2014 Lexus Rx450h problems
Social links
Common 2014 Lexus Rx450h problems
The Lexus RX 450h, a hybrid luxury crossover SUV, has been praised for its low emissions and excellent fuel economy. However, like any vehicle, it is not without its common problems. Here are some of the issues frequently reported by RX 450h owners:
- Shock absorber failure: The Lexus RX 450h is a heavy car, which puts a lot of pressure on the suspension. This can lead to shock absorber failure, a common problem that affects the RX 450h.
- Flat battery: Some drivers report that the battery of their RX 450h goes flat after two to three weeks of not being used. This is especially inconvenient in a hybrid car because the battery can’t be jump-started. Instead, it has to be trickle charged, or the circuits in the hybrid system will be damaged. This usually means you have to call out a breakdown service.
- Suspension problems: RX 450h models are fairly heavy and often develop suspension problems. Some owners report leaks in the system, while others report the compressor wears out quickly and has to be replaced.
- Fuel pump impeller: The fuel pump impeller may crack, causing the low-pressure fuel pump located in the fuel tank to stop working. Lexus issued a recall for all affected models, so if you’re thinking about buying a second-gen 450h, make sure the fuel pump has been replaced if needed.
- Damaged wheels and bodywork: The RX 450h is a big car, so it can be difficult to manoeuvre. If you’re buying one second-hand, check the wheels and bodywork carefully for any damage.
- Engine electrical problems: Some owners have reported issues with the engine electrical system. These can range from minor glitches to major failures, and can be costly to repair.
- Transmission problems: Transmission issues are not uncommon in the RX 450h. These can include slipping, jerking, and difficulty shifting gears.
- Interior trim problems: Some owners have reported issues with the interior trim, such as squeaks, rattles, and loose panels.
- Air conditioning problems: Some owners have reported issues with the air conditioning system, such as poor cooling performance or strange noises.
- Brake problems: Some owners have reported issues with the brakes, such as soft pedal feel, brake fade, or pulsating during braking.
It is important to note that these problems are not universal to all RX 450h models, and many owners have reported no issues at all. However, these are common problems that have been reported by some owners, and potential buyers should be aware of them. If you are considering purchasing a used RX 450h, it is recommended that you have it inspected by a qualified mechanic to ensure that it is in good condition and to identify any potential issues before making a purchase.
What are the common faults on a Lexus RX450h?
The following problems are often reported by owners.
- Broken fuel pump. The fuel pump impeller may crack, causing the low-pressure fuel pump located in the fuel tank to stop working. ...
- Scuffed alloys and bodywork. This is less to do with the car itself and more to do with the driver.
What are the best years for used Lexus RX450h?
The Best Model Years to Buy a Lexus RX 450h
With the 2020, you would only pay, on average, 72% of the price as new, with 83% of the vehicle's useful life remaining. The 2021 and 2019 model years are also attractive years for the RX 450h, and provide a relatively good value.
Are Lexus RX450h reliable?
RX owners were generally satisfied with their cars according to our most recent What Car? Reliability Survey, which found it finishing second out of 24 cars in the large SUV class. This was backed up by the Lexus brand being the top-scoring manufacturer in our survey of 32 car manufacturers, with a score of 98.3%.
Is Lexus RX450h expensive to maintain?
Typically, hybrid vehicles like the RX450h can be a tad pricier to maintain than their non-hybrid counterparts due to their advanced technology. On average, you might be looking at around $550 to $700 annually for regular maintenance tasks.
2014 Lexus Rx450h car problems categorized by type of issue
After analyzing all complaints sent to the NHTSA and researching popular Lexus Rx450h problems, we found that the most common problems with these 2023 model year vehicles are:
- Service brakes problems
- Fuel/propulsion system problems
- Hydraulic problems
- Structure problems
- Tires problems
The graph below shows statistics for all 2014 Lexus Rx450h vehicle components and the number of complaints received.
2014 Lexus Rx450h complaints
The NHTSA has received 9 complaints about various vehicle components related to the 2014 Lexus Rx450h.
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC PROBLEM
- Date Of Incident: 2024-01-08
- VIN: JTJZB1BA2E2
- Components: SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
- Summary: The contact owns a 2014 Lexus RX450H. The contact stated that occasionally while depressing the brake pedal or the accelerator pedal or while stopped at a traffic light, there was an abnormal squeaking sound coming from the brake actuator. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the vehicle was diagnosed with a faulty brake actuator. The dealer recommended replacing the brake actuator assembly. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and provided the contact with a case number and would respond within 72 hours. The failure mileage was approximately 141,090.
