2011 Lexus Rx problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Engine (7) · Structure:body (4) · Service Brakes (4)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Lexus Rx model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
Safety recalls (0)
No recalls on record for this model year (campaigns announced since 2010).
Service bulletins (81)
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 2025-02-07 · L-SB-0017-19 Rev1 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
some 2010 – 2026 model year lexus vehicles may exhibit paint stains after the removal of rapgard™. the paint stains may appear to be under the clear coat but are usually under wrinkles in the rapgard™. the wrinkles may trap water and cause the paint to stain from the trapped moisture, especially on
Structure:body 2025-02-07 · L-SB-0017-19 Rev1 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
some 2010 – 2026 model year lexus vehicles may exhibit paint stains after the removal of rapgard™. the paint stains may appear to be under the clear coat but are usually under wrinkles in the rapgard™. the wrinkles may trap water and cause the paint to stain from the trapped moisture, especially on
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
Showing the 6 most recent of 81 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-05-27 · Unknown Or Other“this vehicle is being sold at a dealership in layton utah. they have rolled back the odometer to show 119,287k miles, but the vehicle was last serviced by the lexus dealer at 164,279 miles.…”
2026-05-27 · Unknown Or Other“dealership rolled back the odometer to 125,460 miles, but the last service was performed at 162k miles at lexus of murray.…”
2026-04-10 · Electrical System:instrument Panel:speedometer/Odometer · 195,937 mi“odometer fraud. the contact purchased a 2011 lexus rx450h. the contact discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy after the purchase. the vehicle was a private sale. at the time of purchase, the mileage was 116,000. it was later discovered that the mileage was 195,937 upon scanning the vehicle upon scanning the vehicle. …”
2026-01-23 · Engine“i made a 6-mile trip from my garage and back (12 miles total). the next day, my neighbor asked me to come outside to inspect my driveway where i found a trailing stream of oil. the oil leak was substantial enough to visibly observe an unbroken ribbon of oil spanning the entire length of the asphalt street leading to my driveway and a large pool of …”
2025-10-16 · Service Brakes“abs, traction control, brake lights & beeping sound all on. brake pedal is hard. pedestrians, other drivers & family are at risk due to safety risk. diagnosis codes c1253 - c1256 during test indicates abs pump assembly issues. this problem was noticed by me in late august 2025. …”
2024-09-09 · Electrical System · 150,000 mi · 🔥 fire“the contact owns a 2011 lexus rx350. the contact stated that while driving approximately 55 mph the front driver seat heater was activated and moments later smoke and flames were present coming from the center console of the vehicle. after stopping and exiting the vehicle the fire department was called to the scene and extinguished the flames. duri…”
2024-05-01 · Suspension“rear control arms are rusted and can break and cause an accident.i went for an alignment and they couldn’t do the full alignment beater of the corrosion…”
2024-04-25 · Power Train“tranmission failure around 100k miles. spoke to few others with similar engine and transmission from lexus who had similar issues. this could be a widespread issue. costs between 6 to 9 thousand dollars to fix.…”
2024-03-14 · Engine“my 2011 lexus rx350 was running fine as i ran errands for groceries and other items around town one day. then, out of the blue, i realized that after returning home and parking in my garage, there was a trail of oil in my driveway, leading to my vehicle. i looked under the engine area and noticed a pool of oil. i had a certified mobile mechanic co…”
2023-07-18 · Unknown Or Other · 💥 crash“i was driving my 2011 lexus rx 350 on july 7, 2023, to a swimming pool. i was pulling into a parking spot just rolling to a stop with my foot on the brake. the car suddenly accelerated with grate speed and ran on the curb of the sidewalk forward to a small rock wall, i immediately turned the vehicle to the right and pressed down on the brakes, but …”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.