U.S. public vehicle records

2006 Lexus RX330: complaints, problems and recalls

Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.

Key facts

67 owner complaints analyzed

1 distinct recall campaigns

65,349 mi median reported failure mileage

Scope: 2006 model year. Data snapshot: 2026-09-12 (September 12, 2026). 52 complaints include usable failure mileage.

Owner-reported patterns

Most common problems

Vehicle Speed Control is the most frequently named component, appearing in 12 of 67 complaints (17.9%). A complaint can name multiple components.

Recurring terms in complaint narratives
Topic	Matching reports	Share of complaints
Braking behavior	8	11.9%
Steering behavior	7	10.4%
Transmission and shifting	3	4.5%
Electrical and battery issues	1	1.5%

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.

Vehicle Speed Control

Steering

Structure:Body

Structure

Unknown Or Other

Engine

Exterior Lighting

Engine And Engine Cooling

Vehicle Speed Control: 12; Steering: 8; Structure:Body: 8; Structure: 7; Unknown Or Other: 7; Engine: 5; Exterior Lighting: 5; Engine And Engine Cooling: 4

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: 5; 25,000 to 49,999: 8; 50,000 to 74,999: 21; 75,000 to 99,999: 6; 100,000 to 149,999: 8; 150,000 and above: 4

50,000 to 74,999 miles has the most reports with usable mileage (21). 15 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.

2006

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2006: 4; 2008: 2; 2009: 3; 2010: 9; 2011: 5; 2012: 12; 2013: 4; 2014: 10; 2015: 5; 2016: 8; 2017: 3; 2018: 1; 2019: 1

Pattern summary

Vehicle Speed Control leads the component reports. Braking behavior appears in 8 complaint narratives. Steering behavior appears in 7 complaint narratives. Transmission and shifting appears in 3 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.

Examples from the source records

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

Owner report 10159610 · 2006-06-12 (June 12, 2006)

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE HESITATED INTERMITTENTLY. THE DEALER DETERMINED IT WAS THE WAY THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN AND COULD FIND NO PROBLEM.

Owner-reported narrative. 3,540 miles reported. Look up ODI 10159610 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10168338 · 2006-09-15 (September 15, 2006)

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE APPLYING BRAKE PRESSURE AT ANY SPEED ON VARIOUS ROAD CONDITIONS, THERE WAS AN INCREASED STOPPING DISTANCE. THE VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED BY A DEALER WHO DETERMINED BRAKE FLUID HAD LEAKED INTO THE BRAKE BOOSTER RENDERING THE MASTER CYLINDER INOPERATIVE. AFTER THE INITIAL MASTER CYLINDER REPLACEMENT, THE PROBLEM PERSISTED. THE VEHICLE WAS RETURNED TO THE DEALER WHO DETERMINED THE MASTER CYLINDER NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AGAIN. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT ALERTED.

Owner-reported narrative. 11,500 miles reported. Look up ODI 10168338 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10176319 · 2006-12-17 (December 17, 2006)

> HI I HAVE LOOKED AT THE TAIL LIGHTS OF LEXUS RX 330 > AND 300 AND I BELIEVE THAT THEY ARE ILLEGAL. THEY ARE > CLEAR LENS WITH NO RED REFLECTION OR AMBER > REFLECTION. > THE BULB IS RED AND THE TURN IS AMBER BUT THE LENS > ARE > NOT COLORED. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS IF THE VEHICLE > IS > ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD I DON'T KNOW IF ITS THE > FRONT > OR REAR AT NIGHT TIME. ALL THE OTHER CARS FOLLOW THE > RED AND AMBER LENS FOR ALL YEARS. PLEASE LOOK INTO > THIS AS AN OLD TRUCK DRIVER WITH MANY MILES UNDER ME > I > DO NOT WANT TO SEE A CH…

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10176319 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10176636 · 2006-12-20 (December 20, 2006)

THOSE FOCUSED HEADLIGHTS, OFTEN WITH A BLUE TINT, ARE DANGEROUS TO DRIVERS WHO CAN BE TEMPORARILY BLINDED BY THEIR EXTREME BRIGHTNESS. THE SITUATION IS MADE WORSE IN WET CONDITIONS WHEN REFLECTIONS INTENSIFY THE PROBLEM. ALSO, DRIVERS WHO WEAR EYEGLASSES (INCLUDING ME), HAVE EVEN MORE SIGNIFICANT PROBLEMS IN REGAINING VISION AFTER BEING BLINDED BY ONCOMING VEHICLE WITH THESE FOCUSED HEADLIGHTS. GROWING USE OF THE HEADLIGHTS BY AUTOMAKERS IS QUICKLY SPREADING THIS DANGEROUS SITUATION. THIS IS NOT A COMPLAINT ABOUT MY VEHICLE. I BELIEVE THE VEHIC…

