2008 Lexus Rx

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

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.

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.

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.