Just picked up a loaner from Lexus. Got an RX350h SUV with Nav. as I requested. While I do believe the chance of an incident while waiting for the "fix" is small, I don't feel any risk is worthwhile as we have our 2 grandkids in the back seat all the time. I realize an accident could still occur not involvlng the gas tank, but why go there when i have a decent hybrid substitute. I did speak to the Service Mgr and his "gut feel" is that once it is determined the difference between the Lexus test and the independent test, some correction will most likely be made (without car redesign). He seemed pretty honest about the fact that there must be some credibility to the new test results, to get the recall started this quickly and that he sees a minimum of 30 days before they have possible conclusions on what has happened. By the way, if you look on the website (above mentioned by CURRY POT) on all car manufacturers recalls you might be surprised on where Toyota and Lexus stand. In shear #'s there are many mfg with far more recalls. I believe Toyota (Lexus) getting the rasberry from so many sources, has more to do with their SLOW response and denials, and PR blunders with the Sudden acceleration and break issues than anything else. I don't defend them, but with todays advanced car electronics, etc, seems like most mfg are having their recall problems. We do really like the HS (7000 miles) and hope this is resolved to everyones satisfaction.

 

I heard that the official fix will be to zip-tie a couple all-weather floor mats around the gas tank. Reusing the recalled mats makes the HS more environmentally friendly by reducing landfill content.

 

I'm wondering - if we all drive a loaner RX350h for a month or more, can those cars still be sold as new? Who would buy a new car with 1000+ miles on the odometer? That's got to cut $2K or more off the value of each of those loaner cars.

Lexus might be better off putting us all in a rental car while they work on a fix.

 

Lexus readily has thousands of loaners in the US for customers who are getting their car serviced. Those loaners are often new but some are old. Meaning that they do start off as new cars, but then get driven until 15K miles, until they are sold as CPO vehicles.

that said, I doubt they will be dispatching a new set of loaners for you guys. You will probably get exisiting loaners

 

I wanna know what Lexus dealers will do with our cars if they take them and give us loaners while they work out a solution to the supposed problem. Will they just sit out and bake in the sun while their batteries become compromised?

If it turns out that they have Ford Pinto-like problems, will they be buy-backs?

 

Loaner cars become CPO cars. They cannot be sold as new. A lot of loaner cars actually sell themselves to people who were interested in it or had no previous experience with it.

For example I used to despise the RX until I kept getting them as loaners. THe HS loaner I got really showed me its pros/cons.

 

But let's say the average Lexus dealer has sold 10 or 20 HS's by now - do they really have that many loaners? And if us HS owners hog them all up, what do people do when they take their car in for service?

I just think Lexus would need to add a bunch of new vehicles to their loaner fleet for this, and then they'd have too many once it was over. I would think a CPO with 1000 miles on it would still be worth $2K less than new - seems like a more expensive solution for Lexus than just handing out Hertz cars.

 

Depends on the size of the dealer. 40-50 loaners is not abnormal

 

Corporate has authorized the dealers to rent a mid size sedan for customers who are concerned about the safety of driving their HS250h. The dealer will garage the car until the fix has been issued.

It appears to be related to the gas filler cap.

 

The word I hear is the official fix could be out in a week or two and it could be as simple as reinforcement of the fuel filler neck. This would be good news.

 

My dealer told me today that they are supposedly going to be allowed to deliver the HS250 by the end of the month. Something about a wrap that will fix the issue.

 

Thanks. Come to think of it, it seems somewhat loose around my gas filler opening. Anyone else notice this ?

It still ticks me off as this bad press affects our resale value.

 

If Lexus doesn't offer a buyback, the 250h will be the last Lexus that I will buy.

I buy a car for a perception of quality, unfortunately that no longer applies to Lexus. Two recalls before the car is a year old! Unacceptable when a premium price is attached.

 

You better take the Honda Accord off your list too. In 2003 when I bought the Accord when the new body design came out, there were 2 recalls in the first year. Not has highly advertised as the Lexus recalls since all the crap that's been going on with Toyota but still ever car company has recalls, so unless you plan on riding a moped what's the point.

Expecting them to do a buy back is crazy unless the car can't be fixed. If they can fix why would you expect any company to buy back a car. Hey, I'm in the same boat as you, I just got a HS250 about a month ago but I'm not going to be unrealistic and rash. I'll still take my recalled Lexus over other luxury cars for years to come.

 

I bought a new Infiniti G35 in 2007. It had over 30 TSBs in the first year. Including the trim around the sunroof falling off. The fix? Sticky tape. Seat heater in the passenger seat would heat the bottom or the back but not both at the same time due to a faulty wiring harness. Radar cruise control that used the brakes and not the engine to slow the car down - so brake pads were worn. It goes on. I am not defending Lexus but for my own piece of mind just trying to keep things in perspective.

We all have short term memory so by the time it comes to sell, no one will really remember. And since this is not a volume seller, I am still expecting good resale value. Resale is based on desire and volume. We have volume on our side and with the Lexus Certified Program, it makes them more desirable.

Will I stick with Lexus? Probably, but they are starting to push their luck with me.

Well, we should all get another free tank of gas! May be more?