LEXUS LX470 · model year

2000 LEXUS LX470

18 NHTSA complaints, 2 crash reports, and 1 active recall for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 2000LEXUSLX470 carries 18 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 2 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 2000 LX470 is electronic stability control (esc) with 4 filings, followed by vehicle speed control:accelerator pedal (2) and suspension (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. This model year has 1 active recall campaign, which means the manufacturer is obligated to remedy the covered defect at no charge for the life of the vehicle — the full NHTSA campaign numbers are listed below.

NHTSA currently has 3 investigation files overlapping the 2000 LX470. 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.

18
Complaints
2
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

18 filings

Crashes Reported

2 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)4
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDAL2
SUSPENSION2
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL2
TIRES:SIDEWALL1
UNKNOWN OR OTHER1
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS1
STRUCTURE1
TIRES1
STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS1
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:ALTERNATOR/GENERATOR/REGULATOR1
STRUCTURE:BODY1

Recalls (1)

04V43400008/09/2004

EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS

CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES FAIL TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, "LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT." THE DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHTS DO NOT MEET LUMINOUS INTENSITY STANDARD.

Recent Complaints

20190225ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)

VEHICLE LOCKS UP ON RIGHT HAND CURVES OVER 30 MPH CAUSING VEHICLE TO SLIDE INTO OTHER LANES. VERY DANGEROUS CONDITION WHICH INTERMITTENT AND UNPREDICTABLE. SIMILAR PROBLEMS WITH SAME MAKE, MODEL AND YEAR ACROSS THE WEB.

Mileage: 252,000

20180213SUSPENSION

DRIVERS SIDE FRONT SWAY BAR MOUNT ON FRAME BREAKS FREE DUE TO CORROSION FROM A/C CONDENSING WATER DRAIN ABOVE,

Mileage: 112,314

20161024ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)

SEVERAL TIMES NOW THE VSC (ELECTRONIC VEHICLE STABILITY CONTROL) ENGAGES AT VERY INAPPROPRIATE TIMES NEARLY RESULTING IN A COLLISION OR BEING PULLED OFF THE ROAD. IT HAPPENED ON HIGHWAYS, IN CLEAR WEATHER, AND ALMOST ALWAYS ON A VERY SLIGHT TURN. THE SPEED HAS VARIED BETWEEN 45 - 65 WHEN THIS OCCURRED. I WANT TO STRESS THAT THIS WAS IN 70 DEGREE WEATHER. NO RAIN. NO SNOW. NO ICE. THERE WAS ZERO TRACTION SLIPPAGE THAT COULD HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO THIS ENGAGING. THE VEHICLE NEARLY STOPS AND WE HAVE BEEN FORTUNATE TO NOT BE REAR ENDED BY SEMI-TRUCKS ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS. THERE IS A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS HAPPENING FROM LEXUS LX470 OWNERS, BUT WITH VERY LITTLE SUCCESS IN IDENTIFYING AND FIXING THE PROBLEM FROM LEXUS DEALERSHIPS AND CORPORATE. PLEASE INVESTIGATE THIS AND REQUIRE A MANDATORY RECALL FROM LEXUS BEFORE SOMEONE IS KILLED.

Mileage: 250,000

20160909STRUCTURE:BODY

PAINT DEFECT ON 1999 AND 2000 LEXUS LX 470. EXCEEDINGLY BAD FADING PAINT ON MANY PANELS OF THE CAR.

20160620ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)

THE ABOVE VIN IS FOR A VEHICLE THAT I OWN BUT HAVE OWNED FOR ONLY A COUPLE OF WEEKS. IT HAS NOT EXPERIENCED ANY SAFETY ISSUES OVER THE SHORT PERIOD THAT I HAVE OWNED IT. SINCE I PURCHASED THE CAR I HAVE BECOME AWARE THAT SIMILAR 2000 AND 2001 MODEL YEARS LX470S HAVE EXPERIENCED VEHICLE STABILITY CONTROL (VSC) PROBLEMS THAT SEEM TO REPRESENT A SAFETY CONCERN. I HAVE SUBMITTED A COPY OF A THREAD ON A LEXUS OWNER FORUM THAT DESCRIBES THE ISSUE - WHICH IS OFTEN DESCRIBED AS TERRIFYING, OR WORDS TO THAT EFFECT, BY THOSE THAT HAVE EXPERIENCED IT. THIS LX470 PROBLEM DESCRIBED SEEMS TO BE VERY SIMILAR TO THE VEHICLE STABILITY CONTROL PROBLEMS THAT HAVE BEEN EXPERIENCED ON THE 2001 AND 2002 TOYOTA SEQUOIA - FOR WHICH I UNDERSTAND THE NHTSA HAS OPENED AN INVESTIGATION. IT IS MY UNDERSTANDING THAT THE TWO TOYOTA STABILITY CONTROL SYSTEMS ARE VERY SIMILAR, AND OF COURSE THE TIMEFRAMES ARE VERY SIMILAR. (THE 2000 MODEL YEAR WAS THE FIRST YEAR OF VSC ON THE LX470. 2001 WAS THE FIRST MOD

