What 25 owners told NHTSA about the 2015 Lexus Rx450h

I was driving on the highway and suddenly there was a loud explosion and the sound of hundreds of time things or debris hitting my car. Thankfully I did not hit the brakes or lose control of my vehicle, but I easily could have! I then saw little pieces of glass falling off my car from my rear view mirror. I pulled over to find that it was my sunroof. There was no impact from anything, the glass was pointed upward as if the explosion came from inside. This was incredibly scary!

NHTSA ODI 11740670

Transfer case spontaneously fractured,mounting point on transmission broke. Unable to drive Repair cost approximately $13,000

NHTSA ODI 11735659

I purchased this vehicle on January 5, 2026, from a family-owned dealership in Broken Arrow, OK. The vehicle was purchased “as-is” with a guarantee of sale and a Carfax report. After purchasing the vehicle, I drove it home and it remained parked until January 8, 2026. On Thursday, January 8, 2026, the vehicle experienced an unexpected engine stall while I was driving. At the same time, the slip indicator light and traction control appeared to engage. I contacted the dealership immediately to report the issue, and the vehicle was towed back to JT Wholesale Auto Sales on Friday, January 9, 2026. On Tuesday, January 13, 2026, I was informed by the dealership that the vehicle had undergone a complete inspection and that no mechanical issues were found. Relying on this representation, I retrieved the vehicle and drove it home. However, after retrieving the vehicle, I continued to have concerns regarding its condition. On Thursday, January 15, 2026, I took the vehicle to Stellar Auto Service located at 2209 N. Yellowood Ave., Broken Arrow, OK 74012 for an independent inspection. Stellar Auto Service specializes in Lexus and Toyota vehicles. During their inspection, they identified the following issues: • Engine timing chain cover leak • Worn drive belt Stellar Auto Service was informed of the slip indicator light activation and the engine stalling that I had experienced. However, at the time of their inspection, they were unable to identify or reproduce any issues related to the slip indicator light or the stalling concern that I reported. On Sunday, February 15, 2026, the slip indicator light illuminated again, and the vehicle stalled while in operation. I was forced to safely pull off the roadway. I turned the car off, waited, restarted the vehicle, and drove home. The same issue occurred again on Sunday, March 8 and 15th, 2026. While driving, the slip indicator light illuminated and the vehicle stalled. I pulled off the road turned the vehicle off, restarted it.

NHTSA ODI 11725110

The contact owns a 2015 Lexus RX. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the steering wheel was shaking and vibrating, and it was loose. The vehicle was taken to a local independent dealer who replaced the control arms, but the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the power steering rack needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. No further information was available. The failure mileage was 118,000. The VIN was not available.

NHTSA ODI 11722042

Blind Spot Warning. Available for inspection Warning Monitor goes on and off on a regular basis and light on dash identifies this problem No, not confirmed No, not inspected warning light on dash, message states failure

NHTSA ODI 11707346

*Three Lexus Dealership Service departments are unable to diagnose the stalling problem so I am unsure what component or system failed or malfunctioned. Yes it is available upon request for inspection. *The stalling happens while engine is cold and at a certain temperature. *The vehicle has been to three dealership service departments and two independant service departments and nobody can find out why it is stalling. *Yes No, No warning lights or messages just stalling. It first appeared a year ago and nobody can detect the problem.

NHTSA ODI 11671072

First, We are a victim of fraud and scam and are distressed since day one and loss of thousands of dollars. After searching and reviews, we bought a 2015 Lexus RX350 for family use from a seller who had owned this vehicle for over five years but the seller never disclosed and represented in the sale of this vehicle that It was rebuilt and had engine front cover timing gasket leak! They said it was clean title and didn’t have any issues. Plus the blind spot sensors had issues. The same day these problems were recovered after we bought it and from the same first day we tried to return the vehicle and used all other option legally from day one till now to resolve it with the seller, but they didn’t want to resolve neither return it or fix the problems with vehicle but they kept denying. Vehicle been sitting in parking lot since the first day of bought and never able to register and it’s been over 8 months. Also found out, these year models like mine 2015 RX350 timing cover leak were common problem back then. I’m desperately asking to issue a fix remedy by Lexus or Toyota therefore, please help with this.. thanks in advance!

