2010 Lexus HS 250 Hybrid

The defect

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2010 Lexus HS 250h Hybrid vehicles. A component within the hybrid transaxle assembly may short circuit and result in a reduction or a complete loss of available power for moving the vehicle.

The risk

A complete loss of motive power can increase the risk of a crash.

The remedy

Lexus will notify owners, and dealers will replace the hybrid vehicle transaxle assembly, free of charge. The recall began on December 1, 2017. Owners may contact 1-800-255-3987. Toyota's number for this recall is HLE.

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing · up to 18,130 vehicles across all model years covered

The defect

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2006-2011 Toyota RAV4 vehicles manufactured October 31, 2005, to September 7, 2010, and 2010 Lexus HS250h vehicles manufactured July 6, 2009, to August 26, 2010. The affected vehicles have rear suspension arms (rear tie rods) with adjusting lock nuts that may have been improperly tightened after servicing. As a result of being loose, the arm may have thread damage and may rust, possibly leading to the failure of the arm and an abrupt change in the vehicle's alignment.

The risk

Failure of the rear tie rod could cause a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.

The remedy

Toyota will notify owners and dealers will replace both rear suspension arms and encapsulate the locknuts, free of charge. The recall began on September 30, 2016. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's numbers for this recall are G0V for Toyota vehicles and GLK for Lexus vehicles. Note: This recall supersedes recall 13V-383, in which some vehicles were only inspected, sealed, and did not have both arms replaced. The affected vehicles were previously recalled under 13V-383, but did not have both rear suspension arms replaced at that time. Those vehicles need to have both arms replaced as part of this recall remedy.

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing · up to 337,449 vehicles across all model years covered

The defect

Toyota is recalling certain model year 2006 through 2011 RAV4 and 2010 Lexus HS250h passenger vehicles manufactured from October 2005 through September 2010. If the nuts for adjusting the rear wheel alignment are improperly tightened during service, the rear suspension arm (rear tie rod) may develop unwanted movement and rust leading to thread damage and eventual failure. Failure of the rear tie rod will cause an abrupt change in the vehicle's alignment.

The risk

Failure of the rear tie rod could cause a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.

The remedy

Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the tie rods and replace any that have rust or corrosion on the alignment adjustment threads. All of the rear tie rods will then be encased in an epoxy to prevent future environmental damage. Due to limitations in parts, the recall remedy will be launched in phases from September 2013 through mid-April 2014. All owners will receive notification of the recall, with most receiving second notifications when parts are available in their area. IMPORTANT: This recall supersedes Toyota and Lexus recall 12V-373. All vehicles that have been inspected and remedied under the previous recall need to be re-inspected and have the appropriate remedy applied.

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing · up to 780,584 vehicles across all model years covered

The defect

Toyota is recalling certain model year 2006 through 2011 RAV4 and 2010 Lexus HS250h passenger vehicles manufactured from October 2005 through September 2010. If the nuts for adjusting the rear wheel alignment are improperly tightened during service, the rear suspension arm (rear tie rod) may develop unwanted movement and rust, leading to thread damage and eventual failure. Failure of the rear tie rod will cause an abrupt change in the vehicle's alignment.

The risk

Failure of the rear tie rod could cause a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.

The remedy

Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the rear tie-rod nut for looseness and replace any suspect tie-rod found loose. Dealers will also affix instructions in multiple places to prevent improper servicing in the future. The recall began on November 30, 2012. Owners may contact Toyota at 1-800-331-4331 or Lexus at 1-800-255-3987.

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing · up to 780,584 vehicles across all model years covered

Closed defect petition · opened October 19, 2015 · closed February 25, 2016

vehicle speed control

In a letter dated September 15, 2015, a consumer submitted a petition to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) alleging that software defects caused an accident experienced by his wife in their model year 2010 Lexus HS250H vehicle as she was attempting to park the vehicle. The petition requests that NHTSA have Toyota correct software defects in their electronic throttle control software and then issue a national recall of all effected [sic] vehicles and have Toyota replace the old faulty code with the new safer code. NHTSA has reviewed the material cited by the petitioner.The results of this review and our evaluation of the petition are set forth in the DP15-007 Petition Analysis Report, published in its entirety in the Federal Register and included in the repository for this investigation, available at www.safercar.gov. The Agency performed a thorough technical review of the concerns raised in the petition.The petitioner believes that the information from the Event Data Recorder (EDR), which records certain pieces of information for five seconds prior to a crash, shows that for the last 0.8 seconds prior to hitting the brick building the accelerator pedal was wide open at 100% at the same time the brake pedal was being depressed. Our analysis of data recovered from the EDR and from the engine management Hybrid Control Unit (HCU), together with vehicle inspection information contained in the petition, indicate that:1) Sometime during the last 0.512 seconds of the event time frame the accelerator pedal was fully applied; 2) At the airbag trigger point (EDR t = 0s) immediately following the vehicle's impact with the building, the stop lamp switch status was ON, indicating that the brake had been applied at least enough to illuminate the brake lights; 3) At no time during the event were the brake and the accelerator pedals depressed simultaneously (based on information from the HCU); and 4) The braking system on the vehicle was fully functional and was capable of stopping a vehicle at full throttle if meaningfully applied in sufficient time. After a thorough assessment of the material submitted by the petitioner, the information already in NHTSA's possession, and the potential risks to safety implicated by the petitioner's allegations, it is unlikely that an order concerning the notification and remedy of a safety-related defect would result from any proceeding initiated bygranting the petition.After full consideration of the potential for finding a safety related defect in the vehicle, and in view of NHTSA's enforcement priorities and its previous investigations into this issue, the petition is denied.

