LEXUS RX HYBRID · model year

2013 LEXUS RX HYBRID

12 NHTSA complaints, 2 crash reports for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 2013LEXUSRX HYBRID carries 12 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, 2 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 2013 RX HYBRID is service brakes with 5 filings, followed by air bags (2) and unknown or other (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 2013 RX 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.

12
Complaints
2
Crashes
0
Fires
2
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

12 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
SERVICE BRAKES5
AIR BAGS2
UNKNOWN OR OTHER2
VISIBILITY:SUN/MOON ROOF ASSEMBLY1
EQUIPMENT:ELECTRICAL:NAVIGATIONAL SYSTEM(GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM)1
TIRES:SIDEWALL1

Recent Complaints

20221031TIRES:SIDEWALL

The contact owns a 2013 Lexus RX450H equipped with Bridgestone Tires, Tire Line: Ecopia H-L 422 Plus, Tire Size: 235/55/R19, DOT Number: 0bE7EC10120. The contact stated that while driving approximately 5 MPH, the passenger’s side front tire exploded. The contact stated that the side of the tire quickly lost air pressure in the blowout. There were no warning lights illuminated. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 21T012000 (Tires). The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate tire mileage was 25,000. The vehicle failure mileage was unknown.

20210126SERVICE BRAKES

I TOOK MY CAR TO DEALERSHIP FOR WARNING LIGHTS ON, HYBRID BATTERY MALFUNCTION AND BRAKE MALFUNCTION. OUR LOCAL DEALERSHIP HERE ON GUAM DIAGNOSED AND PROVIDED ME AN ESTIMATE OF OVER $4K TO REPLACE THE BRAKE ACTUATOR BECAUSE IT'S LEAKING, ALONG WITH THE PUMP. CAR WAS IN MOTIKN WHEN IT FIRST CAME ON.

Mileage: 40,000

20200915SERVICE BRAKES

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 LEXUS RX450H. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS APPLIED, THE BRAKES LOCKED UP AND BECAME DIFFICULT TO STOP THE VEHICLE. THE BRAKE SYSTEM WARNING LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO KEYES LEXUS (5905 VAN NUYS BLVD, VAN NUYS, CA 91401, (818) 538-2990) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE BRAKE ACTUATOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE THE MECHANIC WAS INFORMED THAT THE BRAKE ACTUATOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED BUT, NO FURTHER ASSISTANCE WAS PROVIDED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 83,000.

Mileage: 83,000

20200907UNKNOWN OR OTHER

SUNROOF EXPLODED WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY, RAINING GLASS ON THE DRIVER, WHO SUSTAINED MINOR CUTS.

Mileage: 54,046

20200514AIR BAGS

WHEN PULLING OUT OF OUR NEIGHBORHOOD, MY HUSBAND SLOWED DOWN TO TURN RIGHT. UPON TURNING INTO THE MIDDLE LANE, ALL SIDE AIRBAGS, FRONT AND BACK BLEW. WHILE THE INTENSITY FROM THE BLAST ROCKED THE CAR, THERE WAS NOTHING NEARBY THAT HE HIT. NO VISIBLE DAMAGE WAS DONE TO THE CAR, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF, THE AIR BAGS. WE HAD NEVER HAD ANY ISSUES WITH THIS CAR, AND IN FACT, HAD JUST BEEN AT THE DEALERSHIP THE SATURDAY PRIOR GETTING A STATE INSPECTION AND A NEW BATTERY. THE SERVICE REP EVEN MENTIONED HOW IMPRESSED HE WAS THAT THIS WAS THE CAR'S FIRST BATTERY IN 7 YEARS AND OVER 90K MILES. HE TOLD US THE CAR LOOKED GREAT AND TO KEEP IT UP! AND THEN TUESDAY CAME AROUND AND THE AIR BAG MALFUNCTION OCCURRED. NOT ONLY WAS THIS AN EXTREMELY SCARY EVENT, BUT IT COULD HAVE BEEN THAT MUCH WORSE HAD MY 2 MONTH OLD SON BEEN IN THE CAR AT THE TIME. WE ARE THANKFUL NO ONE WAS SERIOUSLY HURT. HOWEVER, THE STORY ONLY GETS WORSE WITH LEXUS'S (TOYOTA HEADQUARTERS) LACK OF RESPONSE. 4/14 ' CA

