10.0
really awful- Crashes / Fires:
- 2 / 0
- Injuries / Deaths:
- 0 / 1
- Average Mileage:
- 43,062 miles
About These NHTSA Complaints:
The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.
My steering started getting stiff and making a grinding sound without warning. It would then disappear after driving for about 5 minutes. I noticed this seems to be a common problem with the vehicle at the 90,000 mark. I bought a Lexus because I thought the vehicle would be solid but it seems like everything is starting to go. I had to replace the sunroof, air conditioning pump, radiator and transmission after hitting 80,000. I don't want to put any more $$$ into the car at this point because it doesn't seem worth. One problem after the next.
- Los Angeles, CA, USA
I bought my Lexus in 2007. It is a 2004 rx Lexus 330 it had 31,000 miles when bought. Since I had the car my radiator was broken and the Lexus dealership repaired it under warranty. Before this I remember stopping to the dealership because felt the car was stalling and was told that nothing wrong its just I have to be consistent the way I drive with speed. Now in 2010 I'm experiencing the same problem with the car stalling or lagging with the RPM and a little noise coming from the transmission. I really think they should recall this or do something about it because I read alot of reviews that this is happening and the car doesnt even have that many miles. I spent alot of money on this car and they should take this problems in consideration really.
- Riverview, FL, USA
My friend (26 year old male) was driving my 2004 Lexus RX330 at around 9am on christmas eve morning. Witnesses state that he was traveling South on a residential street and crossed a busy 6-lane divided roadway at 80 mph. He continued on the residential street at which time he left the roadway and vaulted across an embankment hitting a block wall. He was killed instantly. Pima county sheriff and medical examiner investigated and could find no reason for the excessive speed or the collision. No drugs or alcohol were found in his system and he had no medical problems. I have no doubt now that I have read other reports that something was mechanically wrong with the Lexus and that caused this fatal accident; updated 003/30/10 updated 06/30/10. Updated 9/29/11
- Tucson, AZ, USA
Driving conservatively through a pharmacy parking lot; abruptly took a right hand turn into an available parking space ( habitually prefer a left-handed parking entry); engine roared, tires squealed and auto jumped over the concrete parking barrier/ over the curb/ and proceeded to strike near the door entrance and a support wall. Airbags did not deploy.
- Friendswood, TX, USA
2004 Lexus rx-330 AWD. Vehicle hesitates when attempting to accelerate. There is a delay, especially when going from a dead stop such as pulling out into traffic. Also, if you attempt to quickly speed up as when merging or an evasive maneuver, the engine lags. Will also happen when turning a corner, then accelerating. I have been told by Lexus that this is a known problem with the "throttle by wire" and "intelligent transmission". I currently pull the ECU fuse monthly to reset the processors and that appears to help for a while. That is the "fix" suggested by the Lexus rx-330 forums. Now that 2006 models are coming, I know this is no longer on the Lexus engineers' minds, but there are those of us that feel this is a safety issue as you never know if the car will respond reliably, especially when pulling into traffic, creating a real hazard.
- Fishers, IN, USA
- Long Beach, CA, USA