2021 Lexus RX 350: True Cost, Problems & Verdict

70 NHTSA owner complaints · 0 recalls · data-computed verdict. No opinions — public data only.

Illustration

Owner complaints: 70 filed with NHTSA

Complaints per year on the road: 14.0

Air Bags47Unknown Or Other8Structure5Forward Collision Avoidance4Seat Belts4Service Brakes3

What owners say

Verbatim reports filed with the United States safety regulator (NHTSA) by owners of this exact model year. Public record.

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 for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.
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 received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V865000 (Air Bags). The local dealer was contacted and confirmed that the r…
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 illuminated. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of t…

Recalls: 0 campaigns

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What it costs to buy — and what owning it really takes

Class-level estimates, priced as a mid-size premium car of its model year, re-priced to your country. Not a quote, not a valuation of one specific car — condition, mileage and options move it. How these are computed.

Typical price today $32,400–$46,600 used market, 2026
You lose to depreciation $2,980/year $14,900 over five years
Price when new (2021)$59,400
Worth in five years$24,600
Depreciation, five years$14,900
Insurance, five years$10,300–$15,050
Fuel and maintenance, five years$21,430
Five-year cost of owning it$49,005
Per mile driven, at 12,000 miles a year$0.82

What it costs to run

EPA combined 23 MPG · estimated annual fuel cost $2,650

Fuel (your region)$2,650
Maintenance band (your region) $903–$1,809
Estimated running cost this year (age 5) $4,006
Range across the maintenance band $3,553–$4,459
Next five years, running cost $21,430

Re-priced automatically from your country's retail fuel, electricity and parts indices — change country in the bar at the top. Estimates; see methodology.

02468101214$6,309vehicle age (years)
fuel/energy + maintenance band, annual — US dollars, estimate

Run your own numbers in the true-cost calculator →

What this car's problems cost to fix

Ranked by the components owners of this exact model year actually complain about. Each figure is flat-rate labour hours x the local shop rate plus a parts band — an estimate of what this kind of failure costs, not a quote, and not a prediction that this car will need it. Formula.

  • Air Bags47 complaints · typical job: Airbag module, clockspring or sensor replacement (2.5 h labour + parts)$600–$1,700
  • Unknown Or Other8 complaints · typical job: Diagnosis and mixed repair (2.0 h labour + parts)$360–$940
  • Structure5 complaints · typical job: Body, subframe or corrosion repair (6.0 h labour + parts)$1,070–$2,920
  • Forward Collision Avoidance4 complaints · typical job: Radar or camera module replacement and calibration (3.0 h labour + parts)$780–$2,160
  • Seat Belts4 complaints · typical job: Pretensioner or retractor replacement (1.5 h labour + parts)$360–$800
  • Service Brakes3 complaints · typical job: Pads, rotors and caliper service, both axles (3.0 h labour + parts)$580–$1,140

Other Lexus RX 350 years

2011201220132014201520162017201820192020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025

Lexus RX 350 years to avoid, and the best years to buy →

FAQ

What is the most common problem with the 2021 Lexus RX 350?

The most-reported issue in NHTSA complaint data is Air Bags (47 complaints in our indexed sample).

Is the 2021 Lexus RX 350 a good used car to buy?

Our data verdict is BUY with a reliability score of 88/100, computed from 70 NHTSA complaints and 0 recall campaigns. See the verdict card for the top reasons.

How much does it cost to fix the 2021 Lexus RX 350's most common problem?

47 of the NHTSA complaints filed against the 2021 Lexus RX 350 sit in the Air Bags group — more than any other component on this model year. The representative job there is airbag module, clockspring or sensor replacement: about 2.5 hours of labour plus parts, roughly $600–$1,700 at a US independent shop and re-priced to your country at the top of the page. It is an estimate of what this class of failure costs, not a quote for this car.

What does a 2021 Lexus RX 350 cost to run per year?

About $4,286 a year in fuel or energy plus the maintenance band — roughly $21,430 over five years, before purchase price, insurance and depreciation. Figures come from available EPA fuel-economy data and industry maintenance averages, and are re-priced to your country.

What will a 2021 Lexus RX 350 really cost YOU per year?

Fuel, maintenance band and depreciation — computed from public data in 10 seconds.

Open the true-cost calculator

Data sources

Complaints & recalls: NHTSA · Fuel economy: EPA fueleconomy.gov · Scoring: our published methodology.
Maintenance bands are industry-average estimates (AAA Your Driving Costs, CarMD index) — labeled estimates, not measurements. Last updated: 2026-10-04.

88RELIABILITY / 100
BUY

Moderate evidence — 70 complaints, 0 recalls on record

Typical price today$32,400–$46,600used market estimate · the full money picture
Running cost, next 5 years$21,430fuel/energy + maintenance band midpoint · estimate
  • 70 NHTSA complaints on record (14.0/yr of exposure) — in line with a typical year of this model (16.0/yr)
  • 0 recall campaigns, 0 touching safety-critical systems

How this score is computed →