Engine & cooling

Lexus GX 550 Engine problems by year

7 complaints filed with NHTSA about the Lexus GX 550's engine & cooling. Stalling, loss of power, oil consumption, overheating, head gaskets, timing chains and engine failure.

Engine complaints by model year

52024 2025 2026

Year	Engine complaints	Crashes	Injuries	Recalls
2025	2	0	0	0
2024	5	0	0	0

Latest GX 550 engine complaints

2024 Lexus GX 550 Transmission & drivetrain Engine & cooling

On [redacted] I brought the vehicle to Tri-County and advised them that the vehicle was shifting roughly when coming to a complete stop or when slowing down to take a turn and beginning to accelerate. The dealership acknowledged the issue and advised that they were waiting for a software update. On [redacted], I brought the vehicle to Tri-County Lexus about rough transmission jerking and rough idling shake while the vehicle idles. Lexus performed a software update which was performed under TSB L-SB-0042-25;...

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however, they stated that they could not recreate the rough shake at idle. On [redacted] I returned to the dealer with video proof of the vehicle shaking roughly while at idle, at which time they proceeded to perform a software update acknowledging the issue. On [redacted] I also advised the dealer that the transmission issue had still been there and they advised they couldn't recreate the issue. Approximately a month later the issue of rough shake at idle remained as well as the transmission being clunky. I then got in contact with Lexus corporate where they advised me to return with the vehicle to Lexus of [[redacted]] where the technician acknowledged that they were able to recreate the issue about 10% of the time and deemed it normal due to the size ratio of the vehicle and deemed the rough shake at idle normal for the vehicle. The technician has acknowledged that the transmission issue is there despite a transmission update being completed and ruled the rough shake norma..I returned on [redacted] to the service center for 5 days where the service was completed. On [redacted] the rough idle shake returned and it was videoed and time stamped with proof. I proceeded to return the vehicle on [redacted] and took a test drive with the technician where he acknowledged the shake at idle but could not replicate the hard shift with the rough shift with transmisson while slowing down to and reaccelerating, INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

2024 Lexus GX 550 Engine & cooling

My engine failed as I was driving down the highway at high speed. I was thankfully able to move over lanes and park safely on side of the rode before it came to a complete stop. It never turned back on. Lexus had to send a tow truck to pick it up and has been @ Dealership in Lubbock tx since 3/9/26

2025 Lexus GX 550 Engine & cooling

Vehicle experiences a persistent and abrupt harsh downshift (jerk/thud) specifically during 2nd-to-1st gear transitions when rolling to a stop. This issue persists despite the dealership performing the recommended Transmission Control Module (TCM) software update at 5,000 miles. The smooth shifting returned briefly for approximately 500 miles post-update before the abruptness returned. Additionally, there is a noticeable vibration/harmonic change in the engine as the oil reaches approximately 3,000 miles of use....

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Concerned that this transmission behavior is a secondary symptom of internal engine drag or main bearing stress, as documented in similar V35A-FTS engine failures. This abrupt downshifting creates a safety concern regarding predictable vehicle deceleration in stop-and-go traffic. Vehicle is currently at 6,700 miles.

2024 Lexus GX 550 Engine & cooling

Rough idle

2025 Lexus GX 550 Suspension Engine & cooling

The car has harsh knocking downshifting. In slow speeds, the has abrupt transmission changes.

2024 Lexus GX 550 Steering Transmission & drivetrain Engine & cooling

NEW 2024 GX550, less than 2 months and 3,000 miles of ownership- accelerating to 40 mph and vehicle completely shut off, jolting me forward. All lights on dash lit up, "power steering failure, engine failure, not safe to drive." It was all I could do to get it off to the shoulder of the road. Extremely dangerous. Had vehicle towed to local Lexus dealer. After 2 weeks master tech determined timing chain snapped causing catastrophic engine failure. Now we wait for Lexus corporate to advise them on how to fix. Both...

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dealer and corporate blaming each other for the lack of communication. Vehicle has been sitting in dealer parking lot for 3 weeks with no timeline and no communication. I was told by head service tech this is #5 in the country for this year, make, and model of timing chain snap resulting in engine failure. Neither parties are doing anything to make it right. This is an $85,000 vehicle.

2024 Lexus GX 550 Engine & cooling

Driving to work, the engine became completely disabled which required emergency maneuvering to leave the roadway which had heavy traffic. Received dashboard messages stating the engine malfunctioned and needed to be taken to the dealer immediately. This was a very dangerous situation as the vehicle immediately lost all motive power when the engine stopped working. Dealer diagnosed the issue as related to the timing belt guide, where a part broke causing the engine timing to get out of sync. This ultimately...

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damaged the valves and head in the engine which required replacement. There were no prior signs that an issue was about to happen, it was very much a surprise. The vehicle repair took almost a full month to complete.

Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) complaints and recalls, checked daily. Complaints are owners' own reports and are not verified. How we use the data