2008 Lexus GX

Routine

Owners filed 2 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the fuel/propulsion system. No safety recall has been issued.

What fails
ComponentReportsCrashesFiresInjuries
Structure › Body1
000
Fuel/Propulsion System1
100

What owners reported

Newest filings
Structure › Body
Filed Nov 8, 2025NC

This 2008 Lexus GX 470 (VIN: [XXX] ) has paint primer adhesion failure exposing bare metal. Color code is 070 Blizzard Pearl. The peeling starts at the primer/E-coat substrate layer, not clear coat. This matches the documented failure mode in Lexus CSP ZLL / L-SB-0046-19. The exposed metal creates corrosion risk on the roof and body shell over time, which is a safety concern. Lexus refused goodwill correction because my VIN production date was slightly outside the cutoff, even though the failure is identical to affected units and repair was already estimated at $10,047.96 by a Lexus certified collision center. I am reporting this as a safety corrosion exposure issue due to primer adhesion defect. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Fuel/Propulsion SystemCrash
Filed Jul 21, 201744,000 milesTX

THIS IS A REPORT OF SUDDEN ACCELERATION. ON JULY 30, 2016, THE LEXUS EXITED A CONVEYOR-BELT TYPE CARWASH AT 5203 KIRBY DRIVE, HOUSTON, TEXAS 77098. MY PREGNANT WIFE WAS DRIVING THE CAR WITH TWO CHILDREN (AGES 4 AND 2) IN CAR SEATS. AFTER RECEIVING THE GREEN LIGHT FROM THE CARWASH TO PROCEED, MY WIFE SHIFTED FROM NEUTRAL TO DRIVE AND THE LEXUS TOOK OFF TOWARDS KIRBY, A VERY BUSY FOUR-LANE STREET. MY WIFE DEPRESSED THE BRAKES BUT THEY DID NOT WORK. THE LEXUS HIT A FLOWERBED ADJOINING KIRBY AND STRUCK A LARGE 3' DIAMETER DECORATIVE CONCRETE BALL WHICH SLOWED THE VEHICLE AND TURNED IT TO THE RIGHT. MY WIFE THEN TURNED OFF THE LEXUS AT THE IGNITION. THE VEHICLE SUFFERED DAMAGES REQUIRING $9,166.58 IN REPAIRS. A SURVEILLANCE CAMERA FILMED THE INCIDENT. THE COPY IS TOO BIG TO ATTACH SO IT CAN BE FOUND AT HTTPS://YOUTU.BE/AH4WR0ZOJ-A. ALSO, THE FOOTAGE WAS MAGNIFIED AND REVEALS THAT THE BRAKE LIGHTS WERE ON WHILE THE VEHICLE ROCKETED TOWARDS THE FLOWERBED AND THAT THEY THEN WENT OFF, DEMONSTRATING THAT THE DRIVER 'PUMPED' THE BRAKES IN AN EFFORT TO STOP THE CAR. THIS EDITED FOOTAGE IS AT HTTPS://YOUTU.BE/9QKMML4BI3K. THE INTERNET CONTAINS SUBSTANTIAL DISCUSSIONS OF SUDDEN ACCELERATION ASSOCIATED WITH CAR WASHES. IF THE FLOWERBED AND GIANT CONCRETE BALL HAD NOT BEEN THERE, THE VEHICLE WOULD HAVE ENTERED KIRBY DRIVE AND A SUBSTANTIAL ACCIDENT WOULD HAVE OCCURRED. I HAVE RAISED THIS MATTER WITH LEXUS AND, NOTWITHSTANDING THE VIDEO, LEXUS HAS SAID THERE NOTHING WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE. I

2 of 2 complaints, reproduced as filed.

Across model years

Worst on record: 2024
YearComplaintsRecallsFiresDeathsAssessment
20261000Routine
202513200Routine
202420400Routine
20236000Routine
20225000Routine
20212000Routine
20204000Routine
20198000Routine
20182000Routine
20176000Routine
20163000Routine
20153010Routine
201415000Routine
201310000Routine
20123000Routine
201111000Routine
20107000Routine
20090100Routine
2008 — this page2000Routine
200712000Routine
200610000Routine
20053000Routine
200420000Routine
20035000Routine

Compare every GX year →

Reading this record

No unusual pattern of severe incidents in the complaint record.

Complaint counts track how many cars were sold and how long they have been on the road as much as they track quality. A common model from 2013 has had a decade to accumulate reports; a rare one from last year has not. The signal worth weighing is in the severity columns, in whether the same component keeps appearing, and in whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.

Most recent recall on file: none. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.