Lexus · NHTSA safety record

2016 Lexus NX

Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.

Owners have filed 17 safety complaints about the 2016 Lexus NX with the US government. Of those, 4 describe a crash, 3 people were injured and no death is recorded. One recall campaign is open against it, covering the air bags.

The most complained-about system is the engine, named in 5 complaints, 29% of the total. The typical failure was reported at 84,000 miles, the median across the 7 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files · Covers October 2019 to September 2026 · How this is counted

What is on file

17 complaints on file

Complaints

Describe a crash

Mention fire

People injured

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.

A recall is the manufacturer conceding a defect, and the repair is free. Whether one covers your particular car is a question only its VIN can answer, because a campaign covers a production range rather than a model year.

Which system owners named

Complaints naming each system

ENGINE 5 · 29% 5 29%

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 4 · 24% 4 24%

SERVICE BRAKES 4 · 24% 4 24%

POWER TRAIN 3 · 18% 3 18%

AIR BAGS 2 · 12% 2 12%

UNKNOWN OR OTHER 2 · 12% 2 12%

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC 1 · 6% 1 6%

STRUCTURE 1 · 6% 1 6%

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 1 · 6% 1 6%

VISIBILITY/WIPER 1 · 6% 1 6%

0 4 8

Red marks a system with a recall campaign against it. One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 17.

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 4.

8 6 4 2

19 2019 20 2020 21 2021 22 2022 23 2023 24 2024 25 2025 26 2026

This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure happened. The range runs from 2019 to 2026, the last of them a part year, which is why its column is drawn faint.

Crash test ratings

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program

NHTSA has not crash tested the 2016 Lexus NX. 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.

Recall campaigns

1 on file

AIR BAGS:SIDE/WINDOW

18V085000 · January 31, 2018

The defect: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2016 Toyota Prius and Lexus RX 350, RX 350 F Sport, RX 450h F Sport and RX 450h vehicles and 2015-2016 Lexus NX 200T, NX Turbo and NX 300h vehicles. The air bag pressure sensors and/or the acceleration sensors may fail causing the side/curtain shield air bags and/or the front air bags to not deploy in the event of a crash.
The risk: If the air bags fail to deploy in a crash, it can increase the risk of injury.
The remedy: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the sensors as necessary based on their serial numbers, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin March 12, 2018. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's numbers for this recall are JLA, J0F.

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing · up to 48,672 vehicles across all model years covered

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 Filed October 9, 2019

1 injured · crash · towed · 59,000 miles

WHILE DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY AT 72.5 MPH THE BRAKES LOCKED UP WITHOUT WARNING CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO SKID 60 TO 70 FEET, CRASH INTO A CONCRETE CENTER DIVIDER AND AIRBAGS WERE NOT DEPLOYED. MODERATE INJURIES. LEXUS DID AN INSPECTION 32 DAYS LATER AND THEY HAVE NO EXPLANATION. THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED APPROXIMATELY TWO MONTHS AGO ON AUGUST 9 , 2019. VEHICLE STILL SITS AT THE DEALERSHIP WHILE I MAKE PAYMENTS, PAY FOR A RENTAL CAR, AND ENSURE THE VEHICLE. LEXUS HAS NOT GIVEN ME ANY WRITTEN EXPLANATION AS PROMISED.

NHTSA complaint 11267526. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES Filed December 15, 2021

1 injured · crash · towed

Upon entering a parking lot yesterday and heading down a small ramp my 2016 Lexus NX 200 spontaneously accelerated and even with my foot on the brake did not stop. I was unable to control my car and ending up hitting a tree. All of the airbags deployed; the windshield cracked; the body of the car was severely damaged and I suffered injuries. The car was brought to a body shop and is available for inspection. Fortunately, no other cars were in the parking lot and no one else was hurt. The car will be inspected over the next few days. There weren't any warning signs. I cannot say for sure what mechanical failure occurred to cause the accident, but there was clearly a mechanical failure as the

NHTSA complaint 11443883, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS Filed September 21, 2022

1 injured · crash · towed

As I was traveling eastbound going 55MPH, a car pulled out in front of me from a parking lot and hit my car in the front passenger side. The impact caused my car to go over both eastbound lanes, the median, both westbound lanes, down a hill, and headfirst into a fence. All passenger side airbags deployed, but my driver airbag did not. The impact from the collision should have caused my airbag to go off, and then head first into the fence should have been a second reason for it to deploy. The airbag not going off could have avoided a concussion and severe neck and back trauma. There is an airbag recall on the year, make, and model of my car but my VIN does not show up as an impacted vehicle.

