LEXUS CT HYBRID · model year

2012 LEXUS CT HYBRID

14 NHTSA complaints for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 2012LEXUSCT HYBRID carries 14 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.

Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2012 CT HYBRID is air bags with 3 filings, followed by electrical system (2) and engine (2). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability.

NHTSA currently has 3 investigation files overlapping the 2012 CT HYBRID. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.

14
Complaints
0
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

14 filings

Crashes Reported

0 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
AIR BAGS3
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM2
ENGINE2
SERVICE BRAKES2
EXTERIOR LIGHTING1
STEERING1
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL1
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS:BULBS1
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC1

Recent Complaints

20230711SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC

The contact's son owns a 2012 Lexus CT200H. The contact stated that while his son was driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake pedal was depressed, but the vehicle failed to respond. An unknown warning light was illuminated. The contact's son veered to the side of the road and parked the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the brake actuator and the brake pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where the same diagnostic result was provided. The dealer related the failure to an unknown independent recall. The vehicle was towed back to the independent mechanic. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the recall had expired; however, they would consider assisting with the repair if the dealer completed the repair. The vehicle was towed to a second dealer, Lexus of Tampa Bay (5852 N Dale Mabry Hwy, Tampa, FL 33614) and was repaired; however, t

Mileage: 105,297

20201216EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS:BULBS

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 LEXUS CT 200H. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 40 MPH, THE LOW-BEAM HEADLIGHTS TURNED OFF INDEPENDENTLY. THE CONTACT STATED NO WARNING LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT CONTINUED DRIVING WITH THE HI-BEAMS ACTIVATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN UNKNOWN DEALER AND WAS DIAGNOSED WITH NEEDING LOW-BEAM BULBS TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED HOWEVER, THE FAILURE RECURRED SEVERAL TIMES. THE MANUFACTURER HAD BEEN INFORMED OF FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 43,000.

Mileage: 43,000

20200730SERVICE BRAKES

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 LEXUS CT200H. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING OVER BUMPY ROADS OR UNEVEN PAVEMENT, THERE WAS A DELAY BETWEEN WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED AND WHEN THE BRAKES WOULD ENGAGE, EXTENDING THE BRAKING DISTANCE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO LINDSAY LEXUS OF ALEXANDRIA (3410 KING ST, ALEXANDRIA, VA 22302, 571-982-7873) HOWEVER, THE MECHANIC WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 55,000.

Mileage: 55,000

20180905AIR BAGS

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 LEXUS CT 200H. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 16V487000 (AIR BAGS); HOWEVER, THE CONTACT WAS UNABLE TO GET THE RECALL REPAIR COMPLETED BECAUSE NO TECHNICIANS WERE WILLING TO ASSIST. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. SPARK TOYOTA (4855 US-501, MYRTLE BEACH, SC) WAS CONTACTED AND STATED THAT THEY DID NOT HAVE A CERTIFIED LEXUS TECHNICIAN. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. PARTS DISTRIBUTION DISCONNECT.

20180428ENGINE

ENGINE KNOCK DURING IDLE IN MORNING (COOL CONDITIONS, NOT COLD).BUT STILL SMOOTH DRIVING AND NO OTHER OBSERVED ISSUES. THEN TWO DAYS LATER THREW CODE P0301 MISFIRE, AND NEXT DAY WHITE SMOKE (COOLENT RESERVOIR DECREASE) AND APPEARS TO BE BLOWN HEAD GASKET. ENGINE ONLY 122K MILES, FULLY SERVICED WITH SPARK PLUG CHANGE AT 119K. NHTSA SERVICE BULLETIN L-SB-0028-13 MAY INDICATE LINK TO EGR VALVE/LINE BLOCKAGE. DEALER NON-RESPONSIVE.

Mileage: 122,000

20180412VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

PRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL WHEN GOING OVER A BUMP OR PATCHY ROAD THE CAR SEEMS TO LOSE CONTROL. IT FEELS LIKE THE BRAKE CALIPERS HAVE LET GO AND THE SENSATION OF A CAR LUNGING FORWARD WITH NO DRIVER CONTROL. I HAVE EXPERIENCED THIS WHEN TRAVELING UNDER 50MPH AND I'VE HAD TO HIT THE BRAKES IN AN ABRUPT FASHION. THIS HAS OCCURRED MULTIPLE TIMES IN THE PAST YEAR.

