2010 LEXUS RX Complaints

REAR LIFT GATE ON MY LEXUS RX 350 OPENS BY ITSELF WHILE THE CAR IS MOVING AND IS STATIONARY. THIS HAPPENED 5 SEPARATE TIMES OVER THE SPAN OF 4 MONTHS. DURING ONE OF THE TIMES THE LIFT GATE OPENED AND HIT MY GARAGE AND WAS DAMAGED. LEXUS DEALER EXAMINED THE CAR BUT COULD NOT DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM, THOUGH THEY OFFERED TO PAY 50% OF THE COST TO REPAIR DAMAGE TO LIFT GATE. SPOKE WITH LEXUS CORPORATE OFFICE AS TO NEXT STEPS TO RESOLVE THIS MALFUNCTION, THEY STONE WALLED ME AND EVEN WITHDREW THE OFFER TO PAY FOR 50% OF THE DAMAGE CAUSED BY THE MALFUNCTION OF THE LEXUS RX 350 REAR LIFT GATE.

UNINTENDED ACCELERATION WITHOUT ABILITY TO BRAKE WITH MY LEXUS RX 350, AT 2 PM ON SATURDAY MARCH 12TH 2011 WITH 5 PASSENGERS. I WAS DRIVING AT AROUND 30 MPH. THE CHOICE WAS TO CRASH IN THE CAR AHEAD STOPPED AT A RED LIGHT OR GO ON THE SIDE WALK, UP A STEEP MOUNT AND CRASH IN A BRICK WALL. THIS IS WHAT I DID. NOBODY WAS HURT. POLICE WAS CALLED AND THE CAR WAS TOWED. CAR WAS INSPECTED BY TOYOTA, NO CAUSE WAS FOUND, CAR WAS REPAIRED AT A GEICO APPROVED REPAIRED SHOP, AND I AM NOW ASKING THE LEXUS DEALER POHANKA TO ALLOW ME TO RETURN THE CAR AND BREAK MY LEASE. IN GOOD CONSCIENCE ALTHOUGH NO ONE WAS HURT, I AM NOT WILLING TO RISK A MORE SERIOUS ACCIDENT AFTER MY EXPERIENCE. WE WOULD HAVE GOTTEN HURT AT A HIGHER SPEED. THIS WAS MY FIRST EVER CRASH DRIVING 20,000 MILES PER YEAR, DRIVING FOR MORE THAN 35 YEARS. THERE IS NO DOUBT SOMETHING OUTSIDE OF MY CONTROL HAPPENED. *TR

I AM WRITING TO YOU TO DESCRIBE A VERY DANGEROUS CHARACTERISTIC OF THE LEXUS RX 450H. I AM LUCKY THAT A GUARDRAIL PREVENTED ME FROM GOING OFF A CLIFF AND I AM VERY CONCERNED THAT OTHER DRIVERS WILL NOT BE SO FORTUNATE. WHILE DRIVING DOWN A SLIGHT INCLINE ON AN INCH OF SO OF FRESH SNOW IN INCLINE VILLAGE, NEVADA AT 25 MPH, I FOUND MYSELF OUT OF CONTROL EVEN THOUGH I HAD AT LEAST 200 FEET TO SLOW DOWN FOR A TURN; I HIT A GUARDRAIL AT 15 MPH, CAUSING $20,000 WORTH OF DAMAGE TO MY LEXUS RX 450H. NEEDLESS TO SAY, I TRADED IT THE NEXT DAY FOR AN RX 350H TO AVOID ANOTHER SIMILAR EXPERIENCE. SO HOW DID THE SITUATION I DESCRIBE HAPPEN? WHEN I BRAKED, I QUICKLY NOTICED THAT THE WHEELS WERE LOCKED AND THAT THE STEERING NO LONGER WORKED (I HAVE FORTY YEARS OF EXPERIENCE DRIVING IN SNOW, HAVING BEEN IN SNOW SINCE MY YOUTH IN CANADA) AND I REMOVED MY FOOT FROM THE BRAKE TO REGAIN STEERING CONTROL. UNFORTUNATELY, THE WHEELS REMAINED LOCKED AND I RAN OUT OF TIME. MY LEXUS RX 450H HAD LESS THAN 2,300 MILES AT THE TIME. I ACQUIRED IT WHEN MY LEASE ON MY RX 400H RAN OUT. WHILE I WAS AWARE THAT THE RX 400H LOCKED ITS WHEELS IN SLIPPERY ROAD CONDITIONS (A KNOWN ATTRIBUTE DOCUMENTED IN THE USER MANUAL), I KNEW HOW TO REACT AND NEVER PANICKED WHEN THE WHEELS LOCKED; I SIMPLY REMOVED MY FOOT FROM THE BRAKE AND REGAINED STEERING CONTROL. SO WHAT MAKES THE RX 450H DIFFERENT THAN THE RX 400? A LOOK AT THE POWER GAUGE WHILE DRIVING IDENTIFIES THE DIFFERENCE QUICKLY; IN THE RX 400, THE CHARGING SYSTEM DOES NOT TRY TO CAPTURE ENERGY TO RECHARGE THE BATTERIES EXCEPT WHEN ONE IS TOUCHING THE BRAKE PEDAL, WHILE IN THE RX 450H, THE CHARGING SYSTEM TRIES TO CAPTURE ENERGY AS SOON AS ONE REMOVES HIS/HER FOOT FROM THE GAS PEDAL, NOT WHEN ONE TOUCHES THE BRAKE. FROM AN ENGINEERING PERSPECTIVE, IT MAKES SENSE TO LEVERAGE THE FACT THAT THE DRIVER IS INTENDING TO SLOW AS S/HE HAS REMOVED THEIR FOOT FROM THE GAS PEDAL BUT IT IS A DISASTER WHEN THE ROADWAY IS ICY. *TR