NHTSA complaint 11485601, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STRUCTURE:BODY Filed March 16, 2020

crash · towed · 67,658 miles

I WAS DRIVING ON THE WESTBOUND SIDE OF THE FREEWAY 170 WHEN A VEHICLE HIT ME ON THE DRIVER SIDE OF THE CAR WITCH THE IT PUSH ME TO THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE FREEWAY MAKING ME GO OF THE ROAD AND HITTING A TREE , I WAS NOT ABLE TO STOP BECAUSE IT WAS RAINING AT THE MOMENT OF THE IMPACT

NHTSA complaint 11318246. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES Filed September 12, 2026

While driving and approaching a red light, my entire breaking system failed. No warning lights appeared, no warning of breaks going bad. Pedal went straight to the floor. Eventually pulled over to the side and had vehicle towed to Lexus. They found the Master brake cylinder to be bad. My vehicle only has 50k miles on it. Only a few more miles and I would have been on the highway going 60 with children in the vehicle! Why would a system fail at 50k miles!!!

NHTSA complaint 11763819. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC Filed July 10, 2026

150,000 miles

The contact owns a 2016 Lexus NX 300H. The contact stated that the brake pedal was soft and had low performance. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake pedal was depressed, and the vehicle was slow to respond. The message “Braking Power Low - Visit the Dealer” was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, and the contact was informed that there was a fee for a diagnostic test. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact contacted another local dealer, Lexus Service of Glendale (1221 S Brand Blvd, Glendale, CA 91204). The manufacturer was contacted and informed the contact that the vehicle was previously repaired under

NHTSA complaint 11749559, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE Filed March 11, 2026

My 2016 Lexus NX200t with approximately 157,000 miles experienced sudden engine stalling, loss of acceleration, and the check engine light illuminated while driving. The loss of power created a dangerous situation because the vehicle was unable to accelerate normally in traffic. These symptoms are consistent with the defective low-pressure fuel pump recall affecting certain Toyota and Lexus vehicles that can cause engine stall and loss of power. However, my VIN is not currently included in the recall even though my vehicle is experiencing the same safety defect. I am requesting that this issue be investigated to determine whether additional vehicles, including my model year, should be

NHTSA complaint 11723586, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN Filed August 25, 2025

84,000 miles

The contact owns a 2016 Lexus NX 200T. The contact discovered oil dripping on the surface of her garage floor underneath the vehicle. Due to the failure, the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who discovered that there was a rear main seal engine oil leak between the engine and the transmission. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 84,000.

NHTSA complaint 11682795. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN Filed August 4, 2025

2016 NX, F-SPORT. TRANSMISSION FAILURE. DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE AND SUV JUST WENT INTO LIMP MODE. NO CODE ON DASH BEFORE THIS HAPPENED.

NHTSA complaint 11678169. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES Filed July 23, 2025

The ABS actuator failed. It is available for inspection upon request. The brakes frequently failed, often requiring the brake pedal to be pressed fully to the floor to stop the vehicle, causing severe jolting and near collisions. This created a life-threatening risk to me, my child, and other drivers on the road. A certified Lexus dealership replicated the brake failure issue multiple times during a test drive and confirmed the defective ABS actuator. A trusted local mechanic also identified faulty components, including the master cylinder and spray-painted calipers. The vehicle has been inspected by the certified Lexus dealer and an independent mechanic. There has been no involvement from

NHTSA complaint 11675669, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Lexus NX

Model year	Complaints	Recalls	Deaths
2025	18	5	—
2024	45	4	—
2023	15	3	—
2022	27	2	—
2019	30	1	—
2015	26	1	—

Other 2016 Lexus models

RX350 58 ES350 21 IS200T 9

Complaints on file, same model year.

Every Lexus on this site — 91 vehicles.

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.

Where these numbers come from

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, newest campaign on this vehicle filed January 31, 2018.
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.

Compiled and maintained by guarledes
Independent developer and analyst