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Lexus RX collision warning problems

18 of the 972 owner complaints about the Lexus RX describe false forward collision warnings, most of them for the 2019 model year.

owner complaints
18
worst model year
2019
Is there a fix? There are 2 recalls for this area of the car. See below

By model year

  • 2026
    1
  • 2025
    2
  • 2024
    2
  • 2022
    2
  • 2021
    2
  • 2020
    2
  • 2019
    5
  • 2018
    1
  • 2017
    1

What owners say

Filed Nov 2, 2026 · Acceleration, Brakes · NJ

On October 30, 2026, at approximately 1:00 AM, I experienced a serious and unexpected safety incident involving my 2024 Lexus RX 350. While slowly parking my vehicle in my garage, at a very low speed and nearly at a complete stop, the vehicle suddenly accelerated forward without my intentionally pressing the accelerator pedal. At approximately the same time, the steering wheel appeared to lock or become unresponsive, preventing me from maintaining control of the vehicle. The vehicle surged forward and collided with my garage door, causing property damage. Additionally, the vehicle's Pre-Collision System (PCS) / collision protection system did not appear to activate or intervene to prevent or mitigate the impact. I did not observe any effective automatic emergency braking intervention before the collision. I am extremely concerned about the possibility of a malfunction involving the electronic throttle control, braking system, steering system, or other electronic vehicle control components. The cause has not yet been determined. I reported the incident to Lexus USA on October 30, 2026, and a safety case was opened under reference number 26103000582. I have requested a technical investigation and am awaiting contact from a Lexus case manager. I am requesting a thorough investigation of this incident, including preservation and examination of all available Event Data Recorder (EDR) information, ECU/ECM diagnostic data, accelerator and brake input records, electronic power steering system data, and Pre-Collision System functionality. I believe this incident represents a potentially serious vehicle safety concern. I request that the federal safety agency document and evaluate this complaint to determine whether a vehicle safety defect may have contributed to the sudden unintended acceleration, apparent steering malfunction, and lack of collision avoidance intervention.

Filed Oct 26, 2026 · Electrical · 48,000 miles · NJ

The contact owns a 2025 Lexus RX350. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle suddenly stopped and the "BRAKE" warning light was illuminated with the accelerator pedal depressed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed as not having a malfunction in the collision avoidance system. The dealer stated that the collision avoidance camera had captured a white van, which prompted the system to activate; however, the contact stated that there was no van near the vehicle. The contact requested further details of the footage captured. The failure mileage was 48,000.

Filed Sep 29, 2026 · Body, Driver assistance · NV

The factory-installed front spindle grille and bumper assembly on this brand-new 2026 Lexus RX 350 suffered severe thermal material failure, resulting in extensive warping, bubbling, and physical melting under normal, predictable outdoor ambient daylight parking conditions. This thermal deformation poses an immediate safety hazard because the deformed exterior structure directly houses the vehicle’s critical front-facing Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS). This includes the pre-collision safety radar sensors, pedestrian detection cameras, and proximity sensors located right behind the front Lexus emblem and grille assembly. The physical distortion of the plastic mounting housing can cause sensor misalignment, resulting in unexpected automatic emergency braking, failure of the pre-collision warning systems, or sudden blind-spot radar failure while operating the vehicle at highway speeds. Lexus Corporate (Case #260917000986) officially inspected the vehicle and explicitly denied all warranty and goodwill safety repairs, formally stating the vehicle's body components are melting due to a "solar event" concentration. Furthermore, the authorized Lexus dealership service management explicitly stated that this is a widespread, "common issue" that takes only 5 minutes of outdoor sunlight reflection to cause catastrophic component melting. The vehicle remains in its exact original factory configuration with under 2,000 miles. It is a severe safety defect to manufacture a modern premium passenger vehicle with safety sensor housings that melt and lose structural integrity under normal outdoor sunlight exposure. The manufacturer is actively refusing to correct this material hazard, leaving the safety radar systems compromised.

