- The problem
- Toyota is recalling certain model year 2004 avalon vehicles; 2004 and 2005 camry, camry solara, highlander, and sienna vehicles, 2006 highlander hybrid; 2004 and 2005 lexus es330 and rx330; and 2006 lexus rx400h vehicles manufactured from june 1, 2004 through march 31, 2005, equipped with the 1mz-fe or 3mz-fe engine. The amount of adhesive agent applied between the outer ring and the torsional rubber damper (inner ring) in the crankshaft pulley may be inadequate. If the adhesive is insufficient, there is a possibility that the outer ring may become misaligned and it may not properly rotate with the inner ring, causing noise and/or illumination of the battery discharge indicator light.
- The risk
- In some cases, the belt for the power steering pump may become detached from the pulley which could result in a loss of power steering and a sudden increase in steering effort, increasing the risk of a crash.
- The fix
- Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will check the crankshaft pulley to identify whether it was produced by the u.S. Supplier. If so, the dealer will replace the pulley with a new one at no charge. The safety recall is expected to begin during early january 2012. Owners may contact toyota at 1-800-331-4331.
Vehicle safety record
2004 Lexus RX330 Problems, complaints & recalls
Owners have filed 327 complaints about the 2004 Lexus RX330 with NHTSA, most often about the transmission & drivetrain (74) and the brakes (68). Those complaints describe 38 crashes, 2 fires, 28 injuries and 3 deaths. It is covered by 5 recalls, the latest in November 2011 for the engine and engine cooling. For comparison, the 2005 has 192.
NHTSA data checked
FFar more problems than a typical RX330 year, for its age
#38 most complained-about 2004 vehicle
- Complaints
- 327
- Recalls
- 5
- Crashes
- 38
- Fires
- 2
- Injuries
- 28
- Deaths
- 3
Most common 2004 Lexus RX330 problems
Share of all 327 complaints. One complaint can name more than one area. Tap an area for its complaints and recalls.
2004 Lexus RX330 recalls 5
Recall repairs are free. Your dealer fixes them whether or not you bought the car there - check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see if yours is done. What to do
- The problem
- Toyota is recalling certain model year 2004-2006 highlander, highlander hybrid, and model year 2004-2007 lexus rx330, rx350, and rx400h vehicles. If the forward retention clip used to secure the floor carpet cover, which is located in front of the center console, is not installed properly the cover may lean toward the accelerator pedal and interfere with the accelerator pedal arm.
- The risk
- If this occurs, the accelerator pedal may temporarily become stuck in a partially depressed position rather than return to the idle position. A stuck accelerator pedal may result in unintended and sustained vehicle speeds and make it difficult to stop, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.
- The fix
- Dealers will replace the floor carpet cover with a newly designed one free or charge. The safety recall is expected to begin during march 2011. Owners may contact toyota at 1-800-331-4331.
- The problem
- On certain sport utility and hybrid vehicles, the two retaining clips for the driver's side forward center console can become loose. If both clips separate from the floor carpet cover, the cover may lean toward the accelerator pedal, causing interference with the accelerator pedal rod.
- The risk
- This condition may interfere with the accelerator pedal returning to the idle position increasing the risk of a crash.
- The fix
- Dealers will replace the two floor carpet cover retaining clips free of charge. The recall began on july 24, 2006, and should be completed by early september 2006. Owners may contact toyota at 1-800-331-4331 or lexus at 1-800-255-3987.
- The problem
- Certain sport utility vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 210, "Seat belt assembly anchorages." The anchor bolt for the rear, left-hand side seat belt buckle directly behind the driver's seat does not have sufficient strength.
- The risk
- The rear seat occupant may not be properly restrained in the event of a crash.
- The fix
- Dealers will replace free of charge the rear, left-hand side seat belt buckle anchor bolt with an improved one. The recall began on february 3, 2006. Owners may contact lexus at 800-255-3987.
- The problem
- Certain passenger vehicles may be equipped with an improperly designed brake light switch. A silicon oxide build-up occurs on the contacts inside the brake light switch, which can make it inoperable.
- The risk
- If the switch is inoperable, the brake lights will not illuminate and can increase the risk of a crash.
- The fix
- Dealers will replace the brake light switch. The recall began during december 2004. Owners should contact toyota at 1-800-331-4331.
What owners say
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327 complaints about the 2004 Lexus RX330
Newest first, as filed with NHTSA by owners. Page 1 of 14.
Odometer reading in vehicle doesn't match information on carfax, zilocar, or title reading. Also sellers may have titled jumped vehicle. Recieved call from owner on title I recieved and she said that she had sold vehicle on 2/4/2026 to couple. I purchased vehicle on 2/13/2026 with her name on title. Odometer was correct mileage to carfax when she sold to buyers, yet changed when I purchased vehicle with about 150,000 mile differebce.
