2005 Lexus RX330 Exterior lighting Problems

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 LEXUS RX330. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE HEADLIGHTS SEIZED WITHOUT WARNING. THE FAILURE WAS PERSISENT. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE ENTIRE HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 109,000.

NHTSA ID

10821545

Incident

Sep 22, 2015

Mileage

109,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 LEXUS RX330. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 30 MPH, THE HEADLIGHT DIMMER CREATED POOR VISIBILITY. THE FAILURE RECURRED ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED AND THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 100,000. UPDATED 03/24/15*LJ UPDATED 9/18/2017*CN

NHTSA ID

10672817

Incident

Jan 13, 2015

Mileage

100,000 mi

PASSENGER SIDE HEADLIGHT FIXTURE LEAKS AND LOW BEAM LIGHT STOPPED WORKING. *TR

NHTSA ID

10631520

Incident

Sep 6, 2010

Mileage

190,000 mi

LEAKING POWER STEERING RACK ASSEMBLY. SEEMS TO BE A VERY COMMON PROBLEM WITH THESE RX330'S. ADVISED I NEED A NEW RACK & PINION ASSEMBLY. LEXUS NEEDS A RECALL FOR THIS ISSUE, TOO MANY COMPLAINTS! ALSO TOLD NEED TO REPLACE HEADLIGHT BALLIST! *TR

NHTSA ID

10616154

Incident

Mar 8, 2013

Mileage

162,557 mi

I WILL ADD MY COMPLAINT TO PREVIOUS REPORTER. I HAVE HAD TO REPLACE THE HEADLAMP 2 TIMES DUE TO WATER IN THE ASSEMBLY OF THE HEADLAMP. THE RIGHT SIDE HEADLIGHT FAILED. THERE IS MOISTURE UNDER THE GLASS WHICH SHORTED OUT THE LIGHT. ONLINE I HAVE SEEN HUNDREDS OF COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS HAPPENING TO THE SAME MODEL LEXUS. THE REPAIR FOR THIS HEADLIGHT RUNS OVER $1,500. LEXUS CORPORATION REFUSES TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR AN OBVIOUS DESIGN FLAW. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

NHTSA ID

10597502

Incident

Jun 10, 2014

Mileage

140,000 mi

THE RIGHT SIDE HEADLIGHT FAILED. THERE IS MOISTURE UNDER THE GLASS WHICH SHORTED OUT THE LIGHT. ONLINE I HAVE SEEN HUNDREDS OF COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS HAPPENING TO THE SAME MODEL LEXUS. THE REPAIR FOR THIS HEADLIGHT RUNS OVER $1,500. LEXUS CORPORATION REFUSES TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR AN OBVIOUS DESIGN FLAW. *TR

NHTSA ID

10554619

Incident

Nov 11, 2013

Mileage

117,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 LEXUS RX330. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THERE WAS CONDENSATION ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE HEADLIGHT. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSIS WHERE THE TECHNICIAN STATED THAT THE HEADLIGHT WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 40,000. ..UPDATED 12-26-13 *BF

NHTSA ID

10551522

Incident

Nov 8, 2009

Mileage

40,000 mi

DRIVERS SIDE HEADLAMP GOT WATER INSIDE THE HOUSING CAUSING THE HID HEADLIGHT TO SHORT OUT. HOUSING SEEMS TO BE FULLY SEALED.

NHTSA ID

10452892

Incident

Mar 17, 2012

Mileage

630,000 mi

WATER ROUTINELY COLLECTS INSIDE OF BOTH HEADLIGHTS WHENEVER I WASH THE CAR OR WHEN RAINING. LIGHT FAILURE DUE TO WATER INSIDE OF THE HEADLIGHTS IS REPORTED BY MANY OTHER RX330 OWNERS ON VARIOUS INTERNET FORUMS. I'M VERY AFRAID THAT LIGHTS MIGHT FAIL WHEN DRIVING AT NIGHT. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE. LEXUS REFUSES TO RECOGNIZE THE PROBLEM AND TO ISSUE A RECALL SINCE SO MANY CARS ARE AFFECTED. LOCAL DEALER ADMITTED THAT THERE IS A WIDESPREAD PROBLEM. PLEASE HELP. *TT

