lexusrus

Yes, after a car wash I did not drive my RCF and I dried it and I flew out. A week later when I tried to drive it, the car did not want to go after I put it in drive. I gave a little gas on the gas padle and the 467 horses on the RCF bust the brake loose. I think there was some rust freezing the brake pads to the brake discs. I did not engage the parking brake.

Jamese777

Thanks for even more confirmation of this issue. I have "busted the brakes loose" using the gas pedal on mine a couple of times.

lexusrus

This happened during the summer so no freezing temperatures. Also I did not use the parking brakes at all.

Jamese777

I live at sea level in San Diego, California, no freezing here either. I used to use the parking brake but no more! Some other folks posting here have mentioned that "freezing" does not necessarily mean water turning to ice but a more figurative use of the term ( i.e. seizing up).

riredale

2010 RX450h owner here. In a bit over two years of ownership, the only quirk the brakes showed was that twice in that two-year period they seemed "locked" in the morning when I put the car in reverse. A bit of gas, then Bang! they would release and everything normal after that.

And again, only two times in two years. But I wonder what would have locked them like that. Car kept dry in a carport, so no question of icing.

Great car, brakes don't seem quite as linear as conventional brakes, but pretty close.

Clutchless

Do you use the parking brake in your garage? If you do use it, then stop. Were the times they were locked up right after it had rained or snowed the last time you drove it? If so you just may have had rusted up parking brake shoes, or very rusted discs that had to be broken free. Afterward just driving would remove the remaining rust. You may also want to consider having your brakes serviced.

joegatlin

My 2013 RX 450h is stuck in the garage and will not move. I can start the car and I can move the gear shift lever to either "Drive" or "Reverse," but the car feels like there are blocks preventing it from going in either direction. I have not driven the car very much in the last six months, but I did take it to get washed a few days ago and it drove fine, then. Any solutions out there?

mcomer

Lexus has expanded the "Automatic Parking Brake" feature to additional models, started on LS and GS
sedans and is now included on the RX, NX, ES. When you put them in Park the PB sets automatically.
Makes a quiet but distinctive whining sound when both engaging and disengaging. Pros are that it takes
the weight off the transmission parking pawl when parking on an incline and, at least in theory, the regular
use of the mechanism keeps it from rusting/binding. My personal misgiving is that it eliminates the manual
lever that I grew up using for (self amusing) handbrake turns. Envisioned myself as some great Rally Driver
in the outback of Tasmania....while really in the local K-Mart parking lot!

Clutchless

Rotors may be rusted up and holding it in place. I would try it several more times and hope it can break free, also check the parking brake. You could also try neutral and see if it will move if you push it.

paperthin

I had this happen when I drove my wife's RX to the airport outdoor lot for two weeks. When we came to the car, all four locked and the parking brake was not engaged. I treated it like rocking back and forth while stuck in the snow. Eventually, one by one, each wheel popped. It seemed like forever but was probably about two minutes of this effort. Take this for what it worth.

Clutchless

FYI it may also be frozen brake calipers related to neglected servicing of the brake caliper glide pins which should be done every couple of years. Since hybrid brakes last almost forever, this routine service is often neglected on them and I think it is related as most folks with this problem have hybrids.

If neglected the grease wears out, they get dirty and can freeze up in the caliper, causing it to stick. I had to replace a caliper bracket on my hybrid Lexus HS250h because of this as one of the pins could not even be removed! So once you hopefully get it free, have a local garage "service your brakes". This is an easy job and should not take that long or cost very much. They remove each glide pin, clean it, clean out the hole and put new brake grease on the pin (Silglyde is the best) then reassemble everything. At the same time, they should be conducting an inspection for other possible issues such as a frozen caliper piston.

joegatlin

Thanks for all the replies.
Here is what I think happened. I took my car to the car wash on a Tuesday, where it was washed under relatively high pressure, then proceeded to park the car in the garage and not try to drive it until the following Friday afternoon, 72 hours later. That's when I experienced the problem.
I had the car towed to the dealer on dollies that Saturday. I advised the dealer of the Forum's thoughts, but the dealer was skeptical that a frozen parking brake was the problem - may be because their technicians have not properly serviced the parking brake over the past several years. Nevertheless, the parking brake broke free and all seems well with the car.
Thanks again to all who responded.