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2020 Lexus RX 350 Problems & Owner Complaints

51 NHTSA owner complaints
6 crash 4 injury

Age-normalised, this year draws ~7.3 complaints per year on the road — ranking 4 of 5 Lexus RX 350 years we track (1 = most complaints per year).

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What owners report

Air Bags is the most-reported problem area on the 2020 Lexus RX 350, cited in 21 of 51 filed complaints (41%).

Electrical System is next (5 complaints, 10%), followed by Engine (5), Fuel System (4), Fuel/Propulsion System (4).

Across all complaints, 6 report a crash, 4 report injuries.

The most safety-critical cluster is Electrical System: 2 crash, 3 injury report(s).

Complaints by vehicle system

Owner complaints filed with the U.S. NHTSA for the 2020 Lexus RX 350, grouped by the vehicle system each cites. A single complaint can name more than one system, so the group totals can add up to more than 51.

Air Bags 21 3 crash

“I am submitting this correspondence to formally report a serious safety incident involving my 2020 Lexus RX 350 and to request a thorough investigation. On Saturday, February 7, while attempting to park the vehicle, I experienced a sudden loss of control, resulting in the vehicle accelerating forward and colliding with a metal gate. The exact cause of this event is unknown. During the incident, the vehicle’s pre-collision and automatic braking system failed to engage despite an obstruction being present. Additionally, the airbags did not deploy at the time of impact. A minor child was present…”
NHTSA complaint #11718294, 2026 · crash

“The contact owns a 2020 Lexus RX. The contact stated while his wife and children were stopped in traffic, a vehicle had crashed into the rear of the contact's vehicle, which then caused a five-car chain reaction crash. The contact stated that none of the air bags had deployed. The contact stated that the rear end of his vehicle was crushed as well as the front end. The contact stated that the police and emergency services had arrived on the scene. The contact stated that his wife and son were transported to the hospital. The contact stated that his wife had suffered neck whiplash, cuts, and ab…”
NHTSA complaint #11662427, 2025 · crash

“Just after topping a hill on an Interstate Highway, both lanes of traffic ahead of us came to a sudden and complete stop. I was in left lane and reacted quickly and applied full braking power and managed to stop a foot or 2 from the rear of the stopped car ahead of us. A few seconds later we were hit from the rear by two cars, one, a Black late model Camry, which almost stopped and a 2nd, a large, new German-maker grey SUV, which never applied brakes, destroyed the black Camry behind us and then destroyed our car, when it hit the left rear and after impact continued pushing the front of the c…”
NHTSA complaint #11432569, 2020 · crash

Unknown Or Other 9 1 injury

“SUNROOF EXPLODED WHILE DRIVING WHILE MY HUSBAND WAS DRIVING WITH A FRIEND. DEALERSHIP IS NOT ACKKNOWLEDGING IT SINCE THERE IS NOT A RECALL SO I WILL HAVE TO CALL LEXUS CORPORATE. I AM TAKING IT INTO THE DEALERSHIP TO BE FIXED AND DROPPING IT OFF THIS FRIDAY. INSURANCE ADJUSTER WILL BE DOING TO DEALERSHIP TO LOOK AT SINCE IT COSTS $2000 TO FIX AND I HAVE A $1000 DEDUCTIBLE :( :( NO WARNING JUST SOUNDED LIKE A BOMB OR GUNSHOT GOING OFF. MY HUSBAND HAS HAD RINGING IN THE EARS SINCE IT WAS SO LOAD AND RIGHT ABOVE HIS HEAD!!!!”
NHTSA complaint #11639337, 2025 · 1 injury(ies)

“The hatchback window shattered without any known cause. It appeared to have been hit from inside the vehicle but no one was in or around the vehicle when it occurred. It was 82 degrees outside and the vehicle was parked in the shade. Lexus told me there were no known issues regarding the window on other Lexus vehicles.”
NHTSA complaint #11729675, 2026

“The panoramic sunroof has a shade, which is not closing. This causes a lot of sunlight to enter the vehicle which might be harmful to your skin and causes headaches. The repair is very expensive and there is no other way around it. I seen many owners raising concerns about the same issue happening to them, on youtube, reddit, google and other websites. This is an issue on the same model from around 2017-2022. This must be repaired by lexus, and improved so it doesn’t keep happening.”
NHTSA complaint #11743718, 2024