NHTSA ID

10427725

Incident

Jun 15, 2011

CONDENSATION BUILDUP HAS FORMED FROM THE INTERIOR OF THE DRIVER/PASSENGER HEADLIGHTS. THIS IS DUE TO A MANUFACTURER DESIGN FLAW OF THE HEADLIGHT SEAL WHICH ALLOWS WATER TO PENETRATE THE HEADLIGHT HOUSING. WATER DAMAGE HAS CAUSED THE LOWBEAM LIGHTS TO FAIL. LEXUS HAS QUOTED OVER $1400 FOR REPLACEMENTS, AND FAILS TO ACKNOWLEDGE THEIR DESIGN FLAW. IMPACTED VISIBILITY WHILE DRIVING WILL LEAD TO AN ACCIDENT. *TR

NHTSA ID

10420954

Incident

Nov 1, 2009

Mileage

80,000 mi

I OWN A 2005 LEXUS RX 330. I HAVE BEEN HAVING A PROBLEM WITH THE CONDENSATION BUILD UP WITHIN THE HEADLIGHT FOR ABOUT 6 MONTHS. I WENT TO THE LEXUS DEALER TO FIND OUT THE PROBLEM THEY CHARGED A $110.00 SERVICE CHARGE TO TELL ME THAT I NEED TO REPLACE MY HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY. THE COST TO REPLACE IS ABOUT $2,200. THIS IS A DISGRACE. MY HEADLIGHT DOES NOT WORK AT ALL. I HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO DRIVE MY VEHICLE AT NIGHT FOR SOMETIME NOW. I CONTACTED LEXUS CUSTOMER CARE AND EXPLAINED TO THEM THAT THIS SEEMS TO BE A MAJOR PROBLEM AND THEY SHOULD HAVE DONE A RECALL ON THIS VEHICLE. THE RESPONSE FROM LEXUS IS THAT THEY WOULD REVIEW MY CASE AND SOMEONE WOULD CALL ME BACK WITH A DECISION. SOMEONE DID CALL ME BACK OFFERING TO PAY 25% OF THE TOTAL BILL OF 2,200 FROM THE LEXUS DEALERSHIP. I WAS LIVID. LEXUS SELLS DEFECTIVE VEHICLES AND EXPECTS CUSTOMERS TO PAY THE REPAIRS. I DON'T KNOW WHAT THIS WORLD IS COMING TO, BUT THIS IS RIDICULOUS. THE MILEAGE FAILURE WAS 89,000. I WILL NEVER BY LEXUS AGAIN. *TR

NHTSA ID

10407015

Incident

Jan 5, 2011

Mileage

89,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 LEXUS RX330. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WATER WAS ENTERING INTO THE DRIVER SIDE HEADLIGHT. THE DEALER WAS CONTACTED AND THEY ADVISED HIM THAT THE FAILURE WAS NORMAL AND REFERRED THE CONTACT TO THE OWNERS MANUAL. THE HEADLIGHT EVENTUALLY FAILED COMPLETELY AFTER NOTHING WAS DONE TO REPAIR THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED A SECOND TIME BY THE DEALER AND THEY ADVISED HIM THAT THE ENTIRE UNIT WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND THEY ADVISED HIM THAT THEY WILL REVIEW THE CASE AND CONTACT HIM AT A LATER DATE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 6,000.

NHTSA ID

10403853

Incident

Aug 30, 2006

Mileage

6,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 LEXUS RX330. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THERE WAS AN EXCESSIVE BUILD-UP OF CONDENSATION IN THE PASSENGER HEADLIGHT. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER TWO YEARS AFTER THE CONTACT NOTICED THE FAILURE THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE VEHICLE WAS THEN TAKEN TO A LOCAL REPAIR SHOP WHERE THE MECHANIC WAS ABLE TO REMOVE THE MOISTURE FROM THE HEADLIGHT. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 40,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 44,000.

