2021 Lexus RX Problems

The contact owns a 2021 Lexus RX 350. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V865000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.

The contact owns a 2021 Lexus RX 350. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the air bag malfunction warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the SRS alert message was displayed. The passenger’s side seat belt warning light was illuminated for two minutes. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V865000 (Air Bags). The local dealer was contacted and confirmed that the repair was not available until January 2026 for the West Coast. The dealer informed the contact about a possible diagnostic test. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer declined to accept a Trade-In due to the recall. The manufacturer was contacted and confirmed that the repair was not available and offered the contact a rental vehicle. The failure mileage was approximately 76,000.

I was at the gas station, in line waiting for one of the three gas pumps to be available. I put my car in reverse to back up and pull around another car in order to go to the open pump in front. When my car was in reverse motion, I stepped on the brake pedal, but the car did not stop. I stepped on the brake pedal numerous times, but the brake did not function. My car backed into the front of the car in line behind me damaging both vehicles. The automatic emergency braking system did not activate, and there was no rear collision warning sound or message. I switched my car from Reverse into Park to stop its movement, but it was too late to avoid the collision. I had a passenger in my car who corroborates this description. Fortunately there were no pedestrians behind my car, so the only damage was to the vehicles. My vehicle has not been inspected by anyone since the accident, but will be soon. I have owned this car since April 2021 and previously had a few similar situations when moving in the forward direction. Previously, the brake problem occurred while moving forward at very low speed pulling into parking places. The brake failed to activate, and I had to throw the car into Park to stop it, but this was the first time I had experienced this problem traveling in reverse. When this situation occurs, I am pressing on the brake pedal, but the car is not stopping and the brake pedal seems to go to the floor. On March 5, 2025 I took the car to a Lexus dealer and reported the brake failure problems. They inspected, road tested, and checked for codes, but could not identify the problem. I believe that the collision back up system should have prevented this accident, but it did not function. I suspect that there may be some kind of computer issue that prevents the brake from actuating. The car will be going in for repair soon, and I have requested that a complete diagnostic review be performed of this brake problem.

Hit a deer that impacted the passenger side of the vehicle. Passenger seat was occupied, and door had to be pried open by tow truck driver to get passenger out. Entire right side, from the "L" logo to the front fender was destroyed. The passenger airbag did not deploy, nor did emergency braking or collision avoidance warning go off as deer was crossing from the left (driver) side to passenger side where it impacted. No injuries, but car had to be towed due to front damage. Lexus has no fix for the airbag sensor recall for almost a year now.

Component or System That Failed: The rear passenger seatbelt on the right side of a 2021 Lexus RX 450h malfunctioned during a collision. It is still in the vehicle, which is available for inspection upon request. How Safety Was Put at Risk: The seatbelt failed to restrain my son, who was seated in a booster seat and weighs approximately 78 lbs. During the collision, he flew forward and struck the front passenger seat and center console with his chest and upper abdomen. This malfunction could have caused severe injuries, and while his injuries appear minor, it posed a significant risk to his safety. Problem Reproduced or Confirmed: The seatbelt’s failure has not been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center. However, the seatbelt remains fully extended and does not retract, indicating a potential defect. Inspections Conducted: The issue has not yet been inspected by the manufacturer or a service center. Police were present at the accident scene but did not specifically inspect the seatbelt. Warning Lamps or Messages: No warning lamps, messages, or other symptoms indicated a problem with the seatbelt prior to the collision. Best Assessment: Based on observations and my son’s account of the incident, it appears the seatbelt retractor mechanism failed to lock during the collision, which is a critical safety feature. I am submitting this report to ensure the potential defect is investigated to prevent similar occurrences in other vehicles.

