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Consumer Affairs


Lexus


Consumer Complaints & Reviews

We purchased a 2010 RX350 SUV on MAY 14, 2010. Started to notice around January 3, 2012, a thumping noise in the back of the SUV when stopping after going forward or backwards. We thought it was something loose in the trunk. Dealership said not to worry, many owners are complaining about the same thing. And, when there are enough complaints, Lexus will do more research to solve the problem. They are assuming that it has something to do with the rubber being too hard or too soft causing the thumping noise when stopping. Also said, this seems to be a normal function for this type model year vehicle and to bring up the concern each and every time the vehicle comes in for service in order to see if Lexus has come out with any repairs.

My concern is the safety involved if this rubber does not support whatever it is suppose to do. My other concern is the warranty on the vehicle may expire before Lexus determines if this needs to be researched and recalled to fix the problem. Lastly, It's not likely we will be bringing in the vehicle, not unless it's time for its check up. I was dissatisfied with the dealership's answer, and now am worried every time I drive the SUV. The mileage on the vehicle is 17,970.

What is your answer for this problem? Thanks in advance.

They called a cop on me because I wanted to cancel a deal an hour later. The car was a surprise gift for my wife on her birthday, but after she saw it, she did not want to take and refused it completely. They did want to cancel the deal same day same time and called the cop on me!

On January 18, I filed a complaint about my accident with 2007 Lexus 460 where none of the safety features in the car operated which exposed me and the passengers to serious danger and hospitalization. You definitely know that European cars are well equipped with operating safety features. Of course, I was disappointed with Lexus's safety features failure. This may drive us to think which is safer, Lexus or Mercedes or other European cars. I do look forward to hearing from you favorably. Thank you.

I want to complain to my Lexus 570 (2011). I bought it from Al Futaim Motors Company LLC which is in UAE. I had issues with the noise from the car when I change the gear (transmission) from R to D. I asked the workshop (sales manager) at the first service (1,000 Km). They tried to repair it but the sound came back again.

Also, the car is now in the workshop for the service (40,000 Km) with the same issue. They are still telling me they will find out the problem to fix it. Today, I took the history report of my car to complain about it in the ministry of economy because I feel as I wasted my money when I bought this car.

I am looking forward to hear from you.

I had an engine replacement done, due to the "oil sludge" issue. Corporate Lexus paid for 75% of the repair, with a used engine at a Lexus Dealer. Upon return of the vehicle, I was having major steering issues. I took the car to my non-Lexus mechanic. The rack was loose, and moving all over the place. He attempted to tighten and ended up replacing, but advised to take the car back to dealer as; 1) he felt the rack replacement was due to faulty work and; 2) there was no rubber bushing in the front of the vehicle.

I took the car to a more local Lexus dealership, prior to even discussing the situation with me, they called corporate and left a message. They felt the car was dangerous, and there was a bracket missing from the engine department, and the engine was moving. The only response from corporate is that, this is a labor issue. I took the car back to the original dealership, and was told nothing was wrong with the car, other than the wrong rack.

1 person told me the rack was too long. Another person at same dealership said the rack was too short, but perfectly safe! The engine moving was just 1 of those things that happen, changing or (evidently checking) the mounts are not part of an engine replacement job, but they would call the dealership, to inquire what was meant by the missing bracket. Obviously, the call was never made. Now, I am having issues getting the car fixed, because honest people won't touch the car, because they do not feel that I should be paying for repairs. Now what?

When I bought my 2006 Lexus Hybrid at Vista Lexus in Woodland Hills, I purchased 100% money back extended service contract. In 6 years if there are no repairs, they said I would get back 2,025 dollars. I called Lexus and they said it was the dealership's responsibility. I found out that Vista Lexus was sold and it is now called Woodland Hills Lexus and "they don't keep records". It is funny because they have records that tell them to call me for service every 6 months and records that say my service contract is expired.

I called the new owner of Lexus, Dede Anderson at **, and her attorney, Ms.Talara ** at **, called me. She said the insurance company that offered this contract is out of business but I could send my information anyway. But because it was past the 60 days for me to file for reimbursement, it is too late anyway. I was told by Lexus dealership when I purchased the contract that this was no brainer and I would get refund automatically, that Lexus was honest. I just want customers to be aware of fraud at all levels. Thank you.

Gentlemen, I had the pleasure of buying a 2007 LS 460 Lexus from the U.S. Unfortunately, I had an accident with the car in Jeddah, where none of the safety featured operated, which put us in great danger and caused us severe pains in addition to medical treatments. Your local dealer refused to give us a report on the car stating it's a U.S. car. To me it's Lexus regardless of its place of purchase. You are kindly requested to advise me of your end results regarding this matter urgently to avoid contact with local and overseas authorities.

The issue is that I was told that the $1,000.00 for es350 2012 incentive ended on 12/22/2011. After leaving Hoffman Lexus, 750 Connecticut Blvd, East Hartford CT on 12/23/2011 with a signed lease, I searched google for Lexus incentives. It is noted on several web sites that all Lexus dealers are giving $1,000.00 until 1/2/2012. Other sites indicate this $1,000.00 incentive is good to 1/3/13. I emailed Al ** and visited him today after no response from email. He and his manager stated that I had not seen it first; then it did not apply to all Lexus dealers. Please clarify for future reference. I have been a Lexus customer since the late '90s and would like to remain with the Lexus family.

I have significant concerns about my 2006 Lexus IS 350 that the company is refusing to remedy. I have written a letter in an appeal to Lexus to correct a dangerous engineering and design flaw. I have also spoken to the dealership (to no avail) and the department specialist of customer service at Lexus. He assured me that he has taken my concerns to the appropriate managers at Lexus headquarters (this essentially means that they aren't willing to acknowledge or correct the issue). At first, I believed the problem was just an irritating inconvenience. The other night, I have discovered that it is a major safety hazard. I have a 2006 IS 350 whose computer touch screen navigation system has stopped working. This is obviously a major inconvenience as it is not just the navigation that doesn't work, it is also the air conditioning controls, the heating controls, the radio controls, the CD/MP3 player, the computer settings and the rear view camera!

All of the radio presets were erased without any way to reset them. There is no way to adjust the fan settings for the a/c or heater, I can no longer adjust the base/treble/fade, the backup camera only works 10% of the time and of course, the navigation system is completely non-functional. As the car is only 5 years old and supposedly, a precision, luxury vehicle, one would not expect such major malfunctions affecting multiple systems. Unfortunately, for some reason, they designed all of these systems to be dependent on the navigation computer.

I first contacted the company about this issue over the summer and did not receive a satisfactory remedy. I was essentially told that because so many of the computers were having problems, the company was offering to pay of the cost of the replacement part (but not the labor). Indeed, when I explored the issue on the internet, I found hundreds of posts about this problem and other navigation system issues! Given that the company was not willing to replace the defective screen, I would still have to pay over $1200 to $1500 to cover the cost of repair. Like many people, I do not have that amount of money to spend on an engineering mistake. In addition, I feel that it is wrong to ask the consumer to pay to fix something that is obviously flawed and not a result of owner misuse or wear and tear.

Frankly, I had much higher expectations of Lexus and was dismayed and disappointed that the company was offering such a paltry remedy for such a major issue! This is an exasperating design flaw and definitely tainted my opinion of the quality of the Lexus product, warranty and customer service. However, I did not realize that this system failure was dangerous until the night of the 18th. Over the last week, the screen has started flashing as the system is trying to load. This is annoying and somewhat distracting in the daylight.

However, when the screen flashed a very bright light that night as I was making a left turn at a busy intersection, I almost had an accident. Startled by the sudden light and thinking that the bright flash was the headlights of an oncoming car, I inadvertently swerved into oncoming traffic and narrowly missed being hit by two other cars.

I implored Lexus to issue a safety recall for this problem and replace all of the touch screen systems that have malfunctioned before a tragic accident is caused. Although I realize the cost of replacing these systems is a significant consideration, it will be a small price to pay compared to the bad publicity, loss of consumer confidence, reduction of sales and not to mention, loss of human life that will occur if the issue is not rectified, and if the company does not react responsibly and proactively. Their response to my appeal was to offer the same remedy as last summer, 50% off of the component cost with no willingness to issue a recall or investigate the issue further.

I have covered the screen with a piece of cardboard so that it can't happen to me again, but I worry about other people who may be unaware that this can happen. Especially since there were many reports online of Lexus owners who were having trouble with their navigation systems. I was very lucky to escape injury.

I have a 2010 ultra premium Lexus 350 that has been causing me and my wife stress! Don't buy this vehicle. It is a lemon. There were winding noises in the steering column in the first year that were occurring intermittently. Lexus won't service you until they hear the noise or ** hits the fan. So, telling me that I'm imagining things, a few days later at a stop sign, I hear a loud winding sound growing louder and louder under the car, like the car was going to explode and then crack! No noise, but what the hell happened. I told Lexus about what happened and they said that they fixed the problem with a new drive shaft and some other repairs.

So I believed problem solved. No Way! Since that repair I have been to two Lexus dealerships and servicing that winding noise so much that I have lost count. Just the other day, my wife and her friends were going to the movies, when they all heard a grinding noise from the steering column than a cracking sound. The noise went away and back to the dealership again. But before going back to the dealership, I called Lexus Canada to file an official complaint because I have had enough and the fact that my 5-year-old son who rides in the vehicle is also recovering from cancer and his safety is at stake. When you drive a vehicle that the steering column makes winding, grinding and cracking noises, enough is enough! The car is at 57000 kilometers right now and enduring this for almost 40000 is the most stressful driving experience since my 2000 Jaguar S-type.

They just told me that their is no official similar complaint in North America, but before that, the people working there shared with me that the company knows but has not made anything official because they need some more time. Now that I made the official complaint, they know nothing and say there is nothing wrong with the car? Are they ** crazy! I'm ready to stand in front of the dealership with a lemon the size of the car and ** it. Not only are they lying to my face but they don't mind putting my family in harm's way until the marketing department and engineers find a cost effective way out. It's sad how the dealers service people. All suffered memory loss at the same time I wanted a solution or the problem fixed. They say everything is okay in USA/CANADA. I guess just like the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan. Great job, Lexus! You have unbeatable customer care with a ** product.

Condensation in the headlamp, frequently blown bulbs, vibration with speed of 70mph and slight jerk with the change of gears on a manual transmission.

Lexus 2011 RX 450H Limited
-faulty wipers
-faulty Nav system
-faulty seat cooling
-loud engine noise
-loud road noise
-lots of wind noise
-hard ride

-higher than quoted fuel consumption

Lexus Quality has deteriorated to the quality of a much cheaper vehicle.

I have a 2005 ES330 car that is certified pre-owned. It has defective back windows that won't go up or down. It's CD player is broken. There's condensation in headlights.

I have had the back windows repaired 3 times. On the 4th visit, they finally replaced the motors, which corrected the problem. I had wasted 3 trips to Lexus, time off from work and finally the issue is resolved. However, now the tint has come off of the back right window. It is apparent, the trouble with the windows being taken out and "repaired" 4 times has caused this.

The CD player has been in for repair also, along with the windows. The CD player is broken, the cover won't open, and will not play. I have been informed by the Lexus Corp. that due to the car being out of warranty, they will not repair it. My argument is the car has been in the service department for the same repairs 3 times, which has never been property fixed. After reading these reviews, I dont think I will ever buy a Lexus again. They have become the "Ford" of the Japaneese.

The dealership, Lexus of Tampa Bay, is a joke. The main headquarters for Lexus is a joke. They both refer me to the other one. I am done. No more Lexus cars. My dream car, that I am still paying for, won't allow me to listen to my CDs. I can't see out of the back right window, and I have been made to feel like I am the scum of the earth by Lexus.

Why didn't you treat me this way when I was buying one? I just got two letters from Lexus of Tampa Bay asking me to trade mine in and get a newer one.

No thanks, I got suckered by the hype the first time, are they kidding?

What a Lousy Lexus Experience!

I have a 2007 Lexus IS 350, purchased it from a local dealer in May 2010, with 43567 miles on it and still under factory warranty and bought an extended 4-year warranty from local dealer. In the end of April 2011, with about 57800 miles, I did an oil change (4th one) with an STP, after market filter from Auto Zone.

In May 2011, I received a letter about the recall problems, and weeks later, I brought the car to the local Lexus dealer (Inskip of Warwick) and they replaced the valve springs, fuel pressure pump and gas pedal. About 2 weeks later, my motor was making this ticking noise from my engine. I drove the car for about 50 miles and the noise went away. In October 2011, 5000 miles later, the noise came back but louder and I called them back and brought the car back in to be checked. The next day, I received a call that the engine was knocking and spun a bearing and it's not covered through them or Lexus, because they did an oil change and they stated whoever did the oil change last, put the wrong oil filter (Auto Zone only makes one filter for this model) in it causing the engine problem.

I have done about two dozen of oil changes in my life and never had this problem. I called the Lexus main headquarters in CA and 3 weeks later, they told me that it was my fault and they were not paying for anything. I requested to see the oil filter that was in my car when they did this oil change and was given a different kind of filter that was dirty and very old-looking. I told them this is not the filter that I put in because it was a different color (white) and was bigger, mine was yellow and smaller. They did not want to hear it. So now I have to pay my mechanic to tear down the engine to see if I need a new one.

I purchased a 2007 470LX in excellent condition. When it was delivered, the rear view mirror was hanging down and the car smelled as if it had been in a flood (car supposedly one-car, Lexus certified pre-owned). The seat belts are water-stained. There is rust on the chrome or metal of the seat belts.

Upon delivery, I expressed my dissatisfaction and concern about it being water damaged, but got no satisfactory explanation. I might add that I paid a premium because it was a limited edition with only 32,000 miles. The dealership is not accepting or acknowledging that anything is not as advertised or described to me. My dealership in Dallas (Sewell) had been great, and I have already paid $250 additional to try to get the smell out of the car. Do I have any legal rights, or how can I make Scanlon Lexus respond?

I own a Lexus IS250, 2007. I just moved, and my car is no longer stored in a garage. My dashboard has become soft and sticky; I never seen anything like this before.

I own a 2008 Lexus IS 350. My navigation system went out after three and a half years and Lexus said that since I was over the three-year warranty period, they would not replace it. I would have to pay $1,900.00. I find this ridiculous and when I called the Lexus Client Service Assistance, they offered little help. How can you own a car for only three and a half years and have your navigation system screen not work and not have it covered by such an elite car company? I cannot use the touch screen at all and Lexus has still yet to contact me after my complaint.

In January of 2011, I purchased a 2007 LS460L. The quality of the ride is what swayed me from purchasing a Mercedes. The vehicle had 40k miles on it and had 4 months left on time of warranty. I purchased the extended warranty and left a happy Lexus owner! Fast forward to Sept 2011, I noticed a thumping noise from the rear of vehicle. While having new brakes installed, I asked my local Goodyear tech to check out the noise. They checked and informed me that it was a common problem on virtually all LS models with air suspension. By coincidence, the tech's father was a tech at local Lexus dealership. They informed me that instead of paying them, I should take it to Lexus as they knew of the issues and would fix under warranty. I did, only to be informed that my factory warranty had expired due to time (by 120days), and that the only exclusion in my extended warranty was, you guessed it, shocks!

The problem I was told was the right rear air cylinder. It cost $1700 to repair. Lexus, being the quality company that they are, offered to cover the labor if I would pay the cost of the part. The cost of the part is $500. I agreed, scheduled the repair etc. When I picked the car up (and wrote the $500 check), our child noticed that nothing in the back seat area functioned - seat controls, shade control and safety belts! I called the dealer (cell phones) and asked if they possibly had to remove the rear seat to replace the air cylinder. Yes was the answer, so I explained the issue. I took vehicle back. Fifteen minutes later, they explained that the tech forgot to plug back in the wire harness. I left again with my Lexus riding like I expected a Lexus to ride, happy Lexus owner.

I wish the story ended there, but nope. Twenty-eight days later, I began hearing the thumping noise again. This time it was with the left rear. I called my Lexus service rep and informed him of the exact same issue again, 30 days later. I explained that I had been on Lexus owner forums since last issues and knew that this was an issue on virtually all LS models. I did not expect to again pay $500 to repair a defect in the vehicle, that I wanted it fixed at no cost. He advised me that I needed to call the Lexus 25 line. I did. I explained it all to the call center answer person. She asked me what I was wanting them to do. I explained that not only did I want them to repair, but I wanted my $500 back from the previous repair. She explained that I would need to schedule to take my vehicle back to dealer and have them diagnose. I did. The funny thing is that this time, I noticed on sheet it said the it was "worn strut mount".

I called Lexus 25 line again and asked what the repair was labeled last time. They replaced the shock mount assembly. I wonder why they told me it was an air cylinder. They informed me that they would again extend me the offer of me paying $500 to fix their defect. I declined and have asked to speak with a dist. rep. She informed me that they are on the road all the time and may have a hard time contacting me. I politely explained that today, with email and cell phones, I expected a prompt return call. I'll let you know when I hear from him or her! By the way, Facebook, a social media, is a beautiful marketing tool. Lexus uses it! The downside is that I do too! I went to their Lexus Cars page and posted my complaint right there in the middle of all their wonderful posts about their wonderful cars. I encourage everybody to do the same. Social media is not just to sell products. It's to inform people!

I have a five-year-old Lexus with 50,000 miles. The vehicle is well-maintained yet the paint is wearing off. It is a dark color however, the paint job should last at least 5 years. The hood and the bumpers are worn so thin that they have changed colors.

Lexus ES330, 2004: I purchased one in 2005 with 13,XXX miles. From day one the "slow shift" has been a problem. The car constantly bucks when the gears change. I have taken it to service and they've reset the computer many times. My biggest problem is the delay when accelerating; sometimes 3 to 5 seconds (if at higher speed and need to change lanes, etc. ) the delay has created near misses. I cannot get Lexus to admit this is a problem, or prove it. They say they re-designed the transmission (I think) in 2009. Meanwhile, I'm stuck. I hate this car. There has been no change from Lexus service. They do not admit it is a problem.

I purchase a 2010 RX350 in October 2009. When the year came around, I needed to have my navigation system updated. I was told that I have to purchase a disk for $199. This is a luxury vehicle and you want the buyer to pay that kind of money for an update. Cars of lesser luxury like Lexus are giving their customers free update for at least 3 years. I would like to have at least a free update before you ask me to pay for one. I am paying enough for the car as it is, and this is the treatment you give me?

There is constant smell of gas in and around this 2008 Lexus IS250 in summer months. This has been an ongoing problem for two years now during the hot months.

Also, the engine bogs down and has required complete top engine cleaning (Valves) done twice in less than 40,000 miles. Which when occurs, prevents vehicle from going over 25mph.

My mother bought a 2008 Lexus RX 350. At 88k miles, she began experiencing issues with her car while driving and brought it to the dealership for an inspection. They told her that there were massive problems with her engine which would cost over $5k to fix. This car isn't even at 100k miles yet so it was incredible that there would be any engine problems.

For what it's worth, my mother is a very safe, responsible driver and she has never skipped any maintenance on her car. We asked what our options were and they told us that we were past the warranty, so our only option would be to pay the $5k out of pocket. Obviously, we were upset so we called the consumer hotline that they provided us to voice our concerns, and we spoke with a representative named Carlos. He admitted that there were known engine issues with the RX models and said that he would call us back with a solution.

A few days later, he called us and said that he would cover only 50% of the parts. He would absolutely not budge even though we told him that Lexus should cover 100% of the parts and labor as this was a known issue. I feel that Lexus sold us a car with a faulty engine and is now refusing any responsibility. At this point, I am seriously considering suing the company and will never buy a Lexus again.

Six months ago, I bought my 2007 Lexus ES350 from the Lexus of Naperville. This is a Certified Lexus Car. When I bought the car, I was told that nothing goes wrong on a Lexus. But everything has been going wrong in this car. I have had to take it to the dealership three times with various problems.

One of the times, the transmission on the car had failed and had to be replaced. This is the most ridiculous thing to happen on a Lexus at 35000 miles. I have always been a Nissan customer and have 3 Nissan vehicles, at home with one of them at 185000 miles; nothing has ever gone wrong in them.

This time, I thought I would give Lexus/Toyota a chance and it has failed from all my expectations. Being afraid, if when this car would break down next, is a very stressful at this time.

Please let me know how you guys can help with this purchase of mine, so I can have more stress free nights. If you need more info on the vehicle, please email me and I will be happy to send it out. I will also be writing to the consumer board, on how I have been cheated to buy a certified vehicle that breaks down every few months.

Below is some of Art ** from Lexus's responses to my complaint:

"Thank you for contacting Lexus Customer Satisfaction. We are dedicated to providing superior service. In circumstances that require our attention, we will assist in the resolution process.

Thank you for providing us with your comments and concerns with your 2007 ES 350. We apologize this vehicle has not met your expectations. We design our vehicles with our customer ownership experience in mind and it is through correspondence such as yours that we are able to continually improve our products. We appreciate the time you have taken to share your thoughts and to provide us with your view. Please be assured that your feedback has been documented at our National Headquarters."

I own a Lexus IS 250 SE manual. What happened is that my touchscreen GPS has a factory fault and stopped working. As now I am out of my warranties, Lexus told me that I have to pay for it to be replaced and it will cost me R 25,000.00. After telling them that it is a factory problem, they said to me that they can only help me pay 50% of it and they will come out with the other 50% for it to be repair. I think that it is unfair for the customer when Lexus knows that their car has a factory defect and still made the customers liable of paying that. Can I have any help on this issue, please?

On October 2010, I got my pre-owned car; year 2006 with a navigation system 2006 Lexus ES 330.

Later, I realized that anywhere I go, it doesn't have the address due to an old virsion. I contacted the dealer that I bought it from and I was told that I have to buy the new virgin which costs $200.00. I felt like it's not fair to buy it. If you can have them, send it to me without charge. It will be great. Thank you.

My complaint is with Lexus, not so much with the dealer.

I started having "resetting" of the navigation system in my 2006 RX330 about six weeks ago with the issue occurring about every 1.5 hours. Now, it happens every 1.5 minutes. The issue does not interfere with the operation of the vehicle, but it is most annoying. Each time the system resets, the audio system is momentarily interrupted but the hands-free (Bluetooth) connection is killed, rendering it useless.

I went to the Lexus dealer for a fix, assuming the problem would be minor--perhaps just a loose connection somewhere behind the dashboard. Surprise! They concluded that the five-year-old factory-installed navigation system needs complete replacement at a cost of $1740. Unbelievable.

Will I look to Lexus when time comes to buy something new? Unlikely.

I recently had the experience of being denied repairs of my Lexus (VIN 2T2BK1BA7AC015824). A known problem exists in the steering column of my particular model, a 2010-2011 Lexus RX350. So, this part's failing falls under the following: (1) a known problem by Lexus and (2) a very new car still under warranty. The only caveat to this situation is that I travel for work, and I spend some of my time in Minsk. I have a Lexus sedan here in the United States, and only just recently took the RX 350 to be my car in Minsk. There, I began to discover the steering noise issue. I understand that the standard procedure for Lexus would be to only cover warranty issues within the United States.

I personally feel that this is a special case; I will have to have the vehicle repaired in Europe, so I am prepared to pay for the labor through a Lexus dealer, but I strongly feel that the $1700, plus part I had to order to replace an existing flaw in my Lexus, should not be paid by me. As mentioned, I purchased this Lexus in the United States, I still own another Lexus in the United States, and one day, I will return this Lexus to the United States. My request to have this part paid for has been denied. I find this very hard to believe. The trend with many large companies is a disregard towards customer service that will build brand loyalty. I did not think Lexus was one of these companies, and I am deeply disappointed.

It has been my understanding that Lexus leads the industry in retaining the highest percentage of vehicle owners. Neal Oddes, director of product research at J.D. Power and Associates said that, "By satisfying its customers on many different levels, Lexus consistently enjoys high-retention rates" and "customer retention is extremely valuable in the auto industry because it costs manufacturers less to keep existing customers than to attract new ones, and strong retention fosters favorable word of mouth."

