2023 Lexus NX Problems
Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component
Data refreshed
What this page shows
Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 2023 Lexus NX, grouped by the component NHTSA recorded on the report. These are not confirmed defects, and they are not recalls. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a category with more reports in it is not evidence that a part is defective.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Reports by component
Ranked by how many owner reports name each component category
- Driver assistance321.4%
- Engine214.3%
- Body & structure214.3%
- Electrical214.3%
- Airbags17.1%
- Powertrain (other)17.1%
- Brakes17.1%
- Interior & seats17.1%
- Exterior lighting17.1%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Each component in detail
What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words
Driver assistance
Reports naming forward-collision avoidance, lane keeping, back-over prevention, cruise control and related electronic driver-assistance systems.
From owner reports, verbatim
The contact owns a 2023 Lexus NX 250. The contact stated that while driving at various highway speeds, the vehicle suddenly decelerated. During the failure, there was no warning light illuminated or messages displayed. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 14,000.
The contact owns a 2023 Lexus NX450H. The contact stated while pulling into a parking space, the vehicle unintendedly accelerated. The contact stated that the vehicle was several inches away from crashing into another vehicle before the contact was able to bring the vehicle to a complete stop. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 11,000.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Engine
Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components.
From owner reports, verbatim
The contact owns a 2023 Lexus NX 250. The contact stated that while driving at various highway speeds, the vehicle suddenly decelerated. During the failure, there was no warning light illuminated or messages displayed. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 14,000.
Vehicle is built so that water from hand-washing/rinsing gets under the hood and into a computer causing electrical issues and causing the car to not start. The dealership put a foam/rubber trim around the hood to prevent water from getting in but this won't last forever and, when they tested the other cars of the same model on the lot, they confirmed it happened with those cars also. The manufacturer's statement was that the owner's manual says you are not supposed to hand wash it. This is ridiculous. The owner's manual says you can't pressure wash the engine compartment - which noone did. This was caused during a routine wash at the car wash. It is unlikely anyone would buy a car if they were told they couldn't take it to a car wash. But the concern is that it happened twice and the fix will be temporary. Both times this occurred, the car was parked. The first time, there were electrical issues. The second time, the car refused to start after it was shut off.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Body & structure
Reports naming the vehicle structure, frame, body panels, doors, hood and trim.
From owner reports, verbatim
There is an ongoing noise issue where I hear a vibration or buzzing sound coming from the headliner or sunroof area while driving at various speeds, especially on uneven pavement. I have reported this concern previously, but the technician was unable to find the cause. On February 25, 2025, a maintenance technician at Jim Hudson Lexus in Columbia, SC, inspected the issue and confirmed an excessive rattle coming from the headliner around the sunroof panel and buttons. The technician noted that part of the internal headliner near the front dome lights is not secured properly, unlike the rest of the padded headliner. Despite this inspection, the noise persists.
The driver's side front wiper blade is not securely attached and lifts off the glass during the drying stage of automatic car washes. Once lifted, it stays in the upright position and must be manually lowered. To prevent this from happening, the wiper blade needs to be taped down. On February 25, 2025, a maintenance technician at Jim Hudson Lexus in Columbia, SC, inspected the wiper and confirmed that the wiper spring is functioning as designed with no defects. The technician explained that the wiper can lift due to the strong wind force from the car wash blower dryer. However, the service advisor mentioned that this issue has been observed at the dealership's on-site car wash and noted that Lexus has not yet released a stronger spring to address the problem. He advised me to report this issue.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Electrical
Reports naming the electrical system — wiring, battery, charging, control modules, infotainment and electrical accessories.
