Consumer Safety Complaints
Search 2,215,138 safety complaints filed by vehicle owners with NHTSA — including 138,663 crashes, 56,255 fires, and 8,561 deaths.
What is a NHTSA consumer complaint?
A consumer complaint is a free-form report filed by a vehicle owner directly to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) describing a safety concern about their vehicle. NHTSA collects these reports through its Vehicle Owner Defect Report (VOQ) system and publishes them publicly. Each complaint includes the affected component, the date and circumstances of the incident, whether the failure caused a crash or fire, and any reported injuries or deaths. The owner's full narrative description is included verbatim — NHTSA does not edit or moderate the descriptions.
The database below contains over 2,215,138 individual complaints. NHTSA's investigators monitor it for clusters of similar reports — when enough owners describe the same failure mode on the same vehicle, NHTSA may open a Preliminary Evaluation that can lead to a recall. Many of the largest recalls in U.S. history, including the Takata airbag recall and the Hyundai/Kia engine fire recalls, started as patterns visible in this complaint database years before they became formal recalls.
How to interpret what you read
A few principles for reading consumer complaints usefully:
- One complaint is anecdote; a hundred similar complaints is data. NHTSA does not investigate the truthfulness of any individual report — that's the job of the Office of Defects Investigation, which looks at the full pattern. When evaluating a vehicle, look for whether multiple owners describe the same chain of events.
- Crash, fire, injury, and death flags are owner-set. They are not verified by NHTSA. They are still useful as a filter, because owners who tick those boxes are typically reporting more serious incidents than those who don't.
- Component categories are NHTSA-assigned, not owner-assigned. NHTSA standardizes the component field so that complaints can be aggregated. The owner narrative often goes into more detail than the component category captures.
- Complaint volume scales with sales volume. A best-selling model will accumulate more raw complaints than a niche model even at the same defect rate. To compare across vehicles, look at complaints per 100,000 units sold, not raw counts.
If you've experienced a defect
File a complaint. NHTSA's investigators rely on this database to detect emerging defects, and useful complaints — specific, concrete, with dates and mileage and clear descriptions of what happened — feed directly into the agency's pattern detection. The form takes about 10 minutes and is at nhtsa.gov/recalls under "Report a Safety Problem." Your complaint becomes part of the same public record that this page is built from. Owners filing detailed VOQs are how recalls get triggered.
Read more from our blog
Showing 15,126 complaints for LEXUS
Incident date: May 16, 2022
I hear a loud clicking sound that is coming from the vacuum pump that sends vacuum to the brake booster, I am concerned that it could eventually cause braking issues.in the future if not corrected ,i have read multiple forums and it seems to be a common problem with this particular vehicle and ones similar to it, I would like to have this issue resolved before a traggedy occurs.
Incident date: May 8, 2022
2014 Lexus IS350 Destination Assist and Safety Connect stopped working. Lexus tech support has no clue on how to resolve this problem. They are telling customers to go to the dealership. This puts those in need of assistance or emergency that the SOS function of the vehicle to become nonresponsive. Including location of a accident or collision notification.
Incident date: Oct 13, 2020
Incident on 10/13/2020 On Tuesday October 13th. 2020 I was driving my 2010 Lexus ES 350 in Diamond Bar, CA 91765. I got hit on my side by a speedy car (ran red light) He was driving at speed of 55 mph. I got multiple fractures (No air bags were deployed) and later on hospital admission due to life serious complications. Now I’m dealing with continuous pain, inability to back to normal life style... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: May 8, 2022
Driving on I80E in Iowa with cruise control set at 70 mph, warning light for AWD failure came on, followed by engine light and all warning lights. Coasted into breakdown lane and had definite loss of power. Became aware of fire by fellow motorist running toward the car with fire extinguisher. Saw black smoke and fire coming from front of car. Forced to evacuate car on interstate, smoke in east and... Read more
Fire
Incident date: May 11, 2022
The moonroof suddenly shattered (it sounded like an explosion) while I was driving on the freeway in 70 degree weather. Initially I had no idea what it was but realized subsequently that I was shedding glass shards behind me. There were no overpasses where someone could have dropped something, I did not see a rock or other projectile, and - when I parked the car - I found nothing that from outsi... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2022
P019023 high pressure fuel sensor signal stuck low. Engine stalls, lack of power, limp mode.
Incident date: Jul 10, 2020
Original owner of 2017 Lexus LX 500 33,000 miles- 2 1/2 years old at the time. The car failed on the interstate in the mountains going up hill. It sputtered and then lost power. Barely able to get to the side of the road. Was almost ran into by a semi. Family of 6 in the car. Warning lights came on: Check engine Reduced engine power Had car towed to Denver dealership 100 miles away. Lexus d... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2019
Dashboard and door panels are melting to the point that (short) nails get stuck every time we drive. Car is parked under a roof and it’s still melting. Poor visibility due to shine.
