Lexus RX350 Transmission Problems by Year
By CarWhere Research · Updated
Not unusually. Owners have filed 108 transmission complaints with NHTSA for the 2008–2025 Lexus RX350. For the Lexus RX (all variants), that's 0.04 transmission complaints per 1,000 sold across the 2015–2022 cohorts, below the 0.28 median of the 53 models we can rate. The worst years are 2023, 2008 and 2016.
Transmission complaints
108
Filed with NHTSA, 2008–2025 models
Per 1,000 sold
0.04
2015–2022 cohorts, Lexus RX
Share of all complaints
7.9%
of 1,362 complaints for this model
Transmission recalls
0
NHTSA campaigns, all years
Lexus RX350 transmission complaints by model year
Owner complaints filed with NHTSA whose component list includes Power Train (transmission, transfer case and driveline), and per 1,000 vehicles sold where a published U.S. sales figure exists. Worst years are highlighted.
| Model year | Transmission complaints | Per 1,000 sold | Share of all complaints | Crash / fire / injury | Transmission recalls | Transmission TSBs* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008WORST | 11 | — | 5.6% | 2 | — | 18 |
| 2009 | 9 | — | 6.9% | 1 | — | 18 |
| 2010 | 10 | — | 5.9% | 2 | — | 24 |
| 2011 | 7 | — | 13% | 2 | — | 22 |
| 2012 | 5 | — | 11.4% | 2 | — | 23 |
| 2013 | 5 | — | 6.5% | 1 | — | 21 |
| 2014 | 4 | — | 15.4% | 2 | — | 20 |
| 2015 | 5 | 0.05 | 8.1% | 1 | — | 16 |
| 2016WORST | 11 | 0.1 | 12.9% | 1 | — | 0 |
| 2017 | 7 | 0.06 | 7.7% | 1 | — | 0 |
| 2018 | 4 | 0.04 | 9.1% | 0 | — | 0 |
| 2019 | 6 | 0.05 | 9.2% | 0 | — | 0 |
| 2020 | 1 | 0.01 | 1.8% | 0 | — | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | — | 0 |
| 2022 | 4 | 0.04 | 10.3% | 1 | — | 0 |
| 2023WORST | 13 | — | 19.7% | 0 | — | 0 |
| 2024 | 5 | — | 7.9% | 0 | — | — |
| 2025 | 1 | — | 4.2% | 1 | — | — |
- Per 1,000 sold = complaints ÷ published U.S. calendar-year sales × 1,000. Calendar-year sales stand in for the model-year cohort. A dash means no published figure or fewer than 5,000 sold, too small to divide by.
- Sales for the Lexus RX cover every variant, so the per-1,000 column counts complaints for all of those variants, not just the Lexus RX350. The complaint column is the Lexus RX350 alone.
- Older model years have had more time on the road to collect complaints, so compare neighboring years, not 2010 against 2024.
- Crash / fire / injury = complaints where the owner reported a crash, a fire or an injury.
- *Technical service bulletins in the year's leading TSB categories that name the transmission.
Common Lexus RX350 transmission problems owners describe
We searched the narratives of all 108 transmission complaints for symptom keywords. One complaint can mention several, so the shares don't add up to 100%.
Lexus RX350 years to avoid for the transmission
2023 Lexus RX350
13 transmission complaints (19.7% of the year's 66). Most often described: shudder or vibration.
2008 Lexus RX350
11 transmission complaints (5.6% of the year's 195). Most often described: transmission repaired or replaced.
2016 Lexus RX350
11 transmission complaints (12.9% of the year's 85), 0.1 per 1,000 sold. Most often described: jerking, lurching or harsh shifts.
Worst years are those with at least 10 transmission complaints and at least 1.5 times the model's median year. For every year's overall verdict, including other systems, see the Lexus RX350 years to avoid.
Related research
Frequently asked questions
Does the 2023 Lexus RX350 have transmission problems?
Yes, it is one of the worst years. Owners filed 13 transmission complaints with NHTSA for the 2023 Lexus RX350, 19.7% of all 66 complaints for that year. The most common description is "shudder or vibration" (3 complaints).
Does the 2008 Lexus RX350 have transmission problems?
Yes, it is one of the worst years. Owners filed 11 transmission complaints with NHTSA for the 2008 Lexus RX350, 5.6% of all 195 complaints for that year. The most common description is "transmission repaired or replaced" (4 complaints). 2 of those complaints report a crash, fire or injury.
Does the 2016 Lexus RX350 have transmission problems?
Yes, it is one of the worst years. Owners filed 11 transmission complaints with NHTSA for the 2016 Lexus RX350, 12.9% of all 85 complaints for that year, or 0.1 per 1,000 sold (Lexus RX, all variants). The most common description is "jerking, lurching or harsh shifts" (3 complaints). 1 of those complaints report a crash, fire or injury.
Which Lexus RX350 years have the most transmission complaints?
2023 (13), 2008 (11) and 2016 (11), by owner complaints filed with NHTSA that name the transmission. Raw counts favor older and higher-selling years, so compare the per-1,000-sold column too.
What are the most common Lexus RX350 transmission problems?
In the 108 transmission complaints, owners most often describe hesitation or delayed engagement (17.6%), jerking, lurching or harsh shifts (13.9%) and transmission repaired or replaced (13%). One complaint can mention several symptoms.
Is this a transmission failure rate?
No. These are complaints owners chose to file with NHTSA. Many failures are never reported, and one complaint is not a confirmed defect. Dividing by sales shows how often owners complain relative to how many were sold, which makes models of different sizes comparable.
How we count
Counts are unique owner complaints (by NHTSA ODI number) filed with NHTSA for each Lexus RX350 model year, from NHTSA's public complaints data fetched July 2026 to November 2026. A complaint counts as a transmission complaint when NHTSA's component list for it includes Power Train (transmission, transfer case and driveline).
Per 1,000 sold divides complaints by published U.S. calendar-year sales for that year. A year needs at least 5,000 sales to get a rate, and a model needs at least 3 such years for its overall rate. The comparison median covers every model with at least 50 transmission complaints that clears those floors.
These are complaint rates, not failure rates. Owners report some problems more than others, and a complaint is not a confirmed defect.
Sources
- NHTSA complaints by vehicle (owner complaints API) — National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- NHTSA recalls by vehicle — National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Report a vehicle safety problem — National Highway Traffic Safety Administration