2006 Lexus RX problems
NHTSA has received 53 complaints about the 2006 Lexus RX, and 19% of them involve electrical system. After that come engine (15%) and brakes (13%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 53 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Electrical system 19% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 1 and 4
- Injuries and deaths
- 1 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 130,000 miles 19 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 | 0 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 3 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 2 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 1 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 2 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 0 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 2 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 1 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 2 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 5 |
| 200k+ miles | 1 |
What the data shows
Among the 19 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 130,000 miles.
Safety-related details: 1 complaint mentions a crash; 4 complaints mention a fire; 1 injury reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2006 ranks 18th most-complained-about out of 23 model years of the Lexus RX with enough data (2 complaints in that window). 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.
2006 Lexus RX 400h didn't stop even after breaks were applied, it did continue to move forward and slowly push another car for about 15 feet until another car hit a pile of dirt.
I started to smell something burning, and my seat warmer light wouldn't turn off. The seat kept getting hotter to the point it was uncomfortably hot. Fortunately, I was only 5 mi away from the dealership when I started to smell the burning. During that time, the plastic under my seat bubbled and was within minutes of catching fire according to the mechanic. The previous morning I drove into boston and was stuck in traffic for and hour and 45 minutes.
My car exploded- huge fire. I was not driving- it had been parked. The fire marshal indicated that it was an electrical problem located near the battery. There we no indicators of any issues. I only had liability on the car- so i am out of luck. but the NYFD inspected. It happened on Wednesday 9/29/21. Was inspected on 9/30.
The brakes make a strange chirp-type noise when I apply pressure, usually it happens when I am stopped and my foot on the brake. Holding my foot steady on the brake and it happens randomly and often. I had my brakes checked and the pads and rotors are fine; they told me it was the actuator and was a known lexus problem. This has been happening for several months and I have never gotten a notice from lexus stating it is a problem.
I bought a lexus rx400h back in 2013-2014 and recently my car experience some serious issues. While driving on the highway to take my son to his football game my ABS system completely went out on me almost causing me to crash. I recently went to lexus to find out the problem and was told it was my actuator. I ask lexus about a recall I was informed of back in 2016-2017 for actuator and they stated it never was a recalled.