2004 Lexus RX330 AWD review from North America

Like most, I drove off the Lexus lot quite excited to finally have one of these fabled vehicles. However, signs of trouble surfaced quickly and have not stopped:

The vehicle was delivered with an improperly installed front strut which caused it to pull very badly to the right--I noticed it on my way home from delivery.

It has been recalled four times in less than two years.

I, too, notice the transmission problems others have noted. I never felt it was a safety issue, but I'm not a spirited driver. However, it is annoying.

The engine makes a tapping noise at idle that sounds like a valve tap--the dealer tells me it's the injectors.

The driver's window buzzes when the radio plays a song with good bass.

The standard radio has very poor sound quality.

So, so many dash squeaks and creaks.

The cargo cover rarely stays pulled to the tailgate door--usually rolling up on its own on the first or second stop after I pull it over cargo--or just falling down onto the cargo like a blanket.

Dealer treatment has been less than promised or expected. For my most recent appointment, I called, someone picked up and just hung up the phone. I called again and had the same experience. I called the main number the third time to explain what had just happened, only to be told, "Oh, yes, they're pretty busy now and probably can't take calls." I sat on hold for over eight minutes waiting for someone to take the call--only to have to wait a month before getting an appointment. Then, I received a call that my car would take two days rather than one for its 15,000 mile service stop.

This is not what I expected. There were no apologies about the price of this vehicle in the showroom and plenty of assurances of how great it and my experience with it and with Lexus would be. Not so. If you are drooling over a Lexus as I did, beware that all is not what it appears--at least not all of the time.

As an interesting side note, I received plenty of surveys in the first few months of owning the vehicle. As I began scoring the car and my experience low, the surveys stopped coming. Is this a coincidence or is this how Lexus keeps its customer service ratings high--by weeding out low-scoring customers? I'm not a suspicious type, but I must admit to wondering about this.