Electrical System 5 2 crash 3 injury

“The contact owned a 2020 Lexus RX350. The contact stated that while making a left turn into a parking lot at approximately 10 MPH, the vehicle suddenly accelerated on its own and crashed into the side of a Walmart shopping store. The air bags deployed upon impact. The contact and her sister were both taken by ambulance to two separate hospitals. The contact was treated for fractures to her right hand and wrist; screws were placed in her right wrist and another was placed in between her index and middle right finger. The contact had additional X-rays performed on the right of her body where she…”
NHTSA complaint #11466908, 2022 · crash · 2 injury(ies)

“Contact states they were sitting in DRIVE, with their foot on the brake. When the contact took their foot off the brake, they began to let the vehicle coast to about 5 MPH. Then, the vehicle lunged forward unexpectedly to about 25 MPH, when it collided with a rock. The vehicle had previously spent over 10 days in different dealerships to diagnose issues related to the engine running rough, the car stalling out, and the vehicle driving erratically and lunging forward. The contact only began to have issues with the vehicle after the NHTSA Denso Fuel Pump Recall. A year after the contact took…”
NHTSA complaint #11507921, 2021 · crash · 1 injury(ies)

“I own a 2020 Lexus RX 450h with approximately 129,803 miles. The check engine light came on and the vehicle stored diagnostic trouble code P0A2D, which indicates a failure of the drive motor/temperature sensor circuit that is integrated into the transmission/hybrid motor assembly. According to the Lexus dealer’s diagnosis, the temperature control sensor located on the transmission/hybrid drive unit has failed. Because Lexus designed this sensor as part of the transmission assembly, the dealer has stated the sensor cannot be replaced separately and that the only repair is to replace the entire…”
NHTSA complaint #11723917, 2026

Engine 5 2 crash 1 injury

“Contact states they were sitting in DRIVE, with their foot on the brake. When the contact took their foot off the brake, they began to let the vehicle coast to about 5 MPH. Then, the vehicle lunged forward unexpectedly to about 25 MPH, when it collided with a rock. The vehicle had previously spent over 10 days in different dealerships to diagnose issues related to the engine running rough, the car stalling out, and the vehicle driving erratically and lunging forward. The contact only began to have issues with the vehicle after the NHTSA Denso Fuel Pump Recall. A year after the contact took…”
NHTSA complaint #11507921, 2021 · crash · 1 injury(ies)

“Was driving into the garage (coasting) very slowly and as I was preparing to step on brake the car revved forward unsuspectedly - I have a video on my ring door bell and you can hear the engine then the squealing of the automatic braking system. I destroyed the adult 3 wheel bicycle that was stored along the wall but that helped the vehicle from crashing through the bricks - I remember shouting “what the hell is happening”. After much research as I knew I did not depress the accelerator in error - I found that this has been a common occurrence with Toyota and Lexus products. I am a very car…”
NHTSA complaint #11430031, 2021 · crash

“While driving the engine stalls. It has jolted back-and-forth at times and had to be taken to a dealer. It’s still stalls when trying to slowly accelerate especially uphills. Low gas mileage barely getting 18 miles per gallon. Warning lights flickering while car stallling. It’s like it’s having a seizure. This has happened a few times.”
NHTSA complaint #11740288, 2026

Fuel System 4

“The contact owns a 2020 Lexus RX350. The contact stated while driving approximately 25 MPH and ascending a slight grade, the vehicle began to shake. The contact stated that she stopped depressing the accelerator pedal and the shaking stopped. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact received a letter from the manufacturer regarding a fuel seepage failure from the high/low pressure fuel pump. The contact stated that the letter informed the contact that the manufacturer…”
NHTSA complaint #11523335, 2023

“TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2020 LEXUS RX350. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 20V682000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE) HOWEVER, THE PART TO DO THE RECALL REPAIR WAS NOT YET AVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT RAY CATENA LEXUS OF MONMOUTH LOCATED AT 2135 NJ-35, OAKHURST, NJ 07755, (732)493-5000, 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. PARTS DISTRIBUTION DISCONNECT.”
NHTSA complaint #11403308, 2021

“The contact owns a 2020 Lexus RX350. The contact stated while driving approximately 55 MPH, there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine. The contact stated that the vehicle felt as if it was losing motive power and stalling. The contact depressed the accelerator however, the vehicle failed to respond as needed. The contact stated that there was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that after driving for less than a mile, the vehicle started operating normally. The contact stated that the engine failure had become a recurring failure. The contact had taken the vehicle to a lo…”
NHTSA complaint #11482566, 2020

