Owners have filed 62 complaints on the Lexus RX, covering 1999–2026. The system named most often is Power Train (47 reports). Worst years by volume: 1999, 2000, 2001; cleanest: 2026, 2001, 2000. 3 reports describe a crash. On average the car was 9.5 years old when the problem happened.
What breaks on Lexus RX
Grouped by the system owners named — percentages are shares of all 62 RX complaints. Open any row for the full reports in owners' own words.
Power Train 47 Read
I bought a car from a private party/dealer only to find out that repairs needed are more than cars worth, then I checked car fax to find out that mileage had been turned back a lot.. This person lists 3-4 cars for sale a week and I can't find any one that wants to help. I know I am stuck with car unfortunately it was…
While driving at a slow speed the lexus lurched forward, and then became inoperable. Transmission failed at 86,000 miles. The car was recently serviced for the transmission maintenance at 80,000 miles. Apparently this is a common early failure, and it should be recalled
2001 lexus rx-300 transmission failed just before 84,000 miles, disabling vehicle on the highway. Warranty did not cover repair
Air Bags 3 Read
On [XXX] traveling NB on [XXX] during a green light to make a left turn WB on [XXX] the defendant ran a red light and broadsided my 2001 RX300 Lexus and was cited. The airbags did not go off, and my head hit the windshield. The defendant was cited. I filed a claim with Toyota , case no [XXX] who inspected the totaled…
On 7/26/2022 approx 8:00 am I was driving on brighton clopton rd when this flat bed wrecker was backing out on highway and I was looking down to make sure my speedometer was at 30 mph all of a sudden I crashed into this bed of the wrecker, (not one) airbag deployed my knees, shins, chest bones , hurt like crazy ,…
The contact owned a 1999 lexus rx. The contact stated that the vehicle was at stand still on the outside of the garage and allowed the front passenger to exit the vehicle, when the vehicle accelerated on it's own. The contact stated the brake pedal was depressed with both feet but failed to stop the vehicle. As a…
Tires 3 Read
225 / 70 R 16 A tire shop inspected my tires and said that all 4 of my belts are separating and indicated to me a convex shape that peaks in the center of the steel belt. These tires were purchased new some years ago when they were balanced, struts replaced, and full alignment, yet at speeds 55+ the car made a…
Contact stated that she was driving on I-495 @ a speed of 60 mph on a sunny day. Her tires blew out on her this was on the right passenger side. The entire tire came off the rim. The car had to be towed to the dealer where a new tire was purchase. The old tire was left at the dealer. She need to know why her tires…
Vehicle parked, came out next morning, tire had 5" split on sidewall, completely deflated original purchase date 12/11/21 tires have 5320 miles on them from new tire sidewall failed 5/15/2023 tire size 225 70R 16 mastercraft courser HSX tires available for inspection upon request
Engine And Engine Cooling 2 Read
After $3000+ in repairs for the main seals leaking, the rear seals leaking, timing belt replacement, and all other belts replaced, my check engine light appeared, and I brought it to the dealership. They later informed me that my engine is being replaced. They made no mention of the class action lawsuit, due to engine…
Lexus rx 300 engine died at 90k with no warning. Was stranded on dark highway. Paid 4k to replace engine. Very disappointing for such expensive car
Seat Belts 2 Read
The contact stated without warning the front passenger side seat belt did not release from the retractor. The dealership determined the retractor needed to be replaced. 08/29/06 right front seatbelt assembly replaced goodwill warranty repair
Seat belts will not retract without manually feeding them back into the retractor. If seat belts are not manually fed back into the retractor the buckle and slack seat belt are caught when the door closes
Structure 1 Read
The panoramic sunroof shattered while the car was parked and there were no occupants. Lexus USA refuses to acknowledge this defect and the dealership insists there was an impact that caused this damage. There was no impact. I have asked the dealer for a written report of their determination of the point of impact and…
Service Brakes 1 Read
Vehicle stalls when giving it gas then lunges forward all at once ….brake light is on
Suspension 1 Read
The transmission on my 1999 lexus rx 300 needed to be replaced with only 70,000 miles on the car. I have also had to replace the struts, the radio antenna motor and have a major oil leak repaired
RX years to avoid — and the clean ones
Complaints per model year. More reports usually means more cars on the road as well as more trouble, so read the crash and fire columns alongside the count.
| Model year | Complaints | Top system | Crashes | Fires |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Structure | — | — | |
| 2001 | Air Bags,lane Departure,forward Collision Avoidance | 1 | — | |
| 2000 | Air Bags | 1 | — | |
| 1999 | Air Bags,vehicle Speed Control | 1 | — |
The same model year, different builds
Every complaint carries the first 11 characters of the VIN — plant, year, body and engine. That is a production series, and complaints are spread across them very unevenly.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Distinct production series | 39 |
| Average complaints per series | 1.6 |
| Worst single series | 4 complaints |
| Average age at failure | 9.5 years |
A model average of 1.6 hides a worst series at 4. Enter a VIN above to see the numbers for that exact build instead of the model as a whole.
Owners reported these. Find out if yours is one of them.
- Complaints matched to the exact production run, not just the model
- What the car is worth given what tends to fail on it
- The original window sticker and factory options
- Full research report as a PDF for the pre-purchase inspection
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- No ads, no tracking — and much more
How we count
Every figure here comes from complaints owners filed with NHTSA — 1,100,006 of them, covering 1,982 models built between 1981 and 2026.
A complaint is an unverified report: someone wrote down what happened to their car. It is not a confirmed defect and not a recall. What makes the volume useful is the pattern — when thousands of owners of the same build describe the same failure, that is a signal no marketing brochure will give you.
Two things we do that the source does not. First, we compute the age of the car at the moment of failure from the incident date and the model year. Second, we group complaints by the first 11 characters of the VIN — the production series — so a bad plant run does not disappear into a model-wide average.
Frequently asked questions
What are the worst years for the RX?
By complaint volume, 1999, 2000, 2001 drew the most owner reports. Bear in mind that popular years put more cars on the road, so check the crash and fire columns too.
Which RX years are the cleanest?
2026, 2001, 2000 have the fewest complaints on file. For recent years that can simply mean the cars are young.
How many complaints does the Lexus RX have?
62 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, covering 1999–2026. Of those, 3 describe a crash and 0 a fire.
Are these complaints verified?
No. They are unverified reports from owners. NHTSA publishes them as filed and investigates only a fraction. The value is in the pattern, not in any single report.
Can I check complaints for one specific car?
Yes — enter its VIN above. We match the first 11 characters, which identify the plant, year, body and engine, so you get complaints on that exact production series rather than the whole model.