Lexus ES Wet Carpet

pamface

We have a Lexus ES330 and for awhile we have been trying to figure out the humidity problem and reason for the dampness on the passenger side carpet. It has been to the dealer and they could only suggest to change the air filter. Kind of a lame diagnosis. I took it to my mechanic and the drain hole for the rain was clear.
Today the carpet was soaking wet. We took apart the front passenger side carpet and found that the AC drain hose was NEVER even connected. The water was just draining under the carpet for the last 4 years. It has been exceptionally humid this past week and would explain the extra condensation.
We blotted it up and have it airing out now with the carpet partially lifted. I can see this turning into a mold issue if it wasn't rectified soon. This has been the only issue with the car to date. I wonder if there should be a recall or if it was a fluke. I emailed Lexus HQ to advise them of the problem.
Depending on how it is handled, will determine future buying with them.

artinreal

I just took my Lexus ES330 into the shop for the same problem, the passenger and rear carpet area were soaking wet, and they said that the drain hose was disconnected, but they tried to say that it came loose from a bump in the road or it was stepped on, etc, etc, how ridiculous is that? It was probably never connected from day one. Its a shame because you pay for a premium car, and the funny thing is we could have just bought a Camry, which would have been probably better and saved us a lot of money. Anyway, they agreed to replace the carpet and pads, under the warranty, but tried to somehow shift blame to the "road" or to the hose being kicked out of place. Maybe I should email Lexus HQ as well.

pamface

You are lucky you had it fixed under warranty. They said it could cost around $2K to replace with parts and labor. Mine wasn't under warranty any longer.
We ended up taking out the sound deadening pads and washing them with bleach and detergent. Sterilized everything we could, aired it out for days with a high powered fan. We put it all back together ourselves. It is fine now and low and behold, no humidity issues.
My best guess is the hose got disconnected when the carpet was originally installed and it knocked it loose. We never touched the carpet before all this happened. Lexus engineers should go back and figure this one out. Maybe some silicone glue? How hard is it?
I got nothing but lip service from HQ and the dealer. NO help in working out an equitable arrangment or meeting me part way on the cost. Only advice to use a shop vac or get the car detailed! Sorry but that would not help the water under the rubber/poly membrane that was trapped and causing mold in the pads and rusting the body.
I have read about other humidity issues with the Lexus and would venture to guess this is THE problem.
The bean counters at Lexus might want to consider a recall. If the humidity isn't bad enough, there are the mold issued to contend with. Luckily we caught it before it destroyed the interior of the car.

Meanwhile, I will contact NHTSA and inform them. As for Lexus, they just lost their next sale.
Here's the info for a complaint. I hope other Lexus customers look into this. They might not notice until they remove the floor mats. The damp carpets are not from rain on shoes.
PS: Change the cabin filter so the mold doesn't recirculate. I got a great filter from Partstrain.com. Very happy with their customer service. Won't purchase from the dealer after this either.

NCSAWeb@nhtsa.dot.gov
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
National Center for Statistics & Analysis
1200 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
West Building
Washington, DC 20590

Phone Numbers:
Washington, DC Line: 202-366-1503
Automated Data Request Line: 1-800-934-8517
Fax Number: 202-366-7078

bluelexus

I had the same problem with a 2007 ES. The dealer took care of it under warranty, but this should not occur.