What breaks most · 2003 to 2026 model years
Lexus GX problems by year
Owners have filed 168 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Lexus GX across model years 2003 to 2026. Three years stand out: 2004 for body and structure complaints, 2024 for electrical system complaints and 2014 for electrical system complaints. The quietest years are 2008, 2018 and 2021.
- Years to check closely: 2004, 2024, 2014
- Fewest complaints: 2008, 2018, 2021
- Complaints on file
- 1682003 to 2026, all trims
- Worst year
- 200420 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 111 fires · 7 injuries · 0 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 51kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 6Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 1 | 0 | Unknown or other (3) | |
| 20 | 1 | 0 | Body and structure (9) | |
| 3 | 0 | 0 | Body and structure (2) | |
| 10 | 0 | 0 | Body and structure (5) | |
| 12 | 0 | 0 | Body and structure (7) | |
| 2 | 1 | 0 | Speed control and throttle (1) | |
| 7 | 1 | 0 | Air bags (2) | |
| 11 | 1 | 0 | Engine (4) | |
| 3 | 0 | 0 | Brakes (1) | |
| 10 | 0 | 0 | Fuel system (3) | |
| 15 | 3 | 0 | Electrical system (5) | |
| 3 | 0 | 0 | Visibility (1) | |
| 3 | 1 | 0 | Air bags (1) | |
| 6 | 0 | 0 | Body and structure (2) | |
| 2 | 0 | 0 | Air bags (1) | |
| 8 | 0 | 0 | Unknown or other (2) | |
| 3 | 0 | 0 | Brakes (1) | |
| 2 | 0 | 0 | Seats (1) | |
| 5 | 1 | 0 | Brakes (3) | |
| 6 | 0 | 0 | Brakes (2) | |
| 18 | 1 | 4 | Electrical system (5) | |
| 13 | 0 | 2 | Body and structure (4) | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | Unknown or other (1) |
What fails on the 2004 Lexus GX
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Body and structureDoors, latches and body hardware | 45% |
9 | 0 | Shop all body and structure parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Unknown or other | 20% |
4 | 0 | — |
| SuspensionStruts, springs and control arms | 20% |
4 | 0 | Shop all suspension parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Air bags | 15% |
3 | 0 | Check recalls for air bags on NHTSA.gov |
| Tires | 10% |
2 | 1 | — |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 10% |
2 | 0 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 5% |
1 | 0 | Shop all engine and cooling parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Stability controlABS and wheel speed sensors | 5% |
1 | 0 | Shop all stability control parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
-
Rusted out frame, missing entire sections of it in the rear end, body mounts are floating, Lexus inspected the car at 144,000~ miles and deemed it unsafe to drive, was owned by a friend of mine and now it is up for sale at morse road auto sales inc in columbus ohio.
-
My car was stolen via a can-bus attack - it was locked while it happened. The alarm was going off and they still stole the car. It took less than 3 minutes.
-
The recall Toyota did for the rear back up camera. This has been a known issue as far back as 2014. My camera/screen is off more than it is operable.
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 6, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Lexus GX years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2004, 2024, 2014 carry the most filings on the Lexus GX. The 2004 alone has 20 complaints, led by body and structure.
What is the most common Lexus GX problem?
On the 2004 model year, the most-reported component is body and structure with 9 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Lexus GX problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Lexus GX complaints that include mileage is about 51,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.