The Rack and pinion is leaking and needs to be replaced causing the steering to lock

- Cambridge, MA, USA

Driving at 70mph on the highway, and car completely shut down. Had difficulty steering off to the side of the road as it decelerated rapidly. Hybrid system vsc failure alert light on. Very fortunate to have a safe place to pull over!

- South Pasadena, FL, USA

In April 2014, my mom was contacted by Lexus about the melting dashboard issue that has plagued almost 5 million Lexus vehicles. She was told she would have to "wait in line" for her customer number to pop up in the system in order to fix the melting dashboard, which has affected her visibility when it is sunny outside as well as her steering mechanism. We do not know if there is damage to the airbags, but with a continuously melting dashboard we can only imagine the damage and danger that lurks underneath. The steering has gotten progressively more difficult as the dash cracks and melts more. There are multiple cracks throughout the dash that have gotten progressively worse and interfere with the integrity of the inside of the car. Soon, the parts attached to the dash may disassemble while she is driving, which can potentially kill other passengers on the road and herself. We reached out to Lexus corporate and in March 2016, after multiple attempts to go through the local dealer both here and in North Florida, Lexus refuses to fix her dashboard and continues to ignore our pleas and demands for attention to this matter. Please refer to attached photos.

- Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

The steering wheel makes a whining noise upon acceleration and when turning the steering wheel in either direction at slow speeds the noise continues. When putting the key in the ignition it makes a buzzing noise.

- Mobile, AL, USA

Came to a stop with my wheels slightly turned to the left. I turned my car off, and took my key out of the ignition. When I tried to restart my car with the key in the ignition, it would not turn on. I called the dealer in bellevue and they said that it might be just stuck so turn the wheel hard to the left and see if that would relieve the pressure and the key might turn. No luck wiggled and wiggled and all it did was lock my steering in that place so now the wheel would only turn about a inch. I called another dealer in fife and he said about the same thing, keep wiggling it and maybe rock the car, did nothing. I turned the key and pressed hard and must have pushed in the unlock button and down went my windows and my sunroof opened great. Now I could not get the windows up or unlock my steering. I called three dealers and they wanted to replace the ignition switch, but I would have to have the car towed in. I called a lock smith an they said to try some lubrication in the ignition. Ok I used some WD40 and it worked. I could turn the ignition key and up went my windows and my car started. I might check into getting the steering replaced. I will check on the recalls online their seams to be lots of problems.

- Kent, WA, USA

Went to charles barker Lexus in va. Beach, va. For a state inspection for our 2006 RX330 with less than 70K miles and was told they had to fail it for inspection because the boot on the rack and pinion was leaking. The service adviser knowing this is common problem said that there are 3 options. Replace it at $1,800 or they could but a boot on it (band-aid) and it will pass inspection for $450 and last maybe a year or 2 or he can try and get the new parts approved under their good faith program and it will only cost us $780 for labor. This is a serious issue and they admit it but will not stand behind their inferior parts unless the consumer pays their outrageous labor costs. This is a complete injustice and the NHTSA needs to make them issue a recall!!! don't wait until a death occurs that can finally be directly linked to this issue. This is serious!

- Va. Beach, VA, USA

I was told that the power steering rack assembly was leaking on the right side outer seal and that it needed to be replaced.

- Flemington, NJ, USA

Took vehicle to Lexus dealership for routine maintenance and was told steering rack needs to be replaced due to a fluid leak. Over time this could lead to difficulty steering the vehicle. I bought the vehicle used less than a year ago and this leak issue seems to be very common according to various websites.

- Columbus, OH, USA

Steering fluid was leaking from the right side of the rack and pinion. Making it hard to steer.the rack and pinion must now be replaced.

- Canonsburg, PA, USA

I have been told by the dealer that the power steering rack has developed a severe leak and will cost $1,800 to repair. I have searched the web and found other owners with a similar defect with their Lexus 330's. it does not seem that the steering rack is something that should be failing like this even though the car is 5 years old.

- Bryn Mawr, PA, USA

I sent my RX330 to dealership for oil change, and was told there was a leak in power rack & pinion assembly, the total cost for replacement is $1800. My car is 2006, only has 61K miles and has been serviced regularly at Lexus dealership according to Lexus maintenance schedule. This is a result of faulty engineering not abuse since this problem is so prevalent, I googled online, lot of RX330 complained the same problem.

- Norman, OK, USA

I was on interstate 5 on May 25, 2009 (memorial day) at the speed of 75-80 mph with my whole family in the car. The car's model is Lexus RX330,2006 model. While I was driving on the leftmost lane, my left wheel went a little bit on the rumble strip. I tried to pull my car back on the lane. It is here that the problem started. My steering started to shake and vibrate and the car stopped to accelerate. When all the cars were going at such a high speed there was nothing I could do. I was unable to steer the car as well as accelerate or even brake for quite a while. Then I tried braking many times and could finally park the car in the emergency in the left lane shoulder. After that we tried calling all the numbers given in the Lexus handbook but no one picked up the phone to help us. After waiting for half an hour or so, my husband collected all his guts and drove the car to nearest gas station. We check the tires and all the pressures etc. But everything looked fine.

- Portland, OR, USA