2016 Lexus RX350

Problems, Recalls & Reliability Report

Average

Quick Summary

The 2016 Lexus RX350 has 78 owner complaints filed with NHTSA — that's 1.0x the segment average of 80. The most common issue is other problems (24% of all complaints), specifically: sunroof leak in heavy rain. leaked through area around drivers bluetooth microphone. service department advised this was the second vehicle brought in for this problem.. ⚠️ 2 fire reports filed.

2 fire reports 17 crash reports 9 injuries

Total Complaints

Recalls Issued

—/5

Safety Stars

1.0x

vs Segment Avg

Known Problems

OTHER

19 complaints

24%

• SUNROOF LEAK IN HEAVY RAIN. LEAKED THROUGH AREA AROUND DRIVERS BLUETOOTH MICROPHONE. SERVICE DEPARTMENT ADVISED THIS WAS THE SECOND VEHICLE BROUGHT IN FOR THIS PROBLEM.
• 2016 RX350 IS A NEW PLATFORM. THE PASSENGER SIDE CAR PASSING INDICATOR DOES NOT ALWAYS INDICATE A CAR IN THE "BLIND SPOT". AFTER DRIVING THE CAR FOR A FEW MONTHS, I NOTIFIED MY LOCAL LEXUS DEALER. MY SALESMAN AND I DROVE MY VEHICLE FOR A TEST RUN AND THE PROBLEM CONSISTENTLY AROSE. THE SALESMAN S
• VEHICLE VIBRATION FELT STANDING STILL AND WORSENS AS ACCELERATION SLOWLY STARTS FORWARD. CONTINUES ALSO AT SLIGHT ACCELERATION AT HIGHER SPEEDS JUST TO MAINTAIN SPEED LIMIT. VIBRATION CAN BE FELT IN STEERING WHEEL, ACCELERATOR PEDAL, GEAR SHIFT AND AT SPECIFIC START UP SPEEDS THE ENTIRE VEHICLE. THI

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500🔥 1 fire reports💥 1 crashes

“SUNROOF LEAK IN HEAVY RAIN. LEAKED THROUGH AREA AROUND DRIVERS BLUETOOTH MICROPHONE. SERVICE DEPARTMENT ADVISED THIS WAS THE SECOND VEHICLE BROUGHT IN FOR THIS PROBLEM.”

— NHTSA complaint filing

AIR BAGS

9 complaints

12%

• I UNDERSTAND THAT MY CAR HAS A POSSIBLE PROBLEM WITH THE TAKATA AIR BAG AND I WANT THEM REPLACED BEFORE A DEATH OCCURS.
• TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 LEXUS RX350. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 16VV053000 (AIR BAGS); HOWEVER, THE PART TO DO THE REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURE
• WHILE DRIVING AT 30-35 MILES PER HOUR I HIT A MINI VAN FROM BEHIND IN STOP AND GO TRAFFIC. MY LEXUS AT THIS POINT HAD 2500 MILES WAS 3 MONTHS OLD AND I WAS DRIVING ALONE WITH NO PASSENGERS. WHEN I HIT THE OTHER VEHICLE EVERY AIRBAG (AROUND 12) DEPLOYED WHICH IN CONJUCTION WITH SEEMINGLY MINOR EXTERI

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500💥 6 crashes

“I UNDERSTAND THAT MY CAR HAS A POSSIBLE PROBLEM WITH THE TAKATA AIR BAG AND I WANT THEM REPLACED BEFORE A DEATH OCCURS.”

— NHTSA complaint filing

BRAKES

8 complaints

10%

• TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 LEXUS RX350. WHILE EXITING THE HIGHWAY AT APPROXIMATELY 10 MPH, THE BRAKE PEDAL TRAVELED TO THE FLOOR, BUT FAILED TO STOP THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT CRASHED INTO THE REAR OF THE PRECEDING VEHICLE. THE CONTACT PULLED THE VEHICLE TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND TURNED OFF THE VEH
• I WILL GIVE YOU A BRIEF DESCRIPTION AS TO WHAT OCCURRED. I ENTERED OUR GARAGE FOR THE PURPOSE OF BACKING THE LEXUS OUT OF THE GARAGE SO WE COULD LOAD NEWLY PURCHASED PATIO FURNITURE INTO THE GARAGE. I ENTERED THE LEXUS, APPLIED THE BRAKE PEDDLE TO START THE AUTOMOBILE. ONCE THE AUTO WAS STARTED,
• I HIT OTHER CAR I PRESS BREAK . BRAKE NOT WORK AIR BAG NOT COME OUT, PRECOLUATION NOT WORK.