NHTSA ODI 11630709

Engine cut out suddenly while driving 45 MPH, followed by Battery Light, Check Engine Light, and Power Steering Light forcing hazardous emergency stop. Engine would no longer crank, and car had to be towed to nearest Lexus Certified Repair Facility. Technician scanned the system and found four Codes: P0335, P1603, P1604, P1605. After bore-scoping front three cylinders, technician tried to turn motor by hand and was unable to. The motor turned in reverse, but not forward. Technician removed oil pan to find pieces of valve spring broken and pieces of the piston rings and piston fragments from one of the rear three cylinders. Motor will need to be replaced or completely rebuilt after only 133,458 miles and regular servicing.

NHTSA ODI 11620473

2015 Lexus RX450H with less than 60,000 miles Electronic Power Steering Motor needs repair or replacement. The Electronic Steering Motor has an internal 3 piece star-shaped green plastic gear in between two metal pieces used as a bushing/damper. That green plastic gear has become dry, hard, dehydrated, and has crumbled inside the electronic power steering motor. Diagnostic indicators include rattling and vibrations emanating from the steering column that sounds like something is broken inside the steering assembly. Which it apparently is. Moreover, I am particularly concerned about the implications of this denial. The faulty component in the electronic power steering system poses a significant risk, including the potential for complete loss of steering control. This not only jeopardizes my safety but could also lead to further damage to my vehicle or even bodily injury. Given these circumstances, I believe it is imperative that this matter be addressed with urgency.

NHTSA ODI 11618262

It has the same engine failure problem as the recall for 2022 and 2023 vehicles. The engine just stalls when it wants with no check engine light or error codes. Then restarts just fine when put in park. Lexus repair could not even find a issue. Have documents to prove it.

NHTSA ODI 11617028

Safety concern: Engine timing cover oil leak. blind spot warning malfunction.

NHTSA ODI 11603595

The contact owns a 2015 Lexus RX350. The contact stated that while driving over bumps on the roadway, there was an abnormal rattling sound coming from the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. In addition, the contact would lose slight control of the vehicle while turning the steering wheel to the left as the power steering became loose without warning. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was acknowledged that the power steering had failed, and the contact was provided an estimate for the repair. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 45,000.

NHTSA ODI 11583791

While driving car came to an abrupt stop and stalled. (ABS) Had to engage brake to restart car. Noticed abnormal shifting while driving in NC mountains.

NHTSA ODI 11572615

One early morning in November, I opened the rear door on my RX to remove my rollator walker. I am handicapped. I opened the door using the switch under the door handle. The door opened normally, and I reached in to remove the rollator and the door jerked down about a foot then continued to close with several jerking drops. It scared me, but I was able to jump out of the way of the door as it dropped. The temperature that morning was in the lower 40’s which was perhaps the lowest early morning temperature we had seen this fall. I feel that the low temperature may have contributed to the problem. I opened the door again with the switch. The door opened fully but closed again in a similar manner as described above. I was able to hold the door up with one hand and removed my rollator with the other, which was rather difficult due to my limited strength. Later in the day, after the temperature rose, the door opened and stayed open as it should. I discussed the problem with my local Lexus dealer, and they felt that the problem was most likely due to worn shocks which are used to hold the door open. I am familiar with this problem. I owned a 2002 Lexus RX and had a similar rear door shock problem after about 175,000 miles on the car. The rear door on that car was manually operated. If the door didn’t stay up on a manually operated door it was more of a poor-quality issue than a safety issue since it was readily apparent if the door was not going to stay open. The situation with an electrically operated door is quite different. The person opening the door completely relies on the door to stay up when it is opened. In addition, the door could be operated by a child who may not be able to react to the falling door. I had the shocks on the door replaced by the dealer at a cost to me of slightly more than $400. I discussed the safety issue with the dealer and followed up with a reply on a satisfaction survey they had sent. In the repair writeup the dealer

NHTSA ODI 11562627

225/60R18 100H Mileage on car when tires purchased 33,410(11/4/2021 mileage when tire failed 40,702.(6/8/2023) These tires have a 50K warranty. At 40,846 (6/26/2023) two more tires failed. I was told tread separation was issue. This dealer put my family at Risk! When the car went in for shaking they said the tire was defective. They replaced it and charged me $214, the tire only cost $150 new. I asked if the other tires were OK, the girl I paid said "the bad tire was from a different batch than the three remaining tires and they were OK." 2 weeks later 2 more tires go bad, putting us back in the car with defective tires put my family at risk. This dealer is dishonest and Dangerous. They charged me for 4 new tires total cost $492.35 when the set only cost $600 new and we only received 15% of the use of the tire, before they went bad. 1 tire going bad is unfortunate, 3 tires same problem is a Defect and they should have been replaced NO Charge. Anyway you need to get these tires off the road before someone has a serious accident or possibly already has.

