AutoUtility currently tracks 70 official NHTSA owner defect complaints for the 2021 Lexus RX. Air Bags & Restraints issues are the most frequently reported category, appearing in 51 complaints (72.9% of submitted records). Among these NHTSA complaint records, 9 filings cite a crash, 6 report one or more injuries. The 2021 Lexus RX belongs to the 4th Generation (AL20) platform.
Factual proportion of owner complaints categorized by automotive subsystem in NHTSA records
51 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
5 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
5 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
3 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
Formal engineering analyses and preliminary evaluations opened by the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Representative defect filings submitted by owners to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
"The contact owns a 2021 Lexus RX 350. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V865000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time..."
"The contact owns a 2021 Lexus RX 350. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the air bag malfunction warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the SRS alert message was displayed. The passenger’s side seat belt warning light was illuminated for two minutes. The contact..."
"The contact owns a 2021 Lexus RX-450H. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V865000 (AIR BAGS); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that whenever a handbag was placed on the front passenger’s seat, the air bag warning light..."
"The tire (Bridgestone Ecopia 422 Plus 235/55R 20 102V M+S) failed within seconds while driving on the highway at 70 MPH. Luckily I did not lose control and was able to steer the car from the middle lane to the birm thanks to the semi driver on my right who allowed us to get off the road quickly...."
"When can I expect to get my recalled Lexus fixed,? All i can find is that they have no remedy, so the dealer cant replace the faulty occupant air bag sensor, NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID: 23V865000 Report Date: DEC 19, 2023 Vehicles Affected: 999901"
Reported defect complaint volume across sibling model years (2015–2026)
| Model Year | NHTSA Complaints | Crash Reports | Safety Recalls | Detailed Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 Lexus RX | 0 | 0 | 0 | View 2015 Problems → |
| 2016 Lexus RX | 0 | 0 | 0 | View 2016 Problems → |
| 2017 Lexus RX | 0 | 0 | 0 | View 2017 Problems → |
| 2018 Lexus RX | 0 | 0 | 0 | View 2018 Problems → |
| 2019 Lexus RX | 0 | 0 | 1 | View 2019 Problems → |
| 2020 Lexus RX | 54 | 7 | 1 | View 2020 Problems → |
| 2021 Lexus RX Current Page | 70 | 9 | 1 | Current |
| 2022 Lexus RX | 38 | 6 | 0 | View 2022 Problems → |
| 2023 Lexus RX | 64 | 5 | 3 | View 2023 Problems → |
| 2024 Lexus RX | 56 | 1 | 4 | View 2024 Problems → |
| 2025 Lexus RX | 20 | 5 | 4 | View 2025 Problems → |
| 2026 Lexus RX | 0 | 0 | 2 | View 2026 Problems → |
Complete distribution of consumer defect reports across all 23 granular NHTSA system and subsystem classifications
| Vehicle Component / System | Total Complaints | Crash Reports | Fire Reports | Injury Entries | Fatality Entries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air Bags NHTSA category: AIR BAGS | 43 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Seat Belts NHTSA category: SEAT BELTS | 4 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Tires NHTSA category: TIRES | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Other / Uncategorized NHTSA category: UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| AIR BAGS,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| AIR BAGS,STRUCTURE,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine NHTSA category: ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING,BACK OVER PREVENTION | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Forward Collision Avoidance NHTSA category: FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Seats & Restraints NHTSA category: SEATS | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Service Brakes NHTSA category: SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,AIR BAGS | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure & Body NHTSA category: STRUCTURE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STRUCTURE,LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STRUCTURE,SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STRUCTURE,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Visibility / Glass NHTSA category: VISIBILITY | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility & Wipers NHTSA category: VISIBILITY/WIPER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Wheels & Hubs NHTSA category: WHEELS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Cross-reference safety recalls, crash test safety ratings, and EPA fuel economy for this model year
Key performance indicators, EPA fuel economy specs, powertrain variants, and summary ratings.
Official recall campaigns, safety defect descriptions, and manufacturer free remedy instructions.
NHTSA 5-Star NCAP crash test results, driver assistance systems, and rollover resistance ratings.
EPA fuel economy ratings, electric range, and annual energy cost benchmarks.
Direct, deterministic answers synthesized from verified United States government databases for the 2021 Lexus RX
In official NHTSA consumer records, the most frequently cited issue area for the 2021 Lexus RX is Air Bags & Restraints, appearing in 51 records (72.9% of submitted filings).
Secondary reported categories include Driver Assistance & Safety Tech (5) and Body & Structure (5).
AutoUtility does not issue subjective reliability scores or commercial ratings. In official United States government records, NHTSA tracks 70 consumer defect complaints and 1 safety recall campaign for the 2021 Lexus RX.
Reviewing documented component complaint distributions, recall remedy notices, and active federal investigations provides an objective, evidence-based view of the vehicle's historical safety and defect record.
Among consumer complaint records on file with NHTSA for the 2021 Lexus RX, 9 filings cite a crash, 0 cite smoke or fire, and 6 report one or more injuries.
Incident entries represent consumer descriptions at the time of submission to federal authorities and do not establish mechanical causation or legal liability.
NHTSA ODI records list 1 formal defect investigation involving the 2021 Lexus RX (all closed).
Federal defect investigations are formal engineering evaluations opened when safety defect trends emerge, and do not by themselves establish a confirmed defect or mandatory recall.
The complaint records on this page are retrieved directly from the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) public database under 49 CFR Part 576.
Local Production Store Compiled: August 2026 • Deterministic Audited Dataset • Zero Dynamic External API Runtime Latency.