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2021 Lexus Rx

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2021 Lexus Rx do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 29.

About this comparison →

How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

Other model years Selected year
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Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.

What owners reported most

All reported categories

Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

Limited mileage data: 3 of 69 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Air Bags. Review the 47 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Forward Collision Avoidance. Review the 4 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Seat Belts. Review the 4 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

9 crash reports0 fire reports6 injury reports

What owners actually said

69 reports
Mileage unknown · Dec 30, 2024
Air Bags

The contact owns a 2021 Lexus RX450H. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V865000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was contacted and confirmed that pa…

Read full complaint

The contact owns a 2021 Lexus RX450H. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V865000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was contacted and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and informed the contact that a second notification would be mailed when parts were available. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI #11633179

Mileage unknown · Dec 30, 2024
Service Brakes

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 s…

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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)

NHTSA ODI #11633020

Mileage unknown · Dec 27, 2024
Latches/locks/linkagesStructure

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 …

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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

NHTSA ODI #11632580

Mileage unknown · Dec 23, 2024
Unknown Or Other

MANUFACTURER HAS RECALL DATED DEC 20,2023. AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPT WITH DEALERSHIP FOR FIXING THE RECALL still waiting AS OF NOW for remedy to be available.

NHTSA ODI #11632096

Mileage unknown · Dec 9, 2024
Air Bags

The contact owns a 2021 Lexus RX350. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V865000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. T…

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The contact owns a 2021 Lexus RX350. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V865000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI #11629687

Mileage unknown · Dec 6, 2024
Air Bags

The contact owns a 2021 Lexus RX450H. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V865000 (AIR BAGS); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. …

Read full complaint

The contact owns a 2021 Lexus RX450H. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V865000 (AIR BAGS); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI #11629222

Mileage unknown · Dec 5, 2024
Air BagsForward Collision AvoidanceCrash

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 …

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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.

NHTSA ODI #11628992

Mileage unknown · Dec 4, 2024
Seat BeltsCrash

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 appr…

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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.

NHTSA ODI #11628849

Mileage unknown · Dec 3, 2024
Air Bags

The contact owns a 2021 LEXUS RX450H. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V865000 (AIR BAGS); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. …

Read full complaint

The contact owns a 2021 LEXUS RX450H. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V865000 (AIR BAGS); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI #11628624

Mileage unknown · Nov 27, 2024
Air Bags

The contact owns a 2021 Lexus RX350. 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 made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceede…

Read full complaint

The contact owns a 2021 Lexus RX350. 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 made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI #11627714

Official recalls

1

23V865000 · Air Bags:sensor:occupant Classification

Dec 20, 2023

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Avalon, Avalon Hybrid, Corolla, Highlander, Highlander Hybrid, RAV4, RAV4 Hybrid, Lexus ES350, Lexus RX350, Lexus RX450H, 2021 Sienna Hybrid, Lexus ES250, 2020-2022 Camry, Camry Hybrid, and ES300H vehicles. A short circuit may develop in the Occupant Classification System (OCS) sensor, preventing the front passenger air bag from deploying.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: An air bag that does not deploy during a crash increases the risk of injury.

Remedy: Dealers will inspect and replace the sensor as necessary, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed in February 2024. Some final remedy owner letters were mailed October 31, 2024. Letters will continue to be mailed in phases through January 2026. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is 23TB15/23TA15 Lexus 23LB03/23LA03.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.