2008 LEXUS RX HYBRID Complaints

WHILE ATTEMPTING TO BACK INTO A PARKING SPACE, ACCELERATOR STUCK IN DOWN POSITION, BRAKES LOCKED UP, ENGINE ACCELERATED TO VERY FAST RATE, STEERING WOULD NOT RESPOND RESULTING IN MY CAR SLAMMING INTO FRONT END OF CAR PARKED BEHIND ME AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED. MY CAR THEN ACCELERATED FORWARD CONTINUING AT A VERY HIGH RATE OF SPEED ACROSS PARKING LOT AND HITTING ANOTHER CAR BROADSIDE WHICH FINALLY STOPPED MY CAR. MY CAR WAS A TOTAL LOSS AS DEEMED BY MY INSURANCE COMPANY.

WHILE DRIVING ON A CITY STREET, I LOST POWER STEERING COMPLETELY. P/S AND BRAKE DASH LIGHTS CAME ON ALONG WITH "SERVICE HYBRID SYSTEM" AND "SERVICE AWD SYSTEM". AFTER A FEW MORE MILES THE VEHICLE LOST COMPLETE PROPULSION POWER AND I WAS FORCED TO PULL OUT OF TRAFFIC. I TURNED OFF THE VEHICLE AND IT STARTED FINE WITH NO POWER STEERING. I MADE THE NEXT MILE TO THE DEALERSHIP. THEY REPLACED THE ECU THAT HAD SHORTED OUT DUE TO A BAD STEERING RACK. I AM NOT SURE WHY THE ELECTRONIC STEERING MECHANISM WOULD CAUSE COMPLETE LOSS OF POWER FROM THE ENGINE/HYBRID SYSTEM?

THE SPARE TIRE CAME LOOSE, DRAGGED AND ULTIMATELY DISENGAGED FROM THE UNDER CARRIAGE OF MY CAR WHILE DRIVING ON A FOUR-LANE HWY. THANKFULLY, IT DID NOT KILL ANYONE. ALSO, THANK GOODNESS IT DIDN'T GET CAUGHT UNDER MY REAR TIRE CAUSING ME TO HAVE AN ACCIDENT.

I HAVE NOTICED THIS ISSUE A COUPLE OF TIMES OVER THE 7 YEARS I HAVE HAD THE CAR (SINCE IT WAS NEW), MOST RECENTLY YESTERDAY: WHEN I AM TRAVELING AT MEDIUM SPEEDS, SAY 30-45 MPH, AND I HIT A BUMP IT FEELS LIKE I GET A LITTLE "PUSH IN THE BUTT". SORT OF LIKE A FORWARD SKID. SO THEN I APPLY THE BRAKES A BIT. DON'T KNOW HOW ELSE TO DESCRIBE THIS. MY HUSBAND SAYS THAT HE CAN'T FEEL IT WHEN HE IS A PASSENGER.

ONE OF THE 2 HYBRID MODULES FAILED. I BELIEVE THIS IS THE SAME ONE RECALLED IN 2013. THE VEHICLE STOPPED AND ENGINE WOULD NOT TURN OVER. ALL DASHBOARD WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON ALONG WITH CHECK HYBRID ENGINE AND CHECK VCS ( I THINK WERE THE INITIALS, FOR VEHICLE CONTROL SYSTEM). HAD THE CAR BEEN TRAVELLING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS I BELIEVE A FATAL CRASH WOULD HAVE OCCURRED. AS IT WAS, LUCKILY, WE WERE IN STOP AND GO TRAFFIC. HAD CAR TOWED OFF HIGHWAY BUT TOW TRUCK DRIVER TOLD ME HE DROVE IT UP ON THE FLATBED. I HAD TRIED STARTING IT SEVERAL TIMES WITHOUT ANY SUCCESS. ONCE OFF ROAD, I CALLED THE DEALERSHIP, WHO IS OPEN SATURDAYS UNTIL 3 PM AND IT WAS APPROXIMATELY 2:30 PM. I WAS TOLD THAT IF ALL THE LIGHTS WENT OFF AND THE CAR STARTED THAT I COULD DRIVE IT HOME. THAT IS WHAT HAPPENED. I MADE AN APPOINTMENT FOR THAT MONDAY WHILE ON THE PHONE WITH THE DEALER SO THAT THE PROBLEM COULD BE CHECKED OUT. IT TURNS OUT THAT THIS MODULE, WHEN HEATED UP TO HIGH TEMPERATURE, CAN FAIL BY THE SOLDERING CONTACTS OPENING AND THE POWER THEREBY FAILING. THIS IS THE PROBLEM THAT THE 2013 RECALL WAS SUPPOSED TO CORRECT. HOW DO I KNOW THAT THIS NEW MODULE WILL NOT FAIL AGAIN WITHOUT WARNING? LEXUS ABSORBED THE LABOR ON THE MODULE REPLACEMENT BUT CLAIMED THE PART (WHICH WAS THE RECALL PART INSTALLED TO CURE THE RECALL PROBLEM IN 2013) WAS NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY AND WOULD NOT ABSORB THE ENTIRE REPAIR COST. I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF THIS IS THE FIRST TIME THIS HAS OCCURRED WITH THIS MODULE SINCE THE 2013 RECALL OR IF OTHERS HAVE EXPERIENCED THIS AND MAYBE THERE SHOULD BE ANOTHER RECALL. I WOULD ALSO LIKE THE FULL COST REIMBURSED AND TO HAVE SOME SOLID REASSURANCE THIS WILL NOT HAPPEN AGAIN.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 LEXUS RX400H. WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 5 MPH AND ATTEMPTING TO PARK, THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED BUT THE BRAKES FAILED TO RESPOND. AS A RESULT, THE VEHICLE DROVE OVER A CURB AND CRASHED INTO TREES AND BUSHES. THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. A POLICE REPORT WAS NOT FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE CONTACT'S RESIDENCE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 80,000.

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

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 LEXUS RX400H. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE PULLING INTO A PARKING SPACE, THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED INDEPENDENTLY CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO CRASH INTO A ROCK WALL. THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED AND NO INJURIES WERE SUSTAINED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED BUT THE FAILURE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 65,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 LEXUS RX400H. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE TRAVELING APPROXIMATELY 20 MPH ATTEMPTING TO MAKE A RIGHT TURN, THE VEHICLE JERKED FORWARD AND ACCELERATED WITHOUT ANY WARNING. THE CONTACT HAD TO ENGAGE THE BRAKES IN ORDER TO SLOW THE VEHICLE DOWN. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INSPECTED OR DIAGNOSED. THE DEALER AND THE MANUFACTURER WERE NOTIFIED OF THE INTERMITTENT FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 79,000. UPDATED 01/20/15*LJ THE VEHICLE CRASHED INTO A FENCE. DAMAGING THE FENCE AND THE FRONT DRIVER'S SIDE OF THE VEHICLE. UPDATED 06/9/2015 *JS