2008 Lexus RX350

THERE WAS A TORN POWER STEERING BOOT ON THE RACK. THE TORN SHOULD BE THERE FOR A WHILE. I PURCHASED A 100K MILES WARRANTY WHEN I BOUGHT THE CAR BUT THE LEXUS DEALERS NEVER MENTIONED OR POINTED OUT ABOUT THE DAMAGE UNTIL THE 100K MILES WARRANTY RAN OUT. AS SOON AS THE WARRANTY RAN OUT, I GOT INFORMED THAT THE POWER STEERING BOOT ON THE RACK GOT TORN AND IT WILL COST ME $1600. *TR

I TOOK MY CAR IN FOR A ROUTINE SERVICE; WHEN I WENT TO PICK IT UP I WAS TOLD THAT THE RACK AND PINION WAS LEAKING, THERE WAS A TEAR IN THE BOOT AND IT WAS LEAKING FLUID, AFTER BEING QUOTED $1800 FOR PARTS AND LABOR I DECLINED THE REPAIR. I FIND IT HARD TO BELIEVE THAT A 7 YEAR OLD CAR WITH MAJORITY OF HIGHWAY MILES WOULD HAVE AN ISSUE WITH THE RACK AND PINION GOING BAD. WHEN I CAME HOME I DID SOME RESEARCH AND FOUND THAT THIS SEEMS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THE SECOND GENERATION RX. IN MY FAMILY, MAJORITY OF OUR CARS ARE TOYOTAS & LEXUS; WE HAVE A COROLLA, 2 CAMRY'S, SIENNA, HIGHLANDER, IS350, RX350. ONE CAMRY HAS ALMOST 200KMILES, THE COROLLA HAS OVER 150K MILES. WE'VE OWNED 2 OTHER COROLLAS, ES250, CELICA, I'VE OWNED OTHER BRAND CARS TOO AND HAVE DRIVEN OVER 150K MILES AND NEVER HAD A PROBLEM WITH THE RACK AND PINION BOOT TEARING. THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME I HAD AN ISSUE WITH THE RX, THE LAST TIME THERE WAS AN ISSUE WITH A (MOTOR) OIL LINE BURSTING, THE OIL LINE THAT RUNS FROM THE OIL COOLER - THANK GOD NOTHING HAPPENED, THE CAR MADE IT HOME SAFELY HOME (BUT NO LOW OIL LIGHT CAME ON) AND WE HAD IT TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THE REPAIRS WERE COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. WAS TOLD BY A MECHANIC THAT THE OIL LINE BURSTING WAS A COMMON PROBLEM, AND THAT THE NEWER RX MODELS THE PIPE WAS REPLACE WITH METAL PIPE. IN MY OPINION ABOUT THE RACK AND PINION, IT'S DEFINITELY A SAFETY ISSUE - THE STEERING OIL COULD POTENTIALLY LEAK ONTO THE EXHAUST AND CATCH FIRE, AND IF ALL THE POWER STEERING FLUID LEAKS OUT ONE MAY NOT REALIZE IT AND MAY NOT BE ABLE TO STEER THE CAR OUT OF HARMS WAY. WE'VE OWNED SO MANY TOYOTA/LEXUS CARS AND WE'VE NEVER HAD ANY PROBLEMS, WE'VE ALWAYS BEEN AN BELIEVER OF TOYOTA/LEXUS, BUT THIS RX HAS GOT ME WORRIED. I HOPE THAT THIS IS NOT A SIGN OF THINGS TO COME. WILL BE THINKING REALLY HARD ABOUT TOYOTA/LEXUS WHEN IT COMES TIME TO BUY ANOTHER CAR. *TR

THE DASH BOARD BEGAN TO CRACK SHORTLY AFTER WE PURCHASED THE CAR IN MARCH OF 2012. AT THAT TIME I THOUGHT THAT THE PREVIOUS OWNER MIGHT HAVE HIT THE DASH WITH HIS FIST STARTING THE PROBLEM. HOWEVER, THIS WAS NOT THE CASE. THE DASH CONTINUED TO CRACK IN MULTIPLE PLACES AND CHUNKS OF THE VINYL STARTED TO FALL OFF LEAVING THE FOAM UNDER THE DASH COVERED EXPOSED. WITH THE RECENT PROBLEMS WITH AIR BAGS, I FEARED THAT IF THE AIR BAG WENT OFF IT COULD SEND DASH PIECES FLYING EVERYWHERE POSSIBLE CAUSING INJURY. I CONTACTED LEXUS, THEY ARE AWARE OF THE PROBLEM BUT THEY REFUSED TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT. *TR

THE RACK AND PINION STEERING BLEW UP SPEWING POWER STEERING FLUID ALL OVER THE UNDERCARRIAGE. LOSS OF THE POWER STEERING RESULTED DO TO LACK OF FLUID. NO PRIOR WARNING OF ANY LEAKS OR POOR PERFORMANCE FROM THE STEERING. NO NOISE INDICATING THAT THERE MAY HAVE BEEN A LEAK. FORTUNATELY, NO ACCIDENTS WAS CAUSED. THE OIL GOT ALL OVER THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER AND COULD HAVE RESULTED IN A FIRE. THIS IS A VERY UNSAFE CONDITION THAT COULD HAVE BEEN CATASTROPHIC. *TR

WHILE DRIVING MY 2008 LEXUS RX350 AT 35 MPH IN HEAVY TRAFFIC, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY STALLED LEAVING ME WITHOUT POWER STEERING OR BRAKES. I WAS ABLE TO STOP THE VEHICLE BUT WAS STUCK IN THE TRAFFIC LANE WITH HEAVY TRAFFIC. FEARING THAT I WOULD BE HIT BY ONCOMING TRAFFIC I CALLED 911 FOR SUPPORT WHILE THE TOW VEHICLE WAS DISPATCHED. I WAS UNABLE TO LEAVE THE VEHICLE SAFELY UNTIL POLICE ARRIVED 20 MINUTES LATER, DUE TO THE POSITION OF THE VEHICLE AND THE TRAFFIC. THE LOCAL LEXUS DEALER HAS CONTACTED ME TO LET ME KNOW THAT THE ISSUE WAS A BROKEN VALVE SPRING CAUSED THE ENGINE TO SEIZE WHILE RUNNING. I AM CONCERNED THAT THIS CONDITION MAY BE SOMEWHAT OF A KNOWN ISSUE WITH LEXUS AS I HAVE SEEN THAT THEY HAD PROBLEMS WITH VALVE SPRINGS BREAKING IN THIS ENGINE. *TR