NHTSA ID

10376639

Incident

Jan 15, 2009

Mileage

40,000 mi

I AM DESCRIBING AN EVENT THAT OCCURS REPEATEDLY AMONG OLDER DRIVERS. THEY PUT THEIR TURN SIGNAL ON, AND IT DOES NOT SWITCH OFF AND THEY DON'T KNOW IT BECAUSE THEIR HEARING ABILITY HAS DIMINISHED. THEY THEN MAKE A TURN TO THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION OF WHAT THEIR TURN SIGNAL INDICATES AND EITHER CAUSE AN ACCIDENT OR HAVE A CLOSE CALL. *TR

NHTSA ID

10375536

Incident

Jan 10, 2011

Mileage

65,500 mi

2005 LEXUS RX330. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE RIGHT SIDE FRONT HEADLIGHT FAILED TWICE IN PAST 18 MONTHS DUE TO WATER CONDENSATION IN HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY AND ECU. 1ST TIME WAS REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY. SECOND FAILURE WAS AFTER WARRANTY PERIOD AND LEXUS CORPORATE STATED IT WAS A DIFFERENT ISSUE AND REFUSED TO REPLACE. ESTIMATE TO REPLACE BY DEALER IS $1,600.00. *TR

NHTSA ID

10362421

Incident

Sep 1, 2010

Mileage

88,000 mi

CONDENSATION IN THE HEADLIGHTS STARTED EARLY ON AND IS ONLY GETTING WORSE ON MY 2005 RX 330. ALSO, I HAVE ALREADY HAD TO SWITCH THE FRONT BRAKE PADS OUT AND NOW HAVE TO SWITCH THE REAR BRAKE PADS OUT AS WELL AS THEY STARTED TO SQUEAL AND THE ROTORS WERE ALREADY RESURFACED BEFORE. THE CAR DOESN'T FULLY BRAKE UNTIL I PRESS DOWN EXTREMELY HARD ON THE BRAKES AND EVEN THEN IT SLIGHTLY ROLLS FORWARD AND THEN STOPS. ALSO, WHEN I ATTEMPT TO ACCELERATE, THERE IS A DELAYED ACCELERATION. IT TAKES AT LEAST 2 SECONDS BEFORE IT ACTUALLY BEGINS TO ACCELERATE AND EVEN THEN IT IS NOT A INSTANT ACCELERATION BUT A SLOW ONE. *TR

NHTSA ID

10358074

Incident

Sep 26, 2010

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 LEXUS RX330. THE CONTACT STATED THAT IN THE PAST SIX MONTHS THAT THE FRONT HEADLIGHTS HAVE BURNED OUT BECAUSE THE RUBBER SEAL USED WAS NOT OF GOOD QUALITY. THE DEALER STATED THAT WAS THE TRIM AND IT WAS NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. EACH HEAD LAMP HAD A COMPUTER AND THE LACK OF SEAL ALLOWED WATER INTO THE HEAD LAMPS AND SHORT CIRCUIT THE COMPUTER. THE PASSENGER SIDE HEAD LIGHT WAS REPLACED AND THE DRIVER SIDE HAS CONDENSATION INSIDE OF IT. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 88000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 96000.

NHTSA ID

10349216

Incident

Feb 15, 2010

Mileage

88,000 mi

MOISTURE PROBLEM IN BOTH FRONT HEADLIGHTS OF MY 2005 LEXUS RX330. ONE WAS REPLACED 2 YEARS AGO UNDER WARRANTY THE OTHER MARCH 2010 WHICH WAS COVERED UNDER THE GOODWILL WARRANTY. BRING YOUR CAR TO LEXUS FOR SERVICE ALL THE TIME AND YOU GET THE LITTLE PERKS. *TR

NHTSA ID

10325416

Incident

Mar 1, 2010

Mileage

40,000 mi

HEADLIGHTS BOTH DRIVER/PASSENGER MOISTURE

NHTSA ID

10322210

Incident

Feb 17, 2007

Mileage

78,000 mi

MOISTURE INVADES SEALED HEADLAMP HOUSING CAUSING LAMP(S) TO FAIL. LEXUS HAS REDESIGNED THE PART. NO VOLUNTARY RECALL EVEN THOUGH LEXUS KNOWS THIS IS A DEFECTIVE PART. OUT OF WARRANTY REPLACEMENT COST IS $1650 FOR ONE HEADLAMP ASSEMBLY PLUS 1HR. LABOR. THAT'S NEARLY $2000 FOR ONE HEADLIGHT!! *TR

