2004 LEXUS RX330 Complaints

SINCE I BOUGHT MY CAR FROM JM LEXUS IN MARGATE, FL IN 2005, IT HAS HAD THE CONSTANT PROBLEM OF SUDDEN SHORT BURSTS OF ACCELERATION. ANOTHER PROBLEM WITH THE CAR IS THAT OFTEN TIMES, WHEN I TRY TO SPEED UP, THE CAR CONTINUES TO DRIVE AT THE SAME SPEED, AND DOESN'T ACCELERATE. I AM AFRAID EITHER ONE OF THESE PROBLEMS CAN CAUSE ME TO HIT SOMEONE OR BE HIT BY ANOTHER CAR. I HAVE REPORTED THIS PROBLEM TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY INSPECTED IT AND WAS TOLD NOTHING COULD BE DONE ABOUT IT. I WORKED AT SOUTHEAST TOYOTA WHEN I TOLD ONE OF THE EMPLOYEES ABOUT THE PROBLEM AND HE SAID IT WAS IN THE ELECTRONIC SYSTEM AND THAT NOTHING COULD BE DONE. I DID NOT BELIEVE THERE WAS NO FIX FOR THIS THEN AND I ESPECIALLY DON'T BELIEVE IT NOW, IN LIGHT OF ALL THE REPORTS OF MALFUNCTIONING TOYOTAS AND LEXUSES. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 LEXUS RX330. WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED UP TO 100 MPH. THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED OFF OF THE ROAD, OVER THE MEDIAN AND CRASHED HEAD ON INTO ANOTHER VEHICLE. THE DRIVER WAS KILLED IN THE CRASH. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED. THE CONTACT DOES NOT HAVE ANY INFORMATION ON WHAT CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO CRASH. THE CONTACT FEELS THE CRASH WAS CAUSED BY A FAULTY COMPUTER IN THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 23,000. UPDATED 11/16/10. *LJUPDATED 9/29/2011*CW

MY FRIEND (26 YEAR OLD MALE) WAS DRIVING MY 2004 LEXUS RX330 AT AROUND 9AM ON CHRISTMAS EVE MORNING. WITNESSES STATE THAT HE WAS TRAVELING SOUTH ON A RESIDENTIAL STREET AND CROSSED A BUSY 6-LANE DIVIDED ROADWAY AT 80 MPH. HE CONTINUED ON THE RESIDENTIAL STREET AT WHICH TIME HE LEFT THE ROADWAY AND VAULTED ACROSS AN EMBANKMENT HITTING A BLOCK WALL. HE WAS KILLED INSTANTLY. PIMA COUNTY SHERIFF AND MEDICAL EXAMINER INVESTIGATED AND COULD FIND NO REASON FOR THE EXCESSIVE SPEED OR THE COLLISION. NO DRUGS OR ALCOHOL WERE FOUND IN HIS SYSTEM AND HE HAD NO MEDICAL PROBLEMS. I HAVE NO DOUBT NOW THAT I HAVE READ OTHER REPORTS THAT SOMETHING WAS MECHANICALLY WRONG WITH THE LEXUS AND THAT CAUSED THIS FATAL ACCIDENT; UPDATED 003/30/10 *BF *TR UPDATED 06/30/10.*JB UPDATED 9/29/11*CW

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 LEXUS RX330. THE DRIVER STATED THAT HER VEHICLE WOULD NOT START. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN SERVICED ON A REGULAR BASIS FOR ROUTINE MAINTENANCE. THE FLOOR MAT CLIP WHICH WAS RECALLED. THE VEHICLE HAS ACCELERATED FOR QUITE SOME TIME. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 60 MPH, SHE ENGAGED THE BRAKES TO SLOW DOWN THE VEHICLE AND IT ACCELERATED ON IT'S OWN. THE DEALER WAS NOTIFIED AND THEY STATED THAT THEY WERE UNABLE TO REPAIR IT SINCE THE VIN DOES NOT APPLY TO THE RECALL. A CRASH ALSO OCCURRED WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH WHEN THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED. TWO PASSENGERS WERE IN THE VEHICLE; HOWEVER, THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 30,000. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 50,000.

FAILURE OF 2004 LEXUS RX 330 AIR SUSPENSION COMPONENTS CAUSING THE AIR SUSPENSION TO POSITION CAR IN AN ELEVATED POSITION, HIGHER THAN THE HIGHEST NORMAL SETTING. OWNER'S MANUAL CLAIMS THAT THE VEHICLE CAN BE DRIVEN WITH THE SUSPENSION SYSTEM IN FAILURE MODE. CAR RODE EXTREMELY ROUGH AND NOT AS SECURE AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. VEHICLE REQUIRED ALMOST $5000 IN REPAIR COSTS. PARTS FAILED AT 41,000 MILES AND 5 MONTHS AFTER WARRANTY EXPIRATION. THIS PARTICULAR MODEL WITH AIR SUSPENSION WAS RARE AND ONLY A FEW SOLD PER DEALER IN 2004. THERE ARE SEVERAL REPORTS ON THE INTERNET OF SIMILAR FAILURES. MY ORIGINAL SYSTEM WAS NOISY FROM DAY ONE, THE REPLACEMENT PARTS ARE QUIET. MOST LIKELY THERE WAS A DEFECT IN THE ORIGINAL PARTS. *TR

INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) I HAVE MY DREAM CAR, 2004 LEXUS RX330. I HAVE HAD SAME TROUBLE. I AM AFRAID OF THE CAR. I HAVE AN OLD FORD RV, I DRIVE INSTEAD OF MY BEAUTIFUL LEXUS. PEOPLE ASK WHY, I TELL THEM I'M AFRAID OF IT. IT LURCHES FORWARD, AND ALSO JUMPS BACK AND FORTH BETWEEN GEARS @ 20MPH. THIS IS AFTER 5 UPDATES IN THE COMPUTER OF THE CAR. I HAVE PUT 200K MILES ON MY OTHER 5 TOYOTAS, AND ALL WENT BEAUTIFULLY! THEN THE DEMON CAR AS I REFER TO IT. I REPORTED IT REPEATEDLY, AND WAS TOLD BY EVERYONE, INCLUDING LONG BEACH TOYOTA HEADQUARTERS, THAT IT WAS WORKING IN THE MANNER IT WAS DESIGNED, IT WAS LEARNING HOW I DRIVE. HORSE PUCKY. I AM A RETIREE OF ATT. I HAD DEFENSIVE DRIVING EVERY YEAR TO DRIVE THEIR CO. VEHICLES. I KNOW HOW TO DRIVE AND AM VERY EXPERIENCED. I ALSO KNOW WHEN THERE IS A BAD PROBLEM. I HAVE 48K MILES ON MY RUNAWAY CAR. IT'S ONLY TRIED TO REALLY RUN AWAY TWICE, BUT SOMEHOW I GOT IT STOPPED, I STUCK IT IN NEUTRAL, FOR SOME UNKNOWN REASON. BACK THEN NO ONE HEARD OF THIS "MESS". I NEVER COMPLAINED TO TOYOTA ABOUT MY CARS, BECAUSE THEY WERE WONDERFUL. THEN, AFTER SAVING FOR 10 YRS, BOUGHT MY DREAM CAR. THE KILLER. I HATE IT, I AM BEGINNING TO HATE TOYOTA. IT'S VERY DISHEARTENING TO ME, TO HAVE THE CAR COMPANY I THOUGHT SO VERY HIGHLY OF, IS TRYING TO SAVE THEIR [XXX] , BY GIVING AMERICA THESE DEFECTIVE CARS. WHEN OUR HWY PATROL OFFICER AND HIS FAMILY, WAS KILLED, I CRIED. ALL THESE YEARS OF SAYING THEY WILL GET CAUGHT, THEY WILL SEE. WHO IS THEY? TOYOTA, AND WHEN THEY HEARD ABOUT IT IN 04, HUSHED IT UP. I KNOW, IF A HWY PATROLMAN CAN'T STOP A RUNAWAY CAR, HOW THE [XXX] CAN THE NORMAL GUY DRIVING IT? SOMEONE PLEASE LISTEN, SOMEONE, PLEASE HELP FIX THIS MESS. SHAME ON YOU, TOYOTA! SHAME ON YOU! DEALERS, HEADQUARTERS, EMPLOYEES THAT LIED ALL THESE YEARS TO US. SHAME ON YOU! MAN UP, AND TELL THE TRUTH. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 LEXUS RX330. THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED INTO THE REAR OF THE CONTACTS GARAGE. THE VEHICLE WAS TRAVELING 2 MPH WHEN THE VEHICLE STARTED TO SURGE FORWARD. THE FAILURE HAS ONLY OCCURRED ONE TIME. THE MECHANIC THAT INSPECTED THE VEHICLE WAS UNABLE TO FIND ANY MECHANICAL FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 100,000. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 105,000.

MY LEXUS ACCELERATED WITHOUT MY FOOT ON THE ACCELERATOR AND HIT AND DESTROYED 2 PARKED UNATTENDED CARS. DAMAGE TO MY CAR WAS IN EXCESS OF $6000. I WAS CITED AND I APPEALED TO THE BOARD OF APPEALS, AND FOUND INNOCENT AND HAD MY CASE VACATED. I WROTE LEXUS ABOUT THIS PROBLEM ON 2-14-10 SINCE IT IS A TOYOTA PRODUCT AND NO CAUSE HAS BEEN FOUND FOR MY MALFUNCTION, AND THEY HAVE NOT ANSWERED ME AS YET. I WANT COMPENSATION AND AM WILLING TO COME TO A MUTUALLY AGREEABLE CONCLUSION, BUT AS YET, NO RESPONSE FROM LEXUS. *TR