Why now would Lexus want to risk its word of mouth reputation in my case? I have a friend who has been at war with GM over the poorest of customer relations efforts and vehicle issues; I personally found it comforting in owning a Lexus. I do not have to deal with such customer disregard, and would readily make this known. Now, I no longer have comfort in owning a Lexus. Where is the world class customer service that creates retention?

Maybe you should all take a moment and read the following article on customer service. I understand that this issue is falling under what might be considered special circumstances; however, I had believed Lexus would treat me as a loyal customer, not as an invaluable statistic. This is all very unfortunate, and on principle alone, I am not going to stop pursuing a resolve to this situation. I know there has to be someone in the Lexus organization who cares enough to spend $1700 of Lexus money in order to preserve a reputation that has likely taken years and billions of dollars to build.

A colleague of mine recently shared a negative experience he had with a large Canadian airline. He had purchased a ticket to return home last year for the Christmas holiday but was unable to do so because of medical reasons. It was his understanding that the value of the ticket would be honored for one year from the scheduled date of travel. However, the airline's policy was actually to credit the value of the ticket for one year from the purchase date. This information wasn't printed on his ticket, and when he contacted the airline, he spoke with four members of its customer service department, including a senior manager, and received four different explanations of the airline's policy and his possible remedies.

During a time following the horrific events of September 2001, my colleague thought this airline, now more than ever (especially after requesting government relief due to lost revenue), would bend over backward to satisfy him, and keep him as a regular customer. Airlines were slashing fares as much as 50 percent to entice fearful passengers to once again take to the skies. He was utterly shocked and appalled. However, he experienced the lengths to which this airline went in the opposite direction.

Each of the four representatives gave four greatly varied definitions of the airline's refund and rescheduling policy. Each apologized for his inconvenience yet repeatedly told him what they could not - and would not - do for him. In the short term, the immediate savings by the airline were $400, the value of the unused ticket. The net loss over the long term, however, will be much, much greater. Not only will he and his family never use this airline (they spend about $3,000 annually) they are so furious that they've told many friends about this experience. Not surprisingly, everyone they've told has been shocked and appalled, also, saying they, too, will never fly with this carrier in the future.

Understanding that the customer is the source of a company's revenue, it logically follows that every customer must be made as happy as possible, especially so during an industry-wide crisis of historic magnitude. Seeing as it's not the owner of a company that routinely interacts with customers, but rather the sales staff, operators, customer service representatives and et cetera have direct contact. It must be a clearly understood rule that the customer must always feel right.

The customer has to be treated in a way that sets a company apart from competitors. If a company successfully merges this philosophy with a superior product or service, it can earn customer loyalty and in turn, become profitable. Case in point: Nordstrom. A Nordstrom customer's experience provides a perfect counter to the aforementioned airline's woeful customer service practices. For years, the story has circulated about a man who had returned tires to a Nordstrom store, and it provides an excellent example of how to exercise a customer-first approach to business.

The story is true. Nordstrom built a store in Alaska at a location that had previously included a tire store. A man, failing to realize the tire store no longer existed, brought car tires into Nordstrom, and asked for a refund. Despite the company's position as a clothier (seemingly everyone knows the only rubber Nordstrom's sells is on the bottom of sneakers), the sales associate nonetheless issued some type of refund or store credit, thus satisfying the customer. When people talk about this story, many can't remember if it was a man or a woman, a young or old person, but they always remember that it was Nordstrom who put its customer first.

Although this example is extreme, and I don't suggest that a company make a habit of issuing refunds, for merchandise it doesn't sell, the underlying principle stands: For long-term prosperity and patron loyalty, a customer must always feel right, even when she's wrong. Even if a company such as the airline in question doesn't want to adhere to this same level of customer service, or more likely, doesn't believe it can afford to, the only question I would ask its top brass is, "Can you afford not to?" Word of mouth is by far the single most important marketing vehicle a company can hope for. Think of what the word of the mouth may do for this airline's long-term outlook.

Not only has the airline lost loyal customers and likely many more once this story spreads, but more importantly, the employees who initially offered the incorrect information to a loyal customer and then blamed the customer himself for acting on the information he received, are still employed. How much more inaccurate information these employees are going to disperse, and what will be the resulting net loss?

Follow Nordstrom's lead, not the woeful path cut by the airline. Before the next customer crisis arises at your company, I urge you to ask yourself the following questions, so you are prepared to handle the situation appropriately: How does your company resolve customer disputes, concerns, questions or problems? Do your people automatically go on the defensive, citing policies, procedures and counting warranty periods to the day? Is there a mission statement or customer policy in place that governs all aspects of customer service, including conflict resolution?

You can't put the onus on your customers to get it right every time. Too many companies focus on the reasons why they can't help a customer, rather than offering solutions to help fix his problem. The reality is, problems will arise. The problems are not the challenge. The challenge is responding to these problems effectively; these responses help determine a company's ultimate success or failure.

I took my 2011 RX 350 in because I noticed a small bubble in the side of my rear driver's side tire. The dealer told me it was not covered under the warranty because it was a road hazard. This is nothing but an excuse not to cover it.

If it were a road hazard then there would be some kind of mark on the rim and/or the side of the tire, but there is none on either. I feel that this is a defect in the tire and should be covered under the warranty. It probably started out very small and is now about an inch and a half long, from the tread inward. This car only has 7,400 miles on it. This is my second lease of a Lexus. I feel I should be treated better than this and the tire should be replaced.

I would like someone to contact me regarding this ASAP.

Regards,

Steve **

No override, it causes more of a distraction to see the features and try to work with what I have than having it. It should be a safety feature I can turn off or on. Worst navigation in the world and voice commands are terrible. I spent extra money for this onscreen thinking it would be great, top of the line, like the salesman mentioned. How do they not realize the problems with the GPS? If I pick an address, then a street name, narrow down the street name! ** Navi asks me for streets that do not have the house number, then why show me? I will never buy Toyota Lexus.

My family and I have been huge fans growing up but no more, even relatives agree. I have a huge network and I lured all of them to Acura or Infiniti. Personally, I will purchase an Acura from now on. Complete **. Even a Navigon is more useful than this system. Toyota/Lexus needs to learn from Honda/Acura. ** navigation system in the world, a bunch of entry level employees interning from community college could have done a better job and got the flaws.

Blocking while vehicle in motion is sometimes a problem when in bad neighborhood or the ** Navi takes me in the wrong highway then I have to stop and try to type something else in. Even looking for gas stations while driving is so difficult. It does more harm than good. Your FAQ states that it costs $200 to update the ** thing because you guys verify, which other companies do not do. How can a verified navigation have worse guidance than a non-verified company. I've used Honda/Acura, Garmins, Tom Toms, Magellan, Navigon. I've used my phone, Google Maps, 3rd party Aura, Copilot, Audi, Nissan/Infiniti. They all have good or incredible guidance systems. Invest!! How do Lexus workers not realize this while driving and complain to themselves. Do they personally have an Acura or Garmin. Boggles my mind.

Our 2004 RX330 Lexus has fogged headlights that Lexus attributes to local car washes which is a joke because we rarely use them.

We noticed soaking wet carpet in rear passenger floor of our 2007 Lexus ES350 back in the Fall of 2010. We thought we spilled water and dried out the carpet. Beginning of May 2011, we discovered soaking wet carpet on the front passenger floor along with mold.

On May 5th 2011, we took the car to Nalley Lexus and they told us that the AC drain hose was pushed into the car under the carpet by a previous mechanic that did an oil change. They said that they see this all the time. Our contention is the rubber grommet and the amount of hose that is supposed to be sticking beneath the car should be sufficient to keep the hose in place. There is no logical explanation that a mechanic would shove the AC drain hose up inside the car. It is more likely that the hose was dislodged during the installation of the carpet at the factory. The dealership contacted Lexus Financial who administers the warranty; after two days, they denied the claim on the extended warranty.

We then contacted the Lexus Consumer Complaint Department who took an additional six days to inform us that they would not cover the cost of this repair. We were told when we initially brought the car that the cost would be approximately $1100.00. On May 13th 2011, we were informed that the cost is now $1568.00. We originally leased the car on February 10th 2007 and purchased the car at the end of February 2011, along with the Platinum Lexus Warranty.

We have researched this issue on the internet and it is clear that we are not the only one experiencing this problem. The consequence is that we had to pay $1568.00 of which is a financial hardship for us at this time. We have spent over one week researching and dealing with a problem that should not even exist. We are talking about a luxury car and luxury dealership.

We expected the company to stand behind the product they make and not try to pass blame where blame doesn't belong.

I own a 2006 Lexus GX-470. Recently, I found out that there is a problem. The air conditioner compressor needs to be replaced along with the clutch. Unfortunately, my warranty had expired after 50,000 miles (it is below 70,000 now). Considering that A/C compressor failure is not common for vehicles of this class with 70,000 miles on it, as it was explained to me by Lexus representatives and mechanics, I have decided to contact Lexus Customer Service. I spoke with a representative whose name was Theresa. Theresa had asked me to take my GX-470 to a local Lexus dealer for an inspection, even though I had explained to her that I had already checked with a few mechanics and I know for a fact that the A/C compressor and the clutch needs to be replaced. Besides, I would have to pay an additional inspection fee to Lexus dealer for their inspection.

Theresa had indicated to me that Toyota, considering my loyalty as a customer (owned three Lexus vehicles), will repair my A/C compressor and related items without a charge by a Lexus dealer upon confirmation that the A/C compressor is a problem. So all I had to do is to pay for the inspection. I have agreed and took my GX to the dealer, paid inspection fees and had the vehicle inspected. As it was expected, the A/C compressor and the clutch needed to be replaced. However, after my vehicle was inspected and I spent money for the inspection fee, Theresa reneged on her commitment to me. I believe that Theresa's motives were not to help me but rather bring additional business to the Lexus dealer and to force me into an overpriced repair by false promises and the aggressive business development efforts.

I have had nothing but problems since I bought a brand new, 2007 Lexus IS350 from a dealer in March 2007. I took my car into the dealer numerous times about numerous problems I was having, and every time they told me they could not duplicate the problem or the noises I was hearing were normal. I have had my car in the dealership for repair multiple times for each of the following: sunroof, brakes, engine, stereo, alignment, seat squeak noise, and headlights all within the warranty period.

I had to take the factory TSB for the camshaft timing gear issue into the dealership myself to get them to actually fix that issue. Even then, they tried to say there was something wrong before fixing it finally. I am a single woman, and I have worked in the automotive industry for 17 years, so I am very familiar with cars and it was truly insulting how they treated me like I was some dumb woman that didn't know what she was talking about every time I went in there.

Hands down my car would qualify for the lemon law but the dealer refused to acknowledge the problems, within the time limitations. Every time they would say they couldn't duplicate the problems and send me on my way, and I would experience the exact same problems, literally, as I drove out of the dealers lot. My car value has plunged significantly since all of the recalls and now my car is only worth $15,000, after only 4 years from purchasing if for $51,000. I am at a total loss at this point if I try and sell my car. Nobody wants to buy it even at that price. I am stuck with a lemon and stand to take a huge loss if I sell the car now.

I am livid at the cover ups I have experienced over and over. I have gone as far as writing a letter to the dealership suggesting their cars have electrical issues, among other things, and had no response or concern from them. I have paperwork documenting each time I took the car into the dealer, and notes about things I complained about, that never ended up on the final work orders when I picked up my car. I am extremely dissatisfied and disappointed with the treatment and service I have received from Lexus.

I bought a 99 Lexus RX300 used with 28,000 miles. I had the first oil change at Lexus in Schumburg and all other work at Toyota in St. Charles, Illinois. I have receipts for all work. At 114,000 miles, it needed a complete valve job, some transmission work, induction work, etc. and it cost me $4,700.00. According to Lexus lawsuit, the problem I had was excessive oil use. We came out to Arizona in January and put on about 1,800 miles and went through at least 8 quarts of oil. This oil consumption, along with the problems I learned about the Lexus V6 engine on the internet, tells me that I may be able to get reimbursed for this. Please help. Any information or guidance would be appreciated.

We also bought our first Lexus RX 300 last year with 90,000 miles on it. Four weeks ago it had a catastrophic failure while my husband was driving to work. Two different shops said it had blown the connecting rod which only happens when an engine has some major issues. To my shock we found page after page of complaints written up about this car with slug build up issues. Yes, they did have a class action lawsuit on it but now expired for 3 years. We called Lexus Corp. and they also gave us the brush off that they will pay for parts but we pay for labor which is as much as a rebuilt engine at a local shop including labor around 4 grand. We called the best Lemon Law lawyer in the Midwest today to look into the matter. First, never ever buy a used car from a dealership and agree to sign the "as is" portion, you have no recourse if you do. You must have a warranty for them to pursue any legal course.

Lexus / Toyota is the worst car company to deal with concerning customer car issues. They would rather have lawyers spend more money to win the case rather than admit they've made a mistake. They tie up legal issues for well over a year on any case and fight to the bitter end. We are just like all the others who now are going into debt to fix an issue that we didn't ask for. With a new baby that has special needs issues, we need a dependable car for getting to our doctors and we've been without our car for 4 weeks while trying to fight this. I shared this story with Corp. hoping someone would have a heart but to no avail. The most amazing thing to us with all of this is that if we do agree to a new engine from Lexus, the dealership will only offer a warranty on their end for a year, but nothing from Lexus. We were told a rebuilt would have a 50,000 mile warranty.

From what I learned from the lawyer today, we are completely gambling with this fix since no warranty means no recourse if this happens again. Doesn't Lexus realize how many loyal people they will lose by just not giving in to a few thousand to make this right? To those buying the RX 300 in the years 1999-2002, please be aware since we've found out many people who are org. owners that know of this issue and are selling to get rid of the problem so someone else can deal with it. Buyer beware!!!! I just don't want this to happen to other people like us, it's devastating!

This is a letter crying out for help. I bought my Lexus in December of 2009. It is a 2009 IS 250. I bought it off the floor of the showroom. As soon as I purchased it, I started to have some mechanical problems with the car. I alerted the representative at the Lexus dealership and service as well. They told me nothing was wrong. Ever since then, the numerous problems that have occurred are listed below. We had complained once before and even went to the extent of having arbitration with Lexus, which I did not want to do and found unpleasant. I felt it was the only way to prove to someone out there that my car is not brand new, or feels like a lemon.

Sorry for those words, but its truthful. We lost at the arbitration. My car is still not behaving properly, and I paid $50,000 for this car to be new. It's only 2 years old and way too young to be having any of these issues. I feel at this point no one is there to listen and I need help. I need someone to see my view and the fact that something is actually wrong, and work with me to resolve this issue. I have never been late with a payment and have always been very patient.

Please help. I am paying money for a non-working car and I was told by Lexus Financial that if I did not pay, they would auction the car and I would be responsible for the difference of what is left to pay and the sell price and my credit would be shot for 7 years. I feel it's unfair that I am paying for something that doesn't work. Please help.

The mileage is at 40,000 and we have had to change the brakes 4 times and rotors. The back left side tire completely just fell off one day when I was driving approximately 5-10 miles per hour in the middle of 34th street and 3rd avenue in Manhattan. We had a professional Geico Insurance claims adjuster take a look at the car and informed us he thought the car may be defective. Service at Lexus told us our muffler had caused it and we had to pay $900+ to replace the muffler. The muffler was not the cause as the Geico adjuster informed us and at that point Lexus service notified us the muffler was okay. This happened after Lexus did maintenance on our car. The car shakes when it is idle. When you start the car it does not start calmly, it makes a loud rumbling noise. There is a horrible smell of rotten eggs coming from the engine since day one.

The GPS system is out of whack and does not read all addresses that have been resided at for many years. It will freeze and also go crazy at times and not stop moving. The headlight went out, which is understandable, but they stated there was a hole in the lens from the inside of the light. We never had anyone, but Lexus touched our headlights so I am unaware of how that happened. We had just finished our maintenance and pulled the car out of service and a week later this happened. They wanted to charge us over $1000 to fix it. We negotiated and only paid for labor which is wrong. Now, 5 months later, the left headlight has gone out, they changed it for us and now it dims and flickers. They will not help. The car veers to the left heavily. Every time we come from an inspection or maintenance it feels as though something new is wrong with the car. The transmission jumps and gets stuck periodically.

This last November 2010, we went for our inspection. Everything was perfect when we brought it in. when we left Lexus service, our RPM gets stuck now at 5. We brought it back to Lexus and they dismissed it. We went back another 2 days later since it was still doing it, and they wouldn't even test drive or get in the car. We complained, they finally got in the car and said something is wrong. My fiance suggested it could be an engine problem and felt if it was that the car could be defective. We went back again because they told us there is a problem, and within 3 hours, they called us and told us to pick up our car because nothing is wrong.

I purchased a pre-owned certified Lexus RX 300 in 2004 at 52,000 miles. It was my second Lexus. I was a loyal customer. Immediately after purchase, I contacted my salesman and complained of its performance. I took it into Lexus Service in Chantilly, VA, a few months later complaining of a loud grinding noise when I started it in the mornings, hesitation when going up hills, trouble accelerating, erratic jumping forward and missing. Lexus Service couldn't duplicate the problem. I left, frustrated, then returned 6 months later complaining of the same issues. Again, they couldn't duplicate. I took it back one year later with the exact same issues. This time, I felt uncomfortable going in, and very embarrassed. Still, once again, they "couldn't duplicate the problem," I was told it was probably the gas I was using.

Frustrated and busy with health issues, a new baby, full-time work, 2-hour commute each day, and being a part-time student, the issue got placed on the back burner and I've been tolerating my car's poor performance ever since. Sounds crazy, but so was my life and after all, it was still running and getting me from point A to point B, although not very well. I vowed to never take my car back to Lexus for service again, and didn't. The car now has 160,000 miles on it. Nobody can believe it lasted as long as it did. It was truly the TLC I gave the car that made it last this long. I frequently rented cars because I was afraid to drive it.

I avoided going up hills and would even take alternate routes home to avoid them! I would take my time accelerating, never take it on long trips, and made sure to never push it. I have truly been embarrassed to let anyone ride in it since I bought it due to the obvious loud noise and performance issues. Two years ago, it left me in a parking lot unable to go in reverse. Since then, I've had to be sure I back up into parking spots to ensure I'd be able to get out. Not at all the quality Lexus certified vehicle I thought I was buying.

The symptoms I experienced since first purchasing the car have gotten gradually worse until the car has finally been diagnosed as needing a new transmission. These are the same exact issues as when I first bought it! They have just gradually gotten worse over time. I'm now faced with spending thousands of dollars replacing the transmission. I just had another shop confirm that the grinding noise I experienced since I bought it is the transmission. And Lexus of Chantilly didn't have any hesitation telling me what was wrong with it when I took it back this time, as it's now out of warranty. I told them I felt it was an issue that should've been fixed years ago right after I first got it. But they won't even consider the idea of fixing it, as I stopped going to them for service years ago and my warranty expired at 100,000 miles.

I am absolutely furious and not only feel as though I was sold a "lemon," but that Lexus intentionally ignored my issue, always claiming they couldn't duplicate. I remember driving out of the parking lot and experiencing the problem as I was leaving, how could they not have seen it? This is downright negligence in my eyes. Claims against RX 300s and faulty transmissions have been well known to Lexus for years, and my symptoms were clear. They printed out 9 pages of my complaint history yesterday, but refuse to admit the fact there was anything wrong with the car when I bought it. Guess I just brought it in 3 times for the exact same issues for fun? What I believe is they saw a young woman come through the door, obviously knowing nothing about cars, and played off the fact that the transmission would probably hold out until after my warranty expired.

I plan to continue to pursue this issue. I'm not gonna let it go. I worked too hard for the money, I saved to buy it, and I believe strongly that you must stand by your word. They should've never certified a vehicle that had obvious transmission problems, and knowingly turning people away instead of fixing it under warranty is unethical and worthy of legal action.

I caution, you don't let the Lexus quality pitch influence you as it did me. Although they play off of the quality Lexus brand when they sell it to you, claiming it will go forever. I had a manager sit in my face yesterday and imply that I should be satisfied that it ran as long as it did, and asked jokingly how long did I expect a car to last anyway? Well sir, I hate to tell you but I expected a lot more than I received. I've contacted Lexus, and if I don't find their response satisfactory, I will be contacting my lawyer next. I'm not going away, Lexus of Chantilly!

My wife and 3 other people were in her 2007 460LS when it suddenly accelerated up to 7000 RPM before it could be shut down. Tires were smoking like a dragster. No rug involved. Witnesses saw that the brakes were applied to help stop the car. Lexus claims nothing was wrong. Of course they said that when it was down-shifting from a stop when first bought. A man from a Lexus forum sent me a page from a Lexus manual addressing that problem which I had to send to the local dealer so he could fix that problem for us and several other Lexus 460 owners. Any suggestions?

1992 Lexus SC300 unexpected rapid acceleration. Lexus dealer could not find the cause or problem. The car accelerated hitting a building on July 31, 2006. I paid deductible and car rental while the car was being repaired. The insurance rate increased as accident was determined to be driver's fault as no other vehicle was involved and Lexus said nothing was wrong. I feel unsafe driving the car anymore so I sold it undervalue and lost the additional usage of a car that had been paid off and needed to have car loan to buy another.

My wife and I were hit from behind at 40-45 mph, we were stopped at a red light. We were in a 2008 Lexus 350ES, I was driving. We both sustained multiple herniated cervical discs, and my wife's head struck the front dash leaving a permanent scar. The seat belts did not protect us; probably caused more injury due its "skip lock" or a faulty seat belt system.The "windowshade" effect definitely played a part in my wife's injuries. She remembers seeing the car very close behind us hoping it would stop in time. Our lease is up now and we have to return the car. So, time is of the essence. Our lawyer cannot find an engineer in the NJ area to examine the car. All suggestions and recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

In March 2010, my car was involved in an accident while parked on the street. It was immediately towed to Lexus of Queens and stayed at the repair shop nearly 3 weeks. When I received the car back, I noticed a portion of the bumper was not painted from damage. Tony in the body shop, told me that my insurance denied this claim as part of accident damage. I paid over $8000 to the shop and took my car home a few blocks. It took me 2 more weeks to finally sort this out with messages and multiple calls and sending photos to my insurance company.

I was told by my insurance that Lexus was already paid to repaint and repair my bumper within the first few lines of the estimate. I took the car back to the shop and took this up with the manager and was paid the difference for the shop not repairing the bumper. During the next few times of driving (I only drive once a week). I noticed the car making loud squeaking noises when going over any bumps and also a high pitched ticking from the front PAS side where parts were replaced. I took the car back to the shop for the third time in May and left the car at the shop for a week without reply from the shop that any work was done.

I needed the car to return back to work and when I picked it up, it was not clean, and Tony said during assessment nothing was found and "the shop could not recreate any sounds I reported" therefore "no paperwork was needed since no repairs were made". I was not given any papers documenting that they checked anything on the car for a week! Over the next few weeks, the ticking noise from the PAS side began getting louder and more frequent when depressing the break.

I took my car to a personal mechanic who lifted the vehicle and showed me that several parts under the car were loose which Lexus installed and the arm that attached the wheel to the frame was upside down and dangerous for my driving! He tightened the bolts and I immediately called Lexus and took the car back in for repairs in August. During this visit, one of the employees listened to my complaints about the body shop and the worker Tony not providing honest repairs and giving me the run around.

The employee shut the office door and told me to never bring my car back there again as the body shop does horrible work and he gave me the name/number of another shop. He also looked in the system and had no record of me coming in 3 times prior over the summer to make complaints and having my car sitting in the shop. My insurance company and myself have already paid Lexus over $8000 in repairs and the car looks great from the outside, but sounds worse than before I brought it in. Lexus should guarantee their work and complete the repairs until customer satisfaction and return the vehicles in better shape than when they arrived. I want my car fixed like new as this was what my policy paid for from the accident.

