general problems of the 2009 Lexus RX350

Four problems related to power train have been reported for the 2009 Lexus RX350. The most recently reported issues are listed below.

1 Power Train problem

Failure Date: 02/10/2019

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.

2 Power Train problem

Failure Date: 12/02/2014

The vehicle engine light comes on and the vsc, and traction lights are on. Have spend over 500. 00 on transistor and modules to continue to have nothing work. Most recently, was advised that I need a new transmission at $4,400. For a car with such a great reputation, and now seeing all of the other Lexus owners complain about their transmission, its seems as if there is a trend of transmission issues that follow these vehicles.

3 Power Train problem

Failure Date: 12/01/2014

T-sb-0201-11 from Toyota/Lexus states "some vehicles equipped with 2gr-fe/fxe towing package engines may exhibit an oil seep from the engine oil cooler pipes. " this TSB affects Toyota and Lexus vehicles going back to at least 2008-present. This is a major issue, and I feel this should be handled as a recall instead of a TSB due to the severity of the issue if/when the pipe breaks. I recently elected to have my vehicle repaired on my own just so I wouldn't have to worry about this issue happening to me or my wife, and thus blowing up my Lexus RX 350's engine causing thousands of dollars in damages. Seems pretty bad that a recall can be issued for floor mats and accelerator issues, but no recall is issued for this issue which can drain the oil from your engine in a minute, blow up your engine, and then possibly wreck your vehicle. Consumer's engines are now being destroyed, and this is showing up in different online forums. I feel that the NHTSA needs to force Toyota/Lexus to replace all of the defective engine oil cooler pipes with the newer metal ones that the TSB addresses. They should also be forced to reimburse all costs to those individuals that either needed to have the repair done, or decided to have the repair done as preventative maintenance on their own before those pipes burst on their own.

4 Power Train problem

Failure Date: 11/01/2009

When the SUV shifts from 1st to 2rd gear the engine revs up about 1000 rpms and hesitates 2-5 seconds before the shift takes place. I can't rely on power when needed because of this. It's not constant, about 30% of the time it occurs. The same thing happens when down shifting. The dealer, kendall Lexus of eugene oregon (rick strong-service manager) is aware of the problem and says "Toyota won't put out a new chip to fix the problem". Rick strong also said" I told the salesman he should inform potential buyers about this problem before they purchase a vehicle". This problem is ongoing since I bought the vehicle.


Other Power Train related problems of the 2009 Lexus RX350



Safety Ratings of RX350 Cars
RX350 Service Bulletins
RX350 Safety Recalls
RX350 Defect Investigations