2006 Lexus Rx Hybrid problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Vehicle Speed Control (16) · Service Brakes (15) · Electrical System (14)
🛣️ Complaints by mileage
137 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (4)
Hybrid Propulsion System: Inverter 2013-09-04 · campaign 13V396000 · 133,081 vehicles
Defect: Toyota is recalling certain model year 2006-2010 Highlander hybrid vehicles manufactured February 16, 2005, through July 29, 2010; and model year 2006-2008 Lexus RX400h vehicles manufactured February 23, 2005, through December 2, 2008. The Intelligent Power Module (IPM) inside the inverter module may contain transistors that have higher operating temperatures than the solder can support and the transistors may be heat damaged by the solder. If this occurs, various warning lamps, including the
Risk: The vehicle may enter a fail-safe/limp-home mode that limits the drivability of the vehicle. It is possible that the hybrid system will shut down while the vehicle is being driven, causing the vehicle to stall unexpectedly, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the IPM free of charge. Owners may contact Toyota at 1-800-331-4331. Vehicles that had their IPM replaced under recall 11V-342 are not affected by this campaign.
Engine And Engine Cooling 2011-11-09 · campaign 11V539000 · 420,326 vehicles
Defect: TOYOTA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2004 AVALON VEHICLES; 2004 AND 2005 CAMRY, CAMRY SOLARA, HIGHLANDER, AND SIENNA VEHICLES, 2006 HIGHLANDER HYBRID; 2004 AND 2005 LEXUS ES330 AND RX330; AND 2006 LEXUS RX400H VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM JUNE 1, 2004 THROUGH MARCH 31, 2005, EQUIPPED WITH THE 1MZ-FE OR 3MZ-FE ENGINE. THE AMOUNT OF ADHESIVE AGENT APPLIED BETWEEN THE OUTER RING AND THE TORSIONAL RUBBER DAMPER (INNER RING) IN THE CRANKSHAFT PULLEY MAY BE INADEQUATE. IF THE ADHESIVE IS INSUFFICIEN
Risk: IN SOME CASES, THE BELT FOR THE POWER STEERING PUMP MAY BECOME DETACHED FROM THE PULLEY WHICH COULD RESULT IN A LOSS OF POWER STEERING AND A SUDDEN INCREASE IN STEERING EFFORT, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
Fix: TOYOTA WILL NOTIFY OWNERS, AND DEALERS WILL CHECK THE CRANKSHAFT PULLEY TO IDENTIFY WHETHER IT WAS PRODUCED BY THE U.S. SUPPLIER. IF SO, THE DEALER WILL REPLACE THE PULLEY WITH A NEW ONE AT NO CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING EARLY JANUARY 2012. OWNERS MAY CONTACT TOYOTA AT 1-800-331-4331.
Electrical System 2011-06-29 · campaign 11V342000 · 82,273 vehicles
Defect: TOYOTA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2006-2007 HIGHLANDER HYBRID AND LEXUS RX400H PASSENGER CARS MANUFACTURED FROM FEBRUARY 16, 2005, THROUGH AUGUST 30, 2006. A MODULE INSIDE THE INVERTER MODULE MAY CONTAIN INADEQUATELY SOLDERED TRANSISTORS THAT DURING HIGH-LOAD DRIVING, MAY BE DAMAGED BY HEAT CAUSED BY THE LARGE CURRENT. IF THIS OCCURS, VARIOUS WARNING LAMPS, INCLUDING THE MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LAMP, SLIP INDICATOR LIGHT, BRAKE SYSTEM WARNING LIGHT, AND MASTER WARNING LIGHT, WILL BE ILLUMINA
Risk: THE VEHICLE MAY ENTER A FAIL-SAFE/LIMP-HOME MODE THAT LIMITS THE DRIVABILITY OF THE VEHICLE. IT IS POSSIBLE THAT THE HYBRID SYSTEM WILL SHUT DOWN WHILE THE VEHICLE IS BEING DRIVEN, CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO STALL UNEXPECTEDLY, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
Fix: TOYOTA/LEXUS MAILED AN INTERIM OWNER NOTIFICATION ON JULY 19, 2011 TO ADVISE OWNERS OF THIS RECALL AND THE FACT THAT THEY WILL RECEIVE A FUTURE NOTICE WHEN PARTS BECOME AVAILABLE TO COMPLETE REPAIRS. TOYOTA DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE HYBRID INVERTER PRODUCTION NUMBER TO DETERMINE WHETHER THE INVERTER CONTAINS SUSPECT TRANSISTORS AND REPLACE THE MODULE FREE OF CHARGE. OWNERS MAY CONTACT TOYOTA AT 1-800-331-4331.
Vehicle Speed Control:accelerator Pedal 2011-02-24 · campaign 11V112000 · 769,379 vehicles
Defect: TOYOTA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2004-2006 HIGHLANDER, HIGHLANDER HYBRID, AND MODEL YEAR 2004-2007 LEXUS RX330, RX350, AND RX400H VEHICLES. IF THE FORWARD RETENTION CLIP USED TO SECURE THE FLOOR CARPET COVER, WHICH IS LOCATED IN FRONT OF THE CENTER CONSOLE, IS NOT INSTALLED PROPERLY THE COVER MAY LEAN TOWARD THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL AND INTERFERE WITH THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL ARM.
