANY THAT IS KNOW IN THE INDUSTRY AS RESOLVING INTERMITTENT PROBLEMS IN THE MOST COMPLEX SYSTEMS OF DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE (DOD) (E.G. F-14, EA-6B). HIS OBSERVATION DURING THE ACCIDENT IS THAT THERE WAS EXTREMELY LOW PROBABILITY THAT THE DRIVER COULD OF MOVED THEIR FOOT FROM BRAKE THAT WAS USED TO DECELERATE THE VEHICLE TO THE POINT WHEN THE SUDDEN ACCELERATION STARTED. *TR

SUDDEN ACCELERATION PROBLEM OCCURRED WHEN A 2004 GX-470 DECELERATED FROM 30 MPH TO APPROXIMATELY 2 MPH TO TURN LEFT INTO A DRIVEWAY WHEN THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED FULL THROTTLE AND COLLIDED WITH A PARKED CAR IN THE DRIVEWAY. THERE WERE TWO PASSENGERS IN THE VEHICLE, ONE IN THE FRONT NEXT TO THE DRIVER THE SECOND AN INFANT IN A CAR SEAT IN THE BACK CENTER POSITION OF THE VEHICLE. THE SUDDEN ACCELERATION WAS COINCIDENT AS THE DRIVER INITIATED THE TURN INTO THE DRIVEWAY, THE FRONT CAR TIRES WHERE FULLY TURNED TO THE LEFT AND THE PASSENGER IN THE FRONT SEAT OPENED THE FRONT LEFT CAR DOOR TO EXIT THE VEHICLE BEFORE IT WAS FULLY STOPPED. THE SUDDEN ACCELERATION PUSHED THE PASSENGER EXITING THE VEHICLE BACK INTO HIS SEAT AND HE NEVER WAS ABLE TO EXIT THE VEHICLE. IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT THIS PROBLEM OCCURRED IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA AND THERE WERE NO ADDITIONAL MATS IN THE VEHICLE OTHER THAN THE ORIGINAL LEXUS CAR MATS. IN ADDITION A POSSIBLE RELATED SYMPTOM OCCURRED TWICE OVER THE FOUR YEAR HISTORY OF THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN SENT BACK TO LEXUS IN WHICH IT WAS REPORTED THAT WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS IN PALM SPRINGS AND THE TEMPERATURE WAS OVER 110 DEGREES THAT THERE WERE ACCELERATION PROBLEMS WITH THE VEHICLE. LEXUS RETURNED THE VEHICLE INDICATING THAT THEY COULD NOT REPEAT THE PROBLEM BUT DID NOT INVESTIGATE THE PROBLEM UNDER THE HEAT CONDITIONS. EVEN AFTER THE ACCIDENT LEXUS REFUSES TO TEST THE VEHICLE UNDER THE HEAT CONDITIONS. THE DAY OF THE ACCIDENT THE TEMPERATURE WAS ABOUT 75 DEGREES. THE PASSENGER IN THE FRONT SEAT IS AN ELECTRONIC ENGINEERING THAT RUNS A COMPANY THAT IS KNOW IN THE INDUSTRY AS RESOLVING INTERMITTENT PROBLEMS IN THE MOST COMPLEX SYSTEMS OF DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE (DOD) (E.G. F-14, EA-6B). HIS OBSERVATION DURING THE ACCIDENT IS THAT THERE WAS EXTREMELY LOW PROBABILITY THAT THE DRIVER COULD OF MOVED THEIR FOOT FROM BREAK THAT WAS USED TO DECELERATE THE VEHICLE TO THE POINT WHEN THE SUDDEN ACCELERATION STARTED. *JB