crash · towed · 75,000 miles

PULLING IN TO A PARKING SPOT, I APPLIED THE BRAKES AND THE BRAKES FAILED CAUSING THE CAR TO DRIVE THROUGH A FENCE, SMALL BUSH AND AN OUTDOOR STAIRCASE. MY SPEED WAS UNDER 10 MILES AN HOUR.

NHTSA complaint 11163407. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

crash · 25,000 miles

I WAS PARALLEL PARKING THE CAR. I PULLED ALONGSIDE THE CURB BEHIND A VOLVO AND STOPPED THE CAR. WITH THE CAR STOPPED AND MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE I MOVED MY RIGHT HAND TO PRESS THE PARK BUTTON AND TO MY SURPRISE THE CAR LEAPED (5 FEET) FORWARD INTO THE VOLVO CAUSING DAMAGE TO MY CAR (HOOD, GRILL, BUMPER AND RIGHT QUARTER PANEL) AND THE VOLVO (REAR END). THE GAS ENGINE WAS NOT RUNNING WHEN I WAS PARKING ONLY THE ELECTRIC ENGINE WAS RUNNING. WE WERE FORTUNATE THAT MY WIFE, SON AND I WERE NOT INJURED. THEY WILL NOT GET BACK IN THIS CAR AGAIN. I BOUGHT THE CAR NEW AND HAVE BEEN DRIVING IT FOR A LITTLE OVER 2 YEARS. *TR

NHTSA complaint 10466948. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

towed · 193,000 miles

The contact owns a 2010 Lexus HS250 Hybrid. The contact stated while driving approximately 45 MPH in traffic, he depressed the brake pedal for slowing traffic ahead however, the brake pedal became firm and failed to respond as needed. The contact stated he depressed the brake pedal with more force and the vehicle started slowing down but did not stop as needed. The contact felt as if the brake pedal was jammed. The contact stated that the ABS and check brake lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to stop as needed and only the forward movement of the vehicles in front kept him from crashing into the vehicle. The contact had the vehicle towed to an independent …

NHTSA complaint 11507837, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

towed · 150,000 miles

The contact owns a 2010 Lexus HS250 Hybrid. The contact stated while her daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake pedal was depressed but felt stiff and the vehicle failed to respond. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact's daughter swerved between vehicles to prevent a crash. The contact's daughter continuously depressed the brake pedal until the vehicle responded. The contact's daughter veered to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who informed the contact that the brake booster pump had failed. The vehicle was then towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the brake booster pump had failed and needed to be replaced. …

NHTSA complaint 11501501, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

110,000 miles

The contact owns a 2010 Lexus HS 250 HYBRID. The contact stated that while driving approximately 20 MPH and attempting to apply the brake, the brake pedal went to the floor and failed to stop the vehicle. The vehicle began to swerve and displayed a tugging with the steering wheel. The contact was able to turn into a grassy area to the right where the vehicle eventually stopped. The brake master warning light, brake warning light, electronic brake control, ABS, and traction control warning lights are illuminated. The vehicle had begun making a humming then grinding noise. The failure reoccurred intermittently while driving at various speeds and more consistently. The contact learned that the …

NHTSA complaint 11490745, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

towed · 1,030 miles

The contact owns a 2010 Lexus HS250 Hybrid. The contact stated that while her daughter was attempting to reverse, the vehicle would not accelerate. The vehicle was towed to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the transaxle assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and informed that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V619000 (Electrical System) for which the vehicle was previously repaired. The manufacturer stated that the warranty for the repair had expired. The failure mileage was 1,030.

NHTSA complaint 11476995. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

161,000 miles

The contact owns a 2010 Lexus HS250 Hybrid. The contact stated while driving approximately 45 MPH, the contact depressed the brake pedal to avoid traffic however, the brake pedal felt loosened and the vehicle started to swerve from the left to the right. Additionally, the contact stated that the steering wheel was loose causing the vehicle to swerve from left to right. The contact stated that the ABS, brakes, and an unknown warning light was illuminated. The contact stopped the vehicle and drove back to her residence. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The vehicle had not been …

NHTSA complaint 11470316, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

197,000 miles

The contact owns a 2010 Lexus HS 250 Hybrid. The contact stated that while driving and depressing the brake pedal, the pedal extended to the floor causing the braking distance to be extended. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that ABS booster was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer and local dealer were not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 197,000.

NHTSA complaint 11451366. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.