How are your brake pads doing? Many brakes have a wear indicator that will be more audible when your windows are down and you are slowly driving near parked vehicles while gently applying your brakes. That chirping sound can be heard at every revolution of your tire.

Thank you very much for the detailed response. I agree with your conclusions. I removed the cabin air filter. It was dirty, but there was no debris. The inlet door that covers the filter seems to be operating fine. I looked at some YouTube videos, and the noise on the video is identical to what I am hearing. Replacing it looks like it might be more than I can handle. Thanks again, Rick

My 2020 RX450h has developed an irritating intermittent "chirp"sound at times when the brake pedal is pressed. The "chirp"is audible inside the passenger compartment and sounds as if it coming from somewhere near the brake pedal. The sound may not be heard for days, but then it is back. Guaranteed there will be no sound if I ask my dealership to determine the cause. I have attempted to record the sound with minimal success. Any of you experiencing anything like this? Any ideas as to the cause? Thanks!

Hi, Lya. The good news is that the rear seat pull lever on a 2018 GX460 is usually not a particularly difficult repair compared to many interior issues. The level of difficulty depends on what's actually broken: If the plastic pull handle itself is cracked or broken, replacement is generally straightforward once the seat-back trim panel is removed. If the cable has come loose from the lever, the repair may be as simple as reconnecting it. If the release cable is stretched, kinked, or broken, the job becomes more involved because part of the seat-back upholstery and mechanism may need to be accessed. Several GX and 4Runner owners have reported broken seat-release handles over the years, and the most time-consuming part is usually carefully removing the trim panels without breaking the retaining clips. The mechanism itself is fairly simple. For a DIYer with basic trim-removal tools, I'd rate a broken lever replacement as about a 3-4 out of 10 in difficulty. If the problem involves the internal release cable or latch mechanism, it could move up to a 6 out of 10. Before ordering parts, I'd suggest determining exactly what's happening: Does the lever feel loose or broken? Does the lever move normally but the seat doesn't release? Is there any resistance when pulling the lever? Does one side of the split-fold seat work while the other doesn't? Those answers will usually pinpoint whether you're dealing with a simple handle replacement or a deeper latch/cable issue. If you've got a photo of the damaged lever or can describe what happens when it's pulled, owners who have done the repair can probably narrow it down further.

That additional detail actually makes the situation even more concerning. Hesitation or stuttering in the 20-40 mph range and occasionally pulling away from a red light points toward a drivability issue under load, not simply an idle-quality or startup issue. The fact that Lexus Corporate has already initiated a buyback discussion may be revealing in itself. Manufacturers typically prefer repairing vehicles whenever possible. When they begin talking about a lemon-law repurchase before identifying a definitive fix, it can indicate they're not confident they've found the root cause. Hopefully other 2026 TX 500h owners can chime in, but at this point I would continue documenting every occurrence and every interaction with Lexus Corporate. If the vehicle is indeed headed toward a buyback, having a complete timeline showing multiple repair attempts, 53 days out of service, a failed software update, and a failed fuel pump replacement only strengthens your position. Please keep the forum updated if Lexus eventually provides an engineering explanation. Many owners would be interested to know what was actually causing the hesitation, especially since it appears to occur while driving and under acceleration rather than during startup or idle.