2006 LEXUS RX HYBRID Complaints

LEXUS RX400H BRAKE MOMENTARY LOSS OF BRAKING EFFICIENCY. IN FREQUENTLY, AFTER LONG STEADY CONTROLLED BRAKING DOWN A HILL, THE BRAKES ON MY LEXUS WILL RELEASE WITHOUT INPUT FROM ME FOR A SECOND IN TIME. THE LOSS OF BRAKING CAUSES ME TO PRESS ON THE PEDDLE AND THE CAR'S BRAKING PERFORMANCE RETURNS TO NORMAL. HAVE EXPERIENCED AS I HAVE DECELERATED TO A STOP FOR A SIGNAL LIGHT/STOP SIGN. NOT RELATED TO ANY BUMP IN THE ROAD SURFACE OR THE LIKE. FREQUENCY IS WEEKLY/MONTHLY, BUT RANDOM IN TIMING CAN'T IDENTIFY BRAKES FROM THE SYSTEM FAILURE LIST. CHOSE POWERTRAIN OUT OF FRUSTRATION.*TR

I HAVE BEEN COMPLAINING OF THIS SAME PROBLEM (MY BRAKES FAIL ALSO WHEN GOING OVER ROUGH ROADS) SINCE I BOUGHT MY 2006 LEXUS RX400H. THEY HAVE BEEN TELLING ME ITS NORMAL AND DENY ITS EVEN A PROBLEM. EB. 4: NHTSA TODAY ANNOUNCED IT IS OPENING A FORMAL INVESTIGATION OF THE TOYOTA PRIUS HYBRID MODEL YEAR 2010 TO LOOK INTO ALLEGATIONS OF MOMENTARY LOSS OF BRAKING CAPABILITY WHILE TRAVELING OVER AN UNEVEN ROAD SURFACE, POTHOLE OR BUMP. THE AGENCY RECEIVED 124 REPORTS FROM CONSUMERS, INCLUDING FOUR ALLEGING THAT CRASHES OCCURRED. INVESTIGATORS HAVE SPOKEN WITH CONSUMERS AND CONDUCTED PRE-INVESTIGATORY FIELD WORK. 'SAFETY IS OUR TOP PRIORITY,' SAID TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY RAY LAHOOD. 'THAT IS WHY IN RECENT WEEKS NHTSA HAS ALSO ISSUED A CONSUMER ADVISORY ON THE RECALL OF SEVERAL MODELS OF TOYOTA VEHICLES AND THE PONTIAC VIBE INVOLVING PEDAL ENTRAPMENT AND STICKY ACCELERATOR PEDALS. WE WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR THESE ISSUES CLOSELY.' NEWS RELEASE. *TR

EVER SINCE I PURCHASED THE CAR IN LATE 2005, MY 2006 LEXUS RX 400H HYBRID SUV WILL LOSE BRAKING EFFORT WHEN GOING OVER A BUMP. I HAVE PRESS HARDER ON THE BRAKE PEDAL TO MAINTAIN BRAKING FORCE TO STOP THE CAR WHEN THIS HAPPENS. THIS HAPPENS EVERY TIME YOU GO OVER A CERTAIN TYPE OF BUMP WHEN THE BRAKES ARE BEING APPLIED. THERE IS NO LIGHT OR WARNING SOUND ASSOCIATED WITH THE LOSS OF BRAKING EFFORT. IF IT POSSIBLE TO SAFELY REMOVE YOUR FOOT FROM THE BRAKE PEDAL OR A SECOND, AND THEN RE-APPLY THE BRAKES, THE BRAKES ARE RESTORED TO NORMAL OPERATION. VIGILANCE IS REQUIRED IN INCREASING BRAKE PEDAL PRESSURE WHEN THIS HAPPENS TO AVOID A CRASH. I HAVE TO COMPLAINED TO SEVERAL LEXUS DEALERS AND TO LEXUS CENTRAL CUSTOMER SERVICE ABOUT THIS ISSUE. I WAS TOLD THE COMPANY NEVER RECEIVED ANY COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE PROBLEM AND/OR WAS NEVER ABLE TO REPRODUCE THE PROBLEM IN MY CAR. *TR

