2006 LEXUS RX HYBRID Complaints

THE REGENERATIVE BRAKES ON MY LEXUS RX 400H WILL STOP WORKING DURING NORMAL BRAKING OPERATION CAUSING THE OPERATOR TO HAVE TO APPLY MORE PRESSURE TO THE BREAK PEDAL TO COMPENSATE FOR THE LOSS OF REGENERATIVE BREAKING. THIS IS AN INTERMITTENT PROBLEM AND YOU NEVER KNOW WHEN YOU WILL HAVE TO MAKE A BRAKING ADJUSTMENT. THIS PROBLEM FIRST STARTED IN DECEMBER, 2007. I PURCHASED THE CAR IN APRIL, 2005. I DO NOT FEEL THAT AN OPERATOR OF A VEHICLE SHOULD HAVE TO MAKE SUDDEN ADJUSTMENTS IN THEIR BREAKING ACTION TO COMPENSATE FOR THE DISENGAGEMENT OF A PORTION OF THE BREAKING SYSTEM, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU NEVER KNOW IF IT IS GOING TO HAPPEN. I HAVE TAKEN THIS BACK TO THE LEXUS DEALER ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS AND THEY TELL ME THAT THEY BELIEVE THE CAR IS WORKING NORMAL, EVEN WHEN THE PROBLEM IS INTERMITTENT. *TR

MAKING A TURN INTO A PARKING SPOT, THE STEERING MECHANISM EXPERIENCED A FAILURE THAT LEAD TO AN NEAR INABILITY TO STEER. THE STEERING WAS SO STIFF WITH OCCASIONAL UNCOMMANDED INPUTS THAT IT WAS NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE TO USE. IMAGINE THE CONSEQUENCES OF THIS TYPE OF FAILURE DURING HIGHWAY SPEED DRIVING.....VERY UNSAFE! *TR

AS I'M SURE YOU ARE AWARE ' HYBRID CARS ARE VERY QUIET AND THUS PRESENT A DANGER TO PEOPLE WALKING THROUGH PARKING LOTS. THE DANGER IS PARTICULARLY SERIOUS WHEN THOSE DRIVING THE HYBRIDS ARE BACKING OUT OF PARKING SPACES - NO MATTER HOW CAREFULLY THE DRIVERS ARE BACKING OUT! PEDESTRIANS DEPEND ON THEIR HEARING TO ALERT THEM TO CARS BACKING OUT, SO THEY SIMPLY WALK RIGHT BEHIND A CAR THAT IS ALREADY MOVING. I OWN A 2006 LEXUS 400H AND I HAVE BEEN TRYING TO PURCHASE REPLACEMENT BACK-UP LIGHTS THAT BEEP TO ALERT PEDESTRIANS, BUT NONE ARE AVAILABLE FROM ANY SOURCE. I URGE THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION TO TAKE QUICK ACTION TO ENSURE THAT FUTURE MODELS INCLUDE EXTERNAL SOUND FOR HYBRIDS WHEN THEY ARE BACKING UP AND ALSO TO MAKE IT POSSIBLE TO PURCHASE REPLACEMENT BACK UP LIGHTS THAT PROVIDE THAT SAME CAPACITY FOR OLDER HYBRID MODELS. MARCIA GARB *TR

I OWN A 2006 LEXUS RX400H. ABOUT A YEAR AGO, I WAS TRAVELING ON AN INTERSTATE HWY AT 60 MPH WHEN ONE OF MY TIRES "BLEW". I DID NOTICE THAT I HAD RUN OVER ANY ROAD DEBRIS BUT THE TIRE HAD A TWO INCH SLICE IN THE SIDEWALL. THE TIRE WAS IN GOOD CONDITION, ORIGINAL LEXUS EQUIPMENT, A MICHELIN 235/55R18 . TODAY, MY DAUGHTER WHO OWNS A 2007 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER HYBRID (BASICALLY THE SAME CAR AS MY LEXUS 400H) HAD A SIMILAR INCIDENT WITH HER BABY IN THE CAR. SHE HIT A CURB WITH THE CAR HARDLY MOVING. THE TIRE "BLEW", AND LIKE MINE, WENT FLAT IMMEDIATELY. SHE HAD A SIMILAR TWO INCH GASH IN THE SIDEWALL. THE TIRE WAS ORIGINAL TOYOTA EQUIPPED. I'VE BEEN DRIVING A LONG TIME. I'VE NEVER SEEN SIDEWALL BLOWOUTS LIKE THIS (MINOR PROVOCATION) SINCE RADIAL TIRES WERE INTRODUCED. PLEASE CHECK OUT THESE TOYOTA PROVIDED TIRES. *TR

