10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
103,049 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

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problem #13

Jul 022021

RX 300 6-cyl

  • miles
2008 Lexus 350 Rx. Consumer writes in regards to a oil line defect. The consumer stated the dealer would not repair the vehicle until it exhibited a failure. The owner suspected the vehicle would fail in the future. The dealer advised the consumer to pay for the repairs.the consumer declined.

- Lexington, KY, USA

problem #12

Feb 172021

RX 300

  • 103,000 miles
2008 Lexus RX350 was parked in garage with engine hot. One minute after the engine stopped, it caught on fire and required the fire department to finally put it out. Engine compartment so completely destroyed that the immediate cause of the fire not detectable. Car is total loss, garage damaged but not destroyed.most recent servicing was by the Lexus dealer three months previous.

- Monterey, CA, USA

problem #11

Aug 272020

RX 300

  • 0 miles
Dashboard check engine, car skid lines wont shut off. Engine stalls while driving when car is stopped tried to turn off lights. Would not go out. Not flashing lightss on dashboard. Stable light not going out.

- Columbus, OH, USA

problem #10

Jun 132020

RX 300 6-cyl

  • 114,366 miles
On June 3rd, 2020 I got my 2008 Lexus Rx 350 serviced for 115,000 mile service at johnson Lexus of raleigh. I have had my car serviced religiously at the same dealer since I bought it brand new in 2008. It cost about $250, on June 13th I noticed large amount of engine oil under the car. The car had not been driven more than 50 miles after service. The engine had a strange sound. I checked the oil level in the engine and there was no oil at all.there were no warning lights on the dash. I had the car towed to the dealer at my own expense. The service advisor at the Lexus dealer informed me that the "engine oil cooler pipe" had burst and it would cost around $500 for repairs. He emphasized that the defect was not related to the service. On further research on the internet, I found the "sb-10056509-3341" service bulletin which acknowledged the defect in the part and provided enhanced warranty. Unfortunately it did not apply to me since the car had been purchased more than 10 years ago even though it was well within the 150,000 mile limit. If the oil had leaked on the highway, the vehicle would have stalled on the highway risking a serious accident.

- Raleigh, NC, USA

problem #9

May 192020

RX 300 6-cyl

  • 149,000 miles
I was told by an oil change service that I had an oil leak. I did not drive my vehicle and had to wait over the weekend to get it into a shop. The shop told me that my rubber oil cooler pipe was leaking and it was a bad leak. I cannot drive it. I had it towed to Toyota to look at it since the closets Lexus dealer is 2 hours away. The Toyota dealer informs me that the oil cooler pipe is leaking and needs to be replaced. Through research and a tip from the first auto shop that there is a limited-service campaign for this defective part and Lexus even extended the campaign through December 2021. I am relieved that it will be covered just as it should by Lexus. I get a call from Lexus they are not covering it, because my VIN is not included in the extension of the campaign, even though, my car has the defective part. My car is part of that manufacturing line that had the defective part put in. Please have Lexus expand their vehicles to include all 07-08 Lexus Rx 350's for the limited-service campaign as it is still a problem in those vehicles regardless of the VIN. That is why they gave the extension of the limited-service-campaign because Lexus and Toyota know it is still a problem for Lexus and Toyota owners. If the rubber hose is not replaced it could cause the hose to break and cause engine failure and damage or cause the engine to cease and cause a major accident. This needs to be addressed immediately by Lexus. Thus, I am requesting that Lexus and Toyota need to replace any rubber hoses with the metal ones at no cost to the customer. Thank you.

- West Salem, WI, USA

problem #8

Nov 182019

RX 300

  • 230,000 miles
This car is experiencing symptoms exactly as described in the inverter module recall, whereby after highway driving, the electric motor will fail randomly, tripping all dashboard failure lights, and putting the vehicle in "limp" mode, where it either slows significantly or stops, and then thus poses great safety risk with surrounding traffic.

- Durham, NC, USA

problem #7

Oct 072019

RX 300

  • 15 miles
Vvt-I rubber oil line ruptured leaking all 6 quarts of oil out of engine, causing catastrophic engine damage while driving in 2008 Lexus RX350 Toyota should have never put a rubber hose on an oil line with 80psi and they should have issued a recall. The Lexus dealer has never advised me of potential problem. They should have to repair my engine. Furious at Toyota for cutting costs!

