Thoughts From the 200 Crew On the LC250 Reveal
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IDK, you guys seem to be pretty hellbent in that, but I can't believe Toyota would keep doing this for such a long time and incur the same mistake with the top-of-the-line LX600 on purpose. It looks to me as isolated to the 22s. I am yet to hear a case of 23 or 24 LX with the same issue. Let me ask the question in the 300 forum and get some more unbiased opinions there 
LOL.IDK, you guys seem to be pretty hellbent in that, but I can't believe Toyota would keep doing this for such a long time and incur the same mistake with the top-of-the-line LX600 on purpose. It looks to me as isolated to the 22s. I am yet to hear a case of 23 or 24 LX with the same issue. Let me ask the question in the 300 forum and get some more unbiased opinions there
"hey mom, the sky is blue."
mom: google doesn't say what color the sky is
"mom the whole world is telling you the sky is blue"
mom: you are wrong, no way god would make the sky my least favorite color.
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if you want a LX6, go get it, no need to bring your alternative facts and reality in this.... people who spend 150k hardly will yell loudly they bought a trash car.. most are leased under warranty...
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Valley plate problem has been happening in Land Cruiser/ISF since 2008, now 2024, STILL happening. Of course Toyota would never do that in their top line RCF and GSF.... LMAO
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Seems if you can wait a few more years until there is clarity issues with the 3.4 V6TT have been resolved (and any other infant issues) it is time to move on a lightly used LX600 or LX700 perhaps.
It's the exact same engine. Just so you know, LX600s are included in the massive recall:IDK, you guys seem to be pretty hellbent in that, but I can't believe Toyota would keep doing this for such a long time and incur the same mistake with the top-of-the-line LX600 on purpose. It looks to me as isolated to the 22s. I am yet to hear a case of 23 or 24 LX with the same issue. Let me ask the question in the 300 forum and get some more unbiased opinions there
Over 100K Lexus LX 600s & Toyota Tundras Recalled Due to Potential Engine Failure – ClubLexus
Machining debris left in the engine during assembly could cause engine failure in 2022 and 2023 model year vehicles.
www.clublexus.com
Here's a spreadsheet of Tundra failures one guy was keeping track of. It hasn't been updated in a year. There are a few confirmed 2024s on the list. Lots of data here:
Engine Failure Spreadsheet
And here is possibly the biggest thread on the issue at the Tundra forum:
Tundra engine recall - interesting news
Remember, it's the exact same motor in the LX600. Here is a fair breakdown video of the issue. One of the guys involved has seen three failures in MIJ built engines.
As far as you not being able to believe it, what do you make of the radiator design flaw Toyota ran in the LC200 and LX570 for 10 years before changing the design and fixing it? What do you make of the cam tower leaks that a huge % of Toyota 5.7L v8s wind up with? Or the coolant valley leak? These aren't engine failures, sure, but also Toyota never recalled over 100k vehicles for it like they did for the main bearing failures in the V35A-FTS engine.
I replaced the radiator in my LX ($86k new, pinnacle flagship Lexus SUV) because Toyota ignored it as an issue for 10 years. I don't know why you think these issues are exempt on more expensive platforms. Toyota/Lexus is widely known to share parts and even entire drivetrains across platforms. They're not the most profitable automaker in the world for nothing.
I hear you all and can wait a couple more years for these initial woes to be corrected (if they ever will by Toyota). First two three years of a new model are no joke.
Why do you think that is?
My thoughts/views:
The radiator in the 200 series is not good, yet it tends to fail well over 100k miles so probably seen as regular wear and tear. Ideally Mr T would have dealt with it sooner as severe overheating and light alloy blocks do not jive well (some HG failures reported, not clear it is statistically significant), but eventual failure of a radiator is not just a Toyota thing.
