Water damage due to weld opening
04-05-18, 11:27 AM
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Water damage due to weld opening
I have a 2006 Lexus RX400h. I bought it 3 years ago with about 92,000 miles on it. Since then I have had all required maintenance performed to include timing belt change. The car is pristine, a joy to drive, I love it. Yesterday after being away for 10 days I started the car and began my drive to work. About a 1/4 mile from home the check Hybrid light came on along with the ABS and Slippery road symbol. At that time I did not notice any loss in performance but I pulled over and turned the car off, then tried to restart it. Bottom line I had to have it towed. The local Lexus certified mechanics I found out do not work on the hybrid battery system. They removed the back seats and found water in the traction battery compartment. (I might note that the traction battery when I started the vehicle was displaying 90% green charged). As it turns out the insurance adjuster showed me a two spots under the hatchback hood where there is a weld on both the left and right side about 12 inches from the top of the hatchback door. He said water had been infiltrating and gathering in the battery area which caused the problem. He told me Lexus was aware of the problem and had put out a bulletin several years ago. Bottom line is the insurance will not cover it because the car had design flaw! There were/are no indicators of water seepage into the car, the floor mats are dry, and there is no water stains on the interior walls. The drain plug in the battery compartment was clogged with debris and nothing drained.
Has anyone heard of this problem? I am sick, I have to pay to have it towed 75 miles to a dealer who can then tell me the extent of the damage and cost of repair and am afraid of the final bill. I have done everything I was required to do and this happens, does not seem fair.
Has anyone heard of this problem? I am sick, I have to pay to have it towed 75 miles to a dealer who can then tell me the extent of the damage and cost of repair and am afraid of the final bill. I have done everything I was required to do and this happens, does not seem fair.
04-06-18, 08:24 AM
#3
Intermediate
There are two Lexus service bulletins specifically addressing this issue. L-SB-0019-09, issued March 10, 2009 and L-SB-0045-09, issued April 29, 2009, but the warranty is for 4 years or 60k miles. You should call Lexus and see if it will be taken care of under goodwill warranty, especially if you had all your work done by Lexus dealership.
04-06-18, 12:03 PM
#4
For my goodwill experience on a different issue (RX350 transfer case replacement), I talked real nice to the Lexus customer service rep on the phone and told them how much my wife loved the car. The car was five months out of CPO warranty and had full dealer service history except for one set of tires. Lexus consulted with the servicing dealer who apparently pointed out that I'd only done minimal maintenance there (I was doing $60 oil changes instead of $120+ services with all the inspections).
Lexus ended up covering parts and I covered labor. I was satisfied.
With your issue, there's no telling how long it's been leaking. At least you have the insurance report to help back up the claim.
Lexus ended up covering parts and I covered labor. I was satisfied.
With your issue, there's no telling how long it's been leaking. At least you have the insurance report to help back up the claim.
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