RoadVitals

2004 Lexus GX470 Body & structure Problems

Owner-reported complaints naming the body or structure system, filed with NHTSA

Data refreshed

Body & structure reportsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
14
Latest Mar 13, 2019
Share of all reportsThis category as a share of every owner report on file for this model year. One report can name more than one component, so the categories overlap.
22%
of 65 total
Crash or fire reportedReports in this category whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. The reporter's own answer on the NHTSA form, not a verified finding.
1
Injuries or deaths reportedTotals the submitters entered on their own reports in this category. Not verified by NHTSA and not a casualty statistic.
0

What this page shows

Reports naming the vehicle structure, frame, body panels, doors, hood and trim. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2004 Lexus GX470 submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 14 reports on file name it.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

Owner reports naming body or structure

Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed

Body & structure
Filed Mar 13, 2019

VEHICLE FAILED INSPECTION DUE TO RUST HOLE IN FRAME AND TRANSMISSION SUPPORT. THE MECHANIC SAID THAT THE REST OF THE FRAME IS IN GOOD CONDITION WHICH LEADS ME TO BELIEVE THAT IT MUST BE A DEFECT WITH MATERIALS USED FOR THE FRAME, I WOULD EXPECT SAME TYPE OF DAMAGE TO THE REST OF THE FRAME. THE CAR WAS WELL MAINTAINED, AND IT IS IN GREAT CONDITION OTHERWISE, AFTER CLOSE TO 103,000 MILES. THIS MAY BE RELATED TO THE TOYOTA FRAME RUST ISSUES THAT WERE REPORTED SINCE, TO MY KNOWLEDGE THE GX SHARES THE SAME FRAME AS OTHER TOYOTA SUVS/TRUCKS. LEXUS REFUSED TO HELP W/ THE REPAIR ETC. AND THEY DEEMED THE VEHICLE UNSAFE TO DRIVE, I HAVE TO TOW IT OUT OF THEIR DEALERSHIP. ATTACHED, MY SHOP REVIEW, LEXUS REVIEW AND PICTURES FROM MY MECHANIC. I AM ASKING LEXUS FOR THE PICTURES THEY TOOK WHILE THE CAR WAS IN SHOP.

NHTSA ID
11186563
Incident
Mar 6, 2019
Mileage
102,877 mi
Body & structure
Filed Jan 31, 2019

PEARL WHITE PAINT IS PEELING OFF LIKE PAPER ON MY 2004 GX 470 WHAT IS GOING ON WITH LEXUS PAINT I HAVE OWNED 3 LEXUS CARS NEVER HAD THIS TO HAPPEN TO THE OTHER CARS NEEDS HELP IN SANFORD NC

NHTSA ID
11173320
Incident
Jan 29, 2019
Body & structureEngine
Filed Jul 24, 2017

ENTIRE FRAME OF THE CAR IS RUSTED TO THE POINT THAT ALMOST NOTHING IS HOLDING THE CAR TOGETHER AND WE'VE BEEN TOLD IT'S NOT SAFE TO DRIVE. HAS BEEN MAINTAINED ON REGULAR BASIS AND HAS ALWAYS BEEN PARKED IN GARAGE AT NIGHT AND ON MOST WEEKDAYS. CAR SHOULDN'T BE RUSTED OUT WHEN CARED FOR METICULOUSLY (DOCUMENTATION AVAILABLE).

NHTSA ID
11010283
Incident
Jun 30, 2017
Mileage
120,000 mi
AirbagsBody & structure
Filed Mar 22, 2017

2004 LEXUS GX 400. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO REPLACEMENT DASHBOARD NOT AVAILABLE TO REPLACE CURTAIN-SHIELD AIRBAG MODULE AND CRACKED DASHBOARD. *SMD THE CONSUMER STATED, A YEAR PASSED AND THE AIR BAG AND DASHBOARD WERE NOT REPLACED. UPDATED 03/22/2017 *JS

NHTSA ID
10966752
Incident
Jan 6, 2016
Body & structure
Filed Jan 26, 2017

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 LEXUS GX470. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE DASHBOARD WAS CRACKED, WHICH COULD EXPOSE THE AIR BAGS. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER HAD AN INTERNAL SAFETY RECALL FOR THE SAME FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 196,000. ..UPDATED 03/08/17 *BF *CN

NHTSA ID
10947799
Incident
Dec 26, 2011
Mileage
196,000 mi
Body & structureDriver assistance
Filed Jan 15, 2016
Crash reported

