ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC); SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP:CONTROL UNIT/MODULE
2012 Lexus RX350
Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data
Data refreshed
Overview
Our database contains 33 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2012 Lexus RX350, most frequently naming the driver assistance, brakes and airbags categories. 1 safety recall has been issued covering this model year; and 221 manufacturer communications are on file.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Complaint activity over time
When owners filed reports about this model year
View as table
| Month | Complaints filed | Cumulative |
|---|---|---|
| Dec 2011 | 2 | 2 |
| Mar 2012 | 1 | 3 |
| Apr 2012 | 1 | 4 |
| Jun 2012 | 1 | 5 |
| Oct 2012 | 1 | 6 |
| Feb 2013 | 1 | 7 |
| Apr 2013 | 2 | 9 |
| Aug 2013 | 1 | 10 |
| Sep 2013 | 1 | 11 |
| Oct 2013 | 1 | 12 |
| Nov 2013 | 1 | 13 |
| Jul 2014 | 2 | 15 |
| Mar 2015 | 1 | 16 |
| Aug 2015 | 2 | 18 |
| Mar 2016 | 1 | 19 |
| Jun 2016 | 1 | 20 |
| Jan 2017 | 1 | 21 |
| Jul 2017 | 1 | 22 |
| Oct 2017 | 1 | 23 |
| Dec 2017 | 1 | 24 |
| Nov 2018 | 1 | 25 |
| Feb 2019 | 1 | 26 |
| Mar 2019 | 1 | 27 |
| Apr 2019 | 2 | 29 |
| Oct 2019 | 1 | 30 |
| Jan 2020 | 1 | 31 |
| Jul 2020 | 2 | 33 |
What owners report
Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded
- Driver assistance1328.9%
- Brakes613.3%
- Airbags48.9%
- Powertrain (other)48.9%
- Electrical48.9%
- Engine48.9%
- Fuel system36.7%
- Body & structure24.4%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Safety recalls
1 campaign cover this model year
Recalls apply to specific vehicles, not to every vehicle of a model year. Check your VIN with NHTSA or your manufacturer's dealer to confirm whether a recall affects your vehicle.
Check a VIN on NHTSA.govRecent owner complaints
Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 LEXUS RX330. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH, THE ABS AND BRAKE SYSTEM WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE HESITATED TO RESPOND. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AUDI PENSACOLA LOCATED AT 6303 PENSACOLA BLVD, PENSACOLA, FL 32505, (844) 313-0046, AND THE DEALER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED NOR REPAIRED. UPON INVESTIGATION, THE CONTACT ASSOCIATED THE FAILURE WITH NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 14V054000 (SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC, ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL), HOWEVER THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS INFORMED OF FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 110,000.
- NHTSA ID
- 11340501
- Incident
- Jul 20, 2020
- Mileage
- 110,000 mi
THE CFEI (CERTIFIED FIRE & EXPLOSION INVESTIGATOR) FIRE LIEUTENANT/INVESTIGATOR WITH THE CITY OF FT. LAUDERDALE'S FIRE DEPT, WHO ALSO RESPONDED TO MY 911 CALL, HAD POINTED OUT AND EXPLAINED TO ME THE INTENSITY OF FLAME, HEAT AND BURN PATTERN IN THE ENGINE AND STATED THAT THIS WAS CAUSED BY A MECHANICAL ENGINE MALFUNCTION. WHAT HAPPENED: I HAD JUST DRIVEN MY 2012 LEXUS RX350 A SHORT DISTANCE ON THE HIGHWAY WHEN I PULLED INTO A 7-11 PARKING LOT NOT FAR FROM THE GAS PUMPS AND PUT THE CAR IN PARK. WITH THE ENGINE STILL RUNNING, I OPENED MY DRIVERS SIDE WINDOW TO TALK TO A FRIEND WHEN I IMMEDIATELY SMELLED SOMETHING BURNING. I FILED A REPORT WITH LEXUS THE VERY NEXT DAY AND RECEIVED