2011 Lexus RX350 Engine Problems

The contact owns a 2011 Lexus RX350. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, an abnormal clicking sound was coming from the vehicle. The contact stated that the AWD and oil pressure warning lights were illuminated. The contact pulled over and discovered oil leaking from the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and the contact was informed that the oil cooler line was leaking. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred her to an authorized Lexus dealer for assistance. The contact expressed concerns that the failure could have resulted in loss of vehicle control due to traction, as well as a potential for the vehicle to catch on fire due to the oil leak. The vehicle was not repaired and remained in the possession of the dealer. The failure mileage was approximately 118,000.

NHTSA ID

11472746

Incident

Jul 4, 2022

Mileage

118,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 LEXUS RX350. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH, NOTICED SMOKE EMERGING FROM THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT EXTINGUISHED THE FIRE. THE POLICE WAS ALSO PRESENT. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN IMPOUND LOT. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR A DIAGNOSTIC. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND A THIRD PARTY COMPANY EVALUATED IT, THEY DIAGNOSTIC WAS UNKNOWN CAUSE FOR THE FIRE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 129,000.

NHTSA ID

11210626

Incident

May 2, 2019

Mileage

129,000 mi

MY 2011 LEXUS RX350 HAS RUBBER OIL COOLER HOSE AND LEXUS USA WILL NOT REPLACE THE PRESSURIZED RUBBER HOSE DESPITE KNOWN INCIDENTS OF CATASTROPHIC FAILURE OF THE PART. ON SOME RX350 MODELS, LEXUS HAS AN EXTENDED WARRANTY AND REPLACEMENT IN CASE THE PART IS LEAKING OIL, BUT I WAS TOLD BY LEXUS THAT MY PARTICULAR VIN IS NOT ELIGIBLE FOR THE EXTENDED WARRANTY. BUT EVEN IF I HAD THE WARRANTY, LEXUS WILL NOT PREEMPTIVELY REPLACE THE PART, DESPITE 1) SAFETY CONCERN OF FAILURE ON HIGHWAY AT HIGH SPEEDS AND FIRE HAZARD RISK, 2) POTENTIAL CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURE AS THE LINE WOULD RUPTURE AND ALL OIL WOULD BE LOST WITHIN SECONDS AND ENGINE WOULD SEIZE AND 3) POTENTIAL ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGE OF LOSS 6.4 QUARTS OF OIL OVER ROADWAYS. PLEASE CONSIDER ADVISING LEXUS TO DO A SAFETY RECALL ON ALL RUBBER OIL COOLER HOSE PARTS. THANK YOU.

NHTSA ID

11192540

Incident

Mar 29, 2019

Mileage

75,600 mi

PARKED IN DRIVEWAY IN BACK OF HOUSE, BESIDE DECK AFTER SHORT TRIP TO STORE. SMELLED A MELTING SMELL OUTSIDE. MAYBE FIVE MINUTES LATER THE SMELL STARTED COMING INSIDE THE HOUSE. WE LOOKED OUTSIDE AND SAW SMOKE AND THOUGHT THE HOUSE WAS ON FIRE. WE WENT OUTSIDE AND THERE WAS SMOKE AND FLAMES COMING FROM UNDER THE HOOD. SPRAYED CAR WITH FIRE EXTINGUISHER, WHICH DID NOTHING, THEN USED WATER HOSE TO SPRAY FRONT OF CAR TO KEEP FROM THE HOUSE CATCHING ON FIRE. CAR WAS MAKING POPPING NOISES, LARGE AMOUNTS OF SMOKE AND STRONG SMELL. ALL NEIGHBORS CAME OVER IT WAS STRONG. FIRE DEPARTMENT SPENT OVER AN HOUR PUTTING OUT FIRE AND USED THEIR WHOLE TANK OF WATER. FRONT END MELTED, TIRES POPPED, DASHBOARD AND WINDSHIELD DESTROYED. CAUSE IS UNKNOWN

NHTSA ID

11119918

Incident

Aug 11, 2018

Mileage

97,000 mi

12/7/2017 I PULLED INTO MY DRIVEWAY TO PARK AT 1 PM. I SLOWED DOWN I HAD MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE, I WAS PUTTING IT INTO THE PARK POSITION WHEN THE CAR LUNGED FORWARD AND AND PUT A HOLE IN THE GARAGE DOOR AND KNOCKED IT OFF TRACK.I WAS STUNNED & SURPRISED.MY HUSBAND AND I COULD NOT DUPLICATE THIS ACTION. ON 12/14/17 I PULLED INTO THE PARKING LOT AT FOY PARK IN BURBANK CA. I SLOWLY PULLED INTO A PARKING SPACE ,MY FOOT WAS ON THE BRAKE AS I PUT THE CAR INTO THE PARK POSITION THE ENGINE REVVED AND THE CAR TOOK OFF OVER A CEMENT PARKING BLOCK AND OVER THE CURB, WENT THROUGH A CHAIN LINK FENCE AND LANDED IN THE BRUSH WITH 3 WHEELS OFF THE GROUND AND THE ENGINE WAS STILL RACING WITH MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE. ON 12/15/17 THE DAY AFTER I DROVE INTO MY DRIVEWAY ABOUT 2 PM. MY FOOT WAS ON THE BRAKE I PUT IT INTO PARK AND IT DID THE SAME [XXX] THING AND 5 FEET MY FRIEND [XXX] WITNESSED IT. THAT WAS IT FOR ME I HAD IT TOWED TO KEYES LEXUS TOYOTA AND NEVER DROVE IT AGAIN. KEYES SAID THEY COULD FIND NOTHING WRONG WITH IT AND I KNOW FROM CHECKING ON LINE WITH MY FRIEND [XXX] THAT OTHER PEOPLE HAVE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM IN THE U.S. I AM DEEPLY WORRIED THAT THIS CAR WILL BE SOLD AGAIN AND SOMEONE WILL BE INJURED OR KILLED. THERE ARE 64437 MILES ON THE ODOMETER WHEN TRADED IN.PLEASE HELP !! I WAS THE ONLY PERSON INJURED, SUFFERING BACK AND NECK INJURES AND I AM STILL BEING TREATED I'M A LITTLE AFRAID OF DRIVING ANY CAR AT THIS POINT BUT I WILL WORK THROUGH IT.. PARTS OF THIS DOCUMENT HAVE BEEN REDACTED TO PROTECT PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

