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I have a CPO 2013 RX 450H. I bought the car last January. Four times now in the year, the wheels have locked and the car won't move forward or back. Three times I was able to "gun" it in reverse (yikes) and I head a loud bang (yikes!) and the wheels unlocked.
This week, gunnng it failed to release the wheels. I called Lexus Roadside Assistance and the tow truck driver tried seeing if the parking brake was still engaged even though it was off. He didn't have a front wheel dolly so another tow truck driver came out and he also got under the car and tried to release the parking brake, to no avail. The car was then towed to a local Lexus dealer and three days later they called me to say that they could not duplicate the problem or find anything wrong with the car. When they started it up, the car moved just fine. i'd appreciate any ideas or suggestions.
When you take it out of park can you feel it engage a gear and try to move forward or backward? I ask that to determine if it is the trans that is hanging up in "park". If it does attempt to engage a gear then it is likely something in the braking system. Was the parking brake in use each time it has happened? If it was, when you "broke it loose", was it still set?
If you have a CPO warranty, why have you let it go like this for a year? And, when it last happened and the tow truck came out, did it continue to be stuck, even after they got it on the flatbed? If so, then it should have been stuck when you got to the dealer, right? if yes, then they should have been able to figure it out.
If it is not the transmission, you (or someone else) needs to do a thorough cleaning job on the braking system, including the parking brake. I am not familiar enough with the Lexus Parking brake system to know whether it is like most others, or something very different. If it is the common mini-drum brake system, it could very well be hanging up. I would not again try to "bust it loose", as you could seriously damage something. When it happens next time, have it towed again, and insist that they do a thorough inspection of the braking system, as you consider this to be a serious safety issue. If they don't want to do that, contact Lexus Corporate Customer Service.
By any chance had you just washed the car with high pressure water? There are other posts in this forum discussing that scenario which happens when even a small amount of water gets in between the brake pads and the disks, causing the two to rust together.
When you take it out of park can you feel it engage a gear and try to move forward or backward? I ask that to determine if it is the trans that is hanging up in "park". If it does attempt to engage a gear then it is likely something in the braking system. Was the parking brake in use each time it has happened? If it was, when you "broke it loose", was it still set?
If you have a CPO warranty, why have you let it go like this for a year? And, when it last happened and the tow truck came out, did it continue to be stuck, even after they got it on the flatbed? If so, then it should have been stuck when you got to the dealer, right? if yes, then they should have been able to figure it out.
If it is not the transmission, you (or someone else) needs to do a thorough cleaning job on the braking system, including the parking brake. I am not familiar enough with the Lexus Parking brake system to know whether it is like most others, or something very different. If it is the common mini-drum brake system, it could very well be hanging up. I would not again try to "bust it loose", as you could seriously damage something. When it happens next time, have it towed again, and insist that they do a thorough inspection of the braking system, as you consider this to be a serious safety issue. If they don't want to do that, contact Lexus Corporate Customer Service.
That is all I can think of. Good luck.
Thank you so much for your thoughtful and thorough response. I have not paid enough attention to whether the gears are engaging because the incidents have been many months in between. I start the car, with the parking brake off, I put it in reverse and its like the car is up against a wall, it tries to move back (or forward in drive) but it can't move. Three of the four incidents have occurred in my garage, trying to back out.
Because I was able to drive the car the other times, I didn't take it in. I am befuddled by how the car was just fine at the dealer. I saw the rear wheels locked as the tow truck driver attempted to get the car to move in reverse.
I will definitely have it towed again the next time it happens and I will contact Lexus Corporate Customer Service. Thanks again for taking the time to respond.
By any chance had you just washed the car with high pressure water? There are other posts in this forum discussing that scenario which happens when even a small amount of water gets in between the brake pads and the disks, causing the two to rust together.
Yes, it is possible that there is a correlation between me taking the car to the car wash and these incidents. I will monitor that.
