Lexus Incident Report

2.0 Analysis of High-Priority Issue Categories

This section focuses on issue categories designated as "High" and "Medium" in the source data, representing the most frequent and potentially systemic problems requiring immediate attention. These classifications are based on both complaint volume and the severity of the reported failure mode, making them the top priority for root-cause analysis. The analysis below provides a detailed breakdown of the failure modes described by vehicle owners within these critical classifications, beginning with High Widespread Issues.

2.1 High Widespread Issues: Engine

Complaints related to the ENGINE system are classified as a 'High' widespread issue, representing the most significant trend in the dataset. Analysis of customer descriptions reveals three primary failure modes: excessive oil consumption, violent shuddering and shaking, and a sudden, complete loss of power. These issues are not only sources of significant customer dissatisfaction but also present critical safety concerns that warrant immediate engineering review.

Excessive Oil Consumption

A significant cohort of complaints centers on engines consuming oil at an abnormally high rate. Customers report needing to add significant amounts of oil between scheduled service intervals. This rate of consumption strongly suggests issues beyond normal operation, pointing to potential premature wear or out-of-spec tolerances in piston ring assemblies or valve stem seals.

I have to add a quart of oil every 1000 miles. [ID: 1634488]

My 2013 Lexus CT200H is burning excessive oil between oil changes. It started around the 90K mark and is continually burning more, and more oil as I put more miles on it. [ID: 1658199]

Violent Shuddering and Shaking

Multiple vehicle owners describe a violent rattling, shuddering, or shaking originating from the engine. This behavior reportedly occurs both during initial cold starts and randomly while the vehicle is in motion. In one instance, a dealership diagnosis provided a critical data point for further investigation.

The engine constantly rattled/shudders violently upon initial start for about 20-30 seconds, and check engine light is on. Driving, acceleration, and fuel economy has decreased/worsened. [ID: 1562536]

The engine constantly rattled/shudders violently upon initial start and randomly shakes violently on the road while driving causing me to have to veer off the road every time it violently shakes, check engine light is on. Lexus dealership reported random engine cylinder misfires; and a three-day physical observation after the intake manifold removal shows: unexplained internal coolant leak. [ID: 1613246]

The dealership finding of an "unexplained internal coolant leak" is a major diagnostic flag. This specific finding points away from a simple misfire and suggests a potential engine block or head gasket integrity issue that must be investigated.

Sudden Loss of Power

The most critical engine-related safety issue reported is a complete and sudden loss of motive power at highway speeds. This failure has been reported in both standard gasoline and hybrid models, creating an extremely hazardous situation where drivers must navigate to safety without engine assistance.

Complete loss of power in both the gas engine and in the hybrid electric engine while going 70 mph,both the alarm systems-audible and dash went off. With no power I was able to get off the highway without crashing the car. [ID: 1085827]

Several claims of shutter resulting in low power when leaving a stop. Because the engine turns off entering EV mode. [ID: 1637304]

2.2 Medium Widespread Issues

While occurring less frequently than the 'High' tier problems, the trends identified in the 'Medium' widespread categories are significant and indicate potential areas of concern that warrant investigation. These issues are concentrated in the STEERING and a miscellaneous UNKNOWN OR OTHER category.

2.2.1 Steering

Complaints categorized under STEERING describe a range of dangerous incidents involving loss of vehicle control. A recurring theme is severe shaking of the steering wheel when braking from high speeds, which thematically links to vehicle vibration complaints filed under the Suspension category (Section 3.3) and suggests a potential common root cause in suspension geometry or wheel balancing that manifests differently to customers. More critical reports detail sudden, unintended acceleration while turning and instances where the steering wheel has locked up entirely, leading directly to collisions.

I was coming up my street like I do every day and all of a sudden it started accelerating and I was stuck staring wheel locked up and I hit a tree and got severely injured the car is totaled. [ID: 1604917]

Driving south on Florida turnpike, car suddenly accelerated --unable to steer it or slow it down--had to get off highway to avoid collision --turned wheel to right and slid across swale into thicket of trees. [ID: 1008356]

Going downhill on steep grade at 60 to 70 mph, severe shaking of steering wheel when brakes applied, repaired by Lexus of Las Vegas, this happened several times before repair. *TR. [ID: 797269]

2.2.2 Unknown or Other

The UNKNOWN OR OTHER category contains a variety of complaints, with a notable overlap of engine and steering issues also reported in higher-priority sections. The presence of these complaints within a generic category indicates a high probability of concurrent system failures or an inability for owners to isolate the primary fault, warranting a review of our diagnostic trouble code (DTC) reporting logic. Most concerning is the presence of steering failures resulting in "total loss collisions" within this category. This represents a critical data anomaly; a severe safety event is being under-classified, which points to a procedural issue in our complaint ingestion and categorization process that requires immediate review.