Fuel/Propulsion System 4 1 crash 1 injury

“Contact states they were sitting in DRIVE, with their foot on the brake. When the contact took their foot off the brake, they began to let the vehicle coast to about 5 MPH. Then, the vehicle lunged forward unexpectedly to about 25 MPH, when it collided with a rock. The vehicle had previously spent over 10 days in different dealerships to diagnose issues related to the engine running rough, the car stalling out, and the vehicle driving erratically and lunging forward. The contact only began to have issues with the vehicle after the NHTSA Denso Fuel Pump Recall. A year after the contact took…”
NHTSA complaint #11507921, 2021 · crash · 1 injury(ies)

“While driving the engine stalls. It has jolted back-and-forth at times and had to be taken to a dealer. It’s still stalls when trying to slowly accelerate especially uphills. Low gas mileage barely getting 18 miles per gallon. Warning lights flickering while car stallling. It’s like it’s having a seizure. This has happened a few times.”
NHTSA complaint #11740288, 2026

“I RECEIVED A SAFETY RECALL FROM LEXUS SOMETIME LAST YEAR, ALTHOUGH I DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHEN. THERE IS NO DATE ON ANY OF THE INFORMATION THAT WAS SENT TO ME, BUT I BELIEVE IT WAS SOMETIME LAST SUMMER. NOTHING HAS HAPPENED TO MY CAR, YET, BUT I DON'T BELIEVE A "SAFETY" RECALL NOTICE SHOULD TAKE MONTHS AND MONTHS TO BE FIXED. WHEN I GOT THE NOTICE, I CALLED MY LEXUS DEALERSHIP AND ASKED WHEN I COULD EXPECT MY CAR TO BE FIXED AND THEY SAID THEY DID NOT KNOW WHEN THEY WOULD GET THE PART AND WOULD LET ME KNOW. I HAVE NEVER HEARD FROM THEM. THIS RECALL IS FOR A LOW PRESSURE FUEL PUMP WHICH COUL…”
NHTSA complaint #11398514, 2021

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Tires 4

“Tires installed by Lexus on Sept 27, 2022 are shredding and coming apart in chunks at 37,000 miles; tire is rated 60,000 miles. This is 56% of the projected life of the tire. Previous tires, same brand and size, only lasted 29,000 miles; 1/2 of the life of the tire. Current tires have good tread depth and life left if the chunks were not uniformly coming off of all tires. This condition leaves the tire vulnerable to road hazards and moderately sharp objects. Failure is clearly imminent. Dealer, upon inspection July 1, 2025, did suggest immediate replacement of the tires at normal retai…”
NHTSA complaint #11675395, 2025

“235/55R20 102V Michelin Premier LTX, premature wear, tires falling apart in layers & chunks, caused premature failure of front left strut on Lexus RX350. Started at 24,000 miles. Tires create an oscillation, causing you to think a tire balance issue, no alignment issue in the onset of problem. Tire tread not wearing but appears to be melting and becoming brittle. Road weight balanced and numbers varied per location of tire original tire driver front read 14-15 pushing to close to the 20 number and giving perspective of internal or manufacturer defects or construction issue. My vehicle has been…”
NHTSA complaint #11472660, 2022

“Original Equipment in Lexus RX 350; Michelin Premier LTX 235/55/20 at less than 2 years and 14, 00 miles run advised by the manufacturer to replace for a new one because premature tire deterioration with risk of impending tire rupture. Advised that they have seen a situation is occurring in the same vehicle and these specific tires. Yet no recall and the replacement at the owner's expense. Same situation in the 4 tires. This is a safety issue that both te tire manufacturer and that car dealership are aware of.”
NHTSA complaint #11466953, 2022

Forward Collision Avoidance 3 2 crash

“I am submitting this correspondence to formally report a serious safety incident involving my 2020 Lexus RX 350 and to request a thorough investigation. On Saturday, February 7, while attempting to park the vehicle, I experienced a sudden loss of control, resulting in the vehicle accelerating forward and colliding with a metal gate. The exact cause of this event is unknown. During the incident, the vehicle’s pre-collision and automatic braking system failed to engage despite an obstruction being present. Additionally, the airbags did not deploy at the time of impact. A minor child was present…”
NHTSA complaint #11718294, 2026 · crash

