1.7

hardly worth mentioning
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
94,937 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

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problem #10

Nov 232022

RX 450h

  • miles
Oil poured out under vehicle under right side passenger side from oil cooler line overnight in my garage. Lexus stated that I was lucky that this did not occur while driving as oil would have blown completely out due to the pressurized line and damaged the engine. There was no warning lights on. I backed the car out of the garage leaving a stream of oil and discovered the problem. I had the vehicle towed to the dealership as I never saw anything like this. According to Lexus service representative this is a known defect and has been upgraded by Lexus to a solid metal line at failure only but only for a specific amount of time. (Evidently the vehicle was manufactured with a part metal and part rubber coolant line that split on the rubber portion of the line.) Seems to me that this should have been a recall to prevent major damage to the vehicle and during driving hazard to consumer as the vehicle would stopped completely as oil would be blown out completely. My cost was estimated and paid for at $695. I think this should have been a recall.

- Toledo, OH, USA

problem #9

Jun 032022

RX 450h

  • miles
Oil cooler line ruptured while driving. Lexus issued an extended warranty to 12/31/2016 on the Oil Cooler Line. Lexus sent an advisory letter to owners of record several months prior to our purchase. Our dealer: Rohrich Lexus, did not inform us of the problem when purchased 09/2014. Nor did they address the problem when they serviced the vehicle in 08/16, an oil change. Now we have $500 plus in repair costs for the Oil Cooler Line replacement which could have been avoided if Rohrich Service Department had advised us of the Extended Warranty that covered our vehicle. THE OIL COOLER LINE WAS RUBBER AND THE FIX WAS A METAL LINE.

- Wheeling, WV, USA

problem #8

Dec 042021

RX 450h 6-cyl

  • miles
I have never had any issues with the oil and this car has had all of its oil changes on time and regular. Last evening I was driving home and the low oil pressure light came on. Within moments I started hearing a knocking Noise. I parked the car cause I was at home at that time and I checked the next morning and there is no oil in the car now. There's oil all underneath the undercarriage. I looked online and found a story of another guy this happened to and it ended up being an oil cooler pipe. I guess these are rubber and there's a recall warranty notice on these. My car has not been driven since I parked it. Please advise. Car is included in this warranty recall.

- Columbus, OH, USA

problem #7

Jul 182021

RX 450h

  • miles
Something had broken causing oil draining out of the car while driving on the highway. The car lost power and I pulled over immediately and shut off the engine. I opened the hood and saw nothing wrong, however when I checked the oil, there was no oil. I then proceeded to look under the car and there was oil all over the under carriage. I then did a walk around and found oil all over the back side. Me and my family were stranded while we waited for a tow truck. We had the tow truck take the RX350 to the local Lexus (Kuni in Denver) dealership where this car has been serviced all its life. When I received the initial call from the service department, He had said he is 99% sure this is the oil cooler pipe. He then said this is a known defect in the design of this part. When I googled "RX350 oil cooler pipe" numerous complaints came back. The initial design is rubber and now they installed one that is metal. This could have been fatal if we had traffic near us. Also this could have major damage to the engine. This should have been recalled however Lexus decided not to and just call it a warranty notice. Even with all the information out there about this highly defective part, the dealership would not cover the cost and told us to directly deal with Lexus. If anyone is reading this, and you have not change out this part, I would get this done! It is not an if this will happen, it is when it will happen. The design of this pipe is elementary and will fail. I thought Lexus being a luxury manufacturer would take more care with their customers! But as you can see, they are not.

- Denver, CO, USA

problem #6

Nov 062020

RX 450h

  • 200,000 miles
My 2011 Lexus Rx 350 has a front timing cover leak. To fix the front timing cover leak, the dealership has an estimated price of $4,000. In order to replace a gasket on the timing cover, many accessories and parts needs to be removed. I think it is a safety issue if the engine is losing oil and it stops running. I also believe that it is a poor engineering design, or a manufacturer error. In order to replace a simple gasket, it requires monumental effort and expense. There are many other gaskets in the car engine that are easily accessible and lasts much longer.

- Silver Spring, MD, USA

problem #5

Sep 252020

RX 450h

  • 134,370 miles
Our 2011 Lexus Rx 350 oil cooler line failed causing engine damage. A family member was driving and the loss of motor oil could have locked the engine and caused an accident. Lexus is willing to pay for the part, but not repair the damage caused by the failed oil cooler line.

- Baltimore, MD, USA

problem #4

Jul 282020

RX 450h

  • 164,000 miles
The oil cooler pipe broke on my 2011 Lexus Rx450H starving the engine of oil as I was driving home from work. The part is currently under warranty enhancement by Lexus and is a known problem on my model year of vehicle. The malfunction is particularly insidious as oil only leaks when the engine is running, however with a hybrid when the vehicle stops the engine stops and so does the leak at least until you have reached a high enough speed for the engine to kick back on again. In my situation I received no check engine lights, oil lights or any other indication other then suddenly it felt like my engine was running a little rough. I immediately pulled over (I was just on a city street) and found the back of the vehicle was covered in oil. I had the vehicle towed to the local Lexus dealership who identified the issue as the oil cooler pipe and Lexus corporate paid for the repair under their warranty enhancement. When I picked the vehicle up from Lexus of albuquerque I didn't even make it two miles away from the dealership before I started getting all kinds of lights flashing on my dash and the only power I had to move the vehicle was the electric hybrid drive. The vehicle was towed back to Lexus which informed me a few days later that the engine had seized. I opened a new case with Lexus corporate concerning the engine issues since my engine failure was a result of the warrantied part failing. Lexus's ultimate answer was sorry, but we are unwilling to help you as well as the answer from the dealership. Im the original owner of the vehicle and it has only ever been serviced at Lexus dealerships, and not once did a service advisor/manager inform me that this part was a potential problem. For such an integral part that was poorly manufactured and can cause such expensive and catastrophic damage the oil cooler pipe needs to be recalled.

- Albuquerque, NM, USA

problem #3

Jul 282020

RX 450h 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 150,000 miles
The contact owns a 2011 Lexus Rx450H. The contact stated that the engine failed. While her husband was driving, there was black smoke coming out from the exhaust pipe. The driver coasted to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to Lexus of albuquerque, 4821 pan american fwy, , albuquerque, nm 87109, and was diagnosed that the oil cooler pipe failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired after the repair the engine seized. The vehicle was towed back to the same dealer but was not repaired due to the repair fees. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and provided case number however, the contact stated that the manufacturer closed the case. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000. Consumer stated oil leaks when engine is running. Also, consumer had no check engine indicator or oil lights during the initial failure.

- Albuquerque, NM, USA

problem #2

Jan 242018

RX 450h

  • 181,000 miles
High pressure engine oil cooler hose ruptured causing an immediate loss of all engine oil and stranding my granddaughter in the outback. The vehicle was being driven on a county highway in the country. The vehicle was in motion when the rupture occurred. It appears that Lexus is aware of this problem but did not contact me nor apply the warranty extension for my case. I feel a recall is warranted due to the abrupt failure of the hose, engine damage caused, and the likely hood of being stranded in the middle of nowhere.

- Lakewood, CO, USA

problem #1

Sep 242018

RX 450h

  • 120,000 miles
Some how the oil was leaking, I don T know why?lucky me I was at home doing the yard work when I saw this massive oil leaking on my drive way

- San Antonio, TX, USA