CSR

Lexus · NHTSA safety record

2023 Lexus RX

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

56

Complaints

4

Crashes

0

Fires

5

Injuries

0

Deaths

Owners of the 2023 Lexus RX have filed 56 safety complaints with NHTSA between July 2023 and August 2026. The most complained-about system is the engine, named in 10 of them (18%). The typical failure was reported at 7,250 miles, the median across the 6 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

NHTSA has issued 3 recalls covering this vehicle.

Recalls (3)

BACK OVER PREVENTION:SOFTWARE

26V162000 · March 18, 2026

The defect
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2022-2025 Lexus NX350, NX250, 2023-2026 RX350, and 2024-2026 TX350 vehicles. The rearview camera image may not display when the vehicle is placed in reverse. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 111, "Rear Visibility."
The risk
A rearview image that does not display reduces the driver's view behind the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Dealers will update the rearview camera software or replace the rearview camera, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 15, 2026. Owners may contact Toyota's customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's numbers for this recall are 26LB02 and 26LA02.

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing · up to 144,200 vehicles across all model years covered

BACK OVER PREVENTION:DISPLAY FUNCTION

25V744000 · October 30, 2025

The defect
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2022-2026 Toyota, Lexus, and Subaru Solterra vehicles equipped with a Panoramic View Monitor (PVM) system. Please see the recall report for a complete list of models. A software error may cause the rearview camera to freeze or display a blank screen when the vehicle is in reverse. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 111, "Rear Visibility."
The risk
A rearview camera that fails to display an image can reduce the driver's view behind the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Dealers will update the parking assist software, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed January 2, 2026. Owners may contact Toyota's customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's numbers for this recall are 25TB13 and 25LB06. Subaru's number for this recall is WRE25.

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing · up to 1,024,407 vehicles across all model years covered

STEERING:COLUMN

25V040000 · January 29, 2025

The defect
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2023 Toyota Corolla, Corolla Cross, Corolla Cross Hybrid, Highlander, Highlander Hybrid, Tacoma, Lexus RX350, 2023-2024 NX250, and NX350 vehicles that may have been incorrectly repaired under previous NHTSA recall number 23V-480. An electrical connection inside the steering column's spiral cable assembly may be insufficiently welded, causing the connection to separate and deactivate the driver's air bag. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
The risk
A deactivated driver's air bag will not deploy as intended, increasing the risk of injury during a crash.
The remedy
Dealers will inspect and replace the spiral cable assembly as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 17, 2025. Owners may contact Toyota's customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is 25TA02. Lexus' number for this recall is 25LA02.

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing · up to 1,716 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 56.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER 14 25%
ENGINE 10 18%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 9 16%
POWER TRAIN 9 16%
STRUCTURE 7 13%
LANE DEPARTURE 4 7%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 3 5%
AIR BAGS 2 4%
BACK OVER PREVENTION 2 4%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 2 4%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 2 4%
VISIBILITY/WIPER 2 4%

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2026 at 19.

2023 2026
2023 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.

AIR BAGS

2 injured · crash · towed · 7,000 miles

The contact loaned a 2023 Lexus RX 350. The contact stated that while driving with the cruise control feature set at 65 MPH, the vehicle was rear-ended, hit the median wall, and was then catapulted back into oncoming traffic. The contact stated that the driver's side air bag did not deploy however all the other air bags did deploy as intended. In addition, the contact stated that the front driver-side seat belt failed to secure the driver during the incident. The contact sustained shoulder, hip, leg, and arm injuries and the front passenger sustained left arm injuries. Medical attention was received via the hospital for both occupants. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a

NHTSA complaint 11610031, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS

1 injured · crash · towed

My air bags did not deploy with a head on collision.

