2013 Lexus RX Hybrid Problems

I TOOK MY CAR TO DEALERSHIP FOR WARNING LIGHTS ON, HYBRID BATTERY MALFUNCTION AND BRAKE MALFUNCTION. OUR LOCAL DEALERSHIP HERE ON GUAM DIAGNOSED AND PROVIDED ME AN ESTIMATE OF OVER $4K TO REPLACE THE BRAKE ACTUATOR BECAUSE IT'S LEAKING, ALONG WITH THE PUMP. CAR WAS IN MOTIKN WHEN IT FIRST CAME ON.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 LEXUS RX450H. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS APPLIED, THE BRAKES LOCKED UP AND BECAME DIFFICULT TO STOP THE VEHICLE. THE BRAKE SYSTEM WARNING LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO KEYES LEXUS (5905 VAN NUYS BLVD, VAN NUYS, CA 91401, (818) 538-2990) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE BRAKE ACTUATOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE THE MECHANIC WAS INFORMED THAT THE BRAKE ACTUATOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED BUT, NO FURTHER ASSISTANCE WAS PROVIDED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 83,000.

WHEN PULLING OUT OF OUR NEIGHBORHOOD, MY HUSBAND SLOWED DOWN TO TURN RIGHT. UPON TURNING INTO THE MIDDLE LANE, ALL SIDE AIRBAGS, FRONT AND BACK BLEW. WHILE THE INTENSITY FROM THE BLAST ROCKED THE CAR, THERE WAS NOTHING NEARBY THAT HE HIT. NO VISIBLE DAMAGE WAS DONE TO THE CAR, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF, THE AIR BAGS. WE HAD NEVER HAD ANY ISSUES WITH THIS CAR, AND IN FACT, HAD JUST BEEN AT THE DEALERSHIP THE SATURDAY PRIOR GETTING A STATE INSPECTION AND A NEW BATTERY. THE SERVICE REP EVEN MENTIONED HOW IMPRESSED HE WAS THAT THIS WAS THE CAR'S FIRST BATTERY IN 7 YEARS AND OVER 90K MILES. HE TOLD US THE CAR LOOKED GREAT AND TO KEEP IT UP! AND THEN TUESDAY CAME AROUND AND THE AIR BAG MALFUNCTION OCCURRED. NOT ONLY WAS THIS AN EXTREMELY SCARY EVENT, BUT IT COULD HAVE BEEN THAT MUCH WORSE HAD MY 2 MONTH OLD SON BEEN IN THE CAR AT THE TIME. WE ARE THANKFUL NO ONE WAS SERIOUSLY HURT. HOWEVER, THE STORY ONLY GETS WORSE WITH LEXUS'S (TOYOTA HEADQUARTERS) LACK OF RESPONSE. 4/14 ' CAR TOWED TO DEALERSHIP 4/16 ' DEALERSHIP RECOMMENDS CALL CORPORATE AS IT WAS A MALFUNCTION ' I CALL CORPORATE 4/20 ' CALL CORPORATE ASKING WHERE MY 24 HOUR CALL BACK WAS 4/21 - CALL AGAIN ASKING WHERE MY 24 HOUR CALL BACK WAS 4/22 ' FINALLY GET CALL. PROVIDE STATEMENT. TOLD I WILL HEAR FROM CASE MANAGER IN 7-10 BUSINESS DAYS FOR FURTHER STEPS. ASKED TO FILL OUT NDA AND SEND PICTURES. NDA PROVIDED WAS FOR WRONG CAR, IMMEDIATELY CALLED BACK AND REQUESTED NEW NDA. EMAILED PICTURES. 4/23 ' FINALLY NEW NDA SENT AND SIGNED. 5/4 ' CALL CORPORATE WONDERING WHEN CASE MANAGER WILL CALL 5/11 ' CALL CORPORATE AGAIN ASKING WHEN I WILL HEAR 5/12 ' CALL AGAIN 5/13 ' CALL AGAIN 5/14 ' FINALLY HEAR FROM CASE MANAGER ONLY TO BE TOLD NO ONE WOULD BE COMING OUT TO LOOK AT THE CAR AND A LOANER COULD NOT BE PROVIDED BECAUSE 'IT'S NOT THEIR JOB' REQUESTED TO SPEAK TO THEIR MANAGER - WAITING. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 LEXUS RX450H. WHILE DRIVING 25 MPH, THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE WAS CRASHED INTO FROM THE REAR BY ANOTHER VEHICLE. THE CONTACT INJURED HIS HEAD WHEN IT STRUCK THE STEERING WHEEL. THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A COLLISION CENTER AND RULED AS BEING DESTROYED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 25,000.