NHTSA ID

11078721

Incident

Dec 7, 2017

Mileage

66,437 mi

PLEASE SEE THE ATTACHED BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU COMPLAINT. WE ARE MAKING THIS COMPLAINT IN ORDER TO DO OUR PART OF ALERTING YOU THAT THERE COULD BE A POTENTIAL HAZARD WITH THE MAKE AND MODEL OF THIS CAR. WE DO NOT WANT WHAT HAPPENED TO US TO HAPPEN TO ANYONE ELSE. THE CAR WAS ON A HIGHWAY IN MOTION WHEN THIS HAPPENED. THANK YOU. *TR

NHTSA ID

10914836

Incident

Aug 30, 2016

Mileage

44,000 mi

1) ENGINE OIL LEAK AT 15,000 MILES ONLY ON MAY 8, 2013 (AFTER MERELY "2 YEARS OLD") 2) ANOTHER 3 LEAKS IN YEAR 2015 ALONE A) ENGINE OIL LEAK AGAIN ON MARCH 27, 2015 ( 33,802 MILES ONLY ) B) LESS THAN 2 MONTHS, ENGINE OIL LEAK AGAIN ON MAY 7, 2015 ( 35,284 MILES ONLY ) C) REPEAT THE 4TH TIME ENGINE OIL LEAK AGAIN ON DEC. 26,2015 (44,013 MILES ONLY ) *** PER ALL 4 REPAIR SERVICE INVOICES/RECORDS PROVIDED BY LONGO LEXUS DEALERSHIP, CALIFORNIA, THIS IS MAJOR ENGINE OIL LEAKS PROBLEM!!!!

NHTSA ID

10821928

Incident

Dec 26, 2015

I EXPERIENCED A SUDDEN UNINTENDED ACCELERATION (SUA) IN THE PARKING LOT OF MY APARTMENT ON MARCH 3RD, 2012. IT WAS A SUNNY DAY, AND THE ROAD CONDITION WAS GOOD. MY WIFE WAS DRIVING LEXUS RX 350 2011 MODEL (MILEAGE: 2124MILES). MY DAUGHTER AND I WERE SITTING ON THE BACK SEATS. SHE WAS SLOWING DOWN THE VEHICLE FOR PARKING AND ABOUT TO FINALIZE THE PARKING BY GOING FORWARD BY ABOUT 3 FEET. AT THAT TIME, THE VEHICLE ABRUPTLY ACCELERATED WITH THE SOUND OF REVVING UP THE ENGINE. THE CAR RAN OVER A PARKING BLOCK AND WENT ON CURB STONES. BY HELP OF THE BRAKE OVERRIDE SYSTEM EQUIPPED AFTER THE RECENT TOYOTA'S RECALLS, SHE COULD STOP THE VEHICLE QUICKLY BECAUSE HER FOOT WAS ALREADY ON THE BRAKE PEDAL. WE ALL WERE SURPRISED AT THIS RARE SITUATION, BUT FORTUNATELY THERE WERE NO ACCIDENTS OR INJURIES. WE REPORTED THIS EXPERIENCE TO A CLOSE LEXUS DEALERSHIP. TWO LEXUS ENGINEERS INSPECTED THE VEHICLE, INCLUDING 10-MILE TEST DRIVING. HOWEVER, THEY COULD NOT FIND ANY MECHANICAL PROBLEMS. THEY COULD NOT RE-ENACT THE SAME SITUATION, NEITHER. AT THIS INSPECTION, THEY DID NOT CHECK OUT THE EVENT DATA RECORDER, AS WELL AS ANY ELECTRONIC SYSTEMS LIKE ETCS. ACCORDING TO THE INSPECTION RESULT, LEXUS DIRECTED ME TO KEEP DRIVING THIS VEHICLE WITH MY OWN RISK. THIS IS NOT RELATED TO THE FLOOR MAT INTERFERENCE PROBLEM THAT LED TO THE MASSIVE RECALL IN 2009. SO, I THINK THE CURRENT LEXUS USERS, AS WELL AS POTENTIAL CONSUMERS, SHOULD BE AWARE OF THE POSSIBILITY THAT THEY CAN EXPERIENCE THE SIMILAR UNINTENDED ACCELERATION WHILE DRIVING OR PARKING. *KB

NHTSA ID

10452366

Incident

Mar 3, 2012

Mileage

2,124 mi

I HAVE A 2011 LEXUS GX 460. IT LACKS POWER WHEN IT IS COLD AND THERE IS EXHAUST FUMES THAT ARE COMING INTO THE VEHICLE AFTER I MERGE ON T THE HIGHWAY IT IS ALMOST A INSTANT HEADACHE THE SMELL IS SO STRONG ITS SMELLS LIKE SULFUR THERE IS NO CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AND GAS MILEAGE NOT NORMAL . I HAVE USED HIGH OCTANE FUEL AND EVEN INSTALLED BG44K FUEL CONDITIONER .THIS IS A PROBLEM .THANKS FOR LISTEN TO ME . *TR

NHTSA ID

10394031

Incident

Nov 16, 2010

Mileage

4,450 mi