NHTSA complaint 11657632. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

1 injured · crash · towed · 18,000 miles

The contact owned a 2023 Lexus RX 350. The contact stated that while the vehicle was stopped at a traffic light, it suddenly accelerated without warning. While driving in a parking lot, the vehicle again surged forward approximately 20 feet. The contact was able to swerve to avoid striking a pedestrian. The vehicle became uncontrollable, and the brakes were inoperable. The vehicle ultimately crashed into a dumpster fence, which fell onto the vehicle. The contact sustained injuries to her mouth, including cuts to the inside and outside of her mouth, and medical attention was provided by a plastic surgeon. The fire department responded to the scene. The air bags did not deploy during the

NHTSA complaint 11723281, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

1 injured

The sunroof of my 2023 Lexus SUV had a defect and shattered/exploded outwards due to a defect in the tempered glass while driving on the highway. The glass shards fell from the sunroof and cut my face while driving. I had to have a nurse remove the glass shards from my face. Fortunately in this scenario, it did not cause me to lose control of my vehicle on a congested highway. The sunroof defects with Toyota and Lexus vehicles have been documented by several customers online and through several class action lawsuits. The vehicle has been sent to a local Toyota/Lexus dealership for inspection and repair. There were no warnings, messages or other symptoms that the sunroof shattering/exploding

NHTSA complaint 11610669, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

VISIBILITY/WIPER
The rain-sensing wiper system in my 2023 Lexus RX has been inoperative since I purchased the vehicle in May 2023 (current mileage: approximately 55,000 miles). The automatic wipers consistently fail to activate in response to rain, requiring manual operation while driving — a dangerous distraction that significantly reduces safety, especially during heavy rainfall when visibility is already compromised. This defect has been present since the day of purchase and is therefore a manufacturing defect, not a wear-and-tear issue. Lexus has since officially confirmed this through TSB L-SB-0025-25, which specifically addresses rain-sensing wiper failure in certain 2023 RX models. The vehicle is

NHTSA complaint 11757460, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN
had transmission replaced 2 times and update to transmission. this is a brand new car purchased in 2023. first transmission replaced at 20,963 miles, 2nd replaced at 33,543 miles, 35,221 miles transmission update. It was cumulative 33 out of service. We feel this vehicle is unsafe to drive. Even after all the transmissions replaced om the is vehicle had 2 more incidents. One was loss of power in traffic and another was on a highway transmission would not shift into higher gear. This is not new there have been hundreds of people with the same exact problems. Lexus has internal TSB L-SB-0059-23 detailing these problems.

NHTSA complaint 11754621. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN
On July 21st, 2026 while stopped at a red light and upon turning green stepped on the accelerator to transition from stop to start, the vehicle suffered a sudden, catastrophic loss of motive power. The engine failed to respond to accelerator input, leaving the vehicle stranded in active traffic. This created an immediate rear-end collision hazard in a busy intersection. I was forced to coast the vehicle out of traffic to the side of the road, cycle the ignition off, and reset and temporarily regain powertrain functionality. Also on July 25th, 2026 I lost the power to accelerate on the highway when I was cutoff. I put the car in neutral and then back in drive to get power back to accelerate.

NHTSA complaint 11754128, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
when driving on the highway and i let up the gas the engine surges. this is an ongoing issue. makes me apply the brakes or take action scary. it happens all the time. took it to lexus and they say this is normal. to me it is a safety driving issue. it surges for some time with no gas applied.

NHTSA complaint 11748178. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
My 2023 Lexus RX350 with 67,000 miles displayed a check engine light along with a Drive-Start Control Malfunction warning. The vehicle was brought to a Lexus dealership where it was diagnosed with fault code P25B372 — Turbocharger Wastegate A Actuator Stuck Open. The dealership confirmed the wastegate actuator has failed and requires replacement. The part is currently on backorder with over 800 units backordered nationally, indicating this is a systemic issue affecting multiple vehicles. Toyota has issued Technical Service Bulletin T-SB-0084-23 covering this exact fault code on the same 2.4L turbocharged engine used in the 2023 Lexus RX350. The bulletin states the repair is covered under

NHTSA complaint 11740958, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Vehicle jerking back and forth aggressively while at a complete stop with foot firmly on brake pedal. Vehicle seems to want to lurch forward.

NHTSA complaint 11734180. 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
2021 69 1
2020 44 1
2019 33 1
2017 47 0
2010 76 0

Other 2023 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.

Compiled and maintained by
Independent developer and analyst