Risk: IF THIS OCCURS, THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL MAY TEMPORARILY BECOME STUCK IN A PARTIALLY DEPRESSED POSITION RATHER THAN RETURN TO THE IDLE POSITION. A STUCK ACCELERATOR PEDAL MAY RESULT IN UNINTENDED AND SUSTAINED VEHICLE SPEEDS AND MAKE IT DIFFICULT TO STOP, INCREASING THE RISK OF A VEHICLE CRASH.
Fix: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE FLOOR CARPET COVER WITH A NEWLY DESIGNED ONE FREE OR CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING MARCH 2011. OWNERS MAY CONTACT TOYOTA AT 1-800-331-4331.
Service bulletins (155)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Structure:body 2025-12-15 · L-SB-0030-24 Rev2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
some 2005 – 2026 lexus vehicles that have undergone water intrusion may exhibit a condition in which a musty odor is present. follow the procedures in this bulletin to remediate the odor and address this condition. the purpose of this service bulletin is to provide general guidelines and procedures
Structure:body 2024-07-29 · L-SB-0030-24 Rev1 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
some 2005 – 2024 lexus vehicles that have undergone water intrusion may exhibit a condition in which a musty odor is present. follow the procedures in this bulletin to remediate the odor and address this condition. the purpose of this service bulletin is to provide general guidelines and procedures
Structure:body 2024-07-29 · L-SB-0030-24 Rev1 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
some 2005 – 2024 lexus vehicles that have undergone water intrusion may exhibit a condition in which a musty odor is present. follow the procedures in this bulletin to remediate the odor and address this condition. the purpose of this service bulletin is to provide general guidelines and procedures
Structure:body 2024-06-21 · L-SB-0030-24 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
some 2005 – 2024 lexus vehicles that have undergone water intrusion may exhibit a condition in which a musty smell is present. follow the procedures in this bulletin to remediate the odor and address this condition. the purpose of this service bulletin is to provide general guidelines and procedures
Structure:body 2024-06-21 · L-SB-0030-24 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
some 2005 – 2024 lexus vehicles that have undergone water intrusion may exhibit a condition in which a musty smell is present. follow the procedures in this bulletin to remediate the odor and address this condition. the purpose of this service bulletin is to provide general guidelines and procedures
Structure:body 2024-04-19 · L-SB-0023-24 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
to prevent brake rotor rust from forming during transportation and storage, wheel film will be used instead of a cardboard type of anti-rust cover. the purpose of the wheel film is to shield the disc brake rotor from weather elements and initial rust before the vehicle is delivered to the customer.
Showing the 6 most recent of 155 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2023-03-06 · Power Train · 125,000 mi“the contact owns a 2006 lexus rx400h. the contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. additionally, the vehicle failed to shift into park(p). the vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was appro…”
2023-01-04 · Hybrid Propulsion System · 134,000 mi“the contact owns a 2006 lexus rx400h. the contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle stalled while depressing the accelerator pedal. there were several warning lights illuminated on the instrument panel. the contact had taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. upon investiga…”
2022-08-02 · Service Brakes, Air:antilock:abs Warning Light · 100,000 mi“the contact owns a 2006 lexus rx400h. the contact stated that the vehicle would emit abnormal sounds long after the vehicle was parked. additionally, the contact stated while driving 10 mph, the brake pedal was depressed but failed to respond. the contact stood on the brake and the vehicle finally responded. the brake warning light and the abs warn…”
2022-01-31 · Electrical System · 150,000 mi“the contact owns a 2006 lexus rx400h. the contact stated that while driving at 50 mph, the "all-wheel drive and hybrid system failure" warning messages were displayed. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and diagnosed with inverter assembly failure. the vehicle was not repaired and remained with the independent mechanic. the manufactur…”
2022-01-13 · Service Brakes · 190,000 mi“the contact owns a 2006 lexus rx400h. the contact stated while driving at various speeds, the brake pedal would depress to the floorboard without proper braking functionality. the contact stated that the abs, traction control, service brakes, and several other unknown warning lights were illuminated. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic…”
2019-11-29 · Service Brakes · 110,000 mi“tl* the contact owns a 2006 lexus rx400h. while driving, the brake pedal became very difficult to depress and vibrated while being depressed to the floorboard. also, the brake warning indicator was illuminated. the contact stated that she was able to drive 30 mph to lexus of glendale (1221 s brand blvd, glendale, ca 91204, (818) 507-1300) where it …”
2019-07-19 · Hybrid Propulsion System · 146,000 mi“tl* the contact owns a 2006 lexus rx400 hybrid. when attempting to accelerate from a stop, driving on an incline, or making turns, the vehicle stalled intermittently. in addition, the check engine, hybrid check, and battery warning indicators illuminated. the contact coasted the vehicle to the side of the road and powered off the engine. once resta…”
2019-07-06 · Unknown Or Other · 66,040 mi“my vehicle is displaying a hybrid system check message, and the hybrid system malfunctions. this is causing the vehicle to stall in drive while the vehicle is in motion. the vehicle loses all capabilities to properly function. i was on a city street when this happened, and had to coast the vehicle downhill in traffic to pull over. my engine check l…”
2019-03-24 · Unknown Or Other · 113,000 mi“the leather on the dashboard breaks off in pieces. can't attach anything to it, such as cell phone holder. leather on dashboard just tears right off.…”
2019-02-09 · Fuel/Propulsion System · 167,000 mi“my 2006 lexus rx400h that i just purchased a few months ago from a local dealer (one owner prior) has shut down going down our mountain. taking my boys to school it just stopped in the middle of the road as we coasted down our mountain, and the brakes just stopped working. i was able to coast into my neighbors' driveway and barely able to use my br…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.