There are 5 stored owner reports matching the engine leading-label group for the 2013 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 5 of 5 matching reports.
Open the full vehicle complaint log (all categories)When I was driving down the road there have been times that I smelled smoke and was concerned my car was on fire. I checked the oil and inspected around my car, and didn't find the source. Today when I took my car in for service I found out the source of the smoke has been for the past 4 months. There is engine oil leaking from the timing cover that I was informed by my Lexus Dealership today would cost $7,000 (approximate) to fix. I researched online and found that all vehicles with this particular engine are known to have this problem, and it is fairly common. Leaking oil can be a fire hazard, and it seems unacceptable that Lexus/Toyota let this issue continue without addressing it with a recall. Thanks for your time, and I have also sent a similar letter to Lexus also to let them know of my concern.
BROKEN COOLING PUMP
LEXUS RX350 HAD A SLIGHT GRINDING NOISE AT AROUND 43,000. IT WAS NOT VERY CLEAR INITIALLY ESPECIALLY WHEN THE AC WAS ON. NOW AT 76,000 MILES, THE NOISE IS VERY LOUD AND LEXUS SAID IT IS THE WATER PUMP SLOWLY GOING BAD. NOW THE CAR, AFTER 70,000 MILES IS OUT OF WARRANTY. I HAVE SEEN REPORTS ONLINE WITH COMMON BEARINGS FAILURE ON TOYOTA/LEXUS WATER PUMPS. I WOUNDER IF THIS IS A SYSTEMIC ISSUE GIVEN THE WELL KNOW RELIABILITY OF THE LEXUS BRAND.
DRIVING NORMAL SPEED ON FRWY #1 LANE(4 LANE) - NO WARNING-LIGHTS OR ANYTHING, SMOKE FROM ENGINE COMPARTMENT, PULLED OFF FRWY GOT OUT OPEN PASS SIDE DOOR TO RETRIEVE PURSE THEN SAW FLAMES COME THROUGH ON DRIVER SIDE, CLOSED DOOR AND CALLED 911 - CAR ENGINE ON FIRE
AT APPROX. 1:30 P.M. I WAS AT A COMPLETE STOP IN LINE FOR THE TOLL BOOTH AT THE THROGS NECK BRIDGE GOING BETWEEN THE BRONX TO QUEENS IN NEW YORK. MY FOOT, FORTUNATELY, WAS FIRMLY ON THE BRAKE AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT. THE CAR ENGINE ROARED AT SEEMINGLY FULL ACCELERATION AT WHICH TIME I PRESSED THE BRAKE HARD, SHIFTED INTO NEUTRAL AND TURNED OFF THE IGNITION. PLEASE NOTE THAT THE ENGINE ROARED EVEN IN NEUTRAL. AT NO TIME DID MY FOOT SLIP TO THE ACCELERATOR NOR DID ANY OBJECT FALL ON THE ACCELERATOR AND THE FLOOR MATS WERE SECURELY FASTENED. IF I HAD BEEN DRIVING AT THE TIME THE INCIDENT COULD HAVE RESULTED IN A SERIOUS ACCIDENT AND POSSIBLY DEATH. I BROUGHT THE CAR INTO RALLYE LEXUS IN GLEN COVE, N.Y. THE NEXT DAY AND THEY PERFORMED THEIR REQUIRED LEXUS TSA ENGINEERS TESTS, COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE INCIDENT. *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.