2008 LEXUS RX HYBRID Complaints

ONGOING SINCE 2008 - PROBLEM WITH BRAKES ON ROUGH OR BUMPY SURFACE. THE CAR SPEEDS UP WHEN APPLYING BREAK. THEY DO NOT CATCH IMMEDIATELY AND HARD PRESSURE IS REQUIRED. REPORTED AND CHECKED BY TO THE DEALER X3 ON 11/25/08, 5/13/09, 2/9/10 - EACH TIME WAS TOLD THE CAR IS BEHAVING NORMALLY AND NOTHING WAS WRONG. MOST SERIOUS INCIDENT - DURING LIGHT SNOW BEGINNING OF JAN 2010, I WAS APPLYING SLOW EVEN PRESSURE AS I WAS COMING TO STOP SIGN - FAMILIAR ROAD SO GOING SLOW - CAR HIT BUMP, GAINED SPEED AND ABS FAILED. SKIDDED UP A SLIGHT INCLINE THROUGH STOP SIGN ALMOST HIT A POLE. BROUGHT TO DEALERSHIP AGAIN 2/9 AND CALLED LEXUS 2/8 TO REPORT PROBLEM. TOLD NOTHING WRONG CAR NOT ON THE RECALL LIST. *TR

BRAKES. LOSS OF BRAKING CAPABILITY WHILE TRAVELING OVER AN UNEVEN ROAD SURFACE. *TR

I OWN A 2008 LEXUS 400H HYBRID PURCHASED AS NEW LAST YEAR. ALMOST IMMEDIATELY WE NOTICED A PROBLEM WITH THE BRAKES WHEN STOPPING OVER BUMPY SURFACES -- IT WAS ALMOST AS IF THE BRAKE DISENGAGED WHILE TRYING TO STOP. WE BROUGHT IT BACK TO THE DEALER, WHO ASSURED US EVERYTHING WAS WORKING PROPERLY. THEY EVEN BROUGHT IN A NATIONAL EXPERT TO EVALUATE AND WE AGAIN WERE TOLD THE CAR WAS WORKING AS IT SHOULD. THE PROBLEM HAS NOT GONE AWAY -- IF ANYTHING IT IS WORSE -- AND IT APPEARS TO BE PRECISELY THE SAME PROBLEM NOW BEING REPORTED WITH THE PRIUS BRAKING SYSTEM. TOYOTA/LEXUS BASICALLY IGNORED US WHEN WE COMPLAINED AND THE PROBLEM IS NOT FIXED. IT IS OF MAJOR CONCERN AND HAS BEEN SINCE WE BOUGHT THE CAR. IT IS A REPLACEMENT FOR A PREVIOUS 400H THAT WAS TOTALED IN AN ACCIDENT, AND THE PREVIOUS CAR DID NOT HAVE THIS PROBLEM. *TR

