2004 Lexus RX Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other RX years
- More complaints than other years 9th of 28 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 1 recall: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 40 complaints with NHTSA about the 2004 Lexus RX. That ranks 9th out of 28 RX model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is structure (12 complaints, 30%), typically at around 88,000 miles. Complaints mention 1 crash, 1 fire, 1 injury. There is 1 safety recall covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 1 defect investigation involving it.
- 40owner complaints
- 1safety recalls
- 1NHTSA investigations
- 1complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2004 Lexus RX problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Structure | 12 | 30% | 88,000 | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 8 | 20% | 121,500 | — | — |
| Air Bags | 6 | 15% | 129,000 | — | — |
| Power Train | 5 | 13% | 1,400 | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 4 | 10% | 57,600 | — | — |
| Engine | 2 | 5% | 87,500 | — | — |
| Seats | 2 | 5% | 108,000 | — | — |
| Service Brakes | 2 | 5% | 102,000 | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 2 | 5% | 52,345 | — | — |
| Wheels | 2 | 5% | 100,010 | — | — |
| Child Seat | 1 | 3% | — | — | — |
| Electrical System | 1 | 3% | 39,959 | — | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 1 | 3% | 57,000 | — | — |
| Equipment Adaptive/mobility | 1 | 3% | 9,200 | — | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 1 | 3% | — | — | — |
| Fuel System, Other | 1 | 3% | 30,000 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 1 | 3% | 17,000 | — | — |
| Steering | 1 | 3% | — | — | — |
| Suspension | 1 | 3% | — | — | — |
| Visibility/wiper | 1 | 3% | 113,210 | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2004 Lexus RX recalls (1)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Service brakes, hydraulic:foundation components:master cylinder
Problem: Toyota is recalling certain model year 2005-2006 avalon, model year 2004-2006 highlander, model year 2004-2006 lexus rx, and model year 2006 lexus gs and is vehicles. Brake fluid containing polymers is used that acts as lubricants for certain brake system components. If replacement brake fluid is used that does not contain such polymers, or that contains only small amounts, a part of the rubber seal located at the rear of the brake master cylinder may become dry, and the seal may curl during movement of the piston. If this occurs, a small amount of brake fluid could slowly leak from the seal into the brake booster.
Risk: A leak of brake fluid could lead to a change in brake pedal feel and overtime a degradation in braking performance increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the seal with a newly designed one. This service will be performed free of charge. The safety recall began on november 15, 2010. Owners may contact toyota at 1-800-331-4331 and lexus at 1-800-255-3987.
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
NHTSA defect investigations
- Unintended and Uncontrolled Acceleration (RQ10003) — opened Feb 16, 2010, closed Mar 1, 2011, led to recall 11V112000.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
Odometer reading in vehicle doesn't match information on carfax, zilocar, or title reading. Also sellers may have titled jumped vehicle. Recieved call from owner on title I recieved and she said that she had sold vehicle on 2/4/2026 to couple. I purchased vehicle on 2/13/2026 with her name on…
Dashboard crack in 2024, that started on passenger side near air vent, expanded recently causing the "passenger air bag off" alert to light up and stay on continually. If I were to have a passenger at the time of an accident, the air bag might not deploy, which would be a safety issue. This could…
Power steering very stiff and difficult to steer vsc light on and air bags light goes on and off and unknown cause.
I was driving with the driverâs seat heater turned on. While I were traveling, I noticed that the seat heater was very hot, so I turned it off. I arrived at my destination and parked the vehicle for about two hours. I did not turn the seat heater back on when you returned to the vehicle. I was…
I purchased the vehicle on 17th of june 2021. I noticed the dashboard is cracked really bad. I did research on the lexus dashboards and found previous recalls on the lexus dashbaords including the 2004 rx330 models. How can i get this fixed if the recall is not listed for the vin number on my…
Other Lexus RX years
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 RX | 10 | 3 |
| 2025 RX | 22 | 4 |
| 2024 RX | 59 | 4 |
| 2023 RX | 62 | 3 |
| 2022 RX | 29 | 0 |
| 2021 RX | 70 | 1 |
| 2020 RX | 46 | 1 |
| 2019 RX | 34 | 1 |
| 2018 RX | 26 | 0 |
| 2017 RX | 47 | 0 |
| 2016 RX | 28 | 0 |
| 2015 RX | 20 | 0 |
| 2014 RX | 12 | 0 |
| 2013 RX | 19 | 0 |
| 2012 RX | 12 | 0 |
| 2011 RX | 29 | 0 |
| 2010 RX | 77 | 0 |
| 2009 RX | 34 | 0 |
| 2008 RX | 70 | 0 |
| 2007 RX | 58 | 0 |
| 2006 RX | 32 | 1 |
| 2005 RX | 27 | 1 |
| 2004 | 40 | 1 |
| 2003 RX | 4 | 0 |
| 2002 RX | 12 | 0 |
| 2001 RX | 19 | 0 |
| 2000 RX | 29 | 0 |
| 1999 RX | 35 | 0 |
See all Lexus RX problems by year, every Lexus model, or the Lexus VIN decoder.
Similar Lexus models
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2004 Lexus RX?
Owners most often report structure, unknown or other, air bags problems. The top one, structure, accounts for 12 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2004 Lexus RX?
Yes, 1 safety recall. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2004 Lexus RX a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other RX model years, the 2004 has more complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.