U.S. public vehicle records

2008 Lexus RX350 problems and owner complaints

Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.

Key facts

126 owner complaints analyzed

0 distinct recall campaigns

69,000 mi median reported failure mileage

Scope: 2008 model year. Data snapshot: 2026-09-12 (September 12, 2026). 101 complaints include usable failure mileage.

Owner-reported patterns

Most common problems

Unknown Or Other is the most frequently named component, appearing in 20 of 126 complaints (15.9%). A complaint can name multiple components.

Recurring terms in complaint narratives
Topic	Matching reports	Share of complaints
Braking behavior	20	15.9%
Steering behavior	20	15.9%
Electrical and battery issues	9	7.1%
Transmission and shifting	4	3.2%
Engine operation	3	2.4%
Fuel system concerns	1	0.8%

Topic matches use published keyword rules. They describe mentions, including negations or comparisons, and do not confirm a diagnosis. Read the matching rules.

Component breakdown

Number of unique complaints naming each component. Top eight shown.

Unknown Or Other

Steering

Electrical System

Vehicle Speed Control

Engine

Structure:Body

Structure

Exterior Lighting

Unknown Or Other: 20; Steering: 18; Electrical System: 17; Vehicle Speed Control: 14; Engine: 12; Structure:Body: 11; Structure: 10; Exterior Lighting: 7

Reported problems by failure mileage

Complaint counts in mileage bands. These are not failure rates per vehicle or mile.

Under 25,000

25,000 to 49,999

50,000 to 74,999

75,000 to 99,999

100,000 to 149,999

150,000 and above

Under 25,000: 15; 25,000 to 49,999: 15; 50,000 to 74,999: 25; 75,000 to 99,999: 20; 100,000 to 149,999: 21; 150,000 and above: 5

50,000 to 74,999 miles has the most reports with usable mileage (25). 25 complaints have missing, zero or invalid mileage.

Complaints over time

Year the complaint was filed, not the vehicle model year or incident year. The snapshot year is partial.

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2007: 3; 2008: 2; 2009: 3; 2010: 13; 2011: 2; 2012: 7; 2013: 9; 2014: 19; 2015: 21; 2016: 12; 2017: 14; 2018: 16; 2019: 5

Pattern summary

Unknown Or Other leads the component reports. Braking behavior appears in 20 complaint narratives. Steering behavior appears in 20 complaint narratives. Electrical and battery issues appears in 9 complaint narratives. Use these patterns to inspect individual reports and prepare questions for a mechanic.

Calculated from recorded counts. An AI narrative has not been published for this selection.

Complaint evidence

Examples provide context, not a representative sample or a verified diagnosis.

Owner report 10205829 · 2007-10-16 (October 16, 2007)

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 LEXUS RX350. WHILE DRIVING 50 MPH, THE VEHICLE BEGAN DRAGGING AND WOULD NOT ACCELERATE OVER 50 MPH. THE VEHICLE WAS PULLED OVER AND SMOKE WAS COMING FROM THE WHEEL ASSEMBLY. THE BRAKES LOCKED. THE VEHICLE WAS RESTARTED AND DROVE NORMALLY FOR 5 MILES. THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE OR DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 9,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 13,000.

Owner-reported narrative. 9,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10205829 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10227666 · 2008-05-13 (May 13, 2008)

AS I PUT THE VEHICLE IN REVERSE, IT RAPIDLY AND SUDDENLY ACCELERATED OUT OF CONTROL AND HIT A LIGHT POST. TRYING TO REGAIN CONTROL, I PUT ON THE BRAKE AND SHIFTED TO DRIVE, WHERE IT SUDDENLY AND VERY RAPIDLY SPED FORWARD AND HIT A FENCE BEFORE I COULD STOP THE VEHICLE. WHEN THIS OCCURRED, THE COUPLE I WAS DINING WITH HEARD THE CAR BACKFIRE TWICE WHICH CAUGHT THEIR ATTENTION. I COULD NOT HEAR THE BACKFIRE INSIDE OF THE VEHICLE. THE ACCELERATION WAS EXTREMELY RAPID AND DANGEROUS. THE VEHICLE DID THIS ON ITS OWN. THIS IS NOT A CASE OF WHERE …

Owner-reported narrative. 1,871 miles reported. Look up ODI 10227666 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10565071 · 2014-02-20 (February 20, 2014)

AUTO UNDERWENT ROUTINE 35,000 MILE MAINTENANCE - DEALER NOTED POWER STEERING LEAK, REQUIRING RACK AND PINION REPLACEMENT. IS THE PART DEFECTIVE? WHY IS THERE NO RECALL? NOTED LARGE NUMBER OF THE SAME ISSUE ON THE INTERNET. *TR

Owner-reported narrative. 35,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10565071 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10577450 · 2014-04-04 (April 4, 2014)

