42 of the 1,271 complaints filed about the Lexus RX are about the steering — 3% of everything owners reported. The worst model year for it is 2010.
42
Complaints
3%
Share of all complaints
3
Crashes
0
Fires
STEERING
I was starting to lose control of the car and took it to the dealership for a check . The car has only 52000 miles and the Ball Joints and the sway bar links are leaking grease according to the dealer
NHTSA complaint #11734361 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
STEERING
The suv pulls hard to the right when accelerating and has almost driven me off the road. it does it at random times and its super dangerous
NHTSA complaint #11722501 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
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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 complaint #11722042 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
STEERING
Hi. I noticed my vehicle was randomly making a clunking noise in the rear end. Also, on the highway, it would drift and was difficult to steer. I took it to dealership to be examined because it was still under warranty. They showed me that the driver's side rear trailing arm was disconnected. The bolt was not even there. They stated that it was caused by outside influence, possibly from hitting something. But I did not hit anything. The only sign of damage was where the loose trailing arm rubbed against the steering knuckle. They also told me it was too dangerous to drive off the lot. Because they claimed outside influence, they did not cover it under warranty. I took it to my mechanic. He believed the bolt had come loose on its own. He thought this because the trailing arm bolt on the passenger side was very loose and about to fall out. The mechanic replaced the missing bolt and tightened the loose bolt. I would like to document that this happened and see if any other people had reported this problem. Lexus denied that there was an issue.
NHTSA complaint #11710520 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
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Heard clicking noise coming from steering wheel. Car shimmied when breaking off of freeway. Newish car, only 20,611 miles. Took into dealership before anything went awry. Dealership said never heard of the steering problem before. Turned out it was a tie rod going bad and repair was covered by warranty. Break issue was also covered by warranty.
NHTSA complaint #11693872 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
STEERING
While my daughter was driving at about 1:15 PM in a residential neighborhood, the steering wheel suddenly jerked hard to the right and locked while in motion. This caused the vehicle to crash into a parked car. After the vehicle was towed home, the steering wheel remained locked with both front tires pointed sharply right. When I restarted the vehicle, the steering wheel immediately spun right on its own and locked again. It could not be moved manually, and the front tires stayed stuck in the fully turned position. This appears to be a critical steering system failure. It presents a severe safety risk and could easily result in serious injury or death. Note: I had the car towed home immediately after my daughter informed me of the incident. She reported the accident to AAA Insurance at that time, and the adjuster later indicated they wanted to tow the car for evaluation and a possible total loss settlement. However, I would keep the car at my home for inspection and can reproduce the issue if you let me know when you are available to come out. There were no warning signs prior to the failure, and the car had just passed a smog check a few weeks ago. I just made a video but don't know how to attach it.
NHTSA complaint #11690104 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
STEERING
When driving the car the steering column felt loose and when going over a railroad track or bump the steering column would jiggle. The car steering felt unsafe. Took it to the Lexus dealer in Austin Texas four or five times and they said they could not find a problem. This a a known issue on several models of Toyotas and Lexus vehicles since the early 2000’s. Toyotas/lexus continued to be manufactured with a faulty steering bussing. Because the car felt unsafe I took it to an authorized mechanic and they took the steering column apart and replaced a flawed steering bearing. The labor was $741 to disassemble and reassemble the steering column. The steering is fine now. I am so disappointed that this flaw with the steering bussing is known and not covered by Toyota/Lexus. Other models with the same problem have been recalled!
NHTSA complaint #11660645 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
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The car comes with proactive driver assist. The system when activated will cause the car to unexpectedly turn the wheel and lunge usually left if the system suspects you are going off of track. It works even on unmarked 2 lane country roads. Very disconcerting and dangerous. My wife was then subsequently in a serious accident on a slippery and snowy night that totaled the car. We are not convinced that the proactive driver assist system was the cause of the accident but can't help but think it may have been a contributing factor to the accident. Her car swerved into the oncoming lane on a unmarked (snow covered) highway.
NHTSA complaint #11634427 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
STEERING
The power steering and hybrid system failed and vehicle completely stopped in middle of busy freeway with no prior warnings or issues before. The safety of my son and I, and others around me during the abrupt stop of the engine. I could not move out of way. The vehicle has been serviced for this exact issue during a recall campaign lasting from 2011 to 2014. Ten years later and it is still happening! There were NO warning lamps or messages or symptoms prior to this failure. It just passed vehicle inspections for the year
NHTSA complaint #11631799 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
STEERING
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 complaint #11618262 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
STEERING
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 complaint #11583791 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
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When parked and turning the steering wheel or driving at low speed you hear a clunk / clunck noise vehicle makes knocking noises as it jumps up and down (bumpy) or vibrates when driving You can also feel it in your hands. Also it rattles and makes noises when turning. It feels like there is no lubrication. The drive feels not only unstable but also is very distractive while driving. Took car to Lexus and was told it is steering column or shaft or both; quote around $4000 with labor. Seems like a lot of people had same problems and the steering is manufacturing defect that should be recalled as a safety concern.
