What car deserves a recall but never got it?

"Rainbow" (rainbeaux)
12/04/2015 at 09:06 • Filed to: None

Virtually every Lexus sedan of the late ‘90s through early 2000s. Those accessory taillights on the trunk are all faded now and shine bright white. They look like reverse lights, and I’m fairly certain that it’s illegal to have white lights on the rear of a car anyway. I’m sure at least a handful of drivers have been forced to fix the issue themselves, but Toyota really needs to take responsibility for it.

What else can you think of?

DISCUSSION (33)

Ash78, voting early and often > Rainbow
12/04/2015 at 09:12

I’ve honestly never seen the light fade on the GS before.

But while we’re on this topic, how about a recall for EVERY f’ing car that uses the reverse lights as accessory lights when the car is off. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve slammed on the brakes after seeing white reverse lights in parking lots, only to see the owner simply locking up their Suburban or Tahoe or Impala (I think it’s mostly GM).

Terrible idea.

DoYouEvenShift > Rainbow
12/04/2015 at 09:14

Ive noticed that too, always thought someone just put the wrong bulbs in it at some point.

Rainbow > Ash78, voting early and often
12/04/2015 at 09:14

Maybe it’s only a specific model. All I ever remember is that it’s a Lexus sedan.

Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection > Rainbow
12/04/2015 at 09:14

I think every GS and IS from 1997-03 has this problem. They’re so bright and ridiculous.

DoYouEvenShift > Ash78, voting early and often
12/04/2015 at 09:16

My Trailblazer does that. It can be annoying, always think someones backing up. But it works I guess, gets people attention and they slow down in parking lots.

Ash78, voting early and often > DoYouEvenShift
12/04/2015 at 09:22

Pulling out a gun and pointing it at passing drivers works, too, but doesn’t mean it’s a good idea :D

/going for worst analogy possible

BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind > Rainbow
12/04/2015 at 09:22

Subaru headgaskets. Honda transmissions. VW fuel pumps.

BringBackTheCommodore > Rainbow
12/04/2015 at 09:23

Kinja'd!!!

If it’s a truck wearing the top badge, it’s got the 6.0L Powerstroke. If it’s a truck wearing the bottom badge (F-250+) then it’s packing the 6.4L Powerstroke.

Faulty EGR coolers, faulty oil coolers, poor head stud design, faulty bellows design for the y-pipe leading from the headers to the turbo, an FICM that goes wonky randomly, shit quality control - these trucks should have been recalled.

You see, it all began with a lack of good cleaning after the engine blocks were sand cast (cue dreamy, “wavy blur” sequence and music)... sand left in the blocks (because the engine blocks weren’t properly flushed) would accumulate in the oil coolers and the egr coolers, plugging them both, which would inevitably lead to the cylinder heads lifting - that’s just that little bit. There’s a whole slew of other repairs and mods owners need to do to make the trucks durable and reliable.

So yeah, any truck with a 6.0L or 6.4L Powerstroke should have been recalled. Ford decided to say “Fuck you!” the same way they did with the Pinto, and there were even instances of 6.0L-equipped ambulances breaking down while transporting patients.

Yeah, I’m getting my 2005 F-350 back today, after having the oil cooler repaired. Last year it was the EGR cooler that blew out. I’m hoping next year won’t be the head studs (fingers crossed) but I’m having my suspicions.

EL_ULY > Rainbow
12/04/2015 at 09:36

First gen ML Mercedes. Yaw sensors fail causing the vehicle to suddenly apply full brakes. Lol yeah those inner lights did fade after a long time on the GS 300. If that is the case tho getting picky, we should recall ALL European cars all together lol :]

RazoE > Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection
12/04/2015 at 09:38

The revised ones don’t have that problem, it’s only the early models.

EL_ULY > Ash78, voting early and often
12/04/2015 at 09:41

I had a Buick rental once that the reverse lights came on while hitting the unlock button on the the remote. I literally spent over an hour fucking with people at a Mall from a distance. I had such a good spot and people were tripping balls :]

RazoE > Rainbow
12/04/2015 at 09:41

Toyota MKIII Supra/Cressida headgaskets. At the last minute, the headgasket was swapped out from asbestos to graphite, but the torque requirements weren’t changed. This resulted in a headgasket that WILL fail. ALL 7M engines were affected.

DoYouEvenShift > Ash78, voting early and often
12/04/2015 at 09:42

I like your use of hyporboles lol

Ash78, voting early and often > EL_ULY
12/04/2015 at 09:45

I grew up in FL, so seeing a Buick with reverse lights on is ingrained in my memory as DANGER!

