Lexus RX 400h and 450h

pointles

Just had to replace a tire due to wear on the inside edge, on my 400h, at 25000 miles.It was so bad that the cord started to show. My dealership said that it's recommended maintenance at 15000 to have the alignment done. I can't seem to find that in my maintenance book.
I will have to replace two more and put the best one to a spare. Goodyear store (discount tire ) is doing an adjustment on the cost of the next two for me. I have called Lexis customer service # and will be sending them a letter. Have you heard of any other people having this problem. Mine is an 06
Linda

katzjamr

i would say uneven tire wear with the goodyears is almost at the top of the list of complaints with the 400h. you can go to any lexus forum and other than gas mileage, this is the next most frequent topic of concern. i have a 2006 400h with 29k, i have had two alignments at the dealer, and still have severe wear on the inside of the tires on the left front and rear. lexus rotates these every 5k, the only reason i have more mileage on them is that i have used the spare in rotation.

i am otherwise happy with my vehicle however i think lexus should step up and help with every goodyear that has an excessive wear problem. its also irresponsible for them to supply the cars with two brands of tires that have such different wear ratings. if by only the luck of the draw you get the michelins your tires will wear likely twice as long. that is crap.

kayen

Two weeks ago I purchased a 2008 RX400H in Matador Red with a Black interior. I located it at a dealer 500 miles away and had it shipped to my local dealer. It has ML Stereo which is also great. Don't settle for the ivory interior because it will be a pain to keep clean.

kayen

Just picked up my red 400H with BLACK interior and ML Stereo. It is being made. Find a dealer that is willing to get it for you.

hphyslp

Just curious. To all the RXH owners with inside tire wear. What year are your vehicles? To anyone recently purchasing 2008... did you ask about this and what answer did you get?

ajs122

Ah, Mr Goodyear got you hun? When ever I have purchased Goodyears, top grade, middle grade, the cheapies, and OE, my experience has always been bad. I swear they must put magnets in them the way they pick up nails. And I've been buying tires a long time. When I purchased my 06 RX400h it came with Goodyears. I made it very plain it was no sale without changing them out for Michelins all 5. The Michelins are not the best tire but they sure beat anything Goodyear makes.

vdoc

Has anyone experienced problems with the system not being able to find addresses and named places? From the beginning I've had problems. Sometimes it works fine but other times it either won't find an address or the named place or when it does find one it will be a hundred miles away or even in the next state. For instance, this morning I punched in the name of one of our big grocery chains. there is a store 2 miles down the road that's been there for 20 years but the closest one it found was 85 miles away. I tried another chain that was a mile away and it found it fine. I paid to have the system upgraded about a year ago with only modest improvement. I'm about ready to buy a Tom-Tom which costs far less than another upgrade. Any feedback from others who have had this problem and fixed it would be greatly appreciated.

lansdownemike

When I had that problem, I fixed it by checking the region my system was set for. Somehow, probably in the recent upgrade, it had switched regions. When I set it for the proper region, everything worked fine.

texamau1

Hi,
does anyone know if the dealer can/will install the "EV mode" for the 2007? I think that the only major different between the 07 & 08. I do not want to trade my 07 (only 6K mi) for an 08, if that the only difference.

thanks
Te

jrobe

There is no EV Mode on the 08 400h. You will have to trade for a Toyota Highlander to get the EV Mode.

brent99

I got an "offer" last week to upgrade my Nav software for $350. What an insulting JOKE!!! Most nav systems off the shelf don't even cost that much. My nav system isn't even 2 years old yet -- they should be providing that for free anyway, let alone gouging their customers for the update.

Consider me one pissed off customer.

dndell

As a new owner of a 2008 RX400h, I'm very pleased with how the car drives, but wanted to share my extreme disappointment with the backup camera. I guess I've been spoiled owning an Infinity QX56, but I expect a backup camera to help me steer the car when parking and backing up. My QX56 has beeping sensors that tell me the distance I am from any objects, as well as colored runway lines (colored by distance from the vehicle) that allow me to tell exactly where the vehicle will go if I move backwards. It also works very well in the dark. If I have to back down a narrow road or driveway at night, I can confidently drive the QX56 backwards just looking at the runway lines on the screen and listening for any beeps. With the Lexus camera, it's very hard to tell when you're about to touch something even in the daytime, and it's useless in the dark. I'm very disappointed in Lexus.

