2004 LEXUS RX330 Complaints

THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION HAS A LAG IN IT AT LOW SPEEDS. THIS IS APPARENT WHEN RELEASING THE ACCELERATOR TO SLOW DOWN AND THEN ACCELERATING AGAIN. IN THIS SITUATION THE TRANSMISSION DOES ON ENGAGE OR IT LAGS CAUSING AN UNSAFE CONDITION BY ITS UNPREDICTABLE BEHAVIOR. THIS SITUATION HAPPENS ON A FREQUENT BASIS. I HAVE SEEN MANY COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS TRANSMISSION PROBLEM. IS NHTSA GOING TO HOLD LEXUS ACCOUNTABLE FOR PUTTING A DEFECTIVE TRANSMISSION ON THE ROAD? I HAVE READ THAT LEXUS' REPEATED REPLY IS TO STATE THIS BEHAVIOR IS NORMAL. LEXUS CAN NOT WIN THIS ARGUMENT ON REPETITION, IT IS DEFECTIVE. IF THIS LAG IS *NORMAL* WHY DIDN'T LEXUS DESIGN THIS NICE LAG INTO ALL OF THEIR CARS? I'M SURE THIS WOULD BE A FEATURE THEY WOULD WANT TO RUN AN AD CAMPAIGN ON. *JB

ON JULY 10,2004 I PICKED UP MY NEW VEHICLE, A LEXUS RX 330 FROM THE BAYRIDGE LEXUS DEALER IN NYS. WITHIN A 1/2 HOUR, WHILE TESTING THE SAFETY FEATURES OF VEHICLE, I HAD PLACED A LARGE STUFFED ANIMAL (IN PLACE OF A HUMAN BODY PART OF A ADULT OR CHILD). ALTHOUGH ALL THE WINDOWS AND REMOTE REAR DOOR AUTOMATICALLY OPENED WHEN COMING INTO CONTACT WITH FOREIGN OBJECT ( STUFFED BEAR), THE SUNROOF JAMMED THE BEAR BETWEEN THE CLOSING GLASS AND FRAME I IMMEDIATELY BROUGHT THE VEHICLE BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP WITH THE STUFFED ANIMAL STILL JAMMED IN THE SUNROOF BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP THE SERVICE TECHNICIAN WERE UNABLE TO DISLODGE THE STUFFED ANIMAL'S HEAD FROM THE JAMMED SUNROOF (IMAGINE IF THIS WAS A CHILD'S BODY PART???) AND HAD TO DISMANTLE THE SUNROOF TO REMOVE THE STUFFED ANIMAL AND HAD ME RETURN ON THE 12TH DETERMINE THE CAUSE AND TO FIX THE SUNROOF. SINCE THAT TIME, THIS SAME VEHICLE HAS BEEN REPAIRED BY THE SAME LEXUS DEALERSHIP A MINIMUM OF 6 TIMES FOR PROBLEMS WITH THE SUNROOF. ALL THE WHILE I WAS RETURNING WITH THE VEHICLE TO BE GET SUNROOF REPAIRED, I WAS UNDER THE IMPRESSION THAT THEY HAD REPORTED THIS OBVEROUS SAFETY DEFECT THAT A FOREIGN OBJECT (STUFFED BEAR OVER 2 1/2' IN LENGTH AND AS SOFT AS A CHILD'S HAND) WOULD GET JAMMED BETWEEN THE CLOSING GLASS AND THE FRAME OF THE SUNROOF WITHOUT A SAFETY FEATURE TO AUTOMATICALLY OPEN THE WINDOW IF A FOREIGN OBJECT GETS IN WAY OF CLOSING AS WITH THE REMOTE TRUCK CLOSING SYSTEM AND THE AUTOMATIC WINDOWS THIS VEHICLE IS FACTORY EQUIPPED WITH. NYS HAS THE LEMON LAWS FOR NEW VEHICLES SOLD THAT ARE DEFECTIVE. IT WAS DURING THIS PROCESS IN COLLECTING MY SERVICE RECORDS FROM BAYRIDGE LEXUS THAT I DISCOVERED THAT THEY NEVER LOOKED INTO THIS MATTER AS A SAFETY DEFECT, NOR WAS IT REPORTED (TO THE BEST OF MY KNOWLEDGE) TO ANY OFFICIAL AGENCY THAT CAR MANUFACTURES ARE REQUIRED TO REPORT POSSIBLE SAFELTY DEFECTS. *JB

DT: THE POWER BRAKES COMPLETELY FAILED. THIS HAPPENED ON SEPTEMBER 28, 2005. THIS WAS THE SECOND TIME THIS HAPPENED; THE FIRST TIME WAS ON OCTOBER 27, 2004, AND THE DEALER REPLACED THE BRAKE BOOSTER OR SOMETHING TO THE BRAKE BOOSTER. THERE WAS NO FOREWARNING, BUT ONE COULD HEAR A LITTLE NOISE WHEN PRESSING THE BRAKES, AND THAT WAS AT THE MOMENT IT HAPPENED. IT HAPPENED IN DRY PAVEMENT AND WARM WEATHER. *AK

PASSENGER AIRBAG REMAINS (INDICATES OFF) WHEN MY SPOUSE IS IN THE PASSENGER SEAT. TOOK TO DEALER AND DEALER HAS NOT FIXED PROBLEM.