THE TRANSMISSION COMPLETELY FAILED WHILE I WAS DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY. THIS WAS VERY DANGEROUS AND CAUSED A SAFETY HAZARD. THE TRANSMISSION HAD TO BE REPLACED. THE POWER STEERING RACK HAD TO ALSO BE REPLACED. IT'S RIDICULOUS THAT THESE FAILURES OCCURRED BEFORE 120,000 MILES. *TR

Owner-reported narrative. 119,326 miles reported. Look up ODI 10577450 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10534504 · 2013-08-09 (August 9, 2013)

JUST WISH TO REPORT MELTED REAR DOOR LATCH... BEEN GETTING GOOEY FOR MONTHS AND FINALLY CAME OFF - SEEMS TO BE AN ONGOING PROBLEM WITH SEVERAL LEXUS AND TOYOTA VEHICLES. WASN'T SURE IF THIS IS HEAT RELATED OR ELECTRICAL. *TR

Owner-reported narrative. 65,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10534504 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10537098 · 2013-08-24 (August 24, 2013)

I NOTICED MY BACK DOOR OPENER SWITCH WAS STARTING TO MELT. AT FIRST WE THOUGHT ITS FROM THE HEAT OF THE SUMMER BUT THEN AFTER CAREFUL CONSIDERATION WE THOUGHT THAT WE'VE HAD THE CAR FOR 4 PREVIOUS SUMMERS WITH NO ISSUES WITH SAID BUTTON. WE THOUGHT THAT THERE MUST BE SOME ELECTRICAL COMPONENT INSIDE THE AUTOMATIC BUTTON THAT MUST BE GETTING TOO HOT THAT'S CAUSING THE HARD PLASTIC TO MELT. *TR

Owner-reported narrative. 50,250 miles reported. Look up ODI 10537098 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10323731 · 2010-04-05 (April 5, 2010)

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 LEXUS RX350. UPON PLACING THE VEHICLE IN REVERSE, IT IMMEDIATELY BOLTED IN REVERSE OUT OF THE DRIVEWAY. AT SPEEDS OF 40-45 MPH. THE BRAKES WERE APPLIED, BUT WITH NO EFFECT. IN AN ATTEMPT TO SHIFT TO SHIFT INTO NEUTRAL , THE VEHICLE WAS SHIFTED INTO DRIVE AND THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO INVOLUNTARILY ACCELERATE LEAVING THE DRIVER NO CHOICE, BUT TO CRASH INTO A TREE. THE POLICE AND AMBULANCE WERE CALLED TO THE SCENE. THE CONSUMER SUSTAINED INJURIES. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED. UPDATED 11/16/10

Owner-reported narrative. 30,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10323731 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10426490 · 2011-09-20 (September 20, 2011)

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 LEXUS RX350. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE STOPPED AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT, AN ABNORMAL GRINDING SOUND WAS HEARD COMING FROM THE ENGINE AND THE VEHICLE ATTEMPTED TO STALL. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO DEALER AND AFTER PERFORMING A DIAGNOSTIC TEST, THE DEALER ADVISED THAT THE CAMSHAFT TOWER CAUSED THE ENGINE TO STALL AND WOULD NEED REPLACING. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FAILURE WAS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THE YEAR, MAKE, AND MODEL. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 88,000. UPDATED 10/17/11

Owner-reported narrative. 88,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10426490 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10662160 · 2014-12-04 (December 4, 2014)

WHILE DRIVING MY 2008 LEXUS RX350 AT 35 MPH IN HEAVY TRAFFIC, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY STALLED LEAVING ME WITHOUT POWER STEERING OR BRAKES. I WAS ABLE TO STOP THE VEHICLE BUT WAS STUCK IN THE TRAFFIC LANE WITH HEAVY TRAFFIC. FEARING THAT I WOULD BE HIT BY ONCOMING TRAFFIC I CALLED 911 FOR SUPPORT WHILE THE TOW VEHICLE WAS DISPATCHED. I WAS UNABLE TO LEAVE THE VEHICLE SAFELY UNTIL POLICE ARRIVED 20 MINUTES LATER, DUE TO THE POSITION OF THE VEHICLE AND THE TRAFFIC. THE LOCAL LEXUS DEALER HAS CONTACTED ME TO LET ME KNOW THAT THE ISSUE WAS A BR…

Owner-reported narrative. 76,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10662160 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10342577 · 2010-07-12 (July 12, 2010)

2008 LEXUS RX350 ENGINE NOISE STARTED MAKING NOISE AT ABOUT 23,000 MILES. THE DEALER SAID IT WAS NORMAL. TOOK IT BACK IN FOR THE 30,000 MILE CHECK UP AND TOLD THEM THAT IT WAS GETTING LOUDER. THEY CHECKED IT OUT AGAIN AND SAID THAT IT MIGHT BE THE MECHANICAL FUEL PUMP,BUT THAT WAS NORMAL.THIS IS STARTING TO SOUND LIKE A DIESEL AND IS GETTING A LITTLE EMBARRASSING TO DRIVE AROUND SOUNDING THIS WAY. IF THIS IS NORMAL, THIS WILL BE MY FIRST AND LAST LEXUS.... *TR

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10342577 at NHTSA ↗