2016 Lexus Rx

Water may leak from heavy rain, from the sunroof region into a part of the roof, leading to water leaking from the interior microphone above the driver seat. Seems to be a common issue amongst 2016-2017 RX350’s but no recalls. This is a safety issue given that the microphone is where the water leaks to, compromising other electrical systems. In addition, water builds and wets the headliner causing mold/mildew smell, possibly leading to future mold build up which is harmful to health. Lexus in Houston inspected and stated a new sunroof is needed, which is costly, although this is a manufacturer flaw.

Around the middle of the month of January of 2022, I discovered that my 2016 Lexus RX350 has massive oil leak from timing chain cover. Thompson Lexus dealership confirmed this oil leak. This leak not just happened, but it has happened long ago at least 6 months prior to the time that I discovered based on old oil dirty debris deposits and paints popped out and rusted caused by prolong oil on the frame. The reason that did not detect the oil leak right away was that I have almost not used the car at all for the past two years due to Covid situation. Second, I have parked my car on my lawn, so that could not see oil drops. Third, I put my trust on Lexus and Toyota products, so I have not inspected for oil leak periodically. This oil leak has soaked many parts of the engine, frame, electrical connections, and possibly other moving parts such pulleys and belts. This can potentially create smoke or fire hazard and belt and pulley slippery which can lead to accidents. At the time of the oil leak, my car was under 54,000 miles and under 6 years, so it was still under powertrain warranty with is 6 years and 70,000 miles. I have contacted Lexus several times regarding this matter. I told them about location of the oil leak and when oil started leaking, my car was still under powertrain warranty but Lexus refused to pay for the timing cover repair. After doing research on RX350 from timing chain cover, I have found out that a lot of Lexus RX350 has developed oil leak from timing chain cover since year 2009 or 2010 model to 2016 year model. Some RX350 developed timing chain cover oil leak from a few thousand miles of first use to 38,000 miles. Lexus was aware of the problem, but completely ignored and failed address the problem and issue a recall.

I brought my vehicle in for damage sustained due to flooding from hurricane Ida. I was told that part of the damage was to 3 tires. I was later informed that the tires need to be replaced due to wear & tear. This vehicle had 18,969 miles of local driving at the time. I’ve never heard of tires being “worn out” on a vehicle purchased brand new with such low mileage. There has to be some kind of defect!

On April 29 while travelling on I185 toward Columbus, GA I heard a loud noise followed by the sound of crumbled glass. When I could find a safe place to pull over, I looked and discovered that my moonroof had shattered. Had the curtain under the moonroof had not been drawn, I would have been hit with the shattered glass, probably resulting in my loss of control over the vehicle at interstate speed, resulting in a serious accident or death. I returned immediately to my dealership, Hennessy Lexus in Duluth, Georgia. They contacted the Lexus regional manager, who denied Lexus' responsibility for the failure. I did, (and needed to) have the moonroof repaired by the dealership. I also contacted Lexus Corporate office by phone, and sent them by email a copy of photos of the broken moonroof and the invoice for the repair. They passed my inquiry down to the regional manager (again) who again denied Lexus responsibility for the failure. The failure occurred in fair weather on a highway with very little traffic, trees or overpasses, and there was no reason to believe that any outside forces caused the failure. I feel that this potentially dangerous failure is a result of poor manufacture or design.