Problems with 2006 Lexus RX 400h STRUCTURE

All service lights are on, abs vsc, and info display states some sort of vsc malfunction.

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 lexus rx400h (hybrid). the contact stated that the passenger side dashboard exhibited vertical cracks near the air bag housing area. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for diagnostic testing. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the defect. the approximate failure mileage was 148,000.

The car is a hybrid. it would not start (the ready light would not come on), therefore it was inoperable. fortunately, the car was parked and did not die while driving. if it would have died while driving, many dangerous possibilities could have incurred. after having it towed to a lexus dealer in columbus, the source of the problem was diagnosed as water in the hybrid battery area. after lengthy discussion with lexus service personnel, they concluded that "welds" near the hatch hinges had come apart, which allowed water to seep into the interior of the car to the hybrid electronic controls. lexus service had experience these problems before, and had guessed at a variety of reasons (such as excessive opening and closing of the hatch, wind catching the hatch while it was open, and other lame reasons). there is no ticker on the hatch to count how many times it was opened nor what there any gust of wind that would have cause the welds, two welds, to break allowing water to seep into the car. my conclusion is that since the problem has occurred before, that there is either a manufacturing issue, an engineering issue, or both. i am neither an expert in these areas, but do have some common sense. lexus corporate or the dealer would not confess to the wrongdoing and therefore i had to shell out over $1600 in repairs. they wanted another $1100 to re-weld the 3 inch gap on both sides with painting included. due to the expense, i had to opt for using silicone to seal the gaps and am forced to drive the car in dry weather. *js

While slowly pulling into a parking space in a parking structure, the car suddenly accelerated and crashed into the cement block wall in front of me. since the distance from half-way into the parking space to the wall was small (probably three to four feet), i had no time to slam on the brakes before impact. the car was towed to a lexus dealer. i was immediately referred to their legal department who handled all transactions after that. an independent evaluator inspected the car, retrieved the crash data retrieval recorder and issued a report. the cdr indicated that the accelerator and the brakes were not pushed until after the crash, and that the speed in the few seconds before the crash went from 3.7 to 60.9 mph. lexus refused to admit there was a problem, stating only that the brakes, accelerator and floor mats seemed to be in good working order. i refused to drive the car again or have only the body fixed and sold to an unsuspecting third party. it was eventually declared a total loss by our insurance company. there was no help or admission of a problem from lexus, except to try to charge us for car storage at the dealership during the process. *tr

The check engine light and p0aa6 warning illuminated and vehicle went completely dead, could not start up. there were cracked body seams above the rear door strut mounts allowing water intrusion to flood the entire bottom well under the floor boards which shorted out the entire hybrid battery system. there were no visible signs of water intrusion inside the cabin of the vehicle, nothing was wet. apparently, lexus has two tsb's on this issue, l-sb-0019-09 & l-sb-0045-09, on how to repair the seams since over time there appears to be a structural flaw allowing the seams to separate. the water intrusion happens silently and without warning and presents a severe safety hazard as you get water into an electrical system and parts begin shorting out without advanced warning. imagine traveling at a high speed and the hybrid battery shorts and the vehicle abruptly stops! or an electrical short starts a fire! lexus is aware of the potential problem and how costly the damage is and the safety risks associated as a result and has chosen not to issue a recall or limited campaign to allow for a simple repair of the seams to prevent major damage from occurring. *tr

2006 lexus rx400h (and other toyota/lexus models). anti bacterial / mold coating on a/c evaporator begins shedding with age/time and blows white powder/dust through vehicle. lexus says it's aluminum hydroxide, and it's perfectly safe. how can it be safe to inhale / ingest a foreign substance? has lexus / toyota done any studies regarding aluminum hydroxide. if it's safe, why does lexus / toyota now offer (and install in new vehicles) an a/c evaporator without the coating? *tr