The contact owns a 2021 Lexus RX350. The contact stated that while attempting to remove the [XXX] child from the rear passenger seat the rear passenger seat belt had become entangled around the child's torso and was extremely difficult to remove causing severe distress to the child and the child experienced difficulty breathing. The contact used scissors to cut the seatbelt which freed the child. During the incident, the child sustained bruising of the back and torso which did not require medical treatment. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. A dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 58,000. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

I was at the gas station, in line waiting for one of the three gas pumps to be available. I put my car in reverse to back up and pull around another car in order to go to the open pump in front. When my car was in reverse motion, I stepped on the brake pedal, but the car did not stop. I stepped on the brake pedal numerous times, but the brake did not function. My car backed into the front of the car in line behind me damaging both vehicles. The automatic emergency braking system did not activate, and there was no rear collision warning sound or message. I switched my car from Reverse into Park to stop its movement, but it was too late to avoid the collision. I had a passenger in my car who corroborates this description. Fortunately there were no pedestrians behind my car, so the only damage was to the vehicles. My vehicle has not been inspected by anyone since the accident, but will be soon. I have owned this car since April 2021 and previously had a few similar situations when moving in the forward direction. Previously, the brake problem occurred while moving forward at very low speed pulling into parking places. The brake failed to activate, and I had to throw the car into Park to stop it, but this was the first time I had experienced this problem traveling in reverse. When this situation occurs, I am pressing on the brake pedal, but the car is not stopping and the brake pedal seems to go to the floor. On March 5, 2025 I took the car to a Lexus dealer and reported the brake failure problems. They inspected, road tested, and checked for codes, but could not identify the problem. I believe that the collision back up system should have prevented this accident, but it did not function. I suspect that there may be some kind of computer issue that prevents the brake from actuating. The car will be going in for repair soon, and I have requested that a complete diagnostic review be performed of this brake problem.

On the Saturday (12/21) before Christmas, my hatch door wouldn’t open with the key fob, push button in the vehicle or push button on the door. And the foot under the bumper opener has never worked for me. Anyways, because I couldn’t get my door to open, I ended up loading my groceries in the back seat. When I got home, it still wouldn’t work with the key fob or other buttons. One family member who tried to help me, pushed the door button and it suddenly opened after all the many attempts before. But then it wouldn’t close back. Just like at the store, it made that beeping sound but that it makes when it’s closing or opening, but it wasn’t closing. The next day on Sunday (12/22) I wouldn’t use it because I was afraid if it opened, it wouldn’t close back. The way we were able to get the door to close, was at least I thought it helped, I kept pushing the key fob and the door would allow my family member to manually push the door down a little at a time until it closed. When the door closed completely, we could hear it automatically lock like always. I had a few more Christmas shopping errands and had to leave home again. I got in the car in my driveway and I shut the door and put the car in reverse and suddenly a loud pop and my entire back window shattered completely over into a trillion little pieces. I couldn’t believe it. I’m taking it into the Park Place Lexus dealership in the morning (12/27th) to see if the malfunctioning door is what caused my window to break. I can’t afford to keep replacing the back window over and over if the door is the issue. We taped the back window over so it wouldn’t rain into my vehicle. When we tried to open the door again, it wouldn’t work. So, I had to crawl through broken glass to cover my back window. Terrible experience. I’ve attached photos. On the left and right side of the windows, notice there are two strange holes there. The large hole is I assume where it popped at. My car is under warranty. I hope the dealership covers it

I was at the gas station, in line waiting for one of the three gas pumps to be available. I put my car in reverse to back up and pull around another car in order to go to the open pump in front. When my car was in reverse motion, I stepped on the brake pedal, but the car did not stop. I stepped on the brake pedal numerous times, but the brake did not function. My car backed into the front of the car in line behind me damaging both vehicles. The automatic emergency braking system did not activate, and there was no rear collision warning sound or message. I switched my car from Reverse into Park to stop its movement, but it was too late to avoid the collision. I had a passenger in my car who corroborates this description. Fortunately there were no pedestrians behind my car, so the only damage was to the vehicles. My vehicle has not been inspected by anyone since the accident, but will be soon. I have owned this car since April 2021 and previously had a few similar situations when moving in the forward direction. Previously, the brake problem occurred while moving forward at very low speed pulling into parking places. The brake failed to activate, and I had to throw the car into Park to stop it, but this was the first time I had experienced this problem traveling in reverse. When this situation occurs, I am pressing on the brake pedal, but the car is not stopping and the brake pedal seems to go to the floor. On March 5, 2025 I took the car to a Lexus dealer and reported the brake failure problems. They inspected, road tested, and checked for codes, but could not identify the problem. I believe that the collision back up system should have prevented this accident, but it did not function. I suspect that there may be some kind of computer issue that prevents the brake from actuating. The car will be going in for repair soon, and I have requested that a complete diagnostic review be performed of this brake problem.