STRUCTURE PROBLEM
- Date Of Incident: 2023-07-15
- VIN: 2T2BK1BA6EC
- Components: STRUCTURE
- Summary: My front passenger door actuator has failed. This door cannot be locked/unlocked with the remote or by pressing any lock/unlock button. This prevents the driver from being able to lock all the doors or the front passenger from being able to quickly exit the cabin unless the manual unlock switch is known and applied. This is the 5th door actuator that has failed on this vehicle. I'm the original owner and it has 51K miles on it. All 4 doors failed and this is the second time for this particular door since it was replaced some 4 years & 21K miles ago. The problem started a few months ago and is currently intermittent. Being "sometimes" safe is not being safe. I have not had it analyzed at the dealer since I would not bring it there unless I planned to have it fixed. There were no warning signs or lights.
TIRES PROBLEM
- Date Of Incident: 2023-01-12
- VIN: JTJZK1BA2E2
- Components: TIRES
- Summary: 01-12-2023 side tire blew out, only about 1.5mile drive at 69freeway Sugar land TX 77479. Nice weather , nice road conditions. The tire drove about 10,000.miles with 60,000. Warranty. It is newer tire, less miles because 3years pandemic. 4 new tires ; YOKOHAMA YK740 GTX 105V R19. Invoice cost $784.71 Installed at 12-12-2019 .
AIR BAGS PROBLEM
- Date Of Incident: 2022-02-17
- Number Of Injuries: 2
- Crash: 1
- VIN: JTJZK1BA9E2
- Components: AIR BAGS
- Summary: The contact owned a 2014 Lexus RX350. The contact stated that while the wife was driving approximately 35 mph a dump truck collided with the passenger side of the vehicle. During the crash, the side curtain air bags did not deploy. The front passenger sustained injuries to the head, neck, shoulder, and torso and the front driver sustained injuries to the right foot and chest area. Medical treatment was required for both occupants. The vehicle was destroyed and towed away. A police report was taken at the scene. The cause of the failure was not determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 44,000.
POWER TRAIN PROBLEM
- Date Of Incident: 2022-02-03
- VIN: 2T2BK1BAXEC
- Components: POWER TRAIN
- Summary: Driving the car on the highway. The transmission lost power & engine started revving with no movement. It was dangerous because we could have been rear ended. We had car towed to the Peterson Lexus dealer in Boise Idaho. They said that the internal bearing failed & recommend a new transmission.
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM PROBLEM
- Date Of Incident: 2021-02-23
- VIN: 2t2zk1baxec
- Components: FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
- Summary: My car stalled in the middle of an intersection. It had to be towed to the Lexus dealer, where it was determined to be a fuel pump malfunction. My car was not subject to the fuel pump recall but it should have been.
SERVICE BRAKES,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM,LANE DEPARTURE PROBLEM
- Date Of Incident: 2021-06-16
- VIN: 2T2ZK1BA1EC
- Components: SERVICE BRAKES,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM,LANE DEPARTURE
- Summary: When I press on my brakes they make a loud roaring sound right away. Usually when brakes are about to go out its usually a squeaky noise then it will go to loud roaring noise. There has not been an indicator on the dash about any issues with the vehicle. I found it rather odd that the brakes made the roaring noise immediately. It didn't squeak at all. I would like for this matter to be looked into. There is no way there should be a brake system failure right away. The schrader valve has a crack and freon is leaking out of and the air is not blowing cold air.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER PROBLEM
