2021 Lexus GX
The 2021 Lexus GX is sold in the U.S. as a gas large SUV. The most efficient version, the GX 460, is EPA-rated at 16 mpg combined. NHTSA lists no recall campaigns for this model year so far (Safety Signal A). Owners have filed 4 complaints, most often about the lane departure.
Specs & fuel economy
Source: EPA fueleconomy.gov| Configuration | Powertrain | Drive | Engine / motor | City | Hwy | Comb | Annual fuel* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GX 460 | Gas | 4WD | 4.6L 8-cyl | 15 | 19 | 16 | $5,150 |
*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year at EPA reference fuel and electricity prices. fueleconomy.gov record ids: 42978.
Emissions & certification
Source: EPA emission certificates| Configuration | Smog rating | Emission standard | Where it can be sold new | SmartWay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GX 460 | 3 / 10 | California LEV-III ULEV125 / Federal Tier 3 Bin 125 | All 50 states (federal, all altitudes); California and states following California standards | — |
Certified for all fifty states, so it can be registered new anywhere in the U.S.
The smog rating scores tailpipe pollutants other than greenhouse gases, 1 (worst) to 10 (best), and is comparable only within a model year. The standard is the federal bin or California tier the configuration was certified to. Both come from the EPA certificate behind the window sticker.
Specifications filed with NHTSA
Source: NHTSA vPICDimensions Exterior
| Body style | Sport Utility Vehicle [SUV]/Multipurpose Vehicle [MPV] |
| Doors | 5 |
| GVWR class | Class 2E: 6,001 - 7,000 lb (2,722 - 3,175 kg) |
Engine Basics
| Cylinders | 8 |
| Displacement | 4.6 L |
| Engine configuration | V-Shaped |
Engine Output
| Horsepower | 301 hp |
Fuel Economy
| Fuel | Gasoline |
Seating
| Seat rows | 3 |
| Seating capacity | 7 seats |
Transmission
| Drivetrain | 4WD/4-Wheel Drive/4x4 |
| Transmission | Automatic |
| Transmission speeds | 6 |
Driver assistance
Standard: Adaptive cruise control, Anti-lock brakes, Backup camera, Blind-spot monitoring, Electronic stability control, Forward collision warning, Lane departure warning, Lane keeping assist, Pedestrian automatic emergency braking, Rear cross-traffic alert
Filed by the manufacturer with NHTSA under the federal vehicle-identification rule and decoded from the VIN pattern — not a manufacturer press kit, so it describes one configuration rather than every trim (seen: 460 Premium). Figures for the trim you are looking at may differ.
Dimensions & weight
Source: Transport Canada| Length | 189.4 in |
| Width (body, without mirrors) | 74.0 in |
| Height | 74.4 in |
| Wheelbase | 109.8 in |
| Track, front | 62.2 in |
| Track, rear | 62.6 in |
| Curb weight | 5,179 lb |
| Weight distribution, front/rear | 52/48 |
Measured by Transport Canada for its Canadian Vehicle Specifications database, which covers the North American versions of each model — here one configuration: GX460 4-door SUV /Premium. Where a range is shown, those versions differ. Width is the body without mirrors, which is why it can read narrower than a brochure figure. Before we used it we checked it against the US manufacturer press kits we hold (27 Sep 2026): wheelbase agreed within 1% on every vehicle we could compare, length on 98%, and the curb weight fell inside the manufacturer's range on 96%. Source dataset. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada. Licence.
Factory warranty running out?
The 2021 Lexus GX is in the years where transmission, electronics and drivetrain repairs land on the owner. What an extended plan does and does not cover is worth reading before a dealer quotes you one.
What to check before you buy →Affiliate disclosure: some links on this page are affiliate links. If you request a quote or buy through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Nothing on this page changes because of it.
Recalls (0)
Source: NHTSA recall databaseNo NHTSA recall campaigns are on file for the 2021 Lexus GX. New campaigns appear here within a week of NHTSA posting them.
These are vehicle campaigns — the ones the automaker filed against this model. NHTSA also records equipment recalls, filed by a parts maker against a component (a tyre, a child seat, an aftermarket part), and those are not listed here or counted above. nhtsa.gov/recalls shows both for a VIN.
Hear about a recall before the letter does
The manufacturer’s letter is the last step of a recall: it has up to 60 days after filing to mail owners, at the address on the registration. We email you the day NHTSA posts a recall on the 2021 Lexus GX, with what to do next. Nothing else, ever — no newsletter, no marketing, one-click unsubscribe in every message.