On Sunday, 10/24/2010, my Lexus RX broke down with little warning at all. It has confirmed oil gel and I faxed regular oil changes. Lexus agrees to cover only $1,000.00. I complained to the BBB and Lexus came back with this response: "The vehicle is well outside the eight years time frame a consumer has to file a claim regarding oil gel." The vehicle date of first use is 11/11/98. The eight years expired on 11/11/06. Well, this is confusing to me because the class action lawsuit was in 2007! So, that means that the judge ruled that they fix vehicles that were already outside of this warranty! I am so confused. Mind you, I faxed them all proof that my oil was changed ahead of schedule. There is no way that Lexus can just hide like this!

My 07 Lexux GS430 had condensation in right headlight. The mechanic of Lexus checked and showed me that there is a crack on headlight housing around a screw. He said that is not covered by warranty. The car was not hit or damaged before, the crack could cause by over tighten of the nut.

The transmission on my 2001 RX300 Lexus is making noise at 87000 miles. It also kick a little when shifting. Engine light came on SVC light as well. I checked with Lexus of water town, they told me I need my transmission rebuild $5000 - $6000 to repair. This car is garaged all the time. I am totally shocked that it failed at 87000 miles. I checked with a local transmission place, they offered to fix it for approx. $2500. I am not sure if I should fix it or trade it?

I purchased my ES300 Lexus in 2000 and have loved it. I was thinking about purchasing a new one. However, I am retired and it takes awhile to save up enough money to buy a new car. Recently, I noticed a problem with my transmission. I took it to my local servicing Toyota dealer who added transmission fluid, but saw no other problems.

I had no further problem until last week. I stopped at a railroad track and proceeded to cross after the train passed. I could go no where. The transmission was frozen. A kind gentleman pushed me into a gas station where I called AAA to have my car towed. I have owned several cars in my lifetime, but never had a problem with my transmission. I was shocked to learn how much was needed to repair it. I will not be purchasing another Lexus.

I have a 3 and a 1/2 year old Lexus with only 18,000 miles. It started making a loud noise when I drove off. Lexus checked it out and said the exhaust rusted off and will cost $4400 plus tax and parts to repair. And they said that it is not covered by warranty because I live near the beach and it could be due to the "elements". I park in covered parking and have parked in the same place for the last 15 years and have never had this happen to one of my cars.

I got a 2000 RX300 with no warning light. The car refused to go into reverse. I tried several times; finally, it went into reverse. Once on the road, I turned to enter I-110 from Airport Blvd in Pensacola, Florida and the car surged then felt like someone slammed on the brakes. It was all I could do to get off of the road. The car now will not shift at all. No reverse, no drive, nothing. In researching, I see that thousands of folks with RX300's manufactured between 1999 and 2002 have had the exact same experience and Lexus is refusing to acknowledge any issue. However, changes were made in 2003 design and moving forward, no widespread issues with transmissions have been reported.

I know I am driving a Lexus but I still can't afford to pop for a $5000 transmission. Now that I have discovered that I am far from alone in my experience with this particular year/model, I think it is up to Lexus to make this right, for everyone of us driving an RX300 produced from 1999 to 2002. Had any cars been in the right hand lane when my car surged and slowed violently, I would have been hit, possibly injuring myself, my wife or my 3 year old son. I do want an attorney to contact me about my complaint.

With only 61,000 miles on my 2002 Lexus, the internal navigation ECU went into complete failure, will not eject CD or activate system. I was advised to replace the navigation ECU and disc at a cost of $1962.00. Even though my warranty had expired, I wonder if there is a recourse for finding out if there are problems with the navigation computers for that year (2002) Lexus. I called the 180025LEXUS hotline to no avail. I like to know what to do to resolve this matter?

My 2002 Lexus RX300 with 92k transmission gave out without warning coming off highway. Started slipping, revving up to 4000 and dropping. Checked fluid, O.K. light red color, didn't smell burnt. Made it to house, now makes whining sound, slips in gear, etc. Went online to see what's up, saw hundreds and hundreds of people with same problems. Called Herb Chambers Lexus, told them what was going on said it would be 5000 to fix, 2700 for tranny, 2000 in labor!! Told them about what I found on internet, they said, "Never heard of it". I've found other tranny shops from 2500-4000. Have to fix to drive or trade but this is not right. I have a 1999 Volvo s70 with 195k tranny fine, not happy with Lexus at all!

At the end of July 2010, I purchased a Lexus ES350 from a nearby used car dealership. The car had under 47,000 miles on it and was still covered under the Lexus manufacturer's warranty. After owning the car for about 2 weeks, I noticed heavy vibration in the steering wheel and driver's side of the car. I immediately brought the vehicle to my normal service department "Bergstrom Cadillac of Neenah WI". They informed me that due to the massive corrosion, a wheel weight had actually fallen off the rim of the car and needed to be replaced. They also advised me to contact Lexus because this should be covered under warranty.

I contacted Lexus directly only to find out that the selling dealership, "Lexus of Smith town", had altered the vehicle after they received it from Lexus, by chroming the factory rims which voided the Lexus factory rims. Lexus advised me they would work with the dealership to have them cover the cost of the defects, since the vehicle was under warranty still and they had altered the vehicle from its original state. The dealership made me jump through hoops and send them numerous pictures proving the rims were in fact faulty. But they then said they would only cover two rim replacements, because the other two have minor wear and tear. I have pictures if you would like to see. The warranty paperwork from Lexus clearly states that normal wear and tear is covered. The imperfections on the two non covered rims are extremely minor and have nothing to do with the corrosion of the rims. Lexus also clearly states in their warranty package that if a repair last longer than 8 hours, the customer will be provided a rental vehicle.

The dealership is refusing to provide this and Lexus has done nothing to provide this service to me. Over a month has passed and the dealership has been unresponsive to Lexus regarding the start of the repairs on the two rims they agreed to replace. Lexus said they cannot do anything else and I should try to work it out with the dealership.

I would like you to help me alert consumers to be aware that when purchasing vehicles that are under factory warranty in some cases, they have a false sense of security because the dealership may have voided the warranty and never informed them. I think this dealership needs to cover all 4 rims, provide a rental car during the repairs, and cover the 130 dollars it cost me to repair the wheel weights. The dealership is a branded Lexus dealership and should have to uphold the Lexus brand standards. I also think Lexus should be much more involved policing the dealership to ensure they are upholding their brand standards.

We are the original owners of a 2002 Lexus RX300. The engine needed to be replaced this year for what the dealership suspected was a manufacturer's defect. A representative of the National Traffic Highway Safety Administration (xxx-xxx-xxx) just told me the NTHSA needs to hear from anyone who had a similar experience. When you call them, ask them to consider your call a formal complaint. It does not require many formal complaints to launch a formal investigation.

When the NTHSA finds the evidence they need, they will contact Lexus about being fair with us. If Lexus does not treat those of us who were affected by this problem fairly, the NTHSA will go to court on our behalf in an effort to right any wrongs that occurred. Submitting a complaint in a forum like this is helpful but contacting the NTHSA with a formal complaint could easily be rewarded with the tangible results that I believe we all deserve. You should also contact the Federal Trade Commission (877-382-4357) and file a formal complaint.

I bought my dream car on the 23rd January 2007 (1999 Model Lexus IS200) with 254000km on the clock. According to the salesman, the car was serviced a month ago and produced the service book as proof. In July 2008, on my way from George to Mosselbay the car suddenly jerked and cut out the engine. I called Mosselbay Toyota to assist me. They sent a truck to tow me to their workshop. Once there, they did not have the correct tools to open the engine to see what was wrong with it.

Secondly, they did not have a qualified person to work on a Lexus. Eventually they could see what the problem was, the timing belt was totally stripped it did not break. At that stage, I asked if the valves also got bent but they assured me nothing has happened to the valves. I contacted Lexus in Cape Town and they said that the valves will be damaged also so I have to replace them also. MosselBay Toyota replaced the belt and assembly but could not replace the valves because they did not have the correct tools to do the job.

I then asked if they could tow the car to George so they could replace the valves but Mosselbay said they could not and that's my concern not theirs. I paid Mosselbay Toyota R2000.00 for the work they have done and hired a trailer and towed my own car 50kms to George. Loerie Toyota in George charged me R22000.00 to replace the 24 valves and complete the work started by Mosselbay Toyota.

I don't know if Loerie Toyota replaced all the valves with new ones because they did not produce the old ones when they completed the repairs nor do I think they had the head skimmed to compensate for more compression in the engine. After about 6 months, I noticed that the engine is using oil; I contacted Toyota and told them about the oil usage. Toyota then told me there was some lubricant used with the oil that formed a layer thus preventing seals from sealing correctly.

My question is why did they not clean this off the engine when they replaced the valves if they knew it's going to prevent the seals from sealing correctly and cause the engine to use oil. This repair was done in 2008. Last week, I was driving home from George to Mosselbay and the engine was fine. The next morning when I started the car to go to work, I noticed that it was missing and a strange tapping sound from the throttle body. At first I thought it was the tappets or a spark plug. When I removed the filter, the butterfly valve in the throttle body was making that tapping noise.

I went to Mosselbay Toyota so they could diagnose the problem but they could not determine it with their electronic diagnostic device. Their mechanic then took off the filter and pulled out the spark plugs wires one by one while the car was running. He then established that the fuel injectors were faulty. I bought fuel injector cleaner and added it to the fuel and they told me to drive it and keep the revs high to clean the injectors, but it did not work. MosselBay Toyota assured me nothing will happen to the engine if I should drive it to George.

I was reluctant to drive to George because of the damage and amount I had to pay to repair my car the first time. Once in George, the mechanic opened the engine and found that the alves in one of the cylinders are in the stage of becoming damaged. This is going to set me back another R10 000.00 to repair the damage on the engine this time .I am very disappointed in the workmanship done by both Mosselbay and Loerie Toyota in George, South Africa. Their lack of quality workmanship is costing me lots of money and my dream car is becoming a financial burden.

I hate to part with my dream but if this lack of workmanship continues, I have to sell. This is not acceptable paying R34000.00 in 2 years on poor workmanship. During the same time services has been performed on my car, this tells me I have been deceived in thinking a service are being performed. So due to their knowing the problem would arise why didn't they do anything about it . Surely if they have done their job correctly, none of this would have happened again. I need some intervention in this matter from Lexus Head Office or Toyota Head Office. Please I do not want to part with my dream car. Please forward to the correct office. I need your help urgently. I have to arrange transport from and to work. This is a financial strain on myself and family.

I have a Lexus ES330 five and a half years old. Since the last few years, the car has had transmission problems like sudden jerks when I accelerate or slow down. I have been getting my car serviced from the dealership from day one and have done every thing whatever has been recommended as per the servicing advisor. When I told the servicing advisor a few years ago about the transmission problems I have been having, he asked me if I could duplicate the problem for them to see I did not take any action as the problem was intermittent. Since the last six months, the transmission problem has reached a point that I am now able to duplicate it any time.

In July, when I took the car for service, Erin Park Lexus dealership confirmed that there is a serious problem with the transmission. The warranty on the transmission is 6 years or 110,000 km. The car is still under 6 years but now the mileage is 150,000. The service manager, Jonathan, first did not return my call on two occasions and when I complained to Lexus Canada, he called me with an offer made by Lexus Canada Head Office which was that they would contribute $1,500 towards the cost of transmission change which was $5500. I found the offer totally unacceptable so I decided to shop around. I called an auto repair shop in Oakville that specializes in luxury cars and I was shocked to learn that the cost of the transmission repair was $3800.

So Lexus Canada was being very sneaky about the whole thing by making a ridiculous offer at highly inflated prices. One can definitely learn how not to give good customer service from Lexus Canada. I called Lexus Canada again last week and this morning from a member of the review team from Toyota Canada called me to say that they were not willing to do anything else and I could take or leave their offer.

I find their offer and attitude very insulting as I have performed every repair so far whatever was recommended by the dealership just for this reason that I did not want to incur the cost of a major repair less than six years since I bought the car. One thing is certain, Lexus Canada has lost me as a customer forever and I will caution everyone who is intending to purchase a Lexus about the level of service they will receive when they have a problem with their vehicle. It seems that Lexus or Toyota still haven't learned any lesson from the recent problems they had due to hiding pertinent information from their clients. I am a very disappointed Lexus/Toyota EX customer.

We have a 2005 SUV 300 Champaign Lexus. We are retired and for all the cars we have owned, this is the most comfortable. We went to get our inspection and the right front head light did not pass inspection. We thought it would be a simple exchange of bulbs. The Toyota's quote was $1600 to replace the unit. We took it to a young man who works on foreign cars. He was hoping to only replace the bulb, but discovered the whole computer was damaged. He replaced it at a cost of $1400. His labor was just not as expensive as the dealership. Now, we are concerned this will happen to the other light. Should we sell and buy a new car which would not be a Lexus? On a retirement income, we cannot afford to have such repair costs. I thank you for listening and I hope that something can be done for faithful clients of your product.

We recently bought a 2010 Lexus GX 460 from Stevinson Lexus in Colorado. Recently, the car has developed a serious stalling problem when accelerating from a stop. We took the car to Larry H Miller Lexus in Murray, Utah. They told us that they were very familiar with the problem. It is a known problem to the model but Lexus doesn't have a fix. They admitted that it was a very dangerous problem and offered us a loaner while the matter was resolved. They said they had a number of customers that had the same problem and they also were in loaners. Lexus Corporate got involved and admitted they were working on a fix. They confirmed that NHTSA was aware of the problem. Lexus claimed the car was safe and demanded that I return the loaner. I am pursuing a lemon law claim.

I have been a loyal Toyota Motors customer for many years. I have been very satisfied with all of the Toyota's that I have owned. I traded in a Toyota when I purchased my new 2010 Lexus RX with a navigation system. The first time I used the system to navigate to my home from the dealership, I was shocked to find that the system was not able to provide guidance to my home. The database in the system only navigates using a few main roads near where I live. None of the residential streets in my town are useable for navigation.

I drove several other cars before purchasing my Lexus and all of them were able to navigate to my home and other residential streets. I went back to Ford and Chevrolet to check for sure and both of their systems were able to navigate using all of the streets in my town. I have a small portable GPS and it will navigate to my home. It only costs a few hundred dollars and will navigate all over Europe and North America. The Lexus system costs many times that amount and it won't work as well. Lexus should be ashamed to offer such a poor product.

I've bought a Lexus G350, year 05/09. Initially, it is very comfort with the design and the power of the engine. Nevertheless, after few months, it became irritating as the desk board keeps making noise especially when passing by a cracked road. This gets worst during nighttime! Complaining and repairing tasks had been done several times, but still the same. I got very fed up and finally sold it. I wonder, how come this will happen as Lexus is always a comfort sedan car with very minimum sound.

My Lexus started burning oil and smoking at about 65,000 miles. I took it to a mechanic and told me that the motor needs replacement. These motors have a problem with them. I expected to drive my Lexus for at least 300,000 miles.

I purchased a pre-owned Lexus RX300 back in Oct. 2009. It is a 2002 with 57,000 miles on it. I had the car checked out by a mechanic prior to purchasing it and everything looked fine. Soon after I bought the car the oil light came on, I took it back to my mechanic and he stated that there was no oil in the reserve tank. I was in shock because I had just had to oil changed and the car was not due for another oil change for about 1500 miles. My mechanic checked for leaks etc and found nothing.

I had the oil change redone and the same thing happened and could of months later, no oil in the tank! My mechanic is telling me that I may have to replace the engine if the 'rings' are bad, he indicated that there is no 'test' to see if the rings are bad but since there is no leak and no smoke that most likely the problem is the rings which is a $5,000 plus repair. I wrote to Lexus and called them and they don't even respond. I don't believe that an engine that has less than 60,000 miles on it should need replacing and there is a defect somewhere and Lexus should help with this repair. Unfortunately I cannot get them to respond to my requests! Can anyone help with this?

2004 Lexus Rx330 - the steering wheel and ignition lock up when the car is put in park. I called Lexus roadside assistance the first couple of times and they said to jiggle the wheel back and forth while turning the key in the ignition and with your foot on the brake. This only works some of the time, for the most part you have to sit and keep trying until it works. Sometimes that can be a few minutes or an hour, so you are stranded until the car decides to start.

At one point, Lexus roadside assistance told me that my key may have been cut wrong, so I should go to the dealer and have them make a new key. In my desperation, I spent the $100 and had a new key made only to experience the same problem. I called the dealer to let them know how frustrated I was and they said no one else has this issue. I really find that hard to believe since the roadside assistance people seem to be very familiar with this type of complaint. There definitely needs to be some sort of fix put in place for this.

2002 Lexus RX 300. 84,000 miles. Good maintenance. Needs a new engine. Blows smoke. Engine oil gelled. Lexus says they will discount the $9000 repair to only $4500. My mechanic says according to their estimate, all they planned to do was remove the oil pan and clean out the engine oil. For $9000. I have seen posts for others who said the problem came back within three months after paying the extortion fee. This is a major problem with many Toyata products. All they care about is their reputation.

While backing out of our garage, my wife experienced a brake failure in our 2008 Lexus GX470. As the car slowly crept toward our retaining wall, she opened the door, and put her foot down to try and stop the car. The result was $4,000 in damage, and an unsafe car. After holding the car hostage for 70 days, Lexus finally sent us a two paragraph form letter that our car is fine.

2005 Lexus RX330 steering wheel and ignition lock up when in park not always, but if any pressure is put on the steering wheel after the car has been put in park. The dealer says to jiggle the wheel back and forth while trying to turn the key. Sometimes this works, sometimes the car must be towed. When I asked the dealer if there is a more permanent fix other than remembering not to put any presure on the wheel after the car has been put in park and the keys removed, or trying to jiggle the wheel while turning the key, he said there was no permanent fix, that it is a design flaw. potentially could get stranded and unable to unlock steering wheel and ignition.

My ES330 has 2 problems that have been looked at by the dealer 2 times with no correction. One problem is the headlights have condensation in them after being washed and they are very discolored. We were told on both trips to the dealer that this was a recall issue and they would be replaced. Both times they simply cleaned the discoloration and said they could not reproduce the problem so they would not replace the headlights. The second problem is the mirror feature that lowers the mirror when the car is in reverse. The problem is that the mirrors do not go back to the normal position and you need to get out of the car and manually adjust them. This is a major safety issue and all we were told is "they could not reproduce the problem"

In December of 2009, my 1999 Lexus RX 300 required an engine at only 140,000 miles. The engine was replaced with a used engine with 70,000 miles. Per Lexus and the mechanic who replaced the engine, both stated the engine had oil. However, it was not "shooting" to the engine properly. My car has never missed a service, including an oil change. My engine replacement cost $4500 of which my college tuition was used to pay for the repairs. I am still in search of a PT job to replenish my losses and dues owed to Strayer University.

My 2003 Lexus ES was in a right side front end accident on March 18, 2010. After the accident, the engine light came on. Now, I am fighting with my insurance company because Lexus is telling me I need a new engine because of sludge build up and my insurance company is saying this is not accident-related. The service advisor said that this buildup comes from poor maintenance, where I have proof that I have been getting regular maintenance. After doing research, I found that this is a known issue with the Lexus 1999-2002 models.

It was determined that the engine in my RX 350 was in need of being to replaced, due to sludge buildup after only 65k miles. After 30 days of back and forth with Corporate and dealerships, we reached an agreement that they would install a new engine and we would only pay for labor charges. We picked up the car and found out they had only replaced half of the engine (short block) instead of he Long Block and that the smoking problem was still there and maybe even more pronounced (think of James Bond laying down a smoke screen to his pursuers).

The Service Manager and Technician told us that a Long Block new engine did not exist and therefore they could not order one. I called another dealer and within 5 minutes got the part number, price and availability. They acted surprised and said they would have to look into this. In the meantime, I got a call from them yesterday and they said they found the problem to be the PCV valve and once they replaced that the engine no longer smoked. My question is would that have fixed the problem with the old engine as well and not cost be $5000.

They had no answer. We had 3 separate diagnostics tests done at Lexus dealerships for $110 each and none revealed this problem. I feel Lexus has lied and misled me and now I am out the $5000, did not get what they agreed to, and probably could have had the issue fixed for less than $100 if they had been honest and competent in their initial review of the issue.

On April 10, 2010, I was driving my Lexus Es350 when I experience a sudden unintended acceleration. I was coming from a dead stop out of a toll both when the accelerator went from 20 to 80. I applied a hard brake down to the floor. The vehicle traveled at 80 would ladder back to 60 and kept doing that until the car finally, on its own, glided to a stop.

Lexus after inspecting the vehicle has deemed it "operating as designed" and said it is safe to drive. I will not drive it and it remains, at this time, at the dealership where it was towed.

On May 11th 2007, we bought a Lexus RX350 2008, crystal white from Lexus of Orland Park Ill. Before the car was a year old, it had rail dust all over it and we are still dealing with the rail dust problem. We have never seen rail dust on a car and have owned several white cars. I take care of my car and wash it once a week and service when it is time at Lexus of Orland Park. Paying $50,000 for a car, number one car, I do not understand why it is not under warranty or Lexus dealership or headquarters will not take care of the rail dust.

There are other owners of Lexus RX350 in our neighbor who also have rail dust. I was told by a service person, who works for Lexus of Orland, that when the RX350 2010 came in, it had rail dust and the dealership cleaned it up and put them on the lot to sell.

I guess that was done with the Lexus RX350 2008 and 2009. Lexus took care of my rail dust twice because I was persistent. Lexus said that they would not do anything again after that. Because I have been calling in the last couple of weeks, they reviewed my case again and nothing will be done. Keith, the service manager of Lexus of Orland Park, will not touch my car. He did say that he would give me top dollar for the car if I traded it in on a new Lexus RX350 because it was in such good condition and well taken care of even though it has rail dust. Why would I do this and have the same problem with a new car knowing what I know. All I am asking is that Lexus take care of the problem while I own the car.

I am putting out $109 every 4 to 6 months to take care of the problem. Lexus Headquarters gave us a $400 letter of credit to be used at the dealership only to buy me off. I am very disappointed in the way Lexus take care of their customers. I guess the bottom line is profit and who cares about the customer and standing behind their product.

We saved up our money to buy this number 1 car. We are both retired and we feel this is not fair to make us take care of the problem on our own and at our cost and having to go elsewhere. We have been very loyal to Lexus of Orland having everything done at the dealership. We are paying for the rail dust to be taken care of out of our pocket. The rail dust just keeps coming back.

Latent defects and non availability of spares GS300SE 2008 model. I am waiting since February 2010 for a left hand mirror and to date still no spares. The dash board has moved for the third time and Lexus South Africa is now awaiting Japan to assist. This is also since February 2010 and the drivers door does not close properly.

The gear box hunts and knocks but Lexus South Africa states that this is fine. No answers are forth coming from Lexus South Africa and I cannot even sell this vehicle with 34,000 kilometers on the clock as the price offered is simply outrageous. This is my second Lexus and the last I will purchase and I will never recommend and other person/s purchase a Lexus as they do not listen to their customers. They only want their money and there is no after sales service, spares and one is plagued by latent defects. Driving a vehicle that is not road worthy is not correct as per law.

The engine was damaged beyond repair according to the local Lexus dealer. The vehicle was always serviced by them (2001 rx300). I contacted Lexus corporate. They originally said they couldn't help me after 140,000 miles. Ultimately, they replaced at their expense, except for a $300 part.

There is an apparent design flaw with the LS460 models. I have been experiencing transmission problems with my vehicle and have taken it in many times. Recently, the vehicle speed during deceleration, as in coasting before applying brakes, will stick between 23 to 27 miles per hour with your foot off the brake pedal. This problem is constant at lower speeds, but it will sometimes occur at 37mph.

The Lexus field rep reported that the "vehicle is within normal operating guidelines" and that there is nothing wrong with the vehicle. I have never owned a vehicle that when you begin to coast will hold a vehicle speed as you are decelerating with your foot off the brake. This is not a model that has been affected by the pedal/floor mat issue. I have video of the vehicle during these moments while your foot is off the gas pedal.

