Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government
holds on this vehicle.
Owners have filed 12 safety complaints
about the 2013 Lexus RX Hybrid with the US government. Of those, 2 describe a crash, 2 people were injured and no death is recorded. No recall campaign has been matched to this year, make and model.
The most complained-about system is the brakes,
named in 5 complaints, 42% of the total.
The typical failure was reported at 48,023 miles,
the median across the 10
complaints that gave
an odometer reading.
Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files
· Covers June 2014 to October 2022 · How this is counted
What is on file
12 complaints on file
12
Complaints
2
Describe a crash
0
Mention fire
2
People injured
0
Deaths
A complaint is an unverified account by the person who filed it, not a
finding of fault. One complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts
them.
No recall campaign was matched to this year, make and model. That is not
the same as a clean vehicle: recalls are issued against production
ranges, and the only reliable check is your own VIN.
Which system owners named
Complaints naming each system
SERVICE BRAKES 5 · 42%
5 42%
AIR BAGS 2 · 17%
2 17%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 2 · 17%
2 17%
EQUIPMENT 1 · 8%
1 8%
TIRES 1 · 8%
1 8%
VISIBILITY 1 · 8%
1 8%
048
One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 12.
When the complaints arrived
By the year NHTSA received them
By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures
happened. They peaked in 2020 at 5.
8 6 4 2
142014152015182018202020212021222022
This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure
happened. The range runs from 2014 to 2022.
Crash test ratings
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program
NHTSA has not crash tested the 2013 Lexus RX Hybrid. Its New Car Assessment Program
tests a selection of each year's vehicles and does not reach
motorcycles, heavy trucks, motorhomes or most low-volume models, so
an absence here says nothing about how the vehicle would perform. It
is not a low score.
What owners have reported about this vehicle is below, and it is a
different question: a crash test measures what happens to the people
inside in a controlled impact, while a complaint records what broke
during ordinary use.
Defect investigations
1 on file
An investigation means NHTSA has decided a pattern is worth examining. A
preliminary evaluation is often closed with no action; an engineering
analysis is the stage that usually precedes a recall.
Pedestrian alert sounds
DP22005
Closed defect petition · opened January 27, 2023 · closed August 7, 2023 · led to recall 22V063000
the electrical system
NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles. The standard applies to hybrid and electric vehicles that have a gross vehicle weight rating of 4,536 KG or less or are defined as low-speed vehicles. The standard became fully applicable to all such vehicles manufactured on or after March 1, 2021.On January 27, 2023, NHTSA opened Defect Petition (DP) 22-005 to evaluate the subject matter described in the petition. On June 24, 2023 and as supplemented on June 25, 2023, the petitioner notified NHTSA he was withdrawing his petition. The petitioner indicated that, based on his review of data, there is no justification for asserting potential benefits that could be derived from actions sought by my petition. Based on the petitioner's withdrawal, DP22-005 is closed. Closure of this DP does not represent a determination by NHTSA regarding the subject matter of the petition.
In owners’ own words
Quoted from the complaint file
Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the
people who filed them, not findings of fault.
AIR BAGS
1 injured · crash · 25,000 miles
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 LEXUS RX450H. WHILE DRIVING 25 MPH, THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE WAS CRASHED INTO FROM THE REAR BY ANOTHER VEHICLE. THE CONTACT INJURED HIS HEAD WHEN IT STRUCK THE STEERING WHEEL. THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A COLLISION CENTER AND RULED AS BEING DESTROYED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 25,000.
NHTSA complaint 10597686. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
1 injured · 54,046 miles
SUNROOF EXPLODED WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY, RAINING GLASS ON THE DRIVER, WHO SUSTAINED MINOR CUTS.
NHTSA complaint 11353534. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
crash · 21,000 miles
I WAS BACKING OUT OF A PARKING SPACE SUDDENLY AND FOR NO APPARENT REASON THE MY CAR SPED UP.MY BREAK DID NO STOP MY CAR. I WAS FINALLY ABLE TO STOP MY CAR BY PUTTING INTO PARK. THE STOP WAS SO ABRUPT THAT I DIDN'T REALIZE I HIT ANYTHING. THIS SAME SCENARIO HAPPENED ABOUT TWO WEEK AGO, EXCEPT I DIDN'T HIT ANYTHING
NHTSA complaint 10761967. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
TIRES:SIDEWALL
The contact owns a 2013 Lexus RX450H equipped with Bridgestone Tires, Tire Line: Ecopia H-L 422 Plus, Tire Size: 235/55/R19, DOT Number: 0bE7EC10120. The contact stated that while driving approximately 5 MPH, the passenger’s side front tire exploded. The contact stated that the side of the tire quickly lost air pressure in the blowout. There were no warning lights illuminated. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 21T012000 (Tires). The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate tire mileage was 25,000. The vehicle failure mileage was unknown.
