Lexus RX Years to Avoid and the Best Years

Years to avoid: 2010 At least twice the 31.5 complaints of a typical RX year. Most described: unintended acceleration.
Best years: 2018, 2021, and 2022 Under three quarters of the 31.5 complaints of a typical RX year since 2016, with no open NHTSA investigation or do-not-drive or park-outside recall. The 2020 drew few complaints too, but its first three years fell in the pandemic, when people drove less.

Based on owner complaints filed with NHTSA in each model year's first three years, not adjusted for sales. The 2024 to 2026 models are too new to judge. See every year ranked

Data: US EPA and NHTSAUpdated Nov 12, 2026

Every model year since 2010 in one place: EPA fuel economy, NHTSA recalls, owner complaints and crash test ratings. The best fuel economy rating, 36 mpg combined, arrived in 2023 and has held since. Includes the RX 350, RX 350L, the hybrids (450h, 350h, 500h) and the RX 450h+ plug-in hybrid.

RX problems by year, ranked by owner complaints

How the years are ranked

Model years ranked by owner complaints filed with NHTSA in their first three years (model year Y: filed by the end of Y+2), so every year is measured over the same time on the road. Years without three full years of data, and launch or final years with very few sold, are left out. Counts are not adjusted for how many were sold.

A typical RX year drew 31.5 complaints in its first three years: the median of its years since 2016, higher than the median of all its ranked years (20.5). Years to avoid drew at least twice that, and at least 50. Best years are up to three years since 2016 with the fewest complaints, each under three quarters of a typical year since 2016 (31.5), with no open NHTSA investigation and no do-not-drive or park-outside recall that covers all versions; the 2020 is never picked, as its first three years fell in the pandemic. How the verdict works.

Model year	First 3 years	All complaints	Recalls
2010 RX Avoid Most described: unintended acceleration or surging	82	192	1
2019 RX Most described: stalling or shutting off	43	68	4
2016 RX Most described: a shattered sunroof	42	93	3
2023 RX Most described: a shattered sunroof	42	67	4
2017 RX Most described: hesitation or slow acceleration	40	104	3
2022 RX Best Most described: shaking, shuddering or vibration	23	39	0
2015 RX Most described: stalling or shutting off and a shattered sunroof	21	67	1
2013 RX Most described: brake failure or a soft or hard pedal, wiring, fuse or short-circuit problems, and airbags not deploying in a crash	20	90	1
2018 RX Best Most reported: brakes	19	47	2
2020 RX Most reported: air bags	18	57	2
2012 RX Most described: unintended acceleration or surging	15	48	1
2011 RX Most described: oil leaks	14	72	1
2014 RX Most described: airbags not deploying in a crash	12	30	0
2021 RX Best Most reported: air bags	10	72	2

Compare other models' worst years in the worst model years guide.

Check your RX for open recalls

Opens NHTSA's lookup in a new tab; your VIN goes to NHTSA, not to us. The VIN is on the driver's side dashboard, the door jamb and your registration. Safety recall repairs are free at Lexus dealers for vehicles up to 15 years old from first sale.

How to check a car for recalls, step by step

Get a vehicle history report from EpicVIN (opens in a new tab): a paid report with the car's title, odometer and salvage records, from an approved NMVTIS data provider. Affiliate link: we earn a commission if you buy. If you typed a full VIN above, the link sends it to EpicVIN and opens its checkout page for that VIN. Check the price before you pay: EpicVIN's $1 trial lasts 3 days, then becomes a monthly subscription until you cancel ($49.99 to $99.99 a month on its pages as of Oct 2, 2026). Disclosure

Year by year

Model year	Best rating	Recalls	Complaints	Crash test
2026 MPG · Recalls and problems	36 mpg Hybrid	3	14	4 to 5 stars
2025 MPG · Recalls and problems	36 mpg Hybrid	4	25	4 to 5 stars
2024 MPG · Recalls and problems	36 mpg Hybrid	4	63	4 to 5 stars
2023 MPG · Recalls and problems	36 mpg Hybrid	4	67	4 to 5 stars
2022 MPG · Recalls and problems	30 mpg Hybrid	0	39
2021 MPG · Recalls and problems	30 mpg Hybrid	2	72	4 to 5 stars
2020 MPG · Recalls and problems	30 mpg Hybrid	2	57	4 to 5 stars
2019 MPG · Recalls and problems	30 mpg Hybrid	4	68	4 to 5 stars
2018 MPG · Recalls and problems	30 mpg Hybrid	2	47	4 to 5 stars
2017 MPG · Recalls and problems	30 mpg Hybrid	3	104	4 to 5 stars
2016 MPG · Recalls and problems	30 mpg Hybrid	3	93
2015 MPG · Recalls and problems	29 mpg Hybrid	1	67	4 to 5 stars
2014 MPG · Recalls and problems	29 mpg Hybrid	0	30	4 to 5 stars
2013 MPG · Recalls and problems	29 mpg Hybrid	1	90	4 to 5 stars
2012 MPG · Recalls and problems	29 mpg Hybrid	1	48
2011 MPG · Recalls and problems	29 mpg Hybrid	1	72
2010 MPG · Recalls and problems	30 mpg Hybrid	1	192	Not rated