I OWN A 2006 LEXUS RX-400H, AND I HAVE EXPERIENCED BRAKING PROBLEMS WHILE DRIVING THIS VEHICLE FOR THE PAST 1-2 YEARS THAT HAS BECOME PROGRESSIVELY WORSE. THE PROBLEM GENERALLY OCCURS AT SPEEDS BETWEEN ABOUT 25-45 MPH, AND INVOLVES A SUDDEN DECREASE IN BRAKING DECELERATION WITH CONSTANT BRAKE PRESSURE, MAKING IT NECESSARY TO QUICKLY APPLY MORE PRESSURE TO BRING THE CAR TO A STOP. FROM MY OWN OBSERVATIONS, AS WELL AS FROM TECHNICIANS AT THE DEALERSHIP, THIS PROBLEM APPEARS TO BE RELATED TO THE HYBRID REGENERATIVE BRAKING SYSTEM, WHICH SEEMS TO ABRUPTLY STOP REGENERATIVE BRAKING WITHOUT COMPENSATING WITH ADDITIONAL FRICTION BRAKING. AFTER FINALLY HAVING THIS PHENOMENON CONFIRMED BY THE DEALERSHIP AFTER OVER WELL OVER A YEAR OF EXPERIENCING IT, I AM BEING TOLD BY THE DEALERSHIP THAT LEXUS ENGINEERS ARE CALLING THIS "NORMAL" AND "EXPECTED" BEHAVIOR OF THE CAR. I AM FILING THIS COMPLAINT BECAUSE I FEEL THAT, WHILE IT MAY BE "NORMAL" OR "EXPECTED" TO LEXUS, IT PRESENTS A SERIOUS A DANGER TO MYSELF AND OTHER DRIVERS WHEN THE VEHICLE DOES NOT RESPOND TO BRAKING IN A PREDICTABLE MANNER. I HAVE ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS BEEN STARTLED BY OCCURRENCES OF THIS PROBLEM WHEN APPROACHING A STOP SIGN OR CROSS WALK, AND CONSIDER MYSELF FORTUNATE THAT I'VE BEEN ABLE TO REACT IN TIME TO AVOID HITTING THE VEHICLE IN FRONT OF ME, OR A PEDESTRIAN. THIS PROBLEM HAS BECOME SEVERE ENOUGH THAT IT CAN BE FAIRLY EASILY REPRODUCED IN THE FIRST FEW MINUTES OF TEST DRIVING. *TR

THE VEHICLE ACTUALLY ACCELERATES OR LUNGES FORWARD WHEN I STEP ON BRAKE AND AM BRAKING OVER UNEVEN PART OF THE ROAD. *TR

I HAVE 2006 LEXUS RX 400H AND HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM WITH MY BRAKE AS PRIUS HAS. WHEN I SLOW DOWN A CAR AND MY CAR HITS A ROUGH PATCH OF SURFACE, OR POTHOLE, THE BRAKE SEEMS TO RELEASE AND I EXPERIENCE 'BRAKE SURGING'. SEVERAL INSTANCE I ALMOST HIT A PEDESTRIAN BECAUSE THE CAR SURGED FORWARD AT AN INTERSECTION. I BROUGHT THE ISSUE TO THE LEXUS DEALER BUT THEY SAID THEY COULD NOT REPLICATE THE PROBLEM DURING THEIR EXAMINATION. HELP! *TR