Parts & accessories for the 2021 Lexus GX
Search by fitment on eBay Motors — OEM take-offs, aftermarket, and the trim pieces dealers no longer stock. The listing and the price are the seller's.
Find parts for this GX →Owner complaints
Source: NHTSA complaint database0 involved a crash · 0 a fire · 0 injuries · 0 deaths reported
1.2 per 10,000 built · Lexus reported 34,115 GX built (its Early Warning production report to NHTSA)
Filed per year: 2023: 1 · 2026: 3
Most-cited components
In owners' own words
Filed with NHTSA by the people who own these cars, one per problem area. Quoted as written, with anything identifying removed.
Sunroof randomly exploded while driving on the highway. Nothing hit it or otherwise caused the breakage. I was travelling at a normal constant speed on a normal temperature day. Glass got all over me and inside the sunroof's opening mechanism. Lexus replaced the glass but refused to repair the housing / opening mechanism
The driver’s seat is making cracking, clicking, popping, and creaking noises from the lower seat frame, seat rail, or mounting area where the seat attaches to the vehicle body. The noise is most noticeable during braking, acceleration, turning, driving over uneven roads, and when shifting body weight in the seat.
I purchased the gx460 to aquire the new safety BSM system. The owners manual (pg366) reqires the side mirror indicator light comes on at 9.8 feet behind the rear bumper of my vehivle.
Complaint counts are raw owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many were sold. Use them to spot patterns, not to rank.
Reported by Lexus itself: 12 death-or-injury claims on this model year in its quarterly Early Warning reports to NHTSA (49 CFR 579.21): 18 injured, as claimed, not verified — about 35 per 100,000 built. Every GX model year, by year and system → Dated and by system, they are exhibit F of the defect dossier.
Crash ratings
Source: NHTSA NCAPNHTSA has not published 5-Star crash ratings for this model year.
Service bulletins & campaigns
Source: NHTSA manufacturer communicationsMost often about: Equipment, Structure, Wheels, Electrical System, Engine.
- L-TT-0348-25 Rev1 Service bulletin2026-01-30 · Service Brakes
- Customers state Parking Brake efficiency concerns. The conditions can include the following: • The Parking Brake Pedal feels loose or requires full depression for proper engagement. • When not fully depressed, effectiveness on steep surfaces may be reduced, allowing the vehicle to roll with transmission in Neutral. • When not fully depressed, effectiveness on steep surfaces may be reduced, allowin
- L-SB-0030-24 Rev2 Service bulletin2025-12-15 · Structure — Body
- Some 2005 – 2026 Lexus vehicles that have undergone water intrusion may exhibit a condition in which a musty odor is present. Follow the procedures in this bulletin to remediate the odor and address this condition. The purpose of this Service Bulletin is to provide general guidelines and procedures for odor remediation. This Service Bulletin provides a guide on how to prepare and treat the interio
- L-TT-0326-23 Rev2 Service bulletin2025-08-19 · Electrical System
- Some customers may experience operational difficulties with some telematics features which they cannot resolve on their own. These resources, in conjunction with the Repair Manual, are for dealership personnel to assist those customers with user issues, user errors, and compatibility issues with other vehicle systems and external applications encountered while operating telematics features.
- L-TT-0348-25 Service bulletin2025-08-15 · Service Brakes
- Customers state Parking Brake efficiency concerns. The conditions can include the following: • The PKB Pedal feels loose or requires full depression for proper engagement. • Ineffective on steep surfaces, allowing the vehicle to roll with transmission in Neutral. • Ineffective on steep surfaces, allowing the vehicle to roll slightly with transmission in Park. [Transmission Dependency]
- L-SB-0043-23 Rev1 Service bulletin2025-06-13 · Electrical System
- The air conditioning dye injection tool kit has been developed to aid in identifying the location of air conditioning refrigerant leaks. The procedures outlined in this Service Bulletin aid in locating, inspecting, and repairing refrigerant leaks.
- L-SB-0017-19 Rev1 Service bulletin2025-02-07 · Structure — Body
- Some 2010 – 2026 model year Lexus vehicles may exhibit paint stains after the removal of Rapgard™. The paint stains may appear to be under the clear coat but are usually under wrinkles in the Rapgard™. The wrinkles may trap water and cause the paint to stain from the trapped moisture, especially on horizontal surfaces such as the hood, roof, and trunk.
