NHTSA Complaint #10661150 — 2006 LEXUS RX HYBRID

ON NOVEMBER 12, 2014 EVENING, I WAS DRIVING ALONG AND GOING UP A HILL IN MY CITY STREET AND SUDDENLY I HEARD A THUMP SOUND AND THEN MY LEXUS RX400H LOST ALL POWER AND THE CAR STALLED. IT WAS DANGEROUS BECAUSE THE VEHICLE LOST POWER AS I WAS GOING UP A STEEP HILL. LUCKILY, I WAS ABLE TO STOP THE VEHICLE AND PUT THE PARKING BRAKE ON. WHEN THE VEHICLE STALLED, MY DASH LIT UP WITH "CHECK HYBRID SYSTEM" , "CHECK VSC" AND OTHER LIGHTS ALSO CAME ON. I TRIED TO START THE CAR, BUT THE HYBRID "READY" LIGHT WOULD NOT STAY ON. THE CAR WOULD NOT START. I HAD TO TOW THE VEHICLE TO A LEXUS DEALER. I PUT A NEW BATTERY IN THE VEHICLE AND THAT STILL DID NOT FIX THE PROBLEM. THEN, THE LEXUS DEALER MECHANIC DID A COMPUTER DIAGNOSIS AND SAID THAT IT INDICATED "HYBRID INVERTER PROBLEM". MY VEHICLE WAS PREVIOUSLY BROUGHT INTO LEXUS DEALERSHIP FOR AN EARLIER RECALL FOR IPM MODULE BUT THE DEALER AT THAT TIME SAID MY VEHICLE WAS NOT WITHIN THE SERIAL RANGE AFFECTED AND NOTHING WAS DONE TO THE VEHICLE AT THAT TIME. I PHONED LEXUS USA ON NOVEMBER 13, 2014, AND THEY CONFIRMED MY VEHICLE WAS UNDER THE RECALL DLF, NHTSA RECALL NUMBER 13V396. I WAS NEVER NOTIFIED BY LETTER. THE LEXUS DEALER THEN PUT IN THE IPM RECALL PART TOYOTA PART 04001-29148 PART AND THE VEHICLE STARTED PROPERLY. MY VEHICLE HAS ABOUT 94,000 MILES AND JUST OVER 8 YEARS OLD AND TECHNICALLY OUT OF WARRANTY. HOWEVER, THE LEXUS DEALER REPLACED THE PART WITH LABOR AT NO CHARGE. THIS REPAIR COSTS THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS IF NOT COVERED BY LEXUS. WHEN I BOUGHT MY LEXUS HYBRID, I DID NOT BE EXPECT THAT THE HYBRID VEHICLE COULD FAIL IN SUCH A CATASTROPHIC WAY. I'M A LITTLE FEARFUL TO DRIVE THIS VEHICLE AGAIN IF IT HAPPENS AGAIN, AND I HOPE LEXUS WILL TAKE CARE OF THIS ISSUE IT HAPPENS AGAIN. THERE IS DEFINITELY SOMETHING DEFECTIVE WITH THE HYBRID INVERTER, AND IT COULD BE DANGEROUS IF IT FAILS WHILE DRIVING. *TR