2008 LEXUS RX Complaints

IT WAS FRIDAY MORNING ABOUT 10AM. I HAD A PULLED SLOWLY INTO QUEST DIAGNOSTIC LABORATORY PARKING SPACE. I HAD MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE. I WAS STOPPED I WAS PUTTING THE CAR INTO THE PARK POSITION WHEN THE CAR SUDDENLY ACCELERATED FORWARD AT THE HIGH RATE OF SPEED. THE CAR WENT OVER THE CEMENT BLOCK AND PAVEMENT AND THRU THE DOUBLE DOORS AND INSIDE THE BUILDING FINALLY STOPPING WHEN I HIT THE RECEPTIONIST COUNTER.

SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF WHITE GRANULES EMITTING FROM EVAPORATOR CORE THROUGH AIR VENTS WHEN HEAT/AC IS ON. CONCERN ABOUT HEALTH HAZARDS TO FAMILY FROM BREATHING PARTICLES.

WHILE ATTEMPTING TO BACK INTO A PARKING SPACE, ACCELERATOR STUCK IN DOWN POSITION, BRAKES LOCKED UP, ENGINE ACCELERATED TO VERY FAST RATE, STEERING WOULD NOT RESPOND RESULTING IN MY CAR SLAMMING INTO FRONT END OF CAR PARKED BEHIND ME AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED. MY CAR THEN ACCELERATED FORWARD CONTINUING AT A VERY HIGH RATE OF SPEED ACROSS PARKING LOT AND HITTING ANOTHER CAR BROADSIDE WHICH FINALLY STOPPED MY CAR. MY CAR WAS A TOTAL LOSS AS DEEMED BY MY INSURANCE COMPANY.

FOLLOWING A ROUTINE OIL CHANGE AT MY LEXUS DEALER, THE CAR EXHIBITED AN OIL LEAKAGE WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY. THE CAR'S ENGINE BEGAN SMOKING, A BURNING SMELL WAS NOTICEABLE, AND THE REAR WINDSHIELD WAS COVERED IN OIL. THE VIEW THROUGH THE REARVIEW WINDSHIELD WAS NOT VISIBLE. THE CAR ENGINE MADE SOME STRANGE NOISES AND IT WAS DIFFICULT TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE. RESIDUAL ENGINE DAMAGE IS POSSIBLE, AND AN ACCIDENT WAS LUCKILY AVOIDED. THE DEALER CLAIMED THAT THERE WAS A RECALL ON THE VEHICLE FOR THIS PROBLEM, AND THAT THEY WOULD EXTEND THE WARRANTY OF THE VEHICLE AND REPLACE THE OIL COOLER. SOME RESEARCH ONLINE YIELDED SOME CONFLICTING INFORMATION. MANY DIFFERENT CUSTOMERS HAVE EXPERIENCE THIS PROBLEM, BUT NO RECALL WAS EVER ISSUED. T.S.B. POL-14-02 (NHTSA NUMBER 10056509) WAS ISSUED IN JULY 2014 TO FIX THIS DANGEROUS DEFECT THAT PUTS DRIVERS AT RISK, WHEN A RECALL MAY HAVE BEEN WARRANTED. WE WERE NEVER NOTIFIED BY LEXUS OR THE DEALER THAT THIS WAS A POTENTIAL ISSUE. THOUSANDS OF TOYOTA AND LEXUS OWNERS MAY HAVE FACED OR WILL FACE A SIMILAR RISK IN THE NEAR FUTURE.

WHILE DRIVING ON A CITY STREET, I LOST POWER STEERING COMPLETELY. P/S AND BRAKE DASH LIGHTS CAME ON ALONG WITH "SERVICE HYBRID SYSTEM" AND "SERVICE AWD SYSTEM". AFTER A FEW MORE MILES THE VEHICLE LOST COMPLETE PROPULSION POWER AND I WAS FORCED TO PULL OUT OF TRAFFIC. I TURNED OFF THE VEHICLE AND IT STARTED FINE WITH NO POWER STEERING. I MADE THE NEXT MILE TO THE DEALERSHIP. THEY REPLACED THE ECU THAT HAD SHORTED OUT DUE TO A BAD STEERING RACK. I AM NOT SURE WHY THE ELECTRONIC STEERING MECHANISM WOULD CAUSE COMPLETE LOSS OF POWER FROM THE ENGINE/HYBRID SYSTEM?

RUBBER ON TAILGATE HANDLE MELTED. I BELIEVE THIS IS DUE TO AN ELECTRICAL PROBLEM. I WENT ONLINE AND FOUND MANY OTHER SIMILAR COMPLAINTS. THIS MAY BE A FIRE HAZARD. NOW THE TAILGATE GOES UP, AND THEN AUTOMATICALLY COMES RIGHT DOWN. THE FIRST TIME IT HAPPENED THE HEAVY TAILGATE HIT ME ON THE TOP OF MY HEAD CAUSING A GREAT DEAL OF PAIN AND SOME BLEEDING. I HAVE READ THAT THE SAME THING HAS HAPPENED TO OTHERS. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS. IT DOES NOT ALWAYS HAPPEN. IT TENDS TO HAPPEN WHEN THE WEATHER IS COOLER OUT.

THE SPARE TIRE CAME LOOSE, DRAGGED AND ULTIMATELY DISENGAGED FROM THE UNDER CARRIAGE OF MY CAR WHILE DRIVING ON A FOUR-LANE HWY. THANKFULLY, IT DID NOT KILL ANYONE. ALSO, THANK GOODNESS IT DIDN'T GET CAUGHT UNDER MY REAR TIRE CAUSING ME TO HAVE AN ACCIDENT.

I HAVE NOTICED THIS ISSUE A COUPLE OF TIMES OVER THE 7 YEARS I HAVE HAD THE CAR (SINCE IT WAS NEW), MOST RECENTLY YESTERDAY: WHEN I AM TRAVELING AT MEDIUM SPEEDS, SAY 30-45 MPH, AND I HIT A BUMP IT FEELS LIKE I GET A LITTLE "PUSH IN THE BUTT". SORT OF LIKE A FORWARD SKID. SO THEN I APPLY THE BRAKES A BIT. DON'T KNOW HOW ELSE TO DESCRIBE THIS. MY HUSBAND SAYS THAT HE CAN'T FEEL IT WHEN HE IS A PASSENGER.

VEHICLE WAS PARKED AND BEING LOADED THRU REAR DOOR. I USED CAR REMOTE TO OPEN REAR DOOR AND LOADED ITEMS INTO TRUNK. WITHOUT WARNING REAR DOOR STARTED CLOSING. THIS PROBLEM IS INTERMITTEN AND HAS HAPPENED BEFORE. ON THIS OCCASION DOOR CAME SLAMMING DOWN ON MY HEAD CAUSING A BLOODY INJURY. I HAVE PHOTOS OF MY INJURY. LEXUS HAS BEEN NOTIFIED. THIS PROBLEM IF NOT CORRECTED CAN CAUSE SERIOUS INJURY. THE REAR DOOR COMES DOWN QUICKLY AND IS VERY HEAVY.

RUBBER ON BACK LATCH HANDLE HAS MELTED INTO A BLACK TARRY GOO THAT DRIPPED DOWN ONTO THE LICENSE PLATE. I HAVE READ ONLINE OF MANY OTHER PEOPLE LIVING IN HOT STATES HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM AND SOME THINK IT IS CAUSED BY AN ELECTRICAL ISSUE BUT I AM UNSURE.