2006 LEXUS RX HYBRID Complaints

WHILE BACKING OUT OF MY DRIVEWAY, I BUMPED A TREE WITH THE PASSENGER'S SIDE MIRROR. THE IMPACT WAS SLIGHT, ESTIMATED SPEED WAS 5MPH AS THE DRIVEWAY WAS ICY. THE WHEELS WERE NOT TURNED MUCH AS THAT PORTION OF THE DRIVEWAY IS STRAIGHT. AFTER THE IMPACT, I FOUND THAT THE WHEEL WAS VERY DIFFICULT TO TURN AND THE "P/S FAIL" LIGHT WAS LIT ON THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER. AFTER EXAMINING THE OUTSIDE OF THE CAR, THE ONLY VISIBLE DAMAGE TO THE CAR WAS A PAINT CHIP ON THE MIRROR. THERE WERE NO FLUID LEAKS. THERE WAS A SAFETY RECALL IN NOV. 2011 (LEXUS SAFETY CAMPAIGN 9LC) FOR THIS YEAR MAKE AND MODEL OF VEHICLE DUE TO OTHERS HAVING SIMILAR SUDDEN AND UNEXPLAINED LOSS OF POWER STEERING. MY INSURANCE COMPANY DENIED MY CLAIM FOR REPAIR BECAUSE THE EXPERTS THEY CONSULTED SAID THIS TYPE OF IMPACT COULD NOT HAVE CAUSED A LOSS OF POWER STEERING. I HAVE WRITTEN LEXUS DESCRIBING THE ISSUE AND AM AWAITING A RESPONSE. HAD THE POWER STEERING FAILURE OCCURRED AFTER HITTING ONE OF THE NUMEROUS POTHOLES ON THE HIGHWAYS, INSTEAD OF IN MY DRIVEWAY, THE CONSEQUENCES TO MY WIFE AND I COULD HAVE BEEN MUCH MORE SEVERE. *TR

WHILE DRIVING ON I-70, ELEVATED SECTION DOWN TOWN DENVER, VEHICLE LOST POWER, WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON INCLUDING HYBRID SYSTEM, CHECK ENGINE, ANTISKID, AND SEVERAL OTHERS. VEHICLE COASTED TO A STOP AFTER DIFFICULTY GETTING TO THE SAFETY LANE NEARLY CAUSING AND ACCIDENT. THIS INCIDENT HAPPENED AFTER THE RECALL WHERE THE IPM MODULE WAS REPLACED. TOWED TO DEALER BUT AFTER 3 DAYS OF TESTS DEALER REPORTED THAT THEY COULD NOT REPLICATE THE MALFUNCTION. SIMILAR INCIDENT REPORTED ON SAME CAR 6 MONTHS EARLIER JUST AFTER RECALL. OWNER TRADED CAR BACK TO DEALER AND VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE AUCTION 3 DAYS LATER. *TR

WHEN APPROACHING SPEED OF 55 REAR WHEEL BEGINS TO WOBBLE. THERE WAS A RECALL ON SIMILAR VEHICLE THAT DESCRIBES THIS PROBLEM IN THE FOLLOWING LINK HTTP://WWW.CNBC.COM/ID/101022824. *TR

