LEXUS LX470 · model year

2005 LEXUS LX470

10 NHTSA complaints, 2 crash reports, and 3 active recalls for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 2005LEXUSLX470 carries 10 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 2005 LX470 is suspension with 2 filings, followed by power train:transfer case (4-wheel drive) (1) and exterior lighting:headlights:switch (1). 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 3 active recall campaigns, 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 2005 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.

10
Complaints
2
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

10 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
SUSPENSION2
POWER TRAIN:TRANSFER CASE (4-WHEEL DRIVE)1
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS:SWITCH1
POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:DIFFERENTIAL UNIT1
STEERING1
STRUCTURE1
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL1
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM1
AIR BAGS1

Recalls (3)

10V34600029/07/2010

STEERING:GEAR BOX:SHAFT PITMAN

TOYOTA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2003-2007 LEXUS LX470 VEHICLES. THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE STEERING SHAFT IS SUCH THAT THE SNAP RING ON THE SHAFT MAY DISENGAGE WHEN THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCES AN UNUSUALLY SEVERE IMPACT TO THE FRONT WHEELS. IF THE SNAP RING BECOMES DISENGAGED AND THE STEERING WHEE

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.

16V06500005/02/2016

AIR BAGS:SIDE/WINDOW

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2003-2006 Toyota Land Cruiser and Lexus LX470, 2005-2006 Toyota Tundra and Sequoia, 2004-2006 Toyota 4Runner and Lexus GX470 vehicles equipped with side curtain-shield-air bags. The affected vehicles have an air bag c

Recent Complaints

20170920AIR BAGS

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 LEXUS LX470. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 16V065000 (AIR BAGS); HOWEVER, THE PARTS TO DO THE REPAIR WERE UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. PARTS DISTRIBUTION DISCONNECT.

20161101FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

VEHICLE WAS TOPPED OF WITH A FULL TANK OF GAS PRIOR TO GOING ON A OFF ROAD DRIVE. THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN MODESTLY UP SILVER CANYON TRAIL WITH NO MECHANICAL ISSUES UNTIL GAS FUMES BECAME APPARENT. I INITIALLY THOUGHT THE RIG WAS RUNNING RICH IN FUEL AND CONTINUED THE CLIMB. THEN ON A BREAK I NOTICED GAS SPEWING FROM THE VEHICLE'S GAS CAP. THERE WAS A TREMENDOUS PRESSURE BUILD UP. ONCE I REACHED THE TOP OF THE TRAIL THE ISSUE WAS PHOTOGRAPHED AND RECORDED. I WAITED TILL THE SPEWING OF GAS STOPPED THEN DROVE BACK DOWN. THE ISSUE WAS BROUGHT TO LEXUS KEARNY MESA AND BECAUSE THE ISSUE COULD NOT BE RECREATED NO REPAIRS WERE MADE. THE CONDITIONS WERE NOT PROPERLY RECREATED TO MAKE THE PROBLEM REAPPEAR. MY CONCERN IS POSSIBLE GAS IGNITION AND EXPLOSION.

Mileage: 90,000

20100502CrashVEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

I HAD A 2005 LEXUS 470 CAR AND IT WAS INVOLVED IN TWO ACCIDENTS THAT NEITHER I NOR THE OTHER DRIVER COULD NEITHER ONE HAS EVER HAD AN ACCIDENT AND I HAVE BEEN DRIVING 35 YEARS. THE CAR IN THE FIRST ACCIDENT I DO NOT EVEN KNOW WHAT HAPPENED THERE WAS A COLLISION ON A ROAD I TAKE EVERY DAY. THE OTHER CAR WAS TOTALED HE HAD NO SKID MARKS AND THE LEXUS TIRE WAS HIT. NO ONE EVER KNEW WHAT HAPPENED. THEN LAST MONTH MY GOD SON WAS DRIVING ON THE LA FREEWAY IN STOP AND GO 5 MILES AN HOUR TRAFFIC. THE CAR ACCELERATED INTO THE FLATBED TRUCK INFRONT OF HIM AND HE WAS OK BUT THE CAR TOTALED. IT IS HARD TO HURT A LEXUS 470 AND THE ONLY EXPLANATION WAS THAT THE CAR ACCELERATED INTO THE FLATBED CRUSHING THE RADIATOR. IT WAS BIZARRE AND THE CAR RUINED. I THINK TOYOTA AND LEXUS HAVE NOT FULLY EXAMINED THE LEXUS CAR FOR THE ACCELERATION PROBLEM AND THEY SHOULD. ANYONE OF THE PEOPLE INVOLVED COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED NO ONE WAS DRIVING FAST AND THERE WAS NO EXPLANATION FOR THE ACCIDENTS EXCEPT THE LEXUS M

20090427SUSPENSION

2005 LEXUS 470 HAS ONGOING HEIGHT CONTROL PROBLEMS. SERVICED 5 TIMES FOR THIS ISSUE, LAST TIME ON 4/20/09. ON 4/26/09, VEHICLE BEGAN TO DRIVE VERY ROUGHLY AND THE REAR OF VEHICLE RAISED ONE INCH HIGHER THAN FRONT OF VEHICLE. ON 4/27/09, SUV RETURNED TO LEXUS DEALER FOR 6TH REPAIR APPOINTMENT FOR HEIGHT CONTROL PROBLEM. BECOMING FEARFUL OF DRIVING SUV. *TR