Dashboard crack in 2024, that started on passenger side near air vent, expanded recently causing the "passenger air bag off" alert to light up and stay on continually. If I were to have a passenger at the time of an accident, the air bag might not deploy, which would be a safety issue. This could possibly lead to a liability issue, so I have not had any passengers but that isn't sustainable, so I contacted the dealer. I was told that the previous recall for cracked dashboards ended in 2017 and that it was cosmetic...
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only, not safety related, but that the part was available for $964.50, not including labor, tax, etc. I feel that a safety related recall should be issued, the previously known dash cracking problem didn't end when their recall did, the fact that my vehicle is primarily garaged preserved the interior integrity, I don't believe I should be penalized for my dash not cracking 8 years earlier. Thank you for your consideration.
Power steering very stiff and difficult to steer vsc light on and air bags light goes on and off and unknown cause.
I was driving with the driver's seat heater turned on. While I were traveling, I noticed that the seat heater was very hot, so I turned it off. I arrived at my destination and parked the vehicle for about two hours. I did not turn the seat heater back on when you returned to the vehicle. I was removing snow from the vehicle with the driver's door open and some of the snow landed on the driver's seat. When I brushed the snow off the seat, I noticed a burn mark in the seat cushion. I called Lexus USA to report this 2...
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days later and showed my local dealer (Lexus of Portland) and they had never seen this before. Here is the response from Lexus today: "In response to your concerns, a vehicle inspection was conducted by a Lexus Field Technical Specialist (FTS) on January 19, 2022 at Bud Clary Toyota of Yakima. A visual inspection confirmed there was a small 6mm x 7mm burn hole in the driver's seat leather cover on the bottom cushion. The hole was in the outer bolster portion of the bottom cushion. Resistance was checked through the seat warmer grid. The seat back was recorded at .7 ohms and the seat bottom had an open circuit. The seat cover was removed to examine the seat heater grid. Two wires were found near each other at the burn area. One wire was broken at the location. Our FTS disconnected the seat heater switch after the inspection was completed." They left me with now 2 non functioning seat heaters by disconnecting it during a cold winter. They did not offer any sort of assistance or recommendations for next steps, I feel like they hung me out to dry.
I purchased the vehicle on 17th of june 2021. I noticed the dashboard is cracked really bad. I did research on the lexus dashboards and found previous recalls on the lexus dashbaords including the 2004 rx330 models. How can I get this fixed if the recall is not listed for the vin number on my vegicle?
Dashboard cracking even though windshield screen used when not in garage. Vehicle kept in home garage as well as garage at hospital while I worked.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 lexus rx330. The contact stated that while inspecting the interior of the vehicle, he noticed that the dashboard on the driver's and passenger's side air bag enclosure area was cracked. Pohanka lexus (13909 lee jackson memorial highway, chantilly, va 20151, (703) 968-9100) was informed of the failure. The contact was informed that the vin was not under recall. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure however, no further assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 103,000.
Was on freeway, heard a loud pop , looked around and everything looked ok, saw something fly off vehicle in rearview mirror. Now there is a sound of wind rushing, check windows all closed, decided to pull of freeway to see if there was damaged to vehicle . Stopped got out did not notice anything up till we looked at the roof an saw a hole. Looked like it blow out not in , did not notice in the car because sunroof cover was closed.
Daughter was driving, conditions were dry, sunny fall weather. Avg speed 45 mph, light turned yellow, vehicle in front started to slow down, daughter applied brakes, pedal went to floor, no slowing down, repeatedly pushed brake and applied full force, car did not slow down, hit other vehicle, totaling the lexus. Airbags did not deploy until after my daughter hit the steering wheel. Witness reported seeing my daughter trying to brake but the car not responding. No evidence of tire marks on the road
Dealership inspection. Disclosure-satisfactory throughout the list actual inspector-visible leaks to the naked eye when looking under the car. I was misled in this purchase as there are problems with this vehicle that were not disclosed to me before purchase. *Tr
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 lexus rx. The contact stated that the dashboard was crumbling and melting. The failure was present near the passenger side airbag housing of the dashboard. The cause of the failure was not determined. The local dealer (butler lexus located at 4025 jonesboro rd, union city ga) and the manufacturer were notified but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 140,000.
Melting/cracked dashboard passenger side - smells of chemicals - does this affect passenger airbag deployment? I have owned this vehicle for 4 years and was never notified of any programs - dash first started melting/cracking about 6-8 months ago long after their consumer enhancement program went away.
Sunroof glass spontaneously broke while driving on a city street, approximately 40 mph, in a straight line, on smooth pavement.