Brake actuator failed with exact symptom in [XXX] Repaired in dealer and the same symptom comes back within 2k miles. It seems a design flaw that affected many lexus rx hybrid and toyota highlander hybrid cars, and likely due to air being trapped in the brake lines or brake actuator components. Air in these system is a major safety hazards. Please help to make it a recall and ask Toyota to come up with a solution that really solve this issue. Similar experience from many other owners. One forum thread is attached here for reference. There are many more. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

My 2021 Lexus RX 350 (mileage approx. [19,000], has developed a severe mold contamination issue caused by HVAC condensate drain failure. This issue is a known design defect covered by Lexus Technical Service Bulletin L-SB-0020-21, which identifies blockage or poor drainage in the HVAC system that allows water to enter the cabin. As a result, water intrusion under the carpet has led to mold growth, making the vehicle uninhabitable and unsafe to drive. The cabin now contains visible mold and musty odor, raising serious health and air quality concerns. I brought the vehicle to Lexus of Route 10 (Whippqny, NJ), who acknowledged the water intrusion but have refused to repair it under warranty or goodwill. Instead, they are pressuring me to file a personal insurance claim, even though the issue stems from a known factory defect. The vehicle has now been out of service for weeks, and I am driving a loaner vehicle while mold continues to worsen in mine. Lexus Corporate stated that they "no longer goodwill" these repairs, despite the ongoing safety and hygiene risks. There has been no recall or warranty extension, and I believe other owners may be similarly affected by this unresolved defect. This is a serious safety issue due to the potential for mold-related health problems, interior air contamination, and possible electrical damage from long-term moisture. I urge NHTSA to investigate whether this HVAC defect poses a broader consumer risk, and whether Lexus is avoiding its responsibilities to repair or disclose this issue to other drivers.

Multiple Models and Model Years Passenger Airbag May Not Deploy NHTSA SENSORS not working. The campaign number is 23V865 : OCS Sensors May Short Circuit An air bag that does not deploy during a crash increases the risk of injury. NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V865000 Manufacturer Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing Components AIR BAGS The official recall release date was December 20, 2023.

Front wiper motor damaged two times in fourth years. First time on 2023 and was replaced by warranty at the Lexus Dealer and the second time was damaged on August 22, 2025. Now it is damaged but not covered by warranty at this time with 52,000 miles on the car. The wiper motor was damaged and it can not move down to hide inside down the hood, when the front wipers on they moved and the wiper hits the hood and peel the hood's paint.

On my 2021 Lexus RX350L, the left-hand side outer rear-view mirror vibrates. This can be observed when the car is driven >35mph or when driving on rough roads. At freeway speeds, the mirror vibrates to such a degree that it is difficult to see from it and causes perception issues. I noticed this issue even more pronounced on some other 2021 RX350 vehicles that I test drove before purchasing the one I own. The issue seems to mimic that of L-SB-0058-22. I suspect the cause and remedy are likely the same.