Best rating leaves out the plug-in hybrid, which EPA rates on gas and on electricity separately. MPG by year lists both ratings.

Owner complaints by model year

All complaints filed so far. Counts rise with sales volume and with time on the road, so recent years look better than they may turn out. The highlighted bar is the model year with the most complaints in its first three years.

2010: 192 complaints

Show as a table

Owner complaints by model year, Lexus RX
Model year	Complaints
2010	192
2011	72
2012	48
2013	90
2014	30
2015	67
2016	93
2017	104
2018	47
2019	68
2020	57
2021	72
2022	39
2023	67
2024	63
2025	25
2026	14

Best combined rating by model year

The best-rated version in each model year. Gas: 21 to 25 mpg (every year from 2010 to 2026); 25 since 2023. Hybrid: 29 to 36 mpg (every year from 2010 to 2026); 36 since 2023.

Best gas version
Best hybrid version

2026: gas 25 mpg · hybrid 36 mpg

Show as a table

Lexus RX best combined mpg by model year
Model year	Best gas version	Best hybrid version
2010	21	30
2011	21	29
2012	21	29
2013	21	29
2014	21	29
2015	21	29
2016	23	30
2017	23	30
2018	23	30
2019	23	30
2020	23	30
2021	23	30
2022	23	30
2023	25	36
2024	25	36
2025	25	36
2026	25	36

Every RX year's ratings in one table

Questions

Which Lexus RX years should you avoid?

The 2010 RX is the year to avoid: it drew at least twice the 31.5 owner complaints of a typical RX year in its first three years. Owners of the 2010 most often describe unintended acceleration. Complaints can't tell you whether a particular car is sound, so whatever the year, check its open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before you buy. Safety recall repairs are free at Lexus dealers for vehicles up to 15 years old from first sale.

What are the best Lexus RX years?

The 2018, 2021, and 2022 RX are the best years: they drew 19, 10, and 23 owner complaints in their first three years, each under three quarters of the 31.5 complaints of a typical RX year since 2016, and none has an open NHTSA investigation or recall telling owners not to drive or to park outside. The 2020 drew few complaints too, but its first three years fell in the pandemic, when people drove less. Only years since 2016 are considered, since owners filed fewer complaints in the early 2010s. The 2024, 2025, and 2026 are not ranked yet: they have had fewer than three full years on the road.

Which Lexus RX years have the most problems?

Counting owner complaints filed with NHTSA in each model year's first three years, the 2010 (82) drew the most, then the 2019 (43). Owners of the 2010 most often describe unintended acceleration or surging.

Which Lexus RX years have the most recalls?

The 2019, 2023, 2024, and 2025 have the most safety recalls in NHTSA's file (4 each). A recall can cover a problem that affects only a few cars, so open a year's page to see what each one covers. No recall for 2010 to 2026 models tells owners not to drive the car or to park it outside.

What are the most common Lexus RX problems?

In the 1,148 owner complaints NHTSA lists for 2010 to 2026 models, owners most often describe unintended acceleration or surging (80 complaints); a shattered sunroof (66 complaints); and stalling or shutting off (49 complaints). One complaint can describe several problems. Each year's recalls and problems page lists what owners describe for that year.

Which Lexus RX year has the best MPG?

The best EPA fuel economy is 36 mpg combined, first reached by the 2023 hybrid version and matched by every year since. The plug-in hybrid, rated separately, gets up to 35 mpg on gas alone and 83 MPGe on electricity.

Sources and method

US EPA fuel economy data (fueleconomy.gov), file dated Nov 4, 2026.
NHTSA recall file dated Nov 12, 2026 and owner complaint file dated Nov 11, 2026; NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings.

Complaint counts are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume. How we build these pages. Spotted an error? Tell us.