- Marietta, GA, USA

problem #6

Jul 172019

RX 300

  • 134,852 miles
Oil leak while driving - engine oil cooling pipe technical service bulletin #L-sb-0154-11 technical service bulletin# zlc technical service bulletin # pol14-02

- Savannah, GA, USA

problem #5

Aug 072019

RX 300

  • 193,400 miles
Oil cooler line malfunctioned. Major oil leak, towed vehicle to mechanic. Hopefully no engine damage. This was replaced by Lexus dealer in 09, they used a rubber hose assembly instead of the new metal pipe redesign.

- Golden Valley, MN, USA

problem #4

Nov 092018

RX 300

  • 77,000 miles
My oil line burst on my Lexus Rx 350 SUV and caused severe engine damage as a result. This is a very large leak which covers the ground, engine, and undercarriage. If the oil line ruptures while driving, the low engine oil message and engine oil pressure warnings will illuminate (which it did not, no warning, no illumination of lights) and will result in complete engine failure due to oil starvation.there was no warning lights ahead of time and then all the warning lights went off at the same time when I came out of the store to start the car, and it was towed immediately to a service center and was not driven when the panel lite up (the whole panel illuminated with warnings in every category with no warning to include tire pressure, oil light, engine light, battery light, air bag, SRS, master light, brake light, power steering light, electric charging system light). The car has no damage to the undercarriage indicating this could not be the cause. The mechanic reports a defect in the oil line/pump, it cracked and should not have. They are reporting a very large leak that would have occurred thus damaging the entire engine very quickly. With a rupture of this magnitude no oil to the engine, the engine will be irreparably damaged, you cannot just replace. You cannot repair such a massive oil leak without warning because the damage can be done immediately with such a severe loss so suddenly. I never received a recall notice regarding this issue. The only way to fix it is to replace the engine. This is a catastrophe on a car that is in perfect condition, well maintained for all services with only 77,000 miles on it. Vehicle was stationary

- Severna Park, MD, USA

problem #3

Jul 172018

RX 300

  • 120,000 miles
I have regularly maintained my Lexus Rx at an independent Lexus shop. While the car was parked/running, the engine suddenly, without any warning noise or dashboard alert, stopped. After the car failed to restart, I suspected it needed a battery jump. However after replacing the battery, the car still did not start. The car was towed to an independent Lexus shop-davenport, where it was discovered that valve springs had dropped and caused the engine to seize/lock. The shop notified me that I would need to either get a new engine or have it repaired, both options would cost >$8500usd. This is upsetting because my car was well maintained, there were no warnings, and if this had happened while driving it could have caused an accident or left me totally stranded.

- Dallas, TX, USA

problem #2

Oct 012017

RX 300

  • 104,000 miles
The oil cooler line developed a pin hole leak in it in which in a matter of minutes the car was completely out of oil in which the engine started making grinding noises until I stopped the car. This happened on my 2008 Lexus and looking into the issue, Lexus changed the design of the part in 2011 after concerns of failure of this part. There was a section of the part that was a rubber hose in between two metal lines. Lexus changed this part to make it one whole metal line in 2011. For some reason from 2007 to 2011 this part was not recalled and still has the rubber hose oil line on it. It costed me several hundred dollars to replace this part and could of destroyed my engine as well or at least limited the engine life since it was without oil for a couple miles. I'm concerned that it happened while I was driving and leaked oil on the road to the point of my vehicle being empty and could of seized up my engine as well which both are safety concerns and environmental issues. Lexus obviously knew of the part issue to change it's design in 2012 but still doesn't have a recall on it. Not sure if I'm buying another Lexus because of this.

- Fort Collins, CO, USA

problem #1

Dec 302015

RX 300

  • 114,000 miles
Following a routine oil change at my Lexus dealer, the car exhibited an oil leakage while driving on the highway. The car's engine began smoking, a burning smell was noticeable, and the rear windshield was covered in oil. The view through the rearview windshield was not visible. The car engine made some strange noises and it was difficult to drive the vehicle. Residual engine damage is possible, and an accident was luckily avoided. The dealer claimed that there was a recall on the vehicle for this problem, and that they would extend the warranty of the vehicle and replace the oil cooler. Some research online yielded some conflicting information. Many different customers have experience this problem, but no recall was ever issued. T.S.B. pol-14-02 (NHTSA number 10056509) was issued in July 2014 to fix this dangerous defect that puts drivers at risk, when a recall may have been warranted. We were never notified by Lexus or the dealer that this was a potential issue. Thousands of Toyota and Lexus owners may have faced or will face a similar risk in the near future.

- Cincinnati, OH, USA