NHTSA complaint #11579120 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
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Power steering very stiff and difficult to steer vsc light on and air bags light goes on and off and unknown cause.
NHTSA complaint #11560594 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
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1.) My SUV locked up when I swerved to avoid hitting a car in front of me. 2.) My vehicle wouldn't stop and I had no control over it as it "threw me around" the highway. The only reason it stop was when it collided with another vehicle. 3.) It is sitting at the collision center right now waiting to be worked on. 4.) The insurance adjuster. 5.) The message that came on was "brake."
NHTSA complaint #11523165 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
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Electrical system malfunction began (to my best calculation & recollection) in summer 2021 with the first of four battery malfunctions in one year. Each time, AAA discovered low battery response and recommended battery replacement. This time around, battery was replaced about two weeks prior, due to battery failure/AAA reporting would not accept charge. THE NEW BATTERY FAILED (8/3) and the starter broke while attempting to charge. Mechanic repaired starter and battery accepted the charge. No problem, right? Wrong. This driver drove about 30 miles and while driving, the electrical system shut down altogether. With I believe ALL WARNING LIGHTS LIGHTING UP, extremely dangerous situation. NO BREAKING, NO STEERING, NO WARNING. Fortunately, it occurred in a suburban residential area as opposed to the highway. SECOND tow to my mechanic and now, after a full week, no diagnosis, though the car has been running in the shop. This is an intermittent problem. I suspect the alternator.
NHTSA complaint #11479110 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
STEERING
HELLO , the steering has excess freeplay ,wanders at most speeds , unsafe condition , have tried 3 sets of tires - and 2 alignment check --- help
NHTSA complaint #11468902 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
STEERING
On November 19, 2021, I purchased a vehicle from cars Lane on Hanover Road in Annapolis Maryland. Upon driving back to my residence in Gaithersburg I noticed that there was significant shaking when the vehicle was driven over 60 miles an hour. I notified the dealership and seemed helpful at first. I took the car to a good year facility and pay to have an alignment. That seem to fix one of the issues however there were several more and many more I was later to find out. As well, the vehicle was also hard to steer when it came to trying to back up and turn the steering wheel. It also made a loud whining noise. I contacted the dealership again and told them of this problem. I have been out to the dealership several times upon realizing they do not have a mechanic on duty and whoever passed inspection on this car should be investigated. There is no way that this car should've passed inspection. The last time I went to the dealership upon talking with the owner I was told to bring the car in and they would take a look at it. Looking at it was all they did. I noticed that [XXX] was on the phone with the warranty people trying to determine if the items that I complained about were covered under the warranty. The woman on the phone informed him that they only covered a certain point of the cost. Now I have come to find out that this car has over $17,000 worth of work to be done. I would like to make a formal complaint about this dealership, its representative [XXX] and the mechanic that allegedly passed this vehicle for inspection. I welcome the opportunity to speak with you and supply you with all the necessary documentation concerning this matter. I have included a copy of the estimate from the Lexus dealership in Rockville, Maryland. It is my honest opinion that this car should've never been sold and have lied to me in the process and to throw the paperwork at me and tell me to take care of myself is unacceptable. They should be held accountable, fined, or shut down. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF IN
NHTSA complaint #11459676 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
STEERING
The Power steering had started to feel hard and squeaking some time ago. I was driving day before yesterday and I noticed a few times that the steering was very difficult to turn which could have been dangerous. While doing some research I found that this has happened to some RX models. I went to the dealer and they told me that there is no recall for this issue and any fix would be out of pocket.
NHTSA complaint #11459357 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
STEERING
The Rack and pinion is leaking and needs to be replaced causing the steering to lock
NHTSA complaint #11448330 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
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MECHANIC/CAR INSPECTOR FOUND LEAKAGE OF POWER STEERING AND RACK AND PINION FAULTY, NEEDING REPLACEMENT RACK AND PINION ASSEMBLY WHEN I TOOK CAR FOR MARYLAND INSPECTION. IT FAILED. CAR PURCHASED AT DULLES MOTORCARS/ KIA SUBARU IN LEESBURG, VIRGINIA WITH 56,000 MILES. COST OF REPAIR IS $1800.00. DEALER SAID THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE CAR, HOWEVER FAILED INSPECTION. CAR WAS BOUGHT ON $/1/2021 AND INSPECTION ON 4/2/2021.
NHTSA complaint #11406335 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.