2.2

hardly worth mentioning
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
72,830 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2009 Lexus LS 460 engine problems

engine problem

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2009 Lexus LS 460 Owner Comments

problem #5

Sep 082020

LS 460

  • 58,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

When driving, slowing to make a turn, putting foot back on gas....feels either like gear slipping or fuel injection slip. Makes quick catch and jumps. Also, when coming to stop, feels like stalling. Very scary.

- Orange, CA, USA

problem #4

Apr 202020

LS 460

  • 115,000 miles
I purchased my 2009 LS460 in 2017 at Lexus of huntsville, al with 115K miles. It began having poor acceleration 1 month after I purchased it. I went back to the dealer and expressed my concern. They asked me to start using premium gas form the same station. Nothing changed and 3mo latter I moved to indianapolis and had my Lexus serviced at tom wood Lexus of indianapolis. I asked them to do a full diagnostic for repairing the now dangerously low acceleration. Tom wood changed and checked fuel filter fuel lines fuel injectors air intake mass airflow air filter reflashed ECM cost me 2 separate visits, 10+ days in a loaner vehicle and $800+ and the issue behind what was causing the low acceleration was never found. So I filed my first complaint case with Lexus corporate and they denied my claim in that it was no longer under their powertrain warranty. Despite my effort to simply request and state that I purchased my Lexus at a Lexus dealer and it has been maintained by a Lexus dealer. I ought to be able to rely on Lexus (especially an Ls on of their high end designs) to be of reasonable quality, fit for safe use as an automobile. The liability for defects of the engineering of the internal mechanics and any future wrecks or injuries caused by the engineering defect is Lexus' liability. Just trying to have a safe vehicle for my family. Well that got me nowhere with Lexus. Now my job has me lining in Louisiana and I tried a second time and took my LS460 to price leblanc Lexus of baton rouge. Their service team was fantastic and their tech let me know that this is a known issue with Lexus and that I'd need to replace all cylinder heads and values. Total cost being $13-15K. That is more than the value of the vehicle. I have filed a second complaint and repair request with Lexus corporate and am being told the same line as before. Not their problem.

- Rayne, LA, USA

problem #3

Apr 042018

LS 460

  • 70,150 miles
Vehicle at fast food drive up notes engine vibration, warning lights for engine, vsc warning, and instruct to take vehicle to Lexus dealer asap. Car has virtually no power with 8-10 mph max. Lexus service dept notes valve spring is broken among the 32 valves in the engine. Warranties had expired. Lexus opts to replace only one defective spring but half of the total number (one side of V8) were replaced by the dealer. There is concern that unbalance of spring strength in the engine could lead to problems at any time. These valve springs were the subject of a Lexus recall in 2007 and 2008 models of this vehicle. 2009 models supposedly used a different spring or perhaps a different supplier. Some problems with 2009S were reported too. In 2010 another different spring was used in 460 V8. I am not even sure that a 2008 version of the engine was not used in my car since it was assembled in the summer of 2008. My complaint is that Lexus should cover complete valve spring replacement.

- Lincolnshire, IL, USA

problem #2

Dec 032013

LS 460

  • 89,000 miles
2009 Lexus Ls 460 AWD the car lost power upon acceleration after the 90,000 mile service. I brought it back to dealer (Lexus of naperville) they said that they reflashed the controller. The car lost performance but did not loose power until the next oil change. At 94000 miles a few days after service the car lost power on acceleration again, I brought it back to dealer at which time they rebuilt the top of the engine for a cost of $11,500 under warranty. The car ran fine until the next service on 7/03/14. When I left the dealer on the way home I made a legal right turn on red and pressed the accelerator, the car started to accelerate then loss all power luckily I was able to get to the shoulder and away from the semi that was about to run me over. I called the dealer and told them what happened, they brought a loaner and took my car for service. After three weeks they told me that the problem was confirmed and that Lexus is having a problem with the knock sensor on that particular engine and it will randomly retard the timing resulting in a loss of power. I was also told that they do not have a fix at this time and that the car is safe to drive my car and they will tell me when I should bring it back. I left the car at the dealer and walked home because I believed that if I would have accepted the car and driven it knowing that it had that defect and became involved in an accident I would be as much to blame as Lexus. I had the same problem in my 2007 LS460 but was told they had the problem fixed in the 2009 that I purchased. I was also told they had a few others at the dealership with same problem.

- Bloomingdale, IL, USA

problem #1

Oct 112013

LS 460

  • 32,000 miles
After an oil change, using fully synthetic oil per sterling mccall Lexus of houston, the Lexus LS460 shows hesitation in acceleration. At local road and at speed of 15 mph, I tried to accelerate and pushed gas pedal to floor, the engine RPM reached more than 5000 but the car did not accelerate as expected. While in theory the engine power reaches peak of 386 horse power at 4200 RPM. In one word, the acceleration is not linear to the push on gas pedal at all. Feels like the engine power does not corresponds to the gas pedal travel distance, as it should. And in critical situations, this failure to accelerate as it should could cause problem or accidents. A google search shows that many other owners have the same experience. Maybe Lexus should look into this and help fix the problem. Thanks,

- Houston, TX, USA

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