2004 LEXUS RX-330 AWD. VEHICLE HESITATES WHEN ATTEMPTING TO ACCELERATE. THERE IS A DELAY, ESPECIALLY WHEN GOING FROM A DEAD STOP SUCH AS PULLING OUT INTO TRAFFIC. ALSO, IF YOU ATTEMPT TO QUICKLY SPEED UP AS WHEN MERGING OR AN EVASIVE MANEUVER, THE ENGINE LAGS. WILL ALSO HAPPEN WHEN TURNING A CORNER, THEN ACCELERATING. I HAVE BEEN TOLD BY LEXUS THAT THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM WITH THE "THROTTLE BY WIRE" AND "INTELLIGENT TRANSMISSION". I CURRENTLY PULL THE ECU FUSE MONTHLY TO RESET THE PROCESSORS AND THAT APPEARS TO HELP FOR A WHILE. THAT IS THE "FIX" SUGGESTED BY THE LEXUS RX-330 FORUMS. NOW THAT 2006 MODELS ARE COMING, I KNOW THIS IS NO LONGER ON THE LEXUS ENGINEERS' MINDS, BUT THERE ARE THOSE OF US THAT FEEL THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AS YOU NEVER KNOW IF THE CAR WILL RESPOND RELIABLY, ESPECIALLY WHEN PULLING INTO TRAFFIC, CREATING A REAL HAZARD. *JB

THE OUTSIDE REAR-VIEW MIRRORS ON THE LEXUS 2004 RX330 ARE HAZARDOUS. IF THE MIRROR ADJUSTMENT SWITCH ON THE DASH IS NOT IN THE NEUTRAL POSITION, THE OUTSIDE MIRRORS ROTATE DOWNWARD WHEN THE GEAR LEVER IS PLACED IN REVERSE. IN THEORY, THIS WOULD BE HELPFUL IF THE CURBSIDE MIRROR ROTATED ENOUGH SO THAT THE DRIVER COULD VIEW THE CURB WHEN PARKING. THE PROBLEM IS THAT THE ENGINEER WHO DESIGNED THE SYSTEM THOUGHT THE CURB WOULD BE ON THE LEFT SIDE--WHICH IT WOULD BE IF YOU WERE DRIVING THE CAR IN JAPAN. ANYWAY, THAT LEFT-SIDE MIRROR ROTATES SO FAR DOWNWARD THAT THE DRIVER IS LOOKING AT THE PAVEMENT BESIDE THE CAR, AND THAT PAVEMENT CAN EASILY BE MISTAKEN FOR A BLANK HORIZON. THE DRIVER IS THUS PREVENTED FROM SEEING A PEDESTRIAN OR OBSTRUCTION ON THE LEFT-REAR SIDE OF THE CAR. THE DEALER REFUSES TO FIX THE PROBLEM, SAYING THERE IS NO FIX. OF COURSE THERE IS A FIX--LEXUS JUST DOES NOT WANT TO PAY FOR IT. THE ONLY WAY TO GET THIS FIXED IS FOR NHTSA TO FORCE A RECALL. *JB

DT: CALLER WAS TRYING TO PARK AND THE BRAKES DID NOT HOLD. CALLER HIT A GARAGE AND TWO OTHER VEHICLES. CALLER WAS GOING ABOUT 5 MPH. DEALER HAS NOT BEEN CONTACTED YET. MANUFACTURER WILL GET BACK TO CALLER. *AK

CONSUMER'S SUNROOF DID NOT RETRACT ON THE 2004 LEXUS RX330 WHEN HER 8 YEAR OLD NIECE PLACED HER HAND IN THE WAY OF THE CLOSING GLASS.*MR THE GLASS PINCHED THE POINTER AND MIDDLE FINGER OF THE CHILD'S RIGHT HAND. *JB

WHILE DRIVING 25 MPH APPROACHING RED LIGHT DRIVER APPLIED THE BRAKE PEDAL AND THE BRAKES FAILED. THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR. THIS CAUSED CONSUMER'S VEHICLE TO COLLIDE WITH THE VEHICLE IN FRONT. NO DAMAGE TO VEHICLE STRUCK IN REAR AND MINIMAL DAMAGE TO FRONT BUMPER OF LEXUS. DRIVER'S RIGHT FOOT BRUISED. 1 MONTH LATER VEHICLE TAKEN TO DEALERSHIP WHERE THE BRAKE BOOSTER WAS REPLACED.*AK THE CONSUMER SUSTAIN AN INJURED FOOT AS A RESULT OF THE ACCIDENT. *NM

DT: CONSUMER'S VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN A FRONT END COLLISION GOING APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH. UPON IMPACT, THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. THERE WAS EXTENSIVE DAMAGE TO THE VEHICLE. CONTACTED LEXUS AND LEXUS STATED THAT BECAUSE THE IMPACT WAS HIGH CONSUMER STRUCK TRACTOR TRAILER IN THE REAR, AND THERE WAS NO DAMAGE TO THE FRAME. THE DAMAGE OCCURRED HIGHER THAN A TYPICAL IMPACT BEING THAT THE CONSUMER STRUCK A LARGE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE IS CURRENTLY AT A REPAIR SHOP GETTING FIXED. . SEAT BELTS WERE WORN WHEN THIS OCCURRED. *AK