ONE ANOTHER VICTIM OF OE TIRES OF INFERIOR QUALITY + ALIGNMENT ISSUES OF LEXUS RX 400H. I AM FILING A FORMAL COMPLAINT AGAINST LEXUS COMPANY. RECENTLY, I DROVE THE SUV (@ 125 MILES AWAY FROM WHERE I LIVE) TO MY DEALER TO GET THE RECALL OF 'POWER STEERING LINK ASSEMBLY' FIXED. THE DEALER PHONED TO TELL ME THAT ALL 4 TIRES MUST BE REPLACED BECAUSE OF BADLY WORN INSIDE TREAD AND STEEL BELT IS VISIBLE ' UNSAFE TO DRIVE. I WAS SHOCKED! WHAT? AT 23,782 MILES? JUST LIKE EVERY OTHER CAR I OWNED BEFORE, I EXPECTED TO REPLACE THEM AT 50-60K MILES. THE DEALER SAID THAT THE OE GOODYEAR EAGLE RS-A 235/55VR18 TIRES USUALLY LAST ABOUT 20K MILES. HE ALSO SAID BECAUSE IT'S A HYBRID CAR!! SHOCKED AGAIN! I WOULD NOT HAVE BOUGHT THAT CAR IF I HAD KNOWN THIS. THE ONLY THING MENTIONED ON THE WINDOW STICKER WAS '235/55VR18 ALL-SEASON TIRES.' I SCANNED THE INTERNET AND LEARNED THAT MANY OUT THERE SHARE THE SAME QUESTION AND CONFUSION. I WAS NEVER INFORMED BY ANYONE OF THE FACT THAT THE EARLIER 400HS HAD ALIGNMENT ISSUES AND THE OE TIRES ON THESE EXPENSIVE 400H SUVS WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED ROUGHLY EVERY 20K. LEXUS SHOULD HAVE RECALLED ALL THE EARLIER 400HS TO ADDRESS THE ISSUE. ON THE AVERAGE, A CAR WITH AVERAGE QUALITY TIRES WOULD NEED REPLACEMENT ROUGHLY EVERY 50K-60K, WHICH SHOULD BE THE NORM. LEXUS CARS ARE SUPPOSED TO BE LUXURIOUS AS WELL AS RELIABLE, WHY WOULD THE TIRES BE ABNORMALLY WORN JUST ON THE INSIDE EDGE AT JUST 20K MILES? I BELIEVE,I HAVE BEEN MISINFORMED BY LEXUS AND SHOULD NOT HAVE TO PAY FOR LEXUS RESPONSIBILITY OF PUTTING THESE GOODYEAR EAGLE RS-A TIRES ON SUCH LUXURIOUS CARS AND MAKE THE CONSUMERS PAY FOR THE INFERIOR QUALITY. SINCE I WAS TOLD BY THE DEALER THAT THE TIRE PERFORMANCE WAS DUE TO THE SUV IS A 'HYBRID' CAR, THEN IT IS A DESIGN ISSUE THAT WOULD HAVE REQUIRED LEXUS TO INSTALL A DIFFERENT SET OF TIRE. *TR

I HAVE A 2006RX 400H, WITH 60K MILES, AND AN EXTENDED WARRANTY. I BROKE DOWN 2 WEEKS AGO ON A 2 LANE HIGHWAY, WITHOUT BRAKES, LOUD WARNING SOUNDS, AND FAILURE LIGHTS ALL OVER THE DASH. MY CHOICES AT THAT TIME WERE TO STOP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD, CENTER DIVIDER DID NOT EXIST BUT INSTEAD WAS A CONCRETE BARRIER, AND RIGHT HAND SHOULDER EASED OFF TO THE RIVER. SINCE IT WAS NOT COMMUTE TIME, TRAFFIC WAS LIGHT AND I WAS ABLE TO SLOW DOWN AND PULL OFF AT THE OLD MARE ISLAND BASE IN VALLEJO. MY CAR WAS TOWED TO FREEMAN LEXUS, SANTA ROSA, WHERE I BOUGHT MY CAR AND HAVE HAD ALL SERVICING DONE. I WAS INFORMED THAT THE COMPUTER NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AND WOULD TAKE A WEEK OR SO TO GET. THE JOB WAS DONE ON WED. FEB 11. I WENT TO THE DEALERSHIP TO PICK IT UP AND WAS ON MY WAY TO SF TO TEACH A CLASS, WHEN LESS THAN 30 MILES FROM THE DEALERSHIP, ON HIGHWAY 101, IN THE MIDDLE OF COMMUTE TRAFFIC, FAILURE ALARMS AND LIGHTS SOUNDED AND BRAKES DID NOT WORK. I WAS SHOCKED AND TRIED TO QUICKLY GET MY CAR OVER TO THE SLOW/RIGHT HAND LANE AND TRIED TO SLOW DOWN. I FINALLY, 2 MILES LATER, FOUND AN EXIT RAMP AND BROUGHT THE CAR TO A STOP AFTER A LONG APPROACH TO THE RAMP. I WAS STOPPED BETWEEN THE LANE AND THE SHOULDER. CALLED THE DEALER AGAIN TO LET THEM KNOW OF THE FAILURE. THEY NOW HAVE THE CAR TOWED BACK AT FREEMAN LEXUS. IF THIS COMPUTER WAS REPLACED, HOW COULD THIS FAILURE HAPPEN AGAIN. ADDITIONALLY, I HAD TO REACH OUT TO ALL MY STUDENTS TO CANCEL THE CLASS AT THE LAST MINUTE. THIS IS A CATASTROPHIC FAILURE AND BOTH TIMES COULD HAVE ENDED IN INJURY, SERIOUS COLLISION, TO OTHERS OR MYSELF. WHILE I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN DELIGHTED WITH THIS VEHICLE AND LEXUS PRODUCTS AND SERVICE, I DO NOT KNOW WHAT I COULD BE TOLD REGARDING THE REPAIR OF THIS CAR, THAT WOULD MAKE ME FEEL SAFE. I FEEL LIKE WITH THESE 2 FAILURES, TWO POTENTIALLY SERIOUS SITUATIONS WERE AVERTED. HOW CAN I BE SURE THAT THIS WON'T HAPPEN AGAIN WITH TERRIBLE OR DEADLY CONSEQUENCES? *TR

