2020 Lexus NX: sudden loss of power

Filed Jul 26, 2026 · Fuel system · VA

My car is going into limp mode/ reduced power and I am having misfires on cylinders 3 and 4. I’ve replaced my fuel injectors, spark plugs and catalytic converter. Everything down to the electrical has checked out good. The last issue is the fuel pump. My mechanic says there is not enough fuel going to the injectors . I have a faulty fuel pump.

Filed Jul 7, 2026 · Engine · WA

While driving, my vehicle's check engine light came on and the vehicle entered limp mode without warning. It would not exceed 25 MPH and was stuck in 2WD, displaying the message "reduced engine power – take vehicle to nearest dealer." This created a serious safety hazard, as the vehicle could not maintain safe speed in traffic. The vehicle had to be towed to the dealership. The Lexus dealer diagnosed trouble codes P219C00, P160500, P030027, and P0301300 — cylinder #1 air/fuel ratio imbalance, rough idling, random misfire, and cylinder #1 misfire. Through active injector testing, the technician confirmed the cylinder #1 direct (high-pressure) fuel injector has failed, and recommended replacing all four direct injectors at a quoted cost of approximately $6,600. The dealer's inspection report also cited Lexus service bulletin L-SB-0007-21 for possible worn exhaust valve guides, a separate documented defect in this engine that produces these same misfire codes and limp mode, with a repair (cylinder head and valve replacement) that can exceed $10,000. Lexus has known about these failures in the 8AR-FTS engine since at least March 2021, when it issued L-SB-0007-21 covering 2018–2021 NX 300 vehicles. The bulletin acknowledges affected vehicles enter limp mode. Despite this, Lexus has not issued a recall, and owners whose vehicles fail shortly after the warranty period expires are left paying thousands of dollars for a known defect. My warranty coverage lapsed shortly before this failure occurred, and Lexus corporate declined meaningful assistance. A vehicle that suddenly cannot exceed 25 MPH on public roads is a crash risk to its occupants and surrounding traffic. I am requesting the federal safety agency investigate this defect for a potential recall.

Filed Dec 18, 2025 · Electrical, Engine · TX

While driving at interstate highway speed at approximately 70 mph in heavy rush hour traffic, the vehicle suddenly made a popping sound and immediately lost all engine power. The accelerator became unresponsive, and the vehicle rapidly decelerated without warning. I was forced to coast across lanes to the shoulder to avoid a collision. The engine shut down completely and the vehicle would not restart. This created a serious risk of injury or death due to loss of power in high-speed traffic. The vehicle had to be towed and is currently undrivable. Prior to this incident, the vehicle had a long history of repeated engine misfires. Spark plugs were replaced twice, and a fuel line repair was performed. Despite these repairs, the misfires continued. The sudden engine shutdown occurred without warning.

Filed Dec 3, 2025 · Engine, Transmission · SC

I am submitting this complaint to report a significant safety defect in my Lexus vehicle. Without any prior warning or history of mechanical problems, the vehicle experienced a sudden and severe loss of engine power while I was merging onto a busy highway. The vehicle rapidly decelerated despite continued acceleration input, forcing me to navigate to the shoulder while surrounding traffic was traveling at high speed. This unexpected loss of power created an immediate and substantial risk of a collision and posed a serious danger to myself and other motorists. Following this incident, I took the vehicle to a local auto shop, which identified diagnostic code P030002, indicating a misfire in Cylinder 2. I then promptly brought the vehicle to an authorized Lexus dealership. Their diagnostic confirmed the same code and attributed the failure to a “Cylinder 2 direct fuel injector leaking.” Lexus has already acknowledged this defect in TSB L-SB-0007-21, demonstrating that the manufacturer is aware of this recurring issue. My vehicle is five years old with fewer than 100,000 miles, yet this defect resulted in a dangerous loss of engine power under highway conditions. The dealership quoted over $3,000 to replace a single injector, and the remaining injectors may fail at any time, further compounding the safety risk. Despite its knowledge of this defect, Lexus has not issued a recall, implemented preventive measures, or offered assistance, citing that the vehicle is slightly outside the 70,000-mile warranty. I have therefore been left with a vehicle that is unsafe for continued highway operation. Given the severity of the incident, the known recurrence of this defect, and the manufacturer’s lack of corrective action, I respectfully request that the federal safety agency investigate this matter, as it presents a substantial and ongoing hazard to consumers and the driving public.

Filed May 12, 2025 · Fuel system · CA

Two (2) times (6-weeks apart) while on Freeway, loss of power and some shaking occurred, making it difficult to bring vehicle to a safe stop. Vehicle has only 80k miles, low for a Lexus brand. Other cars moving at freeway speeds made it more dangerous to stop vehicle safely without getting hit. Failure in both circumstances was related to fuel injectors, cylinder no. 4 at first then second failure six weeks later was on cylinder no. 2, the fuel pump appears to be a known problem on these cars and many Toyota/Lexus models. Low fuel pressure is stressing the injectors to the point of ultimate failure. My wife and kids nearly crashed on the freeway on the first incident, the vehicle with reduced power makes it difficult to control at freeway speeds. Vehicle is well maintained, no warnings were evident, immediate failure occurred. Dealer where vehicle was purchased indicated no alerts/bulletins were evident, repair shop (not dealer) also indicated no bulletins were evident on the first incident. Second failure, another local Lexus dealer indicated no alerts/bulletins where evident of any problems associated with the failure. When escalating issue to OEM/LEXUS Brand Engagement Center, they were able to confirm (they were able to read the failure code when the repair shop connected to the vehicle) the failure mode symptoms was associated with a fuel pump alert. Why both Lexus dealers did not know this is odd. My vehicle has been at the dealer now for over 30 days with no feedback from Lexus on the repair. This failure condition at freeway speeds is a "Safety" risks, Lexus should take this seriously, the fuel pump and weakened injectors should be recalled before someone gets hurt. Please help the federal safety agency!