2008 LEXUS RX Complaints

REAR LATCH MELTED, NOT DUE TO TEMPERATURES IN THE CITY AND STATE WHERE I LIVE BUT INSTEAD TO A ELECTRICAL COMPONENT OVERHEATING. LEXUS WILL NOT FIX WITHOUT A CHARGE OF OVER $200. THIS IS CLEARLY A DEFECT

AS I APPROACH A RED LIGHT, I NOTICED THE CAR WAS SMOKING. I PULLED INTO THE NEAREST AUTOMOTIVE FACILITY AND I NOTICE A TRAIL OF OIL WAS FOLLOWING ME. I LOOK UNDER THE MY HOOD AND I SAW AND OIL LEAK. I LOOKED UNDER THE CAR AND THERE WAS A PUDDLE OF OIL. *TR

THERE WAS A TORN POWER STEERING BOOT ON THE RACK. THE TORN SHOULD BE THERE FOR A WHILE. I PURCHASED A 100K MILES WARRANTY WHEN I BOUGHT THE CAR BUT THE LEXUS DEALERS NEVER MENTIONED OR POINTED OUT ABOUT THE DAMAGE UNTIL THE 100K MILES WARRANTY RAN OUT. AS SOON AS THE WARRANTY RAN OUT, I GOT INFORMED THAT THE POWER STEERING BOOT ON THE RACK GOT TORN AND IT WILL COST ME $1600. *TR

DASHBOARD STICKY, SHINY AND CRACKED ALL OVER. THE HOOD IS STARTING TO RUST. *TR

I TOOK MY CAR IN FOR A ROUTINE SERVICE; WHEN I WENT TO PICK IT UP I WAS TOLD THAT THE RACK AND PINION WAS LEAKING, THERE WAS A TEAR IN THE BOOT AND IT WAS LEAKING FLUID, AFTER BEING QUOTED $1800 FOR PARTS AND LABOR I DECLINED THE REPAIR. I FIND IT HARD TO BELIEVE THAT A 7 YEAR OLD CAR WITH MAJORITY OF HIGHWAY MILES WOULD HAVE AN ISSUE WITH THE RACK AND PINION GOING BAD. WHEN I CAME HOME I DID SOME RESEARCH AND FOUND THAT THIS SEEMS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THE SECOND GENERATION RX. IN MY FAMILY, MAJORITY OF OUR CARS ARE TOYOTAS & LEXUS; WE HAVE A COROLLA, 2 CAMRY'S, SIENNA, HIGHLANDER, IS350, RX350. ONE CAMRY HAS ALMOST 200KMILES, THE COROLLA HAS OVER 150K MILES. WE'VE OWNED 2 OTHER COROLLAS, ES250, CELICA, I'VE OWNED OTHER BRAND CARS TOO AND HAVE DRIVEN OVER 150K MILES AND NEVER HAD A PROBLEM WITH THE RACK AND PINION BOOT TEARING. THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME I HAD AN ISSUE WITH THE RX, THE LAST TIME THERE WAS AN ISSUE WITH A (MOTOR) OIL LINE BURSTING, THE OIL LINE THAT RUNS FROM THE OIL COOLER - THANK GOD NOTHING HAPPENED, THE CAR MADE IT HOME SAFELY HOME (BUT NO LOW OIL LIGHT CAME ON) AND WE HAD IT TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THE REPAIRS WERE COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. WAS TOLD BY A MECHANIC THAT THE OIL LINE BURSTING WAS A COMMON PROBLEM, AND THAT THE NEWER RX MODELS THE PIPE WAS REPLACE WITH METAL PIPE. IN MY OPINION ABOUT THE RACK AND PINION, IT'S DEFINITELY A SAFETY ISSUE - THE STEERING OIL COULD POTENTIALLY LEAK ONTO THE EXHAUST AND CATCH FIRE, AND IF ALL THE POWER STEERING FLUID LEAKS OUT ONE MAY NOT REALIZE IT AND MAY NOT BE ABLE TO STEER THE CAR OUT OF HARMS WAY. WE'VE OWNED SO MANY TOYOTA/LEXUS CARS AND WE'VE NEVER HAD ANY PROBLEMS, WE'VE ALWAYS BEEN AN BELIEVER OF TOYOTA/LEXUS, BUT THIS RX HAS GOT ME WORRIED. I HOPE THAT THIS IS NOT A SIGN OF THINGS TO COME. WILL BE THINKING REALLY HARD ABOUT TOYOTA/LEXUS WHEN IT COMES TIME TO BUY ANOTHER CAR. *TR

