2004 Lexus RX330 service brakes, hydraulic problems

“I HAVE HARD TIME DEPRESSING BRAKE PEDAL. I WENT TO LEXUS DEALER TO GET IT CHECKED. I THINK I PAID 170 DOLLARS AND THEY SAID IT IS OK. BUT, I STILL DO NOT LIKE THE BRAKE PEDAL NEVER BEEN SMOOTH.”

“2004 LEXUS RX330. CONSUMER STATES PROBLEMS WITH THE BRAKE FLUID AFTER THE VEHICLE WENT IN FOR A 30,000 MILE CLEAN UP. *KB THE CONSUMER STATED THE BRAKE LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THE DASHBOARD. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE CONSUMER WAS INFORMED THAT AN AIR BUBBLE HAD FORMED IN THE BRAKE LINE, POSSIBLY CAUSED WHEN THE LINE WAS DRAINED DURING A 30,000 MILE CHECK-UP AND RESULTED IN THE BRAKE FLUID BEING SLIGHTLY LOW. THE FOLLOWING WEEK, THE BRAKE LIGHT ILLUMINATED AGAIN AND THE CONSUMER IMMEDIATELY RETURNED TO THE DEALER. IT WAS DISCOVERED THERE WAS ABSOLUTELY NO BRAKE FLUID IN THE RESERVOIR. THE BRAKE CYLINDER AND BRAKE BOOSTER WERE REPLACED. *JB”

“ON THE DATE OF THE ACCIDENT I WAS DRIVING MY 2004 LEXUS RX300 APPROACHING AN INTERSECTION WITH CARS STOPPED IN FRONT OF ME WAITING FOR THE TRAFFIC LIGHT TO CHANGE TO GREEN. ALTHOUGH I KEPT PRESSING ON THE BRAKES NOTHING HAPPENED AND I ENDED UP CRASHING INTO THE CAR AHEAD OF ME AND CAUSING A CHAIN REACTION INVOLVING FOUR (4) OTHER CARS, THEN SWERVING ONTO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND FINALLY COMING TO A STOP BY HITTING THE TRAFFIC LIGHT POLE. NONE OF THE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED. STILL VISIBLY IN SHOCK, I WAS HELPED OUT OF MY VEHICLE BY OTHERS WHO HAD STOPPED TO HELP INCLUDING THOSE INVOLVED IN THE ACCIDENT. THE POLICE ARRIVED SHORTLY AFTER ON THE SCENE AND BEGAN AN INVESTIGATION BY ASKING OTHER DRIVERS WHO HAD WITNESSED THE ACCIDENT. ACCORDING TO THE POLICE REPORTS, THE DRIVERS BEHIND ME CLEARLY SAW THE BRAKE LIGHTS ON THOUGH THE VEHICLE OBVIOUSLY CONTINUED MOVING. SINCE THE ACCIDENT WE HAVE TRIED TO WORK WITH OUR INSURANCE PROVIDER (METLIFE) TO DO A THOROUGH INSPECTION OF THE VEHICLE AND DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE ACCIDENT, BUT IT HAS BEEN ALL WITH NO AVAIL. WE HAVE BEEN KEPT IN THE DARK AS TO WHAT HAS EXACTLY BEEN DONE IF ANYTHING. THE VEHICLE IN THE MEAN TIME WAS…”

“I HAVE 2004 LEXUS RX330. YESTERDAY, APRIL 26TH, 2010 WHILE DRIVING TO LOCAL BANK, I NEEDED TO APPLY THE BRAKES. I PUSHED ON THE BRAKE PEDAL AND IT MADE SOME WEIRD SOUND AND PEDAL WENT ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR AND VEHICLE HAD HARD TIME STOPPING. SOMEHOW I MANAGED TO COME BACK HOME SAFELY. THE PEDAL GOES TO FLOOR AND VEHICLE BARELY STOPS. I DO NOT SEE ANY LEAKS IN MY GARAGE WHERE VEHICLE IS ALWAYS PARKED. I TOOK IT TO THE TOYOTA DEALER AND HE SAYS MASTER CYLINDER HAS INTERNAL LEAK AND NEED TO BE REPLACED ALONG WITH BRAKE PADS BOTH FRONT AND BACK. *TR”

