general problems of the 2009 Lexus RX

The contact owns a 2009 Lexus Rx 350. The contact stated that while driving approximately 70 mph, there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine compartment with the check engine oil warning light illuminated. The failure had occurred on several occasions. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed, and it was determined that the oil cooler hose was leaking due to a hole. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was taken to a different independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that the oil cooler hose was leaking due to a hole. The vehicle was not repaired. A dealer was contacted and informed that there was no recall associated with the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline to report the failure. The manufacturer made the contact aware of the limited service campaign number: lsc9lh. The failure mileage was approximately 190,000.

Oil line ruptured spilling causing loss of most engine oil on road and potentially ruining engine. Vehicle currently is at Toyota dealership being rep[aired so is available for inspection. Oil on road of course a safety hazard. Oil line rupture was confirmed by Toyota service department. Vehicle had to be towed into repair shop. Rupture occurred spontaneously while drive at 45 mph on road. No warning lamps on prior to episode and car was driving fine.

There is a known issue with the Toyota/Lexus 2gr-fe (w/ towing package). The engine is present in many v6 model year suvs 2007-2011. The defect is with the oil cooler return lines for this engine equipped with the towing package. The issue is that a manufacturing defect with these hoses can occur slowly over the life of the vehicle or suddenly without warning. The rubber hoses used are susceptible to extreme and numerous hot-cold cycles due to a hot nearby catalyst. Over time or suddenly, the hoses will begin to deteriorate due to the hot-cold cycles causing accelerated wear on the defective rubber lines. This may manifest as a small amount of oil seepage at first, or may have no warning signs. When total failure of the hoses does occur, it is typically catastrophic and nearly immediate. Once these hoses do fail, oil will pour out of a low point in the oil cooler, emptying the engine of oil within 2 minutes. If the vehicle is driving while the failure occurs, within minutes oil pressure is completely lost from the crankcase, and catastrophic engine wear/failure will occur, sometimes within just seconds. Often, the engine oil light will not illuminate until several minutes after the hose has failed, typically too late to stop the engine in time. If a moving vehicle experiences catastrophic engine failure due to no oil, the likelihood of a major safety issue is increased, due to the likelihood of a fire, hot oil pouring onto the roadway, and a loss of power steering control due to loss of engine power. Toyota released a TSB to address this issue, dated 2011, in which they acknowledged the poor design can lead to leaking and failing hoses. In most cases, the service is performed at the full cost of the customer (over $600). It seems millions of these vehicles have not been addressed, and are still on the road, Toyota should be compelled to resolve this defect and hazard at no customer cost under an extended recall.

Oil leaked substantially while driving on the highway. As we were slowing down on wb I-94 due to construction, our red oil light was on, and then flashing. The car was driven for about 1. 5 miles from the initial lit to a safe location (local Honda dealership) where it was determined that the vehicle was no longer drivable. Engine light and all other warning lights were also on as we arrived in the Honda service garage. Upon inspection, 4 quarts of oil were lost and Lexus service center later confirmed that the rubber oil cooler tubes were broken and had to be replaced by the metal ones. Both Lexus service & Lexus corp had confirmed that the defective parts for Lexus Rx350 year models 2007 - 2011 were installed. They later issued a campaign to have them replaced with the metal tubes. The incident was quite a safety hazard to us (my wife and I) because had we maintained our normal highway speed, there could have been a catastrophic engine failure due to low or no oil. If this happened at night, we would have been stranded on the highway and in the worst case scenario, the engine would have blown up and could have caused fire. After filing a complaint with Lexus corp and seeking reimbursement for the repairs, Lexus refused to accept the claim, saying that my car was out of warranty. They claimed that notices were sent out, but we never received such notices. The initial representative said the notice was sent out September 2014, but the case manager later said it was October 2015 (very inconsistent here). Meanwhile, I had another recall service done on April 4, 2016, which overlapped with their extended warranty campaign period (01. 31. 16 to 03. 02. 19) for these defective tubes, but we were never notified about this. The fact that Lexus did not issue a recall campaign for this is erroneous. Sudden catastrophic engine failures or potential failures is definitely a safety concern. This issue has been documented widely online and is prevalent within the Lexus community.

I have had my 2009 Rx350 serviced regularly at Lexus of maplewood. When I had it routinely serviced earlier this week, the service representative told me that I need to replace the oil cooler hoses with updated pipes and gaskets to prevent an oil hose failure that could cause major engine damage. The cost of this repair will be $595. 90. In researching this problem online, it appears that this risk was identified early in the life of this generation of vehicle and the hose was replaced with another rubber hose. Now, the service rep is recommending replacement of the hose again, this time with a metal pipe. There are multiple reports online of 2009 Rx350 owners who have experienced the leaks and loss of oil, oftentimes resulting in major engine repair. My vehicle only has 111,000 miles on it. I reported the problem to Lexus, but they claim the vehicle is beyond any extended warranty. A major spontaneous oil leak and subsequent engine freeze up while driving on the freeway could be catastrophic.

The oil cooler line is made from rubber and failed. This failure led to the loss of all engine oil and can cause catastrophic engine damage. This happened while car was in motion on a city street.

Noticed huge puddle of oil under car after parking in driveway. Had car towed to Lexus dealer. Found oil cooler rubber hose ruptured. Replacement line is now constructed of metal. This appears to be a common issue on these vehicles as evidenced in various Lexus forums.

The contact owns a 2009 Lexus Rx 350. The contact stated that the vehicle's dashboard had begun to crack which caused the dashboard to become sticky; overtime, a glare began to emit from the dashboard which would obstruct the contact's vision while driving. The contact also stated that moisture had entered both front headlights, which resulted in condensation accumulating inside the headlights. In addition, a puddle of oil was discovered leaking from the vehicle while parked in a parking garage. Due to the failure, the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where they had replaced the engine oil cooler pipe. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that each of these failures had been covered under warranty; however, both warranties had expired. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The engine cooler hose had been repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 125,000.