PURCHASED A NEW 2004 LEXUS RX 330 IN AUGUST OF 2003 AND REPEATEDLY BROUGHT THE CAR TO DEALERSHIPS COMPLAINING OF A DISCONNECT BETWEEN THE ELECTRONIC ACCELERATOR AND THE TRANSMISSION. WHEN ATTEMPTING TO ACCELERATE IN AN INTERSECTION OR ON A FREEWAY ENTRANCE RAMP, THE CAR WILL HESITATE FOR A FEW SECONDS AND THEN CATAPULT FORWARD. ALSO, WHEN DRIVING AT LOW SPEEDS, THE TRANSMISSION WILL ERRATICALLY JUMP BETWEEN DIFFERENT GEARS, AS IF LOOKING FOR THE OPTIMAL GEAR. I CAN BEST DESCRIBE THIS TRANSMISSION AS SCHIZOPHRENIC. I HAVE CONTACTED MULTIPLE LEXUS DEALERS OVER THE YEARS FROM MINNEAPOLIS, TO CHICAGO TO SALT LAKE CITY AND THEY ALL TOLD ME THEY ARE AWARE OF THE PROBLEM AS MANY CUSTOMERS HAVE COMPLAINED. HOWEVER, LEXUS HAS NEVER OFFERED SERVICE OR A RECALL TO FIX THE PROBLEM. THEY HAVE REPROGRAMMED MY TRANSMISSION ON 2 OCCASIONS AND TOLD ME TO USE PREMIUM FUEL. NONE OF THESE ACTIONS CORRECTED THE SITUATION. I FEEL THAT IN A BUSY INTERSECTION, THE UNPREDICTABLE ACCELERATION OF MY VEHICLE PROVIDES NO ASSURANCE THAT MY CAR WILL MOVE FORWARD WHEN THE ACCELERATOR IS PRESSED. THIS CAN LEAD TO COLLISION AND INJURY. *TR

SOMEONE NEEDS TO LISTEN! I HAVE A 2004 LEXUS RX330. IT'S HAD TROUBLE FROM DAY ONE, AND I GOT NOWHERE! THEY HAVE DONE 5 UPDATES ON THE COMPUTER. NOW IT ONLY SEEMS TO HAVE TROUBLE AT 20 MPH, INSTEAD OF 40-50 AND 65-80, OF LURCHING, HESITATING, THEN TAKING OFF LIKE A BAT OUT OF HELL. IT'S HAD A "BULLETIN" ON THE FRONT BRAKES, AND SHIMMIED ALL OVER THE ROAD. I HAVE PAPER WORK ON ALL OF THIS AND MORE. YOU, THE NTSB, CAN TAKE THE CAR AND GO THRU IT, I'LL GIVE YOU THE REPAIR RECORDS. I'VE CALLED THE TOYOTA HEADQUARTERS IN 04 OR 05 BEGGING THEM TO HELP ME. A WOMAN SAID, THE CAR WAS, "PERFORMING IN THE MANNER IT WAS DESIGNED:" I SAVED A LONG TIME TO BUY MY DREAM CAR WHEN I RETIRED, NOW I HAVE A DEFECTIVE CAR, WITH ONLY 48K MILES BECAUSE OF FEAR OF DRIVING IT. PLEASE PLEASE, LISTEN TO WHAT PEOPLE WROTE BACK IN 04 ABOUT THIS CAR. ONE MAN SAID A FRIEND WORKED FOR LEXUS AND TOLD HIM THAT HIS BOSS SAID THERE WILL NEVER BE A RECALL ON THIS CAR BECAUSE OF THE AMOUNT OF CARS SOLD IN THE US AND CANADA. WE NEED HELP. MY CAR IS A LEMON. I'VE MENTIONED NUMEROUS TIMES OF PAINTING IT YELLOW AND PUTTING LEMON ALL OVER IT. PLEASE TRY TO PULL UP RECORDS BACK THEN, ALL THESE PEOPLE WERE WRITING IN WITH THE SAME PROBLEMS. NO ONE LISTENED THEN OR NOW! PLEASE, I'M BEGGING YOU. I'VE HAD 4 TOYOTA'S IN THE PAST, AND ALL 4 TOTALLY, NEVER HAD THE TROUBLE THIS 1 LEXUS HAS. THEY WERE ACTUALLY TOYOTAS. THEIR COMPLETE STATURE HAS GONE FROM YEARS OF LOYALTY BY ME AND OTHERS, AFTER ALL THE BUILT UP TRUST, GONE IN AN INSTANT! ONE RUNAWAY CAR IS ENOUGH! IT'S NOW KILLING PEOPLE. I BOUGHT IT FOR IT'S COMFORT, LOOKS, BUT MOSTLY FOR SAFETY, AND TRUSTWORTHINESS! GONE. ALL GONE! I HAVE A 91 FORD VAN I DRIVE INSTEAD OF THE LEXUS. I CALL IT A PIECE OF JUNK, NOTHING BUT TROUBLE, AND LEXUS HAD IT MORE THAN I DID THE FIRST 4 YRS. PLEASE LOOK INTO THIS ALL YOU CAN. ALL THESE PEOPLE CAN'T BE WRONG. I CAN'T EVEN SELL IT NOW. SHAME ON YOU, TOYOTA. SHAME ON YOU! GREED! THAT'S WHAT IT IS, GREED. *TR