LEXUS HYBRID RX 400H:
The Pursuit of Perfection?
The reality is rather different!
Does the RX400h harbour a dangerous design fault?
Chronology of events involving my 2005 Lexus RX 400h (25,000km on the clock):
13 Jan 08 My Lexus developed the following fault while I was driving:
the power steering steered in the opposite direction to the steering wheel – with no warning or indication of a fault!
Only the fortunate coincidence that the vehicle was travelling in an urban area with an experienced engineer at the wheel prevented a tragedy. I was on the way to the Autobahn; the consequences had the fault developed there are quite unthinkable!
14 Jan 08 The vehicle was towed to the Hamburg Ost Lexus centre, where first the electronic control unit and then the entire steering system were replaced. I called in at the workshop to check on the progress of the work three times over the course of the seven days it took to complete the repair. The people there could hardly believe their eyes when they saw the fault in action. A film was made and sent to Lexus HQ.
My wife and I agreed that the shock of what had happened had destroyed our faith in the brand, so we decided to ask the Lexus centre to repurchase the vehicle.
We sent three letters and e-mails in three weeks to Mr Sudo (President of Lexus Germany). Here are the sobering results:
14 Jan. 08 We learn that no hire car will be provided despite the mobility guarantee.
24 Jan. 08 An e-mail arrives apologising for this “problem”, which, the message states, has now been resolved; the message includes assurances that a fault of this kind has not been seen previously.
30 Jan. 08 E-mail, “… we need more time to resolve your issue. Your patience is appreciated.”
1 Feb. 08 Lexus offers a new vehicle with a 3.6% discount and part exchange on the old vehicle at a cost of approximately €17,000.
4 Feb. 08 Meeting with the Lexus district manager for northern Germany, who acknowledges shortcomings in Lexus Germany’s emergency response and understands our decision not to drive a Lexus again. A solution for the repurchase of the vehicle is outlined, but it is made clear that the consent of Lexus Germany will have to be obtained.
5 Feb. 08 Lexus Germany will not approve the solution proposed, and instead offers to repurchase the vehicle at a price below the guide price listed by DAT (a leading German automotive market research company), which would mean a loss of value of almost 50% for a vehicle:
- that has done only 25,000 km,
- that has been kept in a heated garage,
- that could easily have caused an accident had its driver been less fortunate, and
- that no longer has the trust of its owner.
6 Feb. 08 Mr. German, customer service manager at Lexus Germany, confirms that the repurchase offer is still available, but explains that the company cannot offer more than the value of the vehicle as calculated in its commercial assessment.
Given the events that have unfolded and the manner in which they have been handled, it seems almost superfluous to mention that my complaint about the way the start battery always goes flat after a few days without use has as yet received no formal response from Lexus: park for ten days at the airport and it’s impossible to start the engine!
Questions and more questions but no sign of any answers
The Pursuit of Perfection! What is the point of a marketing campaign costing €80 million a year in Germany alone if product safety and customer service do not measure up?
Is it acceptable from a design point of view for a component as important as the steering to be able to malfunction in this way without triggering a single error message or emergency stop warning?
There are three different voltages in use onboard this hybrid vehicle. The power steering unit, which operates at 42 V, is linked into the main electrical distribution system. Is this the root cause of the breakdown?
Does this happen only with the RX 400h or all Lexus hybrid models affected?
How would the manufacturer react if people were injured in an accident whose cause could not be explained? It would be very difficult to establish faulty steering as the cause of an accident – it simply seems too unlikely to be true. A fault of this kind in poor driving conditions or on a slick surface would inevitably end in disaster.
The tale of the last few weeks shows that Lexus is falling a long way short of the targets it has set itself. The Pursuit of Perfection this is not!
Set against the backdrop of the response detailed here, marketing claims of this nature begin to sound rather cynical.
