There are 4 owner-reported engine complaints for the 2011 Lexus CTin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
CONSUMES 3-5 ADDITIONAL QUARTS OF OIL BETWEEN REGULARLY SCHEDULED OIL CHANGES.
I EXPERIENCED LOUD ENGINE VIBRATION AT COLD STARTS FOR A COUPLE OF WEEKS, THEN I STARTED SEEING WHITE SMOKE FROM MY TAILPIPE. I TOOK MY VEHICLE TO LEXUS RIVER-CENTER, COVINGTON, KY, ON 14FEB19 TO COMPLETE TSB L-SB-0004-13 WHICH REPLACES THE INTAKE MANIFOLD WITH A NEW PART NUMBER. THE VIBRATIONS AND WHITE SMOKE SEEMED TO BE REMEDIED; HOWEVER, A WEEK LATER, 22FEB19, WHILE ENTERING A FREEWAY ON-RAMP, MY CAR ENGINE MADE A LOUD NOISE LIKE A SHOTGUN BLAST WHILE IN MOTION ON THE FREEWAY, METAL FRAGMENTS WERE EXPELLED FROM MY ENGINE BLOCK, THE OIL LIGHT CAME ON, MY CAR DIED, AND I HAD TO COAST TO THE SHOULDER. I WAS ALMOST HIT FROM BEHIND. I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO KERRY TOYOTA THE SAME DAY FOR DIAGNOSIS. ON 24FEB19, KERRY TOYOTA INFORMED ME THAT MY ENGINE THREW A ROD AND THERE WERE 3 HOLES IN MY ENGINE BLOCK (I CHANGE MY OIL AT REGULAR INTERVALS WITH MOBILE 0W-20 AS PRESCRIBED BY THE MANUFACTURER). THERE ARE MANY COMPLAINTS CONCERNING THIS MODELS' HEAD GASKET, EGR VALVE, AND INTAKE MANIFOLD ON CT200H AND LEXUS FORUMS TO JUSTIFY A RECALL. MY CONCERN IS THE TSB TO REPLACE THE INTAKE MANIFOLD MERELY ADDRESSES PREMATURE SYMPTOMS AND DOES NOT ADDRESS THE PROLONGED EFFECT OF EXCESSIVE MOISTURE IN THE ENGINE.
HEAD GASKET LEAKING OIL
MY ENGINE, WHEN IN USE, BURNS OIL. IT WILL BURN ABOUT 5 QUARTS OVER THE TIME BETWEEN OIL CHANGES. I HAVE CONTACTED LEXUS ABOUT THIS ISSUE, AND ALTHOUGH THEY (AND TOYOTA) HAVE A SERVICE BULLETIN REGARDING THE 2ZR-FXE ENGINE (THE SAME ONE FOUND IN MY CAR AND VARIOUS PRIUS MODELS) THEY'VE TOLD ME THAT THIS IS A VERY RARE ISSUE. THIS IS THE SECOND ENGINE I HAVE HAD IN THIS VEHICLE THAT HAS EXPERIENCED THIS PROBLEM. THIS SEEMS TO BE POSSIBLY RELATED TO THE SAME ENGINEERING MISTAKE THAT LED TO THE TOYOTA TSB DESCRIBING NEARLY THE SAME ISSUES OF OIL BURNING/CONSUMPTION OF THE 2AZ-FE ENGINES.
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on May 4, 2026