Three problems related to engine oil leaking have been reported for the 2008 Lexus RX350. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
Massive catastrophic oil leak. Noticed hot oil smell. No oil on dipstick. Oil spraying out at bottom of engine, right front. Car towed to shop. Oil hose between cooler and filter burst. Known problem. Toyota/Lexus has made an upgraded part but not notified most owners and will not replace until it fails. When it fails car can catch fire and severe engine damage results. Many videos and reports on the internet as this is a widespread problem.
Tl the contact owns a 2008 Lexus Rx350. While driving 65 mph, the oil cooler line burst and all the oil leaked out. The vehicle was towed to the contact's home where he replaced the oil cooler line himself. The contact found there was internal engine damage and a hole in the bottom of the engine. The dealer and the manufacturer were not contacted. The failure mileage was 80,000.
The rubber hose in the oil line to the oil cooler failed, allowing all engine oil to quickly leak out. If this had happened at freeway speeds, the engine would have seized and power steering and power brakes would have been instantly lost. . . Creating an extremely dangerous situation. Luckily I was driving on surface roads at 25-35 mph when mine failed Lexus knew of this problem and eliminated the rubber hose in its 2011 models but did nothing to warn owners of that vehicle. Nhtsa was also aware and addressed in NHTSA id 10056509 (possibly incorrect id). I'm really pissed that it is going to cost me $500 to fix this Lexus defect, but I'm thankful I hadn't driven to my office that day using interstate highways! all Lexus vehicles having this defect should be recalled immediately.