Mileage: 68,000

20180412SERVICE BRAKES

PRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL WHEN GOING OVER A BUMP OR PATCHY ROAD THE CAR SEEMS TO LOSE CONTROL. IT FEELS LIKE THE BRAKE CALIPERS HAVE LET GO AND THE SENSATION OF A CAR LUNGING FORWARD WITH NO DRIVER CONTROL. I HAVE EXPERIENCED THIS WHEN TRAVELING UNDER 50MPH AND I'VE HAD TO HIT THE BRAKES IN AN ABRUPT FASHION. THIS HAS OCCURRED MULTIPLE TIMES IN THE PAST YEAR.

Mileage: 68,000

20171023AIR BAGS

TAKATA RECALL. I HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED BY TK HOLDINGS, INC., THAT MY VEHICLE CONTAINS A DEFECTIVE AIRBAG INFLATOR AND IS UNDER RECALL. I HAVE NOTIFIED MY LOCAL DEALER, HENDRICK LEXUS, AND HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT REPLACEMENT PARTS ARE NOT AVAILABLE AND THAT THEY HAVE NO DATE WHEN PARTS WILL BE AVAILABLE.

20170420AIR BAGS

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 LEXUS CT 200H. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 16V487000 (AIR BAGS); HOWEVER, THE PART NEEDED FOR THE REPAIR WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. PARTS DISTRIBUTION DISCONNECT.

20170207ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

1) A LIGHT IN A DASHBOARD CAME ON SAYING "CHECK HYBRID SYSTEM", I TOOK IT TO THE LEXUS DEALER , THEY CHANGED THE NON HYBRID BATTERY), CHARGED ME $350 FOR IT AND RESET THE COMPUTER. 2) A WEEK AFTER, THE LIGHT STARTED APPEARING AGAIN WITH THE SAME MESSAGE, THE MESSAGE APPEARED IN THE MORNING, IN THE WAY BACK HOME, COMING OUT OF THE SPEEDWAY , ALL THE LIGHTS IN THE DASHBOARD CAME OFF (BRAKES, ENGINE, ALL OF THEM) AND I LOST COMPLETE CONTROL OF THE CAR: NO BRAKES, NO STEERING, NO NOTHING. I TRIED RESTARTING THE CAR AGAIN, IT DID, AND THE NEXT DAY WAS DRIVEN TO THE DEALER AGAIN. THEY TOOK IT IN, HAD IT OVER 2 DAYS, SAID THAT THEY FOUND A "LOOSE CAP IN THE HYBRID BATTERY", RESET THE COMPUTER ONE MORE TIME AND GAVE THE CAR BACK TO ME. 3) THE CAR DID NOT FEEL THE SAME, IT WAS LIKE IF THE SWITCH BETWEEN HYBRID AND GAS MODEL WAS OFF, TOO ACCELERATED OR SOMETHING, BUT FOR THE MOST PART NO MAJOR ISSUES UNTIL YESTERDAY (A WEEK AND A HALF AFTER THE PREVIOUS INCIDENT). SAME THING HAPPENED THIS