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500💥 5 crashes

“TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 LEXUS RX350. WHILE EXITING THE HIGHWAY AT APPROXIMATELY 10 MPH, THE BRAKE PEDAL TRAVELED TO THE FLOOR, BUT FAILED TO STOP THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT CRASHED INTO THE REAR OF THE PRECEDING VEHICLE. THE CONTACT PULLED THE VEHICLE TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND TURNED OFF THE VEH”

— NHTSA complaint filing

TRANSMISSION

7 complaints

• I WAS AT A STOP LIGHT THE CAR ALL OF A SUDDEN WOULD NO LONGER ACCELERATE YET THE CAR WAS IN DRIVE. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY CAN NOT REPLICATE AND SO I AM STILL DRIVING THE VEHICLE. HOPING IT WILL NOT HAPPEN WHILE DRIVING. *TR
• WHEN I TRY TO ACCELERATE FROM A STOP, A LOUD GROAN CAN BE HEARD FROM SOMEWHERE IN THE POWERTRAIN. THERE IS ALSO A VIBRATION WHICH APPEARS TO BE COMING FROM THE TRANSMISSION AREA OF THE VEHICLE. IN ADDITION, WHEN TRAVELLING AT HIGHWAYS SPEEDS, DURING THE ACCELERATION PROCESS, A DELAY OCCURS FROM TH
• CAR HAS HESITATION WHEN DRIVING. CAR RATED FOR UNLEADED NOT PREMIUM AND SHOULD HAVE NOT TO DRIVE CAR IN SPORT MODE ALL THE TIME

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500💥 1 crashes

“I WAS AT A STOP LIGHT THE CAR ALL OF A SUDDEN WOULD NO LONGER ACCELERATE YET THE CAR WAS IN DRIVE. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY CAN NOT REPLICATE AND SO I AM STILL DRIVING THE VEHICLE. HOPING IT WILL NOT HAPPEN WHILE DRIVING. *TR”

— NHTSA complaint filing

ELECTRICAL

5 complaints

• "TAKATA RECALL" THERE IS SOME SOUND FROM THE CAR WHEN EVER I TURN ON MY AIR CONDITIONER AND WHEN I FILED A CASE THEY ARE SAYING ITS DESIGN CHARACTERISTIC, WHERE AS THERE IS NO SUCH IN THEIR PREVIOUS DESIGNS OR OTHER MODELS AND ITS VERY IRRITATING AND DISTURBING WHILE DRIVING THE CAR WHICH MAKES ME T
• FIRST PROBLEM WITH ELECTRICAL WAS WHEN THE NAVIGATION SCREEN WENT COMPLETELY BLANK WHILE DRIVING DURING BROAD DAYLIGHT. DON'T KNOW THE DATE OF THIS INCIDENT. THOUGHT IT WAS A REBOOT BY ENFORM. THOUGHT NOTHING ABOUT IT. ON 12/21/2017, CHECK ELECTRIC BRAKE WARNING LIGHT CAME ON WHEN I STARTED MY CA
• THIS CAR EXPERIENCED AN UNINTENDED ACCELERATION AT THE TOP OF MY DRIVEWAY WHILE BEING PUT INTO PARK. THE CAR TOOK OFF AND HIT THE CENTER POSTS OF THE TWO CAR GARAGE AND ONLY STOPPED BECAUSE IT WAS CAUGHT ON THE SUPPORTS IN THE FOUNDATION. WE HAD EXPERIENCED THIS SUDDEN UNINTENDED ACCELERATION SEVER

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500💥 1 crashes

“"TAKATA RECALL" THERE IS SOME SOUND FROM THE CAR WHEN EVER I TURN ON MY AIR CONDITIONER AND WHEN I FILED A CASE THEY ARE SAYING ITS DESIGN CHARACTERISTIC, WHERE AS THERE IS NO SUCH IN THEIR PREVIOUS DESIGNS OR OTHER MODELS AND ITS VERY IRRITATING AND DISTURBING WHILE DRIVING THE CAR WHICH MAKES ME T”

— NHTSA complaint filing

Estimated Repair Costs

OTHER(~50K mi)

$500

AIR BAGS(~50K mi)

$500

BRAKES(~50K mi)

$500

TRANSMISSION(~50K mi)

$500

ELECTRICAL(~50K mi)

$500

Estimates based on average reported repair costs. Actual costs vary by location, shop, and severity.

🔍 Pre-Purchase Inspection Checklist

Based on 78 owner complaints for this specific year, here's what to check or ask about:

☐
OTHER: SUNROOF LEAK IN HEAVY RAIN. LEAKED THROUGH AREA AROUND DRIVERS BLUETOOTH MICROPHONE. SERVICE DEPARTMENT ADVISED THIS WAS THE SECOND VEHICLE BROUGHT IN FOR THIS PROBLEM.
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
AIR BAGS: I UNDERSTAND THAT MY CAR HAS A POSSIBLE PROBLEM WITH THE TAKATA AIR BAG AND I WANT THEM REPLACED BEFORE A DEATH OCCURS.
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
BRAKES: TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 LEXUS RX350. WHILE EXITING THE HIGHWAY AT APPROXIMATELY 10 MPH, THE BRAKE PEDAL TRAVELED TO THE FLOOR, BUT FAILED TO STOP THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT CRASHED INTO THE REAR OF THE PRECEDING VEHICLE. THE CONTACT PULLED THE VEHICLE TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND TURNED OFF THE VEH
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
TRANSMISSION: I WAS AT A STOP LIGHT THE CAR ALL OF A SUDDEN WOULD NO LONGER ACCELERATE YET THE CAR WAS IN DRIVE. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY CAN NOT REPLICATE AND SO I AM STILL DRIVING THE VEHICLE. HOPING IT WILL NOT HAPPEN WHILE DRIVING. *TR
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
General: Get a pre-purchase inspection from an independent mechanic ($100-$200)