THE NAVIGATION SYSTEM DOES NOT HAVE VOICE COMMANDS FOR "SUSPEND GUIDANCE", "RESUME GUIDANCE", "CANCEL GUIDANCE", ETC... THIS MEANS IN ORDER TO STOP NAVIGATION IT MUST BE MANUALLY TURNED OFF WHILE THE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION. THIS REQUIRES MANUALLY ENTERING THE COMMAND WHICH REQUIRES WATCHING THE DISPLAY AND CAUSES DISTRACTED DRIVING. IT IS NOT A SAFE CONDITION AND I AM UNSURE WHY TOYOTA/LEXUS REMOVED THE VOICE COMMANDS SINCE BOTH OUR 2006 AND 2007 TOYOTA PRII HAVE THEM AND ARE MUCH SAFER CARS TO DRIVE BECAUSE OF IT. ALSO TOYOTA/LEXUS HAS MODIFIED THE NAVIGATION SO THAT IT CONTINUES TALKING EVEN WHEN USING THE BLUETOOTH HANDS FREE PHONE OPTION. WHICH MEANS THE NAVIGATION VOICE TALKS OVER YOUR PHONE CALL. THIS AGAIN CAN CAUSE DISTRACTED DRIVING AS YOU ARE TALKING TO SOMEONE AND SUDDENLY THE LOUD NAVIGATION VOICE BEGINS SPEAKING AS WELL. THIS IS ANOTHER UNSAFE CHANGE TOYOTA/LEXUS HAS MADE AS BOTH OF OUR PRII DO NOT ALLOW THE NAVIGATION SYSTEM TO OVERRIDE THE BLUETOOTH HAND FREE PHONE. I AM NOT SURE WHY A 2013 LEXUS THAT IS 6 YEARS NEWER THAN OUR PRII AND COSTS TWICE AS MUCH HAS SUCH AN UNSAFE NAVIGATION SYSTEM BUT IT NEEDS TO BE CORRECTED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. BOTH PROBLEMS READILY CAUSE DISTRACTED DRIVING. *TR

The contact owns a 2013 Lexus RX450H equipped with Bridgestone Tires, Tire Line: Ecopia H-L 422 Plus, Tire Size: 235/55/R19, DOT Number: 0bE7EC10120. The contact stated that while driving approximately 5 MPH, the passenger’s side front tire exploded. The contact stated that the side of the tire quickly lost air pressure in the blowout. There were no warning lights illuminated. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 21T012000 (Tires). The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate tire mileage was 25,000. The vehicle failure mileage was unknown.

IT SOUNDED LIKE A GUN WENT OFF INSIDE THE CAR. WE WERE TRAVELING ABOUT 60 MPH ON THE INTERSTATE AND AFTER THE INITIAL SHOCK I LOOKED BOTH BEHIND ME AS WELL AS TO THE SIDE TO SEE WHAT MAY HAVE CAUSED THE NOISE. TO SEE IF SOMETHING HAD HIT THE CAR ON TOP, WE PULLED BACK THE SUNROOF VISOR A FEW INCHES, ENOUGH TO SEE AND HEAR THAT THE SUNROOF HAD A LARGE HOLE IN IT. AFTER PULLING OFF AT THE NEAREST EXIT AND CLIMBING OUT OF THE CAR WE COULD SEE THAT THE SUNROOF LOOKED AS IF THE HAD EXPLODED UPWARDS AND OUTWARD. AN IRREGULAR HOLE ABOUT 5" X 15" ACROSS WAS EVIDENT AND THE EDGES WERE ARCHING UPWARDS AS IF SOMETHING HAS EXPLODED INSIDE THE CAR. SAFETY GLASS FRAGMENTS WERE ON TOP OF THE SUNROOF AND THERE WERE SOME ON THE VISOR INSIDE. NO GLASS HAD ENTERED THE CAR BECAUSE THE VISOR WAS CLOSED AT THE TIME. WE WERE NOT NEAR ANY BRIDGES AT THE TIME OF THE EXPLOSION, WE SAW NO ROCKS. THE TEMPERATURE OUTSIDE WAS 75-80 DEGREES AND THE AIR-CONDITIONER WAS ON INSIDE THE CAR. THERE IS NO EVIDENCE OF ANYTHING HITTING THE CAR. *TR