What 17 owners told NHTSA about the 2024 Lexus GX 550

The GX 550 has many people online complaining about the windshields cracking from the bottom for no reason. The crack is getting worse and close to line of sight. This is happening without something striking it.

NHTSA ODI 11742192

My engine failed as I was driving down the highway at high speed. I was thankfully able to move over lanes and park safely on side of the rode before it came to a complete stop. It never turned back on. Lexus had to send a tow truck to pick it up and has been @ Dealership in Lubbock tx since 3/9/26

NHTSA ODI 11741768

On April 17, 2025, while driving a 2024 Lexus GX 550 Luxury Plus with a minor passenger in the vehicle, the vehicle locked up without warning as I was exiting the highway. The sudden lockup caused skid marks on the tires. The failure occurred at low speed only because I had just turned off the highway — had it occurred moments earlier at highway speed, the consequences could have been fatal. The failed component appears to be the drivetrain or braking/locking system. The vehicle is currently in the possession of the Lexus dealership and is available for inspection. A Lexus field inspector has been scheduled for early May 2025. Safety was put at serious risk. A child was in the vehicle. The lockup was sudden and without warning, with no ability to anticipate or respond. This incident was preceded by two prior issues with the same vehicle: (1) approximately one month prior, a transmission concern was reported to the dealer, who attributed it to abnormal driving habits and took no corrective action; (2) on April 7, 2025, brake rotors were replaced under a recall for rotors that squeak when exposed to moisture. The problem has been confirmed by the dealership, which has retained the vehicle since April 17, 2025. I am aware of at least 8 to 10 other reported incidents involving the same model vehicle with the same lockup failure. No warning lamps or messages appeared prior to the failure.

NHTSA ODI 11734533

My car was stolen via a can-bus attack - it was locked while it happened. The alarm was going off and they still stole the car. It took less than 3 minutes.

NHTSA ODI 11727524

Rough idle

NHTSA ODI 11713159

The contact owns a 2024 Lexus GX 550. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the instrument cluster momentarily turned black. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where the failure could not be duplicated, and no service was performed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 8,000.

NHTSA ODI 11705386

I have a 2024 Lexus GX 550 Overtrail with about 4,500 miles on it bought in December 2024. I went to start it this afternoon and I got a message saying "Low Steering Power". All the electrical things on the car seemed to be working: lights, dash lit up, courtesy lights, all the screens, etc. It just wouldn't turn over. I shut the car off and gave it a minute or two then tried again. Nothing. At the same time, the car started to make a low, continuous humming sound and made a couple of clicking noises about every 10 seconds. It sounded like the hum of a refrigerator and seemed to be coming from the front half of the car. The car was totally turned off at this time. I then called Lexus Roadside assistance (the car was in my garage; hadn't used it in about 48 or so hours). When the flatbed driver arrived he tried to start it a few times. When he did this the car began to smoke from the fuse box. A significant amount of acrid smoke and severe odor of burning plastic developed. The flatbed driver and I immediately pushed the car out of the garage for fear of a fire starting and engulfing more than just the car. The fuse box and some of the fuses in it were melting. No flames developed but I'm quite certain that was a possibility. This just happened today. The dealer said they are going to begin investigating the issue. I'm very concerned that if others have this problem it could develop into something more serious. From what I've discovered from an internet search is that the combination of the "Low Steering Power" error message and the smoking fuse box condition "indicates a likely electrical short or significant component failure that could lead to a fire." I've uploaded a pic of the partially melted fuse box. I have no paperwork from the dealer service department as yet.

NHTSA ODI 11698260

I was just getting off from work starting the engine, the driving meters screen and the head up display were completely off black, I thought that it will turn on after driving but it didn’t. I was driving more than 5 minutes on the free way and both screens were still dark. This is not the first time that this happened. The last time when this was happened, I brought my vehicle to the dealership where I purchased it, but then everything went back normal when I got to the dealership parking lot. They never performed any diagnostic or checking anything. Also the navigation/multi media scene flashing quite a bit. This car electrical system didn’t function properly and correctly when driving and could cause serious accidents or deaths, depending on who was driving. I really don’t know what more failure after this. In the past, Lexus had history of vehicle brake failures and couldn’t stop that claimed someone lives. This issues should be addressed before something else happens. ( I also have video available to support this concern)

NHTSA ODI 11678649

System Failure: This vehicle has a narrow shelf molded into the dashboard above the glove box. There was a small container of hair lotion stored there that melted in the heat and dripped through the dash and destroyed the electronic control unit or ECU (#89221-60630 Multiplex Computer) and the power distribution assembly (#82730-60260 Power Distributor Assembly). This damage completely disabled the vehicle. Apparently, the ECU (a) is located where fluid can reach it through the dash and (b) it does not have any kind of shielding to protect it from being damaged in this way. Safety Issue: I am extremely lucky that I was not in a remote location when a few drops of hand lotion rendered my vehicle 100% inoperable. No prior warning: There was no warning prior to a complete failure of the vehicle to operate. Inspected by manufacturer: The vehicle was inspected at a Lexus dealership and remains there.