EXCESSIVE AND UNEVEN TIRE WEAR FOR STANDARD TIRES EQUIPPED ON THIS VEHICLE. AFTER 17K MILES AND TIRE ROTATIONS EVERY 5K MILES, I WAS TOLD THAT THE INNER EDGE OF ALL FOUR GOODYEAR TIRES WERE BALD OR CLOSE TO BALD AND SHOULD BE REPLACED WITH MICHELIN TIRES AT A COST OF $1,297. I WAS TOLD THAT THIS WAS A COMMON ISSUE WITH THE GOODYEAR TIRES AS THEY WERE "TOO SOFT" FOR THE VEHICLE, A 2006 RX400H. I INSPECTED THE TIRES AND WAS SHOCKED AT THEIR CONDITION. THERE IS NO WAY I WOULD HAVE BEEN DRIVING THAT CAR KNOWING THEIR STATE. THE DEALER INFORMED ME THAT THE TIRES ON LEXUS VEHICLES NORMALLY NEED REPLACING BEFORE 20K MILES AND WAS THEREFORE UNDER NO OBLIGATION TO RECTIFY THE SITUATION. ONLY AFTER EXPRESSING MY DISPLEASURE WITH THE SITUATION, I WAS OFFERED A FREE WHEEL ALIGNMENT AFTER PURCHASING NEW TIRES ELSEWHERE. *TR

I WAS DRIVING 2006 LEXUS 400H WHEN I NOTICED THE POWER STEERING BEGAN TO FADE. OUTSIDE TEMP WAS 21 DEGREES AND I TRAVELED ONLY 8 MILES. I WENT OUT ON THE ROAD A HALF HOUR LATER. I HAD TO USE TWO HANDS ON THE WHEEL HALF WAY TO THE STORE SINCE POWER STEERING HAD FADED GREATLY. WHEN I GOT INTO THE PARKING LOT, I TURNED INTO A SPACE AND ALMOST HIT THE CAR NEXT TO ME BECAUSE THE STEERING JUST DIED. IN ANY EVENT, AFTER GRUNTING AND USING MUCH MUSCLE, I WAS ABLE TO GET THE CAR HOME. HOWEVER, WHEN I WAS MAKING A TURN AT INTERSECTIONS, THE WHEEL SEEMED TO PULSATE LIKE POWER WAS COMING ON. BECAUSE I WAS PUTTING MUCH STRENGTH ON THE WHEEL TRYING TO CONTROL THE TURN, I DRIFTED CLOSE TO THE OPPOSITE LANE TWICE AND CAME WITHIN INCHES OF A STOPPED CAR WAITING FOR THE LIGHT TO CHANGE. I AM UNABLE TO EVEN STEER THE CAR NOW. THE STEERING AND FRONT WHEELS WILL MOVE SIDE TO SIDE SEVERAL INCHES JUST SITTING THERE. THE CAR HAS 35,154 MILES ON IT. I KNOW THE MANUAL SAYS THE ELECTRONIC POWER UNIT WILL SHUT DOWN IF IT OVERHEATS FROM OVERUSE BUT THAT DID NOT HAPPEN IN MY SITUATION. IT JUST PROGRESSIVELY SHUT DOWN. I FEAR THAT AN ELDERLY OR A PERSON WITHOUT MUCH ARM STRENGTH WOULD NOT HAVE FARED AS WELL AS I DID. *TR