Incident date: May 1, 2019
Dashboard and door panels are melting to the point that (short) nails get stuck every time we drive. Car is parked under a roof and it’s still melting. Poor visibility due to shine.
Incident date: May 1, 2019
Dashboard and door panels are melting to the point that (short) nails get stuck every time we drive. Car is parked under a roof and it’s still melting. Poor visibility due to shine.
Incident date: May 6, 2022
The contact owned a 2017 Lexus RX350. The contact stated while driving 45-50 MPH on the highway, another vehicle that lost control and crashed into the contact's front and side of the vehicle. The driver's front air bag did not deploy. The contact suffered minor injuries to the face from the glass front windshield, a cut and burn from the seatbelt, and a bruise to the arm. Medical attention was re... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: May 4, 2022
My wife was driving, we got check engine & VSC sign, we checked with car mechanic, who asked us to take to dealer, they diagnosed & fixed some parts & charged us around 1000.00 $, Next day she drove around 6 miles, she was ready to enter highway sign came, stop car immediately at safe place, she called dealer who advised to bring car back, she took car back ,they diagnosed again & told us it ... Read more
Incident date: May 5, 2022
Today, May 5th approximately 9am travelling on 287 East (Westchester County, NY) I was startled by what sounded like an explosion - I literally ducked in the driver's seat. Sounded like it came from overhead and then I observed that no other car seemed to have slowed or was affected. I put on my hazard lights and drove a 1/2 mile or so until I could safely pull over. As I'm driving I can hear ov... Read more
Incident date: Apr 5, 2022
The contact owns a 2007 Lexus RX350. The contact stated that over time she noticed that the dashboard was cracking and separating. The contact was concerned due to the proximity of the passenger’s side air bag housing and the crack in the dashboard. The contact was also concerned about an inadvertent deployment without the vehicle being involved in a crash. The local dealer was contacted and inf... Read more
Incident date: Apr 5, 2022
The contact owns a 2007 Lexus RX350. The contact stated that over time she noticed that the dashboard was cracking and separating. The contact was concerned due to the proximity of the passenger’s side air bag housing and the crack in the dashboard. The contact was also concerned about an inadvertent deployment without the vehicle being involved in a crash. The local dealer was contacted and inf... Read more
Incident date: Apr 27, 2022
Steering wheel vibrations after 65 MPH is reach, more noticeable when vehicle has reached the speed and cruising. Had tires rebalanced and rotated and issue still persists. The vibration feels like when a wheel lock is loose or missing.
Incident date: Apr 27, 2022
Steering wheel vibrations after 65 MPH is reach, more noticeable when vehicle has reached the speed and cruising. Had tires rebalanced and rotated and issue still persists. The vibration feels like when a wheel lock is loose or missing.
Incident date: May 4, 2022
The contact owns a 2018 Lexus NX. The contact stated while coasting into the home driveway at 5 MPH without foot-on acceleration, the vehicle automatically accelerated at high speed into the garage. The contact tried to use the brake pedal to stop; however, the brakes were inoperative. The contact had to shift the gear into the park for it to completely stop. The vehicle crashed into his garage an... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: May 2, 2022
My AWD check system keeps going on and off every few days. I took it to Mavis who gave me codes and stated that there is a TSB found to the issues my vehicle read. I took it to lexus of Brooklyn who basically disregard the recommendations just so I javelin to pay them again to diagnosis whay was already diagnosed.
Incident date: May 2, 2022
My AWD check system keeps going on and off every few days. I took it to Mavis who gave me codes and stated that there is a TSB found to the issues my vehicle read. I took it to lexus of Brooklyn who basically disregard the recommendations just so I javelin to pay them again to diagnosis whay was already diagnosed.
Incident date: May 2, 2022
My AWD check system keeps going on and off every few days. I took it to Mavis who gave me codes and stated that there is a TSB found to the issues my vehicle read. I took it to lexus of Brooklyn who basically disregard the recommendations just so I javelin to pay them again to diagnosis whay was already diagnosed.