The 3.4 V6 TT (V35A- FTS) current issue is on the radar screen and I expect resolution. From the information I have read and my engineering mind looking at the same:
- I find it plausible that machining swarf is the issue and can be resolved by manufacturing and or design adjustments to facilitate manufacturing
- I do believe Toyota even in 2025 knows how to design a crankshaft and bearing setup
- I can also see owners do have to let the engine warm up a bit so oil and bearings + tolerances work out, instead of driving of at high acceleration from the get go. I know this is a lot to ask from the average owner so ideally this is designed out. I do know that other vehicles and engines on the market require the same approach and are otherwise pretty good.
Having said that, perhaps best is that the LX600 gets a bad name so second hand prices come down
The radiator in the 200 series is not good, yet it tends to fail well over 100k miles so probably seen as regular wear and tear. Ideally Mr T would have dealt with it sooner as severe overheating and light alloy blocks do not jive well (some HG failures reported, not clear it is statistically significant), but eventual failure of a radiator is not just a Toyota thing.
The 3.4 V6 TT (V35A- FTS) current issue is on the radar screen and I expect resolution. From the information I have read and my engineering mind looking at the same:
- I find it plausible that machining swarf is the issue and can be resolved by manufacturing and or design adjustments to facilitate manufacturing
- I do believe Toyota even in 2025 knows how to design a crankshaft and bearing setup
- I can also see owners do have to let the engine warm up a bit so oil and bearings + tolerances work out, instead of driving of at high acceleration from the get go. I know this is a lot to ask from the average owner so ideally this is designed out. I do know that other vehicles and engines on the market require the same approach and are otherwise pretty good.
Having said that, perhaps best is that the LX600 gets a bad name so second hand prices come down
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Because in many cases, it didn't become a problem until the warranty expired.
It is not a safety issue in general. If the radiator blows up, the engine will continue running and one should be able to safely get off the road. Engine may get damaged if you keep driving, but this is like many other issues. Given that it tends to happen well past 100k miles, further makes it less critical. Probably average original owner will never get to the point of experiencing it.
Speaking of which my 2015 is approaching 125k miles and no signs of the radiator cracking. I have a replacement one sitting on the shelf and I am debating if to replace it soon (after a cross country trip, it will be ~130k miles then) or whether to push it to 150k. Tbh, I am much more bothered by the gas boiling issue on the 200. This is a major miss that never got a fix.
I am actually semi-impressed that Toyota bothered to fix the radiator 10 years later. We expected better from them, but they are probably not the same company they used to be in terms of reliability of their products. 200-series and 5th gen 4Runner were the last examples of the old school generally reliable Toyota trucks (maybe even the 3rd gen Taco, but some would debate it). This has ended with these crap turbo motors.
My dream was an updated 3UR-FE with dual direct&port injection and other optimizations to improve fuel economy. Instead they gave us a flawed high strung motor pulled out of a Lexus passenger boat.
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I have been waiting for a resolution since 2018.....
OK. Are you saying the 2018 LS500 had this exact (I mean exact) same problem of the V35A- FTS in LXs and Toyota/Lexus ignored it for all these years, in other words did not issue a recall like now and, on top of that, repeated the same mistake now in 2022? I know nothing about history, so trying to understand.
YES
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The V35A-FTS is a 3.5-liter, twin-turbocharged, gasoline-powered V6 engine built by Toyota. It features direct injection, dual overhead camshafts (DOHC), and 3,444 cc of displacement. Introduced in 2017, it's used in Lexus and Toyota vehicles including the LS 500, LX 600, Sequoia, and Tundra.
Yes, but the issue is not isolated to 2018s and 2022s. There are confirmed 2024 failures of this engine.
This is why that thread at the Tundra forum is so massive. It really seems like the reason given (machining debris) is just a cover while they attempt to find out the actual problem.