Ever since I have purchased my pre-certified Lexus in May 2003, I have had issues with all my rims leaking, and causing air to leak out of my tires every couple months. I took it to the Lexus repair shop in the beginning, when it started, and I had to go back three more times, until they fixed the problem, which was to replace the two rims leaking on my car, after owning it only for two years. Two years later, the same thing has happened. Now, they are not helping me out, since the warranty is expired, according to the Lexus National Office.

I bought a Lexus, thinking I would never have to put air in my tires every 6 months, but unfortunately they don't seem to stand by their customer service satisfaction policy. What an experience to go through. I don't wish this on anyone. It's tiring bringing your car back 10 times for the same issue, when they should have replaced all of the chrome rims from the very beginning, and placed rims on my car that are going to last.

My Lexus RX330 started smoking and abruptly stopped leaving me stranded in sub zero weather at night with my ten year old. Although the car was found to have a leak in the oil hose and a cracked radiator, Lexus is refusing to cover it despite my extended warranty. I would never recommend Lexus to anyone.

On February 26, 2010 my wife (driver) and I were going to San Juan Batista in our 2003 LS430 Lexus. We exited 101 at Hwy 156. She was already braking to exit and preparing to make a right turn at the first signal which was red. I was driving East on Hwy 156 approaching a traffic signal that was red where I intended to make a right turn. I applied the brakes and was traveling 10 to 15 mph when the car spontaneously accelerated at very high speed. I shifted into park and turned off the ignition while braking as hard as I could. The car continued approximately mile when everything shut down. I couldn't even activate the emergency flashers. I told the dealer we would not drive the car until you find the problem and fix it. They could not find problem and told me to pick it up. I said I will not drive vehicle until you fix it. So rather than send a driver they had it towed.

My wife's 2001 Lexus es300 3.0 was making noise when my son was driving it and it stopped running. This was just after the new year 2010. Had it towed to my garage and started taking it apart because of lack of oil the cam had snapped into. The inside of the head looked like the oil had never bin changed. The oil passages were plugged not allowing oil to get to the front of the cam. I found a used head with cams and replaced it.

To make long story short, I was only able to work on this one day a week maybe, found front head the same way and the oil pan and pickup coated with sludge. Cleaned, flushed engine and still has nasty knocking and not drive-able. I did not know about Toyota engine sludge problem until I started researching. Am I s.o.l. on engine fix or replacement. Who do I contact? What do I do? Please help! Car has 136,000 miles and I changed oil myself every 3000 and always have on all my vehicles and no I do not keep receipts for oil changes.I now have more money in it than I can afford. I'm unemployed. Again, please help.

On a few occasions, my car has accelerated with either my car being in park or twice on the freeway while driving. It was an instant acceleration then went back to normal. I didn't think much of it at the time, just a glitch maybe. But now with all the awareness of the car problems with Toyota, this made me realize this is a scary and potentially dangerous situation for me driving this vehicle. Is it safe? There is no damage at this time. I'm just worried that this may happen eventually and at that point it will be too late.

My 2002 Lexus ES 300 without provocation took off while in my drive way on placing it into drive, shift lock locked, tore down my garage door and damaged the interior of my home. I have attempted to resolve this matter with the subject parties. As of now, I am just being stalled while I have lost my investment in that I paid cash for this vehicle using my entire savings and settlement from the VA. I am a disabled veteran on modest income, so I can not afford to pay for my garage to be fixed. I just asked them to help in repairing my garage and replace my vehicle with a similar like, fixed version which is not asking for more than I lost.

In December 2007, I was driving a 1994 Lexus LS400 that accelerated to the point where the car flipped somewhere between 5 to 7 times. I eased down on the brakes because it was raining. I could not just slam on the brakes. The car just kept on flipping and flipping. It flipped so many times that I just started praying because I didn't know when it would end. I just said what I thought would be my last prayer and that God would take care of my husband and son. I told the police officer that the car seemed to have a mind of its own and accelerated on its own. I purchased the car from a private owner, not a dealership.

Sadly, Lexus management is useless, patronizing, and they commit you to an endless loop of useless conversation without results. I had a problem that they could not fix. When they realized they could not fix it, the powers at the top decided that it was not a problem, meaning the malfunction was normal. It is not. This came out at an arbitration. In my humble opinion, they did a fine job of defending their position, including being questionably honest with the arbitrators. No matter. I will live with the fault.

I now know what I needed to know and this will guide me in selecting my next car, my recommendation to others for purchasing cars. Based on what I have experienced and what I/we all know about Toyota, I would never recommend supporting this company in the future. Look elsewhere. Very sad. I only say to the management (not the dealer where the service and attitude is impeccable), "shame on you." You wrote me off, so I'm writing you off. Note that the arbitrators' decision did state that there is a fault. All I ever asked is for Lexus to fix it. They not only did not fix it, they decided that there was no problem. Clearly, the arbitrators saw this. Their exact words: "... we find that while a defect exists, the claimed malfunction does not materially impair the use, value, or safety of the vehicle."

I purchased a white 2007 Lexus GS350 brand new. Since the first day I own this car, it makes a squeaky noise most of time when I step on the break. I took it to the authorized dealer in Queens, New York to fix the problem. They told me it is normal for a new car and it will get better. It is so embarrassing to drive a luxurious car and make everyone looking because the noise it makes. I took it to another authorized dealer in Long Island. They also did not do anything to repair it, because it is "normal for a new car". As it today, 3 years later, my car is still making the same noise and embarrassment.

Also, the gas pump door was unable to close about the second year I purchased the car. I took it to the Long Island authorized dealer. They told me there was a problem with the spring and they will replace for free. When they return the car to me, the door for the gas pump was in different shade of white compare to rest of the car. I told them the problem but they said that they had to change the door in order to replace the spring. I do not understand and cannot accept their reply. I want the replaced part to be the same color as rest of my car. Is that too much to ask? I am very disappointed with my experience with this car and the service it provided.

Piston slap in 2007 ES350. I have complained about it since early '08. It gets worse every winter. Dealer keeps telling me is normal. We all know it is not. It is so bad I can hear it over the radio. It stops after a couple of miles, but for the first couple miles it sounds like a diesel. I have spent the last 3 days looking through the internet and there are lots of hits on Lexus Piston Slap. Most say the same thing that the dealers turn a deaf ear hoping the problem goes away. Although, I did see a post that indicated that some dealers have stepped up and addressed the problem. Are there any class action suits out there for this?

I have a Lexus '07 IS250. A few months ago, while waiting at a red light, my RPM's dropped to almost 0 and my car started shaking like it was going to cut off. The same thing happened a few weeks later and has since happened a total of 8 times. I have taken the car to the dealer twice, and they have found nothing wrong.

My dealership is pretty clueless, and although I will admit I've had a quite a bit of warranty work done, I almost always have to diagnose myself. I have a 1-year-old daughter, and I am actually concerned for both of our safety if and when this car simply decides to just cut off, especially if I am stopped at a busy intersection. No damage as of yet, but I am certain that this will be a costly fix when it is actually diagnosed. As of now, it seems my car will have to stop working for Lexus to fix the problem.

I purchased my new 2007 Lexus SC430 in October 2007. After one month, it would not start. I called Lexus Headquarters and was told the car must be driven more or to purchase an on board battery charger and keep it plugged in to a 110 volt receptacle. I could not believe this. I cannot drive the car to an airport and fly to Europe and stay gone over 5 or 6 days without begging for a jump start upon returning. Now I find out there is an override problem with the Navigation System. When Lexus is contacted about either of these problems, they act like (at first). They have never heard of either problem. So far I have replaced three batteries and my Navigation System still does not work properly.

I was never told there was a problem with the battery maintaining a charge nor that the Navigation System had numerous problems. The internet is full of dissatisfied Lexus customers concerning both issues. The battery problem has been ongoing since 2003 and the Navigation problem since 2007. Researching and living with these problem is very time consuming and irritating, to say the least.

My Lexus is 300 and has engine sludge and I change my oil every 3.000 miles. I have records to prove it.

I purchased my 2002 Lexus RX300 brand new. The car has only 35000 miles and I have a problem with my transmission. I should not be having this kind of problem since my car is practically brand new. I called Lexus customer service and left a message, but never got a call back. I emailed and they responded that my warranty doesn't cover since it's over 5 years. The point is that my car has only 35,000 miles only, transmission should last up to 100,000 at least. I chose to purchase a Lexus believing the quality of the vehicle and its customer service. This will be the last time I'll purchase a Lexus.

There is something wrong with the braking system in my vehicle. I own a 2007 Lexus IS 250. At least every other day, the vehicle won't start unless I pump my brake pedal several times and press on the pedal very, very firmly. I don't know if it's faulty brake programming or what it is. When I try to start the car, all the lights come on, the headlights flicker, then it makes a clicking noise. I know that other Lexus owners have experienced this problem as well.

After pumping on the brake pedal several times and pressing on his really hard, then the car will eventually start. Sometimes this process takes 30 minutes, sometimes a few hours to just let the car sit, sometimes a few minutes. When I paid 30k + for a car, I expect it to work properly. With all the Toyota recalls going on out there, I was just wondering if this was one of the many problems yet to be recalled. Is there something I can do or someone I should contact to complain and get this fixed?

My wife and I purchased a 2001 RX Lexus, with 80,000. Having never had a Lexus before, we did not know the 'light roaring' sound was the transmission and 4wheel drive units going out at 80,000 miles. Well, the next time we leased. We will never buy again. These modern cars are not worth buying for me, too many problems. We bought Lexus thinking- easy 100,000 miles with only slight issues if any.

So we leased a 2009 Lexus RX 350. Lord, lord, like night and day. This one is made in Canada, the first big mistake. Build quality was nowhere close to Japan made one. The plastic piece on the seat fell off, broken. The dash board has warp it it, and it has cheap, cheap ugly and cramped interior. This thing has cost cutting written all over it. And the final kicker, at 5000 miles brand new, the engine began to get noisy.

Now at 26,000 miles, this engine sounds like it has 250,000 miles on it. It has little electrical gremlins in it, just broken enough to notice but like the wipers, they do not always wipe the same way, do not always wipe water, other times when there's no water they wipe. There have been a few times when the brakes needed harder pushing with foot than others, this is rare. I hate this thing, but what else is there to lease? It seems all these big car makers have a load of stuff we have to put up with. We will lease another Lexus, but the RX is not worth the money and appears to be so cheaply made. But at least they are dependable! Lexus RX line is not at all what it once was.

I have this car about a year having bought it used. There has been 2-3 occasions when I hit a pot hole or sudden bump and my brakes wouldn't work and it was a frightening experience. Although it is momentary, there is no control over the brakes.

In 2004 I had an accident with my Lexus SUV. When backing out of a parking lot, the floor mat got jammed onto the brake and caused the accident. My insurance went up because of this. At the time I thought my shoe got stuck but I knew something was wrong.

The sludge they say are in the engines of Lexus. They only go back 8 years. I can tell you that back in the day I bought a 1993 Lexus 300 ES and at only 50,000 miles. Everything went wrong with that car starting with the engine. I went through 3 engines and when I finally gave up on this car I traded it with only 100,000 miles on it. I never drove that much and I always changed the oil! My radio amp went all 4 window regulators. Every other part you can think of, radiators water pumps and alternators.

I believe that I had a Lexus Lemon. I let them know that and they ignored me. I heard that that year was a terrible car from car mechanics. I dumped so much money into one car that it was a total rip off that Lexus never helped me. I spent so many times on the side of the road and this was a Lexus. And so much money. The years of trouble with a car just seems so unfair. The kicker was I traded it in for a Toyota Camry now and I am going through all this recall! Why me? I feel like even a million dollars wouldn't be enough for my life of hell with this company! I must be out of my mind to buy these cars!

My RX 300 has an oil sludge in the engine due to poor engine design. I was not contacted about the problem. I'm unaware of the service bulletin, and I missed the 8-year deadline by a couple of months. Now, Lexus refuses to fully pay, though they did not contact me about this problem in a timely manner. I followed the appeal process to request reconsideration, but it didn't do any good.

Now, I'll have to pay several thousand dollars to get repair done. I chose to purchase a Lexus, believing they were providing me a quality vehicle. What a shame that it is all a big lie! That goes to show you that with Lexus, you don't get what you pay for!

There was condensation in both front headlights, which are expensive to replace. I believe it is a manufacturing defect. Consequence is $1600 for each side.

I ordered my GX 350 new in Jan. 2007. Since the first day, the windshield rattles and makes cracking noise. Lexus has issued a service order repair for this problem. I have had my car to Lexus 4 times to repair this defect. The last time they brought up the "specialists" from Illinois. When they finished, they told my wife that they couldn't hear any noise, but fixed it anyway. I was just back at Lexus 30 minutes ago, took the service manager, Keith, for a ride. He told me Lexus has done all it could and I should expect some noise when I drive.

I still have 13000 miles left on my warranty and they will do nothing. He asked what I expected and I said that the windshield and dash should be replaced and Lexus should stop "nickel and dime"-ing this situation and fix it right. He told me to contact Lexus. That's geat attitude from Lexus. Not only do they have Toyota accelerator problems they are hiding, but many other quality issues plague their autos.

My family has owned cars from Lexus since the first one came out in 1990 (a total of 4). While there have been some issues over the years, we will now never be purchasing one again. After an accident that left me with a spinal cord injury, I needed a car I could equip with hand controls. I tried to buy the first model of the RX that came out with knee air bags. I was sold the car and told that Lexus would reimburse me for the installation of the hand controls up to $1000.

When they brought it to the hand control installation company, the company informed them that due to the knee air bags they could not put in the hand controls until they were turned off by Lexus. This is because if the knee air bags were to be deployed, they would break the hand controls, break the legs of the driver, and leave me without control of the car. Lexus simply stated that since it was a new car, "the computer had not been tested after turning off the hand controls" and thus they could not turn off the knee air bag at that time but that they would work on it so that it could be done at a future date.

Flash forward approx 9 years, I just tried to buy the new RX. I told the dealership (the exact same one I worked with before) the old story and informed them that I needed them to make sure they could turn off the knee air bags. I then proceeded to get the runaround from both the dealer and corporate for over a month. Finally, I got hold of the secretary of the "customer service" representative who had said he would call me back two weeks before and informed me that Lexus would not turn off the knee air bags nor could they help me figure out how to do so. I could contact the highway and safety transit authority on my own (no number provided) if I so desired.

In the end, they purport to have a disability program for drivers to make their vehicles adaptive; however, they will provide no support in doing so if you want to be an independent driver. More than that, it took me over a month with multiple phone calls to numerous people to get the answer to a simple question which was asked over 9 years ago. They clearly do not care whatsoever about their disabled clientele. While we may be a minority of the market for them, it is irresponsible and disrespectful to ignore a question for over 9 years especially when they advertise themselves as a disabled-friendly company.

Since the purchase of the Lexus 2007 Rx 350, we have had issues with the headlight build up of excessive condensation that would last 7 days before it cleared up. We brought this attention to the service rep/advisor at the dealership where we purchased the vehicle. They told us it was normal. We disagreed and insisted it seemed unusual to have so much condensation inside the headlight. The advisor would further explain it is not a problem and move on.

We made at least 6 complaints during the past two years of this issue when we brought our vehicle to get serviced and every time we were told it was normal. Until recently, at about 57000 miles, it happened to rain 4 days prior which left a large amount of condensation on the headlights. Since I was very close to the dealership, I brought it in to show the service advisor. He admitted it was a defect and he realized he was wrong in telling us it was normal without checking it. Now it is past warranty and they want to bill us $2300.00 to fix it. I contacted Lexus Corporate and they basically want nothing to do with us and refused to do any repairs. The consequence is $2300.00 for a repair that should have been covered under warranty.

The cost of repair paid to Lexus, for headlight replacement is $1628.15, which is unfair since it is a manufacturing defect in the lens design, which caused condensation, and should be paid by Lexus. I will never ever buy a Lexus, or recommend it to anyone. I am trying to get a refund.

Warning to SUV consumers: Lexus RX 350 is mechanically unreliable with a loud squeaking/rattling of the cargo cover! I would like to share my horrible experiences with the Lexus RX 350 and expose the mechanically unreliable RX 350 to all potential SUV consumers!

I purchased my new RX 350 in September 2009 and the engine has stalled on me twice already and the cargo cover makes a very loud and annoying rattling/squeaking noise! Even a technician/mechanic (Chris) from Newport Lexus told me that the loud, rattling from the cargo cover is a factory defect that cannot be fixed. I will also share them to all the blogs online discussing Lexus vehicles, different vehicle websites (esp. Lexus' main competitors in the car market), consumer reporting agencies, BBB, and related state/federal agencies.

Consumers must be informed about the Lexus RX 350's unreliability. My horrible experiences with the Lexus staff and this mechanically unreliable RX 350 (VIN: 2T2ZK1BAXAC009899) has been the worst experience in my entire life! Other consumers need to know that Lexus' new motto is: "The relentless pursuit of troubleshooting a mechanically problematic Lexus vehicle", instead of their fake motto: "The Relentless Pursuit of Perfection..."

I purchased a new 2004 GX470 for $58,500 out the door in 10/2003. After 64K miles on it as of 1/2010, there was oil seepage. I am out of my warranty. The dealer and manufacturer will cover 50% of the cost $2100. My cost would be $1050. I found out Lexus knew about this design flaw in 2006 and corrected it in newer models 2005+. Lexus had issued a technical service bulletin specifying this transfer case leak in 2003 and 2004 models.

However, they refused to cover all cost of repair due to this design flaw (Transfer Case Leak--oil seepage). I feel like I bought an expensive lemon. The Lexus name is not as reliable as advertised. Their service is zero when you are out of warranty. I should have purchased a less expensive car and would not be shocked to see it break down after 64K miles on it!

On approx. Dec 5, 2009 my oil engine light came on in my 2001 Lexus LS430. I immediately put some oil in car, contacted Lexus dealer in Charlotte and took car into dealer to have looked at. After about 2 days talked to dealer and they said I have engine gelling and probably my fault as did not change oil. This is the one thing I do as I travel in sales and they said prove it and maybe just maybe they can get Lexus corporate to help in repairs/new car. Background on car is I bought this car certified new from dealer with 45,000 miles on car and now have 118,000 miles on car after approx 4 years. Certainly I have never heard of engine gelling etc etc.

After researching this I discovered Lexus has had major problems with engine gelling which is exact opposite reason why I bought used Lexus versus new car as reputation of Lexus. Dealer made me drive all over town to retrieve oil change records which I was able to come up with and then I delivered these to the dealer. Knowing that I was over 100,000 miles I knew they probably were going to say Sorry tough luck but then again Lexus makes everything right. Too my dismay they are no different then every used car lot and although you can get a fancy coffee at the dealership they DO NOT honor what is right. After about 2 weeks they said they can't help me and that my only feasible options in their opinion was to trade in for new car ($35,000 est after trade in) or replace engine from anywhere from $10,000 to $15,000. Wow I go from having a great Lexus to having a clunker LEMON and it was my fault until I showed oil changes and then it was somebodies fault but not theirs. They offered me no option to somehow clean engine gel and make somewhat right.

During the 2 weeks I was in limbo I was in contact with some independent repair shops. They informed me of the dirty little secret about engine gelling and the dealer/Lexus spin that was customers fault because of not changing oil. It is not your fault and Lexus/dealer are not owning up to their responsibility that they have a faulty engine in some of their cars. The myth of Lexus has forever been shattered in my opinion and what makes it worse they used this crisis to try and profit on me on new car or replacing engine. Make long story short I took to independent shop and they cleaned out sump pan (oil pan under engine) and oil pump screen and I have been fine. Total cost $450. The oil pump screen had to be cleaned as engine gels on this and oil can't get to engine. Anyhow priceless - need new car or $15,000 new engine to $450 repair albeit I do have a lemon. Buyer beware with Lexus!

Lexus 2000 RX300 - Engine Sludge; I have brought my Rx300 for every required service. The last one was this past September for the big and expensive 95K service. Soon after my oil light started flashing. I brought the car back and they told me there was sludge on the engine and for just under $400.00 they cleaned it up and told me to bring back at 2500 miles, but it's just under that now and the oil light is flashing again. I had contacted both the Service Manager at IRA Lexus, as well as Lexus of America, who admitted to the class action suit, but said it didn't apply to me. Can someone help me? I shouldn't have to pay for this? We have averaged less than 20K miles per year and have had regular oil changes and required service visits and never received notification regarding the issues surrounding this. Apparently this has happened to over 3400 other folks.

I purchased a "certified" Lexus at Lexus of Palm Beach 12/08. Within the year I have had numerous problems that should have been taken care of during the inspection or certification. The radio got hot after 10 minutes of driving, the AC unit had to be replaced, wires were left exposed that set the indicator lights off whenever it felt like it and the new tires were subpar. I purchased a "certified" Lexus. The tires should be on a 1974 Deawoo.

Another Lexus dealership that serviced my car, explained what they do for certified cars.and they did the minimum. Lexus of Palm Beach did below the minimum. I think they went to the ford dealership and borrowed there parts and tires and installed it on my car. No Joke! 12/09. I have spent money trying to correct the problem.

to make the story short (I have supporting docs. re maintenance), my 2001 Lexus RX300 4x2 lost oil pressure AFTER I have it serviced for an oil change. This is exactly the same problem on numerous COMPLAINTS I have found in my search for the Lexus Hq. It is about time for LEXUS to address this problem and help customers.

A while back I noticed water on the back floor of my 2006 Lexus IS 250. I assumed my wife left a window open. I dried it thoroughly. I noticed it again a while later and dried it again. I finally realized the water was coming from somewhere else after it accumulated again after a period of no rain.

I realized it was coming from the AC system that has a clogged drain. I don't park under trees or drive on dirty roads. Lexus confirmed this and because my car now has 2,200 miles past the 50k mile warranty they refuse to cover the repair except for 50% of a $830 repair to remove the dash and install larger drains.

This is a clear design flaw that they will not stand up for because I'm slightly out of warranty. The problem was first detected but the cause not identified during warranty coverage so they refuse to back up their product. They know they have a design problem with these drains. I have to pay $415 to have the dash removed, larger drains installed and the carpet removed and cleaned.

On September 19, 2009, I was turning into a parking space in a pharmacy parking lot when the engine revved up and there was an accident. I had been going slow and as I turned into the parking space, I didn't have my foot on the gas as with most automatic, the car will creep enough to move the car into place with no further application of gas. My foot was just on the brake lightly, ready to completely apply it when I was in the parking space.

However, all of a sudden, the engine revved up and raced like I've never heard. Have no idea how many RPMs were turning but it must have been a lot to have the engine rev that high. Well, since it was in drive (even though my foot was not on the gas)it ran into the sign at the front of the parking space which immediately caused the air bags to deploy. This causes complete inability of to respond and think for a time. (Try it if you don't believe me.) Thus the car went over a concrete barrier, flattened the sign, and stopped in the side of the pharmacy. I was the only one involved and to date, the injuries were minor.

The car was actually drivable afterwards, but was still towed away due to the inflated air bags. I have a police report, photos, etc. The pharmacy claims I went through the brick facade and hit the inside wall of their building. Not true or even possible as the pictures will verify. Bricks would have had to be gone for the front of my car to penetrate the width of the front end of my car. The photos it just didn't happen. It only damaged (not crushed) one headlight. The other was fine. Hard to do if you penetrate a brick wall. The cement barrior helped keep the car from going in further.

My injuries were minor initially but am still being tested for some complications. Slamming me back into the seat by the seat belt and air bags puts a lot of force on one's body. The big expense in the repairs was the air bag replacemnt. The front bumper, front grille, hood painting, as well as fixing a small problem with the air conditioner line that received a hole when I went over the sign.

