Brake Master Cylinder Problems of Lexus RX330

I started the car as usual, let it idle for 10-15 seconds, put it in drive and left the driveway. Seconds later or 150-200 feet later, I applied the brakes, felt the brakes getting mushy followed by a huge billow of white smoke blowing out of the exhaust. I used the emergency brake to stop the car (was only travelling at 5-8 mph) and turned the ignition off. When I inspected the master cylinder, I noticed it was empty - absolutely no fluid in it. Surmised the white smoke coming out of my exhaust was the brake fluid being drawn into it but I didn't know how or why. I left the car sit in my drive way until I had the energy and time to deal with it. Later on, I looked up how to remove the master cylinder off the internet when I notice recalls for 2004-2005 Rx330's, in particular master cylinder seals and vacuum boosters. Both issues reflected exactly what has happened to my car. I had the car towed to Lexus of westminster who promptly said a recall seal was replaced (although I don't recall this happening) and it will cost me $200 to diagnose the problem. I had the auto towed to an independent Lexus mechanic where I found out the brake booster failed. Additional research found recall notices on both of these items with the descriptions describing what occurred on other Rx330's was exactly what occurred with this Lexus, yet Lexus of westminster refuses to acknowledge any problem or liability associated with these two issues. All they said was the seal (master cylinder) was replaced some time ago and any further repairs are on me.

See all problems of the 2005 Lexus RX330 🔎.

I have 2004 Lexus Rx330. Yesterday, April 26th, 2010 while driving to local bank, I needed to apply the brakes. I pushed on the brake pedal and it made some weird sound and pedal went all the way to the floor and vehicle had hard time stopping. Somehow I managed to come back home safely. The pedal goes to floor and vehicle barely stops. I do not see any leaks in my garage where vehicle is always parked. I took it to the Toyota dealer and he says master cylinder has internal leak and need to be replaced along with brake pads both front and back.

See all problems of the 2004 Lexus RX330 🔎.

: the contact stated while applying brake pressure at any speed on various road conditions, there was an increased stopping distance. The vehicle was inspected by a dealer who determined brake fluid had leaked into the brake booster rendering the master cylinder inoperative. After the initial master cylinder replacement, the problem persisted. The vehicle was returned to the dealer who determined the master cylinder needed to be replaced again. The manufacturer was not alerted.

See all problems of the 2006 Lexus RX330 🔎.

On January 17, 2005 I was involved in an automobile accident in my 2004 Lexus Rx330. This accident occurred less than 1 mile from my home, on my own street, 1-2 minutes after leaving my home. It had snowed the night before and the roadway was still snow/ice covered, it was a frigid morning. I was traveling approximately 15 miles per hour and the vehicle brakes failed to engage. I attempted to push the brake petal to the floor without result. The anti-lock brakes did not function. The damage to this vehicle exceeded $8000. Days after the damage to the vehicle was fixed my husband took the vehicle to the Lexus of towson dealership to have the braking mechanism looked at. During the drive to the dealership (in similar, snow covered/frigid conditions) my husband was able to reproduce this problem, again just after leaving our home. The dealership (a 40 minute drive from our home) was unable to reproduce this problem and told us to call back if the problem occurred again. Today, may 24, 2005, we were informed during a routine oil change that there may be a problem wth the brakes and that a campaign was underway to investigate. I wanted to formally add my vehicle to this list of compaints.

I had driven my car to the bank and when I came out to start my car the brake pedal was very stiff. I saw a red brake light on the dash and first thought I had somehow put on the emergency brake. I realized that this was not the case and that I had no brakes. I was still in the parking lot so no injuries occurred. After trying numerous times to move my car, the light went off and I was able to drive home. This was only about a mile. Once I was home, the vehicle again froze up and I had no brakes and could not even push down the brake pedal. There was no prior warning of a problem, no visible signs of a leak. The vehicle was unable to be driven and had to get towed to the dealership on a flatbed truck. This was a new 2004 Lexus Rx330 with only 5,000 miles on it. The dealership put a sign on my car. . . Do not drive - no brakes. The next day I was told that the master cylinder had an internal leak. Because it was under warranty the dealership replaced the master cylinder (I was told that there were no parts available in the country and it would take 3 weeks to ship a part) I was not given my old part and the only explanation was that the master cylinder had an internal leak. I have no way of knowing if this new part has a defect too, and if in another 5,000 miles this master cylinder will fail. The fact that no parts were available in the entire country leads me to question whether there were a number of other 2004 Lexus Rx330's that had similar master cylinder malfunctions. If you have had other complaints with the brake systems on Lexus Rx330's I would like to hear from you.

Consumer entered the vehicle, and upon exiting the parking lot, vehicle would not stop. Consumer had to place the vehicle into park in order to stop. Vehicle was towed, and the master cylinder and brake booster were replaced. . . . Part was on back order. Mechanic at dealership reported that he has seen a couple of cars with the same problem.