2023 Lexus RX Problems

The vehicle exhibits a severe, load-based mechanical transmission whine strictly during active acceleration. The pitch of the whining sound rises and falls in direct proportion to the engine's RPMs. This vehicle utilizes the Toyota/Lexus 8-speed automatic transmission architecture, which has a well-documented manufacturing flaw involving internal bearing wear, gear misalignment, and fluid starvation.This mechanical defect poses an immediate and severe safety hazard. The continuous internal wear and gear friction create an unpredictable risk of sudden transmission lock-up, unexpected dropping out of gear, or complete engine stalling while operating at high highway speeds. A sudden loss of motive power on a fast-moving highway leaves the driver completely unable to accelerate out of harm's way, creating an imminent risk of a severe rear-end collision or a catastrophic traffic accident. The manufacturer has failed to issue a safety recall for this known powertrain failure."

The contact owns a 2023 Lexus RX 500h. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle was shaking erratically, and the vehicle stopped independently. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated and the message to “See the Dealer” was displayed. The vehicle was towed to the dealer; however, the failure was not duplicated. The failure reoccurred. The failure was a persistent failure. The dealer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The failure reoccurred. In addition, the contact stated that the self-parking feature was deactivated. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer. The technician test drove the vehicle, and the failure reoccurred twice. The contact was informed that a report was sent to the manufacturer. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and several cases were filed. The engineer was scheduled to inspect the vehicle. The inspection was completed; however, the vehicle information was incorrect on the documents. The contact was informed that another inspection would be scheduled. The failure mileage was approximately 10,637.

The contact owns a 2023 Lexus RX 500h. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle started shaking abnormally and stalled. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated during the failure. The failure was a recurring failure. The vehicle was towed to the dealer; however, the dealer was unable to duplicate the failure, and the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and an engineer was sent to inspect the vehicle; however, the contact was informed that the vehicle had passed the inspection; however, the failure persisted. The failure mileage was approximately 10,637.

when driving on the highway and i let up the gas the engine surges. this is an ongoing issue. makes me apply the brakes or take action scary. it happens all the time. took it to lexus and they say this is normal. to me it is a safety driving issue. it surges for some time with no gas applied.

Battery drains which locks car unexpectedly. No warning, even with car FOB inside car which creates a safety issue if child or someone is in the car. All doors lock and with no access to FOB cannot open the door with manual key. Also, safety issue if this happens at night or in a parking lot etc. Cannot open doors at all - There is obviously an issue with the battery draining after only a few days. Dealer solution - plug in a battery maintainer - problem if you are parking the car at an airport for multiple days. No place to plug the car in... Lexus needs to figure out what is draining the battery or some fix to stop this from happening - I drive my car several times a week 30 miles at least - still happens. Have had to replace battery twice so far.

Vehicle jerking back and forth aggressively while at a complete stop with foot firmly on brake pedal. Vehicle seems to want to lurch forward.

The contact owned a 2023 Lexus RX 350. The contact stated that while the vehicle was stopped at a traffic light, it suddenly accelerated without warning. While driving in a parking lot, the vehicle again surged forward approximately 20 feet. The contact was able to swerve to avoid striking a pedestrian. The vehicle became uncontrollable, and the brakes were inoperable. The vehicle ultimately crashed into a dumpster fence, which fell onto the vehicle. The contact sustained injuries to her mouth, including cuts to the inside and outside of her mouth, and medical attention was provided by a plastic surgeon. The fire department responded to the scene. The air bags did not deploy during the crash. There was no fire, and a police report was not filed. The fire department was on the scene. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The insurance company later deemed the vehicle a total loss. The manufacturer has not been notified. The failure occurred at approximately 18,000 miles.

2023 Lexus RX350. Subscription expiration caused a total screen freeze that prevent other functions ( i.e. rear view camara) to work as the screen just go blank and hang forever unless you reboot. Big safety issue!

This submission is a supplement to a previously filed complaint. Original complaint number: 11719553." In my previously submitted complaint, I incorrectly stated that the vehicle remained stationary until delivery. The actual situation is: the sunroof glass shattered while the vehicle was parked, but the day after the incident, I drove the vehicle to the dealer for inspection. I am providing this supplement to clarify the vehicle’s status in the original report. The incident occurred while the vehicle was completely stationary, with no external forces or driving involved.