lansdownemike

Agreed. I drove it after I drove an M35x, and the difference in the back-up systems is day and night. There are a few places where the "extra" technology of the RX is really behind the rest of the world: the bluetooth is primitive, the lack of keyless entry, the lack of mp3 connection. Fortunately for me, at least, those are less important than the reasons I bought it: good acceleration, good mileage, great driving comfort, acceptable handling/braking. I hope the technology problems are corrected in 09 or '10.

vdoc

Amen, brother. I paid the 250.00 a little over a year ago and what did it get me? Nada. For 350.00 you can go out and buy one of the best Navi's on the market that is superior in every aspect including free updates. By the way, has anyone figured out how to bypass the block and use the navi while you're moving? When I first got my 400h there was a sequence you could press to do it but after they "upgraded" my navi, it didn't work anymore. I wonder if anyone has figured out another way to get into service mode.:mad:

chance8

I'm just new to the RX400h and this board so you probably found your answer long ago: "Coastal Electronic Technologies circumvents this (nav/phone sstem locking with the $229 Ultimate Lockpick (www.coastaletech.com; 800-507-2234). After removing half the interior of the RX to access the back of the navigation unit, we plugged an Ultimate Lockpick 1 into the correct slots and then bypassed the "I agree" startup screen. The Lockpick allows full use of the navigation system while driving and unlocks the direct-dialing keypad for use with a Bluetooth phone."

cgwool

Go to Volume screen (I believe it is Menu button -> Volume)
Touch the upper-left corner of the screen
Touch the lower-left corner of the screen
Touch the upper-left corner of the screen
Touch the lower-left corner of the screen
This will display the Service screen.
Press and Hold Override button until you hear beep (about 5 seconds).

vdoc

I used to do that and it worked fine but when they "upgraded" my Navi, that procedure stopped working. Anyone figured out a new procedure yet other than buying a software package? Certainly the service guys must have some way of doing it.

Karen_S

A reporter is hoping to talk with hybrid owners who have had to replace the hybrid's battery. Please respond to ctalati@edmunds.com before Friday, May 16, 2008 with your daytime contact information and a few words about your experience.

soc77

Any word on when the 2009 model comes out?

I'm looking for the Matador Red with the black interior and they are very hard (pretty much impossible) to find. It seesm like I'll have to special order one in and I was thinking of waiting for the new model year.

Thanks.

macmascoma

I agree! Is there any other way to upgrade the Nav system?

macmascoma

Anybody have any recommendations on tires for a Lexus 400h that will give better than 20 to 25K miles per set?

wwest

We might know the answer to that question, and many, many others of this "class", in about a thousand years if we look back and see/recognize human mutations due to these "new" modern-day influences.

saidiadude

Good question HybridBen. I was wondering the same thing. 2 Follow up questions:

- Have any studies been formally done to show EM readings inside the cabin? I recall reading a post on this forum where a user had measured the readings in his/her car.

- Has Toyota improved the shielding for the 2010 Prius? I guess we'll find out in a few months.

Ideally, it would be great to have formal readings that compare the inside of a Prius and a non-hybrid (say Corolla or Camry)

randyl712

This is nonsense until and unless there is any evidence. Why don't we speculate on the EM reading of a normal car, which also has electrical wiring running throughout. Why don't we speculate on how the voltage affects your ability to read minds? It's all just conjecture, and completely useless at this point. Move on.

saidiadude

Evidence: Childhood cancer in relation to distance from high voltage power lines in England and Wales

There are lots of studies that show a relationship between cancer and high voltage. To be fair, there are (older) studies that show no relationship between the two. The Prius (and other vehicles with electric motors) have a high voltage system. If Toyota shielded the cabin adequately, then it should not be an issue. That's why I'd like to see actual readings and compare them to readings inside a "regular" car. You may find the above to be nonsense, but some of us are concerned about our health and the health of our passengers. I'd like to minimize chances of contracting any form of cancer.

randyl712

Talk about a stretch - even the study's conclusion says that only 1% of the leukemia could possibly be attributable to the power lines, "though this estimate has considerable statistical uncertainty" and that "the relation may be due to chance".

