NHTSA Complaint #10579631 — 2006 LEXUS RX HYBRID

THE CAR IS A HYBRID. IT WOULD NOT START (THE READY LIGHT WOULD NOT COME ON), THEREFORE IT WAS INOPERABLE. FORTUNATELY, THE CAR WAS PARKED AND DID NOT DIE WHILE DRIVING. IF IT WOULD HAVE DIED WHILE DRIVING, MANY DANGEROUS POSSIBILITIES COULD HAVE INCURRED. AFTER HAVING IT TOWED TO A LEXUS DEALER IN COLUMBUS, THE SOURCE OF THE PROBLEM WAS DIAGNOSED AS WATER IN THE HYBRID BATTERY AREA. AFTER LENGTHY DISCUSSION WITH LEXUS SERVICE PERSONNEL, THEY CONCLUDED THAT "WELDS" NEAR THE HATCH HINGES HAD COME APART, WHICH ALLOWED WATER TO SEEP INTO THE INTERIOR OF THE CAR TO THE HYBRID ELECTRONIC CONTROLS. LEXUS SERVICE HAD EXPERIENCE THESE PROBLEMS BEFORE, AND HAD GUESSED AT A VARIETY OF REASONS (SUCH AS EXCESSIVE OPENING AND CLOSING OF THE HATCH, WIND CATCHING THE HATCH WHILE IT WAS OPEN, AND OTHER LAME REASONS). THERE IS NO TICKER ON THE HATCH TO COUNT HOW MANY TIMES IT WAS OPENED NOR WHAT THERE ANY GUST OF WIND THAT WOULD HAVE CAUSE THE WELDS, TWO WELDS, TO BREAK ALLOWING WATER TO SEEP INTO THE CAR. MY CONCLUSION IS THAT SINCE THE PROBLEM HAS OCCURRED BEFORE, THAT THERE IS EITHER A MANUFACTURING ISSUE, AN ENGINEERING ISSUE, OR BOTH. I AM NEITHER AN EXPERT IN THESE AREAS, BUT DO HAVE SOME COMMON SENSE. LEXUS CORPORATE OR THE DEALER WOULD NOT CONFESS TO THE WRONGDOING AND THEREFORE I HAD TO SHELL OUT OVER $1600 IN REPAIRS. THEY WANTED ANOTHER $1100 TO RE-WELD THE 3 INCH GAP ON BOTH SIDES WITH PAINTING INCLUDED. DUE TO THE EXPENSE, I HAD TO OPT FOR USING SILICONE TO SEAL THE GAPS AND AM FORCED TO DRIVE THE CAR IN DRY WEATHER. *JS