The rack and pinion is leaking fluid (atf is used for power steering) from the passenger side dust boot indicating a worn out seal at only 70,000 miles. the only fix is to remove and replace the rack and pinion system at a substantial cost. i believe this is a major design defect with this rack and pinion system because i have other vehicles with well over 200 k miles and no problems.
April 11,2017 took my car in for an oil change and was told there is a leak in the power steering rack. cost $1800. no warning.
My rx350 2007 has only 35,000 miles and the power rack and pinion assembly has been changed once and now the dealer told me it is bad and need to change it only after 3 years after they changed it. no sound or leaks.
2012 power steering rack failed. leaking at the rubber seal boot on right side under vehicle. used a rebuilt part to replace it. 2015 december, power steering fluid leaked out of fluid casing all over the ground. i pulled off of the toll rd because of the noise. took it to lexus and diagnosed power steering rack needs to be replaced again because rubber seal boot is leaking again. they have stopped using rebuilt and now use new kit to repair. they want me to pay for half the repair. there are thousands of complaints about this issue with lexus and other toyota vehicles which use the same part. if my car loses all the fluid before i get it repaired, especially if on the freeway there could be a fatal accident. lexus has taken months to return my calls in order to get this repaired. i finally go a return call from customer service on may 4th. will not get on the freeway until this is resolved.
Steering became difficult to steer vehicle. no injury or accident occurred, but i was surprised that this went out.
I was driving on interstate 95 south when i lost the steering capability in my rx350 lexus vehicle. vehicle had to be towed for repair. was told it was my a/c compressor that failed that caused my water pump to blowup which caused the serpentine belt to break= $2,308. not sure i believe all this. when i relayed all this information to my lexus dealer they had no comment. 6,000 miles later i had another major problem, oil leaking that my lexus dealer said had to do with the engine. lexus removed and resealed engine front cover assy and replaced gaskets $2665.56 also at this time lexus replaced engine front oil cooler supply hose assy and gaskets at no charge saying it was under warranty. *tr
I own a 2007 lexus rx350. i went in for am oi; change. the vehicle failed inspection. the mechanic said that the steering rack and pinion was leaking and that the seals needed to be replaced. there were no repairs completed on the vehicle. the manufacturer was contacted and did not offer a remedy. the failure and current mileage was 80,000. quoted $1500.00 to $1800.00 repair. *tr
Power steering rack leaking. this is a problem with all lexus rx models 2007 at least. this should be repaired under manufacturer warranty due to the number of reports for the same problem. *tr
During routine car maintenance, i was notified by the toyota technician that the rack and pinion assembly was leaking power steering fluid and needed to be replaced in order to maintain safety operation. the mileage at the time of failure was 86,817. the technician stated that the only fix for this issue was to remove and replace the entire rack and pinion assembly at a cost of $1,700. i believe that this is a design defect and should have been recalled by toyota, given the number of failures i have found reported on the nhtsa website. it appears to be a common problem with other lexus rx350 owners from various years.
During my annual state vehicle inspection conducted by a lexus dealership, service technicians indicated that one of the boots on the power steering rack had a hole/tear and was leaking power steering fluid, and there was an additional leak from a seal in the power-steering gear assembly. the estimate and final cost to replace the entire rack and pinion system was $1600+, and i found myself at the mercy of the dealership, who said i would "fail" my state inspection if i chose not to have them make this repair. i have since read online where numerous other rx350 and related lexus vehicle owners have experienced the same or similar steering rack failures and seal leaks, and there appears to have been at least 1 lexus recall campaign on a non-rx350 vehicle for this issue. unfortunately this was not a warranty repair for me, and since many other lexus vehicle owners have documented this same issue (and service technicians are quite familiar with the problem), it would seem that lexus would take the high road and commence a recall campaign for vehicles already on the road with this problem, and would correct or eliminate this problem for future vehicles now that it's a known, documented issue. unfortunately lexus does not appear willing/able to take the high road on this one. *tr
My 2007 rx350 was in for 50k maintenance service. i was informed of the power steering oil leaking. no dropping of oil was noticed on the parking floor at my home. technician informed that the oil reservoir was almost empty. i was asked to replace the power steering rack. i was told by the lexus technician that about 30% of rx-350 2006 seem to have this issue within 5 years of in service date and toyota/ lexus id not pay any concern for the safety of the owners. i cannot imagine that i am driving on the freeway at highway speeds running without oil in the power steering. please review and advise all owners of this failure and ensure lexus recalls and fix this issue for all owners. *tr
I have a 2007 lexus rx350 and when i make a right hand turn, the steering wheel does not come back to center and continues to pull right unless i pull the steering wheel back myself. the first time it happened i was traveling a slow speed and almost drove off the road since it caught me off guard. the problem has continued at various speeds. i brought the car in to my lexus dealer last week and they replaced the steering system and charged me nearly $2000. i have not experienced the issue since lexus replaced the steering rack. the issue sounds identical to a recall i heard about today on their 2009-10 ls 460, ls 460 l and ls 600h l models. *tr
2007 rx 350. consumer states problems with installation of running boards on vehicle *tgw the dealer was unable to produce the running boards after eight months of the consumer making calls to them. in july 2007, the consumer began experiencing problems with the hazard lights and sensors. on several instances, the tire light would illuminate. the vehicle was taken to the dealer and they found a nail in one of the tires which caused the hazard sensor to activate. in october 2007, the rear passenger window would not roll up at times. additionally, the tire hazard sensor also continued to exhibit problems. the dealer was unable to replicate the window malfunction and the tire sensor was reset. in late december 2007, the consumer began experiencing problems with the air bags and sensors. the dealer reset the air bag sensor. shortly thereafter, the consumer continued to experience the same air bag malfunction. upon inspection of the vehicle, it was determined that the entire air bag system had shut down and was inoperable. over the course of the next seven months, she continued to experience issues with the tire hazard sensors and was frequently unable to use the automatic seat adjust feature on the driver's side. passengers also complained that they could not adjust the seat and that the seat belt felt tight and would not extend outward. the dealer sated the seat belt was caught in the passenger seat track, which caused the malfunction of the passenger seat and seat belt. several months later, the consumer complained of steering problems, but the dealer was unable to find a problem. the consumer stated she continued to have problems with air bag light. in july 2009, the consumer began experiencing problems with the remote lock and door locks. currently, the passenger door only locks manually. the problems with the passenger seat and seat belt was never corrected. in addition, the rear of the truck was making a rattling noise. *jb