2006 Lexus RX Hybrid transmission problems

Filed Mar 6, 2023 · Transmission · 125,000 miles · TX

The contact owns a 2006 Lexus RX400H. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. Additionally, the vehicle failed to shift into park(P). The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 125,000.

Filed Jun 21, 2018 · Driver assistance, Transmission · 133,000 miles · FL

2006 lexus rx400h totally shutting down while I was driving on i4 today. No power steering, no power brakes, engine died and luckily I was able to coast to a safe place from 70mph! Right before it happened, the check engine light came on, the engine misfired, then all of the lights on the dashboard came on including the check vcs, check hybrid and check anti-lock. Had to have it towed to our mechanic because it wouldn't start and could not be driven onto the tow truck. Codes that it threw said it was a high voltage system regenerative malfunction and a bad engine coil. It was a very dangerous situation with it shutting down on the interstate and I had no control what so ever! This was the second time this happened to me in this car and the computer was replaced the week after I purchased this car used in october 2017.

Filed May 26, 2018 · Brakes, Engine · 109,000 miles · MA

While driving 50 MPH on a busy road in ma the car abruptly stalled and lost power and ability to control it other than with a glide and manual steering to pull off the roadway and out of busy traffic, which could have been deadly for both our son and the people driving around him. Upon having it towed to the lexus dealership, they informed us that the dashboard sensors were indicating a faulty oil pump and possibly a failed inverter. "they had no way of determining if the inverter was faulty without first repairing the oil pump for $1200." upon repairing the oil pump, we learned the inverter ($8000 repair) was damaged and needed repair. The dealer could not explain this and had "never seen or heard of such a thing." further investigation on our part, showed that over 235,000 2006 and beyond toyota hybrid vehicles had been recalled for a faulty inverter in 2013. While our vehicle VIN does not show up on the recall list, we believe we are experiencing the exact same problem. Lexus corporate is denying any part in this and refused to stand behind the vehicle with only 109,000 miles and quickly closed the case. Our concern is there are more vehicles out there with this issue, and that it could be deadly for operators and drivers. If the inverter was identified as faulty already on over 235,000 vehicles, an expanded search on additional vins needs to take place. Lexus was very comfortable in confirming that they did not and would not stand behind their vehicles beyond 100,000 miles, and essentially, it was good that our son did not get injured, and sorry our car was essentially totalled (value of vehicle is approx $9000 based on kelly blue book) for the faulty inverter which was not identified on the recall.

Filed Jul 5, 2016 · Electrical, Fuel system · 130,000 miles · MA

I was traveling 60 MPH on the highway and my display started reading "check hybrid system" and "check vsc system" simultaneously. I searched and saw there was a recall for this exact issue (intelligent power module inside the inverter module) for certain vehicles of my exact make/model/year but for some reason my vehicle is not on the recall list. I took it to the dealership and they said the regular 12 volt car battery was the issue so they replaced it and the light went off and the car tested normal for several days however when traveling on the highway about a week later the same lights came on again.

Filed Mar 6, 2015 · Transmission · 114,275 miles · CO

While driving on I-70, elevated section down town denver, vehicle lost power, warning lights came on including hybrid system, check engine, antiskid, and several others. Vehicle coasted to a stop after difficulty getting to the safety lane nearly causing and accident. This incident happened after the recall where the ipm module was replaced. Towed to dealer but after 3 days of tests dealer reported that they could not replicate the malfunction. Similar incident reported on same car 6 months earlier just after recall. Owner traded car back to dealer and vehicle was towed to the auction 3 days later.

Filed Jul 25, 2014 · Engine, Transmission · 65,000 miles · MA

Dear sirs! The car was bought feb 2009 from ira lexus in denver ma with 17k miles on it. Now the car has 65k mi. It did die on the street about two weeks ago mechanics did check the car and did write a report, that the problem is due to the manufacturing issue which was a reason for the recall. I have recall info and report, can email. I did not receive the recall notice. The lexus dealer says that the car should be fixed by them, but need a lexus approval. The cost is about $10k I did contact lexus and received a call that they won't pay for the repairs. The problem in the car ' inverter went bad and the reason for that ' a small part inside, which was on the recall. Lexus say that the recall was for a small part and they do not want to pay for the whole thing. And I believe that since I did not receive the recall letters - they should fix the car.

Filed May 4, 2014 · Body, Fuel system · 90,000 miles · PA

Having enjoyed owning a lexus rx300, I made a huge "investment" and purchased the 2006 rx400h. In april of 2014, the vehicle would not start due to a failure of the hybrid system. I attempted to jump start the vehicle as suggested by the lexus dealer. Upon further investigation I discovered the carpet inside the cabin area was soaking wet! The car had been outside in the rain with the windows, sunroof and doors closed. Also, I take the car to an automatic car wash on a regular basis. While loading the car on to the jerr-dan tow truck, a large amount of water poured out of the rear trunk area. The tow truck operator was amazed at the amount of water that was pouring onto the driveway. The vehicle was taken to the lexus dealer. After several days, a leak in the rear hatch area was found to be the source of the water. There apparently is a metal seam where the welds do not hold up or were not welded properly. Water collected in the hybrid battery area causing over $7000 damage. Of course, luckily for lexus, the vehicle warranty had expired. The only recourse I had was to make a claim to my insurance, which only covered the damages but not the cause. My out of pocket expenses are approximately $3000. Water leaking from the outside into the cabin of a vehicle, especially one of this price, is unacceptable. And to have water collect into the "heart" of the vehicle and render the vehicle inoperable is frightening. I could have been on an isolated road or a busy highway and the vehicle could have suddenly quit. Lexus knew about this potential problem but did not advise their customers to watch for any signs of moisture. The repair to the popped seam could have been done by any body shop or, I'm told, the use of a good quality silicone. There is a technical service bulletin from 3/10/2009 that specifically addresses this problem: tsb-l-sb0019-09 rev 1.

Filed Apr 14, 2014 · Body, Transmission · 104,000 miles · OH

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.

Filed Jan 26, 2014 · Electrical, Engine · 53,602 miles · NY

Leakage of coolant from the radiator discovered and in less than 50 miles an engine warning light lit, indicating failure of the hybrid synergy drive system , namely the hybrid inverter. Vehicle was brought into a lexus dealership and the radiator and inverter were replaced.

Filed Dec 21, 2010 · Engine, Transmission · 90,000 miles · 00

No failure, yet. But vehicle (lexus rx400h - 2006) is a hybrid. There is a separate cooling system for the hybrid components (inverter, and electric motors in transaxle). Coolant is leaking from the transaxle. If all coolant leaks out, the inverter will fail. Without the inverter, there is no power - no electric steering, no electric brakes, and no motive power to the wheels. Additionally, the coolant may leak somewhere or onto something that may short out or cause a fire. This is not a leak from a worn out coolant hose, but directly from the transaxle. Being a hybrid, the availability of electric power is absolutely essential. There have been reports of inverters failing (just check the lexus. Toyota and other hybrid forums) on the highway at speed, leading to a complete loss of power. To the best of my knowledge, there have been no injuries or accidents, but the potential is frightening.