Mileage: 40,000

20170207ENGINE

1) A LIGHT IN A DASHBOARD CAME ON SAYING "CHECK HYBRID SYSTEM", I TOOK IT TO THE LEXUS DEALER , THEY CHANGED THE NON HYBRID BATTERY), CHARGED ME $350 FOR IT AND RESET THE COMPUTER. 2) A WEEK AFTER, THE LIGHT STARTED APPEARING AGAIN WITH THE SAME MESSAGE, THE MESSAGE APPEARED IN THE MORNING, IN THE WAY BACK HOME, COMING OUT OF THE SPEEDWAY , ALL THE LIGHTS IN THE DASHBOARD CAME OFF (BRAKES, ENGINE, ALL OF THEM) AND I LOST COMPLETE CONTROL OF THE CAR: NO BRAKES, NO STEERING, NO NOTHING. I TRIED RESTARTING THE CAR AGAIN, IT DID, AND THE NEXT DAY WAS DRIVEN TO THE DEALER AGAIN. THEY TOOK IT IN, HAD IT OVER 2 DAYS, SAID THAT THEY FOUND A "LOOSE CAP IN THE HYBRID BATTERY", RESET THE COMPUTER ONE MORE TIME AND GAVE THE CAR BACK TO ME. 3) THE CAR DID NOT FEEL THE SAME, IT WAS LIKE IF THE SWITCH BETWEEN HYBRID AND GAS MODEL WAS OFF, TOO ACCELERATED OR SOMETHING, BUT FOR THE MOST PART NO MAJOR ISSUES UNTIL YESTERDAY (A WEEK AND A HALF AFTER THE PREVIOUS INCIDENT). SAME THING HAPPENED THIS

Mileage: 40,000

20170207STEERING

1) A LIGHT IN A DASHBOARD CAME ON SAYING "CHECK HYBRID SYSTEM", I TOOK IT TO THE LEXUS DEALER , THEY CHANGED THE NON HYBRID BATTERY), CHARGED ME $350 FOR IT AND RESET THE COMPUTER. 2) A WEEK AFTER, THE LIGHT STARTED APPEARING AGAIN WITH THE SAME MESSAGE, THE MESSAGE APPEARED IN THE MORNING, IN THE WAY BACK HOME, COMING OUT OF THE SPEEDWAY , ALL THE LIGHTS IN THE DASHBOARD CAME OFF (BRAKES, ENGINE, ALL OF THEM) AND I LOST COMPLETE CONTROL OF THE CAR: NO BRAKES, NO STEERING, NO NOTHING. I TRIED RESTARTING THE CAR AGAIN, IT DID, AND THE NEXT DAY WAS DRIVEN TO THE DEALER AGAIN. THEY TOOK IT IN, HAD IT OVER 2 DAYS, SAID THAT THEY FOUND A "LOOSE CAP IN THE HYBRID BATTERY", RESET THE COMPUTER ONE MORE TIME AND GAVE THE CAR BACK TO ME. 3) THE CAR DID NOT FEEL THE SAME, IT WAS LIKE IF THE SWITCH BETWEEN HYBRID AND GAS MODEL WAS OFF, TOO ACCELERATED OR SOMETHING, BUT FOR THE MOST PART NO MAJOR ISSUES UNTIL YESTERDAY (A WEEK AND A HALF AFTER THE PREVIOUS INCIDENT). SAME THING HAPPENED THIS

Mileage: 40,000

20160830ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

EACH TIME THE FOG LAMPS ARE USED, SEEMS THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM POPS THE FOG LAMP GLASS. THIS HAS HAPPENED 3 TIMES ON BOTH DRIVER AND PASSENGER SIDE. INCLUDING PIPING OF THE FACTORY FOG LAMPS THAT CAME ON THE VEHICLE AND THEN THE REPLACEMENTS. THE FOG LAMPS CANNOT BE USED WITHOUT POPPING.

Mileage: 90,000

20160830EXTERIOR LIGHTING

EACH TIME THE FOG LAMPS ARE USED, SEEMS THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM POPS THE FOG LAMP GLASS. THIS HAS HAPPENED 3 TIMES ON BOTH DRIVER AND PASSENGER SIDE. INCLUDING PIPING OF THE FACTORY FOG LAMPS THAT CAME ON THE VEHICLE AND THEN THE REPLACEMENTS. THE FOG LAMPS CANNOT BE USED WITHOUT POPPING.

Mileage: 90,000

Compare 2012LEXUSCT HYBRID to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2012 LEXUS CT HYBRID have?
The 2012 LEXUS CT HYBRID has 14 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 2012 LEXUS CT HYBRID?
The most-complained component for the 2012 LEXUS CT HYBRID is AIR BAGS with 3 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include ELECTRICAL SYSTEM and ENGINE.
Is the 2012 LEXUS CT HYBRID safe to buy?
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. No NHTSA crash test rating is available for this model year. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.

Vehicle Safety Guides

Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.