Incident date: Oct 4, 2020
The contact owns a 2005 Lexus LS430. The contact stated while driving various speeds, the rear suspension was bouncing excessively causing the vehicle to be difficult to control and maintain in the lane. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact had driven the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the rear shock absorbers and rear suspension n... Read more
Incident date: Oct 4, 2020
The contact owns a 2005 Lexus LS430. The contact stated while driving various speeds, the rear suspension was bouncing excessively causing the vehicle to be difficult to control and maintain in the lane. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact had driven the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the rear shock absorbers and rear suspension n... Read more
Incident date: Apr 8, 2022
Lexus never informed me or the dealer that the hatchback lift will fail if the weather is below 60 degrees. Sometimes even warmer. I replaced the hatchback lift when I was up in WV and loading up my vehicle and the hatchback almost knocked me out! It happened on several occasions. When I called the dealer they informed me that is normal. Normal. It could of killed me or knocked me out and gi... Read more
Incident date: Apr 14, 2022
I was driving on the 210 freeway in Southern California and my sunroof exploded. There was no sign of an object hitting it and I didn't see anything bounce off of it onto the road or onto other cars. My insurance company inspected it and sent me to a repair shop to have it replaced.
Incident date: Nov 1, 2021
There seems to be a barking noise when pressing the brakes even when engine is not on. Local shop could not diagnose the issue. I heard this could be the regenerative system that is expensive to repair. Braking seems ok but I am concerned as I thought there were some recalls on brake booster for this year but they say not on my car.
Incident date: Apr 18, 2022
Recall for Rear Suspension arms. There was a recall on my car which was processed in Aug 2016 at 89k miles by previous owner. I purchased the car in Dec 2021-Jan 2022 at around 93-94k miles. This means the car was almost not used by previous owner for 5 years as the recall wasn't performed well Also, the label for "safety recall" is still on the entire rear suspension arms which proves the point. ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 19, 2022
I was driving on I4 Orlando FL and the vehicle just stalled. Almost got into an accident. The vehicle stopped on the middle of highway, the whole traffic stopped. No issues where noticed before the incident. No loss of power before or after the incident: The car was diagnosed by the dealership and the fuel pump is bad. Vehicle has roughly 130K miles.
Incident date: Apr 19, 2022
I was driving on I4 Orlando FL and the vehicle just stalled. Almost got into an accident. The vehicle stopped on the middle of highway, the whole traffic stopped. No issues where noticed before the incident. No loss of power before or after the incident: The car was diagnosed by the dealership and the fuel pump is bad. Vehicle has roughly 130K miles.
Incident date: Apr 19, 2022
I was driving on I4 Orlando FL and the vehicle just stalled. Almost got into an accident. The vehicle stopped on the middle of highway, the whole traffic stopped. No issues where noticed before the incident. No loss of power before or after the incident: The car was diagnosed by the dealership and the fuel pump is bad. Vehicle has roughly 130K miles.
Incident date: Apr 4, 2022
My car had 3 tire/wheel issues in less than 4 months. Left me stranded on the side of the road. Was told this is a common issue. Basically Lexus knows they have a problem but do not have plans to fix other than offer insurance. It is costly repair. The bigger issue is the safety one. I believe that sometime this will cause a severe accident. I felt so strongly I sold the car back to Lexus. ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 4, 2022
My car had 3 tire/wheel issues in less than 4 months. Left me stranded on the side of the road. Was told this is a common issue. Basically Lexus knows they have a problem but do not have plans to fix other than offer insurance. It is costly repair. The bigger issue is the safety one. I believe that sometime this will cause a severe accident. I felt so strongly I sold the car back to Lexus. ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 11, 2022
While into a road trip from Florida to Tennessee on I-75 the sunroof spontaneously exploded. The interior sunshade was closed. Otherwise the glass shards would have entered the interior. The glass most likely would have caused cut injuries to the driver (my wife) and I. Also, it may well have caused her to lose control of the vehicle resulting in a very serious accident while driving at 75 mph. M... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2022
The contact owns a 1999 Lexus LX470. The contact stated that after a vehicle inspection, it was discovered that the subframe of the vehicle had sustained severe corrosion making the vehicle unsafe to drive. The cause of the corrosion was not determined. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but no assistance was offered. The local dealer was not yet contacted. The approximate failure mileag... Read more
Incident date: Mar 18, 2022
The Vehicle Has an alignment issue that was identified at 12 miles Odometer Reading for the this brand new car. Steering is off-center to the left and the car still drifts to the left on even roads after 3 attempts to fix the problem. When the Break Hold feature is on, the vehicle locks the breaks while it is in motion about 25-35 mph. Also, the VSC off light comes and goes on its own along with ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 18, 2022