Mileage: 93,000

20200304SERVICE BRAKES

MY 2013 RX450H' ABS LIGHT SUDDENLY TURNED ON WHILE I WAS DRIVING IN A LOCAL ROAD. ALONG WITH THE ABS LIGHT, THERE WERE BRAKE WARNING LIGHT, MASTER MAINTENANCE WARNING LIGHT, SLIP LIGHT ON ALONG WITH "CHECK ABS" "BRAKE SYSTEM MALFUNCTION" WARNING MESSAGES APPEARING ON THE DASH BOARD. VERY UNSETTLING. I TOOK THE CAR TO A LEXUS DEALERSHIP AND THEY RETRIEVED ERROR CODE AS "C1391, ABNORMAL LEAK IN ACCUMULATOR. " THEY DIDN'T DETECT ANY LEAKAGE OR MOISTURE IN THE DIAGNOSIS, THEY RECOMMENDED TO REPLACE THE ABS ACTUATOR AND BOOSTER BUMP/ACCUMULATOR ASSEMBLY FOR A PRICE OF OVER $4300. AFTER I DID SOME RESEARCH OF THIS PROBLEM, I RAN INTO MANY COMPLAINT OF THE SAME ISSUE WITH VARIOUS TOYOTA AND LEXUS CARS, ESPECIALLY ON HYBRID MODELS. I ALSO LEARNED THE FAULTY COMPONENT IS THE ISSUE AND THE ISSUE HAS BEEN THERE ON MY CAR FOR A LONG TIME WITHOUT MY REALIZING IT. BECAUSE 1) THE ABS ASSEMBLY WOULD MAKE THE CHIRPING SOUND WHEN I START THE CAR. SINCE THE SOUND ISN'T LOUD, I WASN'T AWARE IT WAS

Mileage: 119,500

20200221SERVICE BRAKES

THE BRAKE ACTUATOR IS FAILING THIS IS A LARGE SCALE PROBLEM AS EVIDENT ON THE LEXUS/TOYOTA FORUMS. LEXUS ISSUED A SMALL EXTENDED WARRANTY FOR SELECT MODELS BUT FAILED TO INCLUDE ALL EFFECTED MODELS

20180214SERVICE BRAKES

BRAKE ACTUATOR NEEDS REPLACED. CAR HAS ONLY 65,000 MILES MANY PEOPLE ARE COMPLAINING ABOUT THE ACTUATOR NOT STOPPING THE VEHICLE ACCORDING TO MANUFACTURE STANDARDS. AS WELL I PERSONALLY HAVE ISSUES WHEN AT LOW SPEEDS THE BRAKES MAKE A SQUEAK. WHEN DIAGNOSED AT THE DEALER THE DEALER NOTED THAT THIS IS AN AN ISSUE WITH BRAKE ACTUATOR AND NEEDS REPLACED. WHICH IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM.

Mileage: 65,000

20150907CrashUNKNOWN OR OTHER

I WAS BACKING OUT OF A PARKING SPACE SUDDENLY AND FOR NO APPARENT REASON THE MY CAR SPED UP.MY BREAK DID NO STOP MY CAR. I WAS FINALLY ABLE TO STOP MY CAR BY PUTTING INTO PARK. THE STOP WAS SO ABRUPT THAT I DIDN'T REALIZE I HIT ANYTHING. THIS SAME SCENARIO HAPPENED ABOUT TWO WEEK AGO, EXCEPT I DIDN'T HIT ANYTHING

Mileage: 21,000

20150417EQUIPMENT:ELECTRICAL:NAVIGATIONAL SYSTEM(GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM)

