2008 Lexus RX350 problems
Owners have filed 160 complaints with NHTSA about the 2008 Lexus RX350. Body & structure is the most reported problem area, at 15% of complaints. Next are steering (11%) and electrical system (11%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 160 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Body & structure 15% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 20 and 5
- Injuries and deaths
- 12 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 70,000 miles 129 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 | 11 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 17 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 18 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 29 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 20 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 17 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 6 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 8 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 2 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 1 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Of the 129 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 70,000 miles. For body & structure specifically, the median reported mileage is about 68,000 miles (19 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 20 complaints mention a crash; 5 complaints mention a fire; 12 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2008 ranks 7th most-complained-about out of 12 model years of the Lexus RX350 with enough data (63 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.
As a lexus owner and international journalist (washington, dc) I hereby lodge a formal complaint against lexus usa/tms offices in torrance, ca. My mother and I survived death, sustained traumatic serious injuries (which LED to my miscarriage) due to my lexus car manufacturer defects and mechanical malfunctioning resulting in a loss of control collision on 09/21/2009.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 lexus rx350. The contact stated that while driving approximately 40 MPH, the engine rpms increased excessively as the vehicle suddenly accelerated. The contact also stated that the brakes failed to stop the vehicle. The contact crashed into the driver's side of another vehicle and then crashed into a pole. A police report was filed. The contact was transported to a hospital for treatment of chest and legs injuries. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer.
Sudden unintended acceleration issue. I was pulling into a parking space at 8 MPH when suddenly my vehicle revved up on its own, jumped the curb, and crashed into a building. Luckily, I was not hurt or hurt someone else. The edr download clearly showed my rpms jumped from 400 to 2,000 in nanoseconds and that the accelerator was "off." toyota's response to me was "we found no evidence that this incident was the result of any type of defect with the accelerator or brakes." I agree it is not.
Part# 84840g 8484021010 switch assembly, back door opener - rubber cover of switch housing deteriorates/depolymerizes leaving behind a hazardous goo and hindering operation of rear hatch release mechanism.