Lexus Consumer Reviews - Page 2

LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY -- I bought a new 2007 Lexus 350 on January 12. I can barely see when I drive it at night because the headlights, which are HID AFS, only illuminate about 5 or 6 feet in front of the car. I can only see about the bottom third of the car in front of me and there is a bouncing black line with what looks like a black wall above the line. The lights are OK on bright. I took it back to the dealer twice with no results. He said it would be OK with the AFS off... It wasn't OK, just the same. And he said the company wouldn't let them adjust the lights. They appear to be set too low.

I am waiting to hear back from the Lexus customer service 1-800 number. The guy I talked to there said that if the lights were 'in spec', there was nothing they could do. I drove a 1991 Lexus 400 for the past 16 years with practically no problems, so I am in shock about this new Lexus. It is a huge safety hazard. I wonder if all cars with HID AFS lights are like this or if it's just mine?? I can't imagine anybody being pleased with a car that they cannot see to drive in at night.

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA -- So after 8 months of owning the car, the brake starts to make squeaking noise and the dashboard (which they fixed, but very ugly looking). For the brake, they told me it's a designed feature. It's not dangerous to drive with the noise, therefore they're not going to fix it because it's normal and it's not a defect. So, this is a $40K car that I bought brand new, and now, it's still under warranty, they won't fix something that is broken and annoying, because to them - it's normal, designed feature (that didn't tell us anywhere when we're buying it). Everyone has the problem or will have, because it's the design.

I talked to them 10+ combined for dealer and headquarter. Wasted 5 trips to the dealer. Wasted all my time and effort, and they won't even bother to try to fix it. They looked at it, think it looks good, so they won't' fix. This is something I have to deal with, live with unless I sell my car. Otherwise, they're not the one that hearing the sound when they drive it, right? So, I got an extra feature - the noises from the car. I wish Lexus could keep their good services like they have when they were small. Now they just don't care about the customers anymore.

LIVINGSTON, NEW JERSEY -- I recently replaced my RX 300 with a RX 350. At first I was very happy. The problem occurred after the air conditioning would intermittently stop working. The second time it went in to Warnock Lexus in Livingston, N.J. (the dealership where the car was bought), I asked they research why my air conditioning was not working and why they could not figure out what the problem was. They found out it was a problem in some of the RX 350 cars and at the present time they did not know how to fix it. I asked when it would be fixed and they said they had no idea. They also would not replace the car.

At the present time I have an inferior loaner car and my car sits in the shop. Will it be days, months or years, no one can say. I understand cars can have defects, but the dealership should take responsibility for them and either fix the problem or replace the car.

I am filing this complaint regard the unethical practice of Lexus of Rockville Centre. With a good will, I spent $42,000 to purchase a pre-owned Lexus LS430 in September. I made a request to a locally well-known locksmith to make a copy of my car key as a spare one. The locksmith wasted about 2 hours trying to duplicate the key, but he did not succeed. In the end, I was told that Lexus dealership intentionally blocked the car ignition computer and it has made this car key duplication impossible. This kind of action is against Fair Trade Act law. I was surprised that this actually happened in Lexus dealership. No other car manufacture would do this kind of cheap trick.

Regard the car key matter, I called the dealership and tried to find a solution for it. At the time, my phone call was transferred to a chief of the parts department. He told me that it was Lexus headquarter's decision and he can do nothing about it. Again, my phone call was transferred to a Lexus company manager's office where no one answered my phone call, so I left a message. I am expecting a call from the manager every day and he has never bothered to call me back.

With the whole affair, I have experienced a “moment of the truth” which totally destroyed my previous good image towards Lexus. Until today my problem is still remained unsolved. I am waiting for the replies from the companies or I will have my attorney to initiate a legal action.

LYNNWOOD, WASHINGTON -- I currently own a 2001 Lexus IS300 Sedan that I purchased in November 19th of 2000. Since then, I have noticed my transmission shifting roughly. It only happen at time and only between the 1st and 2nd gear. It seem as the computer in the vehicle could not decide to shift from the 1st to 2nd gear, and when it decides to do so, it will be a hard drop to the 2nd gear creating a load thump noise. And again, this only happen at time and not all the time. I have checked my vehicle into Lexus of Seattle in Lynnwood, WA about the concern that I have. The service advisor could not find any problem nor able to fix the problem.

With our recent discussion over the phone, they had ask me to set up a time with the technician for a test drive. Just recently, I read an article from Road & Track for December 2001 on page 122 by Jim Hall who does the Long-Term Test with a 2001 Lexus IS300, and he had encountered that very same problem. In the article, Chick Orr from Desert Lexus in Cathedral City, CA was mentioned because he was one who teamed up with Tony Schreiber, the webmaster for www.IS300.net for IS300 owner forum. The article mentioned that this is a problem that could easily be fixed by replacing or reprogramming the ECU computer and would take about an hour.

Well, with all the information I have provided you, please let me know what the solution is for the abrupt shifts with the transmission. For $35,000, I would expect as best out of the vehicle as possible, but this is frustrating. Please respond ASAP. Thank you. An answer! Thank you for taking the time to read this.

MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN -- Bought 2009 RX brand new from the dealer and had serviced at dealer since mile 1. The car ran like a clock from 1 to 100,000 miles needing only brake pads. After 100,000 has been a nightmare. At 111,000 the rear brake calipers seized up and trashed the rotors in the process. $1500. Took the car in for 115,000 mile service and got the bad news about the rack and pinion unit like everyone else. $1800 but was told this issue would not leave me stranded on the side of the road, worst case no power steering.