Try again.

jdt

My RX 400h has a VIN less than #4000, and it had a bad steering problem since I bought it in 2005. After much fussing with this, it turned out to not be an alignment problem at all. I requested a new steering computer last year from my local dealer. They hesitated, because Lexus did not change the part number from the original to the upgraded version. Thus, they couldn't tell if my car had the new one or not. Turns out, not. When they put in new one, the effort to turn the wheel went down by about half, and I've had no more speed-dependent pulling problems. It took about 3 years, but it's finally fixed. I'd like to thank Edmunds.com and my fellow 400h owners for giving me enough clues to pass on to the service shop to convince them of the true issue. It's like having a new car - thanks again.

pat85

High Voltage power lines in the US are 40 thousand Volts Alternating Current.
The Hybrid batteries are a few hundred Volts DC (direct current) Huge difference

Further, as far as the electric motor, it is in front of the engine and under the hood. This is what's known as a Farraday shield. Why a car is the safest place in lightning is because it is steel and is a Farraday shield.
As far as the cables from the batteries under the rear seat to the electric motor, the cables are conducting current to and from the motor.. It is an electric circuit. The current is flowing from the positive battery terminal and returning to the negative terminal. That means that EMF induced by the positive is cancelled by the EMF induced by the negative currents. The EMF's are self cancelling.

If the magnetic fields are a concern, they are described in Maxwell's Equations. Firrst, there are no magnetic dipoles. The Delta operator times the B vector field is zero. There are magnetic field generated by a wire carrying current, Each wire induces a magnetic field according to,the right- hand-rule. If the thumb is pointed in the direction of the current, the magnetic field lines will be in the direction of the curled fingers. If you do that for both wires from the hybrid battery, current is going in opposite directions, so the currents induced by varying magnetic fields cancel.

stevedebi

"Further, as far as the electric motor, it is in front of the engine and under the hood. This is what's known as a Farraday shield. Why a car is the safest place in lightning is because it is steel and is a Farraday shield. "

I thought the lightning safety was due to having rubber tires between the metal of the car and the ground, thus having no path for the lightning to pass through?

wwest

You think lightning that has just jumped across a cloud to ground (or VV) 5000 ft gap will see any problem with the wheel to ground gap....??

The car's metal roof and "shell" is a much better conductor than is your body.....

And a farraday shield is used to block, "divert", or suppress electromagnetic waves and maybe some level of electrostatic coupling. No affect on lightning one way or another insofar as I know.

stevedebi

"You think lightning that has just jumped across a cloud to ground (or VV) 5000 ft gap will see any problem with the wheel to ground gap....??

The car's metal roof and "shell" is a much better conductor than is your body.....

And a farraday shield is used to block, "divert", or suppress electromagnetic waves and maybe some level of electrostatic coupling. No affect on lightning one way or another insofar as I know. "

Lightning will probably follow a different course to ground if offered one that goes to the ground (like a tree) as opposed to one that is insulated by rubber.

I didn't make the claims about a farraday shield, that was a previous post.

MB_in_MN

We looked into this issue two years ago when the utility company was relocating the poles closer to the house. It is true that the correlation with cancer is weak, if it exists at all. That does not mean it won't or will happen; it only means that there are probably so many other variables that contribute that EMF is the least of our worries. Your chances of being killed in a car accident while worrying about EMF exposure are probably much greater. And don't forget about what you eat and exposure to a multitude of natural and synthetic carcinogens through various sources. And that gasoline that you put in the tank? Chock full of known or suspected carcinogens.

The EMF link appears to be related to long-term continuous exposure (bedrooms near power lines). Unless you spend all day in your car, it would be hard to duplicate.

And on the question of shielding. are the cables from the battery located outside the cabin or inside? If outside, the body will provide all the shielding that you need.

pat85

Lightning has enough voltage to jump from the car body to the ground over wet tires which may be somewhat conductive.
The metal of the car body will conduct the electricity on the outside or the metal car, not allowing it inside. That is how a Farraday shield works.
It does not matter where the battery cables are inside the car. The current flows from positive and returns to the negative. It has equal and oppossite current.

A for power lines near your house, you are not in a Farraday shield unless you live in a metal building, such as a quanset hut.
Tall buildings with steel girders are also safe in lightning storms, because they are a Farraday shield

hybridben

worn_tires

The situation is exactly the same with my 400h. Inside tire wear and excess road noise with some vibrations. Dealer suggested replacement at 31,000 miles with Michelin and that was done. I have only 3000 additional miles on these new Michelin tires and I already see more wear on the inside of all tires. I would say that this is a problem inherent with the excessive weight of the vehicle. Lexus needs to acknowledge the problems and do something about it. The price you pay for this car should mean quality is already built in!

spinaker

I bought a very low mileage 2007 Lexus RX400h a couple of months ago and all has been perfect. Getting amazing gas mileage to top it off.

