Lexus recalls 2500 vehicles

LEXUS has recalled 2500 vehicles in Australia as part of a twin-pronged worldwide safety campaign for 370,000 previous-generation IS350 sedans and RX400h hybrid SUVs.

The Japanese luxury car importer has notified the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) of potential faults that could cause the vehicles to stop suddenly.

The company has confirmed that owners of both models have reported a handful of cases of faults in Australia, but no accidents or injuries.

The recall for the RX400h involves 1750 vehicles sold in Australia between June 2006 and July 2008. At fault is the vehicle’s electrical inverter, which converts electricity between AC and DC and between high voltage and low voltage for the electric hybrid system.

An issue with transistors in the inverter means the system can overheat, causing the vehicle into “limp home mode”. In some cases, the vehicle might stop altogether.

Lexus Australia told GoAuto that it had 10 customer reports of this fault.

This is the second recall on Lexus RX400h for inverter transistor problems. The first was in June 2011 when 17 vehicles were pulled back to dealerships after transistors were found to be inadequately soldered.

Meanwhile, 750 IS350 sedans sold between April 2010 and July 2011 are being recalled for a separate issue involving a potential loose bolt holding the engine’s variable valve timing control device.

Lexus says the bolt can become loose, causing the vehicle to stop suddenly. Company records show that four customers have reported such faults with vehicles in this market. Again, no crashes have resulted.

Lexus is contacting owners to ask them to book their cars in to their dealership to have rectification work done.