2020 Lexus NX problems, complaints & recalls
NHTSA has received 28 owner complaints about the 2020 Lexus NX, or 4.1 per year on the road — far fewer complaints than typical (complaint index 0.10, where 1.00 is the average of all tracked vehicles). Among the 83 model-year 2020 vehicles we track, it ranks #6 of 83 by complaints per year (#1 = fewest). Against other Lexus models its rate is 45% lower; against other Luxury SUVs it is 71% lower.
Counts are normalized by time on the road, not by sales volume: a popular model generates more reports than a rare one, and complaints are not verified individually. How we count
Limited data: fewer than 30 complaints, so shares and indexes are unstable.
Complaints filed between 2020-06-01 and 2026-10-09. Median delay from incident to filing: 10 days.
Analysis
The previous model year (2019) drew 5.6 complaints per year, more than this one. The following model year (2021) drew 2.9 per year, fewer than this one. In its first two years on the road the 2020 model collected 6 complaints, 89% lower than the average vehicle of the same model year.
The most common problem area is Engine (28.6% of complaints), followed by Fuel system (25.0%) and Body & structure (17.9%). 3 reports (10.7%) describe a crash or fire; owners mention 2 injuries and 0 deaths.
Half of the reported incidents happened within 60 months of the model year's start; the busiest period was after five years (50% of incidents). 10 complaints were filed in the last 12 months.
NHTSA lists no safety recalls for this model year. 1 NHTSA investigation covers this model year; the most recent is “Pedestrian alert sounds” (defect petition, opened 2023-01-27, closed 2023-08-07).
Complaint index
- vs. all tracked vehicles0.1
- vs. other Lexus models0.55
- vs. other 2020 models0.11
- vs. other Luxury SUVs0.29
- Complaints in first 2 years on the road · vs. same-year average (6)0.11
- #6 of 83 · 2020Rankings ›
1.00 means the same rate as the comparison group. 2.00 means twice as many complaints per year on the road.
What owners complain about
vs. all vehicles: 1.00 = All-vehicle average
When complaints were filed
- Crashes reported: 1
- Fires reported: 2
- Injuries: 2
- Deaths: 0
Vehicle age at incident
Median age at incident: 60 months
What owners report
My 2020 Lexus NX 300 caught fire overnight while parked and unattended outside my residence. I discovered the fire the next morning.
The contact owns a 2020 Lexus NX. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH and attempting to make a turn, the steering wheel was difficult to operate. There was no warning light illuminated.
Low pressure fuel pump defective, which caused vehicle to stall while driving. Barely made it off of the highway when this happened, which left me in traffic with children in the car and my hazard lights until able to pull over safely and call a tow.
I have been noticing sluggish acceleration since the end of 2024, specially when fuel falls below or equal to half tank, I took my vehicle to the dealership several times and specifically instructed them to inspect my acceleration issue but every time said no…
While driving, my vehicle's check engine light came on and the vehicle entered limp mode without warning. It would not exceed 25 MPH and was stuck in 2WD, displaying the message "reduced engine power – take vehicle to nearest dealer." This created a serious…
Excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length. The ODI number is NHTSA's record identifier.
Segment peers · 2020 · Luxury SUVs
| Models | Complaints | Complaints per year on the road | Complaint index |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 Audi Q7 | 28 | 4.1 | 0.1 |
| 2020 Lexus NX | 28 | 4.1 | 0.1 |
| 2020 Audi Q5 | 37 | 5.4 | 0.13 |
| 2020 Lexus RX | 55 | 8.1 | 0.2 |
| 2020 Mercedes-Benz GLC | 80 | 11.8 | 0.29 |
| 2020 BMW X3 | 110 | 16.2 | 0.4 |
| 2020 BMW X5 | 113 | 16.6 | 0.41 |
| 2020 Mercedes-Benz GLE | 124 | 18.3 | 0.45 |
| 2020 Acura MDX | 228 | 33.6 | 0.83 |
Safety recalls (0)
No recalls on record for this model year.
Investigations
- 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 ele…