- Date Of Incident: 2014-03-31
- VIN: JTJBC1BA4E2
- Components: UNKNOWN OR OTHER
- Summary: DRIVER SIDE REARVIEW MIRROR VIBRATES INSIDE HOUSING PREVENTING PROPER IDENTIFICATION OF VEHICLES APPROACHING OR VEHICLES ON LEFT LANE. THIS SITUATION HAS BEEN PRESENT SINCE THE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED. LEXUS DENIES MY CLAIM. I BELIEVE IT TO BE A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE PROBLEM
- Date Of Incident: 2014-06-16
- VIN: JTJZB1BA9E2
- Components: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE
- Summary: WHILE STOPPED AT A RED TRAFFIC LIGHT, I PRESSED THE PHONE HANGUP BUTTON (BLUETOOTH CONNECTION) ON THE STEERING WHEEL AND THE ENGINE IMMEDIATELY SHUT OFF. I PUT THE CAR IN PARK, FOOT ON THE BRAKE, PRESSED THE START BUTTON ON THE DASH - ENGINE DID NOT START. TRY #4 IT STARTED. MEANWHILE THE TRAFFIC LIGHT HAD GONE THROUGH A FULL CYCLE, THEN RED AND LATE ON THE 2ND GREEN I WAS ABLE TO MOVE THE CAR. CONSIDERABLE HONKING FROM CARS BEHIND ME DURING THE EVENT, BUT FORTUNATELY NO ACCIDENTS OR INJURIES DURING THIS STALL. ON JUNE 17, 2014 I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO KEYES LEXUS MAINTENANCE IN VAN NUYS, CA, MY DEALERSHIP AND THE MAINTENANCE SERVICE I ALWAYS USE. THEY COULD NOT FIND ANY DEFECTS IN THE SHOP OR DURING A LONGRANGE DRIVE, BUT THE DRIVER DID NOT USE THE BLUETOOTH. LEXUS SAID NO SYSTEMIC DEFECTS HAVE BEEN RECOGNIZED IN THE BLUETOOTH, OR OTHER PROBLEMS WITH ENGINE STALLS, AND MY GOOGLE SEARCH CONFIRMED THAT. I TURNED THE LEASED VEHICLE IN AT KEYES LEXUS, AND THEY MADE AN EXCELLENT DEAL FOR ME TO LEASE A NEW 2015 RX450H. I AM NOT COMPLAINING ABOUT ANY OF THE INDIVIDUALS WHO WORKED WITH ME, AND I AM A LONG TIME CUSTOMER AT KEYES LEXUS WHICH PROVIDES OUTSTANDING SERVICE AND COURTESY. HOWEVER, I AM UNCONVINCED THAT THE VEHICLE IS SAFE. *TR
Negative 2014 Lexus Rx450h car reviews
Positive 2014 Lexus Rx450h car reviews
-
One minor issue I have with this car is that the sunglasses holder was omitted in the redesign this year. However, apart from that, I have had no complaints. With just under 40K on it, I have never had to take it to the dealer for any kind of repair or warranty work. I have only needed routine 5K and 10K maintenance. While the OEM tires are not great in snow and ice, I purchased a set of reasonably priced winter tires on rims, and once in
-
I purchased this Certified Pre-Owned RX450 over 30 months ago with just over 30K miles. Although I also considered the regular 350, this one was being sold at a great price and had only been in-service for 2 years (likely used as a demo by the dealer). As part of the basic deal, I received 4 years of CPO coverage and added 5 more years on top of it. As many have noted, you can expect around 26 MPG in combined driving, driving as a normal person, but a hybrid obsessive trying to get the last mile per gallon out. However, you will never feel like you're driving an anemic hybrid. This vehicle can move out as quickly as you need it to. I have never experienced the low MPG that some disgruntled reviewers have mentioned in my 30K miles of ownership. This model comes with a lot of premium features, which adds to its value. If you live in a snow and ice area, I highly recommend putting on winter tires for winter driving. So-called 'all season' tires are poor compromises at best for real winter conditions. If you're considering purchasing this vehicle, I suggest buying it as a certified pre-owned from a Lexus dealer. The Lexus CPO warranty is exceptional, and you can purchase additional bumper-to-bumper coverage with no mileage limit for a reasonable price. We also own 2 other Lexus GX models (from 2006, almost 150K miles on each), and their reliability and quality have been outstanding. Go for it!