I am writing to you regarding the vehicle safety which I became aware of  recently but there was no solution provided. IF this happened to me, it can happen to anyone driving the same model and needs to be addressed as soon as possible before the fatality occurs as this is danger to the public.I was driving a vehicle on [XXX] after just picking it up from service (serviced at Ray Catena Lexus on [XXX] for 15,000 miles service and oil change) at the rate of speed approximately 65 mph. All of sudden the vehicle started making noises, transmission shifted from auto to lower manual gear and I was barely able to keep control of the vehicle. Luckily, I was able to pull over safely, turned it off, gave it some break and turned back on. Vehicle seemed to be operational and since I was close to the AmTrak train in Washington DC, I have decided to take the train as intended to Florida along with a vehicle. Upon arrival in Florida, I was able to take the vehicle to the dealership JM Lexus on [XXX]. I explained the problem and they checked the vehicle and released it to me shortly saying that there was nothing wrong. This dealership charged me $141.92. As I just left the dealership and got on the highway, the vehicle started to act up again. I was only able to take it back to the same dealership on [XXX], the mechanics did another check on the vehicle and discovered that the spiral cable had an oily residue on it and that was the reason for the electronic issue I was having, but that cable was not covered by the warranty and I was quoted $1,800.00 to get it fixed. Which is odd considering that not only did I buy out of this vehicle a few weeks prior but the vehicle was just serviced on [XXX] (with odometer reading at 12,728 miles)  never giving any issues prior. After having a back and forth conversation, they dropped the price to nearly $1,000.00 but being concerned for my and my spouses safety, I had no choice but to pay.  INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

My car has 171,000 miles on it and I have a blown head gasket. This vehicle has only been driven by myself and was purchased brand new.

On the Saturday (12/21) before Christmas, my hatch door wouldn’t open with the key fob, push button in the vehicle or push button on the door. And the foot under the bumper opener has never worked for me. Anyways, because I couldn’t get my door to open, I ended up loading my groceries in the back seat. When I got home, it still wouldn’t work with the key fob or other buttons. One family member who tried to help me, pushed the door button and it suddenly opened after all the many attempts before. But then it wouldn’t close back. Just like at the store, it made that beeping sound but that it makes when it’s closing or opening, but it wasn’t closing. The next day on Sunday (12/22) I wouldn’t use it because I was afraid if it opened, it wouldn’t close back. The way we were able to get the door to close, was at least I thought it helped, I kept pushing the key fob and the door would allow my family member to manually push the door down a little at a time until it closed. When the door closed completely, we could hear it automatically lock like always. I had a few more Christmas shopping errands and had to leave home again. I got in the car in my driveway and I shut the door and put the car in reverse and suddenly a loud pop and my entire back window shattered completely over into a trillion little pieces. I couldn’t believe it. I’m taking it into the Park Place Lexus dealership in the morning (12/27th) to see if the malfunctioning door is what caused my window to break. I can’t afford to keep replacing the back window over and over if the door is the issue. We taped the back window over so it wouldn’t rain into my vehicle. When we tried to open the door again, it wouldn’t work. So, I had to crawl through broken glass to cover my back window. Terrible experience. I’ve attached photos. On the left and right side of the windows, notice there are two strange holes there. The large hole is I assume where it popped at. My car is under warranty. I hope the dealership covers it

The contact owned a 2021 Lexus RX350. The contact stated that while his wife was stopped at a red light, the vehicle was rear-ended by another vehicle traveling around 65 MPH. During the collision, the driver's side seat reclining mechanism failed to hold the seat in an upright position, allowing the seat to fall backward, resulting in the driver sustaining injuries that the contact attributed to the failure. The air bags did deploy. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard and deemed a total loss by the contact's insurance provider. A police report was filed and injuries were reported. The contact's wife was transported to an area hospital by EMT and treated for nondescript injuries to her left hand, left wrist, and both shoulders and bruising to her right hip. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a case was opened. The contact was later informed that the vehicle was inspected and that the driver's seat reclining mechanism did not show signs of failure. The failure mileage was 24,000.

