Lexus has had a series of recalls surrounding the high pressure, direct injection fuel pipes. There have been a series of recalls for the pipes which included replacement of the pipe and injector seals (and potentially injectors), re-torquing of the rear fuel pressure sensor, and most recently a new campaign to check and repair the fuel pressure sensor again. So what’s the story with the recalls?EDIT February 16th – the ELF procedure is live and noted towards the end of the blog
Lexus IS250
Called Lexus repair recall 9LA, this recall was for select early years of the IS250/IS350, GS300/GS350 and LS460, replacing the high pressure fuel pipes that distributed fuel to the injectors. These were more prone to corroded when used with ethanol-containing gasoline. The pipes were replaced with an upgraded unit, now coated in nickel phosphate to help prevent this corrosion buildup that was clogging fuel injectors.
Subsequent fuel leaks began after Lexus repair recall 9LA, leaking almost exclusively from where the fuel pressure sensor screwed into the back of the new high pressure fuel lines. This next Lexus repair recall BLA included the checking of the vehicle for a fuel leak, a torque check of the fuel pressure sensor using a newly developed wrench to allow access to the fuel sensor without major disassembly, and replacement of the fuel sensor’s sealing gasket as needed. A large portion of the sensor’s gasket required replacement, either due to a leak or being over torqued.
Fuel Pressure Sensor Gasket, the remedy for recall BLA
The problem persisted even after many guests had their fuel pressure sensor gasket replaced – requiring a new recall: Lexus repair recall ELF. The current word from Lexus is that particles may have come into contact with the the nickel phosphate coating during assembly, reducing the pipe’s ability to seal at the fuel pressure sensor. As part of the ELF recall Lexus is sanding and polishing the sealing surface when the potential leak happens (back of the fuel rail) and installing a new pressure sensor gasket torqued to a precise specification. This should remedy all future fuel leaks from the area. If you do smell fuel from your vehicle and it is affected by any of the above recalls, CARspec highly advises you contact the Lexus customer care line at 1-800-255-3987 or your local dealership.
Please don’t drive your car with a fuel leak!
Continuing where I left off. Recalls have been done on my 06 is250. My car is at the dealer because they diagnosed s corroded fuel pipe that they say had nothing to do with any recalls. They want over $600 to fix. Anyway the car at this point Is a ticking time bomb. I’m surprised it hasn’t blown up! Lucky I have a loaner car. I.just bought the car used. I’m waiting to see if i can get the dealer pay for this miss half or what. What’s your take?
Joe,
Without having the car in the shop, it’s hard to say if the fuel leak is related to the three fuel pipe recalls on the IS250. They take recalls (and fuel leaks) very seriously, from the base technician all the way to corporate. I would think that, because it seems they didn’t explain exactly why the fuel leak doesn’t pertain to the recall, you could reach back out to your dealer and have them explain the situation a bit better. Lexus has some of the best customer service in the business and I bet they’d be happy to explain it more in depth.
Thanks for your quick response. I’m in the process of getting it fixed.
Just got my ’07 GS350 back from dealer re: recall Campaign ELF (fuel pressure leak) and now my fun-to-drive, sporty car is like driving a 4 cylinder Accord! No high RPM’s, no red-lining just boring and LAME!
Dee,
I’m sorry to hear that. There is a small chance the the lower intake manifold is not installed correctly, somehow preventing the butterfly valves from opening. This effectively cuts off half the airflow to the cylinder under heavy load (the valves stay closed under low load, improving fuel economy and open under heavy load, improving power). I would think a Lexus dealer would absolutely stand by their work and be happy to investigate your concern, especially if it was related to the recall. Post a comment with what you find!