HarrierAWD

No Lexus is made or assembled in the USA. The RX330 is assembled in Canada, with powertrain coming from Toyota's West Virginia plant.

U.S.-made Toyota Camry has been very reliable according to CR survey. The survey also shows that just about all car makes, includng Toyota/Lexus, has improved their reliability since last decade.

toy4two

I've always liked BMWs but when it came to buying my last vehicle I wrote BMW off because of all the problems they are having with the American made Z3s, the model I wanted.

Now I saw CR has given the German car makers the worst in reliability, even less than American cars.

Again, I don't know if there are engineering defects, or the American workers are not taking pride making German cars here in the US.

Lexusfreak

Haven't heard of ANY complaints from the RX 330's coming from Canada........in fact, that plant (which also makes the Toyota Corolla, Matrix as well as others) I think has actually won more quality awards than any other Lexus or Toyota plant including in Japan! If I had the choice, I'd take the RX built in Cambrige, Ontario actually.......they would just have to give me a break on the freight charges because I'm so close.

LexusTech

I have seen problems and complaints from Canadian-built RX330s...problems the Japan-built RX's do not have.
The problems stem from TMMC's use of different manufacturers for certain components.

If the VIN starts with a 2,it's TMMC-built. J = Japan.

mmarshall

While ther have been some owner complaints about newer ES300 / 330 and IS300 transmission shifting qualities and ECU reprogramming, overall, Lexus quality has not dropped at all......in fact, once again, in the newest Car Buying Issue, Consumer Reports ranks the IS300 as THE most reliable vehicle overall. Other Lexus products are all well above average.
What has made some Lexus products APPEAR to have dropped some is not the fact that Lexus products have actually dropped at all, but that the Korean makes have shown such ENORMOUS improvent in the last several years, thereby dramatically narrowing the huge advantage that Lexus and Infiniti once enjoyed in reliability.
The quality of some Acura products, however HAS dropped....especialy teething problems with the new TL.

LexFather

What mmarshall said. Its not WHERE its built as so much as WHO is behind building it. American made Camrys and Accords are tops in reliablity whereas a 55k Infiniti QX56 or Acura TL built in Amerca (or BMW Z3/Benz ML) have HORRENDOUS quality. So its not the workers. Its the company and management.
Yes, i do prefer a Japanese built Lexus. The Tahera plant in Japan that builds the LS and GS is considered the finest auto plant in the world. The plant in Ontario is built EXACTLY like the ones in Japan with changes to help the Canadian workers.

Lexus has had substantial growth. It took 10 years to sell a million and now it sells a million every 3 years. But they have tried harder than anyone to make quality job #1.

Lexusfreak

Perhaps the Lexus plant in Ontario has some early 'teething' issues to iron out & they will. All other Toyota car built at that plant have won MANY awards over the last many years they have been building vehicles there. As a rule of thumb, I NEVER purchase a vehicle (I don't care where it's built) in it's first year of production (take problems with a 97 ES vs. the last year that body style was made in 01 as an example), as there are 'bug's' that have to be worked out every single time. I know that's why the cars come with a warranty to be sure, it's just how I operate & my own opinion I guess.

Celsior Master

although it seems that all lex are very reliable i wouldn't be surprised if the lex made in japan are even more reliable than the rest. makes sense

i have a german friend and he even says that his mb and beemer that he has back in germany are much higher quality than the ones he used to have here.