Mileage: 140,000

20151112ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)

I OWN A LX470 2000 WITH ABOUT 148,000 MILES. OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF MONTHS, I HAVE EXPERIENCED 8 DIFFERENT TIMES WITH THE TRACTION CONTROL PROBLEMS AS DESCRIBING HERE. I WAS TRAVELING AT 65MPH ON A STRAIGHT DRY ROAD MY VSC WARNING LIGHT AND AUDIBLE ALARM CAME ON AND VEHICLE BEGAN SWERVING VIOLENTLY BACK AND FORTH APPARENTLY DUE TO LEFT AND RIGHT BRAKES ENGAGING ALTERNATELY. HAPPENED A FEW MORE TIMES WHILE DRIVING AT 35-40 MPH. EVERY SINGLE OCCURRENCE, THE SYSTEM ENGAGED RANDOMLY WITHOUT WARNING AND THE STEERING WHEEL PULLED TO THE RIGHT AND UNABLE TO CONTROL THE VEHICLE UNTIL THE SPEED DROPPED TO ABOUT 20MPH. THE DURATION OF EACH OCCURRENCE HAS BEEN FROM A COUPLE SECONDS TO 10 SECONDS. THIS HAS CAUSED A LOT OF SAFETY CONCERNS AND FRUSTRATIONS BECAUSE THE DEALERSHIP AND INDEPENDENT MECHANICS DON'T HAVE A CLUE HOW TO FIX IT. PLEASE HELP IN IDENTIFYING THE FAULTY COMPONENT(S).

Mileage: 148,000

20141103ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:ALTERNATOR/GENERATOR/REGULATOR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 LEXUS LX470. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 60 MPH, THE TRACTION CONTROL WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND THE STEERING WHEEL WOULD VEER TO THE LEFT AND RIGHT. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER, WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE ALTERNATOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED BUT THE FAILURE PERSISTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 203,000.

Mileage: 203,000

20110802STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS

VEHICLE TAKEN IN FOR AIR CONDITIONER PROBLEM. INFORMED BY DEALER THERE WAS SEVERE RUST ON FRAME AND UNDERCARRIAGE COMPONENTS. *KB

Mileage: 66,000

20100723TIRES

BOUGH A SET OF GOODYEAR FORTERA, P275X70R16 IN 2004. HAD A FLAT TIRE ABOUT 2 WEEKS AGO. WENT TO THE GOODYEAR TORE TO HAVE IT FIXED. NOTE....VERY EASY DRIVER AND DRIVE LIKE GRANDPA. HAVE 1/2 TREAD STILL LEFT. TIRES ARE NOT ROTTING...CAR GARAGED. GOODYEAR SERVICE MAN FOUND SEVERAL LARGE CRACKS AT THE TIRE....HE TOLD ME THAT HE HAD NEVER SEEN THIS BEFORE. HAVE A ROAD HAZARD WARRANTY. WHEN HE CALLED GOODYEAR, THEY WANTED HIM TO RETURN THE TIRE DIRECTLY. THEY WERE CONCERNED ABOUT THIS UNIQUE DEFECT. I KNOW THERE IS ANOTHER TIRE ON THE CAR WITH THE SAME CONDITION. I DID NOT BUY ANY TIRES FROM GOODYEAR. I REFUSED TO GIVE THE TIRE BACK TO THE MANUFACTURER AS THEY COULD HIDE A SAFETY DEFECT. NOW SCARED TO TAKE CAR ON FREEWAY. THEN TOOK IT TO DISCOUNT TIRE HERE IN HOUSTON TX.. THEY CHECKED OUT THE TIRE;AND TOLD ME THE TIRE COULD NOT BE FIXED AND WAS UNSAFE TO RIDE ON. DUE TO THE CRACKS IN THE TREAD. I'VE NEVER HAD ANY TIRE DO THIS TO ME AND I'M 62/YR. HAVE HAD PLENTY OF TIRES

Mileage: 98,000

20100204CrashVEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

SUDDEN ACCELERATION CAUSING VEHICLE & PROPERTY DAMAGE. VEHICLE ACTED ON OWN AND ACCELERATED, HAD APPLIED BRAKE HARD WITH NO EFFECT TO ACCELERATION (LIKE CRUISE CONTROL WAS APPLYING MAXIMUM ACCELERATION) AND WAS ABLE TO TURN KEY OFF BUT NOT BEFORE DAMAGING VEHICLE BUMPER, FENDER, TURN SIGNAL, ANTENNA, AND REAR BUMPER. *TR

Mileage: 145,000

20100127VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

1. ACCELERATING ONTO CITY STREET 2. THE FAILURE - THE LOWER PORTION OF THE GAS PEDAL BECAME STUCK UNDER THE FLOOR MAT. IT HAPPENED TO ME TWICE. AFTER FIGURING OUT WHAT HAPPENED, AS I WAS ACCELERATING, I BENT DOWN AND MOVED THE FLOOR MAT. SCARY, STARTED TO PANIC, AS I COULDN'T BRAKE TO STOP, ACCELERATING AT HIGHER SPEEDS, NOT SAFE TO GET TO THE FLOOR MAT AND READJUST IT WHILE ACCELERATING INTO TRAFFIC. 3. DIDN'T KNOW ANYTHING COULD BE DONE UNTIL LISTENING TO NEWS REPORTS OF THIS RECENTLY. *CN

