2006 LEXUS RX HYBRID Complaints

PREMATURE TIRE WEAR; MY VEHICLE HAS 37,000 MILES, BUT HAS WORN THROUGH ITS 3RD SET FRONT TIRES. THE FIRST SET I BELIEVE WAS GOODYEAR (TIRES ON CAR AT PURCHASE), SECOND SET KUMHO, AND THIRD MICHELIN ENERGIES. LEXUS CLAIMS IT IS BAD LUCK AND WON'T FURTHER INVESTIGATE TO DATE. BACK TIRES WEAR MUCH SLOWER. *TR

THIS POTENTIAL SAFETY PROBLEM INVOLVES HYBRID INVERTERS IN LEXUS HYBRID VEHICLES. THIS PARTICULAR CASE INVOLVES A 2006 LEXUS RX400H VEHICLE WITH ABOUT 109,000 MILES ON IT THAT HAD RECEIVED ALL RECOMMENDED, SCHEDULED, ROUTINE MAINTENANCE. IN THE COURSE OF NORMAL DRIVING, ALL POWER TO PROPEL THE VEHICLE COMPLETELY AND ABRUPTLY VANISHED. IN ADDITION, THE VEHICLE CONCOMITANTLY LOST POWER STEERING AND SKID CONTROL AS EVIDENCED BY NOTICES ON THE DASH. FORTUNATELY IN THIS CASE, MOMENTUM ALLOWED THE VEHICLE TO COAST TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD WITHOUT INCIDENT. THE CAR WAS PUT IN NEUTRAL AND MANUALLY PUSHED OFF THE ROAD. LATER IT WAS TOWED A GREAT DISTANCE TO THE DEALER, AT CONSIDERABLE EXPENSE, THE DEALER BEING THE ONLY PLACE CAPABLE OF THIS TYPE OF REPAIR. THE DEALER FOUND THE HYBRID INVERTER FAULTY. NO REASON FOR THE FAILURE COULD BE PROVIDED. THE WARRANTY NO LONGER APPLIED THEREFORE THE COST OF REPAIR WAS QUOTED AS AN ASTONISHING $9,000.00 ! TOYOTA EVENTUALLY AGREED TO PAY THE DEALER FOR THE PART, BUT NOT ITS INSTALLATION. THE FAULTY PART WAS NOT RETURNED. SHOULD THIS TYPE OF INCIDENT NOT PROVE ISOLATED, SUCH ABRUPT AND UNCONTROLLED POWER LOSS RENDERS ALL THESE VEHICLES UNTRUSTWORTHY AT MINIMUM, AND RAISES POTENTIALLY CATASTROPHIC SAFETY CONCERNS DEPENDENT ON CONDITIONS THAT INCLUDE WHERE AND WHEN HYBRID INVERTER FAILURE AND COMPLETE POWER LOSS SUDDENLY OCCURS. *TR

THE CAR FAILED WITHOUT WARNING WHILE I WAS TRAVELING 70+MPH ON THE HIGHWAY. I WAS LEFT ONLY WITH BRAKES. MY PASSENGER NOTED A COUPLE OF MINUTES BEFORE THE FAILURE THAT THE ENGINE SOUNDED STRANGE, BUT THERE WERE NO INDICATORS ON THE DASH. CAR WAS TOWED TO LEXUS DEALERSHIP WHICH STATED THAT THE INVERTER WAS COMPLETELY GONE AND QUOTED $9,000 FOR PART AND $500 FOR LABOR. CAR HAD BEEN FULLY SERVICED FOR ROUTINE MAINTENANCE AT SAME DEALERSHIP JUST A FEW WEEKS EARLIER. I WAS TOLD NEW INVERTERS COME FROM JAPAN AND USED ARE DIFFICULT TO FIND. *TR

UNEXPECTED VEHICLE ACCELERATION - LACK OF ADEQUATE BRAKING DURING DISENGAGEMENT OF HYBRID REGENERATIVE BRAKING.