From owner reports, verbatim
On [XXX] my Lexus would not start properly and then I heard noises which were associated with the battery closing down. This included locking all the doors. I was trapped in the car for 50-60 minutes until a repair person unlocked the door. This is a safety issue because the temperature where I live (las Vegas) is over 100 degrees months of the year. According to other Lexus owners, mine was a somewhat common experience. Some people have had the battery fail while driving. A recall to fix the problem is needed. When I contacted both corporate Lexus and my dealer they played dumb and told me to drive the car more often, but no one could specify how much that would be. Purchased in February, 2023 the vehicle has over 25,000 miles. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Vehicle is built so that water from hand-washing/rinsing gets under the hood and into a computer causing electrical issues and causing the car to not start. The dealership put a foam/rubber trim around the hood to prevent water from getting in but this won't last forever and, when they tested the other cars of the same model on the lot, they confirmed it happened with those cars also. The manufacturer's statement was that the owner's manual says you are not supposed to hand wash it. This is ridiculous. The owner's manual says you can't pressure wash the engine compartment - which noone did. This was caused during a routine wash at the car wash. It is unlikely anyone would buy a car if they were told they couldn't take it to a car wash. But the concern is that it happened twice and the fix will be temporary. Both times this occurred, the car was parked. The first time, there were electrical issues. The second time, the car refused to start after it was shut off.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Airbags
Reports naming the air-bag system — deployment behaviour, inflators, sensors and warning lights.
From owner reports, verbatim
Airbags failed to deploy during a crash where lexus was hit on driver's side. We got an alert that they malfunctioned. During inspection, the wire for the airbags was pulled which would indicate deployment. Car was totaled.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Powertrain (other)
Powertrain reports that are not specifically the engine or transmission — driveshafts, axles, transfer cases and differentials.
From owner reports, verbatim
I drive an NX250 and recently took it to a conveyor-style car wash, where you position your front tire in a groove, shift into Neutral, and let the system move the car through. Upon exiting, I experienced an issue where I couldn’t shift directly from Neutral to Drive. Instead, I had to first shift into Park before I could engage Drive. This was especially concerning because I was worried that the car behind me might not have enough time to stop, potentially leading to a rear-end collision. Difficulty shifting from Neutral to Drive after a car wash is a common complaint, especially with newer vehicles that have electronic shifters or safety mechanisms in place.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Brakes
Reports naming service brakes, the antilock braking system, brake hoses, master cylinders or the parking brake.
From owner reports, verbatim
My concern is regarding the auto start-stop feature. It is a concern since the feature is tied to both the brakes and engine, and it could lead to other/bigger issues. When stepping on the brakes to come to a stop, sometimes the auto start-stop feature turns on. Upon releasing the brakes, there is a loud grinding noise. I brought it to the dealer twice for this issue. The first time a master technician got in the car with me, he drove it and he was able to reproduce the sound continuously, at least 10 times. I left my car with them for a week and was told they were never able to reproduce the noise again. I brought my car home and drove it for 5 days and then it started making the noise again. I took it back to the dealership and they kept it for another 5 days. I was told again they were not able to reproduce the noise. There have been no warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem. As background, I purchased my car in April of 2023. The noise started in January of 2024, with less than 6800 miles on it. It happened off and on and it took a few weeks for me to realize the noise was tied to the start-stop feature. Once it became more prevalent, that is when I finally called the dealership to explain the issue and got an appointment to take my car in on 2/19/2024. I currently don't have videos to attach but can follow up with videos in the future if needed.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Interior & seats
Reports naming seats, latches, locks, linkages and interior fittings.
From owner reports, verbatim
On [XXX] my Lexus would not start properly and then I heard noises which were associated with the battery closing down. This included locking all the doors. I was trapped in the car for 50-60 minutes until a repair person unlocked the door. This is a safety issue because the temperature where I live (las Vegas) is over 100 degrees months of the year. According to other Lexus owners, mine was a somewhat common experience. Some people have had the battery fail while driving. A recall to fix the problem is needed. When I contacted both corporate Lexus and my dealer they played dumb and told me to drive the car more often, but no one could specify how much that would be. Purchased in February, 2023 the vehicle has over 25,000 miles. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Exterior lighting
Reports naming headlights, tail lights, turn signals and other exterior lighting.
From owner reports, verbatim
The automatic headlights have a significant delay before turning on when entering a dimly lit parking garage. I have adjusted various car customization settings, but the delay persists. On February 25, 2025, a maintenance technician at Jim Hudson Lexus in Columbia, SC, inspected the issue and confirmed that the headlight sensor is set to the highest sensitivity. The headlights typically take about 15 seconds to activate. Count 15 seconds that is a long time.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
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.
Elsewhere on this vehicle
Data sources
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation — owner-reported complaints and the components recorded on them
Data on this page last refreshed .