Autocar - First for car news and reviews

Though it sounds marginally less likely than Alfa Romeo finishing top in a dealer satisfaction survey, customer service champion Lexus is about to recall over 3000 UK cars in order to rectify a potential problem with a fuel pipe.
Some 3400 IS250 and GS300 models manufactured between September 2004 and December 2005 are affected. According to Lexus, the potential problem is with the seam welding on one of the fuel pipes, which could fail and cause petrol to leak into the engine compartment. It...Read the full article

Bloody hell!! I almost fell off my chair after hearing about this recall for some Lexus models!! I rate Japanese cars as the best built cars in the world, with Toyotas/Lexus topping the list so this news certainly woke me up.

Is this really news?  They found a mistake, and are fixing it.  Happens all the time.

"Breaking News!!!!  Water is wet!!"

We have an LS 430 that has went through all 4 of it's original wheel bearings in 40,000 miles.

I have a list of other things that has gone wrong with it, including the suspension collapsing and the cup holder jamming.

Disgraceful. I wonder if there is a Japanese Toyota/Lexus Executive committing Sobuku over these failures and loss of honour?

I'm shocked at the news but at least the problem can be rectified before it actually affects a car. Hasn't put me off a GS, especially as Autocar had such a trouble free time with one.

Oh dear yet another boring afternoon for some sub ed. Well done Lexus for getting the recall up and running. I'm sure it will have absolutely no effect on their reputation.

My IS250 had its front seat belts replaced last year when it was about five months old. That was a while you wait job - it took less than an hour. They gave me a bottle of premier cru champagne for my trouble and apparently would have added some fuel if I hadn't filled it before I went. I'll make sure there's room this time. I wonder what gift they'll provide this time?

 Good old Lexus. Every single Lexus buyer I have spoken too tells me the same story that they go the extra mile or two. I must buy one.

David Gibson:

They gave me a bottle of premier cru champagne

 

"Lexus promotes drink driving shocker!"

Kee Law:

"Lexus promotes drink driving shocker!"

 

Ha i like it!

How come you folks are speculating, i.e. 

"This recall is almost certainly a minor precaution," he went on. "It'll be pretty costly for the company globally, but it's nothing for owners to worry about."

What is the point of saying this?  You have no data to go on.  Would you have said the same if this were a Fiat?  It may be a minor precaution, but if a manufacturer recalls the cars in this way (rather than a quiet note to dealers to fix it when cars come in for servicing) it usually means there is a safety issue.  Not too hard to figure out what the risk might be if there could be fuel leaking in the engine bay.  Lexus have a good reputation for quality and service based on past history, but that does not gaurantee they will not have problems in the future.  I wonder how Lexus customers will feel about your magazine if they read your note, decide not to bother visiting their dealer and then have something terrible happen.  Not smart...

Why are people shocked by this? it's a car with mechanical components, that are not failsafe.

It's not that a potential problem has been highlighted, it's about how the company involved goes about rectifying this issue with the minimum fuss and disruption.

Now consider how Renault have responded or lack of response to something far more serious than this Lexus issue. The one where Clio bonnets decide to release from their fixing and cause potential life threatening accidents. Even with the help of Watchdog, and indepedent specialist reports, they still would not recognise it.

Me thinks, if that was Lexus, they would have conducted an indepth study of the situation and recalled cars accordingly.