Vehicle: 2023 Lexus RX350 (Certified Pre-Owned) Ownership Duration: ~3 months Incident Description On February 1, 2026, the sunroof glass of my vehicle shattered inward into the cabin without any collision or known external force. The vehicle was parked on the street next to a residential garage entrance, with no trees or overhead objects nearby. I have photographs documenting the shattered sunroof. No alerts were received on my mobile app at the time. The vehicle remained stationary and was not operated until delivered to the dealership. Around February 2–3, my mobile app indicated vehicle activity, confirming the dealership accessed or connected diagnostic equipment while the vehicle was in their possession. They never disclosed inspection results or technical findings. Dealership and Manufacturer Response February 2, 2026: Vehicle delivered to authorized Lexus dealership; advised to contact manufacturer. February 13, 2026: Lexus North America phone call – warranty/goodwill coverage denied. February 19, 2026: Dealership confirmed repair not covered. Email to service manager requesting inspection findings, diagnostic conclusions, and written denial – no response. February 20, 2026: In-person visit; dealership refused to provide inspection results, stating vehicle was received broken and I could pay for repair or take it unrepaired. Repair Order (R/O) stated: “Probably due to outside influence.” No evidence or technical explanation was provided. Safety Concern The sunroof glass shattered inward, presenting a direct hazard to occupants. The failure occurred within three months of CPO purchase, raising concerns about inspection process and sunroof integrity. This may indicate a broader defect affecting other vehicles with similar sunroof systems. Current Status Vehicle is under repair at my expense despite lack of confirmed cause or documented findings. Evidence Photographs of shattered sunroof Repair Order from dealership Mobile app records

The rain-sensing wiper system in my 2023 Lexus RX has been inoperative since I purchased the vehicle in May 2023 (current mileage: approximately 55,000 miles). The automatic wipers consistently fail to activate in response to rain, requiring manual operation while driving — a dangerous distraction that significantly reduces safety, especially during heavy rainfall when visibility is already compromised. This defect has been present since the day of purchase and is therefore a manufacturing defect, not a wear-and-tear issue. Lexus has since officially confirmed this through TSB L-SB-0025-25, which specifically addresses rain-sensing wiper failure in certain 2023 RX models. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. Rather than visiting a dealership, I filed a complaint directly with Lexus Customer Care after discovering through owner forums that multiple dealerships had been unable to diagnose or repair this issue, with all repair requests being turned away. A case number was assigned by Lexus Customer Care, documenting that this defect was reported within the warranty period. No warning lamps or dashboard messages appeared at any point. The system simply never functioned correctly from the time of purchase. Although the vehicle's warranty limit is 50,000 miles, this defect existed from the manufacturing stage and was formally reported to Lexus well within the warranty period. I believe this repair should be covered regardless of the current mileage, and I respectfully request that NHTSA investigate this matter.

The rain sensing wiper do not work properly. The wiper swipe once then stop. I have to turn them off and on again to get them to restarted. Also once they do start, they randomly stop for no reason. I have had it to the dealer twice. I was told the dealer contacted Lexus who confirmed this is a problem, with NO fix. The dealer also tested all the new RX 350's models, 2023 and 2024 on their lot, and ALL of them had the same problem. This is a major safety hazard that will cause accidents. It was serviced at Thompson Lexus in Doylestown, PA.

Vehicle jerking back and forth aggressively while at a complete stop with foot firmly on brake pedal. Vehicle seems to want to lurch forward.

- Uknown: 2023 RX 500H Performance hesitates or stalls when gas is applied to accelerate. When vehicle final start moving after 2-4 seconds, engine revs really high. This is believed to be an issue in the power train and specifically Transaxle issues and ECU programming issues. More on this issue can be found on Lexus service bulletin Record ID #4807268. Yes, vehicle is available for inspection. - Yes, with the vehicle stalling out in cross traffic, it has almost caused me, my wife and child to get t-boned on multiple instances. Lexus corporate and the Lexus dealer had been made aware of this concern on multiple occasions. - No, Dealer has not been able to reproduce after multiple reviews. I do have video proof of the car doing this taken after final attempt for Lexus to review. This video has been sent to Lexus corporate and Lexus Dealer. - Vehicle has been inspected by Lexus dealership as a representative of Lexus corporate. My Dealer has looked at it multiple times and can never duplicate and will not help. I worked with Lexus directly and also were not able to help. Lexus corporate has now turned my case over to their Lemon Law department for review on 7/8/24 due to this issue and many more issues with car. I provided requested information to Lexus Corporate Lemon department on 8/12/24 and have not hear back as of 10/24/24. - Unknown: Issue occurs few time a week since purchased the car on 2/4/2023, but do not recall first experience. Issue occurs more after the car has been sitting for a while on a hot day or not drove in a few days, and will stall out mostly on a left hand turn. The issue feels like the battery is dead and the gas engine has to take over for it causing a lag. When the engine does finally take over it seems to rev really high too. After it does it once or in some cases twice at the beginning of the drive it is typically okay the rest of the drive.

