I was having ABS Brake Malfunction alarms. After turning the car off/on it would reset. It took the dealer time to figure it out because it would not leave any error code on the computer. They finally got it to have the issue while their computer was connected and could see the error code. They then discovered there is a technical bulletin for this issue. The ABS Actuator Assembly needs to be replaced. All is well now.

 

That's unfortunate. Don't think this is a common issue. Glad it will be fixed. Curious, is your RX built in Japan or Canada?

 

Larry, welcome to the community. Really glad you're dealer found out the issue and can take care of it. As Corrado said, it's not one we've heard about yet, you're the 1st on here with that issue. Thanks for the notice and happy Lexus is on it. Just one of the reasons they just rated so highly on Consumer Reports .

 

Actually, it has been brought up before. A lot of reading but you'll see the fix to the OP's problem in this thread is the ABS actuator assembly.

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/rx-...-behavior.html

 

It was built in Canada. Are there more issues with ones built in Canada?

 

Not that I'm aware of. Just wondering if the rare few others with the issue have mentioned their build country and if there's any commonality.

 

My 2012 RX-350-AWD has not had that issue, or any(cross my fingers). It was built in Japan. I wonder if the few RX's built in Japan have different sourced abs brake components than those built in Canada?

 

A great question, I wondered the same.... The answer prob. is.... if the RX brakes are common with other Lexus vehicles... then Japan builds have different source. If not, most likely, prob. same source, just my guess. Other than Canada and Japan, where else are RX's built in the world?

 

We had an issue with this on our 2013 after about 3 months of use. Brake warning light came on--we called dealership and stated "do not drive the car". Talk about scary. Brake actuator assembly needed to be replaced. Dealer stated that this is happening a LOT with the 2013's (hinted there may be a recall).

 

I think that's pretty much standard procedure these days. Even if there's a 0.1% chance that you've lost 0.1% of your braking effectiveness they are acting according to their law suit avoidance handbook.

When someone calls in and says "my brake warning light is on, what should I do?" they hear "my brake warning light is on, I'll likely be in a panic state driving the car and will likely hit 2 pedestrians and a telephone pole while I'm mesmerized by the warning light, and oh ya, my lawyer's number is my #1 speed dial".

 

The Canada built RX is the only non-Japanese Lexus of any model type.

 

I too just had a brake malfunction with my '13 RX350 with 2K miles on it. I was driving down the interstate at 75mph and all of a sudden the brake malfunction light came on in the center if the dash, then an alarm started beeping and wouldn't stop!, Then the ABS yellow light came on. I was quite unnerved thinking I had just lost my brakes on the Interstate. I slowed down and then tapped my brakes to see if there was any resistance. They seemed OK but the alarm just kept going. I pulled off at the next exit and turned off the car. I wasn't sure what to do. I couldn't call the dealer because it was Sunday. I turned the car back on and the warning lights were off. I decided to proceed home and wait for Monday morning to contact the dealer. I got home safe but it was a scary experience thinking I had no brakes. I called the dealer and he said it was safe to drive it to them.

I took it into the dealer and they never heard of the problem before but keep my car and gave me a loaner. After 3 days, it was ready. The service manager said they couldn't find out what the problem was and only 2 other RX's in the country reported the problem. They ended up replacing the actuator assembly as in the op's.

All systems are working fine now. It's the first time I've encountered a warning system like that
and I been driving for 50 yrs. It was not something I want happen again especially on a brand new Lexus!

 

Hopefully that has fixed your problem. We have not had any other issues since we had the ABS Actuator replaced. When this happened to my wife she was also very concerned. I think this only means the ABS part of the brakes are having the issue, the brakes are still working fine. But it still does not make you feel good about having a brake malfunction warning light being on. I knew when the dealer said this was not leaving an error code in the computer it could be hard to determine the root cause. I was very glad they were able to have the issue while their computer was connected so they could record the issue and determine why. That is why I wanted to post it.

 

We bought our 2013 CPO Lexus RX 350 last Saturday, this morning the wife was driving to work and this exact thing happen to her. She pulled off the road and turned off the car then back on and the warnings went away. I will read more about this to help my dealer with the fix. Thanks for the forum and you guys.

 

I've received, on a number of occasions, once while driving and three times when starting my 2013 RX 350 the following Lighted Error Messages on my dashboard 1) BRAKE MALFUNCTION light, 2)BRAKE warning light 3), Swerving Car Icon light , 4) ABS light.
Each incident resolved after I restarted the car. When I brought my car in for its 10,000 mile checkup the service rep called me to advise that no one in his repair dept. had seen this combination of error messages before and when they keyed the code into the system (never disclosed what code # was) a message came up advising the service dept. to "immediately contact Lexus corporate."
I was obviously worried and wanted to know if other new RX350 owners have had the same problem. While researching this issue online I saw the following warning "An ABS warning light should never be ignored, especially if the brake warning light is also on. This could indicate a potentially dangerous loss of hydraulic pressure or a low fluid level!. If both warning lights are on, the vehicle should not be driven until the brakes can be inspected."
I also read that it was "a simple warranty fix" requiring the ABS Actuator Assembly to be replaced.
Any thoughts or insights into this issue would be greatly appreciated.