So there was the cost of repairs form the accident, my deductible, the need to repair this revving engine problems, and the strain on myself, both physical and mentally. I'm always nervous driving that car now. Lexus has been hiding this problem for years and people have died. That is not excusable. I've also contacted the Attorney General of MN and the MN Department of Commerce. Will look for others for help, too.

I had less than 100 miles on my rx350 and the tire came off the rim. It was not covered. it cost me 450

My car has had 4 recalls and 3 of the times that I have had my car serviced was dealing with the brakes. I have been given the runaround via the Lexus Dealership and Headquarters. My car only has 21K miles on it and the brakes are messed up again. I am furious that my car sounds like I put my brakes on myself. I am being told to deal with it. I would love to be contacted by a lawyer in this matter.

My Lexus 2001 RX 300 was recently serviced for an oil change at Bison Automotive in Buffalo NY. A week after the oil light went on while driving out of town. I pulled over on the interstate and called the mechanics. They said to have my car towed to their shop. I had the car towed costing 127.00. After inspecting the car, the mechanic told me that I had sludge which damaged my engine and I will need to replace the engine. I called the Lexus customer service and told me I would have to bring my car to the dealer ship and have them assess it before they can out of "good will" determine if they can help me with any type of assistance. I also need to bring proof of my oil changes to ensure that i did properly maintained my vehicle. There was no guarantee given to me about at least not charging me for another diagonsitc done on my car to tell me what I already know. I was not prepared to have an engine replaced on my Lexus. I still have to decide if I am going to tow my car to the dealership to pay more money out than I would if my mechanic did the work.

We have a Lexus 2000 RX300 someone told us of this motor slodge and it was confirmed when we had our oil changed it was sludge We had a transmission pot in 2 moths ago not it died and the shop confirmed the motror was bad. $3500 for a used one!! we still owe $3000 on the transmission. Where can I get some help with this??

I have a huge crack down the base of my dashboard on the passenger side airbag just about the glove compartment. Car is in excellent condition and it kept in a garage. Researching the internet... seems to be VERY common. Lexus GX 470. "2003" model to "2005" models.

Lexus says they will not replace even though they have replaced many already.

My problems with Lexus started less than 6 months after I bought my 2006 Lexus RX330. Within those 6 months my transmission was completely shot. With this car, Lexus was actually cooperative- because my car was still under a one year warranty, I was allowed to reselect a new car. By the time this happened though, the dealer had already sold off all of their 2006 model vehicles and were now selling 2007s (however they had stopped selling the RX330 altogether, go figure.)

I chose to replace my 330 with the RX 400H. From the get-go, that car burned oil like it was nobody's business, and I had to keep getting it serviced. In spite of that, I still kept the car for a couple of years. It was the next problem that did me in. I was driving down the freeway doing about 80 kph/50 mph, and I hit a pothole. Next thing I know, my driver's side airbag deploys, and I'm swerving all over the place because I never expected it to happen. Somehow I managed to pull over to the side of the road to see what happened. I get out of my car (in agony, as I'd later learn that the airbag fractured my vertebrae), and I can't find any external damage to the car.

So anyways, I bring my car to the Lexus service centre, and the tech says it'll cost me $3273 and change to replace the airbag and fix parts of my dashboard that were damaged as a result of the deployment. I tell him that my car should still be covered under the 5 year extended warranty, and that Lexus should have to pick up part of the tab because the air bag deployed FOR NO REASON. He tells me to take it up with the head office- which is what I do. And you know what that a*hole manager says to me, "We've never had an issue with our airbags before- you probably just don't know how to drive an SUV like this", and he pretty much tells me to stop being such a pain! He fails to realize that I COULD HAVE KILLED SOMEONE because of something that was entirely out of my control (I had my car serviced more than routinely, so I'm kind of astounded no one ever told me about the potential risk of a faulty air bag.)

In the end I managed to get the car fixed- a colleague of mine had a relative who was a licensed mechanic/body shop tech who had extensive experience servicing Lexus cars, and he offered to fix my car for less than half the price Lexus quoted. The car was restored to immaculate condition (even better than when I purchased it from the dealer when it was brand spankin' new), and I was able to re-sell it. I am now the proud owner of a BMW, and I haven't had any car problems since.

My problem is similar to Iana in Boise and Margret in Downingtown PA. I purchased a 2002 Lexus ES300 used with 104000 miles on the car. After a couple of weeks I noticed puffs of smoke and low oil level on the dip stick. During a 1500 mile road trip I was adding a quart of oil every time I filled in gas. When I called the Lexus dealer they told me the previous owner had brought it in for oil consumption. They had pulled the valve covers and determined it was not a sludge problem. I went back to the used car dealer from whom I had purchased the car. So far I have not had any success in getting them to return my money or fix the car. I have also come across the lawsuit about oil sludge/ oil consumption. It seems Lexus can easily deny that it is their problem. My question is what else could be causing these expensive engines to fail if it is not a bad design. I think Lexus/Toyota is not living up to their responsibilities.

Signed 48 month lease with Lexus Financial Services dated 2 June 2006.I signed because they offered 39 month return of vehicle no charge if mileage pro rate(2000 per month) and car not accidented.Clause added to contract by hand and signed by and in presence of sales director. Upon competion of 39 months went to return vehicle and pick up new one and was told that they are not respecting contract. Upon further prodding was threatened that if i complained they would say contract was forged. I contacted my lawyer and sent lawyers letter which up to now has gone unanswered.

My circumstances are very similar to Margaret in PA's experience. We bought our 2001 Lexus after much research. Shortly afterwards (two months) without any warning, the oil was gone, and then the car started smoking. Our mechanic said it needed a new motor. I accidentally found out about the class-action lawsuit and called Lexus. They instructed us to go to our local dealer and said we needed to prove that the oil had been changed regularly. We did not own the car so we have no proof and does not show up on car fax. Our local Lexus dealer inspected the car and said it is not sludge.

I was told it most likely is a failed ring, but am having an independent expert looking at it tomorrow. I feel the same as Margaret, as I was told by another mechanic that the dealership mechanics do not want this work, as they get nothing for it, like they do for work brought in and paid for by customers.

Seems like the engine may not only have sludge - but other problems as well.

My 2002 Lexus RX 300 has 100k miles on it and has never given me any problems. However, in the past month, I have had to add 6 quarts of oil (2 at a time) to my car. There is no leak and I had just had my oil changed 10 days prior to this 1st incident. I have documentation proving that I have my oil changed, etc. well within the Lexus guidelines. Concerned about the need to add oil, I took my car in to my mechanic.

They said that there was evidence of sludge build up which was causing the oil to leak into the gas tank. There was nothing they could do to fix my motor, I needed a new engine at a cost of $8700!

So, my husband looked this oil problem up online and found this consumer affairs website documenting a class action lawsuit against Toyota for similar circumstances. We then called Lexus of Chester Springs and asked them about the law suit...they said they had never heard of this before. (really?) They directed me to Lexus corp. who were all very pleasant and cooperative. They asked me to provide proof of ownership and maintenance, vin #, registration...which I did.

I asked Ritchie at Lexus corp, assuming they would replace my engine, would they replace it with the same motor (in which case I would have to deal with this problem again). He said "no" we have identified and corrected the problem, and unless I was to purchase a used motor from someone, I would not have this problem again. I then asked him HOW a motor defect can cause sludge build up. He told me that it was a maintenance issue...some people don't change their oil until it's been 10-20k miles. I asked him how it happened to me, then, since I have been properly maintaining my engine. He said he didn't know.

But my question is...why would Toyota agree to give a new engine to people that just didn't bother to get their oil changed? AND why would they re-design the motor if what he was saying...that it was a maintainence issue...was true? I dropped my car off at Lexus of Chester Springs last night...I just got the call...there is no sludge problem in my car. In fact, my engine is so clean, it looks like someone wiped it clean.

The car is still in the shop and they are not closing it up until we say so...we are paying our mechanic to deal with them now...since he understands what they are saying and we don't. Everyone (on this website and the sites my mechanic read) says the dealers deny it...I don't want to assume they are lying to me...but I don't want to walk away b/c they tell me to only to find out I was duped. Not sure what to do next! My car, with 100k miles on it is worth nothing unless I spend $9000 for a new motor. My mechanic says it appears to be related to the Toyota defect, Lexus denies the problem.

We have had our Lexus GX-470 for 6 years (2003) and have been generally happy with its performance. Yesterday, as my wife was driving down the road with our 6 year old twins, the car veered sharply to the right and she lost control. Fortunately she was not on the expressway and simply stopped in her lane. The problem was a broken tie rod. The dealer said that this failure occurred because of Michigan's poor roads. Keep in mind that this vehicle is equipped with a 'downhill' feature and has been rated higher than the Land Rover for cross country travel. If that's the case, why would it be so sensitive to paved road conditions? It should have been able to withstand the 'abuses' in Michigan. It is a heavy, strong vehicle. I've had approximately 30 cars in my lifetime and this is the first one that had a broken tie rod. Go figure!

Just bought an rx 350 (6-30-2009). NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER buy any lexus. An advise for those who are still debating. It's a franchise that won't stand behind their products. An corporation that wil to lie ( straight up lies)to you to trick you in buying their cars. An irresresponsible service department system

Our 2005 Lexus RX330, manufactured in Canada, has a problem with the front passenger headlight assembly - anytime it rains, water gets into the light assembly and fills with condensation - i understand that there is a tsb about this but it needs to be a recall - lexus should stand behind these headlight assemblies that evidently, allow moisture to get into the fixture - it stands to reason that the risk of blowing out the expensive xenon bulbs is pretty high, too, from all of the water & moisture

The rear view mirror fell off the windshield on my brand new 2009 RX350 and the Lexus engineer decided it was my fault. They refuse to pay for it and refuse to even tell me how they concluded that I broke off the mirror. They wouldn't give me a report. They kept saying they are not in the business of deciding how it fell off. Only that it is not a "warrantable" repair....

About two weeks ago I was driving down the road in a 2001 Lexus Rx300 that was newly purchased less than 2200 miles prior. I heard a noise coming from inside the engine compartment, so I shifted into nuetral and as I was coasting off the road the engine died. I had it towed to a local independent right next door to Lexus. I checked the oil level and it was barely reading at the bottom of the dipstick(when I purchased the vehicle they did an oil change and I inspected the level at that point which was completely full) No leaks, it was obviously burning oil.

I went to Lexus and explained what had happened and they offered me a repair bill of $10,000+. Upon further research I found my vehicle to be involved in the "sludge" (Lexus won't use that word) "gelling" lawsuit which they never mentioned. I had them inspect it and they denied any sludge in the engine.

I proceeded to take the vehicle home and perform my own inspection. (Lexus only pulls front valve cover) I pulled the rear valve cover. Noticeable sludge, not to mention I opened up the front valve cover they already inspected and there was sludge there too!! Pulled oil pan and big surprise walls coated in oil sludge. And oil pick up was coated in sludge(that is what caused engine failure, starved engine for oil). So I take several pictures and the rear valve cover back to the dealership to the service manager and state my case. He denies it is sludge and states that is quote "normal buildup" I know this is more likely "normal they tell everyone"

So called Lexus corporate and was contacted after a day, they said the dealer was "their eyes", I said I have pics etc. They encouraged me to pursue the dealer I purchased from (an independent dealer). I replied with the fact that there is a class action for a reason, it's obvious there is a manufacturer defect. I have elected to get a third party mediator (allowed under the class action settlement) but now I need to jump through hoops. I need to get a new inspection by a mechanic(which I will pay for in the mean time) to state there is sludge in the engine and I have to track down all the service records(Even though vehicle was inspected @ Lexus in IL and offered for sale with less than 8,000 miles in between that and my engine failure.) I can't believe they won't even admit my engine has sludge in it!!!!

Fans that vent the hybrid moter (which vent into the car) shorted out causing motor to die. Dealer says that warranty will not cover.

2007 Lexus GS350 sudden acceleration without pressing on gas pedal. There are hundreds of report like this concerning ES350. This is dangerous. I am highly disappointed of Lexus and this is my last one, prior to this 2006 ES350 my wife used engine went out at 3500 miles.

I purchased a 2000 Lexus RX300 several years ago. I purchased it from the local Lexus Dealership. Lexus of Mishawaka. Since that time, the vehicle has performed quite well, but last week, the transmission went out completely. I felt that with only 127,000 miles, it should not have happened. Since that time though, I have looked into this and it seems that this is very common. From the different forums, list servers and discussion groups, the 1999 through 2003 AWD transmission will nearly always fail early. I feel that Lexus should pony up and get this taken care of.

The problem is Lexus is trying to force the dealer to sell a $1600+ engine wiring harness when all I need is the 14" battery positive cable with the two eye connectors. The sub cable bolts onto the starter and bolts onto the positive battery terminal. It never should have to be sold only with the $1600+ harness. This is theft and fraud by Lexus trying to force the Lexus dealers to sell this harness this way.

Back on November 1994 I bought a 2000 Lexus RX300 with 73K miles. I have had regular oil changes and I keep all the service copies and the credit card transactions copies on all those services. 3 weeks ago and 156K last oil and filter service was done , when driving out of the service place 3 blocks away the oil presure red indicator light come on, I drove back and the mechanic after checking told me inside the oil pan is a kind of filter that was dirty and that could affect the oil pressure, that he cleaned it and had to change the oil again. Next day driving on the Florida Turnpike on my way to work when the engine start clucking, engine and presure oil lights come on and before I get to the expressway emergency lane the engine completely stops. Next day the mechanic told me the engine had to be replaced. I called the Lexus dealer manager and he told the warranty on those engines expired November 2008. I keep the damaged Engine and all the receipts for now.

3rd time engine failed due to either oil pump or engine sludge. Lexus rebilt engine at 50,000 and again at 101,000. Now at 166,000 it is out again with the same problem. Lexus is refusing to fix it.

In 2004, I purchased a new Lexus automobile, and in the process I was talked into adding an extended warranty to my purcgase I was told that this warranty was completely refundable if it wasn't used. I was also told that it could be transferred to a new owner if I chase to do so. Susequently I (in 2009) my Lexus was completely totaled and rendered not fixable. I went to Lexus and was told that the refund was not allowable as I wouldn't be able to show ownership at the end of the warranty period. The best that they could was to prorate the cost of the warranty down to $336.94. Through no fault of my own the car is no longer mine and is not fixable.

need brakes on a lexus 350 with 25k miles on it. service manager said that toyota changed composition of brake pads, wearing our sooner. happening to a lot of customers. said wouldnt be covered under warranty, says wear and tear.

i've had a corrolla, 2 matix, 1 camry, a rav4, and a highlander, and never had parts wear out like this. went in for an oil/filter change, came out at $145. they rotate tires, etc. had enough of lexus. they ask you to bring the car in for inspection at 2k miles, charged $450 to inspect it.

I brought a 2006 Lexus ES330. The lexus is still under warranty and they wouldn't fix it. the problem is the shift knob, and lexus dealer put the RX330 shift knob to ES 330, because it was never documented the warranty wouldn't cover. I always service my lexus at the lexus dealership, and someone change it and now they said they are not resposible.

After my transmission failed on my 2001 lexus rx 300 I decided to look up any documented issues and found that there are plenty people out there who have spent some ridiculous money to fix a vehicle too early in its life.

We purchased a Lexus ES350 in February 2009 with all upgrades, including voice activation and navigation systems. The former never worked, the latter worked inconsistently from the onset. The voice activation system fails to recognize my voice or returns random strings of numbers. Because it is unusable, I now must wait until my car is stopped or pulled over to input numbers manually or use my handheld. Of course, we continue to pay for these items every month even though we don't have use of them.

I brought the car into the dealership 3 times and on one occasion they had a field tech evaluate it. The technician there still could not get it to work and admitted to me and my husband on each occasion that Lexus' tech systems were problematic and there was nothing they could do.

Lexus has only one 800 customer service number to call. We were assigned a case manager who finally told us today that Lexus deemed our car "fine" and that they were closing the case. The said we should "do what we have to do." I am doing it by writing to you.

What recourse do I have for this? We paid $2800 dollars extra for systems that do not work. However, we purchased the car specifically because I wanted and needed these systems and were told by the dealer that Lexus "made the best."

many incidence of non service but two in particular.. bought my pebble beach at Hendrick... had bad tire.. was documented.. they would not replace it at 500 miles plus... I had the car 1 month before I noticed bad tire they told me there wasnt a leak just a defect. they would not replace it. Had to get stuck out of town at about 3.000 before I bought another they told me they would reimburse.. did not. The latest at Pembroke Pines. Took it in for scratch and dent repair. They repaired and brought it back dented and said it must have been there .. they gave me a hard time but fixed it.. I ordered a part 2 months ago and no one has record of it. The y told me when I ordered it .. I would have it in 4 days... 2 montsh later not even the manager of service will even call me back when he told me himself he would get to the bottom of it... Grateful to be finished with Lexus in 6 months... lease... thank God

I've dealt with the dealer on this issue to no avail. I've tried to find an email address for Lexus Corporation to get their response but can't find one. Can you tell me who to contact with an email or phone?

Today I seem to learning some new ways by Toyota/Lexus. Last Saturday my wife took her 2007 RX350 in for an oil change at Doxon Toyota. Wherein, she was told that they wouldn't rotate her tires because of tire wear due to an alignment problem. She came home and today (5-18-09) we took it down to our Lexus dealer in Fife. John (Service rep) told us that had we brought it to them for an $85.00 oil change as opposed to $43.00 at Doxon they would have told us of the problem. It still would have cost me the $120.00 for the alignment. The car has 20,000 miles on it and now I have to buy new tires which is going to cost me somewhere in the neighborhood of $800-1,000.00.

When I suggested that the alignment problem might have been due to the new transaxle they had to put in when the car was brand new and they might possibly have forgotten to align it when that was done he responded with no and the problem was due to our roads as the cause. In the last 30+ years I've never had to get realignment on any of my cars. I've never had this problem. He stated that the car should be realigned every year. If that is the case why isn't it listed as a scheduled service item?

As I was calling around today to price tires for the vehicle even the tire manufacturers are now recommending realignments twice a year and they are saying that the low profile tires do not track right on the road thus they wear out quicker. Excuse me; what kind of gooble de goop is the auto industry cooking up now.

I realize economic times are tough and we all have to watch our pennies but we bought the RX350 mostly because Toyota has a good name. Well, guess what! I bought another of [their] vehicles less than two months ago (Toyota Tacoma) and the transmission on that is not working correctly. After a week of driving it I called the service department of Titus Will Toyota to inquire about it. He said that was normal.

Well, I've been driving it for over a month now paying close attention to when it does it. If that is normal I'm becoming very disenfranchised with Toyota products. The good name and high cost of [Toyota] vehicles is starting to tell me that the stories I've been hearing and the advertising I've seen is false.

Now, what is Toyota/Lexus going to do about this? I'm soon (in the next couple of days) going to be out approximately $1200.00 for alignment and tires for the Lexus and who knows what I'm going to here when I bring it in (soon) on the Tacoma.

I bought a lexus with GPS and the GPS will not fuction while the car is moving. The passenger can't even set the GPS whjile the car is moving. Very expensive item to get.

I purchased preowned lexus in 2004 for 62,000. At time of purchase I was told the SUV was fully equiped and only needed to return for a set of tires. May 6,20009 traveling to Los Vegas, threads started falling off my tire as I proceeded to Los Vegas, I just had the tires rotated by another Lexus dealrship the where I purchaded the SUV. triple A, or any other company could not change my spare because of lack of equipment in my car. It was tolled 150 miles into Los vegas to a Lexus dealer they did not the equipment. I had to purchase a tire at Costco, Costco refused to change my tire unless I signed a waiver saying I realize the wrong tire rating was put on my car. to avoid signing the waiver I had two correct tire ratings put on my car.

i had an accident today 05/01/2009 where the whole front part of my Lexus RX 350 is destroyed BUT the driver's airbag did not deploy...Nothing serious happened to me but I think this is a big problem, i could be dead. I have pictures

My car was impacted by sludge; when I initially learned of the class settlement action I called Lexus who advised my car was built in 10/2000. i proceeded to take my car for inspection; diagnosis was sludge; after our days Lexus called to say my car had a build date of 10/2002 and as such was not eligible for repair under their class action settlement. Two different people at Lexus Corporate advised (prior to service) build date of 2000 and that car was subject to engine sludge. Lexus has routintely told myself and 1000's of others impacted by this manufacturing defect that they are not responsible for repair regardless of proof of maintenance.

CAUTION: DO NOT BUY LEXUS CPO - CERTIFY PREOWNED (SEE BELOW) As part of vehicle preparation for CPO sale, Lexus allows the dealers to replace any parts without restrictions, with after market parts that do not qualify for replacement with Lexus parts under warranty. The problem with this is that the CPO will no longer provide the safety, performance and operational characteristics as of the Lexus parts. Depending on the list of the after market parts used, CPO buyer may find the vehicle to be anywhere from noisy interior to low performing vehicle to worse yet compromising on the safety of the occupants of the car in an accident.

Loss of peace of mind in using a CPO.

I have a 2004 Lexus. The dashboard has recently cracked. I have exhausted all avenues with Lexus to get them to repair this damage. The have refused to make the repaire

This cracked dashboard has seriously affected the value of my Lexus

my 2002 lexus es300 was involved in a wreck wich my daughter was killed in. not the first air bag deployed, has anyone had problems with lexus air bags?

This Lexus RX300 vehicle was purchased new with an extended 100,000 warranty and right after the 85,000 mile service at the Lexus dealer a serious transmission problem developed, making the vehicle unusable. We contacted Lexus right after the problem developed and were informed these transmissions were not repaired, only replaced. We were also advised it may not be covered under warranty and could take weeks, and cost $5,500.00 Therefore we had the RX300 vehicle towed to the nearest transmission repair facility. I have researched this transmission problem with several transmission repair business, and on the internet through the assorted automotive forums and found over 100 postings.

This is a very typical problem with the RX vehicles with over 70K miles, and the weak link in the RX design. Our first transmission problem / defect being caused by a defect in a critical motor / transmission gasket seal with only 50K miles. I am extremely unhappy with the fact this transmission defect was not discovered during the road test, and that Lexus will not warranty or support the defective transmission product even though I purchased the expensive 100K extended warranty, however, because I drive the vehicle so little, the time elapsed before the 100K limit. This should still be cover by Toyota / Lexus as a defect. There should be a class action lawsuit to protect the public from this defect.

Over $3,400.00 in repairs and the loss of the vehicle for a week, plus $300.00 for towing.

I drive a2007 Lexus ES 350, leased from lexus of Glendale.On Mach 8, my car had oil leak and my sister, the registered owner of the car,called Lexus roadside assisstance to have my car towed to Lexus of Glendale for service. During tow, the driver of towtrack hit the front and back bumpers against flatbed track as he was driving my car to get on the top of towtrack. The noise was very loud,as if metal was being druged aginst har surface with the sound of it hiting the surface. I called the Lexus Roadside assistance and file the complaint,asking them to inspect my car for damages. After two weeks of calls and receiveing callback with the same wards such as "Let me check on the status and I will call you back" finaly I received a call from the AAA, which contructs with Lexus for the roadside assisstance, that the inspection showed the damages were coaused due to previous drivings and they are not going to do anythig. I called the Lexus customer satisfication line and the response I gat was " We are sorry you feel upset". Also I want to mention that I have contacted Lexus customer satisfication department throughout the two week period.

My problem is that I lease the car and when I return it I have to fix it on my own expense. Lexus had the tow company's rep and delership person invastigate the dameges. Remember they work together and they are going to back each other up. Also, duringthat two week period I received a phone call from person named Bob who introduced himself as an owner of the tow company namef "MOnterey Tow" located in Glendale and they work with AAA. During that pohne conversation "Bob" tried to intimidate me by telling me that "my English is broken and he could not understand me" and then when I told him that I will go on and file complaints

against him his remark was "O honey your English is fine".

