The contact's son owns a 2012 Lexus CT200H. The contact stated that while his son was driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake pedal was depressed, but the vehicle failed to respond. An unknown warning light was illuminated. The contact's son veered to the side of the road and parked the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the brake actuator and the brake pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where the same diagnostic result was provided. The dealer related the failure to an unknown independent recall. The vehicle was towed back to the independent mechanic. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the recall had expired; however, they would consider assisting with the repair if the dealer completed the repair. The vehicle was towed to a second dealer, Lexus of Tampa Bay (5852 N Dale Mabry Hwy, Tampa, FL 33614) and was repaired; however, the manufacturer denied assistance in covering the repair. The failure mileage was approximately 105,297.
The worst 2012 Lexus CT Hybrid problems
Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.
- Airbags3
- Brakes3
- Electrical2
- Engine2
- Lights2
Problems by type
Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.
- Airbags3
- Brakes3
- Electrical2
- Engine2
- Lights2
- Acceleration1
- Steering1
Recalls 1
Air bags: side/window
- What is wrong
- Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2010-2012 Toyota Prius, 2010 and 2012 Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid, and 2011-2012 Lexus CT200h vehicles. A weld in the curtain shield air bag inflator may crack causing one or both portions of the inflator to eject into the passenger cabin.
- Risk
- If either portion of the curtain shield air bag inflator ejects into the passenger cabin, there is an increased risk of injury to vehicle occupants.
- Remedy
- Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will install retention brackets to the curtain shield air bags, free of charge. The recall began on October 17, 2016. Owners may contact Toyota Customer Service Department at 1‑800‑331‑4331. Toyota's number for this recall is Toyota G0U, and Lexus GLJ.
Recall number 16V487000 · Recall details
Technical service bulletins for the 2012 Lexus CT Hybrid 274
Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.
- Condition in which a musty odor is present
- All VINs under 21LE01 are expired as of July 10, 2025 Although the Brake Booster and Brake Booster Pump...
- Paint stains after the removal of Rapgard™. The paint stains may appear to be under the clear coat but are...
- Condition in which a musty odor is present
- Condition in which a musty smell is present
- Vehicles may occasionally be subjected to contamination by airborne iron particles shed from railroad...
- Lexus vehicles are currently protected with RapgardTM protective film designed to protect the horizontal...
- Acid rain results from rainwater or other airborne moisture that become acidic due to industrial chemical...
- The condition known as acid rain is caused by airborne chemicals or particles in the atmosphere, which mix...
- To prevent brake rotor rust from forming during transportation and storage, wheel film will be used...
What 2012 Lexus CT Hybrid owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 lexus ct 200h. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the low-beam headlights turned off independently. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact continued driving with the hi-beams activated. The vehicle was taken to an unknown dealer and was diagnosed with needing low-beam bulbs to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired however, the failure recurred several times. The manufacturer had been informed of failure. The failure mileage was approximately 43,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 lexus ct200h. The contact stated that while driving over bumpy roads or uneven pavement, there was a delay between when the brake pedal was depressed and when the brakes would engage, extending the braking distance. The vehicle was taken to lindsay lexus of alexandria (3410 king st, alexandria, va 22302, 571‑982‑7873) however, the mechanic was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 55,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 lexus ct 200h. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency campaign number: 16v487000 (air bags); however, the contact was unable to get the recall repair completed because no technicians were willing to assist. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. Spark toyota (4855 us-501, myrtle beach, sc) was contacted and stated that they did not have a certified lexus technician. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
Engine knock during idle in morning (cool conditions, not cold).but still smooth driving and no other observed issues. Then two days later threw code p0301 misfire, and next day white smoke (coolent reservoir decrease) and appears to be blown head gasket. Engine only 122k miles, fully serviced with spark plug change at 119k. The federal safety agency service bulletin l-sb-0028-13 may indicate link to egr valve/line blockage. Dealer non-responsive.
Pressing the brake pedal when going over a bump or patchy road the car seems to lose control. It feels like the brake calipers have let go and the sensation of a car lunging forward with no driver control. I have experienced this when traveling under 50mph and I've had to hit the brakes in an abrupt fashion. This has occurred multiple times in the past year.
Takata recall. I have been notified by tk holdings, inc., that my vehicle contains a defective airbag inflator and is under recall. I have notified my local dealer, hendrick lexus, and have been told that replacement parts are not available and that they have no date when parts will be available.
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 lexus ct 200h. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency campaign number: 16v487000 (air bags); however, the part needed for the repair was not available. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
1) a light in a dashboard came on saying "check hybrid system", I took it to the lexus dealer , they changed the non hybrid battery), charged me $350 for it and reset the computer. 2) a week after, the light started appearing again with the same message, the message appeared in the morning, in the way back home, coming out of the speedway , all the lights in the dashboard came off (brakes, engine, all of them) and I lost complete control of the car: no brakes, no steering, no nothing. I tried restarting the car again, it did, and the next day was driven to the dealer again. They took it in, had it over 2 days, said that they found a "loose cap in the hybrid battery", reset the computer one more time and gave the car back to me. 3) the car did not feel the same, it was like if the switch between hybrid and gas model was off, too accelerated or something, but for the most part no major issues until yesterday (a week and a half after the previous incident). Same thing happened this time, while driving the car, all the lights on the dashboard came on and the car lost everything: brakes, steering....impossible to control. I was lucky one more time and nobody was hurt . This time the car did not start again. We called a tow truck and sent it to the dealer. Loosing absolute control of the vehicle is not aceptable. I felt I was trapped in a killing machine. This complete system failure happens while driving. I communicated this to lexus.
Each time the fog lamps are used, seems the electrical system pops the fog lamp glass. This has happened 3 times on both driver and passenger side. Including piping of the factory fog lamps that came on the vehicle and then the replacements. The fog lamps cannot be used without popping.
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Questions about the 2012 Lexus CT Hybrid
Is the 2012 Lexus CT Hybrid reliable?
Owners have filed 10 complaints about the 2012 Lexus CT Hybrid, 2.5 times a typical CT Hybrid model year.
What is the most common problem with the 2012 Lexus CT Hybrid?
Airbags, with 3 complaints. Next is brakes (3).
How many recalls does the 2012 Lexus CT Hybrid have?
1 recall, covering air bags.
Was there a recall on the 2012 Lexus CT Hybrid airbags?
Yes, 1 recall: 16V487000. Check your VIN to see if your car still needs the free repair.
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