
2012 Lexus CT
Problems, Recalls & Reliability Report
Quick Summary
The 2012 Lexus CT has 53 owner complaints filed with NHTSA — that's 0.7x the segment average of 80. The most common issue is engine problems (28% of all complaints), specifically: complete loss of power in both the gas engine and in the hybrid electric engine while going 70 mph,both the alarm systems-audible and dash went off. with no power i was able to get off the highway without crashing the car. *tr.
53
Total Complaints
0
Recalls Issued
—/5
Safety Stars
0.7x
vs Segment Avg
Known Problems
ENGINE
15 complaints- • COMPLETE LOSS OF POWER IN BOTH THE GAS ENGINE AND IN THE HYBRID ELECTRIC ENGINE WHILE GOING 70 MPH,BOTH THE ALARM SYSTEMS-AUDIBLE AND DASH WENT OFF. WITH NO POWER I WAS ABLE TO GET OFF THE HIGHWAY WITHOUT CRASHING THE CAR. *TR
- • 2012 LEXUS CT200H (NOW IS 84K MILES)IS BURNING BAD...I BEEN SEARCHING ON GOOGLE AND FIND OUT A LOT OF SIMILAR ISSUES ON CT200H BURNING OIL...I TRY TO CONTACT THE DEALERSHIP, BUT NO REPLY SO FAR...THE ENGINE STARTED BURNING OIL AT 60K MILES...
- • I EXPERIENCE THE ENGINE HAVE BURN SO MUCH OIL BETWEEN SERVICE (10K MILES). I HAD CONTACT THE DEALERSHIP, AND THEY HAVEN'T CONTACTED ME BACK YET... THE OIL BURNING IS START WHEN MY CAR IS ABOUT 70K .... NOW MY VEHICLE IS 92K MILES I HAVE AT LEAST 3QZT BETWEEN SERVICE....
“COMPLETE LOSS OF POWER IN BOTH THE GAS ENGINE AND IN THE HYBRID ELECTRIC ENGINE WHILE GOING 70 MPH,BOTH THE ALARM SYSTEMS-AUDIBLE AND DASH WENT OFF. WITH NO POWER I WAS ABLE TO GET OFF THE HIGHWAY WITHOUT CRASHING THE CAR. *TR”
— NHTSA complaint filing
BRAKES
11 complaints- • THERE IS A WELL KNOWN FLAW WITH TOYOTA HYBRIDS THAT TOYOTA NEEDS TO ADDRESS AND FIX. WHEN YOU BRAKE TO COME TO A STOP, IF THEY CAR ENCOUNTERS BUMPS OR POTHOLES, THE BRAKE PRESSURE WILL MOMENTARILY DECREASE AND THE CAR WILL SURGE FORWARD. IT DOES NOT APPEAR TO AFFECT CERTAIN VEHICLES, BUT RATHER
- • 2012 LEXUS CT200H HAS THE SAME BRAKE BOOSTER, ASSEMBLY ISSUE ALL 3RD GENERATION TOYOTA PRIUS'S HAVE. THE ABS/BRAKE SYSTEM LIGHTS ALL COME IN, AND BRAKE FUNCTIONALITY IS LIMITED. ATTACHED IS A SCAN OF THE ISSUE, I HAVE SINCE CALLED LEXUS AND NOTIFIED THEM OF THE ISSUE.