- L-SB-0030-24 Rev1 Service bulletin2024-07-29 · Structure — Body
- Some 2005 – 2024 Lexus vehicles that have undergone water intrusion may exhibit a condition in which a musty odor is present. Follow the procedures in this bulletin to remediate the odor and address this condition. The purpose of this Service Bulletin is to provide general guidelines and procedures for odor remediation. This Service Bulletin provides a guide on how to prepare and treat the interio
- L-SB-0030-24 Service bulletin2024-06-21 · Structure — Body
- Some 2005 – 2024 Lexus vehicles that have undergone water intrusion may exhibit a condition in which a musty smell is present. Follow the procedures in this bulletin to remediate the odor and address this condition. The purpose of this Service Bulletin is to provide general guidelines and procedures for odor remediation. This Service Bulletin provides a guide on how to prepare and treat the interi
A service bulletin is the manufacturer telling its dealers how to diagnose or repair a known condition. It is not a recall, not a finding that the vehicle is defective, and the work is not automatically free — though a bulletin is often what a dealer works from when you describe a symptom, so quoting the document number can save a diagnosis. The count is every communication filed; the list shows the most recent, one entry per campaign, because a single campaign is usually filed as several documents on the same day. The summaries are NHTSA's; the full documents come from the manufacturer.
At the New York inspection station
Source: New York State DMVIn New York’s inspection lanes over the 12 months to Oct 10, 2026, the 2021 Lexus GX failed the emissions check on 1.2% of first inspections — lower than the 1.9% for every 2021 model-year vehicle inspected; and the safety inspection on 1.4% (every 2021 vehicle: 1.5%).
failed emissions
1,264 initial inspections of 1,241 vehicles.
| Measure | The 2021 GX | Every 2021 vehicle | Behind it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Failed the emissions check | 1.2% | 1.9% | 1,261 |
| Failed the safety inspection | 1.4% | 1.5% | 1,264 |
| Air-bag warning lamp stayed lit | 0.16% | 0.19% | 1,264 |
| Miles driven a year | 9,661 | 10,343 | odometer at inspection |
| Average odometer | 50,962 | 54,681 | odometer at inspection |
New York’s emissions test on these model years is an on-board diagnostics check: it fails a car whose check-engine light is on or whose self-tests have not finished. First inspections only, so a car that failed and came back is counted once; private and special plates, not taxis, livery or commercial plates. A rate appears only where at least 200 inspections stand behind it. “Every 2021 vehicle” is every 2021 model-year car, SUV and pickup inspected in the same window, all makes. This is the state’s record of test results, not a reliability score by itself. Source: New York State Department of Motor Vehicles, Vehicle Inspections (data.ny.gov, Open NY terms).
GX by model year
all years, side by side →Common questions about the 2021 GX
Source: EPA, NHTSA and manufacturer press kitsDoes the 2021 Lexus GX have any recalls?
No NHTSA recall campaigns are on file for the 2021 Lexus GX. New campaigns appear here within a week of NHTSA posting them, and a clean sheet on a recent model year often just means the vehicle is new.
How safe is the 2021 Lexus GX?
NHTSA has not published a crash-test rating for the 2021 Lexus GX yet. On the recall record WhichTrim grades it A (100/100), which measures open and severe recalls rather than crash protection.
What is the fuel economy of the 2021 Lexus GX?
For the 2021 Lexus GX, the best EPA combined figure is 16 mpg. Figures are the EPA's own, per configuration, and every one is listed above.
What are the dimensions of the 2021 Lexus GX?
Transport Canada measured it at 189.4 in long, 74.0 in wide (body, without mirrors), 74.4 in tall, on a 109.8 in wheelbase. Curb weight: 5,179 lb. Those are its measurements of the North American versions; every figure is in the table above.
What do owners complain about on the 2021 Lexus GX?
Owners have filed 4 complaints with NHTSA about the 2021 Lexus GX, most often about unspecified, lane departure, seats. Complaints are unverified owner reports, so treat the pattern as a signal and the individual report as an anecdote.
How clean is the 2021 Lexus GX?
The EPA smog rating for the 2021 Lexus GX is 3 out of 10. That score covers tailpipe pollutants other than greenhouse gases, and it only compares vehicles within the same model year. It is certified for all fifty states, so it can be registered new anywhere in the U.S. Its configurations were certified to different standards — California LEV-III ULEV125, Federal Tier 3 Bin 125 — which the table above lists per configuration.
Are there service bulletins for the 2021 Lexus GX?
