What breaks most · 2003 to 2009 model years
Lexus GX470 problems by year
Owners have filed 177 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Lexus GX470 across model years 2003 to 2009. Three years stand out: 2003 for powertrain and transmission complaints, 2004 for air bags complaints and 2005 for air bags complaints. The quietest years are 2007 and 2006.
- Years to check closely: 2003, 2004, 2005
- Fewest complaints: 2007, 2006
- Complaints on file
- 1772003 to 2009, all trims
- Worst year
- 200346 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 241 fires · 17 injuries · 0 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 73kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 5Across 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 46 | 5 | 2 | Powertrain and transmission (11) | |
| 32 | 4 | 1 | Air bags (12) | |
| 30 | 4 | 1 | Air bags (10) | |
| 28 | 3 | 1 | Body and structure (8) | |
| 27 | 5 | 0 | Body and structure (6) | |
| 13 | 3 | 0 | Brakes (hydraulic) (4) | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | Seats (1) |
What fails on the 2003 Lexus GX470
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 24% |
11 | 0 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| SuspensionStruts, springs and control arms | 15% |
7 | 0 | Shop suspension parts for the 2003 Lexus GX470 |
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 13% |
6 | 0 | Shop engine and cooling parts for the 2003 Lexus GX470 |
| Body and structureDoors, latches and body hardware | 13% |
6 | 0 | Shop body and structure parts for the 2003 Lexus GX470 |
| Unknown or other | 11% |
5 | 0 | — |
| Speed control and throttleThrottle and pedal sensors | 9% |
4 | 1 | Shop speed control and throttle parts for the 2003 Lexus GX470 |
| SteeringPower steering pumps, racks and hoses | 7% |
3 | 1 | Shop steering parts for the 2003 Lexus GX470 |
| Brakes (hydraulic)Brake pads, rotors and calipers | 7% |
3 | 0 | Shop brakes (hydraulic) parts for the 2003 Lexus GX470 |
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.
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Dt*: the contact stated after the vehicle was place in the park position with the engine running and the vehicle was exited, a witness observed the vehicle reversing. The vehicle's door knock the contact to the ground and front left wheel rolled over to the contact's chest, back, spine and face.
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There is a huge crack in the dash that has been reported by many gx drivers and is obviously a fault in lexus' manufacturing.
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Dash board has begun to crack. Concerned there would be a safety issue if the air bags were deployed. Apparently this is a common issue for the lexus gx470 from reading other complaints.
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 GX470 years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2003, 2004, 2005 carry the most filings on the Lexus GX470. The 2003 alone has 46 complaints, led by powertrain and transmission.
What is the most common Lexus GX470 problem?
On the 2003 model year, the most-reported component is powertrain and transmission with 11 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Lexus GX470 problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Lexus GX470 complaints that include mileage is about 73,000 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.