Power Train Problems of Lexus RX350 - part 1

We took the car in because when the car is cold it does not shift properly. This problem has been happening and getting worse since it was there for a recall on the transmission software. Dealer refuses to acknowledge that there is a problem stating the diagnostic computer shows no error codes, while ignoring the fact when you shift from park to reverse or drive the vehicle jerks and the gear lever requires a lot of force to move into desired gear. Dealer refuses to repair the car or acknowledge the problem, instead they tried to sell me a $875 oil change. Dealer is also refusing to send me any paperwork that my car was there even after calling many times to request it, they promise to send it that day and never send it because "they are busy". Service advisor david ( taou) was very arrogant, condescending and dishonest.

See all problems of the 2019 Lexus RX350 🔎.

Engine abruptly stops and I have a 3 second stall, then the car resumes normal operation. Could be a real serious accident without warning. This happened in motion on a highway from a stop light or stop sign or pulling out onto traffic.

See all problems of the 2015 Lexus RX350 🔎.

I tried accelerating on the highway (pch in santa monica, CA) while traveling forward at about 45-50 mph, but the vehicle hesitated. This is the forth time there has been a hesitation in acceleration since owning the car, but this time there was a message on my dash. The message stated that there was "an obstruction with the pedal and acceleration was retarded. " I later looked down at the pedals felt around the them, but found nothing obstructing. At the time, the vehicle had less than a quarter tank of gas but not low enough for the low fuel warning to come on. After driving about 15 more miles - the low fuel warning came on. I have always put premium fuel in the vehicle and my wife doesn't put gas in the vehicle. A recall was recently performed pertaining to the fuel pump at the dealer - pertaining to low.

See all problems of the 2018 Lexus RX350 🔎.

While driving, I've been encountering hard gear upshifts and downshifts. I have notified my local Lexus dealership and they told me that is normal. This is my 3rd car I bought and the first time I've encountered such an issue. Issue usually happens when speeds range between 50-70 mph regardless of weather conditions. This is a safety concern, given that the car is still pretty new.

Auto bright head light system deactivates/reactivates indiscriminately, most frequently a few minutes after departing in the morning (still dark). Lack of proper bright light control while driving at night greatly reduces visibility making this a safety issue. I have provided video evidence to Lexus dealer demonstrating the problem who consulted with corporate Lexus; Lexus claims that they found my vehicle to be within Lexus specifications and has refused to further investigate nor repair. Information posted on the internet by numerous Lexus RX-350 owners reported the same problem - one suggesting that proper cleaning of the camera lens fixed the problem; I provided the evidence to Lexus and Lexus refused to attempt this solution. Following is Lexus guest experience center response; dear mr. : thank you for contacting the Lexus guest experience center. The entire Lexus organization is dedicated to providing Lexus customers with superior service. In circumstances that require our attention, we are interested in assisting in the resolution process. As you requested, we are responding in writing. Your 2016 RX 350, vehicle identification number xx, was inspected by Lexus of xx, and found to be within Lexus specifications. We apologize the vehicle has not met your expectations. Please be assured that Lexus has documented your dissatisfaction for product improvement consideration. Sincerely, xx case manager, eastern area Lexus guest experience center this is my third Lexus and may be my last!.

See all problems of the 2016 Lexus RX350 🔎.

Car had 70,000 miles and the transmission went out. Car was having issues with cranking, getting error codes for technology, and car sounding loudly and skippong along with not changing out properly. Dealer never found a problem, beyond technology, until the transmission went out. Dealer agreed to pay for new transmission 1 year warranty but not labor. Car would hesitate to start and could have broken down on highway had I not densnd an inspection again, one week after the dealer claim my car was fix and it was only the battery.

See all problems of the 2014 Lexus RX350 🔎.