THE NAVIGATION SYSTEM DOES NOT HAVE VOICE COMMANDS FOR "SUSPEND GUIDANCE", "RESUME GUIDANCE", "CANCEL GUIDANCE", ETC... THIS MEANS IN ORDER TO STOP NAVIGATION IT MUST BE MANUALLY TURNED OFF WHILE THE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION. THIS REQUIRES MANUALLY ENTERING THE COMMAND WHICH REQUIRES WATCHING THE DISPLAY AND CAUSES DISTRACTED DRIVING. IT IS NOT A SAFE CONDITION AND I AM UNSURE WHY TOYOTA/LEXUS REMOVED THE VOICE COMMANDS SINCE BOTH OUR 2006 AND 2007 TOYOTA PRII HAVE THEM AND ARE MUCH SAFER CARS TO DRIVE BECAUSE OF IT. ALSO TOYOTA/LEXUS HAS MODIFIED THE NAVIGATION SO THAT IT CONTINUES TALKING EVEN WHEN USING THE BLUETOOTH HANDS FREE PHONE OPTION. WHICH MEANS THE NAVIGATION VOICE TALKS OVER YOUR PHONE CALL. THIS AGAIN CAN CAUSE DISTRACTED DRIVING AS YOU ARE TALKING TO SOMEONE AND SUDDENLY THE LOUD NAVIGATION VOICE BEGINS SPEAKING AS WELL. THIS IS ANOTHER UNSAFE CHANGE TOYOTA/LEXUS HAS MADE AS BOTH OF OUR PRII DO NOT ALLOW THE NAVIGATION SYSTEM TO OVERRIDE THE BLUETOOTH HAND FREE PHONE.

Mileage: 100

20140919VISIBILITY:SUN/MOON ROOF ASSEMBLY

IT SOUNDED LIKE A GUN WENT OFF INSIDE THE CAR. WE WERE TRAVELING ABOUT 60 MPH ON THE INTERSTATE AND AFTER THE INITIAL SHOCK I LOOKED BOTH BEHIND ME AS WELL AS TO THE SIDE TO SEE WHAT MAY HAVE CAUSED THE NOISE. TO SEE IF SOMETHING HAD HIT THE CAR ON TOP, WE PULLED BACK THE SUNROOF VISOR A FEW INCHES, ENOUGH TO SEE AND HEAR THAT THE SUNROOF HAD A LARGE HOLE IN IT. AFTER PULLING OFF AT THE NEAREST EXIT AND CLIMBING OUT OF THE CAR WE COULD SEE THAT THE SUNROOF LOOKED AS IF THE HAD EXPLODED UPWARDS AND OUTWARD. AN IRREGULAR HOLE ABOUT 5" X 15" ACROSS WAS EVIDENT AND THE EDGES WERE ARCHING UPWARDS AS IF SOMETHING HAS EXPLODED INSIDE THE CAR. SAFETY GLASS FRAGMENTS WERE ON TOP OF THE SUNROOF AND THERE WERE SOME ON THE VISOR INSIDE. NO GLASS HAD ENTERED THE CAR BECAUSE THE VISOR WAS CLOSED AT THE TIME. WE WERE NOT NEAR ANY BRIDGES AT THE TIME OF THE EXPLOSION, WE SAW NO ROCKS. THE TEMPERATURE OUTSIDE WAS 75-80 DEGREES AND THE AIR-CONDITIONER WAS ON INSIDE THE CAR. THERE IS NO EVIDENCE OF ANYTH

Mileage: 42,000

20140611CrashAIR BAGS

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 LEXUS RX450H. WHILE DRIVING 25 MPH, THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE WAS CRASHED INTO FROM THE REAR BY ANOTHER VEHICLE. THE CONTACT INJURED HIS HEAD WHEN IT STRUCK THE STEERING WHEEL. THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A COLLISION CENTER AND RULED AS BEING DESTROYED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 25,000.

Mileage: 25,000

Compare 2013LEXUSRX HYBRID to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2013 LEXUS RX HYBRID have?
The 2013 LEXUS RX HYBRID has 12 NHTSA complaints, 2 crashes, 0 fires, 2 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 2013 LEXUS RX HYBRID?
The most-complained component for the 2013 LEXUS RX HYBRID is SERVICE BRAKES with 5 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include AIR BAGS and UNKNOWN OR OTHER.
Is the 2013 LEXUS RX 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.