Safety Investigation On Rx 330 Brake Booster

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U.S. Opens Safety Inquiry on Lexus S.U.V.

By DANNY HAKIM

Published: February 16, 2005

DETROIT, Feb. 15 - Federal regulators have opened a safety investigation into 2004 models of the best-selling vehicle from Toyota Motor's Lexus division, the RX330 sport utility vehicle, after receiving complaints about failures in its power brakes.

Bill Ussery, a Lexus spokesman, said the company was aware of the brake problem and issued a technical service bulletin to its dealers in September. But the company has not notified customers or recalled the vehicle because it says it does not think the problem is widespread and no injuries have been linked to it.

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The government's inquiry was prompted by complaints from 10 Lexus owners who told the agency of brake problems, with one saying, "My brakes went completely out while traveling down a highway at 70 miles per hour."

Complaints have also appeared recently on Internet message boards. Several customers said they had been told by Lexus mechanics that the problem was well known but could take weeks to fix because not enough parts were available.

"We saw enough of a pattern in the complaints coming in that we felt it justified a little closer look," said Rae Tyson, a spokesman for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which is conducting the inquiry. The investigation is in a preliminary phase. It will become more serious if enough evidence of a potential defect is discovered.

The problem involves the S.U.V.'s brake booster, a critical part that makes power brakes work. Without a brake booster, brakes are still operable but require a driver to push down with considerable force.

"The brakes still stop the vehicle, but it's very unusual and surprising," Mr. Ussery said. He said Lexus needed to review the government's consumer complaints "to determine if further action is warranted."

Last year, the RX330 became Lexus's first vehicle to sell more than 100,000 units in the United States. Mr. Ussery said the company thought the problem was restricted to vehicles that were among the 48,000 of the 2004 model RX330's produced at a plant in Cambridge, Ont., as opposed to models made in Japan. He also said the problem was thought to occur in cold weather.

He said the technical service bulletin sent to dealers recommended replacing the vehicle's brake booster if the problem occurred.

"If you're missing a booster system, it means that for smaller people, for women, it's really hard to stop the vehicle," said Joan Claybrook, the president of Public Citizen, a consumer advocacy group. "Companies are much smarter if they notify people quickly, not only for safety but for public relations."

Nancy Rosin, 63, of Franklin Lakes, N.J., said her RX330 was her fourth Lexus but would probably be her last. The power brakes on her S.U.V. failed when her son was backing out of a driveway in Vermont in December, she said, and he had to jam down on the brakes to stop.

Ms. Rosin was not among the customers who complained to regulators. She said a Lexus dealer had led her to believe that the problem stemmed from using the parking brake, and only later learned about brake problems in other RX330's.

"This is life and death," she said. "I had my grandchildren, who are 5 and 7, in this car. We felt so safe in it, and then I find out I had them in a really dangerous situation. I thought I was paying a premium for safety."

Lexus replaced her brake booster, but she remains worried that there may be a wider brake problem and wants to be released from her lease.

"They should have sent a letter to every owner to let them know this could be a problem instead of saying they had never heard of this before," Ms. Rosin said.