Transmission complaints by model year
| Year | Complaints | Share of year's complaints | Typical mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 1 | 9% | — |
| 2025 | 1 | 5% | — |
| 2024 | 5 | 8% | — |
| 2023 | 13 | 21% | 11,000 miles |
| 2022 | 4 | 14% | — |
| 2020 | 1 | 2% | — |
| 2019 | 2 | 6% | 18,000 miles |
| 2017 | 1 | 2% | — |
| 2016 | 4 | 14% | — |
| 2015 | 3 | 15% | — |
| 2014 | 1 | 8% | — |
| 2013 | 1 | 5% | — |
| 2012 | 1 | 8% | — |
| 2011 | 1 | 3% | — |
| 2010 | 3 | 4% | 150,000 miles |
| 2009 | 1 | 3% | 62,000 miles |
| 2008 | 5 | 7% | 140,000 miles |
| 2007 | 3 | 5% | 120,000 miles |
| 2006 | 2 | 6% | — |
| 2005 | 3 | 11% | 5,000 miles |
| 2004 | 5 | 13% | 1,000 miles |
| 2002 | 5 | 42% | 88,000 miles |
| 2001 | 14 | 74% | 101,000 miles |
| 2000 | 25 | 86% | 95,000 miles |
| 1999 | 29 | 83% | 104,000 miles |
Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (automatic and manual transmissions, CVT, axles, driveshaft, 4WD/AWD).
Mileage when the problem started
What owners report
While driving on a local highway recently, my forearm brushed the automatic shift knob while reaching to place my phone on the wireless charging pad. The transmission shifted into neutral, resulting in an unexpected loss of speed. It took me a few seconds to realize what had happened - I shifted back into Drive, and resumed my trip. No accident resulted from this, but it has happened twice in the month that I have owned the car. I reported the issue to the dealership thinking my car had a problem - they said that this is the way the car is designed to function. I found a section in the Owner's Manual which confirms this - shifting from Drive to Neutral while stationary requires the knob to be held to the left for a couple seconds; for some reason, doing this while moving requires only a tap (see attached photo of the owner's manual). …
While on a long road trip on a hot day, on the interstate, the car suddenly lost speed and would not accelerate. It was like the car had shifted into neutral. I was coasting on the interstate, steadily slowing, and was forced to pull over to the shoulder. I turned the car off and waited a couple of minutes then turned the car back on. No error messages were displaying at that time. About 5-10 minutes later, I pulled over for a planned stop. My husband assumed driving responsibilities when we got back into the car. Upon trying to get back on the interstate, the car would not accelerate, and multiple errors error messages appeared, including: ""System Malfunction/Visit Your Dealer," "Check Engine/Visit Your Dealer," "Drive-Start Control Malfunction/Visit Your Dealer," "Secondary Collision Brake System Malfunction/Visit Your Dealer," and "Traction Control Turned Off." He pulled into a …
The contact owns a 2023 Lexus RX 500h. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle was shaking erratically, and the vehicle stopped independently. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated and the message to "See the Dealer" was displayed. The vehicle was towed to the dealer; however, the failure was not duplicated. The failure reoccurred. The failure was a persistent failure. The dealer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The failure reoccurred. In addition, the contact stated that the self-parking feature was deactivated. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer. The technician test drove the vehicle, and the failure reoccurred twice. The contact was informed that a report was sent to the manufacturer. The vehicle was not repaired. …
The contact called on behalf of his mother who owns a 2023 Lexus RX500H. The contact stated while his mother was reversing, the vehicle shuddered abnormally. The contact stated that while his mother was depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The driver turned off the vehicle and the vehicle restarted after several attempts. The vehicle was driven to the shoulder of the roadway. The contact stated that the failure had occurred twice. The contact stated that the transmission was previously replaced in January 2025. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 7,500.
HI, I purchased a brand new 2022 Lexus RX350 from Hendrick Lexus of Charleston SC. Since day one I had dangerous issues below: 1. The transmission shifts up and down so hard, I've almost gotten rear ended due to the car and not braking. This I was told by two separate Lexus dealers I'm feeling a hard "transmission gap"-whatever that means. To add fuel to this dangerous defect is my autistic son would need to be specially medicated to ride in the car b/c he panics and tries to jump out. 2. The car also is equipped with a "rear kick sensor" that never worked, The service manager in Charleston kicked my bumper and swore at the car. I had another Service tech on video for minutes unable to open it. 3. The car, scarily, will not start on me or recognize the key. I've been 3 hrs from home and nearly stuck in a grocery store parking lot with my autistic son freaking out again. …
I have a 2022 Lexus RX350 F Sport. There are many complaints for this problem with this era of Lexus that happen daily. When pulling out into traffic the vehicle stutters or hesitates; this could cause a serious accident with injuries or death. I think it is a problem with the transmission shift programming. In an attempt to be fuel efficient, Lexus created a serious safety problem in my opinion. My car is under warranty, I brought it to the dealer and they said that is normal and a known issue with that era of Lexus; there is no fix or repair. Despite being under warranty, I paid to have the transmission system reset to learn my style of driving. The reset had no effect positive or negative. There were 750,000 Lexus RX's made between 2016 and 2022. Nearly all are affected by this problem. Note: Lexus RX450 hybrid uses a different transmission and likely does not have this problem. …
Upon parking after 20-mile drive, severe leak of transmission oil from transmission oil cooler area, no warning messages/lights or fault codes present. No evidence of leak at starting point for drive, was sudden failure internal to transmission cooler with no evidence of impact/vibration damage or corrosion; failure was perhaps at welds of fins to tubing. Leaking oil creates fire and slip hazard, lack of any kind of warning to driver would have allowed continued driving until transmission failed except for luck that this was short trip. Vehicle has never been damaged in a crash, has been carefully inspected and maintained since purchase new. This is not a wear item and should never fail without external damage or corrosion, certainly not at 45,000 miles. Difficult to believe that this anything other than a manufacturing defect on this early production (VIN ending 002034) vehicle. …
Auto transmission frequently jerks and seems to search for a gear when starting from a stop. This problem is noted in other vehicles manufactured by Toyota. Dealerships tell me it is a reported problem but there is no remedy. Problem exists from date of purchase May 2016.
Frequently asked questions
Which Lexus RX years have transmission problems?
By NHTSA complaints, the 1999 (29), 2000 (25), 2001 (14), 2023 (13) and 2002 (5) model years. Transmission complaints make up 83% of all complaints for the 1999.
Is there a recall for Lexus RX transmission problems?
No. NHTSA lists no transmission & drivetrain recall for any Lexus RX model year. A widespread problem may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin, so ask a dealer.
At what mileage do Lexus RX transmission problems start?
Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 92,000 miles; 14% happened before 50,000 miles.
What part fails most often?
Owners most often name the automatic transmission (61 mentions), followed by the transfer case (4-wheel drive) (3).
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.