Please, I need your help to get my car fixed. I do have a witness to all that happened during the tow process. I am realy unsatisfied with how Lexus and AAahandaled my claim. Roadside assistance person named Lorie told me that the dicision was based on that the car is a two year old car and those damages could have been sustained during my driving. That is not right.The driver hit and scratched my car and it is a fact. It needs to be fixed by people who are responsible for it (Tow company, AAA or Lexus). Please help.

I had a fault with my Lexus car and I had taken my car to the Toyota RAK branch to see what exactly the issue. They have taken my car and spent two days to fix it and after they called me as car is done and fixed and paid the amount of (2300 Dhs). I have used the car and after few days the same fault and noise I used to have was there (means may be not really fix totally).

I went back to Toyota RAK branch to discuss the issue with the manager, but what happen is that the service manager was careless and he said that the issue will be checked again and it will cost you again around 1600 Dhs. The issue is still open and I do need find out how do we go with this subject because I have given them the trust to fix the root cause of the fault in my car but so far nothing is being done.

Our 2001 Lexus ES300 (85,000 miles)was just diagnosed w/engine sludge/gelling problem. We had never heard of the problem before. We have owned several Toyotas; this was our first Lexus. We bought it used in 2006. I always check Consumer Reports magazine before buying a car, and have never seen any mention of this problem. I feel so deceived. Toyotas and Lexus are supposed to be such wonderful cars,and I can't understand why we hadn't heard about this problem before. Lexus wants oil change receipts. We do our own oil changes & have not saved any receipts for oil purchases. What can we do to hold Lexus responsible for this well known problem?


Require new transmission on my 2004 Lexus RX 330 with 97K miles on it. This car has been highway driven, serviced, never taken off- road or towed anything - Car dealer wanted to sell me a new LEXUS - Not happy at all - waiting to hear back from Lexus Hdqtrs for resolutions

Broke down on NJ tp - 200 dollar tow bill - $4,700 new transmission - LEXUS - not worth the money I spent for this car!

we purchased a Lexus RX350 in March 07. We have 60,000 miles on the car. The car has a vast amount of white smoke coming out of the exhaust. We were told our Power Train Warranty was in effect. Lexus refused to cover this war. & gave us a written est. $3300 to INSPECT. said unproper mtnc. said only car showed no oil. oil change done 12/27 and we have been driving a rental car for 1 month prior and not driving this car.We feel our complaints are very similar to the complaints in the CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT FILED IN LOUISIANA. Treated very disrespectfully.

We rented a car for 5 weeks. at over $1500. Physically made me ill when Lexus did not even try to work with us. Once they found out we had taken the car in Dec. 08 for oil change to Jiffy Lube they were very disrespcetful. I have emails to corp and locally.

We purchased a Lexus 2000 RX300 with 70,000 miles on it, under 8 years old. It acted funny after a few months, losing gas efficiency and burning smoke out the tailpipe. -and we were informed of 'Sludge' and a 'gel prone engine' by the Canandaigua NY Toyota dealership where we had a fuel sensor replaced for a CE light, and told to contact Lexus, since there was a 'class action settlement' of the problem. I called the Henrietta, NY Lexus dealership and was given 20 questions by the service phone clerk, who was obviously very aware of this problem and class action.

Result? He refused to cover any of it despite it being under 8 years old and well under 100,000 miles. I was told: 'You never used Lexus dealerships for your oil changes' (I live over an hour away), and: 'You bought the car from a used car dealer not a 'Lexus' dealer.' They did offer an expensive 'treatment' for the sludge, but refused to honor the class action settlement. I'm very disappointed, and will never buy a Lexus again (even though my wife loves the ride). Lexus is so greedy & dishonorable (at least our dealership), I'll even shy away from Toyotas, now. 'Built to Break' & 'no guarantee' should be their motto.

Catastrophic engine failure. (and resulting bank account crisis)

In the beginning, I want to express my feeling which I was proud by having Lexus and now I disappointed and recommended any one to not own Lexus GS300. The problem: While I was coming in long trip, my car LUXUS GS300 stopped in the middle of the way. I shifted it to Sur branch and maintained their. I paid the cost and after 2 days it repeated 3 times and I was paying in each visit by convincing me that they replaced parts. I returned it back and they said the auto gear is defected and they asked me to transport it to MCT HO. I refused since the car was not in a working condition.

After long argue and after 1 week, they transferred to MCT. In MCT, they took more than a week and I paid 600 OMR after they stated that its warranted and the car become in excellent condition. Then, the problem came again and I brought it back to MCT. (300 KM far from sur). They repaired and confirmed to me that its ik now. When I went back to Sur, the problem came a gain. Then, I returned back to MCT a gain. Still I am suffering.

the car is jurking while start driving and accelerating. now, oil get dropped.

With the release of 2007 models and the 6.1 Navigation software package, Lexus removed the existing 'override' that had been present in their cars since at least 2000. On older Lexus cars a useful series of on screen inputs had allowed the use of the Navigation and Bluetooth Phone systems while the car is in motion. In 2007 - 2009 Lexus vehicles there is no override and the voice recognition is inadequate. You must stop on the side of the highway or take an exit and park the vehicle in order to input a new destination or to search for food, gas, or even a bathroom.

In some cases, prospective buyers were misinformed that the override was still present. 50% of the over 1,000 owners who have registered at lexusoverride would not have bought a Lexus if they had known this limitation was in effect. Lexus has been notified of fraudulent selling practices, customer dissatisfaction with the product and refuses to acknowledge a problem or offer a solution.

For owners, a significantly limited utilization of the vehicle, in many cases the owner would not have purchased the vehicle if they had been informed.

The issue is best described by the site www.lexusisnotmymother.com. I bought a 2007 Lexus ES350. I paid extra (over 2,000) for a navigation system. Only after the sale did the dealer inform me that the system wouldn't allow the user to input a destination (or use many features) while the vehicle was in motion. I paid for the car. My passenger can certainly use the navigation system safely. It is not up to the car maker to determine when it is safe for me to use something I paid for. I bought the car, they shouldn't tell me how to use it.

I wasted over 2,000 on a system that is inferior to a $150 Garmin Nuvi. At least the Nuvi lets my passenger control it while in motion.

2002/Lexus/RX300 - Automatic Transmission Failed: I have been an ardent fan of Lexus brand and Lexus vehicles but what had just happened to my 7 year RX300 may change that view on Lexus brand. Its a shock to know that the transmission failed suddenly on my RX300. The car is only 7 year old and I have driven only 75k miles. I had always done the tune-ups as per the guidelines like 25k 30k 40k 50k 60k 70k etc. My last tune-up was for the 70k mile performed by Lexus, San Diego, CA, USA in Aug of 2008.

At present, the car is at Lexus in San Diego, CA (towed there yesterday) and I was just notified by the dealer that it would cost me around $4,600 to put a new transmission. I would like to request Lexus to take a hard look at this failure and find out the root cause why it had failed this early in the vehicle's life (transmission failure at 75k miles is not normal as per my research of Lexus vehicles) and also I want Lexus to compensate me for the repairs. I had just submitted a complaint on the Lexus website homepage and waiting to hear from them. I would like this to be recorded in the database and I will update it once I hear from Lexus if it is allowed on this database. Thanks

As per the dealer it would cost be about 4,600 dollars.

I have 5 years experience as a mechanic and service adviser. I own a 2004 Lexus 330 with about 36000 mi. on it. In checking the oil I noticed an unusual gritty deposit within the valve cover where you add oil. The cap has some loose grit and debris in it also. I cleaned the cap but the stuff in the valve cover was cooked on and I removed a sample and saved it. It has the texture of cooked oil mixed with sand. I suspected that the engine had been contaminated purposefully because I had not let them charge me for unnecessarily services added to the last 30,000 mile service reducing the bill by at least half.


I complained to a new service manager at the 35000 mile service about the grit and he told me that the residue was normal, no problem found. I only recently found out about the sludging problems Toyota was having with these engines.

I suspect the car is devalued because of its engine problem. It has not failed yet but I'd rather it not happen on an interstate hwy while my wife is driving. I have happily owned two other Toyotas but am sadly disappointed with Toyota in their loss of engine quality and dealer service. I will not buy another. There are a few other cars out there that I still have faith in.

My husbands 2006 Lexus 400h lost all brakes and vehicle stability control. Come to find out that a rodent or other small animal made a home under the car and chewed through the wires. $7000.00 in damage not covered by warranty. According to [online], many auto manufacturers, among them Lexus, use soy based products to build their cars. Very tasty and costly indeeed!

Lexus 2001 RX300 purchased new from dealer. Vehicle has always been serviced by Lexus dealership. Just completed dealer service at 85,000 miles and had total transmission failure. Not covered under expensive 100K extended warranty. Repair cost $5,500.00. Transmission problems are chronic and expected for the RX series vehicle. These U140F automatic transmissions are known to be defective! There should be a class action lawsuit started to protect the owners of defective Lexus / Toyota products.

$5.500.00 repair bill for rebuilt transmission.

Dear Consumers affair services, since 10/29/08 i submitted copies of a complain regarding A 2002 Lexus I bought August 15,2007 in Yes Auto in Queen N.Y. with lots of problems.

My complain is that after one of your reprecentatives spoke with me in August 2008,I haven't hear from anyone or receive anything in writing stating what was your determination in my situation. I'm very dissapointed with your services,It's not the best protecting consumers. I'm inquiring your decision or determination in writing. I hope to hear from someone soon.

i purchased 2006 IS250 6speed in december 2005. i was very happy driving this new car until november 2008 when my clutch was slipping when i only have 24000 miles. i took my car for diagnost at Glendale Lexus and they told me that it's wear and tare item so won't cover under warranty. Lexus corp told me with goodwill service plan, they willing to pay 25% of repair. can my clutch die with only 24k miles?

car hasn't moved since early december 2008.

Engin on es350 has developed tapping sound when cold (70 degrees Farenheight in Florida) Started making this noise at 20000 miles. Prior to that it was perfectly quiet. Dealer called in Lexus factory Tech and tech stated in his report that this is an exceptable noise in this car. Did I buy a 40000 dollar Lexus or did I buy a lawnmower? It looks like a Lexus, i think.

Even writing to their M. Templin at the factory main office in california has turned me down and I can only say my next step is to arbitration and they don't even care. Are they so impressed with their success that they are preparred to throw it away? I sure think so as I will now spend a lot of time telling a lot of people how poorly they reacted to an issue that is unpleasant to drive with, uncalled for in luxury car and I guess I can't get mad, just even. Lexus, I may hang a new name on this car and call it what it really is.

Financial damage will occur to me as I will now unloads this car to a used car lot. Financial damage will ocur at Lexus as they saell fewer cars as more and more of their arrogant attitude is exposed.

I was a victim of oil sludge. After taking it to Richmond Lexus, I was informed that I had oil sludge. They told me I would have to pay half, which ended up costing me $5,916. Now I find that a class action suit has been filed. What can I do to recover the amount they made me pay?

I owned a '99 Lexus RX300 AWD since new and have put in 87k miles so far. My experience with Lexus can only be summed up in one word DISGUSTING. This car has so many nagging problems Lexus can't fix. At the end, the Lexus district manager assigned to my complaint offered me a free 30K miles service and asking me not to bother them again. Believe or not, the local Lexus dealers charges an outrageous $1,200 for a 2-days major service that can be easily done in 1-day.

The problems that are still plaguing this car include: (1) Intermittent problem with remote keyless entry that doesnt always work even though Lexus claimed that new replacement ECU panel chip has been installed (2) Shifting floating break caliper that generates annoying metal clunking sound after engaging to forward gear from reverse with brake engaged. After some research, I found out that this was a known problem Lexus was fully aware of in its early model years. (3) The automatic transmission always delays in shifting to higher gears when starting cold. Youll have to drive at least several minutes before the transmission will shift correctly.

Lexus, like other so-called luxurious brands (I owned Mercedes, BMW, Porsche) are all alike when it comes down to owner complaints that they cant fix. They simply stall, cheat, and bribe you into not escalating the problems so that they can maintain the brand reputation. This is not to mention that the dealers are always so snob and arrogant and treating their customers like a bunch of retards that know nothing about their SUPERIOUS products. For me, owning the Lexus RX-300 was such a ridiculous experience I treated it no different than a cheap Toyota. In fact, I have never taken my Lexus back to dealer for any service. Instead, I took it to a local shop that specializes in Japanese made. That probably saved my loads of money considering the fact that almost all service parts are replaceable with Toyota.

From the get-go, I know that my 1999 RX transmission was a piece of junk. As a result, I diligently replaced its tranny fluids every 15k miles. It took only around $5 bucks per bottle (Type IV) from local Toyota parts dept. With 4 bottles, I did it myself and probably extend my RXs life up to this point without a major transmission problem. This is even after the fact RX user manual never asks you to replace it. Isnt that ridiculous? I did the same for the engine oil change with every 3000 miles. It also probably averted the well-known & documented engine gelling problems that have been reported by many early model-year owners.

In short, all I can say is that NEVER trust any of the luxurious car manufacturers no matter how much and glorious they want you to think they are. In the end, theyll use any imaginable tactic to deceive you into accepting their product flaw as is unless there are too many of them reporting and made public by the federal transportation safety agency (mostly limited to safety concern).

I have a 2005 lexus es300 with extended

warranty. after a tire blowout ,when the helpinf police officer treid to us the McGuard lug nut key,he noticed that the weld inside broke and the key could not be used.My husband talked to Germain lexus of Columbus OH. He was told that the key is not covered by warranty. If the welding was per specs,the key would not breal at all. The key can not be misused because of inherent design.It has to be a manufacturing defect. I am buying a new key. However I firmly believe I shound not have to spend anything to replace defective part.

I have a Lexus RX350. For the past month it has been giving off a terrible odor like tar or something burning. I was getting tingling sensations in my legs, headaches, sore throat, nausea and very spacey. They took the car in and said it was the gas I was buying and several other people had the same complaint. They also told me I needed new brake pads. The car is a little over a year old. I got it back yesterday, and today, my daughter and I went shopping and we BOTH got so sick, I could barely make it home and was driving feeling like I didn't know where I was going! I know it's the car, and when we got in the house, we both had shaky legs and a tingling sensation going down our legs. We did not eat anything prior to getting into the car.

I am fit to be tied, as a month ago the car sounded like it was about to explode....like the engine was seizing. I got a few lights on and was on a major turnpike between cars and trucks making it impossible to p ull over and look at the book. I had my hazard lights on so cars could pass me, and then I moved to the right lane and went very slowly. I called the lexus service dept, and the guy told me he didn't know what the lights meant, and I asked him to look them up in the book! He didn't even bother to try and just told me to call him again if the noise didn't stop! It was incomprehensible and unconscienable. I asked him to give me the number to a lexus service dept in the town i was going to which was an exit away, and he told me he couldn't do this because it was a separate franchise and i should just call information.

I was livid. I got off the exit, pulled into a gas station frightened to death, and turned off the car. I waited about 15 minutes, and then started teh car up and all the noise stopped. This was so dangerous as I was driving on a turnpike and out of the blue this noise started and the car felt like it was going to break down any second - I thought perhaps a tire blew. The car, to me, is completely unstable, and I know there is an air problem. Im petrified it is leaking a terrible chemical or carbon monoxide and I am going to have this car brought in tomorrow to service. I won't drive it again until they fix it. My health is deteriorating driving this car, and if they don't do everything in their power to fix it, I will file a lawsuit.

I own a 2003 Lexus LS430. It has an automatic trunk closure mechanism which will close without notice if opened midway. In order for it to stay open, it must be uplifted to its extreme.

During heavy rainfall last week, I attempted to load trunk with parcels. I did NOT get it open to its extreme; and as a result, it automatically came down hitting my arm. Note I was wearing a jacket. I have an approximate 4 inch bruise on my arm from this mishap. I consider this car feature a SAFETY HAZARD. It could have been my head or that of another person loading the trunk. Photo(s) of my arm are available. This is my second transmission. I don't want an attorney. I do want Lexus to be alerted but I don't know how to notify their headquarters.

Please note that I love my 2008 Lexus ES 350; however, I just had to replace all my four tires at approximately 19,000 miles and at a cost of approximately $580.00. The original tires had no mileage warranty. This was sad news to me! I think that the original tires should have warranty of approximately 40,000 miles. As a school principal, teachers ask me about the Lexus and so far I have not mention this draw-back regarding the original tires. I thank you for your concern and time in this matter.

I have 1999 Lexus ES300. I recently get a VSC light indicator on the dash board lite during driving. I was so concern about my safety with this car when reading the manual about this VSC that described about vehicle stability control.

I immediatly brought the car to the dealer to have it checkout and the diagnostic code shows that it's the gas valve failure and I got charged with $830 to get this fixed. The dealer told me because this has the same circuit with the VSC. This must be the safety issue since it made a false report on the safety.


I have had numerous problems with my 96 Lexus ES300 such as those described in the class action suit, but notice that it only covers 97 & up. My car had one owner before me and was meticulously maintained.

1996 Lexus ES300, one owner, bought in 2003 for $9,000 with approx. 80,000 miles.

This has been the best car that I have ever owned, relatively few repairs, etc. I put on a set of new tires, and had it inspected regularly along with regular oil changes. I have had the inspection & minor repairs taken care of by a local Exxon service center.

In March of 2008, the car was running sluggishly so I took it in & they removed the valve cover, cleaned old gasket material & replaced with new gaskets (cost $448.03); in January of 08 it had throttle bore service.

The car now has about 143,000 miles. Since having the gasket/valve work done, it seemed to go through a lot of oil and when I started the car it would emit a lot of smoke initially but ran fine otherwise. It passed inspection fine in May of 2008.

On 11/14 the car began running poorly and the check engine light came on. When I took it in, Exxon told me that the test failed systems & sensors; the gentleman told me that it was spraying oil into the engine and it was only a matter of time (3 days or 3 months ... he couldn't tell me). Said it would cost several thousand to rebuild the engine.

I am presently unemployed (was recently laid off) & do not have any funds to buy a new car. Any advice? Should I get a second opinion or is the car shot?

I am a single mother, recently laid off, & unable to afford a new car.

I have two hybrids--Toyota Lexus 400h and Prius. I have had no problems with the Prius and gas mileage is excellent. With the Lexus I have noticed surging when braking at low speeds. Have not driven the car a lot so have not experienced high speed acceleration. Second issue I have with Lexus hybrid--if not driven regularly--every two weeks or so--the battery goes dead. I am told that it has 42 computers that drain the battery and that the car must be driven regularly.

So much for leaving the car in an airport parking lot while on a month long vacation. I suggested that the price of the Lexus 400h should include a tow truck. Otherwise, I love both vehicles. They just need some engineering changes.

I have a 2002 Lexux RX300 that started to burn oil in Feb 2008. I took it to the Tacoma Wash dealer, where I bought the car and was told their are no leaks just keep an eye on it. I then more or less put the car in storage as I bought a new truck and needed to put some miles on it before I drove it to Santa Fe NM. The car had an extended warrenty that was good until July of 2008.

I then drove the car from Bremerton Wash to New Mexcio in Oct of 2008. It used 6 quarts of oil on the trip. I took it to the Lexus dealer in Albqueque and ended up having the piston rings,valve guides, and valve seals replaced. I complained to Lexus telling them I identified this problem to then in Feb when the warrenty was in effect but was blown off. They agreed to pay for parts(1400.00) but I was to pay labor (2985.00).

Can I get that money back? If they had done the same diagnose as the Albqueque dealer did in Feb they would have found the problem and coverd the entire amount.
The engine had to be pulled , the heads pulled and the piston rings, valve guides and valve seals had to be replaced.I had to pay for the labor to make the repairs. $2985.00.


We have a 2002 RX300. replaced transmission @ 100,000 miles. Now we are spending $10,000 to replace engine @ 127,000 miles. Lexus has wonderful cars as long as you do not run them past 100,000 miles. Obviously this is not a luxury car that is meant to last.


The Lexus ES300 has problems with the door mechanisms that raise and lower the windows via of window button.The arms bend and break.I purchased another one from Lexus of New Orleans and go the same poorly made part again.The guy at te installation place showed me what they used to be made of.This part cost me $150.00 AND STILL IT BENT AND IS MALFUNCTIONING.This is shamweful of a $30,000.00 vehicle

The cost of this repair was $150.00 plus And the other door is beginning to do the same thing.

Involved in Roll-Over accident as a result of unwarrented, sudden acceleration due to floor matt defect (caught in brake line). Traveling on M-59, Pontiac, Michigan, September, 2006. Unable to stop Lexus ES350, 2007. Accelerated in excess of 85 MPH. Was forced to crash vehicle on hwy. medium in order to avoid causing serious accidents, injuries/deaths.

I experienced injuries from which I still suffer both physically and emotionally. My crash and details of defect findings can be viewed on the NHTSA website under defects

Head injury, herniated disk and associated symptoms, constant pain in right hip, pelvis, tail bone, right shoulder, extreem tension in right shoulder, right jaw and right side of neck, depression, and insomnia. Feeling of fear and extreem anxiety while traveling on hwys.

I purchased a 1999 Lexus RX300 from a private owner at 67,000 miles in 2004 and received all the maintenance records with the car. At 99,578 miles, the engine blew while my daughter was in Wisconsin. I have complete records on maintenance and have had three oil changes since 91,00. The car was pulled into a Midas shop as that's where the engine blew.

The Midas report says there was less than one quart of oil in the engine and the motor was frozen but the oil filter was in place and the drain plug was tight. When they turned over the engine manually, metal parts fell into the drain pan, including rod bearing cap bolts and metal pieces from the bearing cap. Otherwise, there was no unusual oil leaks.

Lexus offered 50% off on warrantable parts toward the short engine block repair. However, the total tab is still $8,000.00 and has a potential to be even more costly.

On 9/19/08 I experienced major problems with my 2008 RX350 Lexus as the vehicle made abnormal loud grinding sounds in which power to the car (acceleration) and the brakes went out. Fortunately I was in a place I could pull off onto a turn land and stop the car with the emergency brake. I immediately called Lexus 24-hour Roadside Assistance. They dispatched a local towing company through AAA to tow my auto to the closest dealership in Orange Park, FL. (I am approx 1 1/2 hrs away). I watched the car being loaded onto the flat-bed tow truck. That afternoon, the dealership called to say the car had arrived and they would determine why the car failed. The Ass't Service Mgr asked if I also wanted the front bumper repaired while it was there. Before the car was towed, there was no damage to the front bumper!

After reporting the auto damage to the Lexus 24-hr Roadside Assistance folks, they contacted AAA for resolution. The damage was possibily just the clear film that was placed on the car to proper against paint chips and Love Bug damage. Ultimately, because fault could not be determined between AAA's towing company and the dealership, AAA agreed to replace the plastic film(called Road Block) at their expense - cost of $150. Yesterday the dealership had the Road Block film removed and determined that the bumper is actually scratched and has a small crease in it. I want the bumper fixed and am now trying to get Lexus or AAA to repair.

My delimma -- the car bumper was perfectly fine when it left Gainesville. It now has damage and I want it repaired at no expense to me. Meanwhile, I am renting a car as I was too far from the dealership to get a loaner. I am told I can submit the receipt to Lexus Roadside for reimbursement. I have been conservative with the rental - renting a small Pontiac Vibe, rather than a Lexus.

The original problem, which ended up being a CV axle pin, was fixed on Monday afternoon under warranty. I feel as if I am the one stuck in the middle without my automobile. This issue is between Lexus and AAA -- at my expense and inconvenience thus far. I simply want my auto back, with no bumper damage. Car rental from 9/19/08 'til the issue is resolved.

