What breaks most · 1999 to 2011 model years
Lexus RX problems by year
Owners have filed 213 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Lexus RX across model years 1999 to 2011. Three years stand out: 1999 for powertrain and transmission complaints, 2010 for speed control and throttle complaints and 2004 for body and structure complaints. The quietest years are 2003, 2002 and 2006.
- Years to check closely: 1999, 2010, 2004
- Fewest complaints: 2003, 2002, 2006
- Complaints on file
- 2131999 to 2011, all trims
- Worst year
- 199933 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 121 fires · 4 injuries · 0 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 76kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 3Across 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 33 | 0 | 0 | Powertrain and transmission (29) | |
| 26 | 0 | 0 | Powertrain and transmission (24) | |
| 14 | 0 | 0 | Powertrain and transmission (13) | |
| 6 | 2 | 0 | Powertrain and transmission (4) | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | Air bags (1) | |
| 27 | 0 | 1 | Body and structure (11) | |
| 15 | 0 | 1 | Unknown or other (3) | |
| 8 | 0 | 1 | Body and structure (2) | |
| 23 | 0 | 0 | Body and structure (7) | |
| 16 | 2 | 0 | Engine (4) | |
| 12 | 1 | 0 | Unknown or other (3) | |
| 29 | 6 | 0 | Speed control and throttle (7) | |
| 3 | 1 | 0 | Engine (1) |
What fails on the 1999 Lexus RX
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 88% |
29 | 0 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Seat belts | 9% |
3 | 0 | Check recalls for seat belts on NHTSA.gov |
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 6% |
2 | 0 | Shop all engine and cooling parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Equipment and infotainment | 6% |
2 | 0 | — |
| EngineEngine gaskets and seals | 3% |
1 | 0 | Shop all engine parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| SuspensionStruts, springs and control arms | 3% |
1 | 0 | Shop all suspension 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.
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Transmission failure at approximately 110,000 miles on 1999 lexus rx300. Traveling at low speed (25 mph) transmission "lurched" lost power and we drifted to a stop on a narrow two lane road - on a blind curve of course - at night.
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When i was on reverse gear in my lexus trying to get out of the parking spot, there was sudden unintended acceleration crashing my lexus into a parked vehicle. I tried to hit the brakes which did not work and the vehicle did not stop. There was extensive damage to the parked car.
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Unknown date and time. Vehicle made alarm noise, turned vehicle off. Safety bag light came on and dashboard cracked; radio stopped working.
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 30, 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 RX years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 1999, 2010, 2004 carry the most filings on the Lexus RX. The 1999 alone has 33 complaints, led by powertrain and transmission.
What is the most common Lexus RX problem?
On the 1999 model year, the most-reported component is powertrain and transmission with 29 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Lexus RX problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Lexus RX complaints that include mileage is about 76,000 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.