My vehicle was in an accident on the freeway when my steering wheel started to wiggle- within 3 seconds my steering wheel violently steering left to right uncontrollably that caused the vehicle to spin out of control on the freeway causing a total loss collision. [ID: 1713683]

The engine constantly rattled/shudders violently upon initial start for about 20-30 seconds, and check engine light is on. Driving, acceleration, and fuel economy has decreased/worsened. [ID: 1562538]

Given the severity of the High and Medium-tier issues, the following section provides a granular analysis of all reported vehicle systems to identify lower-frequency trends and potential emerging problems.

3.0 Detailed Analysis by Vehicle System

The following sections provide a systematic breakdown of customer complaints across various vehicle systems. Each section summarizes the nature of the reported problems, their designated widespread level, and provides specific examples from customer reports for context and engineering clarification.

3.1 Powertrain and Speed Control Systems

Issues related to the POWER TRAIN, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, and ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) are primarily categorized as 'Unique' or 'Low' in widespread level, but describe hazardous vehicle behaviors. A recurring theme is sudden, unexpected changes in vehicle speed and control. Reports detail dangerous incidents such as sudden deceleration on the freeway accompanied by a "CHECK HYBRID SYSTEM" warning, engine shuttering that leads to low power, and vehicles surging forward when the brakes are applied, especially when driving over bumps or uneven road surfaces.

While driving at 65 MPH on a freeway, the car decelerated and failed to travel above 40 MPH. Simultaneously, three warming lights appeared on the dash: a yellow triangle, the check engine light and a "CHECK HYBRID SYSTEM" warning. [ID: 1982219]

There is a well known flaw with Toyota hybrids that Toyota needs to address and fix. When you brake to come to a stop, if they car encounters bumps or potholes, the brake pressure will momentarily decrease and the car will surge forward. [ID: 973689]

3.2 Structural and Body Integrity

Complaints related to STRUCTURE and STRUCTURE:BODY cover a range of component failures and alarming spontaneous events. These issues are grouped into two distinct sub-categories below.

1. Component Failures: Owners report failures of both interior and exterior components. These include a center console lid becoming stuck in the open position and a passenger-side door handle fracturing and detaching from the vehicle.

2. Spontaneous Glass Shattering: A highly concerning trend involves multiple, independent reports of vehicle glass "exploding" without any external impact. Owners describe sunroofs, moonroofs, and side windows spontaneously shattering while driving at highway speeds, creating a sudden, loud noise and a significant safety hazard from falling glass.

3.3 Suspension and Wheels

A significant cohort of complaints regarding SUSPENSION and WHEELS focus on ride stability, premature component wear, and structural corrosion. The most common issues reported include severe vehicle vibration felt at highway speeds, a finding that correlates with steering-wheel shudder reports in Section 2.2.1. Other reports detail premature and uneven tire wear so extreme that it exposes steel belts, and significant frame rust affecting suspension components. A unique complaint also notes that tire sidewalls have blown out without an apparent external cause.

Car was bought new in Sept of 2009 my wife drives in town and it only has 27000 miles on it and the two front tires are showing steel belts on both inside of tires,pretty on safe. Have been told it is how the car is set up. [ID: 1013532]

The vehicle has severe rust and corrosion underneath affecting the suspension. The brakes and power steering needed repairs but the service would cause even more damage to the vehicle. [ID: 1846285]

3.4 Visibility and Lighting Systems

Visibility is a recurring, if lower-frequency, issue across several categories, including VISIBILITY/WIPER, EXTERIOR LIGHTING, and VISIBILITY:SUN/MOON ROOF ASSEMBLY. Three distinct problems stand out in the customer complaints:

• Headlight Malfunctions: Multiple owners report intermittent or complete failure of low-beam headlights while driving at night, creating a sudden and dangerous loss of visibility.
• Windshield Distortion: Customers have reported optical distortions in the windshield that cause "ghosting" or splitting of light sources at night, which can be distracting and disorienting for the driver.
• Exploding Sunroofs: Reinforcing the structural trend noted previously, complaints filed under the specific sunroof category describe the glass spontaneously shattering during highway travel.