Tl the contact owns a 2019 Lexus Rx350. While driving with the adaptive cruise control activated and set at 72 mph, the driver reduced the speed to approximately 60 mph when switching lanes. After releasing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle continued to accelerate past the set cruise control speed of 72 mph and continued to accelerate to approximately 80 mph. After deactivating the cruise control feature, the vehicle continued to accelerate and the rpms increased before the speed eventually was reduced. The cause of the failure was not determined. Lexus escondido (1205 auto park way, escondido, CA) and the manufacturer were notified of the failure. Prior to the failure, the vehicle hesitated while accelerating and was serviced. The same Lexus dealer reprogrammed/flashed the transmission, but the failures continued. The failure mileage was 2,800.

The car abruptly jerks forwards or slows down when switching gears. There is a knocking sound when you accelerate. The rpm increase to 6k-7k before the next gear is engaged and then car abruptly thrusts forward. The car accelerates and decelerates randomly. This car cannot be driven safely in this condition. The car only have 1116 miles and is a 2019 model.

I was driving on the highway, going 65 mph and straight, and someone flagged me down to let me know that my car was smoking. None of my safety lights had appeared on my dash. I pulled over and saw that the back of my car was completely covered in oil and I had a fast oil leak underneath my car toward the front passenger side. I certainly sprayed oil on the cars behind me on the highway, potentially causing visibility issues for other drivers. I also leaked oil on the highway, causing a potential concern for other drivers. In some circumstances, this malfunction, coupled with highway speed, could cause the engine to seize and power steering and power brakes would have been instantly lost. Found a nearby auto shop and checked my oil dip stick - it was completely dry. Nearly all of my oil had leaked out. I was towed 100 miles home and took my car to the local auto repair shop. They did an assessment and determined that there was a gross oil leak coming from the oil cooler pipe (made of rubber) which runs from the filter adapter to the engine block. Lexus is aware of this issue and issued a warranty enhancement notification (attached) for the faulty part, but the part has not yet been recalled.

See all problems of the 2009 Lexus RX350 🔎.

When stepping on the gas petal one of three things happen. 1. Normal acceleration which you expect after 60 years of driving and which we obtain from a 2014 Lexus Rx350 that we own. 2. Hesitation of between 1 and 5 seconds before acceleration begins. 3 excessive acceleration ( surg of acceleration much more than expected). This excess acceleration may happen after the hesitation or there could be "normal" acceleration after the hesitation and happens when accelerating after being stopped. . The hesitation and excess acceleration can be from a stopped position ie stop sign or traffic light or while moving and normal speeds. There seems to be a consistent hesitation at the 60 to 65 mph when attempting to accelerate on highway. At 70 mph everything seems to work as expected. The surging and hesitating seems to be at lower speeds and and when making turns in city streets and moving up or down hills and in parking lots when moving out of parking spaces, but it happens at all speeds up to 65 mph. The cars has accelerated with out depressing the accelerator - this could have been a delayed acceleration after pressing the accelerator a half block before. This happened with a Lexus representative was in the car with me - I was driving so he could not tell if that actually happened or if I accelerated. Starting in early 2019 we have told Lexus when the car was serviced( twice yearly that the car behaved in this manner. Each time that have told us they did not re-create the described behavior and the car was performing as designed.

Hesitation upon acceleration. The engine does not respond in a linear manner when pressing the gas pedal.

There is a huge delay in acceleration. Sometimes, when merging or passing, there is a very noticeable dead spot where the vehicle will not respond when you need it to. Throttle response also is often very jerky and difficult to drive. This has been a problem since I bought it. Lexus says this is normal and offers no solutions. Many people seem to be having problems with this vehicle, please make Lexus issue a recall. This car was very expensive.

See all problems of the 2017 Lexus RX350 🔎.

This car experienced an unintended acceleration at the top of my driveway while being put into park. The car took off and hit the center posts of the two car garage and only stopped because it was caught on the supports in the foundation. We had experienced this sudden unintended acceleration several times during the first year we own the car when we were getting onto the highway. We did report it when we brought the car in for a service, they were aware of the complaint but at that time there was no remedy for the computer slash transmission issue. I was parking the car at the top of the driveway, my foot was going on to the break and the car unintentionally accelerated and flew through the air into the center post of a 2 car garage. I luckily was not physically injured but was emotionally distraught. It took down both garage doors and the center pillar all of which had to be rebuilt and replaced.

