Water Problem In Rx 400h

[tmanykidz]

We had a heavy rainstorm in the area and my hybrid sat outside the garage during it. I drove less than a mile down the road on Sunday and got malfunction lights for my VCS (traction) and Hybrid system. I parked the car and left it until Lexus roadside assist could get there late that day. The car sat with a towing company on Sunday and was delivered to the dealer on Mon. at 3pm. The computers for both VCS and the hybrid/batteries are ruined due to water damage. Has anyone else had this problem? I never drove through standing water, just a heavy rain. This vehicle has had the rear lift gate replaced and they have pulled the fuel tank when the gauge was reading empty. (That problem was actually located on the dash assembly and it has been replaced. They have also replaced all four tires and the power steering computer. Do I have a lemon, or is anyone else seeing these problems?

[skyfish400h]

We had a heavy rainstorm in the area and my hybrid sat outside the garage during it. I drove less than a mile down the road on Sunday and got malfunction lights for my VCS (traction) and Hybrid system. I parked the car and left it until Lexus roadside assist could get there late that day. The car sat with a towing company on Sunday and was delivered to the dealer on Mon. at 3pm. The computers for both VCS and the hybrid/batteries are ruined due to water damage. Has anyone else had this problem? I never drove through standing water, just a heavy rain. This vehicle has had the rear lift gate replaced and they have pulled the fuel tank when the gauge was reading empty. (That problem was actually located on the dash assembly and it has been replaced. They have also replaced all four tires and the power steering computer. Do I have a lemon, or is anyone else seeing these problems?

That's a lot of problems for any car, but especially a Lexus. Do I smell cititus?

Are these computers on the outside of the vehicle? Because they shouldn't be.

Perhaps the work on the gate or the tank left something unsealed and allowed water to intrude where it should not have been?

[Rx330driver]

believe it or not, the gauge problem is pretty common, the gas tank reading that is, it happened to my 2000 rx300, but now this rx330. If you parked it in the garage, i dont see how water got in. i guess the lesson here is "dont drive your car in the rain". lol. If i were you, even though this is probably gonna be replaced by Lexus under warranty, i would expect a new car if another problem arises. How long have u had the car?

[lenore]

Ah the old soak you dry car. sorry lol you bought a Lexus, not supposed to taken out on rainy days.

[larrytrk]

Ah the old soak you dry car. sorry lol you bought a Lexus, not supposed to taken out on rainy days.

What is this an old British sports car?

Doesn't start or stop in the rain!

[katzjamr]

Ah the old soak you dry car. sorry lol you bought a Lexus, not supposed to taken out on rainy days.

What is this an old British sports car?

Doesn't start or stop in the rain!

larry did you ever hear the addage, "the british invented rust and licensed it to the italians".

to 'tmanykidz', how heavy was this rainstorm? do you remember how many inches in what period of time, and as far as you could tell were all covers replaced after a service like an oil change?

i tend to wash the edges of the hood underneath when i clean the SUV, i do not spray water over the engine of course, however now you have me wondering if i should be more careful with that. we are no strangers to rain here in the pacific northwest so any additional information you could provide would be greatly appreciated.

[skyfish400h]

to 'tmanykidz', how heavy was this rainstorm? do you remember how many inches in what period of time, and as far as you could tell were all covers replaced after a service like an oil change?

i tend to wash the edges of the hood underneath when i clean the SUV, i do not spray water over the engine of course, however now you have me wondering if i should be more careful with that. we are no strangers to rain here in the pacific northwest so any additional information you could provide would be greatly appreciated.

My 400h has been driven in heavy rain at freeway speed and thru standing water with no problems what so ever (yes it does rain in so cal). In fact I never felt so safe on the road under those conditions. Love the auto wipers, they were running full tilt ;)

Me thinks this problem is unique to this vehicle and I suspect it is a complication stemming from some of the previous work. Just my opinion, of course.

[RX400h]

to 'tmanykidz', how heavy was this rainstorm? do you remember how many inches in what period of time, and as far as you could tell were all covers replaced after a service like an oil change?

i tend to wash the edges of the hood underneath when i clean the SUV, i do not spray water over the engine of course, however now you have me wondering if i should be more careful with that. we are no strangers to rain here in the pacific northwest so any additional information you could provide would be greatly appreciated.

My 400h has been driven in heavy rain at freeway speed and thru standing water with no problems what so ever (yes it does rain in so cal). In fact I never felt so safe on the road under those conditions. Love the auto wipers, they were running full tilt ;)

Me thinks this problem is unique to this vehicle and I suspect it is a complication stemming from some of the previous work. Just my opinion, of course.