“Just after topping a hill on an Interstate Highway, both lanes of traffic ahead of us came to a sudden and complete stop. I was in left lane and reacted quickly and applied full braking power and managed to stop a foot or 2 from the rear of the stopped car ahead of us. A few seconds later we were hit from the rear by two cars, one, a Black late model Camry, which almost stopped and a 2nd, a large, new German-maker grey SUV, which never applied brakes, destroyed the black Camry behind us and then destroyed our car, when it hit the left rear and after impact continued pushing the front of the c…”
NHTSA complaint #11432569, 2020 · crash

“I was driving about 75mph on the interstate and there were no vehicles or other objects near me when my car braked on its own as if there were a vehicle/object in close proximity to the front of my vehicle.”
NHTSA complaint #11437443, 2021

Structure 2

“2020 LEXUS RX350. CONSUMER WRITES SEEKING REIMBURSEMENT FOR REPAIRS MADE TO VEHICLE. THE CONSUMER STATED THERE IS WATER INTRUSION INTO THE FLOOR PASSENGER FLOOR AREA OF THE VEHICLE.THE DEALERSHIP INDICATED REPAIR WORK REQUIRED WAS DUE TO AN EXTERNAL INFLUENCE AND INSECT(SPIDER) FORMING A NEST IN THE AIR CONDITIONING CONDENSATION DRAIN LINE.”
NHTSA complaint #11504422, 2023

“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. My insurance company classified it as vehicle mechanical failure and not covered by my insurance. They indicated this has happen to other vehicles including Lexus. The replacement cost for glass and la…”
NHTSA complaint #11461183, 2022

Back Over Prevention 1

“My 2020 Lexus RX 350 Navigation and Multimedia screen turns blank/black when headlights are on. The vehicle is available for inspection. When the car is put in reverse, the ability to see the safety back up view or any other peripheral safety monitoring views are gone. There were no warning messages prior to the failure. Lexus dealership was able to confirm the malfunction and performed a reset, which did not correct the malfunction. The federally mandated backup camera system is no longer functioning.”
NHTSA complaint #11619029, 2023

Power Train 1

“I own a 2020 Lexus RX 450h with approximately 129,803 miles. The check engine light came on and the vehicle stored diagnostic trouble code P0A2D, which indicates a failure of the drive motor/temperature sensor circuit that is integrated into the transmission/hybrid motor assembly. According to the Lexus dealer’s diagnosis, the temperature control sensor located on the transmission/hybrid drive unit has failed. Because Lexus designed this sensor as part of the transmission assembly, the dealer has stated the sensor cannot be replaced separately and that the only repair is to replace the entire…”
NHTSA complaint #11723917, 2026

Service Brakes 1

Vehicle Speed Control 1 1 crash

“Was driving into the garage (coasting) very slowly and as I was preparing to step on brake the car revved forward unsuspectedly - I have a video on my ring door bell and you can hear the engine then the squealing of the automatic braking system. I destroyed the adult 3 wheel bicycle that was stored along the wall but that helped the vehicle from crashing through the bricks - I remember shouting “what the hell is happening”. After much research as I knew I did not depress the accelerator in error - I found that this has been a common occurrence with Toyota and Lexus products. I am a very car…”
NHTSA complaint #11430031, 2021 · crash

Wheels 1

“The rear wheel which is Lexus OEM busted and lost air when driving on the highway at highway speed on June 23, 2026. This caused an immediate hazard and a dangerous loss of vehicle control. Fortunately, I was able to safely pull over, but this failure put my life and the lives of others at serious risk. The mileage is about 45,396. The vehicle was purchased from Freeport Lexus as a pre-owned on January 20, 2026. The recording from the dashcam shows no debris on the road and the car didn't hit any object the road. I've written an email to the dealer and asked for an field inspection of the wh…”
NHTSA complaint #11746351, 2026

How we read this (methodology)

How to read this: raw complaint totals are not a clean reliability score — a model year with more cars sold, or simply more years on the road, accumulates more complaints regardless of how good it is. So this page leans on two signals that are not distorted by sales volume: the share of complaints falling on each vehicle system (the breakdown above) and NHTSA's own crash / fire / injury / death flags. When we compare model years of the same model, we normalise by years on the road (complaints ÷ vehicle age) rather than comparing raw totals. Age-normalised, the 2020 Lexus RX 350 draws about 7.3 complaints per year on the road, ranking 4 of 5 among the Lexus RX 350 model years we have ingested (1 = most complaints per year on road).

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Data source: U.S. NHTSA (nhtsa.gov). SaveVIN surfaces public recall data and is not affiliated with or endorsed by NHTSA.

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