The tire (Bridgestone Ecopia 422 Plus 235/55R 20 102V M+S) failed within seconds while driving on the highway at 70 MPH. Luckily I did not lose control and was able to steer the car from the middle lane to the birm thanks to the semi driver on my right who allowed us to get off the road quickly. There was almost no rubber remaining on the rim and the tire pressure sensor was gone. The tow truck driver and NTB tire technician said the tire appeared to have failed due to delamination of the steel belt. Subsequent searches on the internet seem to support belt failure as the cause of the rapid loss of the tire. Walmart has refunded the cost of the failed tire. Bridestone is being less than helpful relative to the remaining three tires, which have less than 2,000 miles on them.

I had previously owned a 2018 Lexus RX350L that came with OEM Michelin Premier LTX tires. That car handled very well on rain, snow and ice. I eventually replaced those tires with Continental Crosscontact LX25 that were even better to the point that I woud say they were excellent on snow and ice. When I purchased my 2021 Lexus RX350 F Sport, it came with Bridgestone Ecopia H/L 422 Plus tires in 235 / 55 R 20. The Bridgestone tires were more prone to hydroplaning but I was able to adjust driving in wet rainy situations. The Bridgestone tires however are absolutely useless in even the slightest dusting of snow. They are prone to locking the Anti-Lock Brakes at single digit speeds and are resistant to making even slight turns or steering corrections. On the morning of February 6th 2021 I experienced driving in light snow for the first time with new car equipped with the Bridgestone tires. While making a right turn, I noticed that there was a multiple car accident on the road I was entering. As I had only begun to enter the turning lane, I decided to abort that turn. I attempted to ease the car back to the left but it would not correct. At this point, I was at single digit speeds already and I pressed the brakes. The Anti-Lock brakes locked and the car began sliding forward regardless of steering input. I released the brakes but they remained locked which I assume is because the car kept them applied because it was sliding. I slid into a car at the opposite stop light. After the accident, I drove to an empty parking lot and attempted snow driving maneuvers such as stopping slowly and making gentle turns. These tires proved incapable of the slowest, gentlest of maneuvers in a light snow situation. I am attaching both the Review and Ratings from the Tire Rack website which support that these "All Season" tires should likely not see rain and are most definitely dangerous if not deadly on snow and ice.

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."

I want to bring 2 issues to your attention: First, with all the technology in vehicles today, I can't figure out why there isn't an audible warning if the lights aren't on at night and why they don't come on automatically when windshield wipers are turned on. I often find that I am driving without lights because either my wife or some valet turned them off from 'auto' without my knowledge. I have to imagine accidents have occurred because of this and it seems like such a simple problem to fix. Supposedly there is a law (though I've never seen it) in Florida that you have to have your lights on when it's raining. So why not just have them cone on with the wipers? Second, I am from Detroit so am familiar with cars. Or at least used to be. I recall some time ago that there were regulations to minimize costs and damage during low speed impacts. I am attaching a document I found on line as an example. We had some issues with the sensors on the rear of this Lexus. The dealer said it was going to cost around $3000 to repair and it wasn't covered by warranty, because it must have been caused by someone hitting the car. I don't know if anyone hit the car. We were not in any accidents. And if we were it had to be so minor it wasn't noticed. So how can it cost $3000 to repair such a problem and of course if they aren't working, there is a safety issue when backing up.

While driving, the front driver's side tire and wheel detached from my vehicle, causing significant damage. My vehicle was last serviced at dealer on September 2024. During this service, significant maintenance and repair work was performed, including machining rotors, wheel alignment, and tire rotation. I am concerned that either a malfunction or an improper connection of the wheel has led to this incident. Since service, I have driven approximately 2,000 miles and have not had the car serviced by any other provider. My driving has been limited to general day-to-day use, with no long road trips or encounters with curbs or potholes. The evening prior to the incident, I noticed minor steering wheel shaking while driving over 60 mph and a slight grinding noise. I decided to make an appointment for service on the next day. Unfortunately, while en route to the service appointment, the entire driver side wheel and tire detached as I was making a right turn to enter the highway.