Mileage: 86,200

20090427STRUCTURE

2005 LEXUS 470 HAS ONGOING HEIGHT CONTROL PROBLEMS. SERVICED 5 TIMES FOR THIS ISSUE, LAST TIME ON 4/20/09. ON 4/26/09, VEHICLE BEGAN TO DRIVE VERY ROUGHLY AND THE REAR OF VEHICLE RAISED ONE INCH HIGHER THAN FRONT OF VEHICLE. ON 4/27/09, SUV RETURNED TO LEXUS DEALER FOR 6TH REPAIR APPOINTMENT FOR HEIGHT CONTROL PROBLEM. BECOMING FEARFUL OF DRIVING SUV. *TR

Mileage: 86,200

20090423SUSPENSION

2005 LEXUS LX 470 HAS ONGOING HEIGHT CONTROL PROBLEM. FIRST APPEARED AT 24, 590 MILES. HAS BEEN SERVICED FOR PROBLEM 5 TIMES. LAST TIME, LEXUS PAID FOR PART ONLY. I HAVE SCHEDULED A 6TH REPAIR APPOINTMENT. VEHICLE ALSO PULLS TO THE LEFT SIGNIFICANTLY, EVEN AFTER 4-20-09 REPAIR. BECOMING FEARFUL OF DRIVING VEHICLE. *TR

Mileage: 85,300

20090423STEERING

2005 LEXUS LX 470 HAS ONGOING HEIGHT CONTROL PROBLEM. FIRST APPEARED AT 24, 590 MILES. HAS BEEN SERVICED FOR PROBLEM 5 TIMES. LAST TIME, LEXUS PAID FOR PART ONLY. I HAVE SCHEDULED A 6TH REPAIR APPOINTMENT. VEHICLE ALSO PULLS TO THE LEFT SIGNIFICANTLY, EVEN AFTER 4-20-09 REPAIR. BECOMING FEARFUL OF DRIVING VEHICLE. *TR

Mileage: 85,300

20051111EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS:SWITCH

HEADLIGHTS COME ON AFTER A PERIOD OF TIME (2 MIN TO 20 MIN) AFTER VEHICLE IS SHUT OFF AND THE KEY BOB BUTTON IS PRESSED TWICE AND TRUCK BEEPS; HEADLIGHTS WILL NOT TURN OFF EVEN IF THE STALK IS ON AUTO/LIGHTS ON/PARKING LIGHTS/OFF; IN ADDITION THE HEAD LIGHT STALK WILL CONTROL THE DOOR LOCKS WHEN THE STALK IS MOVED FROM AUTO TO ON OR PARKING LIGHTS TO ON; USUALLY OCCURS AT NIGHT; USUALLY CLEARS UP BY MORNING; RESULTED IN A DEAD BATTERY TWICE; MAY BE ATTRIBUTED TO RAIN. *JB

Mileage: 9,000

20051111POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:DIFFERENTIAL UNIT

VIBRATION OCCURS FROM REAR DIFFERENTIAL WHEN THE RPM ~1900 AND THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION IS SHIFTING FROM 4TH TO DRIVE; DEALER IS SWAPPING OUT REAR DIFFERENTIAL HAVE NOT RECEIVED VEHICLE BACK YET; DEALER NOW SAYS VIBRATIONS ARE COMING FROM TRANSMISSION AND HAS ADVISED TO REPLACE TRANSMISSION; ORIGINAL COMPLAINT DID NOT HAVE NOISE COMING FROM TRANSMISSION. *JB

Mileage: 12,500

20050624CrashPOWER TRAIN:TRANSFER CASE (4-WHEEL DRIVE)

DT: CALLER SAYS WHEN 4-WHEEL DRIVE CONTROL IS BUMPED IT KNOCKS VEHICLE INTO NEUTRAL AND THE VEHICLE ROLLS AWAY. WHEN THIS HAPPENS THE 4 WHEEL DRIVE CONTROL OVERRIDES THE PARK GEAR, AND THIS CAN HAPPEN WITH NO ONE IS IN CONTROL OF VEHICLE. CALLER HAS CONCERNS ABOUT HER FAMILY SHOULD THIS HAPPEN WITH CHILDREN IN VEHICLE. THIS CAN HAPPEN WHILE IT IS IN PARK WITHOUT THE KEY IN IT. DEALER SAID ALWAYS USE EMERGENCY BRAKE. MANUFACTURER JUST TOOK NOTES, AND SAID THEY WOULD GET BACK TO HER IN 48 HOURS. CALLER HAS A LEXUS GX470.*AK

Mileage: 3,000

Compare 2005LEXUSLX470 to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2005 LEXUS LX470 have?
The 2005 LEXUS LX470 has 10 NHTSA complaints, 2 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
Are there any recalls for the 2005 LEXUS LX470?
Yes, the 2005 LEXUS LX470 has 3 recall(s). The most common affected component is STEERING:GEAR BOX:SHAFT PITMAN. Recalls are issued by NHTSA and manufacturers must provide a free remedy.
What are the most common problems with the 2005 LEXUS LX470?
The most-complained component for the 2005 LEXUS LX470 is SUSPENSION with 2 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include POWER TRAIN:TRANSFER CASE (4-WHEEL DRIVE) and EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS:SWITCH.
Is the 2005 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.