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10176636 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10238060 · 2008-08-13 (August 13, 2008)

WE HAVE A 2006 LEXUS RX330 SUV. IT HAS A VERY SIGNIFICANT HESITATION WHEN TRYING TO ACCELERATE TO CHANGE LANES OR ENTER HIGHWAY ETC. WE HAVE A 3 YEAR OLD AND WE ARE VERY SCARED MOST OF THE TIME DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY WITH THIS KIND OF HESITATION OF THE TRANSMISSION. I HAVE TAKEN THE SUV TO THE LEXUS DEALER AND THEY HAVE TOLD ME THAT THIS IS A NORMAL OPERATION OF THESE SUV'S. WE HAVE NO WHERE TO GO EXCEPT NHTSA TO TAKE ACTION AGAINST LEXUS LIKE RECALLING THESE CARS BEFORE THIS SITUATION CAUSES THE LOSS OF LIVES. THANK YOU. RAIF CAGLAR *TR…

Owner-reported narrative. 28,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10238060 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10245052 · 2008-10-10 (October 10, 2008)

SINCE WE PURCHASED THIS 2006 LEXUS RX-330. IT HAS BEEN RETURNED TO DEALS 4-5 TIMES FOR MAJOR HESITATION PROBLEMS.. CAR IS UNSAFE TO DRIVE. WILL NOT ACCELERATE IN A SAFE WAY. *TR

Owner-reported narrative. 2,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10245052 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10260001 · 2009-02-26 (February 26, 2009)

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 LEXUS RX330. THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT CONTROL PANEL. THE DEALER REPLACED THE BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH AND STATED THAT THEY HAVE REPLACED THIS COMPONENT NUMEROUS TIMES ON OTHER IDENTICAL VEHICLES OF THIS MAKE AND MODEL. THE BRAKE LIGHT MALFUNCTION PREVENTS THE DRIVER FROM SIGNALING INTENT, WHICH INCREASES THE RISK OF A CRASH. SHE FILED A COMPLAINT WITH THE MANUFACTURER. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 71,185. UPDATED 03/17/09. *LJ UPDATED 03/18/09. *JB

Owner-reported narrative. 71,185 miles reported. Look up ODI 10260001 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10263151 · 2009-03-26 (March 26, 2009)

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 LEXUS RX330. WHILE DRIVING AT AN UNKNOWN SPEED, THE CONTACT HEARD A NOISE FROM THE ENGINE AND THE OIL INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. SHE STOPPED THE VEHICLE AND HAD IT TOWED TO THE DEALER FOR REPAIR. THE DEALER STATED THAT SLUDGE DESTROYED HER ENGINE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 94,000.

Owner-reported narrative. 94,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10263151 at NHTSA ↗

Recall history

1 distinct campaigns affect this selection. Announcement dates below are different from vehicle model years. A campaign may cover multiple years.

11V112000 · Vehicle Speed Control:Accelerator Pedal

Reported: 2011-02-24 (February 24, 2011)

TOYOTA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2004-2006 HIGHLANDER, HIGHLANDER HYBRID, AND MODEL YEAR 2004-2007 LEXUS RX330, RX350, AND RX400H VEHICLES. IF THE FORWARD RETENTION CLIP USED TO SECURE THE FLOOR CARPET COVER, WHICH IS LOCATED IN FRONT OF THE CENTER CONSOLE, IS NOT INSTALLED PROPERLY THE COVER MAY LEAN TOWARD THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL AND INTERFERE WITH THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL ARM.

Consequence: IF THIS OCCURS, THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL MAY TEMPORARILY BECOME STUCK IN A PARTIALLY DEPRESSED POSITION RATHER THAN RETURN TO THE IDLE POSITION. A STUCK ACCELERATOR PEDAL MAY RESULT IN UNINTENDED AND SUSTAINED VEHICLE SPEEDS AND MAKE IT DIFFICULT TO STOP, INCREASING THE RISK OF A VEHICLE CRASH.

Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE FLOOR CARPET COVER WITH A NEWLY DESIGNED ONE FREE OR CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING MARCH 2011. OWNERS MAY CONTACT TOYOTA AT 1-800-331-4331.

NHTSA campaign record ↗