I would sell it!
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LOL! Have you checked yours lately??

 

Well I checked mine today. I've had my car almost 10 years now and there's not much rust on that brace. I guess it could be a possibility that your car was in a flood, but I highly doubt it. You would have seen other telltale signs. It's quite normal for bare metal to have light surface rust. Besides, as they say in construction, that piece is probably not a load bearing wall!

 

Thanks, Nospinzone! As I described in my first post, it's unlikely to be a flood-damaged car. Interestingly, in one of my pictures, you can see the extension of that metal brace into the dashboard. That segment is completely rust free. So, it seems like the high humidity next to the gas pedal during winter months may be the culprit. My car was a corporate lease in Manhattan in its previous life, and the driver may have worn size 15 shoes that dripped snow and slush all winter . I will still get it checked out on my next dealer visit.

Although not a load-bearing brace, it probably provides stiffness to the chassis, so it should be a critical component.

 

I do agree with that. It is a substantial piece. I was actually trying to figure out what exactly was its purpose. I'm not sure but it seems to be a support for the dash area. So in spite of my joke, it probably is load bearing!

 

Anytime I hear "load bearing wall", it reminds me of an episode of Faulty Towers (starring John Cleese)....cracks me up:
.

 

Before I read through the whole thread I was thinking maybe if you had your car detailed they went a little heavy with the carpet cleaner and splashed it on that hidden area and didn't wipe it causing some surface rust. Now that I see so many with the issue, seems like it must be from wet shoes or boots creating some humidity or causing dampness as others have said. Either way, I wonder if years down the road there will be some safety recall for this where the brace over time looses some structural integrity and breaks in the event of a crash causing cuts and injury to the drivers legs when it snaps. Ok maybe I am over thinking this... It's the lawyer in me. But seriously, on a car of this caliber and price, I am really surprised rust would develop on the interior of the car. Pretty crazy.

 

My thoughts exactly. I am surprised this "problem" has not been reported before. I will definitely discuss with my dealer. Maybe the moderators or some other CL official can also contact Lexus Corporate directly. I would definitely want Lexus to remove the rust and treat the brace to prevent future rust buildup.

 

I have a 2015 with more rust than yours -- see the pictures.

I took two photos after reading your post. I knew that the rust on that brace a week after the car was bought in 2016. It did not concern me that much, thinking that it may be "normal". Today I looked around when taking photos and discovered that a piston-like (see the 2nd pic -- is it struts?) support is full of rust too.

It seems that Lexus cuts corner in places that are invisible in daily operation. The car is still under the original warranty, and we will take it to our local dealership asap.

 

Ccbcc, thanks for checking. It's really stunning to see so much rust on the steering column linkage on a 2015 LS. Sure, one could use the same argument that this part is right next to our wet shoes, and the humidity in the winter may be hastening the rusting, especially being in snow climes like CT and MO. Honestly though, these pieces should be treated to NOT rust, period. Looks like you have an F-sport, and I wonder if the pieces were rusting before you even bought the car! Please keep us updated on what the dealer says.

 

Here's mine. Car is slightly more than a year old.

I live in California where there's not much rain although this year has much wetter than normal (Oroville Dam).

 

@Rhambler Wow, what a difference! Thanks for sharing.

Granted, your car is a 2016 model, mine is a year older, but I don't anticipate this much rust.

@comotiger: the rust was there before the car was delivered to me for sure. I knew it since I spotted the rust when locating the tire pressure reset button when reading the quick start guide within the first week after the car was bought. Today I took a flashlight, lying down face up so I could spot more than what I saw on that day.

It may be due to the moisture and salt brought in by the driver in the winter. Nevertheless, it's still a let-down.

 

A bit progress: we took the car to the dealership where the car was bought. They dont have a good explanation -- they were surprised to see so much dust as anyone else -- so they've agreed to order the parts to replace the rusty pieces. Will post a picture after it's done.

 

OMG, I loved that show. I haven't seen it in years. I remember not too long ago I read in the news that the actor who played Manuel died.g

 

Oh sorry ccbcc, I meant to comment on you post. Great to hear they are addressing the issue. I am surprised though because I really do not think it's a significant issue.