3.5 Driver-Assist and Safety Systems

Failures have been reported across several critical safety systems, including AIR BAGS, LANE DEPARTURE, and FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE. These reports raise concerns about the reliability of key active and passive safety features. One owner reported a constantly flashing airbag warning light, indicating a potential fault in the primary restraint system. Malfunctions were also described in the blind spot monitoring (BSM) system, with complaints of the indicator activating without a vehicle present or failing to detect an adjacent vehicle. In another case, the automatic emergency braking system reportedly activated erroneously, causing the vehicle to stop abruptly without cause.

4.0 Cross-Model Complaint Patterns

Identifying trends that affect multiple vehicle models is crucial for distinguishing between isolated faults and potentially systemic design or manufacturing issues. This analysis synthesizes data from across the entire provided context to highlight recurring problems that are not limited to a single model line, suggesting a broader area for investigation.

4.1 Spontaneous Glass Shattering

The alarming trend of spontaneously exploding sunroofs, moonroofs, and side windows is not an isolated incident but a pattern observed across multiple Lexus models. Customer complaints confirm that this hazardous event has been reported for the CT200H, ES350, and GS350. The consistency of these reports—occurring at highway speeds without impact—suggests a potential issue with either material stress from the manufacturing process, thermal expansion properties of the glass, or body flex dynamics.

While driving at highway speeds, the sunroof on my 2013 Lexus CT200H exploded with a deafening bang. Windows were rolled up, AC running, sunroof closed. [ID: 1120084]

While driving 65 mph, the sun roof exploded and glass entered the vehicle. [ID: 1519834]

While I was driving at the end of traffic (Light just turned green), when my sunroof (Glass) exploded. Was a very loud bang, glass fell all over the center console, driver side (On my arm, hair) and passenger side. [ID: 1896351]

4.2 Interior Component Degradation (Sticky/Melting Dashboard)

A consistent complaint across a wide range of models involves the degradation of interior materials, specifically dashboards and door panels. Customers report that these surfaces become sticky, appear to be melting, and develop a shiny finish that creates intense glare on the windshield. This is not merely a cosmetic issue; owners explicitly identify the resulting glare as a significant safety hazard that impairs visibility. This problem has been documented in complaints for the ES350, IS250, IS350, RX350, and LS460.

On July 24, 2014 I noticed the dashboard on the driver side was starting to look sticky and shiny like the passenger side, but didn't think anything of it until I started driving and could not see clearly out of the windshield because of the glare from the sticky and shiny dashboard. [ID: 1091125]

Dashboard is sticky/tacky. Dashboard is also very shiny and make it's almost impossible to drive in sunlight. [ID: 1745862]

4.3 Frame and Undercarriage Corrosion

A distinct pattern of severe rust and corrosion on the vehicle frame and undercarriage emerged across multiple SUV platforms, including the GX460/GX470, LX 470, and RX. This issue appears to be more than surface-level rust, with reports indicating corrosion severe enough to compromise the structural integrity of the vehicle. The severity of this trend is underscored by reports where vehicles have been deemed unsafe to operate due to the extent of the frame damage, pointing to a potential material selection or coating process issue.

Vehicle has extensive rust through in many portions of the frame. Vehicle said to be unsafe to drive. [ID: 1676747]

These cross-model patterns strongly suggest that the root causes may lie in shared materials or manufacturing processes, warranting a deeper, systemic review.

5.0 Conclusion

This analysis of customer complaints reveals several critical, recurring issues affecting Lexus vehicles. The most significant trend, categorized as 'High' widespread, involves Engine systems, with numerous reports of excessive oil consumption, violent shuddering, and sudden loss of power at highway speeds. Furthermore, this report identifies three significant cross-model complaint patterns that point toward potential systemic issues: spontaneous glass shattering across sedans and hatchbacks, widespread interior component degradation resulting in sticky dashboards and hazardous windshield glare, and severe frame and undercarriage corrosion affecting multiple SUV models. These documented patterns are leading indicators of systemic quality escapes. The Quality Assurance and Engineering departments must prioritize a full-scale investigation to determine root causes, assess the scope of vehicle population impact, and develop immediate containment and countermeasures.