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 was detected by dealers in the Japanese market, and affects some 260,000 cars globally.“Owners of the cars in question will be notified by post, and asked to bring their cars in to their local dealer at their own convenience. Wherever possible, we’ll pick the cars up,” a spokesman told Autocar. “The part will be replaced under warranty, and most dealers will be able to have the car delivered back to the customer on the same day.”“There will also be a goodwill gesture included in the deal,” he said.
Built perfect?
Believe it or not, this will be the eleventh product recall for Lexus listed by the UK's Vehicle and Operator Services Agency since 1995. It's quite rare for a mechanical problem like this to crop up though; most of Lexus's recalls have been over secondary systems such as brake lights, airbags and seatbelt buckles.Interestingly, the recall would have affected the GS300 that Autocar ran as a long-term test car last year - a car which was unerringly reliable and stress-free to own. "Our GS was one of the most dependable long-termers I've ever known Autocar to run," said custodian and Autocar Editor Chas Hallett "and it'd probably be performing flawlessly if we were still running it today." "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."
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Re: Lexus in UK recall shocker
Yeah, too true Jon. I still dont really know why were even talking about this though as its barely even news. Slow news day me thinks.
Re: Lexus in UK recall shocker
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.
Re: Lexus in UK recall shocker
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...