However..... this weekend we were out on Saturday and the car was parked outside the house. The weather was terrible and we were having torrential rain. I got a call from my neighbor warning me that my sun roof and all windows were open. I rushed home to find about 3 inches of water in the car. How could this open itself? I know there is a convenience feature on the remote but we were not near the car.

I dried it out as much as possible but a whole bunch of errors: Check VSC, Check Hybrid, Check TPMS, Central locking no longer working, window control on driver side not working.

Taking it to the dealer in the morning. Any thoughts?

rthmama

Today my husband called me to meet him in the parking lot of the shopping center. The steering on his 2006 RX 400h (purchased in 2005) suddenly froze up completely. We towed his car to the dealership and they said that there had been problems with the steering of the 400h. I do not remember getting a recall notice, but they will fix it for free. I am so glad this did not happen on the highway! Has anyone heard anything like this?

wwest

Yes, the electric drive for the stearing is significantly underpowered and too easily overheats and fails.

rcy

There is a 'service campaign' where Lexus will replace the electric power steering rack. It's not a gov't mandated recall, but something Lexus is doing before they are forced into a recall I guess. It has something to do with the magnets inside the steering rack coming loose and seizing the rack.

whynissan

Wish I could help you. There are only one set of Michelins that fit this vehicle and they have no mileage warranty. I purchased my 2007 rx400h in July of 2007, and with 40,000 miles on my vehicle, I am on my third set of tires. Absolutely ridiculous!

wwest

4WD version..??

The RXh and the HH are the ONLY vehicles of which I am aware that have FULL-TIME 4WD capability. Independently "driven" front and rear axles eliminate the driveline windup "problem" with all the PART-TIME AWD/4WD and F/awd or R/awd out there in the marketplace.

So all that is left for the RXh and HH to overcome is tire-scrubbing.

TIRE-SCRUBBING...??

wwest

The only possible ill effects might be mutant DNA within the next hundred years or so.

fawltytowers44

Does anyone have any news on when the 2013 450 will be released. Also; what changes, if any - like a driver seat that is designed for men to sit in, not just women; there is no thigh support to speak of and forget about lateral support. Does anyone here have the thigh extender option on their RX?

nerdoe

Need some advice/opinion on this. I currently own an 2012 Acura MDX fully loaded and have had it for about a year. Was looking at trading it in and getting a 2013 Lexus RX 450h. Reason being is because over the year that I have owned the vehicle a lot of miles have been put on it. My wife does a lot of driving (it being our only vehicle) taking our son places and running her own errands.

While I love the MDX I was thinking that maybe it would be better in the long run to trade it in for the Lexus. Besides the obvious boost in mpg wanted to get an opinion from people on if this would be a good idea as well as people who own a Lexus 450h and their experience with the car. The car would mostly be used my wife who would be driving it in most suburban areas as well as city. We live in the San Francisco Bay Area and do most of the driving in that area.

I've read that people haven't been getting the estimated MPG that Lexus says that you should be getting and wanted to get know if that is a universal thing. Hope that this makes sense and look forward to hearing the responses. Thanks for reading.

bobbington

I don't own this vehicle but based on the complaints with the cost of repairs, I would stay away from this hybrid. Who has $10, 000 to replace an inverter? It has had 5 recalls, my 99 Lincoln has had none, you do the math. Stick with the gas motor.

acetyle

Fact checking: Edmund's shows ZERO recalls for the RX 450h. Further searches turn up 1... for the 2010... a floor mat. The '06 RX 400h and Toyota Highlander hybrid had [very rare] inverter problems. These were down to a minor flaw subsequently corrected.

29mpg is a common average for RX 450h owners; in the end, it's mostly driving habits that kill efficiency. Racing from one red light to the next is basically running into a closed door.

Lexus makes extremely reliable cars. Ask a mechanic.
[yeah, it's an old thread, but misinformed]

jblainej

August 2017
It is either the 2007 Lexus hybrid or it is this particular 2007 Lexus hybrid. SUV was purchased in 2013 with approximately 88K miles and has had eight intermittent failures to start--the key will not turn, but the interior lights come on. A quick battery jump and all is well until the next time. The failure is not related to the charging of the battery--the problem has happened after a drive and turning the vehicle off to put in gas...it even happened one time on the Johnson Lexus dealer's lot where it has been brought in...AGAIN...for this same problem. As of August 2017, Johnson Lexus cannot find the problem. Had they done their due diligence when I purchased the vehicle, I could have traded for the RX 350 (identical, just not a hybrid). Now with 160K miles and knowing the vehicle has an unresolved problem, trade is not an option.