The transmission on this vehicle is bad! the dealer keeps saying it's normal in the learning phase, but there is no way all of this sputtering and hesitation is normal for any vehicle, let alone a luxury one. The tachometer jumps, jerks and sputters as well if you watch it. The pre-collision break system is also severely flawed. It has braked so hard that it screetched and no one was even around me!!!!! this clearly almost gave me a heart attack three times now. It has happened twice when slowly backing out of a parking spot, and one time while driving down the street at a normal rate of speed and no one was around me at all.

1. Constant jerking sensation occurs before vehicle shifts into lower gears while at relatively low speeds and throttle settings (25-45 mph, stop and go city driving, maintaining speed). 2. When minimal increase in power is needed or a mild grade is encountered, additional throttle pressure seems only to result in loss of power until the transmissions shifts into some lower gear. The vehicle then accelerates too rapidly, followed by the need to reduce throttle pressure � or apply brakes - which in turn causes the transmission to shift back to a higher gear. The sequence then repeats itself. 3. Note: poor drivability issues are reduced when the engine is cold. Also keeping rpm above 2000 helps. 4. Depending on driving conditions, the vehicle will accelerate well while shifting up through the gears but seems to loose power as rpm drops, forcing a downshift or increased throttle position. 5. When under slight engine load, the suspension seems to amplify road bumps, to the extent of finding bumps where there are none. This condition is reduced while at idle throttle settings and coasting. 6. A recent drive through the mountains prompted me to resort to manually shifting the transmission to improve drivability because of hills and curves. 7. I frequently resort to driving in s4 except for interstate driving so as to keep rpm above 2000 to improve drivability. 8. Frequently the engine feels to be missing, resulting in vibration through steering wheel and accelerator pedal. 9. On four occasions since ownership the RX has suddenly and expectantly accelerated for unknown reasons, forcing emergency breaking. This is an extreme safety issue. 10. When using cruise control (~65 mph) and if the set speed is reduced a couple of mph, the rpm jumps to 6,000. 11. Transmission slow to choose a gear when accelerating into traffic.

Vehicle roll over driver after being placed in park at the residence causing fatal injuries. Driver reversed out of garage and exited vehicle. Inspection at the scene by the sheriff's office revealed the vehicle was in park backed against some trees. This vehicle is equipped with a automatic transmission and a automatic emergency brake. The gear shift lever can be placed between park and reverse and not move. If the gear shift lever is moved slowly from drive to park or reverse to park the automatic emergency brake does not engage this condition is very dangerous.

The reaction of the vehicle to the gas pedal is extremely touchy at low speeds. It is so touchy, that if you hit a pot hole or bump in the road, it is difficult to keep your leg still enough to not fluctuate the gas pedal and send the car lunging forward. . This is a huge safety concern when driving in parking lots or areas where there are pedestrians, as the vehicle will lunge forward at the smallest movement of the gas pedal. This has been an issue since the day of purchase. Still an issue at 2,000 miles.

12/7/2017 I pulled into my driveway to park at 1 pm. I slowed down I had my foot on the brake, I was putting it into the park position when the car lunged forward and and put a hole in the garage door and knocked it off track. I was stunned & surprised. My husband and I could not duplicate this action. On 12/14/17 I pulled into the parking lot at foy park in burbank CA. I slowly pulled into a parking space ,my foot was on the brake as I put the car into the park position the engine revved and the car took off over a cement parking block and over the curb, went through a chain link fence and landed in the brush with 3 wheels off the ground and the engine was still racing with my foot on the brake. On 12/15/17 the day after I drove into my driveway about 2 pm. My foot was on the brake I put it into park and it did the same damn thing and 5 feet my friend elisa tunchez witnessed it. That was it for me I had it towed to keyes Lexus Toyota and never drove it again. Keyes said they could find nothing wrong with it and I know from checking on line with my friend stephen changary that other people have had the same problem in the u. S. I am deeply worried that this car will be sold again and someone will be injured or killed. There are 64437 miles on the odometer when traded in. Please help !! I was the only person injured, suffering back and neck injures and I am still being treated I'm a little afraid of driving any car at this point but I will work through it. .

