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What 54 owners told NHTSA about the 2011 Lexus RX 350h

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (54)Crash / fire / injury (23)Engine (16)Brakes (13)Airbags (10)Speed control (8)Body & structure (7)Transmission & drivetrain (7)Electrical system (4)Engine & cooling (3)Fuel system (2)Equipment Adaptive/mobility (1)

4 of 54 complaints match · Body & structure · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

Jul 15, 2023Electrical systemBody & structureEngineFire

On Saturday July 15, 2023, at between about 8:00 and 8:30 a.m. CDST the vehicle was parked overnight in a garage, spontaneously caught fire and burned and was a total loss. There was a smell I would associate with an electrical fire. People reported hearing a car alarm and a "popping sound" before the fire. The fire department extinguished the fire and had the car towed out of the garage of a condominium association. Fire damage to property (except the subject car) was minimal but there was extensive smoke. In my opinion based on this incident, electric/hybrid cars should not be parked indoors.

NHTSA ODI 11532457

Aug 14, 2018Body & structureWheelsEngineFire

PARKED IN DRIVEWAY IN BACK OF HOUSE, BESIDE DECK AFTER SHORT TRIP TO STORE. SMELLED A MELTING SMELL OUTSIDE. MAYBE FIVE MINUTES LATER THE SMELL STARTED COMING INSIDE THE HOUSE. WE LOOKED OUTSIDE AND SAW SMOKE AND THOUGHT THE HOUSE WAS ON FIRE. WE WENT OUTSIDE AND THERE WAS SMOKE AND FLAMES COMING FROM UNDER THE HOOD. SPRAYED CAR WITH FIRE EXTINGUISHER, WHICH DID NOTHING, THEN USED WATER HOSE TO SPRAY FRONT OF CAR TO KEEP FROM THE HOUSE CATCHING ON FIRE. CAR WAS MAKING POPPING NOISES, LARGE AMOUNTS OF SMOKE AND STRONG SMELL. ALL NEIGHBORS CAME OVER IT WAS STRONG. FIRE DEPARTMENT SPENT OVER AN HOUR PUTTING OUT FIRE AND USED THEIR WHOLE TANK OF WATER. FRONT END MELTED, TIRES POPPED, DASHBOARD AND WINDSHIELD DESTROYED. CAUSE IS UNKNOWN

NHTSA ODI 11119918

Aug 13, 2012Body & structureSpeed controlBrakesCrash

TURNED INTO PARKING SPACE. CAR BEGAN ACCELERATING ON ITS OWN. I APPLIED THE BRAKES CONTINUOUSLY, THREW THE CAR INTO PARK TO NO AVAIL. THE CAR JOLTED FORWARD, CRASHING INTO THE STOREFRONT, BREAKING GLASS WINDOWS. THE (APPROX) 2 FEET OF BLOCK WALL STOPPED THE CAR. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT IN MY CONTROL IN SPITE OF ALL EFFORT TO BRING THE CAR TO A STOP. HAD SOMEONE BEEN WALKING ON THE SIDEWALK IN FRONT OF THE STORE (SALON), I WOULD HAVE BEEN POWERLESS TO KEEP FROM INJURING OR KILLING THEM. THIS WAS NOT DRIVER ERROR. I WAS FULLY "IN THE MOMENT," AND AWARE OF WHAT WAS HAPPENING. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10470336

Jul 2, 2012Transmission & drivetrainBody & structureSpeed controlCrash1 injury

I WAS STOPPED AT A RED LIGHT. THE CAR FELT LIKE IT JUMPED / ACCELERATED FROM NOWHERE, AND I COLLIDED WITH THE VEHICLE IN FRONT OF ME IN A REAR-END COLLISION. DAMAGED CAUSED TO MY ENTIRE FRONT END AND THE OTHER VEHICLES BACK END. IMPACT SPEED IS UNKNOWN BUT IT FELT LIKE 5-10MPH AND DEFINITELY NOT A ROLL-HIT OR A BUMP OF A HIT. I WAS STOPPED AND THEN THE VEHICLE JUST ACCELERATED INTO THE CAR AHEAD OF ME. *JS

NHTSA ODI 10463921

Working with the data? Download all 54 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 21, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2011 Lexus RX 350h verdict →