VEHICLE WAS NORMALLY MAINTAINED AND LIGHTLY DRIVEN. ONE YEAR OF AGE OF THE VEHICLE, WHEN DRIVEN ON LEVEL DRY SURFACES, THE BRAKING OF THE VEHICLE BECAME ERRATIC AND REMAINS ERRATIC. IN EVERYDAY USE THE VEHICLE WILL TEND TO OVERBRAKE OR UNDERBRAKE DEPENDING UPON THE MECHANICAL LOADING OF THE HYBRID DRIVE. THE ONBOARD FIRMWARE IS NOT PROPERLY ACCOUNTING FOR INTEGRATING THE STOPPING POWER OF THE BRAKES AND THE HYBRID DRIVE. THIS CAUSES DRIVER CONFUSION AND IN SOME CASES HAZARDOUS FAILURE TO BRAKE CONDITIONS WHEN THE HYBRID DRIVE UNEXPECTEDLY AND ERRATICALLY CEASES IT'S CONTRIBUTION TO THE BRAKING FORCE OF THE VEHICLE. I.E. IF THE DRIVER DOES NOT IMMEDIATELY COMPENSATE, THE VEHICLE WILL LUNGE FORWARD AT LOW SPEED AND WITHIN A FEW FEET OF PEDESTRIANS AND OTHER STOPPED VEHICLES IN TRAFFIC. THE DEALERSHIP STATES THAT NOTHING CAN BE DONE AND THAT ERRATIC/LOSS OF BRAKING IS NORMAL FOR THIS MODEL. THERE ARE NO RECALLS OR SBS POSTED TO UPGRADE THE FIRMWARE, BRAKING/HYBRID DRIVE SYSTEMS. LEXUS RX400H, 2006 MODEL. *TR

AS OF THIS COMPLAINT, LEXUS SHOULD NOT BUT STILL IS USING THE GOODYEAR EAGLE RS-A TIRES AS OE TIRES. ON NOV. 30, I TOOK MY 400H TO THE DEALER FOR THE 10K SERVICE, THE SAME PLACE WHERE IT GETS SERVICED EVERY 5000 MILES. THE DEALER PHONED TO TELL ME THAT ALL 4 TIRES MUST BE REPLACED BECAUSE OF BADLY WORN INSIDE TREAD. I WAS SHOCKED! WHAT? AT 19,562 MILES? JUST LIKE EVERY OTHER CAR I OWNED BEFORE, I EXPECTED TO REPLACE THEM AT 40K-60K MILES. THE DEALER SAID THAT THE OE GOODYEAR EAGLE RS-A 235/55VR18 TIRES USUALLY LAST ABOUT 20K MILES. 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.' WE SCANNED THE INTERNET AND LEARNED THAT MANY OUT THERE SHARE THE SAME QUESTION AND CONFUSION. WE WERE NEVER INFORMED BY LEXUS THAT EARLIER 400HS HAD ALIGNMENT ISSUES. LEXUS SHOULD RECALL ALL EARLIER 400HS TO ADDRESS THIS ISSUE. WE WERE NEVER INFORMED THAT THE OE TIRES ON THESE EXPENSIVE 400H SUVS WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED ROUGHLY EVERY 20K. ON THE AVERAGE, A CAR WITH AVERAGE QUALITY TIRES WOULD NEED REPLACEMENT ROUGHLY EVERY 40K-60K, WHICH SHOULD BE THE NORM. WE BELIEVE THAT WE 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 WE WERE TOLD BY THE DEALER THAT THE TIRE PERFORMANCE WAS DUE TO THE FACT THAT THEY WERE RUNNING A 'HYBRID' CAR, THEN IT IS A DESIGN ISSUE THAT WOULD HAVE REQUIRED LEXUS TO INSTALL A DIFFERENT SET OF TIRES. SOME OF US WOULD HAVE OPTED FOR A DIFFERENT CAR OR EVEN A TOTALLY DIFFERENT MAKE IF IT MEANS PAYING ABOUT $1000 FOR EVERY 20K WE DRIVE JUST ON TIRE REPLACEMENT. WE ARE ALSO EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTED BY LEXUS' INACTION KNOWING SUCH WIDELY-DISCUSSED PROBLEM. LEXUS CARS ARE SUPPOSED TO BE LUXURIOUS AS WELL AS RELIABLE. ANOTHER QUESTION IS, WHY WOULD THE TIRES BE ABNORMALLY WORN JUST ON THE INSIDE EDGE? *TR