The Vehicle Has an alignment issue that was identified at 12 miles Odometer Reading for the this brand new car. Steering is off-center to the left and the car still drifts to the left on even roads after 3 attempts to fix the problem. When the Break Hold feature is on, the vehicle locks the breaks while it is in motion about 25-35 mph. Also, the VSC off light comes and goes on its own along with ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 1, 2021
First noticed excessive oil usage. Then, engine rumble. Temperature warning light. Took to repair shop who was unable to repair stating ONLY Lexus has tools required to repair. Lexus will not divulge how to repair. Lexus states a letter was mailed to me (never received) in 2016 for a service issue - warranty enhancement. Thus, they are aware of the issue. Now that I’m having issues with th... Read more
Incident date: Nov 1, 2021
First noticed excessive oil usage. Then, engine rumble. Temperature warning light. Took to repair shop who was unable to repair stating ONLY Lexus has tools required to repair. Lexus will not divulge how to repair. Lexus states a letter was mailed to me (never received) in 2016 for a service issue - warranty enhancement. Thus, they are aware of the issue. Now that I’m having issues with th... Read more
Incident date: Mar 1, 2022
the dashboard and the dash material on tue top of the doors are gummy/ melting
Incident date: Apr 6, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Lexus ES350. The contact stated that while in reverse and slowly reversing into a parking space, the vehicle suddenly experienced unintended acceleration and crashed into a tree. The contact indicated that the unintended acceleration occurred while pressing the brake pedal and also the crash avoidance safety features did not activate. No injuries were reported and no police... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Apr 6, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Lexus ES350. The contact stated that while in reverse and slowly reversing into a parking space, the vehicle suddenly experienced unintended acceleration and crashed into a tree. The contact indicated that the unintended acceleration occurred while pressing the brake pedal and also the crash avoidance safety features did not activate. No injuries were reported and no police... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Apr 5, 2022
2016 Lexus ES350 with the 2nd row sunroof. While driving the car the front sunroof shattered without cause, sending glass pieces into the cabin creating a very dangerous situation. This appears to be a problem that has happened many times before as there are many people that have talked about this issue. Lexus denied fault.
Incident date: Jan 1, 2021
My vehicle dashboard is melting and i have tried to contact the dealer and they have told me that the recall has been expired on my vehicles and for me it is becoming a safety issue because whenever sun reflects on the dashboard and because its melting it makes a glare on my windshield and it effects on my visibility while driving the car.
Incident date: Apr 6, 2022
I was driving down the highway at 70 mph and it was windy at the same time. Out of no where my sunroof window exploded shattering the glass. Luckily I usually keep the cover close. It sounded a gun shot that went off. There was nothing around me that would come down and break the window of the sunroof. It just happened out of no where.
Incident date: Apr 6, 2022
I was driving down the highway at 70 mph and it was windy at the same time. Out of no where my sunroof window exploded shattering the glass. Luckily I usually keep the cover close. It sounded a gun shot that went off. There was nothing around me that would come down and break the window of the sunroof. It just happened out of no where.
Incident date: Sep 6, 2021
I always use cruise control whenever i drive because this would always makes me put on a safety automatic brake whenever i get close to the car next to me. But it seems like my automatic emergency brake is defective which Lexus Dealership denies on the inspection when i complain. A lot of times the automatic emergency brake does not work when i use it even when im backing up it suppose to stop but... Read more
Incident date: Sep 6, 2021
I always use cruise control whenever i drive because this would always makes me put on a safety automatic brake whenever i get close to the car next to me. But it seems like my automatic emergency brake is defective which Lexus Dealership denies on the inspection when i complain. A lot of times the automatic emergency brake does not work when i use it even when im backing up it suppose to stop but... Read more
Incident date: Sep 6, 2021
I always use cruise control whenever i drive because this would always makes me put on a safety automatic brake whenever i get close to the car next to me. But it seems like my automatic emergency brake is defective which Lexus Dealership denies on the inspection when i complain. A lot of times the automatic emergency brake does not work when i use it even when im backing up it suppose to stop but... Read more
Incident date: Nov 19, 2021
On November 19, 2021, I purchased a vehicle from cars Lane on Hanover Road in Annapolis Maryland. Upon driving back to my residence in Gaithersburg I noticed that there was significant shaking when the vehicle was driven over 60 miles an hour. I notified the dealership and seemed helpful at first. I took the car to a good year facility and pay to have an alignment. That seem to fix one of the issu... Read more
Incident date: Nov 19, 2021
On November 19, 2021, I purchased a vehicle from cars Lane on Hanover Road in Annapolis Maryland. Upon driving back to my residence in Gaithersburg I noticed that there was significant shaking when the vehicle was driven over 60 miles an hour. I notified the dealership and seemed helpful at first. I took the car to a good year facility and pay to have an alignment. That seem to fix one of the issu... Read more