NHTSA Complaint #10676555 — 2008 LEXUS RX350

I TOOK MY CAR IN FOR A ROUTINE SERVICE; WHEN I WENT TO PICK IT UP I WAS TOLD THAT THE RACK AND PINION WAS LEAKING, THERE WAS A TEAR IN THE BOOT AND IT WAS LEAKING FLUID, AFTER BEING QUOTED $1800 FOR PARTS AND LABOR I DECLINED THE REPAIR. I FIND IT HARD TO BELIEVE THAT A 7 YEAR OLD CAR WITH MAJORITY OF HIGHWAY MILES WOULD HAVE AN ISSUE WITH THE RACK AND PINION GOING BAD. WHEN I CAME HOME I DID SOME RESEARCH AND FOUND THAT THIS SEEMS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THE SECOND GENERATION RX. IN MY FAMILY, MAJORITY OF OUR CARS ARE TOYOTAS & LEXUS; WE HAVE A COROLLA, 2 CAMRY'S, SIENNA, HIGHLANDER, IS350, RX350. ONE CAMRY HAS ALMOST 200KMILES, THE COROLLA HAS OVER 150K MILES. WE'VE OWNED 2 OTHER COROLLAS, ES250, CELICA, I'VE OWNED OTHER BRAND CARS TOO AND HAVE DRIVEN OVER 150K MILES AND NEVER HAD A PROBLEM WITH THE RACK AND PINION BOOT TEARING. THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME I HAD AN ISSUE WITH THE RX, THE LAST TIME THERE WAS AN ISSUE WITH A (MOTOR) OIL LINE BURSTING, THE OIL LINE THAT RUNS FROM THE OIL COOLER - THANK GOD NOTHING HAPPENED, THE CAR MADE IT HOME SAFELY HOME (BUT NO LOW OIL LIGHT CAME ON) AND WE HAD IT TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THE REPAIRS WERE COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. WAS TOLD BY A MECHANIC THAT THE OIL LINE BURSTING WAS A COMMON PROBLEM, AND THAT THE NEWER RX MODELS THE PIPE WAS REPLACE WITH METAL PIPE. IN MY OPINION ABOUT THE RACK AND PINION, IT'S DEFINITELY A SAFETY ISSUE - THE STEERING OIL COULD POTENTIALLY LEAK ONTO THE EXHAUST AND CATCH FIRE, AND IF ALL THE POWER STEERING FLUID LEAKS OUT ONE MAY NOT REALIZE IT AND MAY NOT BE ABLE TO STEER THE CAR OUT OF HARMS WAY. WE'VE OWNED SO MANY TOYOTA/LEXUS CARS AND WE'VE NEVER HAD ANY PROBLEMS, WE'VE ALWAYS BEEN AN BELIEVER OF TOYOTA/LEXUS, BUT THIS RX HAS GOT ME WORRIED. I HOPE THAT THIS IS NOT A SIGN OF THINGS TO COME. WILL BE THINKING REALLY HARD ABOUT TOYOTA/LEXUS WHEN IT COMES TIME TO BUY ANOTHER CAR. *TR