There are 3 stored owner reports matching the powertrain & transmission leading-label group for the 2006 Lexus RX in our NHTSA-sourced dataset. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
This group counts stored reports whose component label starts with one of this site's matching prefixes, ignoring case. Each matching report counts once within the group. Components mentioned later in the label or only in the narrative are not searched. How component counts work
Loaded 3 of 3 matching reports.
Open the full vehicle complaint log (all categories)This vehicle seems to have a well-documented problem with water intrusion that damages the ECU and hybrid battery. The 2006 and 2007 RX400h has the HV battery located under the seat, which is the low spot in the rear section of the car. If water is spilled or the body has a water leak, the water will pool at the center of the battery. Lexus considered this, and added a drain under the battery, but the drain has a filter, presumably to keep insects out, and the filter is easily clogged. This, coupled with a pattern problem of split body seams near the rear hatch strut mount causing a water leak in the rear of the car, has created isolation faults in many of the RX400h SUVs. The condition presents as warnings on the instrument cluster and a no-start condition where the vehicle is inoperable. A search for "lexus ECU water intrusion" brings up my vehicle's exact model and year so this is well-documented.
TRANSMISSION HAS A HARD TIME SELECTING A GEAR BETWEEN 2ND AND 3RD. IT STARTS TO GO INTO 3RD GEAR THEN JUMPS OUT FOR A SECOND AND THEN SLAMS BACK INTO 3RD. USUALLY WHEN LIGHTLY ACCELERATING. VERY NOTICEABLE. I HAVE TAKEN IT INTO THE DEALER 4 TIMES AND WAS TOLD I MAY JUST NEED A NEW TRANSMISSION!! IT ONLY HAS 108,000 MILES ON IT. I HAVE NEVER HEARD OF THIS PROBLEM WITH A LEXUS! THAT AND THE REAR DIFFERENTIAL WAS DIAGNOSED AS BAD AS WELL! IT'S LIKE THE ENTIRE DRIVE TRAIN IS GARBAGE!! VERY VERY DISAPPOINTED WITH LEXUS AND I HOPE THEY WILL MAKE THIS RIGHT WITH ME. I DON'T WANT TO BE ON A TRIP WITH MY FAMILY AND IT BREAK DOWN ON US WHEN I PAYED FOR RELIABILITY.
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
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.
NHTSA source checks for this vehicle year
Checks are recorded separately for each dataset, not for the whole page. Dates use UTC. A missing check date does not mean no records exist.
Vehicle import recorded: Aug 30, 2026. This is the stored import date, not confirmation that every source was successfully refreshed.