See all problems of the 2011 Lexus RX350 🔎.

The oil cooler pipe assembly on the engine failed catastrophically causing a sudden lost of a large volume of oil. The failure occurred while driving on a street and was only noticed while parking (a CO-worker saw the oil pouring out of the car).

See all problems of the 2008 Lexus RX350 🔎.

July 11th 2017 at around 220pm pst, the Lexus Rx350 2012, experience a very dangerous failure. Earlier that week I noticed issue with the battery, where it would take one or more pushes to the start button for the car to turn on. But on this date, I had just parked the car on a road with an slight incline, I did not enable the emergency break the car was turned off and the keys with me. I had dropped off a friend and helped her take a few things inside the house. After returning to the car, I tried multiple attempts to turn on the car (3 or 4) and on the last attempt the car roll down the hill instead of turning on . I was un-able to apply the breaks and in a state of shock did not apply the emergency break. The car roll across a road, down a bank and came inches to hitting a home. After the car was towed up the bank it was found the car was in good shape but the battery was dead. I was in a state of shock and my entire body tensed and I was suffering from a severe headache. We called in the California highway patrol 1722 east main street el cal jon 92021 date: 7/11/17 - 14:40 ncic number: 9680 officer id number 21588 there after we called contacted Lexus to determine if all recall service had been applied, which they answered your car does not apply to an earlier recall . Was referring to the following recall. Based on the name seem quite applicable February 12, 2014 NHTSA campaign number: 14v054000 brake actuator assembly may disable esc and abs I requested for a independent evaluation, but they told me (Lexus)would not pay for it if their were issues and I must take it to a Lexus service department. I complied and we took the car (it was towed over). They held the car for five days and concluded the car had a bad battery. They state the car was in neutral when it was parked. We are fearful of another accident result in greater damage and harm.

See all problems of the 2012 Lexus RX350 🔎.

Car has hesitation when driving. Car rated for unleaded not premium and should have not to drive car in sport mode all the time.

Intermittent hesitation of the transmission. Put in gear (forward or reverse) and vehicle won't move. Rev up engine and it surges-jerks forward or reverse.

See all problems of the 2007 Lexus RX350 🔎.

Car is unsafe as you never know how it will react when you press the gas pedal. Often times you press it to accelerate a little and it's like you let off the gas entirely. You then have to aggressively press the pedal down to which it reacts wildly. Sometimes you barely touch the pedal and it takes off but most times you get little to no response. Acceleration does not react linear in conjunction with the gas pedal. This issue only exists as the car learns your driving. Car drives fine when this learning is cleared from computer memory. Lexus says this is normal but how can rolling out into traffic and waiting to get hit be normal? they won't release or update the programming because this would then affect the mpg number they are claiming. To be clear, gently start to pull out to merge into traffic, press gas pedal to get out of the way of cars coming at you and no reaction from car. Big dead spot in the pedal range . Now cars are closing in so you have to stomp the gas to save yourself. Happens continuous once car learns your driving. This is all in the normal mode default settings for powertrain.

When I try to accelerate from a stop, a loud groan can be heard from somewhere in the powertrain. There is also a vibration which appears to be coming from the transmission area of the vehicle. In addition, when travelling at highways speeds, during the acceleration process, a delay occurs from the time I step on the gas peddle until the vehicle accelerates. The hesitation is approximately 1-2 seconds.

Tl- the contact owns a 2016 Lexus Rx350. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the transmission jerked, without warning. The vehicle was taken to the Lexus of las vegas dealer (702-942-6600, located at 6600 w. Sahara Ave, las vegas, nv 8916) where the technician was unable to duplicate the failure. The failure recurred and the vehicle was taken back to the same dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the dealer to the TSB: number: l-sb-0109-17. The technician resettled the transmission according to the TSB instrustions. The vehicle was repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 500. Fe.