I agree.

[tmanykidz]

The computers are under the back seat!! Findin that out was educational! Basically where ever the water came in--around the lift gate, from unsealed areas around the gas tank, etc., it collected on the floor of the car. With starts and stops (and hauling up onto a tow truck) the water ran back into the batteries/computers. Keep an eye out--any serious water spills in any hybrid might affect your computers--to the tune of $5500 for the VCS and Hybrid. Lexus is still looking at the damage and does not want to allow it because it is "environmental." I'm beginning to agree that the citrus smell is strong! I loved my RX 330--had it for two years with no problems but wanted to go more green. Now all of these with the 400h.

We had a heavy rainstorm in the area and my hybrid sat outside the garage during it. I drove less than a mile down the road on Sunday and got malfunction lights for my VCS (traction) and Hybrid system. I parked the car and left it until Lexus roadside assist could get there late that day. The car sat with a towing company on Sunday and was delivered to the dealer on Mon. at 3pm. The computers for both VCS and the hybrid/batteries are ruined due to water damage. Has anyone else had this problem? I never drove through standing water, just a heavy rain. This vehicle has had the rear lift gate replaced and they have pulled the fuel tank when the gauge was reading empty. (That problem was actually located on the dash assembly and it has been replaced. They have also replaced all four tires and the power steering computer. Do I have a lemon, or is anyone else seeing these problems?

That's a lot of problems for any car, but especially a Lexus. Do I smell cititus?

Are these computers on the outside of the vehicle? Because they shouldn't be.

Perhaps the work on the gate or the tank left something unsealed and allowed water to intrude where it should not have been?

I've had the car since September. It doesn't meet the lemon law--different things keep going wrong--but I am ready to be done with these problems![

quote name=Rx330driver' date='Mar 23 2006, 08:17 PM' post='186099]

believe it or not, the gauge problem is pretty common, the gas tank reading that is, it happened to my 2000 rx300, but now this rx330. If you parked it in the garage, i dont see how water got in. i guess the lesson here is "dont drive your car in the rain". lol. If i were you, even though this is probably gonna be replaced by Lexus under warranty, i would expect a new car if another problem arises. How long have u had the car?

We had about 4 inches of rain from Sat. night to Sunday evening total. Not a light rain, but not a flooding rain, either. Parts of Dallas had 9 inches in the same time frame. We haven't had rain in months--very different from your area--but this was horrible. The fact that I couldn't see water on the floor of the vehicle--though we did see a wet spot near the front passenger door--means that even a small amount of moisture could wick through the carpets and damage these back seat computers. I'd be very careful in a wet climate!

[katzjamr]

are you saying the chip was not located under the hood but inside the cabin?

[Rx330driver]

are you saying the chip was not located under the hood but inside the cabin?

well the hybrid battery is under the back seats.

[katzjamr]

yea the battery is there but how could a chip located there possibly get wet

[thesaintjim]

I have left my 40h outside during summer storms and winter snowstorms and started up just fine. Sorry about your trouble.

[drgkjl]

We had a heavy rainstorm in the area and my hybrid sat outside the garage during it. I drove less than a mile down the road on Sunday and got malfunction lights for my VCS (traction) and Hybrid system. I parked the car and left it until Lexus roadside assist could get there late that day. The car sat with a towing company on Sunday and was delivered to the dealer on Mon. at 3pm. The computers for both VCS and the hybrid/batteries are ruined due to water damage. Has anyone else had this problem? I never drove through standing water, just a heavy rain. This vehicle has had the rear lift gate replaced and they have pulled the fuel tank when the gauge was reading empty. (That problem was actually located on the dash assembly and it has been replaced. They have also replaced all four tires and the power steering computer. Do I have a lemon, or is anyone else seeing these problems?

No rocket science here but you do have an unusual amount of problems for a lexus. This is my third - never had much problem. The hybrid is only a month old so cannot compare.

But I'm very anxious to hear what explanation lexus/dealer have to offer! If the problems is fixed, please do post an update

[tmanykidz]

We finally got the problem resolved! The leak was from the seal on the liftgate--some of you were right on with that diagnostic! The water ran down into the battery compartment--shorting out the hybrid computer and traction control and ruining all the batteries. The repair bill was estimated by the dealer at between $10-12 thousand! With the prior problems, they traded my vehicle for another RX 400h--straight trade. I am thrilled! I still have a hybrid and I am again happy with the Lexus dealer!