A LETTER 3 WEEKS LATER. THEIR LAST PARAGRAPH SAYS "WE UNDERSTAND THAT YOU REPORTED THIS TO GEICO AS WELL. IF THEIR INVESTIGATION HAS REVEALED ANY EVIDENCE OF PRODUCT LIABILITY, WE WILL GLADLY REVIEW THAT INFORMATION." I CALLED OUT TO HIM AS HE WAS WALKING FROM HIS VEHICLE TOWARDS MY CAR AND YELLED OUT TO HIM THAT SOMETHING SMELLED LIKE IT WAS BURNING. HE THEN TOLD ME TO RELEASE THE HOOD BECAUSE HE NOTICED SMOKE COMING FROM THE ENGINE. HE SLIGHTLY RAISED THE HOOD, SAW A FLAME, SLAMMED THE HOOD SHUT, THEN HE YELLED OUT TO ME "GET OUT OF THE CAR NOW YOUR ENGINE IS ON FIRE". I JUMPED OUT, CALLED 911, THEN STARTED TAKING PHOTOS WITH MY PHONE WHILE WATCHING AS MY VEHICLE BECAME ENGULFED IN FLAMES AND SMOKE. FIRST I HEARD THE TIRES BLOW OUT THEN I HEARD THE WINDSHIELD BLOW OUT. MY FRIEND SAW THE FLAMES WHEN HE LIFTED THE HOOD AND SAID HE OBSERVED THAT THE FIRE WAS BURNING IN THE CENTER OF THE MOTOR AT THE FUEL MANIFOLD. THE FIRE DEPT ARRIVED ABOUT 5-7 MINUTES LATER AND PROCEEDED TO TRY TO PUT OUT THE FIRE. THE CAR IS A TOTAL LOSS!
- NHTSA ID
- 11337569
- Incident
- Apr 15, 2020
- Mileage
- 92,988 mi
I WAS BROADSIDED ON MY DRIVERS DOOR AND NOT 1 AIRBAG WENT OFF. THE OFFICER SAID SHE WAS DRIVING AT LEAST 40MPH. I HAD LEFT THE STOP SIGN TO MAKE MY LEFT HAND TURN WHEN IT OCCURED. MY CAR WAS TOTALED
- NHTSA ID
- 11297031
- Incident
- Dec 6, 2019
- Mileage
- 84,500 mi
I AM THE ORIGINAL OWNER OF A 2013 LEXUS RX350. ON AUGUST 14, 2019 AS I WAS PARKING MY CAR AND ROLLING INTO A PARKING SPOT, WITH MY FOOT ONLY ON THE BRAKE PEDAL, THE ENGINE REVVED AND THE CAR ACCELERATED FORWARD. THE CAR HIT A CURB AND GAVE ME THE TIME TO REACT AND APPLIED ENOUGH BRAKE PRESSURE TO STOP THE VEHICLE BEFORE IT WENT INTO THE STREET INTO ONCOMING TRAFFIC. THE NEXT DAY I BROUGHT THE CAR INTO MY LOCAL LEXUS DEALERSHIP. THEY HAD THE CAR FOR THE ENTIRE DAY AND COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE. ON AUGUST 17, 2019, THE EXACT SAME THING HAPPENED AS I WAS AGAIN ROLLING INTO A PARKING SPOT. AGAIN WITH MY FOOT ONLY ON THE BRAKE PEDAL, THE ENGINE REVVED AND THE CAR ACCELERATED FORWARD. THIS TIME I WAS NOT ABLE TO REACT QUICK ENOUGH AS THE CAR HIT A CONCRETE POLE AT THE FRONT OF THE PARKING SPOT. I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO THE LEXUS DEALERSHIP. OVER THE NEXT 30-45 DAYS AN INDEPENDENT ENGINEER REMOVED THE EVENT DATA RECORDER (EDR)FROM THE CAR AND SENT IT TO TOYOTA FOR ANALYSIS. ON OCT 3, 2019 TOYOTA RESPONDED THAT BASED ON THEIR FINDINGS OF THE EDR THE VEHICLE IS NOT DEFECTIVE. IN MY OWN SEARCH OF THE INTERNET, I FOUND NUMEROUS INCIDENTS ON UNINTENDED ACCELERATION FOR THE SAME YEAR, MAKE AND MODEL AS MY CAR. I HAVE SENT LETTERS TO THE CEO OF TOYOTA AND LEXUS BUT AS OF THIS DATE, OCT 15, 2019 NEITHER TOYOTA NOR LEXUS HAS ACKNOWLEDGED OR ADMITTED THAT ANYTHING IS DEFECTIVE WITH THE VEHICLE. *JS *JS *JS
- NHTSA ID
- 11268446
- Incident
- Aug 17, 2019
- Mileage
- 66,123 mi
DURING DRIVING IN THE HIGHWAY SUDDENLY THE WHOLE VEHICLE IS SHAKING AND REDUCED SPEED SUDDENLY; ALL KIND OF ENGINE WARNING LIGHTS ARE TURNED ON AS HAVE TO PULL ASIDE ON THE HIGHWAY. HAVE TO TOW THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP AND FOUND THAT CYLINDER VALVE SPRING INSIDE THE ENGINE HAS BROKEN AS THE CAR ONLY HAS ABOUT 65000 MILES. THIS CAUSING VEHICLE TO MISFIRE AND VEHICLE IS SHAKING. THERE ARE MULTIPLE RECALL OF LEXUS MODEL ON VALVE SPRING AND THIS OBVIOUSLY SEEMS AN MANUFACTURER DEFECT.
