Vehicle Data Hub

2017 Lexus RX problems

NHTSA has received 62 complaints about the 2017 Lexus RX, and 16% of them involve engine. After that come brakes (15%) and forward collision avoidance (10%).

At a glance

Complaints
62 filed with NHTSA
Most reported
Engine 16% of complaints
Crashes and fires
14 and 0
Injuries and deaths
11 and 0

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%.

  • Engine 16%
  • Brakes 15%
  • Forward collision avoidance 10%
  • Air bags 5%
  • Electrical system 5%
  • Fuel system 5%
  • Cruise control 3%
  • Lane departure 3%
  • Latches & locks 3%
  • Seats 3%

What the data shows

Safety-related details: 14 complaints mention a crash; 11 injuries reported. Its complaints are more severe on average than those of 93% of model years in our database.

Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2017 ranks 9th most-complained-about out of 23 model years of the Lexus RX with enough data (30 complaints in that window).

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.

I was involved in a side collision accident and my car was determined to be total loss by the At-Fault's insurance company. I was lucky that my son and I came out with bruises and a few scratches but the main problem here is the airbags. It DID NOT deploy at all when it was hit. The force hit us from lane 1 all the way to lane 3 and damages to the structure near cabin was found by one of the vertified accident body shop. So yes, no airbags were deployed.

October 2021 CrashInjury

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 received. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard.

Reported at 30,000 miles, May 2022 CrashInjury

I WAS SITTING AT A COMPLETE STOP FOR MORE THAN 45 MINUTES BEHIND A FATALITY ACCIDENT ON THE HIGHWAY THEY HAD CLOSED WHILE OCCASIONALLY REMOVING FOOT FROM BRAKE TO INCH FORWARD A FEW FEET A BEST AND THEN STOP AGAIN NEVER TOUCHING THE ACCELERATOR WHEN I REALIZED AT ONE POINT TRAFFIC BESIDE ME WAS MOVING, I THOUGHT, IT WAS MY RX 350 WHILE PRESSING BRAKE ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR WITH NO RESISTANCE I ATTEMPTED TO PUT THE CAR IN NEUTRAL TO SEE IF IT WAS SLOW ME DOWN AS AN UPCOMING CRASH WAS UNAVOIDABLE.

August 2023 CrashInjury

The contact owns a 2017 Lexus RX350. The contact stated that upon attempting to exit the vehicle through the driver's side, the door failed to open. The contact was able to exit the vehicle after reaching through the open window to open the door using the exterior door handle. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 24,000.

Reported at 24,000 miles, August 2023

The contact owns a 2017 Lexus RX450H. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed and depressing the brake pedal, there was an abnormal sound coming from the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. The vehicle was diagnosed with brake actuator assembly, bleeder plug cap, brake actuator cover, and brake fluid reservoir assembly failures. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 59,380.

Reported at 59,380 miles, April 2026

Other model years of the RX

Best and worst years for the Lexus RX