PART# 84840G 8484021010 SWITCH ASSEMBLY, BACK DOOR OPENER - RUBBER COVER OF SWITCH HOUSING DETERIORATES/DEPOLYMERIZES LEAVING BEHIND A HAZARDOUS GOO AND HINDERING OPERATION OF REAR HATCH RELEASE MECHANISM. *TR

THE DASH BOARD BEGAN TO CRACK SHORTLY AFTER WE PURCHASED THE CAR IN MARCH OF 2012. AT THAT TIME I THOUGHT THAT THE PREVIOUS OWNER MIGHT HAVE HIT THE DASH WITH HIS FIST STARTING THE PROBLEM. HOWEVER, THIS WAS NOT THE CASE. THE DASH CONTINUED TO CRACK IN MULTIPLE PLACES AND CHUNKS OF THE VINYL STARTED TO FALL OFF LEAVING THE FOAM UNDER THE DASH COVERED EXPOSED. WITH THE RECENT PROBLEMS WITH AIR BAGS, I FEARED THAT IF THE AIR BAG WENT OFF IT COULD SEND DASH PIECES FLYING EVERYWHERE POSSIBLE CAUSING INJURY. I CONTACTED LEXUS, THEY ARE AWARE OF THE PROBLEM BUT THEY REFUSED TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT. *TR

THE RACK AND PINION STEERING BLEW UP SPEWING POWER STEERING FLUID ALL OVER THE UNDERCARRIAGE. LOSS OF THE POWER STEERING RESULTED DO TO LACK OF FLUID. NO PRIOR WARNING OF ANY LEAKS OR POOR PERFORMANCE FROM THE STEERING. NO NOISE INDICATING THAT THERE MAY HAVE BEEN A LEAK. FORTUNATELY, NO ACCIDENTS WAS CAUSED. THE OIL GOT ALL OVER THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER AND COULD HAVE RESULTED IN A FIRE. THIS IS A VERY UNSAFE CONDITION THAT COULD HAVE BEEN CATASTROPHIC. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 LEXUS RX400H. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE ATTEMPTING TO PARK, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY EXPERIENCED AN UNINTENDED ACCELERATION AND CRASHED INTO A TREE. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT THE DRIVER WAS DEPRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL WHEN THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED UP TO 16 MPH. A POLICE REPORT WAS NOT FILED. THE DRIVER SUSTAINED A BACK INJURY THAT REQUIRED MEDICAL ATTENTION. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 60,000. UPDATED 04/14/15*LJ UPDATED 6/29/2015 *JS

WHILE DRIVING BACK HOME FROM A ROAD TRIP I NOTICED THAT THE STEERING WHEEL STARTED TO SHAKE AND I HEARD A KNOCKING NOISE. I WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 50-60MPH. I SLOWED DOWN AND TRIED TO PULL OVER BUT BEFORE I COULD DO SO, MY FRONT PASSENGER WHEEL (THE ENTIRE RIM AND TIRE) BROKE OFF OF THE CAR. LUCKILY I HAD ENOUGH MOMENTUM AND WAS ABLE TO PULL THE CAR OVER SAFELY TO THE GRASSY SHOULDER. I PURCHASED MY CAR USED BACK IN 2012 AND IT ONLY HAD 28,000 MILES ON IT. THIS VEHICLE HAS ALWAYS BEEN SERVICED AT A LEXUS DEALERSHIP (BY THE PREVIOUS OWNERS AND BY MYSELF SINCE I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE). I DO NOT UNDERSTAND HOW ANYTHING LIKE THIS COULD HAVE HAPPENED. LUCKILY NO ONE IN MY VEHICLE WAS INJURED AND THAT THE OTHER DRIVERS ON THE ROAD WERE ABLE TO MANEUVER AROUND MY CAR AND THE TIRE THAT FLEW ACROSS THREE LANES OF TRAFFIC ON THE HIGHWAY I WAS DRIVING ON. THE REPAIRS TO THE VEHICLE WAS APPROXIMATELY $4,000. *TR