NHTSA ODI 11677333

At approximately 6,000 miles we drove this vehicle from Chattanooga to Nashville and back. The interstate has one steep grade. On the decent home the vehicle was violently shaking. It felt as if the car might not be able to stop or something had been broken. We had 30-45 minutes of driving to get home and considering having the vehicle towed. It continued to shake, less violently as we braked on the way home. It was terrifying. I took the car to Lexus and they told me that this can happen on steep grades. They wanted to turn the rotors and I insisted they be replaced due to being defective and causing this shaking at such low miles. They agreed. A month later, after having brand new rotors and pads, the same thing happened again. Again I immediately made an appointment and the vehicle was inspected. They told me this time there are hot spots all over these new rotors, from this one trip to Nashville. They told me there was nothing else they could do. I opened a case with Lexus corporate and they just reached out. They spoke to the dealership and concluded that this happened because of normal driving conditions. They are saying this is normal! It’s not normal. I explained the many brands of vehicles we have had and driven this same interstate many times without issue. This is unsafe. People that drive in mountain areas should not need brake repair every few thousand miles. And what if someone is driving in a very mountain area like the Rockies and one trip across the state could completely destroy these brakes? So scary. They need brakes to handle higher heat to protect families using this car. I am shocked this is not recalled already. I pray there is something to be done to get this fixed immediately. The uploaded file below is from the second time I brought it for the same issue. It was 5 weeks later. The incident for the second incident was just 4 weeks after the first one, but we had to wait for them to get us an appointment.

NHTSA ODI 11674449

The airbags didn’t deploy in a collision that included the front and rear. My head and body was smashed into the steering wheel and dash. There were no warning that there may be a problem with this system. We have not had an inspection yet but are hiring an investigator for that purpose.

NHTSA ODI 11672962

Brakes squeal when backing up in the mornings and occasionally going forward. Maunufacturer is aware of the problem, but until recently would only allow dealers to order 1 repair kit per week. Now the manufacturer is allowing 4 kits per week to be ordered. This problem appears to affect 2/3s of all vehicles sold. Repair parts are taking 4 to 6 months to get. The manufacturer is not being responsive.

NHTSA ODI 11666489

The hood panel flutters at speeds above 50 mph. The flutter/flex is very noticeable and concerning. The flutter becomes more noticeable as speed increases.

NHTSA ODI 11656286

My transmission seems to do a JERK when I press the break. It is like it is struggling to shift down and it jerks me forward. It happens when I am stopped behind other cars. It makes me very nervous In the car line sometimes it jerks so hard I am afraid it is going to hit another car or even a child if they get too close and my foot is on the break and it just pops up unexpectedly! There are MANY people taking their cars in to Lexus service for this "transmission jerk" as consumers are calling it. My lexus service dept has been able to reproduce it in my car. They also noticed the jerk when we drove with them twice and did resets to try to solve the problem. It did not solve the problem. At our last appointment they told me it was normal and theres nothing they would do. My Notes- November 2024 - purchased vehicle. The drive was perfect for many miles and months! Nothing out of the ordinary. January - I stopped at a stop light with my daughter and it did the "jerk" -- My [XXX] noticed it too! She said "What was that Mommy!" She thought we hit something! Kept doing it for a couple weeks. Feb 17 - Took car in - technician didn’t notice any jerking. I asked if I could ride with technician. Feb 18 - rode with technician. Quickly noticed jerk and said he has had a few people bring it in for this concern.. did a reset. [XXX] - the jerking began again - very noticeable. Feb 21 - dropped off at dealer again. March 3 - picked car up - they said they couldn't reproduce - Josh rode with service manager and very noticeable jerking when shifting down.. seems worse than before.. said he will speak to some other person and see what to do. They reset again. We took car home. [XXX] - drove pretty regularly.. very very noticeable jerking when shifting down. Worse than before. March 10 - Took back to dealership.. got a loaner March 17 - Said they reproduced the jerk but it was normal and there was nothing they would do to help! INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11649773

NEW 2024 GX550, less than 2 months and 3,000 miles of ownership- accelerating to 40 mph and vehicle completely shut off, jolting me forward. All lights on dash lit up, "power steering failure, engine failure, not safe to drive." It was all I could do to get it off to the shoulder of the road. Extremely dangerous. Had vehicle towed to local Lexus dealer. After 2 weeks master tech determined timing chain snapped causing catastrophic engine failure. Now we wait for Lexus corporate to advise them on how to fix. Both dealer and corporate blaming each other for the lack of communication. Vehicle has been sitting in dealer parking lot for 3 weeks with no timeline and no communication. I was told by head service tech this is #5 in the country for this year, make, and model of timing chain snap resulting in engine failure. Neither parties are doing anything to make it right. This is an $85,000 vehicle.

NHTSA ODI 11647369

Lexus has a safety issue of the OEM pre-installed Slim profile Roof Rack on the car. There was no option to elect if one wants this or not. It's simply installed to make a quick buck from the customer. Besides that being said, this OEM pre-installed Slim profile Roof Rack is a safety hazard due to fact as you drive above 45mph-55mph, drive hears noises and causing drive to look around trying to figure out what is making that noise which can lead to swerving / cause accident. Calling Lexus corporate, their answer is you need to pay Local Lexus Dealer Labor to swap this out. Knowing the Labor cost from past experience, it most likely would lead to cost in thousands of dollars. Lexus want the customer to pay for this on top of the pretty penny that was paid for the car in the first place for something that is not customers fault in first place.

NHTSA ODI 11646666

Driving to work, the engine became completely disabled which required emergency maneuvering to leave the roadway which had heavy traffic. Received dashboard messages stating the engine malfunctioned and needed to be taken to the dealer immediately. This was a very dangerous situation as the vehicle immediately lost all motive power when the engine stopped working. Dealer diagnosed the issue as related to the timing belt guide, where a part broke causing the engine timing to get out of sync. This ultimately damaged the valves and head in the engine which required replacement. There were no prior signs that an issue was about to happen, it was very much a surprise. The vehicle repair took almost a full month to complete.

NHTSA ODI 11643654