NHTSA ID

10296739

Incident

Dec 15, 2009

Mileage

40,300 mi

THE PASSENGER SIDE HEADLAMP OF THE RX330 CEASED OPERATION DUE TO A BUILDUP OF MOISTURE. CONDENSATION HAS BEEN PRESENT IN THE HEADLAMP FOR SOME TIME, BUT THERE WERE NO INDICATIONS THAT IT WOULD LEAD TO HEADLAMP FAILURE. THE SUV IS MAINTAINED BY THE DEALERSHIP EXCLUSIVELY, AND AT NO POINT DID THEY MENTION THE POSSIBILITY THAT THE CONDENSATION COULD CAUSE FAILURE. THE FAILURE OCCURRED AT NIGHT IN A DARK SECTION OF HIGHWAY AND COULD HAVE LED TO SERIOUS BODILY HARM OR DEATH. LEXUS HAS BEEN AWARE OF THE PROBLEMS WITH THE RX330 HEADLAMPS SINCE 2005 AND HAS FAILED TO REMEDY THE PROBLEM. THE MOISTURE ISSUES COULD POTENTIALLY RESULT IN SERIOUS HARM TO THE DRIVER AND OCCUPANTS OF THE LEXUS OR OTHER MOTORISTS. *TR

NHTSA ID

10295854

Incident

Nov 30, 2009

WE OWN A 2005 LEXUS RX330. MOISTURE ACCUMULATED IN ONE OF OUR HEADLIGHTS CAUSING IT TO FAIL. COST OF REPLACEMENT WAS $1800,00 WHICH AFTER MUCH ADO WAS PAID FOR BY LEXUS. NOW OUR OTHER HEADLIGHT IS DOING THE SAME AND LEXUS WILL ONLY PAY FOR HALF, WHICH WOULD BE VERY GENEROUS EXCEPT THAT THIS A MANUFACTURING DEFECT AND SHOULD NOT BE MY RESPONSIBILITY. PLEASE HELP US GET THIS REPLACED AT NO EXPENSE TO US. THANK YOU. *TR

NHTSA ID

10292748

Incident

May 27, 2009

Mileage

46,203 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 LEXUS RX330. WATER ENTERS THROUGH THE HEAD-LIGHTS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER AND HE WAS ADVISED THAT IT COST $1000 TO REPLACE THE HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY. NO REPAIRS WERE MADE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 63,000.

NHTSA ID

10292107

Incident

Aug 7, 2009

Mileage

63,000 mi

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 LEXUS RX330. HE STATED THAT THERE WAS A MASSIVE AMOUNT OF CONDENSATION IN THE DRIVER SIDE HEAD LAMP WHICH CAUSED THE LIGHT BULB. THE DEALER WAS NOTIFIED AND THE REPAIR WAS MADE; HOWEVER, HE NOTICED THAT THE PASSENGER SIDE LIGHTS INTENSITY WAS DIFFERENT FROM THE DRIVER'S SIDE. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE LIGHTS WERE ALIGNED CORRECTLY AND SHOULD NOT AFFECT THE INTENSITY. THE CONTACT PROVIDED PHOTOS TO PROVE THE DIFFERENCE IN THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER SIDE LIGHTS. THE DEALER REPAIRED THE BOTH OF THE LIGHTS PER THE WARRANTY. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 16000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 53000. UPDATED 10/13/09. *LJ UPDATED 10/15/09

NHTSA ID

10284077

Incident

Jan 25, 2006

Mileage

16,000 mi

CONDENSATION IN HEADLAMP ASSEMBLY CAUSING HEADLIGHT TO BLOW. HEADLAMP ASSEMBLY COSTS $1,900 EA. TO REPLACE. LEXUS RX330. VEHICLE HAS BEEN OFF WARRANTY FOR ALMOST 2 MOS. 62,700 MILES ON VEHICLE. LEXUS CUSTOMER SATISFACTION SAYS THEY ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR REPAIR. LEXUS DEALERSHIP WILL GIVE US A DISCOUNT (FEW HUNDRED DOLLARS). CANNOT DRIVE VEHICLE WITH NO HEADLIGHTS AT NIGHT. RESEARCH SHOWS A NUMBER OF LEXUS RX330 HEADLAMP PROBLEMS. VEHICLE CANNOT BE REPAIRED BY ANYONE OTHER THAN LEXUS AS THIS IS A COMPUTER ASSEMBLY REPLACEMENT. RAIN HEAVY, CONDENSATION BUILDS UP INSIDE ASSEMBLY CAUSING SHORT AND BLOWING OUT HEADLIGHT. *TR

NHTSA ID

10282738

Incident

Aug 31, 2009

Mileage

62,700 mi