Please see the attached better business bureau complaint. We are making this complaint in order to do our part of alerting you that there could be a potential hazard with the make and model of this car. We do not want what happened to us to happen to anyone else. The car was on a highway in motion when this happened. Thank you.

While driving at 55 mph steady on highway the car suddenly shifted into neutral and coasted to a stop. There was no abnormal sound associated. While stationary I tried shifting into reverse or low gear with no response. I shut the car off and restarted it, the car would shift into drive and returned to normal operation for a short period and then shifted into neutral again. After multiple start/stops I was able to get the car home and had it towed to the nearest Lexus dealership the next day for evaluation. In the wrong traffic conditions (congested highway or unsteady terrain) this could have been a serious safety concern, especially if my wife was driving the vehicle when it happened. After 2 days of no response I was told that the fault codes indicated that I needed a new transmission (at a cost of $6900), there was no way it could be repaired. No other details of the damage to the transmission were provided. This is a 2010 Lexus RX 350 with 89,500 miles and has been maintained regularly. For this vehicle, based on the mileage and care put into it, I believe there was a defective part in the transmission but cannot verify it. I was not offered any compensation (because it was officially out of warranty) and had the vehicle serviced (transmission replaced) by an independent maintenance shop. The second shop confirmed a mechanical failure within the transmission, requiring replacement.

See all problems of the 2010 Lexus RX350 🔎.

Transmission upshift and downshift timing is weird. Press accelerator to get more power to pass any vehicle on the road and transmission very untimely upshift into higher gear reducing the power to wheels. Creates a dangerous situation since lack of power requires pressing the accelerator even harder. Engine reacts by downshifting but power comes to wheels few seconds later and other cars on road already close in and start honking.

The contact owned a 2007 Lexus Rx350. While driving approximately 10 mph, the vehicle accelerated without warning. As a result, the contact crashed into the garage door and breeze room of a kitchen. Also, when shifted into reverse, the accelerator failed and caused the contact to crash into a tree. The air bags failed to deploy. A police report was filed. The contact sustained a whiplash, but no medical attention was required. The vehicle was towed to a dealer, but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made awre of the failure. The failure mileage was 90,000.

The transmission has three settings. In any of them, start up often results in erratic shifting, rough acceleration and sometimes abrupt lurching forward. This has resulted in alarming shifting and acceleration. The shifting from one gear to the nexr is not smooth nor contributes to safe start-up in my opinion - and I am over 80 and have driven many cars and trucks - worst shifting in my experience and is dangerous. Dealer says is normal.

1) engine oil leak at 15,000 miles only on may 8, 2013 (after merely "2 years old") 2) another 3 leaks in year 2015 alone a) engine oil leak again on March 27, 2015 ( 33,802 miles only ) b) less than 2 months, engine oil leak again on may 7, 2015 ( 35,284 miles only ) c) repeat the 4th time engine oil leak again on Dec. 26,2015 (44,013 miles only ) *** per all 4 repair service invoices/records provided by longo Lexus dealership, California, this is major engine oil leaks problem!!!!.

The contact owns a 2012 Lexus Rx350. The contact stated that after shifting into park and powering off the vehicle, she attempted to exit when suddenly the vehicle independently rolled away. As a result, the front drivers side tire rolled over her buttocks. The contact sustained injuries that required medical attention due to the failure. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where the failure was undetermined. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 42,450.

When I drive at above 60 mph, there is a rattling sound. I took it to the dealership and they are unable to pinpoint the issue even after removing the roofrack, the roof insulation and tightening all the bolts. I have found numerous postings online but Lexus still refuses to let us know the issue. Please help! it is very concerning that a loose part might cause major accident or event death. . Read more...

Car parked on a driveway and slipped out of park and down the driveway into a neighbors tree across the street.

The contact owns a 2007 Lexus Rx350. While driving approximately 25 mph, the gear shift hesitated to switch into third and fourth gear without warning. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 185,000.