2016 Lexus RX
Hybrid Gas Compact SUV
The 2016 Lexus RX is sold in the U.S. as a hybrid and gas compact SUV with 4 EPA-rated configurations. The most efficient version, the RX 450h, is EPA-rated at 30 mpg combined. NHTSA lists 3 recall campaigns for this model year, which gives it a Safety Signal grade of C. Owners have filed 93 complaints, most often about unknown or other. NHTSA crash-tested it at 4 stars overall.
Specs & fuel economy (EPA)
| Configuration | Powertrain | Drive | Engine / motor | City | Hwy | Comb | Annual fuel* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RX 450h | Hybrid | FWD | 3.5L 6-cyl + 288V Ni-MH | 31 | 30 | 30 | $2,600 |
| RX 450h AWD | Hybrid | AWD | 3.5L 6-cyl + 288V Ni-MH | 30 | 28 | 30 | $2,600 |
| RX 350 | Gas | FWD | 3.5L 6-cyl | 20 | 27 | 23 | $2,700 |
| RX 350 AWD | Gas | AWD | 3.5L 6-cyl | 19 | 26 | 22 | $2,850 |
*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year and EPA reference fuel/electricity prices. Source: fueleconomy.gov vehicle records.
Out of factory warranty soon?
The 2016 Lexus RX is in the years where transmission, electronics and drivetrain repairs land on the owner. Compare extended-coverage quotes in about two minutes.
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Recalls (3)
Air Bags
highProblem: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2016 Toyota Prius and Lexus RX 350, RX 350 F Sport, RX 450h F Sport and RX 450h vehicles and 2015-2016 Lexus NX 200T, NX Turbo and NX 300h vehicles. The air bag pressure sensors and/or the acceleration sensors may fail causing the side/curtain shield air bags and/or the front air bags to not deploy in the event of a crash.
Risk: If the air bags fail to deploy in a crash, it can increase the risk of injury.
Fix: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the sensors as necessary based on their serial numbers, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin March 12, 2018. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's numbers for this recall are JLA, J0F.
Service Brakes, Hydraulic
highProblem: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2016 Toyota RAV4 vehicles manufactured October 30, 2015, to February 3, 2016, 2016 Lexus RX350 vehicles manufactured October 26, 2015, to February 8, 2016, and 2016 Lexus ES350 vehicles manufactured September 1, 2015, to February 29, 2016. These vehicles are equipped with an ABS actuator that may have a damaged O-ring which could result in improper brake fluid pressure control during ABS, Traction Control, or Stability Control activation. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 126, "Electronic Stability Control Systems."
Risk: Insufficient brake fluid pressure may cause a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the brake actuator, replacing it as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on May 4, 2016, 2016. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is G0I, GLC.
Air Bags
highProblem: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2016 Lexus RX350 and RX450h vehicles manufactured November 16, 2015, to December 23, 2015. Due to an improper weld, the gas needed to inflate the driver's knee air bag may escape from the inflator.
Risk: A defective inflator may increase the risk of injury in the event of a crash.
Fix: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the knee air bag assembly, free of charge. The recall began March 7, 2016. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is GLA.
NHTSA investigations
Electrical System:Propulsion System — Pedestrian alert sounds (closed)
NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles. The standard applies to hybrid and electric vehicles that have a gross vehicle weight rating of 4,536 KG or less or are defined as low-speed vehicles. The standard became fully applicable to all such vehicles manufactured on or after March 1, 2021.On January 27, 2023, NHTSA opened Defect Petition (DP) 22-005 to evaluate the subject matt
Opened Jan 27, 2023 · closed Aug 7, 2023 · action DP22005
Owner complaints
93 complaints filed
14 involved a crash, 1 a fire, 7 injuries, 0 deaths reported by owners.
Filed by year — 2016: 16 · 2017: 15 · 2018: 11 · 2019: 6 · 2020: 12 · 2021: 9 · 2022: 2 · 2023: 5 · 2024: 7 · 2025: 8 · 2026: 2
Most-cited components
- Unknown Or Other — 22
- Service Brakes — 14
- Power Train — 13
- Air Bags — 11
- Engine — 11
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.
Crash ratings
| Configuration | Overall | Frontal | Side | Rollover | Rollover risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SUV AWD | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | 17% |
| SUV FWD | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | 18% |
| SUV AWD | not rated | not rated | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | 17% |
| SUV FWD | not rated | not rated | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | 18% |
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program.
Other RX model years
2026 RX
2 recalls · 5 complaints
C2025 RX
4 recalls · 20 complaints
C2024 RX
4 recalls · 56 complaints
C2023 RX
4 recalls · 65 complaints
A2022 RX
0 recalls · 38 complaints
C2021 RX
2 recalls · 70 complaints
B2020 RX
2 recalls · 54 complaints
D2019 RX
4 recalls · 68 complaints
B2018 RX
2 recalls · 46 complaints
C2017 RX
3 recalls · 103 complaints
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). Floor 35. A ≥ 90, B ≥ 80, C ≥ 70, D ≥ 60, otherwise F. Complaint counts and NHTSA crash ratings are shown separately and are not blended into the grade.
EPA figures come from fueleconomy.gov vehicle records (ids 37107, 37111, 37108, 37109). Recalls, complaints, investigations and crash ratings come from NHTSA's public flat files, refreshed weekly.