I HAVE A 2004 GX470 SUV. TODAY I WAS IN A PARKING LOT, TRYING TO BACK OUT AND LEAVE. WITH ONE FOOT ON THE ACCELERATOR, I FOUND IT STUCK, WHICH WAS ODD, AS I HAD NOT EXPERIENCED IT BEFORE. SO I PRESSED ON IT AGAIN, I THOUGHT, LIGHTLY. I WAS TAKEN COMPLETELY BY SURPRISE, AS I SEEMED TO HAVE FLOWN BACKWARDS, AS I HAVE A V8 ENGINE, MY ACCELERATION WAS QUICK AND MY CAR IMMEDIATELY RAMMED INTO 2 PARKED CARS BEHIND ME. I WAS IN A STATE OF SHOCK AND VERY SCARED, SINCE IT WAS SO FAST AND SUDDEN. HAS ANYONE ELSE EXPERIENCED ANYTHING LIKE THIS BEFORE? THANK YOU. *TR

NHTSA ID
10820589
Incident
Jan 15, 2016
AirbagsBody & structure
Filed Oct 11, 2014

MY VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED FROM A LOCAL LEXUS DEALERSHIP IN JANUARY 2008 AND SINCE THEN HAS BEEN GARAGED DURING THE DAY AT MY OFFICE AND GARAGED OVERNIGHT IN MY BUILDING'S ENCLOSED PARKING STRUCTURE. THE VEHICLE RARELY SAT IN THE SUN FOR EXTENDED PERIODS OF TIME, BUT IN NOVEMBER 2012, CRACKS ON THE PASSENGER SIDE DASH BEGAN APPEARING. THEY WERE RAZOR THIN AND BY THE END OF 2013, THE ENTIRE PASSENGER SIDE DASH WAS COVERED IN CRACKS, DIRECTLY ABOVE THE AIR BAG. THE LEXUS DEALERSHIP EXPLAINED THAT SINCE THE VEHICLE WAS OUT OF WARRANTY AND THERE WAS NO OPEN RECALL, ANY REPAIR WOULD BE AT MY EXPENSE, WHICH WOULD BE APPROXIMATELY $2,500. I SEARCHED MULTIPLE ONLINE FORUMS (CLUBLEXUS.COM, LEXUSOWNERSCLUB.COM) AND THIS SAME PREMATURE CRACKING OF THE GX470 DASH WAS BEING EXPERIENCED BY HUNDREDS OF OWNERS. I ALSO OWN A LEXUS LS430 AND I HAVE TREATED IT EXACTLY LIKE MY GX470, BUT THANKFULLY THE LS HAS NOT EXHIBITED ANY DASH CRACKING. I FEEL THAT THE GX470 DASH CRACKING ISSUE IS A SAFETY RISK, SINCE THE INTEGRITY OF THE DASH IS BEING COMPROMISED AND IT MAY NEGATIVELY EFFECT THE FUNCTIONING OF THE VEHICLE AIR BAGS. I FEEL THAT THIS PROBLEM IS DUE TO POOR QUALITY MATERIALS AND THAT LEXUS SHOULD PROVIDE A REPLACEMENT AT NO COST TO THE VEHICLE OWNER. *TR

NHTSA ID
10644097
Incident
Nov 15, 2012
Mileage
100,360 mi
Body & structureOther / unspecified
Filed Sep 7, 2014

1. MY DASH BOARD HAS CRACKED, I TOOK IT TO WOODFIELD LEXUS IN CHICAGO, THEY DID SOME PATCH WORK, BUT NOW MORE CRACKS HAVE APPEARED AND I FEEL IT MAY INTERFERE WITH AIRBAGS. HTTP://WWW.CLUBLEXUS.COM/FORUMS/GX-FIRST-GENERATION/603916-MY-DASHBOARD-IS-CRACKING.HTML BY GOING THOUGH THE FORUMS, IT SEEMS COST OF REPLACING 1200 TO 3000 DOLLARS IS A LOT OF MONEY FOR THE PART WHICH SHOULD NOT CRACK IN THE FIRST PLACE. OBVIOUSLY IT IS DEFECTIVE MATERIAL, LEXUS HAS BEEN USING TO MAKE DASHBOARDS 2. CHROME PLATING ON MY WHEELS IS COMING OFF BADLY. *TR

NHTSA ID
10631407
Incident
Sep 1, 2012
Mileage
90,000 mi
Body & structure
Filed Aug 27, 2014

