CSR

Lexus · NHTSA safety record

2020 Lexus RX

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

44

Complaints

6

Crashes

0

Fires

4

Injuries

0

Deaths

Owners of the 2020 Lexus RX have filed 44 safety complaints with NHTSA between August 2021 and June 2026. The most complained-about system is the air bags, named in 21 of them (48%). The typical failure was reported at 31,500 miles, the median across the 2 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

NHTSA has issued 1 recall covering this vehicle.

Recalls (1)

AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION

23V865000 · December 20, 2023

The defect
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Avalon, Avalon Hybrid, Corolla, Highlander, Highlander Hybrid, RAV4, RAV4 Hybrid, Lexus ES350, Lexus RX350, Lexus RX450H, 2021 Sienna Hybrid, Lexus ES250, 2020-2022 Camry, Camry Hybrid, and ES300H vehicles. A short circuit may develop in the Occupant Classification System (OCS) sensor, preventing the front passenger air bag from deploying.
The risk
An air bag that does not deploy during a crash increases the risk of injury.
The remedy
Dealers will inspect and replace the sensor as necessary, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed in February 2024. Some final remedy owner letters were mailed October 31, 2024. Letters will continue to be mailed in phases through January 2026. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is 23TB15/23TA15 Lexus 23LB03/23LA03.

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing · up to 999,901 vehicles across all model years covered

What owners report

Complaints naming each system. One complaint can name several, so these add up to more than 44.

AIR BAGS 21 48%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 8 18%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 4 9%
ENGINE 4 9%
TIRES 4 9%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 3 7%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 2 5%
STRUCTURE 2 5%
BACK OVER PREVENTION 1 2%
POWER TRAIN 1 2%
SERVICE BRAKES 1 2%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 1 2%

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2025 at 13.

2021 2025 2026
2021 to 2026, the last of them a part year

In owners' own words

Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

2 injured · crash · towed · 17,000 miles

The contact owned a 2020 Lexus RX350. The contact stated that while making a left turn into a parking lot at approximately 10 MPH, the vehicle suddenly accelerated on its own and crashed into the side of a Walmart shopping store. The air bags deployed upon impact. The contact and her sister were both taken by ambulance to two separate hospitals. The contact was treated for fractures to her right hand and wrist; screws were placed in her right wrist and another was placed in between her index and middle right finger. The contact had additional X-rays performed on the right of her body where she experienced pain and soreness to the right side of her back and leg; as well as her breastplate.

NHTSA complaint 11466908, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE

1 injured · crash

Contact states they were sitting in DRIVE, with their foot on the brake. When the contact took their foot off the brake, they began to let the vehicle coast to about 5 MPH. Then, the vehicle lunged forward unexpectedly to about 25 MPH, when it collided with a rock. The vehicle had previously spent over 10 days in different dealerships to diagnose issues related to the engine running rough, the car stalling out, and the vehicle driving erratically and lunging forward. The contact only began to have issues with the vehicle after the NHTSA Denso Fuel Pump Recall. A year after the contact took delivery of the vehicle, the remedy was done. The dealership stated they had completed the remedy

NHTSA complaint 11507921, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

1 injured

SUNROOF EXPLODED WHILE DRIVING WHILE MY HUSBAND WAS DRIVING WITH A FRIEND. DEALERSHIP IS NOT ACKKNOWLEDGING IT SINCE THERE IS NOT A RECALL SO I WILL HAVE TO CALL LEXUS CORPORATE. I AM TAKING IT INTO THE DEALERSHIP TO BE FIXED AND DROPPING IT OFF THIS FRIDAY. INSURANCE ADJUSTER WILL BE DOING TO DEALERSHIP TO LOOK AT SINCE IT COSTS $2000 TO FIX AND I HAVE A $1000 DEDUCTIBLE :( :( NO WARNING JUST SOUNDED LIKE A BOMB OR GUNSHOT GOING OFF. MY HUSBAND HAS HAD RINGING IN THE EARS SINCE IT WAS SO LOAD AND RIGHT ABOVE HIS HEAD!!!!