ON NOVEMBER 12, 2014 EVENING, I WAS DRIVING ALONG AND GOING UP A HILL IN MY CITY STREET AND SUDDENLY I HEARD A THUMP SOUND AND THEN MY LEXUS RX400H LOST ALL POWER AND THE CAR STALLED. IT WAS DANGEROUS BECAUSE THE VEHICLE LOST POWER AS I WAS GOING UP A STEEP HILL. LUCKILY, I WAS ABLE TO STOP THE VEHICLE AND PUT THE PARKING BRAKE ON. WHEN THE VEHICLE STALLED, MY DASH LIT UP WITH "CHECK HYBRID SYSTEM" , "CHECK VSC" AND OTHER LIGHTS ALSO CAME ON. I TRIED TO START THE CAR, BUT THE HYBRID "READY" LIGHT WOULD NOT STAY ON. THE CAR WOULD NOT START. I HAD TO TOW THE VEHICLE TO A LEXUS DEALER. I PUT A NEW BATTERY IN THE VEHICLE AND THAT STILL DID NOT FIX THE PROBLEM. THEN, THE LEXUS DEALER MECHANIC DID A COMPUTER DIAGNOSIS AND SAID THAT IT INDICATED "HYBRID INVERTER PROBLEM". MY VEHICLE WAS PREVIOUSLY BROUGHT INTO LEXUS DEALERSHIP FOR AN EARLIER RECALL FOR IPM MODULE BUT THE DEALER AT THAT TIME SAID MY VEHICLE WAS NOT WITHIN THE SERIAL RANGE AFFECTED AND NOTHING WAS DONE TO THE VEHICLE AT THAT TIME. I PHONED LEXUS USA ON NOVEMBER 13, 2014, AND THEY CONFIRMED MY VEHICLE WAS UNDER THE RECALL DLF, NHTSA RECALL NUMBER 13V396. I WAS NEVER NOTIFIED BY LETTER. THE LEXUS DEALER THEN PUT IN THE IPM RECALL PART TOYOTA PART 04001-29148 PART AND THE VEHICLE STARTED PROPERLY. MY VEHICLE HAS ABOUT 94,000 MILES AND JUST OVER 8 YEARS OLD AND TECHNICALLY OUT OF WARRANTY. HOWEVER, THE LEXUS DEALER REPLACED THE PART WITH LABOR AT NO CHARGE. THIS REPAIR COSTS THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS IF NOT COVERED BY LEXUS. WHEN I BOUGHT MY LEXUS HYBRID, I DID NOT BE EXPECT THAT THE HYBRID VEHICLE COULD FAIL IN SUCH A CATASTROPHIC WAY. I'M A LITTLE FEARFUL TO DRIVE THIS VEHICLE AGAIN IF IT HAPPENS AGAIN, AND I HOPE LEXUS WILL TAKE CARE OF THIS ISSUE IT HAPPENS AGAIN. THERE IS DEFINITELY SOMETHING DEFECTIVE WITH THE HYBRID INVERTER, AND IT COULD BE DANGEROUS IF IT FAILS WHILE DRIVING. *TR

MULTIPLE CRACKS AND MELTING DASHBOARD. THE DASH IS VERY STICKY AND IS FALLING OFF IN PIECES. I'M CONCERNED IF THE AIRBAGS EVER DEPLOY THIS DEFECTIVE DASH WILL BECOME AN IED! *JS

DEAR SIRS! THE CAR WAS BOUGHT FEB 2009 FROM IRA LEXUS IN DENVER MA WITH 17K MILES ON IT. NOW THE CAR HAS 65K MI. IT DID DIE ON THE STREET ABOUT TWO WEEKS AGO MECHANICS DID CHECK THE CAR AND DID WRITE A REPORT, THAT THE PROBLEM IS DUE TO THE MANUFACTURING ISSUE WHICH WAS A REASON FOR THE RECALL. I HAVE RECALL INFO AND REPORT, CAN EMAIL. I DID NOT RECEIVE THE RECALL NOTICE. THE LEXUS DEALER SAYS THAT THE CAR SHOULD BE FIXED BY THEM, BUT NEED A LEXUS APPROVAL. THE COST IS ABOUT $10K I DID CONTACT LEXUS AND RECEIVED A CALL THAT THEY WON'T PAY FOR THE REPAIRS. THE PROBLEM IN THE CAR ' INVERTER WENT BAD AND THE REASON FOR THAT ' A SMALL PART INSIDE, WHICH WAS ON THE RECALL. LEXUS SAY THAT THE RECALL WAS FOR A SMALL PART AND THEY DO NOT WANT TO PAY FOR THE WHOLE THING. AND I BELIEVE THAT SINCE I DID NOT RECEIVE THE RECALL LETTERS - THEY SHOULD FIX THE CAR. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 LEXUS RX400H (HYBRID). THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE PASSENGER SIDE DASHBOARD EXHIBITED VERTICAL CRACKS NEAR THE AIR BAG HOUSING AREA. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE DEFECT. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 148,000.