It's the exact same engine. Just so you know, LX600s are included in the massive recall:
Over 100K Lexus LX 600s & Toyota Tundras Recalled Due to Potential Engine Failure – ClubLexus
Machining debris left in the engine during assembly could cause engine failure in 2022 and 2023 model year vehicles.www.clublexus.com
Here's a spreadsheet of Tundra failures one guy was keeping track of. It hasn't been updated in a year. There are a few confirmed 2024s on the list. Lots of data here:
Engine Failure Spreadsheet
And here is possibly the biggest thread on the issue at the Tundra forum:
Tundra engine recall - interesting news
Remember, it's the exact same motor in the LX600. Here is a fair breakdown video of the issue. One of the guys involved has seen three failures in MIJ built engines.
As far as you not being able to believe it, what do you make of the radiator design flaw Toyota ran in the LC200 and LX570 for 10 years before changing the design and fixing it? What do you make of the cam tower leaks that a huge % of Toyota 5.7L v8s wind up with? Or the coolant valley leak? These aren't engine failures, sure, but also Toyota never recalled over 100k vehicles for it like they did for the main bearing failures in the V35A-FTS engine.
I replaced the radiator in my LX ($86k new, pinnacle flagship Lexus SUV) because Toyota ignored it as an issue for 10 years. I don't know why you think these issues are exempt on more expensive platforms. Toyota/Lexus is widely known to share parts and even entire drivetrains across platforms. They're not the most profitable automaker in the world for nothing.
Yeah, I watched the video and it does not seem to be so clear cut as you say. I mean the Lexus/Toyota chief eng had some good arguments to address his questions. Granted he was interrupted when things were getting hot. Typical marketing team behavior. The bearings were upgraded to support the additional torque from a smaller engine. A couple failed, but I did not see any evidence of widespread failure of the bearings. You are assuming Toyota is masquerading bearing failures with the machine debris explanation, but where is the evidence of that?
What looks better from an optics standpoint?
Option #1 - Oh, we failed to clean out some aluminum debris in our manufacturing process, but don’t worry, we put some new processes in place to ensure we don’t have debris in the new motors.
Option #2 - There’s a sporadic and hard to pin down issue for these specific bearings causing catastrophic engine failure. We don’t know if we actually have it fully rectified, but we are trying some new parts on these engines. Please be sure to keep buying new cars with this pending faulty engine and be the guinea pig.
Company’s are in the business of making money, and transparency doesn’t lead to the most revenue for a company.
All the while, there’s a good chance some of the 100k motors they replace will still experience the issue.
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xeuxaz
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Yeah. It’s well documented as the same problem
More reading material here… Japanese V35A-FTS Bearing Issues - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/japanese-v35a-fts-bearing-issues.1338394/
The bearing failure is common enough to issue a recall to 100k+ vehicles. Toyota is performing long block engine replacements (entirely new engine) for those vehicles. Your engine doesn’t even have to fail first—if you’re on the list, call your dealer to get in line.
And yet multiple engines have failed after the end of the recall range. What do you make of that? Toyota claimed to have fixed a debris issue. If that’s the case, why have multiple vehicles failed in the exact same way since?
don't forget which dealer monkeys are replacing these.....
The v35 got recalled because it’s a safety issue when your engine locks up doing 85mph on the freeway and you lose power steering and braking. If they had not recalled them, the NHTSA would have been all over them.
It’s also the same reason that the iForce Max tundras and sequoias were not included. Because they are built to drive under electric power only, they still have powersteering and braking assist if the engine fails. Its not a safety issue for them.
Given the choice, I’m sure Toyota would have ignored this and let people replace their V35’s if they blew up out of warranty. Fortunately for owners/Unfortunately for Toyota, they were blowing up well inside of warranty.
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The evidence is circumstantial. What’s most interesting is that the engines from both the US and Japan plants had the exact same issue. So either they had the same exact crappy machining procedures in place and no one at either plant noticed for over a year and 100k+ motors produced(remember the LX motor is also in the LC300 so they went into more than just US bound LX’s) or there is a flaw in the design.
The other one is that we are still seeing issues up through 2024 after they had changed main bearing part numbers some time in 2023 I believe.
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