NHTSA Complaint #10394537 — 2000 LEXUS RX300

THE MOON ROOF MOTOR HAS TWO FUNCTIONS, TILTING OPEN AND SLIDING THE ENTIRE GLASS PANEL OPEN. WHEN I ATTEMPTED TO USE THE SLIDE PANEL OPEN FUNCTION, THE PANEL DID SLIDE OPEN, HOWEVER IT WAS MUCH SLOWER THAN NORMAL OPERATION AND WAS ACCOMPANIED BY A GRINDING/CLICKING NOISE WHICH NEVER ACCOMPANIED PREVIOUS OPERATION. AN ATTEMPT TO CLOSE THE ROOF PANEL YIELDED AN IDENTICAL RESULT. I THEN ATTEMPTED TO OPERATE THE TILT FEATURE OF THE ROOF, WHICH WAS ALSO SLOW AND ACCOMPANIED BY THE PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED NOISES. ATTEMPTING TO CLOSE THE ROOF RESULTED IN NO MOVEMENT OF THE ROOF PANEL AND A GRATING SOUND FROM THE ELECTRIC MOTOR. ACTIVATING THE SWITCH WHILE SUBSEQUENTLY PUSHING DOWN ON THE ROOF PANEL CAUSED IT TO RETURN TO THE CLOSED POSITION. I AM NOW UNABLE TO OPEN THE ROOF DUE TO FEAR OF IT BEING STUCK IN THE OPEN POSITION AND A SUBSEQUENT ACCIDENT IN WHICH THE ROOF OF THE VEHICLE WILL BOW AND CAUSE SEVERE INJURY TO PASSENGERS BECAUSE THE VEHICLE HAS POSTED WARNINGS IN THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT OF ITS HIGHER PROPENSITY TO ROLLOVER IN ACCIDENTS OR HIGH SPEED MANEUVERS THAN AVERAGE VEHICLES.