y 2025 Lexus TX500h experienced sudden and complete AC failure at fewer than 25,000 miles, 18 months after purchase. The selling dealer diagnosed a refrigerant leak from the AC condenser and denied warranty coverage citing road debris impact damage. No photographic documentation of a discrete impact event or specific leak point was provided to support the denial. This failure is consistent with a documented, systemic design vulnerability in the Lexus TX platform. The vehicle's wide-open front grille design allows road debris direct access to the AC condenser, which sits as the frontmost component in the cooling stack with no protective barrier. Multiple NHTSA complaints document identical failures on TX platform vehicles at extremely low mileages including 580 miles and 900 miles, with dealers uniformly denying warranty coverage. Operating without AC in Texas summer heat constitutes a safety hazard, particularly for child passengers. I am requesting NHTSA investigate this as a systemic design defect pattern across the TX platform. Attached photos include: (1) photos provided by the dealer as their evidence of "impact damage" — none of which document a specific leak point or impact deformation zone; and (2) photos taken by the owner of the condenser on the Westside Lexus loaner vehicle provided during this service visit, which show comparable fin condition and debris accumulation to the denied vehicle. The loaner vehicle photos demonstrate that this condenser condition is consistent with normal operation in this environment, not discrete impact damage.
NHTSA ODI 11745828