WE FIRST NOTICED WHAT LOOKED LIKE TINY BUBBLES UNDER THE DASH AND THE RAISED AREAS STARTED TO SHOW TINY SPLITS AND SINCE THEN HAS CONTINUED TO BUBBLE, SPLIT AND CRACK. THERE ARE SIGNIFICANT AREAS OF SPLITTING AROUND THE OUTLINE OF THE GAUGES, ACROSS THE TOP OF THE DASH, DOWN THE SIDES AND THEY CONTINUE TO GROW IN SIZE AND INTO OTHER AREAS. IN 2010 WROTE YOUR HEADQUARTERS AND AFTER A FEW MONTHS RECEIVED A CALL FROM ONE OF YOUR REPRESENTATIVES. HE ASKED SEVERAL QUESTIONS AND I TOLD HIM THE CAR HAD BEEN GARAGED SINCE WE BOUGHT IT IN 2006 FROM A LEXUS DEALER IN CLEARWATER. HE GAVE ME THE USUAL QUESTION AND ANSWER INVESTIGATION AND SAID HE COULD DO NOTHING. FINALLY, HE SAID SINCE I HAD NOT HAD EVERY OIL CHANGE AND REPAIR DONE AT A LEXUS DEALER AND THE WARRANTY HAD EXPIRED I WAS NOT ENTITLED TO ANYTHING AND I SHOULD HAVE EXTENDED THE WARRANTY. I FELT THE LEXUS I OWNED SHOULD NOT HAVE A DASH THAT WAS DETERIORATING AFTER THIS SHORT PERIOD OF OWNERSHIP AND IT HAD TO BE A DEFECT. YOUR REPRESENTATIVE OFFERED FOR LEXUS TO PAY FOR ONE-HALF THE COST OF THE DASH REPLACEMENT, BUT I FELT THAT THE DASH WAS DEFECTIVE AND THERE WAS NO REASON FOR ME TO PAY TO HAVE ANY PART OF THE REPLACEMENT. I FEEL THE ONLY REASON THE DASH COULD BE SPLITTING IS THE MATERIAL IT WAS FORMED WITH OR WHATEVER PROCESS WAS USED. I REALIZE AS OF THIS YEAR THE CAR IS TEN YEARS OLD, BUT THIS HAS BEEN ON ONGOING PROBLEM NOT A NEW ONE AND IT HAS NOT BEEN RESOLVED. I HAVE HAD FEW PROBLEMS WITH THE LEXUS AND ONLY IN THE LAST FEW YEARS HAS IT NEEDED ANY EXTENSIVE REPAIRS. AFTER CHECKING PRICES AT DIFFERENT DEALERSHIPS I DID USE THE LEXUS DEALERSHIP, BECAUSE THEY WERE VERY CLOSE IN PRICE TO THE OTHER ESTIMATES THAT I HAD GOTTEN AND SINCE THEIR REPAIRMEN WERE TRAINED AND UPDATED ON LEXUS REPAIRS I RESPECTED AND APPRECIATED THEIR KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE. *TR

NHTSA ID
10628672
Incident
Aug 2, 2008
Body & structure
Filed Jul 23, 2014

THERE IS A HUGE CRACK IN THE DASH THAT HAS BEEN REPORTED BY MANY GX DRIVERS AND IS OBVIOUSLY A FAULT IN LEXUS' MANUFACTURING. *TR

NHTSA ID
10615531
Incident
May 29, 2014
Mileage
120,100 mi
AirbagsBody & structure
Filed Mar 23, 2014

NUMEROUS CRACKS HAVE APPEARED ALL OVER THE DASHBOARD, INCLUDING OVER THE PASSENGER AIRBAG. *TR

NHTSA ID
10574280
Incident
Jan 31, 2014
Mileage
87,000 mi
Body & structure
Filed Mar 5, 2014

DASH PAD HAD HAIR LINE CRACKS THROUGHOUT. THEN STARTED TO PEEL AROUND AIR BAGS. *TR

NHTSA ID
10567518
Incident
Mar 12, 2010
Mileage
67,711 mi
Body & structure
Filed Sep 24, 2013

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 LEXUS GX470. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE DASHBOARD MATERIAL WAS DEFECTIVE AND BECAME FRACTURED. THE DEALER ADVISED THE CONTACT THAT THE DASHBOARD NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE DASHBOARD WAS NOT REPLACED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 88,403 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 98,000. UPDATED 11/30/13

NHTSA ID
10545103
Incident
Jan 1, 2012
Mileage
88,403 mi
Body & structure
Filed May 23, 2006

AUTO: LEXUS 2004 GX470 SUV PART: DRIVER'S LEFT FOOT REST. PROBLEM: THE PART IN QUESTION BECAME UN-BOLTED TO THE VEHICLE INSIDE CABIN DRIVER'S SIDE FLOOR AND BECAME WEDGED UNDER THE BRAKE PEDAL DURING VEHICLE OPERATION. DRIVER (MY WIFE) APPLIED BRAKE APPROACHING STOP SIGN ONLY TO FIND BRAKE PEDAL STUCK. FRANTIC REPEATED BRAKE PEDAL APPLICATION BY HER FINALLY DISLODGED FOOT REST FROM UNDER BRAKE PEDAL AND THE VEHICLE JUST BARELY STOPPED PRIOR TO ENTERING INTERSECTION. DEALERSHIP HAS AGREED TO REPAIR PART. *NM

NHTSA ID
10158084
Incident
May 13, 2006

Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.

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Elsewhere on this vehicle

Data sources

Data on this page last refreshed .