The car steers fine so did not get fixed and will squeeze some more miles out of it until power steering fails. 120,000 mile service (which itself is $1000) and I am told the differential is leaking and will cost $2200 to fix. Worst part is it's a $20 gasket; the rest is labor cause they have to remove the transmission to get at it. Oh yeah and $400 for some belts and pulleys. So not including 120,000 mile service, I am at $5900 in misc repairs in the last 9000 miles or $0.66 per mile.

Moral of the story: don't keep your Lexus after 100,000 miles. They are standing on the shoulders of Toyota's high mileage reputation from the 90s and early 2000s. This is our 3rd of 4 Lexus. Just bought 2013 ES and that will probably be the last one. $0.66 per mile is rental car prices. The RX is still at the service center and I'm debating selling it for scrap.

Nothing but problems due to manufacturing defects and unwillingness of the service center (Woodfield Lexus, Schaumburg Illinois and customer complaint center nationally) to address the defects without a hostile interaction and denial of responsibility. All 4 of the car door windows had to be replaced due to defective safety glass which allowed air to seep into the glass producing bubbles in the glass of the windows, within 5 years of new car purchase. After a prolonged dispute, in which the local Lexus service center denied responsibility for this obvious manufacturing defect, the windows were all replaced.

The intermittent windshield wipers have never functioned properly from the date of purchase of this new car. Despite Lexus replacement of the sensor that is supposed to initiate proper intermittent wiper function, the intermittent wipers do not work when driving slowly or when there is a light drizzle, which is their sole purpose! I must continually turn the wipers to the low constant function and off again to properly clear the windshield. This is a serious safety manufacturing defect. The Woodfield Lexus dealership claim that there is nothing that can be done and this is the way the intermittent wipers are supposed to function or malfunction!

My LS 430 has only 70,000 miles on it and now the front passenger side door lock malfunctioned and can only be locked and unlocked manually. The Woodfield Lexus service center say it is a malfunctioning door lock solenoid which will cost almost $900 to replace. This is an additional safety manufacturing defect as one cannot lock the door when traveling through an unsafe neighborhood without coming to a full stop and leaning over to manually lock the passenger side door!

ENGLEWOOD, NEW JERSEY -- Lexus of Englewood defraud me and my wife and sold us non-genuine parts and services of Lexus.

1. False promise – Financing person promised to provide a body protection service for appx. $700. I believed that the work would be incorrectly done by the dealer. However, later I found that the work was done by a third party. I requested a partial refund, but they refused. I detrimentally replied on the person's promise and paid large sum of money, which is substantially more than the reasonable market price for the identical jobs. It is a unjust enrichment.

2. Deceiving Sales practice – My wife bought a new car from them. She paid about $3,000 for the entertainment package. When we picked up the car, the system was not factory installed. They NEVER informed me of the third party product. We would not have bought the system if we knew that the dealer would put a third party product. Based on the entertainment product manufacturer, Rosen, the unit does not fit in my wife's new vehicle. Englewood Lexus must have mutilated, without out authorization, the vehicle.

   We believed that we were buying a genuine Lexus product, but the dealer intentionally concealed and defrauded us. One of the headset is NOT working already.

700 SUNRISE HIGHWAY ROCKVILLE CNETRE, NEW YORK -- I bought my GS350 to Lexus of Rockville center to have check up for a rattling noise under my car which my car still cover under factory warranty. The technician spend 2 days and can't find the noise. So I went to test drove the car with him. Finally he agree that there's noise but he notice my drive door and fender has no vin sticker and he claim that it has been repainted so he told me the rattling noise can cause be the accident which Lexus won't cover under warranty. I need to pay out of my own pocket.

I ask him how much will cost me to find out what the issue? He told me can cost me from $200-$2000 cause he don't know what the issue is. But before he proceed, I need to agree that I will pay for the labor first. I was wondering what I need factory warranty for if is not cover? Fender and door was repaint didn't mean the car was in accident. Plus I believe he should look into the issue instead of blaming everything and find excuse not to do the job. I think his name is **.

I think Lexus should hire more experience technician other than the technician only do guessing. Thanks to him now my Carfax shows accident due his experience result. I waste my time for nothing. People please beware when you service your car in Lexus of Rockville. I have own Mercedes, BMW, Infiniti and Lexus and this is my worst experience.

WESTMINSTER, CALIFORNIA -- Took it to the dealer and complained with corporate on the car braking performance and finally got in touch with the dealer and got the car first repair. Drive it out after being repair the next day and the sound is there but wasn't loud and getting to the point that it is annoying. So two month later here I'm again dealing with the same problem. So they kept the car for another 3 days to research and attempted to fix it. After got the car back, the first day the sound is still there.

Okay, brought it to the dealer again less than 30 days (I'm very busy with work) and they replaced 2 front rotors and pads. After taking out from the dealer, damn guess what I heard again guys - same squealing sound. Squeal noise are killing my ears. Okay now, I'm piss so I took it up to the corporate again and now I will have to leave my car with the dealer for several days because Lexus finally send out a representative to look at the car under the Lemon law. So final attempt is what I give them. Find out more in 2 week from now guys. I hope Lexus will solve this problem for me.