2005 LEXUS RX Complaints

TRANSMISSION SHIFT POINTS ARE OCCASIONALLY NOT SMOOTH AND EXHIBIT INCONSISTENT ENGINE RPM SHIFT POINTS. INITIALLY NOTICED WHEN DRIVING UPHILL AND THE TRANSMISSION DOWNSHIFTED LOWER THAN IT SHOULD HAVE. NO ERROR CODES HAVE BEEN FOUND BY THE DEALER ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS. A FIRMWARE UPDATE ON THE TRANSMISSION HAS BEEN TRIED TWO TIMES WITH LIMITED SUCCESS ABOUT EIGHT MONTHS AGO. THERE WAS IMPROVEMENT BUT THE PROBLEM HAS NOT BEEN ELIMINATED. OCCASIONAL HARD UPSHIFTS ARE FELT UNDER LOW LOAD AND THROTTLE. FEELS LIKE THE NEXT GEAR UP OR OVERDRIVE IS CONFUSED ABOUT WHEN SHIFTING IS NEEDED. CONTRARY TO THE ABOVE SMOOTH SHIFTING DURING LIGHT ACCELERATION MAY FEEL SLOW AND A BIT UNCERTAIN. DOWN SHIFT POINTS CAN HAPPEN WITH MINOR ACCELERATOR PEDAL MOVEMENT CAUSING HIGHER RPM OF ENGINE THAN NEEDED. FEELS LIKE TWO GEAR DOWN-SHIFTS INSTEAD OF THE ONE THAT'S NEEDED. THIS WAS A LEXUS CERTIFIED VEHICLE WITH 28675 MILES WHEN PURCHASED USED MAY 2008. GAS MILEAGE HAS BEEN A BIT LOW AND I SUSPECT THE SHIFTING BEHAVIOR IS PART OF THE PROBLEM. WHEN TRANSMISSION IS COLD AND SHIFTED INTO DRIVE (FROM NEUTRAL OR REVERSE) A RAPID BUT DISTINCT TWO "BUMPS" ARE FELT IF THE BRAKE IS NOT ON. I AM NOT CONVINCED THIS IS NORMAL BEHAVIOR AND NEVER HAD ANOTHER AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION DO ANY OF THE ABOVE. CURRENT MILEAGE IS ABOUT 36,000. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 LEXUS RX330. WATER ENTERS THROUGH THE HEAD-LIGHTS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER AND HE WAS ADVISED THAT IT COST $1000 TO REPLACE THE HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY. NO REPAIRS WERE MADE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 63,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 LEXUS RX30. WHILE ENTERING A PARKING SPACE SHE APPLIED PRESSURE TO THE BRAKE PEDAL, AND THEN THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED WITHOUT INTENTION. CONSEQUENTLY, THE VEHICLE CRASHED INTO A BUILDING. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A COLLISION CENTER. THE FRONT END OF THE VEHICLE RECEIVED $9,088 WORTH OF DAMAGE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 22,000.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 LEXUS RX330. HE STATED THAT THERE WAS A MASSIVE AMOUNT OF CONDENSATION IN THE DRIVER SIDE HEAD LAMP WHICH CAUSED THE LIGHT BULB. THE DEALER WAS NOTIFIED AND THE REPAIR WAS MADE; HOWEVER, HE NOTICED THAT THE PASSENGER SIDE LIGHTS INTENSITY WAS DIFFERENT FROM THE DRIVER'S SIDE. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE LIGHTS WERE ALIGNED CORRECTLY AND SHOULD NOT AFFECT THE INTENSITY. THE CONTACT PROVIDED PHOTOS TO PROVE THE DIFFERENCE IN THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER SIDE LIGHTS. THE DEALER REPAIRED THE BOTH OF THE LIGHTS PER THE WARRANTY. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 16000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 53000. UPDATED 10/13/09. *LJ UPDATED 10/15/09