The manufacturer has filed 75 service bulletins and related communications with NHTSA for the 2021 Lexus GX, most often covering equipment, structure, wheels. The most recent is dated 2026-01-30. A bulletin is not a recall: it is the repair procedure a manufacturer sends its dealers for a condition it knows about, and the work is not automatically paid for. It is still worth knowing — if the symptom matches, quoting the bulletin number at the service desk can save a diagnosis. The document numbers and summaries are listed above.
How does the 2021 Lexus GX do at state inspection?
In New York’s inspection lanes over the 12 months to Oct 10, 2026, the 2021 Lexus GX failed the emissions check on 1.2% of first inspections — lower than the 1.9% for every 2021 model-year vehicle inspected; and the safety inspection on 1.4% (every 2021 vehicle: 1.5%). The figures are New York State DMV’s own inspection records, first inspections only, and the table above sets each one against every vehicle of the same model year.
What we hold, and what an empty row means
Paid vehicle-history reports will not tell you the difference between “nothing happened to this car” and “we never received that record” — both of the big two say as much in their own help pages. Most of what is on this page comes from complete federal registers, so we can tell you which is which, row by row.
| Data | Held | Source | What it covers — or what empty means |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fuel economy & configurations | 1 configurations | EPA certification records | Every configuration the EPA certified for sale, with its own test figures. |
| Emission certificates | 1 configurations | EPA emission certificates | Smog rating, standard and the sales area that decides where the car can be sold new. |
| Recalls | none | NHTSA recall campaigns | No campaign has been filed. Because the register is complete, an empty row here means there is nothing to find — not that we are missing it. |
| Owner complaints | 4 | NHTSA complaint database | Also complete, but unverified: these are reports owners filed, not findings. Counts scale with how many were sold. |
| Crash ratings | none | NHTSA NCAP | NHTSA has not tested this model year. Cars are selected for testing, so untested is not unsafe. |
| Service bulletins | 75 | NHTSA manufacturer communications | Everything the manufacturer told its dealers about a defect or malfunction, short of a recall. |
| Investigations | none | NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation | No defect investigation has been opened. |
| Driver-assist crash reports | none | NHTSA Standing General Order 2021-01 | No report has been filed. Only entities named in the order report, and only crashes they hear of — so this is also what an unequipped car, or a manufacturer without telematics, looks like. |
| Specifications filed with NHTSA | 13 fields | NHTSA vPIC, decoded from VIN patterns | What the manufacturer filed under the federal VIN rule — a configuration, not the full trim ladder. |
| Measured dimensions | 7 fields | Transport Canada, Canadian Vehicle Specifications | Length, width, height, wheelbase, track and curb weight, measured on the North American versions. |
| Trims, pricing & equipment | none | Manufacturer press kit | We have not transcribed a press kit for this model year yet. This is our gap, not the manufacturer's — the one row here where an empty cell means we are behind. |
Rebuilt nightly; this page was generated 2026-10-26. Every figure above is traceable to the source named beside it, and the JSON for this page carries the same values with their identifiers.
Sources & method
Safety Signal starts every model-year at 100 and subtracts points per open NHTSA recall campaign by severity: critical 15 (fire risk, park-outside or do-not-drive advisories), high 8 (brakes, steering, airbags, loss of drive power, structure, battery), moderate 6, minor 3 (software, labels, lighting fixed by an update). The most serious recall counts in full and each further one counts 85% of the one before, because a vehicle sold in millions is recalled more often than a rare one without being more dangerous — and because a flat subtraction bottomed the scale out, scoring a vehicle with 22 recalls within a point of one with six. A ≥ 90, B ≥ 80, C ≥ 70, D ≥ 60, otherwise F. Read it as what it counts: recall campaigns on the federal record, weighted by severity. The damping reduces the sales bias by roughly 40% but does not remove it: like our complaint counts, this is not normalized by how many were sold, so a best-seller still scores somewhat worse than an obscure model with the same real risk. NHTSA crash ratings, do-not-drive and park-outside advisories, and the crash, fire, injury and death counts in owner complaints are reported separately on every page and never blended into the letter — a vehicle can hold five stars and a poor letter at once, and where that happens we say so rather than leave you to notice. Because the scale subtracts from a clean sheet, a model year too new to have been recalled, complained about or bulletined scores full marks on an empty record; we label those grades provisional rather than present them as earned.
EPA figures come from fueleconomy.gov vehicle records. Recalls, complaints, investigations and crash ratings come from NHTSA's public flat files, refreshed nightly.