I should mention that this could be a significant problem with the car. If you have bodywork done on the liftgate--make sure they check for water leakage. This is a problem if you are carrying liquids in the hatch area, also--if they spill--the sensors are only about 1/8 of an inch off the floorboards, low enough to be impacted by a small amount of liquid. The danger is with things dripping/running down into the battery compartment--the lowest point in the car, where the computers are located and the batteries. You do not want to be facing this kind of bill without it being a dealer's fault! Thanks for everyone's comments and helpful suggestions.

[skyfish400h]

We finally got the problem resolved! The leak was from the seal on the liftgate--some of you were right on with that diagnostic! The water ran down into the battery compartment--shorting out the hybrid computer and traction control and ruining all the batteries. The repair bill was estimated by the dealer at between $10-12 thousand! With the prior problems, they traded my vehicle for another RX 400h--straight trade. I am thrilled! I still have a hybrid and I am again happy with the Lexus dealer!

I should mention that this could be a significant problem with the car. If you have bodywork done on the liftgate--make sure they check for water leakage. This is a problem if you are carrying liquids in the hatch area, also--if they spill--the sensors are only about 1/8 of an inch off the floorboards, low enough to be impacted by a small amount of liquid. The danger is with things dripping/running down into the battery compartment--the lowest point in the car, where the computers are located and the batteries. You do not want to be facing this kind of bill without it being a dealer's fault! Thanks for everyone's comments and helpful suggestions.

That's great news! I'm glad it worked out so well for you.

Your caution about carring liquids in the back is an excellent point! If anyone has any plans to carry anthing that might drip/leak/spill then it would we well worth the invsetment to get one of those rubber cargo mats for the back that has the raised lip all the way around it. They are $65-$85 depending if you get it from the dealer or from JC Whitney.

This is definitely NOT one of the hose-out SUVs :o

[raleedy]

One more suggestion: a handy Lexus accessory is a tray insert for the luggage area -- it has a high enough lip to contain a reasonable amount of liquid spillage or leakage, so it's a reasonable insurance policy at $95 or so.

[thesaintjim]

I bought the Lexus cargo mat with the lip. I put the water tube and wakeboard in the back during the summer. catches all the water just fine. Besides, it keeps everything nice and clean underneath :)

[drgkjl]

We finally got the problem resolved! The leak was from the seal on the liftgate--some of you were right on with that diagnostic! The water ran down into the battery compartment--shorting out the hybrid computer and traction control and ruining all the batteries. The repair bill was estimated by the dealer at between $10-12 thousand! With the prior problems, they traded my vehicle for another RX 400h--straight trade. I am thrilled! I still have a hybrid and I am again happy with the Lexus dealer!

I should mention that this could be a significant problem with the car. If you have bodywork done on the liftgate--make sure they check for water leakage. This is a problem if you are carrying liquids in the hatch area, also--if they spill--the sensors are only about 1/8 of an inch off the floorboards, low enough to be impacted by a small amount of liquid. The danger is with things dripping/running down into the battery compartment--the lowest point in the car, where the computers are located and the batteries. You do not want to be facing this kind of bill without it being a dealer's fault! Thanks for everyone's comments and helpful suggestions.

tmanykidz..thanks for the update and glad you got a new(?) hyb....hope dealers around here are so nice.

The problem is scary...could it possibly happen while loading/unloading in moderate/heavy rain? Can a cup or two of liquid (leakage from a milk/juice carton) possibly cause this kind of troule??

[Rx330driver]

i would think that the designers of this car would put some sort of casing around the batteries and computers. but i guess they neglected that fact. im pretty sure the newer models will come with some sort of cover for the batteries.

[Kaizen-san]

Sounds like a huge drama after you've got your RX... Just call the 1-800 number and scream at the customer service rep. They should buy back your vehicle very soon... good luck.

[katzjamr]

Sounds like a huge drama after you've got your RX... Just call the 1-800 number and scream at the customer service rep. They should buy back your vehicle very soon... good luck.

Perhaps you missed the fact that he was given a new 400h

[Kaizen-san]

Sorry, my bad, didn't read the whole thing thoroughly. I am glad that they repalce your car with a new one. That's why we buy a Lexus.

[drgkjl]

One more suggestion: a handy Lexus accessory is a tray insert for the luggage area -- it has a high enough lip to contain a reasonable amount of liquid spillage or leakage, so it's a reasonable insurance policy at $95 or so.

any problem taking this baby through a car wash? (other than, per the user manual, having to remove the antenna)

[raleedy]

any problem taking this baby through a car wash? (other than, per the user manual, having to remove the antenna)

In my experience, antenna removal is unnecessary. Of course, that's just my carwash!