“SOMEONE NEEDS TO LISTEN! I HAVE A 2004 LEXUS RX330. IT'S HAD TROUBLE FROM DAY ONE, AND I GOT NOWHERE! THEY HAVE DONE 5 UPDATES ON THE COMPUTER. NOW IT ONLY SEEMS TO HAVE TROUBLE AT 20 MPH, INSTEAD OF 40-50 AND 65-80, OF LURCHING, HESITATING, THEN TAKING OFF LIKE A BAT OUT OF HELL. IT'S HAD A "BULLETIN" ON THE FRONT BRAKES, AND SHIMMIED ALL OVER THE ROAD. I HAVE PAPER WORK ON ALL OF THIS AND MORE. YOU, THE NTSB, CAN TAKE THE CAR AND GO THRU IT, I'LL GIVE YOU THE REPAIR RECORDS. I'VE CALLED THE TOYOTA HEADQUARTERS IN 04 OR 05 BEGGING THEM TO HELP ME. A WOMAN SAID, THE CAR WAS, "PERFORMING IN THE MANNER IT WAS DESIGNED:" I SAVED A LONG TIME TO BUY MY DREAM CAR WHEN I RETIRED, NOW I HAVE A DEFECTIVE CAR, WITH ONLY 48K MILES BECAUSE OF FEAR OF DRIVING IT. PLEASE PLEASE, LISTEN TO WHAT PEOPLE WROTE BACK IN 04 ABOUT THIS CAR. ONE MAN SAID A FRIEND WORKED FOR LEXUS AND TOLD HIM THAT HIS BOSS SAID THERE WILL NEVER BE A RECALL ON THIS CAR BECAUSE OF THE AMOUNT OF CARS SOLD IN THE US AND CANADA. WE NEED HELP. MY CAR IS A LEMON. I'VE MENTIONED NUMEROUS TIMES OF PAINTING IT YELLOW AND PUTTING LEMON ALL OVER IT. PLEASE TRY TO PULL UP RECORDS BACK THEN, ALL THESE PEOPLE WERE…”

“2 TO 3 YEARS PRIOR TO THIS ACCIDENT I WAS COMING TO A STOP LIGHT AND THE BRAKES DID NOT WORK, BUT ONLY FOR A FEW SECONDS. I REPORTED THIS TO MY HUSBAND AND HE TOOK IT TO SEVERAL MECHANICS BUT DID NOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE, MY HUSBAND HAS OWNED A AUTO PARTS STORE FOR 40 YEARS AND KNOWS A FEW QUALIFIED MECHANICS. 3 PEOPLE WERE ON A FREEWAY ABOUT 1/4 MILE FROM OFF RAMP DOING ABOUT 65 MPH, WE STARTED TO MOVE OVER TO THE SLOWER LANE AS WE GOT TO THE SLOWER LANE I STEPPED ON THE BRAKES TO SLOW DOWN FOR THE OFF RAMP WHEN I FELT THE BRAKES WERE NOT WORKING, I PUMPED THE BRAKES SEVERAL TIMES TO MAKE SURE I WAS STEPPING ON THE BRAKES BUT INSTEAD OF SLOWING DOWN THE VEHICLE KEPT ACCELERATING. I DEPRESSED THE BRAKE PEDAL AS HARD AS I COULD AND HUNG ON FOR DEAR LIFE UPON ENTERING THE OFF RAMP I STRUCK ANOTHER VEHICLE AND FLIPPED THE CAR SEVERAL TIMES. I ENDED UP WITH A CRACKED STERNUM, THE PASSENGER BROKE 3 OR 4 OF HER VERTEBRA, AND PASSENGER IN THE REAR SEAT WAS FATAL. UPDATED 03/10/10 *BF *TR UPDATED IVOQ 09/28/10 UPDATE 9/19/2011*CW”