NHTSA Complaint #11268034 — 2007 LEXUS RX

WHILE DRIVING IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD, I HEARD A NOISE. 1-3 MINUTES LATER, THE OIL LIGHT CAME ON. I WENT STRAIGHT TO THE DEALER (A MILE AWAY), DESPITE THE OWNER'S MANUAL INDICATING NO URGENCY. THEY SAID MY OIL COOLER LINE BLEW, LEAKED OUT ALL MY OIL AND DESTROYED MY ENGINE WITHIN MINUTES. I CAME TO FIND OUT LATER THAT THIS CATASTROPHIC, ENGINE-DESTROYING OIL LINE RUPTURE IS A KNOWN DEFECT TO LEXUS (LIKE THE VVT LINE) BUT FOR SOME REASON WAS NEVER RECALLED DESPITE IT BEING JUST AS CATASTROPHIC/DANGEROUS. LEXUS CHOSE TO USE A CHEAPER RUBBER HOSE INSTEAD OF A METAL PIPE WHEN THE RUBBER HOSE CAN'T TAKE THOSE HIGH TEMPS AND WILL BLOW. 100% LIKELIHOOD THIS WILL HAPPEN'JUST A MATTER OF WHEN. I RESEARCHED IT AND THERE ARE MILLIONS OF TOYOTA AND LEXUS CARS AFFECTED BY THIS PROBLEM'EVERY SINGLE '07-'11 RX 350 PLUS MANY TOYOTAS. LEXUS WAS MADE AWARE OF THE DEFECT BUT CHOSE NOT TO FIX IT. EXCEPT IN CANADA, THERE WAS A MANDATORY RECALL AND THIS PART WAS REPLACED. FOR SOME HIGHLY SUSPICIOUS REASON, THIS DIDN'T HAPPEN HERE. WHY? IT'S DANGEROUS ENOUGH TO RECALL IN CANADA, BUT NOT THE US? INSTEAD OF RECALLING, US LEXUS ISSUED AN INSUFFICIENT 36 MONTH WARRANTY TO REPLACE IT, BUT ONLY IF IT BLEW DURING THIS TIME. IF IT DIDN'T LEAK WITHIN THAT TIME, YOU'RE SCREWED. LEXUS MESSED UP ITS VIN TRACKING SYSTEM, SO PEOPLE WERE NOT MADE AWARE OF THIS WARRANTY. FOR THOSE WHO WERE, THE ISSUE WAS DOWNPLAYED AS SIMPLY AN 'OIL SEEP' INSTEAD OF AN OIL LINE EXPLOSION WHICH DESTROYS THE ENGINE. CUSTOMERS WERE NOT TOLD AT THE DEALERSHIP. WE SHOULD HAVE BEEN ALERTED TO THE DEFECT SO WE COULD FIX IT PROACTIVELY AND SPARE US THE DEATH OF A CAR WITH ONLY 90K MILES. GOOGLE THIS PROBLEM TO SEE THE THOUSANDS OF POSTS/COMPLAINTS ON TOYOTA/LEXUS WEBSITES. THERE NEEDS TO BE A MANDATORY RECALL AND/OR REIMBURSEMENT FOR THOSE WHOSE ENGINES WERE DESTROYED BY LEXUS' KNOWN DEFECT. PLEASE TAKE ACTION! PLEASE.