2009 Lexus RX350

Typical pattern

5.7% of complaints about the 2009 Lexus RX350 came in the first year, which is unremarkable for a 2009 vehicle — around the middle of the 212 model-years on record. The median complaint arrives at 5.8 yr in service. The most-reported system is steering (27 complaints), typically at 6.5 yr or about 54,744 miles.

Complaints: 106
Median age at failure: 5.8 yr
Median mileage: 59,000 n=84
Crash / fire / tow: 12.3% of reports
Safety recalls: 0

In owners’ own words

Steering 21,000 mi 2.3 yr in service

I WAS DRIVING MY 2009 LEXUS RX 350 DOWN A MAJOR SURFACE STREET WHEN MY POWER BRAKES AND STEERING WENT OUT. I ATTEMPTED TO DRIVE AGAIN AFTER MOVING TO A SIDE STREET, AND MY STEERING AND BRAKES WENT OUT 2 MORE TIMES, I THEN HAD MY VEHICLE TOWED TO MY LEXUS DEALER. THEY COULD NOT IDENTIFY THE REASON FOR THE PROBLEM. *TR

Steering mileage not reported 3.4 yr in service

IN DEC 2011, A REPUTABLE TOYOTA DEALER PERFORMED A RE-ALIGNMENT BECAUSE THE STEERING WAS PULLING TO THE RIGHT. THE CAR WAS FINE FOR A FEW WEEKS. IN FEB 2012, THE STEERING STARTED PULLING AGAIN. AGAIN TO THE RIGHT. *TR MY CONCERN IS THAT SOMETHING BASIC IS WRONG WITH THE STEERING/ALIGNMENT MECHANISM.

Steering 54,744 mi 4.8 yr in service

DURING VEHICLE SERVICE,WAS TOLD THE RACK AND PINION, POWER STEERING WAS LEAKING. AFTER LOOKING ON LINE I DISCOVERED THIS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH RX VEHICLES. MOST WITH LOW MILEAGE OR AGE. LEXUS APPARENTLY ORDERED NO RECALL OR UPGRADED THEIR PARTS TO FIX THE PROBLEM. *TR

Other RX350 model years

How to read this

This is what owners reported, not a reliability rating. People file with NHTSA about alarming failures, not routine ones, and complaint volume tracks how many cars were sold.
Failure ages come from the incident date on each complaint, populated on about 83% of records. Mileage is shown where reported — NHTSA’s 2021 system change cut mileage capture to roughly 15%, so it thins out sharply after MY2020.
Every rank compares this vehicle only against others of the same model year. A 2025 car has not had time to accumulate five-year failures, so comparing early-failure share across years is meaningless.
Fourteen make-months distorted by media storms and mass recalls — Toyota in February 2010 ran 11× normal volume across 33 models — are excluded.
Recalls are manufacturer actions and authoritative; complaints are not. A recall listed here may already have been performed on any individual car. Check a specific VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

2009 Lexus RX350

When each system is reported — middle 50% of complaints

In owners’ own words

Other RX350 model years

How to read this