Needmoargarage > Rainbow
12/04/2015 at 09:45

One that really bothers me is a problem with airbags in newer Subarus...not sure on affected models/years but it plagues my wife’s ‘08 Outback. Short story: a bad solder of one LED to a circuit board causes the entire airbag system to deactivate in cold weather.

Nothing quite like embarking on an icy drive in the world’s ‘best’ winter car and being told none of your airbags feel like working today.

Rainbow > RazoE
12/04/2015 at 09:47

Seems like they were kind of screwed, though. Given the choice between potentially damaging the car and certainly giving the mechanic cancer, it’s pretty obvious what needs to be done.

You know, delay the cars’ releases until a new gasket could be developed. But then they wouldn’t make as much money that way.

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > EL_ULY
12/04/2015 at 09:47

This is why I can never own a GM product. This is basically all I would ever do.

EL_ULY > Ash78, voting early and often
12/04/2015 at 09:48

lol!

MultiplaOrgasms > Rainbow
12/04/2015 at 09:48

Is a faded lense on a 15-year old car really worthy of a recall? Isn’t that just something the materials do anyway?

Wacko > EL_ULY
12/04/2015 at 09:48

that was you, you bastard.

You are my new hero!

My it’s my auto liftgate on my pathfinder. Funny to scare the shit out of people in the mall parking lot when the liftgate opens by it self when someone passes by. 1 person actually jumped back.

I wasn’t doing it on purpose...

they-will-know-my-velocity > BringBackTheCommodore
12/04/2015 at 09:51

Ford did that alot. The F-150 went to a V6 in ‘97, from the I6 motor. The V6 head had a water port about 1.5mm away from one of the cylinders. The first thing to fail on that headgasket is that bit and it dumps water into the cylinder annnnnnd you bought a new motor. Sometimes in under 150,000 miles. Known issue but it was far enough out of warranty that they just ignored it and casually updated the head design later in the life of the motor. Still disappointed with them.

they-will-know-my-velocity > Ash78, voting early and often
12/04/2015 at 09:52

A casually waved machete is effective too.

EL_ULY > sm70- why not Duesenberg?
12/04/2015 at 09:53

lol!!! It was pretty damn fun dude I promise. A dick move but harmless :]

Rainbow > MultiplaOrgasms
12/04/2015 at 10:04

Not on any other car at all. At least not in the US.

Granted, it’s not as vital of a fix as other things, but it does cause some serious confusion, especially at lights when it looks like the car is going to reverse into you.

It would be a fairly easy fix, too, if they bothered to do it. Just a stronger red vinyl film, already cut to shape, shipped out to Toyota dealers. Owners pull in, the mechanics wipe down the lights, slap the new sticker on top, and send them on their way, all within minutes and at a cost of just a few cents per car.

Obviously those cents add up, but so do the profits of selling the cars in the first place. I feel the owners are entitled to a properly working car, considering that’s what they paid for.

BringBackTheCommodore > they-will-know-my-velocity
12/04/2015 at 10:06

Agreed. Another sore spot are the 3.9L/5.2L/5.9L family in Chrysler’s lineup - the intake manifold is a shitty design that allows oil to get sucked into the intake, leading to cracked heads, blown piston rings, yadda yadda...quality assurance went downhill for a while with the American manufacturers it seems like.

UOnlyLiveOnceDriveAUnicorn > Rainbow
12/04/2015 at 10:13

I had a VW B4 Passat wagon with the VR6 that I loved, but the one glaring thing on the car was that in cold weather the door latch would freeze open. It was screwed up, because you could get in the car, but then the latch for the door wouldn’t engage, making you hold the door closed until the temperature got warm enough to unfreeze the latch. My recall was it was the same for the Audi 90(?) which was the same as the B4. Between those two models, should have been a recall to fix, but never happened. I miss that car still.

EL_ULY > Wacko
12/04/2015 at 10:30

lololololol!!!!!!!! Man i’d b doing that all day lol!

RazoE > Rainbow
12/04/2015 at 11:18

They just had to torque down the bolts a bit more and they would have been fine, but nooooooooo.

RazoE > EL_ULY
12/04/2015 at 11:19

you’re doing the lord’s work.

EL_ULY > RazoE
12/04/2015 at 11:31

Lol!!!!

CaptainSlower > Needmoargarage
12/04/2015 at 11:42

I forget, do Subies have the ‘budget claymore’ airbags? Maybe it’s trying to protect you.

Needmoargarage > CaptainSlower
12/04/2015 at 12:09

I’d like to think so, but I’m pretty sure Takata bombs were out of Subarus around 2006. Either way...ugh.

Svart Smart, traded in his Smart > Rainbow
12/04/2015 at 12:13

I don’t think I’ve ever noticed this problem, but then, we don’t get too much sun in the Pacific Northwest.