WHEN BRAKING, ANY SMALL BUMP, PARTICULARLY ON WET SURFACES, CAUSES BRAKING TO CUT OUT FOR A SECOND OR TWO, AND THE CAR DOES NOT DECELERATE AS FAST. ADDED PRESSURE IS REQUIRED TO ENGAGE THE REGULAR BRAKES TO RESUME THE SAME STOPPING LEVEL. THIS NON-LINEAR STOPPING CHARACTERISTIC CAUSES INCREASED STOPPING DISTANCES AND LOSS OF CONTROL IN BRAKING (AT LEAST FOR A SECOND OR TWO). THIS SEEMS TO BE CAUSED BY THE REGENERATIVE BRAKING CUTTING OUT WHEN THE ANTI-LOCK SYSTEM ENGAGES MOMENTARILY. *JB *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 LEXUS RX400H. THE VEHICLE CONTINUOUSLY BEGAN TO ACCELERATE ON IT'S ON AND LUNGE FORWARD WHENEVER THE CONTACT DROVE OVER UNEVEN PAVEMENT AT APPROXIMATELY 20 MPH. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO CONFIRMED THAT THE MALFUNCTION SHOULD OCCUR WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS SWITCHING FROM AN ELECTRICAL ENGINE TO A GASOLINE ENGINE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 28,000.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 LEXUS RX400H. WHILE DRIVING 25 MPH AND APPLYING THE BRAKES THE LACK OF ELECTRICITY IN THE BATTERY CAUSED THE CONTACT TO APPLY EXCESSIVE PRESSURE TO THE BRAKE PEDAL IN ORDER TO STOP THE VEHICLE. WITHIN MINUTES THE BRAKES BEGAN TO FUNCTION NORMALLY SINCE THE BATTERY RECHARGED BY PUMPING THE BRAKES. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER TWICE FOR A DIAGNOSTIC TEST AND BOTH TIMES THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT IS CONCERNED THAT THE FAILURE COULD IN THE BRAKING SYSTEM COULD CAUSE A CRASH TO OCCUR. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 22,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 LEXUS RX 400H. WHENEVER THE CONTACT APPLIES THE BRAKES WHILE TRAVELING OVER A ROUGH SURFACE THE BRAKES WILL DISENGAGE ALLOWING THE VEHICLE TO STILL MOVE FORWARD. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP WHERE THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS OPERATING AS DESIGNED. THE CONTACT HAS NOTICED THE FAILURE SINCE THE DAY SHE PURCHASED THE VEHICLE. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 16000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 LEXUS RX400H. THE CONTACT STATED AS HE WAS PULLING INTO A PARKING SPACE THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED AND JUMP THE CURB AND DESTROYED THE FENCE OF A HOTEL. THE CONTACT STATED AS HE STEPPED ON THE BRAKES THE VEHICLE DID NOT STOP. HE HAD TO PUT THE GEAR INTO NEUTRAL TO STOP THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT STATED THEY RAN INTO A FENCE AND DID $10,000 OF DAMAGE TO THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER AND REPAIRED. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THERE IS A POLICE REPORT AVAILABLE IF NEEDED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 12,000. UPDATED 03/01/10 *BF THE CONSUMER WAS ABLE TO PLACE THE VEHICLE IN NEUTRAL AND TURNED THE VEHICLE OFF, HOWEVER THERE WAS OVER 10,000 IN DAMAGES. UPDATED 05/20/10

I WAS DRIVING A LEXUS RX 400H IN A PARKING LOT. WHEN I TURNED LEFT INTO THE PARKING SPOT AND ENGAGED THE BRAKES WHILE PULLING INTO THE PARKING SPOT. AT THAT TIME, I FELT THE CAR CONTINUE TO ACCELERATE AND ENDED UP HITTING AND GOING OVER THE PARKING CEMENT CURB AND THE CAR STOPPED BETWEEN THE CURB AND THE SIDEWALK AFTER I SLAMMED ON THE BRAKES AS HARD AS I COULD. I CONTACTED THE DEALERSHIP, THEY LOOKED AT THE VEHICLE AND SAID THEY COULD NOT REPEAT THE INCIDENT AND FOUND NOTHING WRONG WITH THE CAR. *TR

I WAS COMING BACK FROM MY FIRST OIL CHANGE FROM CROWN LEXUS DEALER. I WAS PULLING INTO A PARKING SPACE AND THE CAR WOULD NOT STOP EVEN WHEN MY FOOT IS ON THE BRAKE. I TRIED TO STEER AWAY FROM THE CONCRETE WALL IN FRONT BUT THE FRONT LEFT SIDE STILL HIT THE WALL. THE CAR WAS DAMAGED AND THE WALL IS DAMAGED. THE COST OF THE DAMAGED IS 9,000-10,000. RIGHT NOW IS BEING FIXED BY MY INSURANCE COMPANY. THE MODEL OF THE CAR IS LEXUS RX400H YEAR 2008. *TR