PRIOR TO HAVING THE TIRES REPLACED, THERE WERE NUMEROUS OCCASIONS WHERE THE CAR FELT LIKE IT WAS ON THE VERGE OF SLIPPING/SKIDDING OR LOSING GRIP OF THE ROAD. IT WOULD HAVE BEEN TOO LATE IF THERE WERE INJURIES OR DEATHS DUE TO THE UNSAFE QUALITY OF THIS PRODUCT. ON NOV. 30, I TOOK MY 400H TO THE DEALER FOR THE 10K SERVICE. IT WAS THE SAME DEALERSHIP WHERE IT GETS SERVICED EVERY 5000 MILES. THE DEALER PHONED TO TELL ME THAT ALL 4 TIRES MUST BE REPLACED BECAUSE OF BADLY WORN INSIDE TREAD. I WAS SHOCKED! WHAT? AT 19,562 MILES? JUST LIKE EVERY OTHER CAR I OWNED BEFORE, I EXPECTED TO REPLACE THEM AT 40K-60K MILES. THE DEALER SAID THAT THE OE GOODYEAR EAGLE RS-A 235/55VR18 TIRES USUALLY LAST ABOUT 20K MILES. 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.' WE SCANNED THE INTERNET AND LEARNED THAT MANY OUT THERE SHARE THE SAME QUESTION AND CONFUSION. WE WERE NEVER INFORMED BY LEXUS THAT EARLIER 400HS HAD ALIGNMENT ISSUES. WE WERE NEVER INFORMED THAT THE OE TIRES ON THESE EXPENSIVE 400H SUVS WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED ROUGHLY EVERY 20K. ON THE AVERAGE, A CAR WITH AVERAGE QUALITY TIRES WOULD NEED REPLACEMENT ROUGHLY EVERY 40K-60K, WHICH SHOULD BE THE NORM. WE BELIEVE THAT WE 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 OR EVEN POTENTIAL HAZARD. SOME OF US WOULD HAVE OPTED FOR A DIFFERENT CAR OR EVEN A TOTALLY DIFFERENT MAKE IF IT MEANS PAYING ABOUT $1000 FOR EVERY 20K WE DRIVE JUST ON TIRE REPLACEMENT. WE ARE ALSO EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTED BY LEXUS' INACTION KNOWING SUCH WIDELY-DISCUSSED PROBLEM. LEXUS CARS ARE SUPPOSED TO BE LUXURIOUS AS WELL AS RELIABLE. ANOTHER QUESTION IS, WHY WOULD THE TIRES BE ABNORMALLY WORN JUST ON THE INSIDE EDGE? *TR

MY WIFE WAS DRIVING ON THE NYS THRUWAY. SHE PULLED OFF AT A REST AREA. SHE WAS FULLY STOPPED WAITING FOR A PARKING SPOT TO OPEN UP WHEN THE STEERING WHEEL BEGAN TO SHAKE VIOLENTLY OUT OF CONTROL. THE FRONT WHEELS WERE OSCILLATING LEFT AND RIGHT IN SYNC WITH THE MOVEMENT OF THE STEERING WHEEL. SHE TURNED THE VEHICLE OFF IMMEDIATELY. AFTER A MINUTE SHE ATTEMPTED TO START IT AGAIN. IT STARTED NORMALLY. AS SOON AS SHE TOUCHED THE STEERING WHEEL, THE SHAKING RESUMED. SHE TURNED IT OFF. BY PUTTING THE CAR INTO NEUTRAL, SOME PEOPLE WERE ABLE TO HELP HER WINCH THE STEERING WHEEL ENOUGH TO PUSH THE CAR INTO A SPACE WHERE IT STAYED UNTIL A TOW TRUCK ARRIVED. SOME BYSTANDERS ?!@#$%. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 LEXUS RX400H. WHILE THE CONTACT'S SPOUSE WAS BACKING OUT OF THE GARAGE, HE DISCOVERED THAT THE POWER STEERING FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER AND THEY REPLACED THE LINK ASSEMBLY. THE SPEED WAS UNKNOWN. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 23,327 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 22,516. UPDATED10/16/07. *JB

WHILE DRIVING MY 2006 RX400H, I SLAMMED ON THE BRAKES AND MY HEEL WENT THROUGH TWO CARPETS AND THE FLOOR BOARD. MY HEEL WAS STUCK IN A HOLE IN THE FLOOR BOARD. I CAN NOW PLACE MY FINGER INTO A HOLE AND FEEL WIRES AND EMPTY SPACE UNDER THE GAS AND BREAK PATH. LEXUS HAS AGREED TO FIX THE PROBLEM FOR A FEE. (50%) THE SALES MANAGER INFORMED ME THAT THE DESIGN OF THE FRONT FLOOR BOARD HAS RIPPLES. (LIKE PEAKS AND VALLEYS). THERE ARE TWO HOLES LINED UP DIRECTLY UNDER EACH PEDAL. THE CONSEQUENCE: HEELS AND RIPPLES UNDER A FLOOR BOARD DON'T MIX.... THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. *TR