BEWARE NEW CAR OWNERS!!!!! Can anyone guess what is in this picture? This is a picture of a very expensive chipmunk nest inside my 2007 LEXUS GX 470. See the wirings all bitten up by the chipmunk/mouse.
I have a 2007 Gx470, proud and very happy about it, until a week ago, the engine check sign appear on the dashboard. When Englewood Lexus service checked it, I was informed that a mouse/chipmunk ate/bit on the wiring of my engine, and are nesting inside my vehicle. I was told that it was not covered by the warranty, and has to pay for repair for $700++.I was extremely disappointed that a very expensive car cannot withstand damage from a small animal, that it's wiring is so delicate. In other words, I cannot drive this SUV anywhere, that I have to ensure that there isn't any mouse or chipmunk roaming around the area that I am driving, otherwise, I am facing a repeated chipmunk attack. Anyway, three of my friends has Lexus, all of which are new cars like mine, and their lexus where also damaged by chipmunks (wires bitten, with nest inside the engine area).Surprisingly, I had been driving my old Nissan Pathfinder for the last 12 years to same area, park on the same area, live on same residence, but NEVER HAD this kind of problem. IT MAKES ME BELIEVE THAT THE MOUSE/CHIPMUNKS loves the LEXUS. It is very frustrating that I am scared to drive this state of the art, made for perfection car anywhere. Please consider looking into this problem.Me and my friends are drying to hear from LEXUS, or anyone who can help us prevent this problem. I am sending this incident not just to Lexus but also to BMW, Mercedes and other car maker, to challenge the car maker industry to find solutions and technologies as how to prevent chipmunks/mouse/rodden attacks from happening reapeatedly I ALSO URGE THAT THIS KIND OF INCIDENT BE COVERED BY THE WARRANTY, AS WELL AS INSURANCE COVERAGE. THANK YOU.

I have a 2007 Gx470, proud and very happy about it, until a week ago, the engine check sign appear on the dashboard. When Englewood Lexus service checked it, I was informed that a mouse/chipmunk ate/bit on the wiring of my engine, and are nesting inside my vehicle. I was told that it was not covered by the warranty, and has to pay for repair for $700++.I was extremely disappointed that a very expensive car cannot withstand damage from a small animal, that it's wiring is so delicate. In other words, I cannot drive this SUV anywhere, that I have to ensure that there isn't any mouse or chipmunk roaming around the area that I am driving, otherwise, I am facing a repeated chipmunk attack. Anyway, three of my friends has Lexus, all of which are new cars like mine, and their lexus where also damaged by chipmunks (wires bitten, with nest inside the engine area).Surprisingly, I had been driving my old Nissan Pathfinder for the last 12 years to same area, park on the same area, live on same residence, but NEVER HAD this kind of problem. IT MAKES ME BELIEVE THAT THE MOUSE/CHIPMUNKS loves the LEXUS. It is very frustrating that I am scared to drive this state of the art, made for perfection car anywhere. Please consider looking into this problem.Me and my friends are drying to hear from LEXUS, or anyone who can help us prevent this problem.

I have owned 2 Lexus vehicles and have had the same problems with my car keys. I first owned a 1995 300 GS, the plastic casing on the key cracked and broke, and I was left with the metal key which was very hard to turn in the ignition. Fortunately, I had another key, but my husband did not have a key to the vehicle. We were told that a new key would cost $180 at that time. One yr. ago I purchased a 2003 RX 300, I received 2 keys to the vehicle at that time.

My daughter was driving the car one night, when she called me and stated that all the buttons on the key fell out, and when she looked at the plastic casing, she noticed that it was cracked. I checked then on the cost to replace the key, and I was told that it would cost $200. Meanwhile, I had one key left, and eventually, the key started to get weak and when I looked I noticed a crack in the plastic casing. My husband sealed the crack with krazy glue, and I thought that it would hold, one day I looked at the key, and I only had the casing. I couldn't drive my car for a couple of days until I found the key, and when I did, I realized that unlike my previous Lexus, this one would not start without the plastic casing on the key, therefore, even if I have another key made at the hardware store, it won't start my car without the casing that contains the controls. It is more than coincidental that I have had this problem with 3 out of 4 keys. Overall, I have been pleased with the service that I received from Lexus vehicles, but something as simple as a key should not take an act of congress or $200 dollars to replace, especially when it is evident that they are poorly crafted, or they would not keep breaking. I would like for Lexus to stand behind this minor defect just as they would the motor or transmission, because for the 3rd time, it is causing me major inconvenience.

2002 Lexus sc430 meticulously maintained only at lexus dealerships. The timing chain malfunctioned and the whole engine was destroyed with only 42,000 miles. The shreveport dealership was uninterested in getting assisance from corporate. Eventually they agreed to pay 25% if the engine was pieced together with new parts for a cost of $22,000. The car is worth 24K. Rwebuilt engine with 44,000 miles for the low price of 11,000. Take it or leave it tough **** attitude. I am disgusted with this company and will never own another lexus buyer beware, High rankings in customer service???

i brought my car in for service oil change and tire sensor lights keeps popping on....after the service everything is normal according to the technician (niva salavar)..he says nothing wrong with the tire just the light keeps coming on....no need to worry he said. so i went home and soon thereafter the light comes back on a couple weeks passed by and it still keeps on coming on and i just go to the gas station and putting in air...then last night i was driving home and the tire is flat and tried to put in air and when i did that i kept hearing the air come out so i tried to feel where the air was coming out from and there was a big shred of tire coming off and the metal wires coming off also. i almost didnt make it home. i hope i explained myself clearly.

I purchased a 2008 lexus rx 350 on 11-19-2008, it has less than 2,000 miles, all the extior chrome shows signs of corrosion,went to the dealer, was told was caused by magchloride, and I will need to wash it down daily when used in the winter, not covered under warranty, they would need to call the company to see if can be replaced at no charge, one week went by, the dealer never called, I had to drive back to the dealership, was told would be replaced, as a courtesy, one time only, after that I will need to pay if needs to be replaced,and I will need to sign a waiver once my car is fixed, before it is returned to me. I called Lexus customer service, it was difficult reaching anyone that was willing to assist me, once again was told I would be called back, I never was, I had to call them back, the Lexus customer service dept. refussed to honor my warranty, for the corrosion, stated not covered, but will be replaced one time only, free, after that I was responsible if it needed to be replaced, I told them, I feel, inferior chorme is being used, because I have a GMC DENALI that is 3 years old, and I have been driving it in the winter, not one sign of corrosion has it shown on the chrome. I have always wanted a lexus rx vehicle, now I am so sorry, I ever bought it, was thinking of replacing my older car with another lexus, but I will never ever buy another lexus vehicle. Lexus is refussing to honor the residule of my warranty of 48 months or 50,000 miles, stating once the chrome has been replaced,it will no longer be covered, if needing replaced, I will need to pay to have replaced, no where in my warranty manual does it state anything about corrosion and magchloride.

our new 2007 lexus rx350 was oversprayed with cosmoline and makes me and my family sick when we drive the car. the toxic chemical heats up and comes into the car. we cannot drive the car. lexus is aware of the problem and has done nothing to help. For some other people they refunded money and gave new cars. for us nothing except tried to wipe it off with brake cleaner fluid,because we complained we were sick and not just dealing with the odor. it is a liability. minor daughter was affected, have doctors letters stating car made us sick.many symptons:ie; sore throat , dizzy, nausea, red eyes bleeding gums, roof of mouth raw, skin problems etc. witnesses saw us sick and have an emergency room doctor letter to stay out of car.

better business bureau said to stay out of car that the fumes are dangerous and said lexus could have taken steps to remove the chemical or replace affected parts. i have an independent expert that saw a coating and smelled the odor. tried to resolve with lexus to no avail, they give me the runaround, also have address in colorado. bought car oct 11 2006. evidence the rx 330 and 350's oversprayed with cosmoline. a toxic petrol hydrocarbon

cost of car $48,000. cost of rental car, medical bills, insurance, taxes, $2800. for 7 year warranty. storage cost put car in when could not drive

Purchased 3 2008 RX 350 vehicle Feb/08. Wifee had a flat July 20/08 due to road hazard. Deployed spare to find a used tire and rim. The spare was 50% used and had damage (cut) to the rim edge. The wheel showed signs that it had been curbed beside the tire damage. The rim inner showed an extreme amount of brake dust deposits along with spots that indicated the wheel had been re-balanced in prior use. Our vehicle has never been in for service yet, and is in fact just due for the first. The spare by design is covered by a black plastic cover. As a result as trusting purchasers the spare was not inspected on delivery.

The vehicle is not safe to operate, my wife has rented a comparible vehicle. We are both mortgage brokers and require dependable transportation. This is not a strong suit of Lexus it seems.

Brought our 2000 Lexus Rx in for basic service maintenance. Was charged $2350 dollars, the day we picked it up noticed smoke coming out from the engine. Initially this was not a problem nor an issue. Brought it back the next day. Kept our car for several weeks, were advised that they were waiting on word from CORPORATe and that there was sludge in our engine. They informed us that unless we could provide them receipts of oil changes, they could not help. We did, and they never called us back. we continued calling and they reluctantly agreed to fix the engine for $2200. After we had already been charged over $2300 and had more problems that what we intially had.

Spoke to service managers, and service techs, who we had to call for weeks. Acted like they did not know this situation with this model car having sludge problems, Demanded us to show proof of oil changes, we did, and we still are being told that COrporate office will split the cost.

I own a 2003 Lexus ES300 and just found out that there is a engine gelling problem. I called Lexus customer service and they are going talk to the dealer where my car is currently serviced and see if they will cover the charges which is estimated at $4000. Sucks!

I own a 2000 Lexus Rx 300, it now has oil gel and requires engine replacement. The Lexus dealer wants $12,000.00 to replace the engine and Lexus corporate denied my request under the class action suit because I was at 8 yrs and 53 days. The class action suit is for 8 yrs + 120 days so I am within that. When I told them of that, they said the other factor was that I was not loyal to Lexus because I did not purchase my car from a Lexus dealer and did not have the oil changed at a Lexus dealer. ???? Are you kidding me. I followed all of the guidelines for changing the oil, faxed them proof and apparently I'm not loyal enough to be priveldged to own an elite Lexus. I still owe 2 years of payments on the car and to top it off, the Lexus dealer wants me to pay them for telling me it was oil gel and not covered. I think this needs to become a public awareness campaign.

I own a 2000 Lexus Rx 300, it now has oil gel and requires engine replacement. The Lexus dealer wants $12,000.00 to replace the engine and Lexus corporate denied my request under the class action suit because I was at 8 yrs and 53 days. The class action suit is for 8 yrs + 120 days so I am within that. When I told them of that, they said the other factor was that I was not loyal to Lexus because I did not purchase my car from a Lexus dealer and did not have the oil changed at a Lexus dealer.

I followed all of the guidelines for changing the oil, faxed them proof and apparently I'm not loyal enough to be priveldged to own an elite Lexus. I still owe 2 years of payments on the car and to top it off, the Lexus dealer wants me to pay them for telling me it was oil gel and not covered. I think this needs to become a public awareness campaign. The car will not run obviously without a new engine

I have been having alot of problems with oil and fumes from my exhaust. I have a 1997 Lexus Rx300 which I purchased used about 3 years ago. I've been taking my car to the Toyota Dealer for this problem and on the last visit to the Toyota dealer I was informed I have sludge buildup and need to have head gasket cover replaced. Since I've already spent several hundreds of dollars on oil problems I decided to see another repair shop and get another opinion. At this shop the technician informed me that there has been a sludge problem with the make and model of my car which I verified today online. Seeing as though this is a problem which has numerous compliants I would like to know what is my next step in handling my problem and getting in on this class action lawsuit. I have never received anything in the mail about my vehicle. Please contact me to discuss my opinion. Thanks you for your time Trina Ramos

I also have had a problem with the LExus dealer and the smoke and oil sludge. I have recently had my dealer confirm they will put a new engine in the vehicle after other service that probably should not have been performed since this class action suit has been pushed away and not discussed. Even when I mentioned briefly this past two weeks about issue with the engine they brushed it aside and was not forthright in discussing the problem. However, the problem I encounter is they tell me it will take four weeks to put in a new engine. The problem I have is why is the labor going to be 35 hours. How am I cgoing to confirm that they did not put in a rebuilt engine, or just change out the valves and gaskets and perform regular vlaue job for half the price. I only question this now since they are only going to warranty the car for one year. In one year the 8 years will be here and they do not i will not have recourse. It does not take 35 hours to pull and engine and drop another one in , even with the labor of connections. It would cost a dealer $3000 or $4000 to do a upper end valve job and vs. replacing a $7000+ new engine. I have sludge in the oil, smoke and have put in a main seal because of the oil leak. Yet, Lexus never informed me of the class action suit. The problem has gotten worse and the car is now in Lexus. After continued problems and shocked response on why I should have these problems from my local dealers when I have oil changes and service I started looking on the computer. Not once has lexus notified me about the problems. This past two weeks not once did their service coordinators mention problems and just started to repair problem. Even after I mentioned engine problems I found on computer they did not mention. later last Monday I did finally get a call from coordinator informing me that Lexus will put a new engine in the car. However, what about all the old bills. The other problem is that it will take four weeks to get a new engine, 35 hours to put an engine in the car, and only then give me a year warranty. Just enought to get past the class action claim in my opinion. How can I prove a new engine went in and they just didin't do an upper valve and gasket job to correct the problem. He said it would take 35 hours for labor alone. If you drop an engine and drop a new one in how can that take 35 hours. You can drop an engine and put a new transmission in for one day and maybe two. Then why only a year warranty if the engine is brand new. It is a lot cheaper for a dealer to perform a value and gasket job on an engine for $4000 vs. a new engine for $7000+. I use to trust the dealer and the Srvice and LExus. People usually never have a bad word for Toyota and LExuws. Put this experience hads put a bad feeling about honesty and trust in my vocabulary since all this has surfaced. All the article said I should have been notified about the suit. I was not. Why did I know more about this then the dealer wanted me know even after I briefly exchanged my views of engine problems. I wrote to General Manager and Lexus Corporate today for their views and my complaint. I would like to know where to file my complaint since I have not read any where on line to do so. Even when I mentioned Lexus dealers c You never mentioned in your article how to get in touch and file a claim with the class action suit. I was never notified as you mentioed that my car was part of this suit. I have a 2000 Lexus 300 ES.

I was getting on Hwy 101 ramp #386B near San Jose International Airport on a Saturday morning around 10:45 am when traffic was moderate. Suddenly I felt my 2007 Lexus ES350 began accelerating by itself. At first I thought maybe I stepped on the gas pedal too much so I eased up on the accelerator. However, my car didn't slow down and instead it kept accelerating uncontrollably on its own. I was getting very close to the car in front, my 3 other passengers yelled for me to slow down. I stepped as hard as I could on the brake but the car didn't slow down at all. I realized the cruise control light was on and thought maybe I have accidentally turned it on to cause such acceleration. My husband who sat next to me helped me turn the cruise off while I tried to maintain control of my car to avoid hitting any vehicle in front. Meanwhile, I tried to pump the brake and stepped as hard as I could on the brake. The car wouldnt slow down and instead accelerated to 105 mph. All I could do was keep changing lanes to avoid hitting vehicles in front while having my emergency signal and continuous hitting my honks. I somehow managed to move over to the shoulder without hitting any cars but the vehicle was still moving at 100+ mph. Finally my husband had to force the gear box to park and I applied the emergency parking brake before the vehicle finally started to slow down and eventually stopped near exit #389. My car has traveled for about 3.5 miles at over 100 mph and there were some very close calls where I could have hit vehicles at high speed seriously injuring someone and myself. After the incident, the vehicle was towed to a nearby Lexus dealership. Two days later on Monday, I was informed by the dealer that the sudden acceleration was caused by improper installation of the all weather floor mat. When I questioned why the brake did not work at all, their answer was basically when the gas throttle was open, the horsepower of the car was so great that the brake wasn't able to stop it. It is like stepping one foot on the gas and the other on the brake pedal. My husband and I were not convinced by the explanation that improper installation of mat (even if it is) could have cause such completely uncontrollable acceleration that could have disastrous consequence. We demand to have Lexus Corporation send a field technician or have an independent and qualified technician to do a full and complete diagnosis. Our request was promptly refused by the dealership service department manager. They said when they did a computer diagnosis, no error code was shown on their tool and therefore we have to trust them that the sudden and uncontrollable acceleration problem has been resolved by the replacement of the floor mat. We refused to pick up the car out of safety concern. Meanwhile we are researching consumer rights suggested by various consumer advocate groups before we decide how to proceed with this incident. Our research found this problem has happened in a lot of different models of vehicles under both Toyota and Lexus brand. For example NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation database contains 40 reports of similar sudden and uncontrollable acceleration in 2007 Lexus ES350 model alone, resulting in many injuries.

In December of 2006, I purchased a 2003 LS 430 with 8,700 miles. I would say in that period of time, there have been about ten times when starting from a light the engine will rev sparaticly and the tranny won't shift. I have tp pull to the side of the street, put the car in park and restart the engine. Then the car performs as normal. I checked with the local Tucson dealership about factory service bulletin and was told there was nothing listed. I'm stumped.

Transmission failed at 73K on our RX300 for 400K repair. This should not occur when all maintenance was done by dealer at prescribed scheduled intervals. This car cost 45K when new, and there are hundreds of similar complaints on Lexus forums.

My 2000 RX 300 has 144,000 miles and the transmission just quit. Lexus said they have no recall program and I was out of warranty.

Big surprise.

You buy a luxury car and they don't stand behind it.

I bought a rebuilt transmission, $3,000.00, from a reputable rebuilder and had it installed, more money.

Now the engine is all gumed up.

The lesson to be learned, don't purchase another Toyota product.

Tell your friends.

I was driving the car 2 days after I had the oil changed, when the car started making a rought tinning sound I pulled the car over and was told by a machanic that the bearing were bad because of low oil preasure. He said that this often happens whith es300s

I recently purchased a Lexus along with a service agreement for an added charge. I financed the car but paid for the service agreement by check. Two weeks after I bought the car with the agreement I decided to cancel the service agreement. I was informed by letter that I would not be getting back my money. Instead the money that I paid for the service agreement, by check, $1895.00, minus a 25 dollar processing fee would be applied to the amount on my loan at Lexus Finanical. I have tried every way I could to explain that I did not finance the service agreement. But as it was stated to me, there is no way that I would be refunded my money. Furthermore there is nothing written on my orginal reciept for the purchase of the car and service agreement that states I would not be refunded if I chose to cancel the policy.

Runaway acceleration of my Lexus 350. My husband was driving onto Rte 4 NJ Teaneck. (No breakdown, or emergency lane)Cruise control seemingly took control of engine. Braked hard, engine continued with RPM's accelerated, smoking brakes. Tried unsuccessfully to shift to manual, neutral. Car was still moving when he pressed off button. Car stopped with a jolt. We checked that mats were in place.Since we were in an unsafe space he started car again to pull onto exit. Repeat of acceleration and loud noise, strong smell of burning brakes. Stopped only by pressing button. We ended our stop this time blocking entrance to highway. Police came. Officer and tow truck driver confirmed that engine mad terrifying accelerating noise. Police yelled, Stay away from that car, it could explode. Heard briefly from service department this morning nothing apparently wrong. Still checking and that we would be responsible for getting car back to Boston. I am terrified to ever drive this car again.

I own a Lexus 2001 RX300 and kept up with regular oil changes and maintenance. At 81,000 my transmission went. I couldn't beleive that a Lexus vehicle had such a major problem so early on. The VSC and check engine ICON light were on and I thought maybe it was a sensor that shut down the vehicle to protect it from further damage. I had this sensor repaired last June. I went to the dealership and they said it was the transmission. They agreed to fix the tranny, but I had to pay $1500 for labor, which was better than $4000 totaland even though I was outraged, I had no chocie but to fix the vehicle. I got the vehicle back and the VSC along with check engine ICON light were STILL on along with some muffed reving sound. I was told I had to have 2 full starts (complete cool down and run engine warm) before the sensor lights would go off. I did that and no resolved. I took the auto back and no they said it was some exhaust problem.....which didn't they remove the exhaust to get to the tranny to fix? Yes, but somehow it still was going to cost me $400. Got the auto back and the VSC and check engine ICON are STILL ON and now they say it some other sensor....hand over $500. Of course, I need a vehicle so I told them to fix it. Their mechanic had it out on a test run and it was rear-ended by another vehicle and now the tranny is leaking. Conveniently, the mechanic did NOT get the name of the guy that rear-end my auto because it's in a police report. THe guy that hit me vehicle should pay for my auto damage and if he doesn't have insurance, the dealer should pay and lend me a loaner car. The dealership is not being cooperative....don't they have business insurance for these type of things? My insurance company is saying the transmission leak is NOT from the accident and the dealership is saying that it is?

I have had a 2007 IS 250 for 14 months. It has not started 3 times. The first time I was told that it was because I left something on. The second time I was told that it was because I hadn't driven my car far enough so that the battery was not getting a complete charge. In the last 39 days, I drove my car 1037 miles and last week when I got in my car it did not start. I called Lexus Corporate back and told them about this. Still I have not heard from them and it has been 1 week. Also, I visited the dealer where I leased the car and the only way that they could guarantee that I would not have this problem anymore is if I bought something called a battery tender. It is something that is built into the car and has to plug into a wall as well. I live in an apartment and my build will not allow me to do this as they would then have to pay for my electricity. I don't have any outlet near my space anyway. Therefore, as of this moment, my problem is still unsolved.

I did own a1996 Lexus GS300 a few days ago.My daughter in law borrowed it to go and pick up my 3 year old grand daughter, returned home 20 minutes later came in to the house with her daughter for 5 minutes went back outside and noticed smoke coming from under the hood, she grabed a water hose and yelled for me I took the hose and started to hear poping coming from under the she called thr fire dept. and we both got away from it and watched it totaly burnup.

IN late June, I purchased a 2000 Lexus RX300 with 80000 miles for my daughter, expecting it to last for years. I had my mechanic service and check everything over in June and again in July when the check engine light came on. Recently my daughter experienced the car hesitating, then lurching. I took it to a toyota dealer and am told it needs a new transmission for $5600!!! A quick internet search reveals that i am not alone in having a transmission problem on that vehicle. Of course i do not have any service records of the previous owner, nor do i have any current warranty. It seems that Lexus should take at least partial responsibility

After the transmission in my 2000 Lexus rx300 malfunctioned, I contact Lexus corporation and request them to pay for a new transmission. I have regularly maintenanced my vehicle and there should have been no reason for the transmission to fail. After some research via the internet I found out that this very common with 1999 & 2000 RX300's and yet no recall... why? Jennifer left me a message indicating they would pay 25%. I left a message indicating the transmission should be recalled (it's defective) and therefore they should pay 100% of the replacement. However, I would be willing to settle for 50% to resolve the matter. Now I'm being asked for receipts. The owners manual does not indicate having to replace the fluid only to check. However, my mechanic did replace the fluid at 60,000 mile check.

i have a 2000 lexus rx 300.engine is full of sludge, it smokes,burns a lot of oil,has engine noise. lexus dealer refuses to cover it. this car was included in oil sludge settlement.they told me it would cost me $3000 to fix it

I accessed your website on Sept. 9, for information related to the engine oil sludge problems experienced by some Lexus RX 300 vehicle owners. I had received a letter re the class action lawsuit several years ago and filed it away for future reference. When I read the letters from dissatisfied Lexus/Toyota owners who described the terrible treatment and service from their particular dealers and service departments, I decided to tell you about a positive experience. My father, who lived in South Carolina, died on Sept. 2.

I left Richmond that morning to be with my family and was nearing Roanoke Rapids in North Carolina when my engine began to make a loud banging noise and the car began to lose power. At that point the oil light illuminated on the dash and I pulled to the side of I-95, shaken. Two hours later a tow-truck arrived and towed the car to Roanoke Rapids. At my request, he checked the oil and said there was none in the car. I asked if he would put oil in and test the engine because I was anxious to reach S.C.

The added oil made no difference and my car was then towed to Rocky Mount, N.C. and left at the Toyota dealership there. Of course, this took place on a holiday weekend and I was unable to rent a car or find a garage open to look at the vehicle. My husband drove from Richmond to pick me up and then drive the remaining distance to S.C. This was not the best time to deal with automobile difficulties, but Larry, the service manager in Rocky Mount, was very patient with me. He let me know that the engine would have to be replaced. I told him that the tow driver said there was no oil in the car and to please check for leaks, etc. The inspection revealed that the car was a quart low.

