MY CAR BLEW UP. THE ENGINE CAUGHT FIRE AS I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY. MILE MARKER 372 I95S. I SAW SMOKE COMING OUT OF THE ENGINE AND THEN FIRE STARTED SO I PULLED OVER ON THE LEFT SHOULDER AND THE FIRE BURST INTO FULL FLAMES
2013 Lexus Rx 350
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Limited comparison data
There is not enough comparable history to draw a useful model-year comparison.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
24 reports with mileage · 6 unknown
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Service Brakes. Review the 8 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 6 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Vehicle Speed Control. Review the 5 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
Engine complaints
4 reportsLEXUS 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 …
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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 DOWN I-85S IN BETWEEN MORELAND AND GRANTVILLE, GA MY CAR MADE A THUMP SOUND AND THEN CUTOFF. I PULL THE CAR TO THE SIDE OF THE INTERSTATE TO SEE WHY IT CUT OFF. I EXITED THE CAR WITH MY PASSENGERS AND WE NOTICED SMOKE FROM THE ENGINE AREA. THE NEXT THING WE NOTICE IS THAT THE CAR CAUGHT FIRE AND WENT UP IN FLAMES.
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 NEU…
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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
Official recalls
0No recalls in this snapshot.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.
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