Home · 2013 Lexus RX 350h · Complaints

What 78 owners told NHTSA about the 2013 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 (78)Crash / fire / injury (19)Brakes (15)Electrical system (14)Body & structure (12)Speed control (10)Airbags (8)Engine (7)Steering (7)Transmission & drivetrain (5)Lights (4)Fuel system (2)

5 of 78 complaints match · Transmission & drivetrain · clear filters

Aug 17, 2022Transmission & drivetrain

Had so many issues with this car. Transmission went out at 52k (was replaced under warranty), and at 86k, it went out again. Car overheated and won't move in traffic. Had to push and move it to the side. Had a independent shop rebuild the transmission. Notified Lexus, but won't help due to it was not taken into their dealer. Nothing came on the dash, nor showed any symptom prior to the incident. Thanking you in advance for looking into this matter.

NHTSA ODI 11479702

Sep 8, 2020SteeringTransmission & drivetrainElectrical system

TURNING STEERING WHEEL CAUSING DASH CUTOFF. SEATS AREN'T RESETTING TO ORIGINAL POSITION. BACK HATCH WILL NOT LIFT DEPENDING ON POSITION OF STEERING COLUMN

NHTSA ODI 11353756

Dec 5, 2016Transmission & drivetrain

TAKATA RECALL . I BOUGHT THIS SUV JUST ABOUT YEAR AGO WITH 61K MILES ON IT AND NOW IT HAVE ABOUT 71K WHICH MEANS I ONLY DROVE IT FOR 10K MILES KEPT IT LIKE A BABY AND THE TRANSMISSION BUSTED AND PARTS FELL OUT HAVE TWO BIG HOLES . I REALLY NEED HELP .LEXUS DEALERSHIP WONT COVER IT BECAUSE THEY ARE SAYING I DONT HAVE WARRANTY ON IT . I BOUGHT THIS SUV FOR $35K . HOW CAN A DEALER SELL YOU A CAR WITH BAD TRANSMISSION. I HAVE NO WHERE TO GO .

NHTSA ODI 10929849

Oct 29, 2014Transmission & drivetrain

SUBMISSION FROM CONSTITUENT RE VEHICLE DEFECT; POSSIBLE CRASH, INJURY OR DEATH 2013 LEXUS RX 350. *SMD THE CONSUMER STATED DURING THE 15, 4000 MILES SHE PUT ON THE VEHICLE SINCE PURCHASE, SHE EXPERIENCED FOUR EPISODES OF FREE WHEELING, WHEREIN THE VEHICLE, WAS IN THE DRIVE POSITION, BUT SUDDENLY WENT INTO NEUTRAL MODE WITH NO GEAR ENGAGED, WHILE THE VEHICLE CONTINUED TO COAST FORWARD UNTIL, SUDDENLY, THE TRANSMISSION ENGAGED AND THE VEHICLE SURGED FORWARD BECAUSE HER FOOT WAS ON THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL, TO GET OUT OF TRAFFIC. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER, BUT THEY WERE UNABLE TO REPLICATE THE PROBLEM. *JB

NHTSA ODI 10651225

Mar 11, 2013BrakesTransmission & drivetrainSpeed controlCrash1 injury

I WAS DRIVING ON I-59 NORTH WITH WIFE AS PASSENGER WITH RADAR CRUISE CONTROL SET AT 70 MPH APPROACHING DEPARTURE EXIT. I TAPPED THE BRAKE PEDAL TO RELEASE THE CC AND IT DID NOT RELEASE. THINKING I HAD NOT TAPPED IT HARD ENOUGH, I MADE THE TURN AND TAPPED THE BRAKE PEDAL HARDER. THE CC DID NOT RELEASE. I APPLIED THE BRAKES WITH FULL FORCE. THE ENGINE RACED TO SATISFY THE CC AND THE SPEED WAS 69 MPH GOING INTO THE EXIT. MY FOCUS WAS STEERING THE VEHICLE TO AVOID OBJECTS AND TRAFFIC. WE CRASHED ACROSS A FOUR LANE CONCRETE CURBED BOULEVARD AND INTO A CHAIN-LINK FENCE. I STEERED DOWN A FRONTAGE ROAD AND BROUGHT THE VEHICLE TO A STOP. THIS WAS A 30 SECOND + EVENT. THE BLACK BOX CAPTURED 9.5 SECONDS OF INFORMATION. LEXUS DOWNLOADED THE BLACK BOX AND I REQUESTED A COPY OF THE INFORMATION WHICH THEY DID FURNISH ON A THUMB DRIVE. THEY IMMEDIATELY ERASED ALL EVIDENCE OF THE CRASH FROM THE VEHICLE DATA RECORDER AND PROCLAIMED THERE WERE NO PROBLEMS WITH THE VEHICLE. THE THUMB DRIVE DATA CLEARLY DISPLAYS THAT THE CAR WAS TRAVELING 69 MPH ON THE DATA RECORDER. IT ALSO SHOWS THAT THE CC DROPPED OUT DURING THE CRASH. I RECEIVED A LETTER FROM TOYOTA LEGAL IN TORRANCE, CA, INDICATING THAT THEIR REVIEW OF THE VEHICLE FOUND NOTHING WRONG WITH IT AND THE CASE WAS CLOSED. THE BODY SHOP REPAIRS WERE $16K PLUS THE DEPRECIATED VALUE OF THE VEHICLE IS $11K. NALLEY LEXUS GALLERIA, SMYRNA, GA, WHERE THE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED, DEFERS ALL COMMUNICATIONS TO TOYOTA. I HAVE BEEN A TOYOTA CUSTOMER SINCE 1990 AND THIS HAS BEEN MY THIRD LEXUS RX. BITTER SWEET END! MB

NHTSA ODI 10502982

Working with the data? Download all 78 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 2013 Lexus RX 350h verdict →