NHTSA ODI 11530702

Sun Roof shattered while driving, a potentially dangerous situation.

NHTSA ODI 11488559

Heat appears to come from under the passenger side floor boards.

NHTSA ODI 11485388

HELLO , the steering has excess freeplay ,wanders at most speeds , unsafe condition , have tried 3 sets of tires - and 2 alignment check --- help

NHTSA ODI 11468902

The contact owns a 2015 Lexus RX. The contact stated that while opening the hood to check the oil, the hood failed to stay open, fell, and struck the contact on the head. The contact sustained injuries to his head and headaches but, medical attention was not provided. The local dealer was contacted and informed the parts were not available. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified but no further assistance was provided. The approximate failure mileage was 41,000.

NHTSA ODI 11449159

Our car never had any issues, and unexpectedly on Sunday October 10th while my husband was driving it - he heard a loud explosion underneath the car. Immediately there was smoke and then in matter a minutes the car was in flames. My husband had enough time to remove our daughter and the car seat but the car was completely destroyed. We want to know what happened- our car was in incredible condition, low mileage and always kept up on all the maintenance

NHTSA ODI 11436531

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 LEXUS RX450H. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE PASSENGER DOOR WOULD NOT LOCK MANUALLY OR WITH THE VEHICLE REMOTE. THE DOORS WOULD ALSO NOT LOCK WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS IN DRIVE. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOT NOTIFIED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 52,000.

NHTSA ODI 11233982

UPON ENTERING MY GARAGE, THE CAR SURGED FORWARD WHEN I SLIGHTLY APPLIED A LITTLE PRESSURE TO THE GAS PEDAL. I TURNED THE WHEEL TO AVOID A STRAIGHT ON COLLISION, BUT STILL SUSTAINED MUCH DAMAGE TO BOTH CAR AND HOME. THIS WAS NOT THE FIRST TIME IT SURGED, BUT WAS CERTAINLY THE MOST SEVERE SINCE THERE WAS NOWHERE TO GO. THE SURGE OCCURRED AFTER APPLYING PRESSURE TO THE GAS PEDAL AFTER A STOP IN FRONT OF THE GARAGE TO OPEN THE DOOR. IN THE PAST, THE SURGE HAS ALWAYS OCCURRED (WHEN IT DOES HAPPEN) AFTER A STOP IN TRYING TO PROCEED FORWARD. THE CAR WOULD 'JUMP'. NO AIRBAG DEPLOYED.