SERVICE BRAKES, MARCH 13, 2011 - MANSFIELD MA I PURCHASED MY 2010 LEXUS RX 450H IN DECEMBER 2010. EVER SINCE I BOUGHT IT, I HAVE NOTICED THAT FROM TIME TO TIME, WHEN I PRESS THE BRAKE PEDAL, THE CAR SEEMS TO SURGE FORWARD(!) MOMENTARILY BEFORE IT SLOWS DOWN. THIS HAPPENS MOST FREQUENTLY. IT WILL HAPPEN EVEN IF I AM ONLY COASTING AND NOT TOUCHING THE GAS PEDAL WHEN PRESSING THE BRAKE INITIALLY. IT HAPPENS TO ME AT LEAST ONCE OR TWICE A WEEK. IT IS SOMEWHAT DISTURBING. I HAVE MENTIONED THIS TO MY LEXUS DEALER, BUT THEY HAVE DISMISSED MY CONCERNS BOTH TIMES I BROUGHT IT UP. HAS ANYONE ELSE NOTICED THIS ISSUE? VIEW DETAILS

I STARTED THE CAR, BACKED IT UP, PULLED FORWARD TURNING TO THE LEFT TO GO DOWN A DRIVEWAY WHEN THE CAR UNEXPECTEDLY ACCELERATED. I STOMPED ON THE BRAKE BUT THE CAR DID NOT STOP. I FLEW OUT OF THE DRIVEWAY, ACROSS THE STREET AND HIT 3 TREES AND A ROCK BEFORE THE CAR STOPPED. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 LEXUS RX450H. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH, THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO UNINTENTIONALLY DECELERATE. DURING THE FAILURE THE CHECK ENGINE, ALL WHEEL DRIVE AND HYBRID SYSTEM LIGHTS WERE ILLUMINATING. THE VEHICLE WAS THEN TOWED TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHERE THEY WERE IN THE PROCESS OF DIAGNOSING THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 18,000.

ON THE 2010 LEXUS RX350 THERE IS A DESIGN FLAW WITH THE WIPER/WASHER SYSTEM. WHEN TRAVELING WITH HIGH WINDS OR AT HIGH SPEEDS THE WASHERS DO NOT WORK ON THE UPPER PART OF THE WINDSHIELD, HENCE IT CAN BE DIFFICULT TO SEE. THIS CAN BE A SAFETY ISSUE, ESPECIALLY WHEN CONFRONTED WITH ROAD SPRAY IN COLD CLIMATES. THERE ARE NO ADJUSTMENT THAT CAN BE MADE. IT IS A FIXED NOZZLE. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 LEXUS RX350. WHILE STOPPED, THE VEHICLE SURGED FORWARD AND STOPPED ON ITS OWN. DURING THE FAILURE, THE SLIPPING LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER BUT THEY WERE UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 26,000.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 LEXUS RX350. AFTER CRASHING INTO A SNOW EMBANKMENT THE FRONT BUMPER WAS CRACKED AND LOOSE. NO ONE WAS INJURED. THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVABLE AND WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER; HOWEVER, WHEN THE DEALER WAS CALLED, THEY INFORMED HER TO BRING THE VEHICLE IN FOR INSPECTION. THE BUMPER COST $900 TO REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 29,000.

THE ENGINE MAKES A NOISE LIKE A SLOPPY PISTON OR A ROD KNOCKING. THE CAR IS A 2010 LEXUS RX350 WITH 69,000 MILES. WHAT IS INTERESTING HERE IA THE FACT THAT THE ISSUE WAS DISCUSSED WITH THE SERVICE GROUP ON A RECENT CONFRENCE CALL BUT THE STAFF WAS TOLD TO KEEP IT QUIET. IS TOYOTA PLAYING THE GAMES AGAIN? *TR