Filed Mar 15, 2026 · Driver assistance · TX · crash

On November 11, 2025, while reversing inside a garage, the rearview camera image— which had initially displayed correctly on the vehicle’s screen—suddenly froze while the vehicle remained in reverse mode. At the same time, the Pre-Collision System (PCS) failed to engage the brakes while the vehicle was traveling at approximately 2–3 miles per hour. As a result, the vehicle struck the garage structure and sustained damage. Toyota investigated this incident (Case #XXX) but based its conclusion on the incorrect assumption that I had reported either a brake system malfunction or a complete absence of an image on the display (a dark or blank screen). Because of this, Toyota determined that it could not provide assistance regarding the resulting vehicle damage. This characterization is inaccurate. The issue was not a blank screen. The rearview camera image appeared normally and then froze while the vehicle was still in reverse. My vehicle is currently subject to Recall Campaign No. 25LA06, which addresses reliability issues involving critical safety-related electronic systems. The rear visibility system is a federally mandated safety feature under 49 CFR §571.111 (Rear Visibility Requirements). When the image freezes during active vehicle operation, the system no longer provides the required real-time visibility necessary for safe reversing. Given the existence of an active recall campaign aimed at addressing reliability issues within the vehicle's electronic safety systems, this malfunction should be considered potentially linked to a defect covered by Recall Campaign No. 25LA06. The failure of the rear-view system during vehicle operation directly contributed to the occurrence of the collision.

Filed Feb 16, 2026 · Airbags, Driver assistance · TX · crash

I am submitting this correspondence to formally report a serious safety incident involving my 2020 Lexus RX 350 and to request a thorough investigation. On Saturday, February 7, while attempting to park the vehicle, I experienced a sudden loss of control, resulting in the vehicle accelerating forward and colliding with a metal gate. The exact cause of this event is unknown. During the incident, the vehicle’s pre-collision and automatic braking system failed to engage despite an obstruction being present. Additionally, the airbags did not deploy at the time of impact. A minor child was present in the vehicle, properly secured in a child's safety seat. While no injuries occurred, the vehicle sustained extensive damage and was rendered inoperable. I would also like to note that this vehicle was subject to an airbag recall on November 29, 2025, which was serviced prior to this incident. Despite completing the recall service, the airbags failed to deploy during the accident. After the vehicle was towed, the airbags unexpectedly deployed while it was being lifted onto the tow truck using a crane, further raising concerns regarding the reliability and safety of the airbag system.

Filed Dec 16, 2025 · Driver assistance, Electrical · CO · crash

I was dropping my husband off at cardiac rehab. I was stopped and had my foot on the brake suddenly the car launched forward into the back of a car parked in front of me. The other driver got out of the car and said he wasn't hurt. We were able to drive the car home stopping 3 times to pull pieces of the car off that were dragging on the road. We took the car to a mechanic at the end of the road. He scanned the codes for us. Pre-collision 2 ClAll ; Intuitive Park Assist ClAll Front Sensor Comm. Circuit ; Front Recognition Camera ClAll ; Lane Keeping Assist ClAll Front Radar Sensor Incorrect Axial Gap ; BCM B124B Light Source Sensor Open/Short. The insurance adjustor totaled the car and they picked it up today. No warning lights showed up on the dash until after the accident.

Filed Sep 26, 2025 · Driver assistance, Electrical · SC · crash

HI, I purchased a brand new 2022 Lexus RX350 from Hendrick Lexus of Charleston SC. Since day one I had dangerous issues below: 1. The transmission shifts up and down so hard, I've almost gotten rear ended due to the car and not braking. This I was told by two separate Lexus dealers I'm feeling a hard "transmission gap"-whatever that means. To add fuel to this dangerous defect is my autistic son would need to be specially medicated to ride in the car b/c he panics and tries to jump out. 2. The car also is equipped with a "rear kick sensor" that never worked, The service manager in Charleston kicked my bumper and swore at the car. I had another Service tech on video for minutes unable to open it. 3. The car, scarily, will not start on me or recognize the key. I've been 3 hrs from home and nearly stuck in a grocery store parking lot with my autistic son freaking out again. This is documented on video. 4. As if there could even be more, the car is equipped with rear collision warning. An example of this, is backing up in a grocery store parking lot and it senses someone walking and auto stops the car if I'm not already breaking. Well, last Sept I was moving, had my autistic son's anxiety super high, and hit a POD for moving in my driveway doing maybe 2 miles per hour. But, and the big but is why did the pre-collision not kick in. This little bump cost insurance over $15k and yet Hendricks is saying its not the car! The mysognostic behavior I've been privy beyond demeaning and offensive. 5. The big kicker is the car went to Hendricks Collision as I wanted a certified Lexus dealership to fix it and do my 30k service. They would only do the 30k service, service writer-again another mansplainer didn't capture all my three continuous problems properly, filled the RO out days after I dropped the vehicle last Nov of 2024-yes, a YEAR AGO. Lexus refuses to address my three warranty items and ran my warranty. No car in a YEAR. Please advise. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION A