- • the brake booster pump has gone out in the car, ive heard many others say the same thing and its all around the same milage 150k-175k
“THERE IS A WELL KNOWN FLAW WITH TOYOTA HYBRIDS THAT TOYOTA NEEDS TO ADDRESS AND FIX. WHEN YOU BRAKE TO COME TO A STOP, IF THEY CAR ENCOUNTERS BUMPS OR POTHOLES, THE BRAKE PRESSURE WILL MOMENTARILY DECREASE AND THE CAR WILL SURGE FORWARD. IT DOES NOT APPEAR TO AFFECT CERTAIN VEHICLES, BUT RATHER ”
— NHTSA complaint filing
OTHER
6 complaints- • THE PASSENGER SIDE GLASS ON MY 2012 CT EXPLODED FOR NO PARTICULAR REASON A FEW DAYS AGO. I WAS ON THE HIGHWAY DOING ABOUT 65 MPH AND I SUDDENLY HEARD A LOUD 'BOOM' AND THE SIDE WINDOW WAS GONE... COMPLETELY GONE. NOTHING HIT MY CAR, NO ROCKS, NO BULLETS... NO BRICKS. THERE WAS NO ONE BESIDE ME AND I
- • BEFORE THE BACKUP CAMERA IS DISPLAYED, THE SCREEN RISES FROM THE DASH BOARD AND SAYS "LEXUS' FOR 5 SECONDS AND "ENFORM" FOR 5 SECONDS. IN MARCH, I BACKED INTO A MAINTENANCE VEHICLE WHICH CAME UP AFTER I GOT IN MY CAR AND WAS NOT VISIBLE WITH MY MIRRORS. THIS WOULD NOT HAPPENED WITH ANY OTHER BRAND
- • ANOTHER CT200H DRIVER REPORTED A PROBLEM WITH THE CENTER CONSOLE LID NOT CLOSING PROPERLY DUE TO THE LATCH STUCK IN THE OPEN POSITION. SAME ISSUE ON MY 2012 CT200H. WOULD BE NICE ON A LEXUS TO HAVE THAT PROBLEM RESEARCHED AND FIXED... AND LET LEXUS PAY FOR THE REPAIR, NOT THE OWNER. PROBLEMS OF
“THE PASSENGER SIDE GLASS ON MY 2012 CT EXPLODED FOR NO PARTICULAR REASON A FEW DAYS AGO. I WAS ON THE HIGHWAY DOING ABOUT 65 MPH AND I SUDDENLY HEARD A LOUD 'BOOM' AND THE SIDE WINDOW WAS GONE... COMPLETELY GONE. NOTHING HIT MY CAR, NO ROCKS, NO BULLETS... NO BRICKS. THERE WAS NO ONE BESIDE ME AND I”
— NHTSA complaint filing
AIR BAGS
4 complaints- • TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 LEXUS CT. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 10 MPH, THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE WAS STRUCK BY ANOTHER VEHICLE IN THE FRONT DRIVER SIDE WHEEL AREA. THE DRIVER SIDE AIR BAG DEPLOYED, BUT THE PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG DID NOT. THE CONTACT WAS INJURED AND REQUIRED MEDICAL ASSISTANCE. A POL
- • TAKATA RECALL. EVEN THOUGH THERE HAS BEEN A RECALL LEXUS HAS YET TO RECALLED OUR CAR TO BE WORKED ON. RECEIVED A POSTCARD INDICATING THEY WILL NOTIFY US WHEN WE ARE ABLE TO TAKE CAR IN.
- • OUR HORN STOPPED WORKING. WE WERE ADVISED THAT THIS WAS A SPIRAL CABLE ASSEMBLY FAILURE, AND THE AIRBAGS ARE LIKELY AFFECTED. TOYOTA INITIATED A RECALL IN 2014 FOR THIS PART, HOWEVER WE ARE TOLD OUR VEHICLE DOES NOT QUALIFY FOR RECALL.
“TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 LEXUS CT. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 10 MPH, THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE WAS STRUCK BY ANOTHER VEHICLE IN THE FRONT DRIVER SIDE WHEEL AREA. THE DRIVER SIDE AIR BAG DEPLOYED, BUT THE PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG DID NOT. THE CONTACT WAS INJURED AND REQUIRED MEDICAL ASSISTANCE. A POL”
— NHTSA complaint filing
ELECTRICAL
3 complaints- • A BLACK COMPUTER MODULE FELL OUT FROM UNDER THE DASH AND IS HANGING BY A CORD BETWEEN THE BRAKE AND PARKING BRAKE. *TR
- • COMPLETE LOSS OF POWER IN BOTH THE GAS ENGINE AND IN THE HYBRID ELECTRIC ENGINE WHILE GOING 70 MPH,BOTH THE ALARM SYSTEMS-AUDIBLE AND DASH WENT OFF. WITH NO POWER I WAS ABLE TO GET OFF THE HIGHWAY WITHOUT CRASHING THE CAR. *TR
- • I HAD MY HEADLIGHTS REPLACED UNDER A RECALL. ROUGHLY ONE YEAR LATER MY HEADLIGHT IS OUT AGAIN. IT SEEMS THE PROBLEM HAS NOT BEEN RESOLVED. THE HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLIES ARE VERY EXPENSIVE AND CONTAIN A LOT OF PARTS. I'M NOT SURE WHERE THE PROBLEM LIES, AND THEREFOR I'M NOT SURE WHAT NEEDS TO BE REPLACED
“A BLACK COMPUTER MODULE FELL OUT FROM UNDER THE DASH AND IS HANGING BY A CORD BETWEEN THE BRAKE AND PARKING BRAKE. *TR”
— NHTSA complaint filing
Estimated Repair Costs
Estimates based on average reported repair costs. Actual costs vary by location, shop, and severity.
🔍 Pre-Purchase Inspection Checklist
Based on 53 owner complaints for this specific year, here's what to check or ask about:
- ☐ENGINE: COMPLETE LOSS OF POWER IN BOTH THE GAS ENGINE AND IN THE HYBRID ELECTRIC ENGINE WHILE GOING 70 MPH,BOTH THE ALARM SYSTEMS-AUDIBLE AND DASH WENT OFF. WITH NO POWER I WAS ABLE TO GET OFF THE HIGHWAY WITHOUT CRASHING THE CAR. *TR
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
- ☐BRAKES: THERE IS A WELL KNOWN FLAW WITH TOYOTA HYBRIDS THAT TOYOTA NEEDS TO ADDRESS AND FIX. WHEN YOU BRAKE TO COME TO A STOP, IF THEY CAR ENCOUNTERS BUMPS OR POTHOLES, THE BRAKE PRESSURE WILL MOMENTARILY DECREASE AND THE CAR WILL SURGE FORWARD. IT DOES NOT APPEAR TO AFFECT CERTAIN VEHICLES, BUT RATHER
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
- ☐OTHER: THE PASSENGER SIDE GLASS ON MY 2012 CT EXPLODED FOR NO PARTICULAR REASON A FEW DAYS AGO. I WAS ON THE HIGHWAY DOING ABOUT 65 MPH AND I SUDDENLY HEARD A LOUD 'BOOM' AND THE SIDE WINDOW WAS GONE... COMPLETELY GONE. NOTHING HIT MY CAR, NO ROCKS, NO BULLETS... NO BRICKS. THERE WAS NO ONE BESIDE ME AND I
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
- ☐AIR BAGS: TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 LEXUS CT. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 10 MPH, THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE WAS STRUCK BY ANOTHER VEHICLE IN THE FRONT DRIVER SIDE WHEEL AREA. THE DRIVER SIDE AIR BAG DEPLOYED, BUT THE PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG DID NOT. THE CONTACT WAS INJURED AND REQUIRED MEDICAL ASSISTANCE. A POL
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
- ☐General: Get a pre-purchase inspection from an independent mechanic ($100-$200)
Lexus CT — Year Comparison
How does 2012 compare to other years? Fewer complaints = more reliable.
Full years-to-avoid analysis →NHTSA Safety Rating
No NHTSA safety rating available
At a Glance
- Complaints
- 53
- Recalls
- 0
- Fire reports
- 0
- Crash reports
- 3
- Injury reports
- 3
- Segment avg
- 80
Check a Specific VIN
See recalls for YOUR 2012 Lexus CT