My air bags did not deploy with a head on collision.

The contact loaned a 2023 Lexus RX 350. The contact stated that while driving with the cruise control feature set at 65 MPH, the vehicle was rear-ended, hit the median wall, and was then catapulted back into oncoming traffic. The contact stated that the driver's side air bag did not deploy however all the other air bags did deploy as intended. In addition, the contact stated that the front driver-side seat belt failed to secure the driver during the incident. The contact sustained shoulder, hip, leg, and arm injuries and the front passenger sustained left arm injuries. Medical attention was received via the hospital for both occupants. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a tow lot where it was deemed totaled. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 7,000.

I entered then attempted to start my Lexus on November 11, 2025. The car would not start - the dashboard lights fleshed briefly, then the car was completely dead. There was not a light on anywhere. The doors would not open and the windows would not roll down. I was trapped. fortunately I had my cell phone so I was able to call my wife who was inside of our house. She could not open the door with the manual key, She called AAA. The tech hooked up some power device under the hood and the car started and seems OK. This was frightening. I was trapped in the car and running out of air. I could have suffocated.

The contact owned a 2023 Lexus RX 350. The contact stated that while the vehicle was stopped at a traffic light, it suddenly accelerated without warning. While driving in a parking lot, the vehicle again surged forward approximately 20 feet. The contact was able to swerve to avoid striking a pedestrian. The vehicle became uncontrollable, and the brakes were inoperable. The vehicle ultimately crashed into a dumpster fence, which fell onto the vehicle. The contact sustained injuries to her mouth, including cuts to the inside and outside of her mouth, and medical attention was provided by a plastic surgeon. The fire department responded to the scene. The air bags did not deploy during the crash. There was no fire, and a police report was not filed. The fire department was on the scene. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The insurance company later deemed the vehicle a total loss. The manufacturer has not been notified. The failure occurred at approximately 18,000 miles.

The contact loaned a 2023 Lexus RX 350. The contact stated that while driving with the cruise control feature set at 65 MPH, the vehicle was rear-ended, hit the median wall, and was then catapulted back into oncoming traffic. The contact stated that the driver's side air bag did not deploy however all the other air bags did deploy as intended. In addition, the contact stated that the front driver-side seat belt failed to secure the driver during the incident. The contact sustained shoulder, hip, leg, and arm injuries and the front passenger sustained left arm injuries. Medical attention was received via the hospital for both occupants. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a tow lot where it was deemed totaled. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 7,000.

Hi. I noticed my vehicle was randomly making a clunking noise in the rear end. Also, on the highway, it would drift and was difficult to steer. I took it to dealership to be examined because it was still under warranty. They showed me that the driver's side rear trailing arm was disconnected. The bolt was not even there. They stated that it was caused by outside influence, possibly from hitting something. But I did not hit anything. The only sign of damage was where the loose trailing arm rubbed against the steering knuckle. They also told me it was too dangerous to drive off the lot. Because they claimed outside influence, they did not cover it under warranty. I took it to my mechanic. He believed the bolt had come loose on its own. He thought this because the trailing arm bolt on the passenger side was very loose and about to fall out. The mechanic replaced the missing bolt and tightened the loose bolt. I would like to document that this happened and see if any other people had reported this problem. Lexus denied that there was an issue.

Hi. I noticed my vehicle was randomly making a clunking noise in the rear end. Also, on the highway, it would drift and was difficult to steer. I took it to dealership to be examined because it was still under warranty. They showed me that the driver's side rear trailing arm was disconnected. The bolt was not even there. They stated that it was caused by outside influence, possibly from hitting something. But I did not hit anything. The only sign of damage was where the loose trailing arm rubbed against the steering knuckle. They also told me it was too dangerous to drive off the lot. Because they claimed outside influence, they did not cover it under warranty. I took it to my mechanic. He believed the bolt had come loose on its own. He thought this because the trailing arm bolt on the passenger side was very loose and about to fall out. The mechanic replaced the missing bolt and tightened the loose bolt. I would like to document that this happened and see if any other people had reported this problem. Lexus denied that there was an issue.