ON FRIDAY EVENING APRIL 29 2011 , I WAS DRIVING ON THE NY THROUGHWAY SOUTH BOUND TO NY CITY. ALL OF A SUDDEN, I LOST ALL POWER AND I HAVE TO PULL TO THE SHOULDER AND I CANNOT RESTART THE CAR THEN I TURNED ON THE BLINKERS BUT IN LESS THAN 5 MINUTES ALL POWER WERE GONE IT WAS DARK AND VERY DANGEROUS NOT TO HAVE THE EMERGENCY FLASHING LIGHTS ON. I CALLED THE AAA THEY TOLD ME TO SIT IN THE CAR WHILE THEY ASK FOR A STATE TROOPER TO LOCATE ME AND STATE POLICE HAD TO PARK BEHIND ME WITH HIS FLASHING LIGHTS TO PROTECT ME UNTIL THE TOWING TRUCK ARRIVE THE DEALER CHARGING ME 248.00 JUST TO DO THE DIAGNOSES THEY TOLD ME IT IS THE HYBRID INVERTER ($10,000.00) AND THE HYBRID BATTERY ($6,000.00) THAT NEED TO BE REPLACED, LABOR NOT INCLUDED, I BELIEVE THIS IS AN ISSUE WITH MANUFACTURER, AS I READ OTHER CONSUMER THAT HAS THE SAME PROBLEM PLEASE HELP PROTECT ALL THE CONSUMERS IN THESE DEFECTIVE INVERTERS AND THE BATTERY FROM LEXUS. *TR

1. NONE, LUCKILY I WAS ACCELERATING FROM A DEAD STOP WHEN THE PART SEEMED TO POP OUT OF GEAR. THE CAR SEEMED TO BE RUNNING NOT QUITE AS SMOOTH 2 WEEKS PRIOR SO I HAD IT CHECKED @ THE LEXUS DEALERSHIP. THEY FOUND NOTHING WRONG. IF THIS PART WERE TO MALFUNCTION @ HIGH SPEED I MAY NOT BE ABLE TO ISSUE THIS COMPLAINT. 2. ONCE, I WILL REQUEST OLD PART IF DESIRED BUT EXPECT LEXUS TO TRY TO KEEP THE PART. WILL NHTSA HAVE IT PICKED UP FROM THE DEALERSHIP? 3. CAR IS IN REPAIR SHOP NOW. NOTHING DONE YET. HYBRID INVERTER W/ CONVERTER QUOTED TO BE REPLACED WITH A DIFFERENT PART #G92A0-48090, INDICATING TO ME THAT THE MANUFACTURER KNOWS THAT THE ORIGINAL PART IS DEFECTIVE. *TR

DRIVING OFF A STOP LIGHT AND THE CAR JUST DIED. CHECK AWD - CVT - HYBRID SYSTEM WARNING LIGHTS WENT ON . TOWED TO DEALER NEXT MORNING AND THEY CALLED TO SAY LUCKY IT IS UNDER WARRANTY ( I HAVE 64000 MILES , WARRANTY IS 70 K ) AND IT NEEDS A NEW INVERTER. I HAVE NOT SEEN BILL BUT HERE IT IS $ 7 TO $ 9000 YIKES ! THIS IS A PROBLEM AS IT SHAKES MY FAITH IN LEXUS BOUGHT FROM USA TO BRING TO CANADA AND RELIED ON TOYOTA - LEXUS BRAND --- THIS SHOULD NOT BE HAPPENING AND FROM WHAT I CAN SEE THE TOYOTA LEXUS HYBRID SYSTEM NEEDS A LONGER WARRANTY !!!! I BELIEVE IT IS A FAULTY CURRENT INVERTER MADE OF PLASTIC, THEY REPLACE WITH NEWER METAL ONE. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 LEXUS RX400H. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 70 MPH WHEN THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT WAS UNABLE TO RESTART THE VEHICLE AND IT WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER. THE DEALER ADVISED THE CONTACT THAT THE HYBRID INVERTER HAD FAILED AND WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 123,300.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 LEXUS RX400H. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 30 MPH AND PROCEEDING THROUGH AN INTERSECTION WHEN THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT WAS UNABLE TO RESTART THE VEHICLE AND IT WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER. THE DEALER DIAGNOSED THE FAILURE AS BEING THE HYBRID INVERTER BATTERY WHICH CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO STALL. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 79,000.

COMPONENT: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:ALTERNATOR/GENERATOR/REGULATOR SUMMARY: AT A STEADY RATE OF SPEED ON THE HWY, THE CAR SURGES AND PULLS AND IS IMPOSSIBLE TO MAINTAIN A SMOOTH RIDE. WHEN BRAKING EXPERIENCE SHORT BURSTS OF ACCELERATION. I AM CONCERNED AS THIS SEEMS TO BE LEADING TO AN INVERTER FAILURE. *TR