NHTSA complaint 11491568. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
SERVICE BRAKES
40,000 miles
I TOOK MY CAR TO DEALERSHIP FOR WARNING LIGHTS ON, HYBRID BATTERY MALFUNCTION AND BRAKE MALFUNCTION. OUR LOCAL DEALERSHIP HERE ON GUAM DIAGNOSED AND PROVIDED ME AN ESTIMATE OF OVER $4K TO REPLACE THE BRAKE ACTUATOR BECAUSE IT'S LEAKING, ALONG WITH THE PUMP. CAR WAS IN MOTIKN WHEN IT FIRST CAME ON.
NHTSA complaint 11390111. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
SERVICE BRAKES
83,000 miles
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 LEXUS RX450H. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS APPLIED, THE BRAKES LOCKED UP AND BECAME DIFFICULT TO STOP THE VEHICLE. THE BRAKE SYSTEM WARNING LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO KEYES LEXUS (5905 VAN NUYS BLVD, VAN NUYS, CA 91401, (818) 538-2990) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE BRAKE ACTUATOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE THE MECHANIC WAS INFORMED THAT THE BRAKE ACTUATOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED BUT, NO FURTHER ASSISTANCE WAS PROVIDED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 83,000.
NHTSA complaint 11355213. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
AIR BAGS
93,000 miles
WHEN PULLING OUT OF OUR NEIGHBORHOOD, MY HUSBAND SLOWED DOWN TO TURN RIGHT. UPON TURNING INTO THE MIDDLE LANE, ALL SIDE AIRBAGS, FRONT AND BACK BLEW. WHILE THE INTENSITY FROM THE BLAST ROCKED THE CAR, THERE WAS NOTHING NEARBY THAT HE HIT. NO VISIBLE DAMAGE WAS DONE TO THE CAR, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF, THE AIR BAGS. WE HAD NEVER HAD ANY ISSUES WITH THIS CAR, AND IN FACT, HAD JUST BEEN AT THE DEALERSHIP THE SATURDAY PRIOR GETTING A STATE INSPECTION AND A NEW BATTERY. THE SERVICE REP EVEN MENTIONED HOW IMPRESSED HE WAS THAT THIS WAS THE CAR'S FIRST BATTERY IN 7 YEARS AND OVER 90K MILES. HE TOLD US THE CAR LOOKED GREAT AND TO KEEP IT UP! AND THEN TUESDAY CAME AROUND AND THE AIR BAG MALFUNCTION …
NHTSA complaint 11324527, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
SERVICE BRAKES
119,500 miles
MY 2013 RX450H' ABS LIGHT SUDDENLY TURNED ON WHILE I WAS DRIVING IN A LOCAL ROAD. ALONG WITH THE ABS LIGHT, THERE WERE BRAKE WARNING LIGHT, MASTER MAINTENANCE WARNING LIGHT, SLIP LIGHT ON ALONG WITH "CHECK ABS" "BRAKE SYSTEM MALFUNCTION" WARNING MESSAGES APPEARING ON THE DASH BOARD. VERY UNSETTLING. I TOOK THE CAR TO A LEXUS DEALERSHIP AND THEY RETRIEVED ERROR CODE AS "C1391, ABNORMAL LEAK IN ACCUMULATOR. " THEY DIDN'T DETECT ANY LEAKAGE OR MOISTURE IN THE DIAGNOSIS, THEY RECOMMENDED TO REPLACE THE ABS ACTUATOR AND BOOSTER BUMP/ACCUMULATOR ASSEMBLY FOR A PRICE OF OVER $4300. AFTER I DID SOME RESEARCH OF THIS PROBLEM, I RAN INTO MANY COMPLAINT OF THE SAME ISSUE WITH VARIOUS TOYOTA AND LEXUS …
NHTSA complaint 11316157, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's
lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. How
many repair attempts it takes, and how long you have to file, is set by
the state you bought in and by nothing on this page.
Complaints: NHTSA's ODI
complaint file, published October 2, 2026. One
complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts them.
Recalls: NHTSA's recall
campaign API, no campaign on file for this vehicle.
Investigations: NHTSA's ODI
investigation file, published October 2, 2026.
A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by
us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that
sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.
G
Compiled and maintained by guarledes Independent developer and analyst