Mileage: 129,000

20100127VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDAL

1. ACCELERATING ONTO CITY STREET 2. THE FAILURE - THE LOWER PORTION OF THE GAS PEDAL BECAME STUCK UNDER THE FLOOR MAT. IT HAPPENED TO ME TWICE. AFTER FIGURING OUT WHAT HAPPENED, AS I WAS ACCELERATING, I BENT DOWN AND MOVED THE FLOOR MAT. SCARY, STARTED TO PANIC, AS I COULDN'T BRAKE TO STOP, ACCELERATING AT HIGHER SPEEDS, NOT SAFE TO GET TO THE FLOOR MAT AND READJUST IT WHILE ACCELERATING INTO TRAFFIC. 3. DIDN'T KNOW ANYTHING COULD BE DONE UNTIL LISTENING TO NEWS REPORTS OF THIS RECENTLY. *CN

Mileage: 129,000

20081215STRUCTURE

2000 LX470 - THE PAINT ON THE ENTIRE CAR IS FADING TERRIBLY. SPOKE WITH LEXUS CORPORATE AND WAS TOLD TO GET AN ESTIMATE FOR RE-PAINTING - $6,000 SINCE ENTIRE CAR MUST BE TAKEN APART (HANDLES, MIRRORS, ETC.) LEXUS WOULD ONLY PAY HALF - I REFUSE TO PAY $3,000 BECAUSE THEY HAVE A DEFECTIVE PAINT JOB - SEEN OTHER CARS (TOPAZ COLOR) WITH SAME PROBLEM BUT LEXUS SAYS NOT THERE PROBLEM!!!! MY CAR LOOKS LIKE IT HAS A DISEASE = *TR

20070808EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 LEXUS LX470. HE RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE FOR THE EXTERIOR LIGHTING (NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID# 04V434000). HE MADE AN APPOINTMENT TO HAVE IT REPAIRED HOWEVER AFTER WAITING TWO HOURS; THE DEALER STATED THAT THE PART WAS UNAVAILABLE. THEY STATED THAT THEY WOULD RESCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT. AS OF AUGUST 8, 2007, THE DEALER HAS NOT REPAIRED THE VEHICLE. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 78,965. THERE HAD BEEN NO FAILURE TO DATE. UPDATED 02-01-08 *BF UPDATED 02/01/08 *TR

Mileage: 78,965

20061122SUSPENSION

FAILURE OF AUTOMATIC HEIGHT CONTROL WHILE DRIVING. REPORTEDLY A RECURRING ISSUE WITH ALL MODELS OF LEXUS LX 470. ON MY CAR THIS PROBLEM ALREADY HAPPENED ONCE AT 55000 MILES AND WAS SUPPOSEDLY "FIXED", BUT HAPPENED AGAIN. VERY DANGEROUS AND APPEARS TO BE A MONEY MAKING SCHEME FOR LEXUS DEALERS SINCE THEY ARE COMPLETELY NONCHALANT ABOUT IT. NHTSA NEEDS TO ADDRESS IT WITH LEXUS/TOYOTA BEFORE SOMEBODY GETS HURT.*JB

Mileage: 86,000

20060913UNKNOWN OR OTHER

PAINT DEFECT ON 1999 AND 2000 LEXUS LX 470. EXCEEDINGLY BAD FADING PAINT ON MANY PANELS OF THE CAR. *JB

Mileage: 50

20030728CrashVEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDAL

WHILE BACKING OUT VEHICLE STALLED, THEN JUMPED THE CURB, HITTING A TREE. DEALER STATED ACCELERATOR PEDAL GOT STUCK. *AK

20030119TIRES:SIDEWALL

TIRE BLEW OUT ON FREEWAY WHILE DRIVING AT 65MPH. TIRE: MICHELIN LTX M/S 275/70R16 ON A 2000 LEXUS LX470. I HAVE ALSO NOTICED UNEVEN TIRE WEAR ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE TIRE AND NOTIFED THE DEALER A COUPLE OF TIMES BUT THEY SAY IT IS NORMAL.

Mileage: 33,420

Compare 2000LEXUSLX470 to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2000 LEXUS LX470 have?
The 2000 LEXUS LX470 has 18 NHTSA complaints, 2 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
Are there any recalls for the 2000 LEXUS LX470?
Yes, the 2000 LEXUS LX470 has 1 recall(s). The most common affected component is EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS. Recalls are issued by NHTSA and manufacturers must provide a free remedy.
What are the most common problems with the 2000 LEXUS LX470?
The most-complained component for the 2000 LEXUS LX470 is ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) with 4 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDAL and SUSPENSION.
Is the 2000 LEXUS LX470 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.