It's happened to me before after a wash as well, but only once. I do regularly spray the inside of the wheels to get rid of any brake dust and such. Was able to fix it by going between the drive/reverse gears and slightly gassing. It just came undone without much noise.
I would get it in & have the brakes at all 4 corners serviced. Easy job for any shop.Check caliper condition & have the slides lubricated. Your parking brake is actually a drum brake set-up located inside the rear brake discs. My bet is you will find corrosion there preventing the springs from releasing the brake shoes.
Occasionally I've seen the park brake cable seize up due to water infiltration.
How long was the car sitting? On the occasions where you got the wheels to start turning, could you hear the pads scrapping?
On the occasions where I have let a car sit too long and had the pads get rusted to the rotors, the sound of the rust getting scrapped off after freeing things up is pretty distinct and sounds exactly as you would expect it to.
Since the OP did not mention any sounds, I would guess this is not a rust problem but something more serious.
I would get it in & have the brakes at all 4 corners serviced. Easy job for any shop.Check caliper condition & have the slides lubricated. Your parking brake is actually a drum brake set-up located inside the rear brake discs. My bet is you will find corrosion there preventing the springs from releasing the brake shoes.
Occasionally I've seen the park brake cable seize up due to water infiltration.
How long was the car sitting? On the occasions where you got the wheels to start turning, could you hear the pads scrapping?
On the occasions where I have let a car sit too long and had the pads get rusted to the rotors, the sound of the rust getting scrapped off after freeing things up is pretty distinct and sounds exactly as you would expect it to.
Since the OP did not mention any sounds, I would guess this is not a rust problem but something more serious.
The car does sit on occasion for up to a week, but never more than that.
Yes, it is possible that there is a correlation between me taking the car to the car wash and these incidents. I will monitor that.
Check out the thread from rayaans where he had to have his 450h F-Sport towed after sitting a few weeks. It was washed before storing in the garage. Temps were not necessarily a factor. I can attest to having the same issue regardless of the weather. Usually I'll go up and down the driveway, jumping on the brakes a few times to get the water out.
Check out the thread from rayaans where he had to have his 450h F-Sport towed after sitting a few weeks. It was washed before storing in the garage. Temps were not necessarily a factor. I can attest to having the same issue regardless of the weather. Usually I'll go up and down the driveway, jumping on the brakes a few times to get the water out.
Just so everyone is aware I thought that I would post this from another thread that Kiltz had recommended:
"Thanks for everyone's help and encouraging words. I called a service advisor and before I could finish, he kind of laughed and said he sees it all the time. He said after running them through the wash bay, if they are not picked up in a day or two tops, the brake pads rust to the rotors. He said just gets in it and gives it the gas. I first shook the right rear a bit, then got in and went forward, then backward, it was only dragging the tire and the slippage light came on. I then went back to more of a rocking motion to get more leverage. Finally it snapped, which the service manager warned me about hearing and all seems to be working again. Drove it home and back to work today and all seems fixed. I guess my lesson is after a wash, drive it enough to dry the brakes off or be sure to drive it home that night. Thanks again for everyone's suggestions and positive thoughts. I am a happy Lexus owner again."
Yep, happens to all of us.
I had a parking brake not fully release after a wash. Found out it in the middle of a cross-country road trip, as it was starting to smell of burnt brakes.
Got it loose eventually, after pumping the parking brake pedal a few times. Dealer was not able to duplicate or find any issues.
I did not see any anomalies either when I replaced rear disks/drums.
I guess the water gets inside the drum and the corrosion gets it if it is not driven right away. I would attribute this to a design of the backing plate, letting water through.
Although, it could even be the material the disks are made out of. After 4 years of ownership, I pitched mine due to high corrosion. Rear rotor after 4 winters
I make a point of driving with my brakes on for short spurts right after a car wash to get enough heat into the discs to flash off any excess water. I wasn't doing it to prevent this, it was more to avoid having that first application be wet and scare the shart out of me. If it also prevents this, win-win!
12-17-16, 02:31 PM
Wheels locked?