I thought, How could the tow driver have made such a mistake?, totally forgetting that we had added oil to the car. We had the car towed to Richmond Lexus where Dale Farley, Service Manager, had the engine looked at by his mechanics and agreed that the engine needed to be replaced. I had called ahead to let him know that the car was a quart low and I couldn't understand what had happened. Mr. Farley looked at the service record of the car, and in support of me, talked to the powers that be to have the engine replacement approved at no cost.

They agreed. I was so relieved to have this settled and was able to focus on my family. The following Saturday, my husband drove home to Richmond and stopped in Rocky Mount to pay the tow driver for the Richmond trip. I told him how happy I was that Lexus of Richmond had agreed to replace the engine at no cost. He then reminded me that we had put oil in the car, and my heart nearly stopped. I'd forgotten about it in the confusion of the funeral services for my father. The following Monday I went to Lexus to pick up a loaner car while mine was being repaired and I told Mr. Farley about the oil, dreading that he would think I had deliberately deceived him.

He was very kind and said that they would replace the engine at no cost, anyway. I was very embarressed and very impressed with him and the Lexus dealership. Please let your readers know that there are honest and kind automobile dealers who want to do the right thing and who go the extra mile to provide exceptional customer service. Needless to say, I am now a life-long Lexus of Richmond customer.



I* was hit from behind by a Dodge Ram truck and my seat snapped and broke. I was thrown into the steering wheel. My 1999 Lexus RX300 held up well in the rear but was injured due to the seat breaking and no air bag deployed. The Ram truck hit me at a pretty high rate of speed as he was fleeing the scene of another accident.


I have 2 bulging disks and 2 herniated disks in my neck and upper back. Going thru medical treatments.

Purchased a 2003 Lexus ES300 with 37,000 miles. The vehicle was purchased because it was covered by a 72 month, 70,000 mile warranty. Three months after purchasing the vehicle it was discovered that vehicle had oil sludge and the engine requires replacement. Lexus refused to repair because the oil sludge lawsuit only covered 1997-2002 models. I have all the receipts for maintenance that I did during the short time I've had the car, but I don't have the maintenance records of the previous owners. Now I am stuck with a 2003 Lexus with 43,000 miles that needs a new engine

I purchased a new 2001 Lexus RX300 back in July 2001. I have 69500 miles on it now. Recently I had issues with it getting stuck in reverse - it would not reverse until I stepped hard on the gas and then it would bang into gear and reverse. THis Lexus service dept said it was the TPS (Throttle Position Sensor). I am worried that there is something wrong with the transmission. I will be outside of the warranty (6 years or 70K miles) in a matter of weeks.

I took my 2002 Lexus RX300 into Scholfield Lexus yesterday (6/19/07) because it began putting out smoke when we started it in the morning. Later in the day I talked with the Service Manager (Jeff Kastning) and he indicated the problem was due to engine sludge and I would need a new engine block. He stated this was going to cost me $10-11K.

I told him that was unacceptable and why wasn't this type of thing under warranty. He indicated it was due to me not changing my oil and I told him that was not true, as a matter of fact I had just changed the oil, filter and air filter just prior to the Memorial weekend. He stated I needed to show proof that the oil at been changed in the last year. I said I did this and have done this myself and I didn't have receipts. He said there wasn't anything he could do. I called Lexus customer support and listed a complaint. What are people who change oil themselves suppose to do.

The Lexus dealership is basically saying I didn't change the oil. I've changed the oil in my car more that a dozen times since I purchased it in 2003 (I try to do it at least quarterly) and since I do it myself I didn't have records. Knowing I bought the oil and filters prior to Memorial, I found when I did it (May 23rd) and went to Walmart and got the receipt and faxed it to the dealership. He would not say if that was adequate or not. We cannot be required to take our cars to a shop to have the oil changed and it appears we don't have any recourse.

The dealership said they were waiting on word from Lexus before they would repair the car under warranty. In my attachment I'm including information found on the internet regarding these types of problems with Toyota/Lexus vehicles and it seems to me that Lexus should stand behind it's warranty and repair my car. I respectfully request someone deal with this issue. I've never had any problems with this vehicle until this past week (never used oil, ran sluggishly or anything and I like to think it's because I have regualarly changed the oil but the dealership seems to think otherwise. I called Lexus Customer Service again today (6/21), since I had not heard from anyone.

They said someone would call be today. At 5:30pm Mr Kastning calls back and said Lexus called him and said they would not accept the receipt I provided and I needed to show receipts for the last 4 yrs. I again explained to Mr Kastning that I changed oil myself every quarter and never thought of keeping receipts and basically what they (Lexus) are saying is that I'm a liar. I told him they could not require a car owner to go to a service store to have their cars serviced and therefore have receipts. Mr Kastning tells us we need one receipt in the last year and then Lexus is saying receipts for 4 yrs. Please assist in this matter. I would like to think Lexus will stand up to it's advertised claims of being concerned about customer satisfaction and standing behind their warranties.

They are saying it will cost me $10,000-11,000 to install a new engine block. We still owe 13 payments on this car.

I purchased a 1993 Lexus ES 300 in 2002, currently has 96,800 miles. All these complaints I have notice are similar to other people having the same car. I have no complaint to any dealer. But to Lexus only! 1. Mechanic stated I have an oil sludge problem. I need o wait at least 5 minutes when starting the car before I drive off or I feel the car slacking. Car been burning allot of oil finding myself every month adding about almost quart of oil.

Regardless of this I get an oil change every 3 months 2. The needle light on the gas gauge blew out for the second time in 2 years, also the light needle for the car temperature is always flickering on and off, 3. The driver side headlights always has condensation in it ever since I purchase the car. 4. Have an issue with the expansion valve for the A/C. 5. The factory car radio no longer working. First the LCD display would flicker on and off but still heard music the went on for about 2 weeks, then it just completely stop working checked the fuses every time I replaced the fuse it would blow out, so I purchased a new radio the moment they finish installing the radio turned the car on the new radio blew off and the fuse also.

The money I spend on fixing these issues 1. the cost of changing the oil everything 3 months is a normal maintains cost . but the $3 per month I need to pay to add new oil. Replacing/ fixing est about $3000-4500 2. I replace the bulb once cost was $6. 3. I have not invested on fixing the light condensation problem. 4. I have not invested on fixing this issue cost is about $150-250 5. radio replacement was $99.00 which blew. fuses were about $12.

The car the I have is a Lexus ES 300, and it has arounfd 55000 miles, and it has been burning oil a lot, and by surching the internet a figured that there was a sludge problem going on with the Toyota/Lexus cars, the expecific model that I have from 1997/2002, was also included on the list of the Louisiana settlement,and that in 2002 Toyota admitted receiving 3,400 complaints about sludged engines and the automaker extended its vehicle warranty to eight years along with unlimited mileage to owners of 1997-2002 Toyota and Lexus vehicles equipped with 3.0-liter V-6 or 2.2-liter four-cylinder engines, since my car is having the same aperant problem, i decided to oppen this complain.

Today I discovered that I had a flat tire on my vehicle (Lexus GS 300) when I attempted to locate my spare, I found that I did not have a spare tire.

I have never used the spare, nor had I ever looked for the spare before because I never had a need to. The spare was supposed to be in a sealed compartment in the car which I never looked in.

I called the dealer where I purchased the vehicle in November 2005. They told me when I arrived that they would replace the spare however when I went to leave with the car they demanded payment of $320.

When I demanded the spare tire they said that the car may have not come with a spare which I believe is totally incorrect because it was a new vehicle.

The car has never been broken into nor serviced by anyone other than this one dealer where I purchased the vehicle. there response was simply that there may have not been a spare in the car when they sold it and that the salesman who sold me the car was no longer employed there so they could do nothing to help me. finally they demanded payment or to call the police on me so I paid them for the tire but was still left with no spare tire.

Well we own a 2000 Lexus LX470. The reason I bought the car for close to 70K in 2000 was the reputation of Lexus for the quality of their cars and also service. We have been let down by both those aspects of the car.

The suspension system of the car has cost us more than 8K so far to service and I wonder if this is an overall defect in LX470 due to the fact the suspension is capable of height adjustment. Anyway I have complained and talked and written to Lexus head quarters with NO luck. The other major problem with Lexus is the dealerships that sell and service those cars!!! I have been dealing with Pohankas Lexus in Chantilly Virginia (DC Metropolitan) for the past couple of years and it seems like they are getting worse by day.

My wife took her Lexus in last week for a checkup and service. She was charged $212 for changing the oil and supposedly complete checkup. Also the front light had gone bad and when she inquired on how much it will be to fix it, she was told $85 to change the front head light, which she refused. So I go into an auto part store, purchase a less than $5 front headlight and without the right tools, it takes me 15 minutes to change the light. While I am there I notice there is no windshield fluid in it container so I top it off with about half gallon I had in my garage and its not even close to being full!!!

Then I notice the back tire is low on air, so I asked my wife on whether the service included those items and she said she did not know!!! So I checked the receipt from Pohankas Lexus and in it $185 labor charge to change the oil & filter, check and top off fluids and rotate/balance the tires!!!! So I went buzurk. Next day I call Pokankus's service Dept, ask for the top boss and get transferred to a Doug guy who is service director.

Leave him a brief message with my unhappiness and ask him to call me back (this is Tuesday). Yesterday Thursday, a guy Lindsey calls my wife and my wife gets his number and I call him right away. He picks up the phone, and keeps me hanging for more than 10 minutes that he is working on something else that he needs to finish.

So after patiently waiting for him to talk to me, he says OK so how can I help you. So I give him the name/phone number and explain teh situation to him. There is no comment/opology this has happened!!!! I ask him about the $85 to change the front light and he very coldly says well this is our raate sir. So if they did not do it right bring your car back in tomorrow.

Can I get an appointment so that my wife with 4 kids does not have to spend hours there??? he says no sorry we don't do appointments. No sorries, no oppologies nothing and just hangs up on me!!!. Well I am going to object the charge on my credit card and will not pay a dime to them. But buyer be aware, we have had HORRIBLE experience with the car Lexus LX470 and the services from dealerships are outrageously expensive and at times horribe. I am going to take this case to a local news station to make sure others do not get suckered into these types of problems.

Due to the recent Lexus oil gel problems I experienced, I contacted the oil gel specialist, Mr. Lee, to file a claim. My claim was denied due to the 8 year expiration date. My car was 8 years and 9 mos. when I begin to experience sludging.

I am sure there are others who have experienced the same. The very rude oil gel specialist refused to deal with me...told me I could appeal the decision. If these cars are predisposed to oil gel problems, why isn't Lexus more willing to assist?

1998 Lexus ES 300 with 80 K miles. Serviced by Lexus at 60K changed all seals gaskets etc. Now at leak has been detected and inspection says the engine has sludged. All oil changes done on time and car has been seen by Toyota and Lexus several time for prior work and inspection. Lexus says it's owners fault. As owners we were never informed of the sludge problem by Lexus or Toyota. Cost to repair the engine is UNACCEPTABLE!!! HELP...

I had a fire in my apartment and the remote key for my Lexus ES330 was destroyed. I'm living in Long Beach until the construction is finished. I went to the nearest Lexus dealer to order a duplicate key. I was appalled that the cost will be over $300.00 for a duplicate key. The personnel at the dealership was very cooperative but I still feel the cost is prohibitive.

I have a 2001 Lexus LS 430 and my wife has been hit in the head many times, as I have, by the trunk lid coming down due to moderate winds and just putting groceries in the trunk.

Two dealer service managers have told me that the shocks that are supposed to hold up the trunk are under engineered, and not substantial enough to hold up the trunk lid. This condition gets worse over time. I have contacted their 800 # and was told/e-mailed a we can't/won't help you response. I recently found out that Lexus changed the part number on my trunk struts (from # ending in 30 to 31) sometime after 2001.

Lexus keeps the reasons for these changes a secret even from their dealers, so I could not find out why for the change. I am asking that Lexus Corporate Customer Satisfaction allow my local dealer to put on a set of the new part # (ending in 31) trunk struts at no charge to me. I'm sure the new part number represents a quiet Lexus part fix.

The trunk lid is heavy, and when it hits you in the head or face (if you're looking up at the time), it can do some damage. This happens all too easily, especially if the car is parked on a slight uphill incline.

But, even on level ground it doesn't take much shaking of the car or wind to have it come down. In fact, if you don't push hard to make sure it is all the way up (like we always do - along with now having to hold it up), it doesn't even stay up at all. The approximate (I think) cost to replace the trunk struts would be about $500, but I didn't want to spend that amount, if the replacement struts were the same under-engineered struts that would have the same problem two or so years down the road.

Own a 95 ES 300 and when vehicle reached 100k it developed a white smoke from tailpipe; diagnose with sludge; not under warranty; replaced with used engine. Obviously this is a problem with lexus engines.

Cost $4000 to replace.

Purchase 1993 Lexus Es300 4 years ago. It had about 50,000 miles on it at the time. The instrument light array which lights up the pointers has just about quit working and we can no longer tell how fast we are driving at night.

The light in the pointed indicator quit. I talked with Lexus of Carlsbad and they indicated that it would be around $1200.00 to fix. The whole light array must be replaced. The parts guy I talked with told me the same thing happened to his 1993 Lexus ES 300.

Lexus told me that since they did not service my vehicle there was nothing they could do. Servicing, of course, would not have affected this safety defect. I am sure there are other Lexus owners out there with the same problem. My mechanic indicated this was not unique to my Es 300

None at this point other than the safety factor and the potential cost of $1200.00

Lexus repair said my 98 LS400 with 150,000 miles on it had a sludged engine and needed replacing, originally taken in for check engine light and VSC OFF indicator. Code was 1349. Contacted LEXUS USA, no response.

Used/rebuilt engine cost...7,500 - 9,000 dollars. Unbelievable for a 54,000 dollar vehicle under 200,000 miles.

I am not complaining about a particular dealership. I am appauled about your advertising. I have small children who watch television and it absolutely disgusts me to have to rush to the remote control and change the channel because a major auto maker is insinuating that it is alright to be in a same sex relationship. Two women and two men in a relationship breaks down the sanctity of the family. I know that the popular political thing to do now is stand behind gay relationships. I know that you know gay relationships are grossly inappropriate, spiritually and morally wrong. The family, with or without children, begins and ends with a man and a woman. It sickens me that you have succombed to the lie that the nontraditional family perpertrates. I, a concerned consumer, demand that you correct this disgusting wrong that you so boldly advertise to us all. I don't feel that you will respond to this complaint. I hope you will favorably do so. These advertisements need to STOP!

My wife owned a 2003 Lexus ES300. While turning into a parking space the car accelerated and ran into a concrete wall. She had only minor injuries caused by the seat belt across her chest. A police report was Filed with the Deland Florida Police Department. We contacted the dealer in Orlando Fl and told them what happened. My wife was terrified to even get in the car again so we traded it in on another Lexus. All of this information was passed on to corporate headquarters for Lexus of America. They insured me that the ES300 that was traded in would not be sold and that a tecnical team was being sent to that dealership and would tear that car down from bumper to bumper to find the problem.

A couple of weeks later I called the dealership to find out if they had discovered the problem. The salesman, named Sharieff, told me the car had been sold by the dealer agaist the instructions they had received from Lexus. I asked to speak to the sales manager, Mr. Dent. He came on the phone and I asked him why he sold the car when he was told not to and he stated that I'll do anything on I want with the car. Now some unsupectiing woman is driving a defective 2003 ES300.

Contact with my insurance agent at state farm indicated that they had bee notified of this problem with the ES300 by Lexus but Lexus would not issue a recall or let the public know. I will never buy another Toyota/Lexus product again. They will not admitt to a problem or step up to the plate when required then I can take my business elseware.

I have a 94 Lexus LS 400 and have been having trouble with the seatbelts in the front driver and passenger seats. They do no always retract and unless carefully put on, they are too loose to work properly.

They do hold in a quick stop if initially adjusted. However if one leans forward to pick up something off the floor, they do not retract and must be reapplied.

Does Lexus have other complaints for seatbelts on earlier models? I asked at the Lexus dealer in Rockford but they had no information on a recall at that time. I just wondered if there are many others who have complained?

I had my HID lights stolen from RX 330 during the early morning hours on october 10 2005. There were 4 other lights taken from RX330s that weekend in maplewood alone. I questioned the lexus dealership in livingston (Warnock) about the problem they recommended the "data dots" anti theft device be installed and assured me that this would deter any thefts because it would be too difficult to remove the lights.

However despite the data dots the lights were taken again last week January 21,2006 at approximately between 8:30 and 8:45 pm. I am afraid of keeping the vehicle. My 12 year old daughter was seconds from catching the thieves in the act. she was on her way out front door to retrieve her cellphone. The theft took 10 minutes despite having the anti theft device, we were only home 10 minutes when the lights were stolen I am currently leasing the vehicle. I am facing another $1000.00 deductible payment .

I spoke with dealership (Prestige) who suggested calling the 1-800 lexus number to file a complaint and to follow up with leasing company to work out my own deal.Lexus has informed me that they can not assist me on this matter and can not provide any compensation. I am basically on my own. The vehicle is a target and feel that my family's safety is at risk every time we drive the vehicle. Inaddition I can no longer assume the financial burden for this vehicle, time off from work, towing charges, deductibles, So much for the pursuit of perfection.

I used to get non stop info from lexus including customer satisfaction surveys...its almost an obsession for them. I have't receive a call or any mailings since the october theft.The Rx 330 was their #1 selling vehicle. They want to keep this quiet. I have been told that the light theft issue is problematic in the north east of USA only.

I purchased a 2006 RX 330. I traded in my 1999 RX 300. Within three weeks I had two rear end accidents on the right end side, both with me backing up. None were dangerous. I had had two other that were similar but caused no damage. I was not drinking nor doing drugs drugs etc. That's not me. I started evaluating the car and the accidents and realized that this car has a blind spot. I even compared this car to my previous one.

The back window is curved differently and is smaller. I was unable to see the post that I hit when I checked it out. I am terrified that I could miss a child. This needs to be checked out. Could you help me out and check this out. Also can you make some recommendations as to where I could go to complain further.

Masood Tampa FL (11/28/05)

I took my Lexus ES300, 1998 (milage: 71,700) with the problem of having 'ABS' and 'Track Off' signs intermittently coming on while driving. The service shop kept the car for more than one week for diagnostic purpose and then recommended to replace '88263-24030 Relay, Skid Control' which I got done. But, then they called me back after another few days telling me that it did not work and I have to get whole ABS system replaced which will cost $ 3000.00.

I declined and took the car to Precision Toyota service for a second opinion and they showed me a recently split wire connecting the left front side to the ABS system (the wires were with smooth shiny silver surface from a well defined, apparently intentionally cut to permanently disable ABS system). They also told me that the only solution of this disrupted wire is to change the whole ABS system.

I sold my car at a loss of $3000.00 as I had to lower the price because of this so called Lexus Experts fraudulent act of intentional malpractice.

I have a 1999 lexus rx300. I have had oil problems with since purchase -- it just would disappear. No mechanic could find leaks or evidence of use, so I had my car in to Lexus dealer for checking into this. They plainly stated on service papers they cleaned the sludge out of engine -- now two years later the engine has locked up due to oil gelling.

Again thinking there was a defect in vehicle I began to check the internet for similar complaints only to find hundreds of owners of this engine has the same problem and Lexus refuses to do anything about it because I can't find receipts or remember when oil changes were done.

My 2002 Lexus caught fire while I was driving on the freeway. The fire department said it was the fuel injection that caused the fire. Lexus service are the only people that have worked on my car and the only people that even lifted my hood. They will take no responsibility re: this loss. I ended buying a new Lexus and had to put $8,000. out of my pocket to buy it.

I surely thought Lexus would pay me the amount I had to use to purchase a new car. They offered me a $250 service after I had been with them since 1994 when I bought my first Lexus. I have recently heard of another Lexus owner that this happened to but they caught it in time and Lexus repaired it. I try and keep my cars between 8-12 years. Is this a cover-up with Lexus, are they responsible for my loss?

My car was declared a total loss. I have been in a panic ever since this happened whenever I smell smoke. I am a widow and could not afford to buy another car at this time. I thought surely this would last me ten years.

I own 99 Lexus RX 300. I have approximately 90000 miles on it. Recently I had problem with oil burning and the dealer told me that it is due to engine gelling which is due to a design flaw in some Lexus and Toyota engines. Company is asking all the oil change receipts since 1999 and I don't have all the oil change receipts and the mechanics erase all the records after a few years.

However I did provide the company with last seven oil change receipts. I have been changing oil religiously every 3000 to 4000 miles but do not maintain all the records. Company is denying the coverage for repair which is going to cost me $8000. I brought Lexus due to company reputation. I think the company did major goof up with their engine and does not want to admit it.I have seen on the internet that 3500 people are complaining about engine gelling which can not be a mere coincidence that all these people did not do oil changes. If the company does not provide assistence then I will never ever buy any Toyota cars in the future.

I will have to junk the car which I bought at $ 37000. It is not worth fixing if it costs $ 8000 and not knowing that problem will never occur in the future.

I have a 1996 Lexus es300. The engine seized at 110K miles in 2003. The oil and filter were changed according to the service manual. The oil changes were not performed at the Lexus Dealer. The engine was replaced with another 1996 es300 engine(used). This is a cheaper option than rebuilding the engine. The vehicle was not under warranty at the time.

The engine seized while driving through downtown Chicago Hwy 94 on a very cold Sunday. That had to be the worst experience of my life. I lost all power to the car. Luckily the car didn't crash into any property or people. The car coasted to an off ramp and I was able to continue coasting to a place I can park the car until a Tow truck arrived. The brakes required a ton of pressure to stop the car. In Conclusion - Repair cost - $4-5K

I own a 2004 lexus rx330. I hear a slight ticking sound in the engine compartment. I mentioned it to my dealer service department and they stated that it a normal sound that comes from the fuel injector. However, I still find it hard to believe that a $40,000 automobile making a tickling sound is normal.

I purchased my new Lexus IS300, 5-speed, in May of 2003. I began noticing a very bad sulfur or rottten egg smell, coming through the air vents just after a few thousand miles on my NEW car. I called Lexus and made a service appointment for a diagnostic test. The test came back fine, and they told me there is nothing wrong with my car.

Now I have twenty thousand miles on my car, and still continue to smell this awful smell. I have heard it could be a faulty catalictic convertor, hopefully they will have a recall so I can have this problem fixed. I am very disappointed Lexus owner, for this reason. I should have bought a Honda.

I purchased my new Lexus IS300, 5-speed, in May of 2003. I began noticing a very bad sulfur or rottten egg smell, coming through the air vents just after a few thousand miles on my NEW car. I called Lexus and made a service appointment for a diagnostic test. The test came back fine, and they told me there is nothing wrong with my car.

Now I have twenty thousand miles on my car, and still continue to smell this awful smell. I have heard it could be a faulty catalictic convertor, hopefully they will have a recall so I can this problem fixed. I am very disappointed Lexus owner, for this reason. I should have bought a Honda.

In 2001 we were among the many unfortunate lexus/toyota customers (according to the web site) that were affected by an oil sludge problem. After a lengthy battle with lexus, and only after the story broke on the internet about the sludge problem lexus reimbursed us for the engine repair. Two years later in 2003, after several trips back to lexus for things that didn't seem right, only to be told things like, "only the sensor light, not a problem with the engine" also noises we heard, they did not. The oil was changed and the car maintained meticulously since the engine repair.

Dec 2003 the engine started making a loud noise, I took the car immediately to the dealer. They told us that it had "blown a rod in the piston" and needed $6,400.00 worth of engine work. Of course it is not covered. When i called an auto reapir shop near us in PA, who does all our inspections, he said that absolutely this would be caused from the original oil problem.


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