CONDENSATION IN HEADLAMP ASSEMBLY CAUSING HEADLIGHT TO BLOW. HEADLAMP ASSEMBLY COSTS $1,900 EA. TO REPLACE. LEXUS RX330. VEHICLE HAS BEEN OFF WARRANTY FOR ALMOST 2 MOS. 62,700 MILES ON VEHICLE. LEXUS CUSTOMER SATISFACTION SAYS THEY ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR REPAIR. LEXUS DEALERSHIP WILL GIVE US A DISCOUNT (FEW HUNDRED DOLLARS). CANNOT DRIVE VEHICLE WITH NO HEADLIGHTS AT NIGHT. RESEARCH SHOWS A NUMBER OF LEXUS RX330 HEADLAMP PROBLEMS. VEHICLE CANNOT BE REPAIRED BY ANYONE OTHER THAN LEXUS AS THIS IS A COMPUTER ASSEMBLY REPLACEMENT. RAIN HEAVY, CONDENSATION BUILDS UP INSIDE ASSEMBLY CAUSING SHORT AND BLOWING OUT HEADLIGHT. *TR

STEERING KEEPS GETTING LOCKED UP. THIS TIME THAT IT HAPPENED, IT WOULD NOT REVERSE ITSELF AND HAD TO HAVE IT TOWED INTO THE LEXUS DEALERSHIP. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 LEXUS RX330. MASSIVE AMOUNTS OF CONDENSATION IN THE HEADLAMPS CAUSED THE COMPUTER TO FAIL. THE COMPUTER OPERATES THE HEADLIGHTS. THE CONTACT CALLED THE MANUFACTURER AND WAS INFORMED ABOUT THE TSB. THEY ALSO VOLUNTEERED TO PAY $1,000 TOWARDS THE COST OF THE REPAIR. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 65,000.

CERTIFIED LEXUS RX 330 DEVELOPED TWO SEPARATE DASH NOISES WITHIN ONE WEEK AFTER PURCHASE. ONE OF THESE NOISE IS COMING FROM BELOW THE CENTER OF THE FRONT DEFROST VENT AND SOUNDS LIKE A PIECE OF PLASTIC IS POPPING IN AND OUT OF PLACE. THIS ONLY OCCURS WHEN ITS REALLY COLD (BELOW 20 DEGREES). THE OTHER NOISE IS CONSTANT AND OCCURS WHENEVER GOING OVER A BUMP. IT'S COMING FROM THE PASSENGER SIDE OF THE DASH BY THE SPEAKER COVER. IT SOUNDS LIKE A PIECE OF PLASTIC "CLICKING" TOGETHER AND IS VERY ANNOYING. THE DEALER SAYS THAT THE CERTIFIED WARRANTY DOES NOT COVER "INTERIOR NOISES". A CERTIFIED LEXUS SHOULD NOT HAVE RATTLES AND NOISES. *TR

CERTIFIED 2005 LEXUS RX 330 HAS HEADLIGHT CONDENSATION ONE WEEK AFTER I BROUGHT IT HOME. NOTIFIED THE DEALER AND THEY TOLD ME THAT ITS NOT COVERED UNDER THE CERTIFIED WARRANTY. I HAVE THE HID HEADLIGHTS THAT TURN WITH YOU AROUND CORNERS, WHICH WILL COST $1800 TO REPLACE! FROM WHAT THE DEALER TOLD ME, THEY USED TO HONOR THIS DEFECT BUT THERE WERE TOO MANY AND IT GOT TOO COSTLY FOR THEM! A CERTIFIED LEXUS SHOULD NOT HAVE DEFECTIVE HEADLIGHTS. *TR

I HAVE A 2005 LEXUS RX330 IN WHICH WHEN RAINING, HEADLIGHT CONDENSATION OCCURS. I'M SURE AS THE CONDENSATION WORSENS, THE CLEAR LENS WILL START TO YELLOW IMPAIRING VISIBILITY AND ULTIMATELY HID LAMP FAILURE. WHENEVER IT RAINS OR I GET A CAR WASH IT IS MOST OBVIOUS AND ANNOYING. LEXUS OF BAY RIDGE REPLACED ONLY 1 LIGHT AND NOW THE OTHER ONE IS HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM. *TR