WHILE SLOWLY PULLING INTO A PARKING SPACE IN A PARKING STRUCTURE, THE CAR SUDDENLY ACCELERATED AND CRASHED INTO THE CEMENT BLOCK WALL IN FRONT OF ME. SINCE THE DISTANCE FROM HALF-WAY INTO THE PARKING SPACE TO THE WALL WAS SMALL (PROBABLY THREE TO FOUR FEET), I HAD NO TIME TO SLAM ON THE BRAKES BEFORE IMPACT. THE CAR WAS TOWED TO A LEXUS DEALER. I WAS IMMEDIATELY REFERRED TO THEIR LEGAL DEPARTMENT WHO HANDLED ALL TRANSACTIONS AFTER THAT. AN INDEPENDENT EVALUATOR INSPECTED THE CAR, RETRIEVED THE CRASH DATA RETRIEVAL RECORDER AND ISSUED A REPORT. THE CDR INDICATED THAT THE ACCELERATOR AND THE BRAKES WERE NOT PUSHED UNTIL AFTER THE CRASH, AND THAT THE SPEED IN THE FEW SECONDS BEFORE THE CRASH WENT FROM 3.7 TO 60.9 MPH. LEXUS REFUSED TO ADMIT THERE WAS A PROBLEM, STATING ONLY THAT THE BRAKES, ACCELERATOR AND FLOOR MATS SEEMED TO BE IN GOOD WORKING ORDER. I REFUSED TO DRIVE THE CAR AGAIN OR HAVE ONLY THE BODY FIXED AND SOLD TO AN UNSUSPECTING THIRD PARTY. IT WAS EVENTUALLY DECLARED A TOTAL LOSS BY OUR INSURANCE COMPANY. THERE WAS NO HELP OR ADMISSION OF A PROBLEM FROM LEXUS, EXCEPT TO TRY TO CHARGE US FOR CAR STORAGE AT THE DEALERSHIP DURING THE PROCESS. *TR

HAVING ENJOYED OWNING A LEXUS RX300, I MADE A HUGE "INVESTMENT" AND PURCHASED THE 2006 RX400H. IN APRIL OF 2014, THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT START DUE TO A FAILURE OF THE HYBRID SYSTEM. I ATTEMPTED TO JUMP START THE VEHICLE AS SUGGESTED BY THE LEXUS DEALER. UPON FURTHER INVESTIGATION I DISCOVERED THE CARPET INSIDE THE CABIN AREA WAS SOAKING WET! THE CAR HAD BEEN OUTSIDE IN THE RAIN WITH THE WINDOWS, SUNROOF AND DOORS CLOSED. ALSO, I TAKE THE CAR TO AN AUTOMATIC CAR WASH ON A REGULAR BASIS. WHILE LOADING THE CAR ON TO THE JERR-DAN TOW TRUCK, A LARGE AMOUNT OF WATER POURED OUT OF THE REAR TRUNK AREA. THE TOW TRUCK OPERATOR WAS AMAZED AT THE AMOUNT OF WATER THAT WAS POURING ONTO THE DRIVEWAY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE LEXUS DEALER. AFTER SEVERAL DAYS, A LEAK IN THE REAR HATCH AREA WAS FOUND TO BE THE SOURCE OF THE WATER. THERE APPARENTLY IS A METAL SEAM WHERE THE WELDS DO NOT HOLD UP OR WERE NOT WELDED PROPERLY. WATER COLLECTED IN THE HYBRID BATTERY AREA CAUSING OVER $7000 DAMAGE. OF COURSE, LUCKILY FOR LEXUS, THE VEHICLE WARRANTY HAD EXPIRED. THE ONLY RECOURSE I HAD WAS TO MAKE A CLAIM TO MY INSURANCE, WHICH ONLY COVERED THE DAMAGES BUT NOT THE CAUSE. MY OUT OF POCKET EXPENSES ARE APPROXIMATELY $3000. WATER LEAKING FROM THE OUTSIDE INTO THE CABIN OF A VEHICLE, ESPECIALLY ONE OF THIS PRICE, IS UNACCEPTABLE. AND TO HAVE WATER COLLECT INTO THE "HEART" OF THE VEHICLE AND RENDER THE VEHICLE INOPERABLE IS FRIGHTENING. I COULD HAVE BEEN ON AN ISOLATED ROAD OR A BUSY HIGHWAY AND THE VEHICLE COULD HAVE SUDDENLY QUIT. LEXUS KNEW ABOUT THIS POTENTIAL PROBLEM BUT DID NOT ADVISE THEIR CUSTOMERS TO WATCH FOR ANY SIGNS OF MOISTURE. THE REPAIR TO THE POPPED SEAM COULD HAVE BEEN DONE BY ANY BODY SHOP OR, I'M TOLD, THE USE OF A GOOD QUALITY SILICONE. THERE IS A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN FROM 3/10/2009 THAT SPECIFICALLY ADDRESSES THIS PROBLEM: TSB-L-SB0019-09 REV 1. *TR

THE VEHICLE DEVELOPED CRACKS IN THE PASSENGER SIDE OF THE DASHBOARD. WE WERE TOLD THIS COULD BE A SAFETY RISK RELATED TO FUNCTION OF THE AIRBAG. LEXUS OFFERED TO PROVIDE A NEW DASHBOARD IF WE PAID THE LABOR CHARGE OF $800. EVENTUALLY THE DEALER SPLIT THE LABOR CHARGE WITH US AND WE REPLACED THE DASHBOARD. *TR