2008 Lexus RX Hybrid problems
NHTSA has received 78 complaints about the 2008 Lexus RX Hybrid, and 29% of them involve brakes. Next are cruise control (24%) and electrical system (6%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 78 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Brakes 30% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 28 and 0
- Injuries and deaths
- 14 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 60,000 miles 68 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 16 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 8 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 9 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 12 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 15 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 2 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 3 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 0 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 0 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 3 |
What the data shows
Of the 68 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 60,000 miles. For brakes specifically, the median reported mileage is about 39,000 miles (18 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 28 complaints mention a crash; 14 injuries reported. Its complaints are more severe on average than those of 96% of model years in our database.
It is also covered by 1 safety recall campaign.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
Tl*the contact onws a 2006 lexus rx400h. While driving 40 MPH, the contact applied the brakes to slow down the vehicle and it rapidly accelerated which caused the contact crash into a parked vehicle. The vehicle was destroyed. One of the passengers suffered a fractured a sternum and the other passenger was knocked unconscious and suffered a broken collar bone. The contact sustained major bruises. The contact stated that the accelerator pedal became stuck and caused the crash to occur.
It was friday morning about 10am. I had a pulled slowly into quest diagnostic laboratory parking space. I had my foot on the brake. I was stopped I was putting the car into the park position when the car suddenly accelerated forward at the high rate of speed. The car went over the cement block and pavement and thru the double doors and inside the building finally stopping when I hit the receptionist counter.
Tl*the contact owns a 2008 lexus rx400h. The contact stated that on april 16, 2010, the vehicle suddenly accelerated when the driver depressed the brake pedal at 2 MPH. The vehicle crashed into a curb and then a tree. The driver sustained a hip injury and a police report was filed. The current and failure mileages were approximately 12,000.
Car was being pulled into space in restaurant parking lot -- space was on grass up a slight incline (approximately 12 inches) -- as car was moving up the incline a small bump was felt under the car and the car suddenly accelerated and continued to accelerate -- brakes were applied immediately but were unable to stop the car -- the car swerved and hit a tree approximately 20 feet from the parking spot -- believe the "bump" felt under the car caused the sudden acceleration -- above account can be verified by the…
Tl*the contact owns a 2008 lexus rx400h. The vehicle continuously began to accelerate on it's on and lunge forward whenever the contact drove over uneven pavement at approximately 20 MPH. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who confirmed that the malfunction should occur when the vehicle was switching from an electrical engine to a gasoline engine. The failure mileage was 28,000.