-
Let's address the elephant in the room first: I only achieved 27.4 MPG for my first 50,000 miles of driving, which is far from the EPA's estimate. Additionally, the requirement of Premium grade fuel means that I won't be able to save as much on fuel costs as I had hoped. However, I have found that after driving for 10 hours per day for two days in a row, I feel rested and ready to go. The car is pleasingly quick and reasonably quiet, and the safety features are top-notch. Even in stop-and-go traffic, the MPG goes up while inching along, and the electric air conditioning always works perfectly. The AWD's snow prowess is stellar and just short of unbelievable. As for fuel efficiency, I usually drive in Normal mode, but when using “Economy” mode, I can reach 29+ MPG (air conditioning off) if road and traffic permits keeping speeds under 55 MPH. I reset the MPG once per month, and I’ve found that the onboard MPG report is spot-on. However, I have had some issues with the OEM 12 V battery, as I am now on my third one. If the car is not used for 2-3 weeks, the battery dies, and the key fob(s) become unregistered. This can be frustrating, but I have found that pushing the Start button using the key fob can re-register it to the vehicle. Overall, I still find this car to be supremely satisfying. This update was solicited by Edmunds on 1/7/2020, and I stand by my previous comments.I really love this car! However, it's the last car I'll intentionally buy that requires premium fuel. As of 1/9/2021, with 101K miles, the above still holds true. At my last oil change, the brake pads were reported to have more than 2/3 of their life remaining. I change the oil at 5K intervals, and the front/rear motor/transmission fluid at 35K intervals - I'll change them again at 105K. I have no plans to get rid of the car. As of 7/11/21, my local dealership sent an unsolicited offer to buy my car for only $15K - but I plan to use and enjoy it for at least another two to four years because I love it so much!
-
Great car, worth every penny! We purchased this car after our BMW and it was such a relief to be back with Lexus again! The rx450h is even better than our previous car, a 2008 RX400h, which was already fantastic. I absolutely love the sporty f-sport look. Mechanically, this car has exceeded my expectations with very minimal problems. We did have to replace the transmission at 68,000 which was very frustrating and pricy, but other than that, it’s a great car. I would definitely purchase a Lexus again. It’s a fantastic car. I love the ability to put the address on your phone and sync it to the Mac in the car. The maintenance is so cheap and everything works, a HUGE change from the BMW. My only criticism is the workmanship. The interior is not very luxurious, but that's just a minor issue. Maybe that’s because I’m coming from a BMW, but the dashboard and center console are not very impressive. That’s something that definitely makes me miss my bimmer. Acceleration is great, super fast in sports mode. Eco mode does the absolute opposite of what it’s intended to do. I feel like it takes up more gas. I average at about 23-26 mpg, my mom gets 28 on hers (she has a 2013 rx450h as well). If you’re considering buying it, go for it! It’s a great car. It’s been almost 2 years since we got it and I still love it. The value has increased so much since last year! Gotta love Lexus! Update: Although we've had this car for almost 2 years, it's still a great car. The only thing is that the paint feels very cheap and the body isn't the best. Any small ding would make a big dent. Coming from BMW, it was much stronger. Even the older Lexus models were stronger than this one. Still, I highly recommend it!
-
I bought my 2013 Lexus RX 450h used in September 2017 with only 26,000 miles on it. I'm happy to report that I average 28-30 mpg in the city and about 27-29 mpg on the highway. Living on a busy highway, I was initially concerned about the power on demand, but I was pleasantly surprised. I've had no problems getting up to speed, even in heavy traffic. I've only owned this SUV for about 6 weeks, but I'm already impressed with its performance, looks, and comfort. I definitely feel like we got our money's worth and would happily purchase again.
Additional sources
More sources of information about 2014 Lexus Rx450h problems:
Lexus RX 450h Problems: Common Issues and Repair Costs ...
Lexus RX 450h 2009-2015 faults · 1. Shock absorber failure · 2. ABS actuator failure · 3. Faulty electrics.
Rx 450h known problems? - RX 300 / RX 350 / RX 400h / RX 200t ...
Jun 11, 2023 ... Alan, I think you'll find any concerns over the hybrid Battery as completely unfounded... We bought our 2014 RX450 four years ago, it now has ...
What problems are still common across RX models? - RX 300 / RX ...
Dec 31, 2016 ... GSLV6 · GSLV6 Proficient. Established Member. 474. Name: Paul; Lexus Model: RX450h F-Sport; Year of Lexus: 2014; Location: Gloucestershire.
2013 RX450h performance issues - Hybrid battery - ClubLexus ...
Aug 11, 2021 ... Hybrid Technology - 2013 RX450h performance issues - Hybrid battery - I own 2013 450h, recently completed 8 years, doing regular servicing ...
Other years of Lexus Rx450h
Are you having problems with your 2014 Lexus Rx450h?
Angel Graham 2024-05-06
The fuel economy of the hybrid version is disappointing, falling well below the EPA estimates. The design of the back seats is poor, with a large gap that poses a safety hazard and is unsightly. Additionally, the navigation/computer system has limited functionality when the vehicle is in motion. The windshield wipers/washer also have poor coverage of the front windshield, and it is not possible to close off outside air when the defroster is engaged. These issues detract from an otherwise well-designed vehicle.