NHTSA lists 3 safety recalls and 93 owner complaints for the 2016 Lexus RX (including the hybrid).
3Safety recalls
93Owner complaints
14Complaints citing a crash
1Complaints citing a fire
Data: NHTSA recall and complaint filesUpdated Sep 27, 2026
Recalled components: air bags and brakes. Most-reported area: brakes (15 complaints, 16%). Includes the RX 350, RX 350L, the hybrids (450h, 350h, 500h) and the RX 450h+ plug-in hybrid.
3 safety recalls for the 2016 Lexus RX
Newest first. Summaries are NHTSA's own wording. Open a recall for the fix and the full notice.
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2016 Toyota Prius and Lexus RX 350, RX 350 F Sport, RX 450h F Sport and RX 450h vehicles and 2015-2016 Lexus NX 200T, NX Turbo and NX 300h vehicles. The air bag pressure sensors and/or the acceleration sensors may fail causing the side/curtain shield air bags and/or the front air bags to not deploy in the event of a crash.
Risk: If the air bags fail to deploy in a crash, it can increase the risk of injury.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the sensors as necessary based on their serial numbers, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin March 12, 2018. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's numbers for this recall are JLA, J0F.
NHTSA listings: RX HYBRID, RX350. Components: Air bags: frontal; Air bags: frontal, sensor/control module-inactive; Air bags: side/window. Lexus campaign JLA, J0F.
Brakes
Apr 7, 2016
antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip
Fails federal standard 126 (electronic stability control)
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2016 Toyota RAV4 vehicles manufactured October 30, 2015, to February 3, 2016, 2016 Lexus RX350 vehicles manufactured October 26, 2015, to February 8, 2016, and 2016 Lexus ES350 vehicles manufactured September 1, 2015, to February 29, 2016. These vehicles are equipped with an ABS actuator that may have a damaged O-ring which could result in improper brake fluid pressure control during ABS, Traction Control, or Stability Control activation. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 126, "Electronic Stability Control Systems."
Risk: Insufficient brake fluid pressure may cause a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the brake actuator, replacing it as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on May 4, 2016, 2016. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is G0I, GLC.
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2016 Lexus RX350 and RX450h vehicles manufactured November 16, 2015, to December 23, 2015. Due to an improper weld, the gas needed to inflate the driver's knee air bag may escape from the inflator.
Risk: A defective inflator may increase the risk of injury in the event of a crash.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the knee air bag assembly, free of charge. The recall began March 7, 2016. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is GLA.
Questions about any of these recalls: call NHTSA's Vehicle Safety Hotline at 888-327-4236 (TTY 888-275-9171) or check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
What owners report
The areas named in the 93 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2016 RX. NHTSA does not verify complaints.
Brakes15 · 16%
Powertrain13 · 14%
Air bags11 · 12%
Engine11 · 12%
Body structure10 · 11%
Most named: body (9)
Electrical system10 · 11%
Visibility/wiper6 · 6%
Unknown or other23 · 25%
A complaint can name more than one area, so shares add up to more than 100%.
Lexus RX recalls and complaints by model year
The highlighted bars are the 2016 model year. Newer model years have had less time on the road, so their counts are lower. Counting complaints filed in each model year's first three years, the 2019 RX drew the most (43) and the 2016 drew 42.
Owner complaints
2016: 93 complaintsTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
Owner complaints by model year, Lexus RX
Model year
Complaints
2016
93
2017
103
2018
46
2019
68
2020
55
2021
70
2022
39
2023
66
2024
57
2025
20
2026
7
Safety recalls
2016: 3 recallsTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
Safety recalls by model year, Lexus RX
Model year
Recalls
2016
3
2017
3
2018
2
2019
4
2020
2
2021
2
2022
0
2023
4
2024
4
2025
4
2026
3
Crash test ratings
NHTSA's 5-Star Safety Ratings for each version it tested. Rollover risk is NHTSA's estimate of the chance of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash.
Tested version
Overall
Frontal
Side
Rollover
Lexus RX350 SUV AWD
Rollover risk 17.1%
Lexus RX350 SUV FWD
Rollover risk 18.0%
Lexus RX450h SUV AWD
Rollover risk 17.1%
Not rated
Not rated
Lexus RX450h SUV FWD
Rollover risk 18.0%
Not rated
Not rated
Questions
What are the most common 2016 RX problems?
The areas owners name most often in NHTSA complaints: brakes (15), powertrain (13), air bags (11). NHTSA does not verify complaints, and one complaint can name several areas.
Is the 2016 Lexus RX safe?
In NHTSA crash tests every tested version of the 2016 Lexus RX earns 4 stars overall. The table above lists each tested version.
How do I check if my RX has an open recall?
Enter the 17-character VIN from your dashboard, door jamb or registration at nhtsa.gov/recalls. The lookup lists unrepaired recalls for that exact vehicle. Safety recall repairs are free at Lexus dealers.
Sources and method
NHTSA recalls file (NHTSA datasets), dated Sep 27, 2026; every campaign checked against NHTSA's recalls API.
NHTSA owner complaints file, dated Sep 26, 2026. Counted by complaint number, so a complaint naming three components counts once in the total.
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings (NCAP).
NHTSA model names covered: RX, RX HYBRID, RX350.
Complaint counts are unverified owner reports. They rise with sales volume and time on the road, so compare model years with care. How we build these pages. Spotted an error? Tell us.