- NHTSA ID
- 11203185
- Incident
- Apr 14, 2019
- Mileage
- 65,000 mi
VEHICLE CURRENT MILEAGE IS 32K APPRX GARAGE KEPT. FRONT PASSENGER BELT LOCKS FREQUENTLY. ALSO THE STEERING GOT HARD. NO LEAKING OF ANY SORT OF OIL TOO. CURRENTLY THE VEHICLE IS BEING USED BUT SCARED IF STEERING MOTION WOULD FREEZE.
- NHTSA ID
- 11195846
- Incident
- Apr 8, 2019
- Mileage
- 32,000 mi
WHILE DRIVING ON I-15 NEAR ST. GEORGE ON AN OVERCAST, BUT DRY ROAD, WE HEARD A LOUD BANG OR THUMP ON OUR VEHICLE. TRAFFIC WAS LIGHT AND NO OTHER VEHICLES WERE NEAR. WE COULD FIND NO EVIDENCE OF DAMAGE. WHILE LISTENING TO A NEWS REPORT LAST EVENING, INVOLVING A PROBLEM WITH SPONTANEOUS SHATTERING OF SUNROOFS, I IMMEDIAELY WENT TO MY GARAGE TO LOOK AT MY SUNROOF AND SURE ENOUGH IT WAS SHATTERED.
- NHTSA ID
- 11184007
- Incident
- Feb 28, 2019
- Mileage
- 108,068 mi
BOTH WHEELS ARE NOT STOPPING AT THE SAME TIME. THE CAR HAS A SLIGHT JUMP FORWARD WHEN YOU EXPECT TO BE TOTALLY STOPPED. THE CAR HAS NEW FRONT AND BACK BRAKES.
- NHTSA ID
- 11182086
- Incident
- Sep 10, 2018
- Mileage
- 75 mi
Manufacturer communications
A bulletin sent by a manufacturer to its dealers. Not a recall, and repairs are not necessarily free.
EQUIPMENT:OTHER:OWNERS/SERVICE/OTHER MANUAL
DP: Customer Support Program 19LE05 expired December 1, 2022.
EQUIPMENT:OTHER:OWNERS/SERVICE/OTHER MANUAL
TI: 19LE05 Expired December 1, 2022
EQUIPMENT:OTHER:OWNERS/SERVICE/OTHER MANUAL
DP: Limited Service Campaign KLG expired December 01, 2022
EQUIPMENT:OTHER:OWNERS/SERVICE/OTHER MANUAL
TI: 19LE05 Expired December 1, 2022
EQUIPMENT
Lexus Safety Recall and Service Campaign - Technician Certification Requirements 4.13.2022
EQUIPMENT
TSB: This Service Bulletin includes procedures to replace damaged or loose front carpet floor retainer(s) without replacing the carpet assembly. Follow the Repair Procedure in this bulletin to replace the loose or damaged carpet floor retainer(s).
Manufacturers file copies of the bulletins they send to dealers with NHTSA. These often describe diagnostic or repair procedures for a known condition. They are not recalls: repairs described in a bulletin are usually only free if the vehicle is still under warranty or the manufacturer has extended coverage.
Compare model years
Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model
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. Older model years have had longer for reports to accumulate.