NHTSA ODI 11022640

BRAKING SYSTEM OF THE CAR FAILED. I COULD NOT STOP THE CAR AND ALL THE WARNING LIGHTS, ENGINE WARNING LIGHTS, CHECK HYBRID SYSTEM, AND VEHICLE WARNING LIGHTS APPEARED ON THE DASHBOARD OF THE CAR. THE CAR WAS PURCHASED NEW WITH 71 MILES, THE CAR WAS NEVER IN AN ACCIDENT, THE CAR HAD NOTHING INSTALLED TO IT, THE CAR WAS SERVICED BY LEXUS FOR 10,000 MILE OIL CHANGE, AND THE CAR HAD 14693 MILES WHEN THE BRAKING SYSTEM FAILED ON AUGUST 7, 2017. THE CAR WAS DRIVEN ON A SUNNY DAY ON DRY FLAT ASPHALT ROAD IN CHICAGO ILLINOIS. THE BRAKING SYSTEM FAILURE OCCURRED AT FOSTER AVENUE AND CALIFORNIA AVENUE. ONCE ALL THE WARNING LIGHTS APPEARED ON THE DASHBOARD AS LISTED ABOVE, THE BRAKES IN THE CAR STARTED TO PUMP UP AND DOWN EVERY SECOND BY ITSELF. THE CAR WAS UNABLE TO STOP AS I FORCEFULLY STEPPED ON THE BRAKES. THE BRAKES CONTINUE TO PUMP UP AND DOWN SO I HAD TO VEER THE CAR TO THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE STREET WHILE PRESSING ON THE PARKING BRAKES OF THE CAR TO STOP THE CAR. THE BRAKES CONTINUE TO PUMP UP AND DOWN FOR 10 MINUTES UNTIL I WAS ABLE TO FORCEFULLY STEP ON THE BRAKES AGAIN TO SHIFT THE CAR INTO PARK TO TURN OFF THE CAR. ONCE THE CAR WAS TURNED ON AFTER 20 MINUTES THE CHECK HYBRID SYSTEM AND A YELLOW TRIANGLE WITH AN EXCLAMATION MARK LIGHTS APPEARED ON THE DASHBOARD OF THE CAR. I WOULD HAVE BEEN IN A SERIOUS OR FATAL ACCIDENT IF THE BRAKING SYSTEM HAD FAILED SINCE I WAS 2MILES FROM ENTERING THE HIGHWAY TO GO TO WORK. THE CAR WAS DRIVEN TO LEXUS DEALERSHIP WHERE IT WAS IDENTIFIED THAT A MAJOR INTERNAL BRAKING SYSTEM FAILURE OCCURRED BETWEEN THE SKID CONTROL ECU AND CAR'S ENGINE. IF THE CAR DID NOT HAVE MANUAL PARKING BRAKES TO SLOWLY APPLY AND STOP THE CAR, I WOULD HAVE BEEN IN A SERIOUS OR FATAL ACCIDENT ON FOSTER AVENUE IN CHICAGO, ILLINOIS. IF THE BRAKING FAILURE HAPPENED ON THE HIGHWAY AT SPEEDS OF 55MILES, I WOULD HAVE BEEN KILLED OR IN A MULTICAR FATAL ACCIDENT.

NHTSA ODI 11021469

ABOUT 15 MILES INTO MY DRIVE TO WORK IN MY 2015 LEXUS RX 450H WITH ONLY 6,300 MILES, MY DASH PANEL INDICATED THE FOLLOWING ERRORS: CHECK ABS, CHECK BSM SYSTEM, CHECK HEADLIGHT LEVELING SYSTEM, BRAKE MALFUNCTION, CHECK HYBRID SYSTEM, CHECK POWER STEERING SYSTEM, SPEEDOMETER AT 0 MPH AND EVERY POSSIBLE ERROR LIGHT POSSIBLE. AS I ATTEMPTED TO SLOW DOWN FROM 65 MPH ON THE INTERSTATE 5, I NOTICED I WAS EXPERIENCING COMPLETE BRAKE FAILURE AND WERE NOT FUNCTIONING PROPERLY. WITH AGGRESSIVE FORCE, I WAS ABLE TO ENGAGE THE BRAKES BUT NOTICED AN EXTREMELY LOUD METAL ON METAL SOUND WHEN DOING SO. IN ORDER TO COME TO A STOP, I EXITED AT THE FIRST OFF-RAMP POSSIBLE, AND POPPED THE CURVE SO I COULD PARK THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO LEXUS OF GLENDALE WHERE THEY WERE ABLE TO SEE ALL THE ERROR CODES BUT WERE UNABLE TO REPAIR THE ISSUE SINCE THEY WERE UNABLE TO DUPLICATE IT. MY VEHICLE WAS BORROWED FOR 4 DAYS WITH THE TECHNICIAN DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 100 MILES BEFORE RETURNING THE VEHICLE BACK TO ME WITH NO REPAIRS MADE. I FEAR THIS IS AN SEVERE SAFETY RISK THAT CAN LEAD TO A POTENTIALLY FATAL OUTCOME. PLEASE NOTE, I ALSO HAVE A 18 SECOND VIDEO OF THE ERRORS OCCURRING WHILE I WAS DRIVING IN THE FIRST LANE PRIOR TO MY ATTEMPT TO STOP THE VEHICLE.

NHTSA ODI 11000255

OPERATING VEHICLE 50 MPH SLIGHT DOWNHILL ABS WARNING BRAKE WARNING HYBRID WARNING ALL CAME ON WITH AUDIBLE ALARM. VEHICLE WAS DIFFICULT TO STOP. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10702336