NHTSA Complaint #11629251 — 2019 LEXUS NX

I have attempted informing Lexus of this situation. To my knowledge, they have not pursued the case. On October 31, 2023, we brought our NX300 [XXX] ) in at 44,806 miles. The left parking brake actuator was inoperative (also rendering the cruise control inoperative). To get to the dealership from Ormond Beach, I removed the appropriate fuses to avoid any undesired operation from the unit. I was hoping any problems would be covered by warranty—it had under 50,000 miles. The Basic Warranty had expired. The Powertrain Warranty was still in effect. Strangely, brakes are not listed in either warranty. This was definitely NOT a wear and tear item. After inspection by Lexus mechanic, the failed actuator would not and could not be covered by warranty. The ‘out-the-door’ cost was $1371.43 (RO# [XXX]). I asked for the old part, which I still have. There is an extreme manufacturing defect I found. Lexus charged $997.63 for the part. The same EXACT part is available online for $37.70---OEM is $189.00. I understand price markup is required for any business, but over 500% may be a bit excessive. I was truly shocked by what I had found within the sealed actuator. The why and how the actuator actually failed is blatantly obvious and could be a serious safety hazard for anyone driving a car with this type actuator that was manufactured in and around the same time as this one. The motor within the unit is held in place by 3 torx head screws which (all three) were completely unscrewed and were rattling above their appropriate threaded hole. Each screw has little or no threadlocker (Loctite) on the threads. The compression ring on top of each threaded hole is not compressed. This indicates the screws were never torqued to the proper specifications during manufacture. I believe there is a possibility of a brake malfunction due to manufacturer's defect in the brake actuator part. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)