Thank you for using just answer.
A couple questions here to better help me help you:
-How many miles are on this car?
-Did or does the check engine light come on at all?
-When this condition happened......did the car suddenly regain power and surge back or did she have to pump the gas pedal a few times?
-Did it seem to sputter at all or just nothing as if here foot was not on the gas?
The milage is less than 70,000.
The engine light does not come on.
Neither. She made it to a safe spot at an intersection. Then, when traffic allowed, she made a left turn, and the car performed normally.
No sputter. Pedal flat on floor, but no acceleration. No distress noises from engine, just simply no response, no power. At the time, the AC was on.
So far, this has only happened on a hard right turn. And only three times in the past five years.
The Lexus folks said to mash the pedal to the metal, but nothing happens.
Ok a couple thoughts here.
First thought here is a possible obstruction in the air intake system, you have a sensor on the air filer box that measures air flow/volume, I have had many of these in my shop for similar issues where something slipped around the air filter and partailly obstructed the internal sensor, have this checked and blown out first.
Second thought here is that the throttle is Electronic on the car, if the system malfunctions the car goes into "limp" mode and the check engine light comes on. Technically for the car to not accelerate with no malfunction light and if the air flow sensor is good would have to mean that there is an "open" in the throttle position circuit or in the harness to it. I have seen a few rare cases where the throttle position sensor will have a "dead" spot under ceratain temperatures.
From my experience and extensive knowledge on the car this is about the only thing I can think of unless the car has been victim to a ollision or flood in the past.
I am not sure this is the problem, but it does give a tech a head start. Damn it, whatever happened to American iron? The GTOs, the TransAms? They didn't bother, or even know about, computers, et al. Give me a chopped '50 Merc coup any day, with a full house Caddy and Naugahyde inside.
Anyhow, thanks.
Dick L.
You are welcome. You can thank uncle sam for the emision regulations and fuel mileage requirements that have led to systems like this, Lexus was one of the first (1998) and now ALL cars in production have electronic throttle.
Let me know if I can be of further input.
Thanks
Former Lexus Master technician
Master Certified with lexus, 6 years experience