Lexus RX400 H SE CVT
Registered from 2005 to 2008.
About this model
The Lexus RX is a luxury crossover SUV sold since 1998 by Lexus, a luxury division of Toyota. Originally released in its home market of Japan in late 1997 as the Toyota Harrier, export sales began in March 1998 as the Lexus RX.
From the Wikipedia article Lexus RX, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
What fails its inspection
Great Britain's MOT record for the 2008 3.3 hybrid. 31 of 155 tests failed, 20%.
Better than 81% of 2008 cars. The typical one fails 26%, across 922 models with enough tests behind them to say.
| Where | Share of failures | Failed tests |
|---|---|---|
| Suspension | 48% | 15 |
| Tyres and wheels | 42% | 13 |
| Lights and electrics | 32% | 10 |
| Brakes | 29% | 9 |
| Body and structure | 10% | 3 |
| Exhaust and emissions | 10% | 3 |
The defects inspectors cite
- A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc
- Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements
- A tyre seriously damaged
- A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning
- A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage
- Engine MIL illuminated indicating a malfunction
Where it stands out against its peers
- Tyres and wheels: failed more often than 98% of 2008 cars — 42% of its 31 failed tests, where an ordinary 2008 car has 21%.
Same model year only, at least 30 peer cars, zeros included. Every car has a worst part; this shows which, and how far from ordinary it is. A high share means more to check, not a verdict.
NHTSA's investigations are American; no European regulator publishes an equivalent record, so this section has nothing to draw on for a European car. There is no European equivalent of the service-bulletin register either.
Before you buy one
Built from what this car fails on, not from general knowledge of the model.
- Suspension — 48% of its failures
- A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc
- A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage
- A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn
- Tyres and wheels — 42% of its failures
- Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements
- A tyre seriously damaged
- Brakes — 29% of its failures
- Exhaust and emissions — 10% of its failures
- Exhaust system leaking or insecure
- Lights and electrics — 32% of its failures
- A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning
- Body and structure — 10% of its failures