Filed Sep 3, 2025 · Body, Brakes · CA · crash

I was at the gas station, in line waiting for one of the three gas pumps to be available. I put my car in reverse to back up and pull around another car in order to go to the open pump in front. When my car was in reverse motion, I stepped on the brake pedal, but the car did not stop. I stepped on the brake pedal numerous times, but the brake did not function. My car backed into the front of the car in line behind me damaging both vehicles. The automatic emergency braking system did not activate, and there was no rear collision warning sound or message. I switched my car from Reverse into Park to stop its movement, but it was too late to avoid the collision. I had a passenger in my car who corroborates this description. Fortunately there were no pedestrians behind my car, so the only damage was to the vehicles. My vehicle has not been inspected by anyone since the accident, but will be soon. I have owned this car since April 2021 and previously had a few similar situations when moving in the forward direction. Previously, the brake problem occurred while moving forward at very low speed pulling into parking places. The brake failed to activate, and I had to throw the car into Park to stop it, but this was the first time I had experienced this problem traveling in reverse. When this situation occurs, I am pressing on the brake pedal, but the car is not stopping and the brake pedal seems to go to the floor. On March 5, 2025 I took the car to a Lexus dealer and reported the brake failure problems. They inspected, road tested, and checked for codes, but could not identify the problem. I believe that the collision back up system should have prevented this accident, but it did not function. I suspect that there may be some kind of computer issue that prevents the brake from actuating. The car will be going in for repair soon, and I have requested that a complete diagnostic review be performed of this brake problem.

Filed Jul 23, 2025 · Brakes, Electrical · GA · crash · 1 injury

3 months before the accident the power steering light came on twice and went off. The day of the accident the brake light came on when I started the car that day. It disappeared when I was put in drive. I was entering onto the highway to merge with the traffic. Another car waiting for the light to turn green so he could enter also. My car didn’t stop because my brakes failed and the collision avoidance system didn’t work either. No sounds nor warnings. I have photos of the message that was displayed on the dashboard. Tried sending photos but it didn’t work.

Filed Dec 5, 2024 · Airbags, Driver assistance · DE · crash

Hit a deer that impacted the passenger side of the vehicle. Passenger seat was occupied, and door had to be pried open by tow truck driver to get passenger out. Entire right side, from the "L" logo to the front fender was destroyed. The passenger airbag did not deploy, nor did emergency braking or collision avoidance warning go off as deer was crossing from the left (driver) side to passenger side where it impacted. No injuries, but car had to be towed due to front damage. Lexus has no fix for the airbag sensor recall for almost a year now.

Related recalls

Back over prevention: softwareReported March 18, 2026 · 144,200 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2022-2025 Lexus NX350, NX250, 2023-2026 RX350, and 2024-2026 TX350 vehicles. The rearview camera image may not display when the vehicle is placed in reverse. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 111, "Rear Visibility."
Risk
A rearview image that does not display reduces the driver's view behind the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Dealers will update the rearview camera software or replace the rearview camera, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 15, 2026. Owners may contact Toyota's customer service at 1‑800‑331‑4331. Toyota's numbers for this recall are 26LB02 and 26LA02.

Recall number 26V162000 · Recall details

Back over prevention: display functionReported October 30, 2025 · 1,024,407 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2022-2026 Toyota, Lexus, and Subaru Solterra vehicles equipped with a Panoramic View Monitor (PVM) system. Please see the recall report for a complete list of models. A software error may cause the rearview camera to freeze or display a blank screen when the vehicle is in reverse. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 111, "Rear Visibility."
Risk
A rearview camera that fails to display an image can reduce the driver's view behind the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Dealers will update the parking assist software, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed January 2, 2026. Owners may contact Toyota's customer service at 1‑800‑331‑4331. Toyota's numbers for this recall are 25TB13 and 25LB06. Subaru's number for this recall is WRE25.

Recall number 25V744000 · Recall details

Questions about the Lexus RX collision warning

Which Lexus RX years have false forward collision warnings problems?

The model years with the most reports are 2019 (5 complaints), 2020 (2 complaints) and 2021 (2 complaints).

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