NHTSA complaint 11639337. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

crash · towed

Was driving into the garage (coasting) very slowly and as I was preparing to step on brake the car revved forward unsuspectedly - I have a video on my ring door bell and you can hear the engine then the squealing of the automatic braking system. I destroyed the adult 3 wheel bicycle that was stored along the wall but that helped the vehicle from crashing through the bricks - I remember shouting “what the hell is happening”. After much research as I knew I did not depress the accelerator in error - I found that this has been a common occurrence with Toyota and Lexus products. I am a very careful driver and I have replayed the incident in my head over and over. I presently dont have the

NHTSA complaint 11430031, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

WHEELS
The rear wheel which is Lexus OEM busted and lost air when driving on the highway at highway speed on June 23, 2026. This caused an immediate hazard and a dangerous loss of vehicle control. Fortunately, I was able to safely pull over, but this failure put my life and the lives of others at serious risk. The mileage is about 45,396. The vehicle was purchased from Freeport Lexus as a pre-owned on January 20, 2026. The recording from the dashcam shows no debris on the road and the car didn't hit any object the road. I've written an email to the dealer and asked for an field inspection of the wheel.

NHTSA complaint 11746351. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The panoramic sunroof has a shade, which is not closing. This causes a lot of sunlight to enter the vehicle which might be harmful to your skin and causes headaches. The repair is very expensive and there is no other way around it. I seen many owners raising concerns about the same issue happening to them, on youtube, reddit, google and other websites. This is an issue on the same model from around 2017-2022. This must be repaired by lexus, and improved so it doesn’t keep happening.

NHTSA complaint 11743718. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
While driving the engine stalls. It has jolted back-and-forth at times and had to be taken to a dealer. It’s still stalls when trying to slowly accelerate especially uphills. Low gas mileage barely getting 18 miles per gallon. Warning lights flickering while car stallling. It’s like it’s having a seizure. This has happened a few times.

NHTSA complaint 11740288. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The hatchback window shattered without any known cause. It appeared to have been hit from inside the vehicle but no one was in or around the vehicle when it occurred. It was 82 degrees outside and the vehicle was parked in the shade. Lexus told me there were no known issues regarding the window on other Lexus vehicles.

NHTSA complaint 11729675. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN
I own a 2020 Lexus RX 450h with approximately 129,803 miles. The check engine light came on and the vehicle stored diagnostic trouble code P0A2D, which indicates a failure of the drive motor/temperature sensor circuit that is integrated into the transmission/hybrid motor assembly. According to the Lexus dealer’s diagnosis, the temperature control sensor located on the transmission/hybrid drive unit has failed. Because Lexus designed this sensor as part of the transmission assembly, the dealer has stated the sensor cannot be replaced separately and that the only repair is to replace the entire transmission. Lexus is refusing to acknowledge this as a manufacturing defect and is requiring me,

NHTSA complaint 11723917, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS

crash

I am submitting this correspondence to formally report a serious safety incident involving my 2020 Lexus RX 350 and to request a thorough investigation. On Saturday, February 7, while attempting to park the vehicle, I experienced a sudden loss of control, resulting in the vehicle accelerating forward and colliding with a metal gate. The exact cause of this event is unknown. During the incident, the vehicle’s pre-collision and automatic braking system failed to engage despite an obstruction being present. Additionally, the airbags did not deploy at the time of impact. A minor child was present in the vehicle, properly secured in a child's safety seat. While no injuries occurred, the vehicle

NHTSA complaint 11718294, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Lexus RX

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2025 18 4
2024 54 4
2023 56 3
2021 69 1
2019 33 1
2017 47 0
2010 76 0

Other 2020 Lexus models

Every Lexus on this site — 88 vehicles, 116 recall campaigns and 1 open investigation .

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. What each state asks for , read from the statutes.

Where these numbers come from

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.

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