Have had to replace radiator 3 times & will need a 4th at this time, since 2015, was bought used in 2014. !St replacement 2015 2nd) 2016, 3rd) 2017, and now needs again. Many websites state many different problems related to my vehicle, as well as others of a new year ie; 2005, 2006. Lexus claims vin is the only source to verify if needs fixing stated to me, yet a websource clublexus.Com/forum shows a statement by lexus stating the issue is not by vin alone but by make model & year. A local radiator shop in western...
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stated to me via phone that lexus dealership service for a while in past had ordered many, many radiators because as it was stated some kind of electrical issue was causing the antifreeze to become acidic and destroying radiator from within. This is another not well known issue with this model that seems to have not been made public that I can find. My radiator mechanic that replaced mine 2 of the 3 times stated that the radiator was leaking could not find any other issues in 2015, & 2017. This implies that the issue stated from previous stated website isn't even the issue that I'm experiencing. My closest lexus dealership is aware of the acidic problem based on statement given to me by the local radiator ship rep that I talked to.
While driving on a city street, the cable holding the spare tire (spare tire carrier part #51900-0e012) under the car, broke and spare tire and accessories for it fell into street into traffic creating a hazzard
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 lexus rx330. The contact received a recall notification for an unknown recall. The contact referenced technical service bulletin number: pol14-03 (cracked dashboard). The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. West side lexus (12000 katy fwy, houston, tx 77079, (281) 558-3030) was contacted and confirmed that the parts were not available for the recall remedy. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and was not able to...
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confirm when the parts were to become available. The contact stated that the vehicle was also included in nhtsa campaign number: 11v112000 (vehicle speed control). The contact had not experienced a failure.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 lexus rx330. The contact received a recall notification for an unknown recall. The contact referenced technical service bulletin number: pol14-03 (cracked dashboard). The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. West side lexus (12000 katy fwy, houston, tx 77079, (281) 558-3030) was contacted and confirmed that the parts were not available for the recall remedy. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and was not able to...
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confirm when the parts were to become available. The contact stated that the vehicle was also included in nhtsa campaign number: 11v112000 (vehicle speed control). The contact had not experienced a failure.
The red plastic housing that the taillight is in is melted, the lights are still working, but the red plastic around the bulb has melted on both the right and left rear brake lights
Sunroof exploded on highway going 60 mph temperature at 35 degrees.
Cruise control will not turn on, cannot operate while car is in motion on the highway. 12
The dashboard is cracking up bad and when I'm driving I be herring poping sound coming from the dashboard and when the heat is on it be making load sound
THE DASHBOARD IS CRACKING UP VERY BAD
Recently there was a popping sound while the vehicle was turned on and was stationary. It resulted in cracks on the front passenger side dashboard. I am scared to drive the vehicle as I do not know what happened. Is there a lexus recall for the same problem?
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 lexus rx330. The contact stated that the dashboard experienced severe cracking. The contact was concerned that the debris from the cracking could potentially become shrapnel that could cause injury in the event of an air bag deployment. The vehicle was not diagnosed. The manufacturer was contacted and did not assist since it was considered a cosmetic failure. The failure mileage was 116,000.
We lately have had dashboard cracks or melting although we have garage maintained our car very carefully with very low mileage of 70,000 only. This is not healthy and very harmful to our lexus experience. By the way, we haven't had such cracks until now due to our well maintenance so that we missed dashboard recall which was expired on may 31 2017.
Lexus RX330: every year compared
All RX330 years2004 Lexus RX330 vs rivals
| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Grade | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 Lexus RX330 | 327 | 5 | F | |
| 2004 Lexus ES330 | 190 | 1 | D | Compare |
| 2004 Lexus GX470 | 85 | 1 | F | Compare |
| 2004 Lexus LS430 | 36 | 0 | C | Compare |
| 2004 Lexus IS300 | 29 | 0 | C | Compare |
| 2004 Lexus IS300 Sportcross | 29 | 0 | - | Compare |
| 2004 Lexus LX470 | 18 | 3 | D | Compare |
| 2004 Lexus SC430 | 14 | 1 | C | Compare |
| 2004 Lexus GS300 | 8 | 0 | B | Compare |
More sales usually means more complaints, so compare similar vehicles of the same year. The grade compares each vehicle with its own model's other years.
Questions about the 2004 Lexus RX330
Does the 2004 Lexus RX330 have any recalls?
Yes - NHTSA lists 5 recalls for the 2004 Lexus RX330: engine and engine cooling (November 2011); accelerator pedal (February 2011); accelerator pedal (July 2006); rear / other (January 2006) and more. Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see whether yours has been fixed.
What are the most common problems with the 2004 Lexus RX330?
By the complaints owners filed with NHTSA, the most common problem areas are the transmission & drivetrain (74), brakes (68), body, doors & structure (47).
How many complaints has the 2004 Lexus RX330 had?
327 complaints have been filed with NHTSA, the first on June 17, 2003 and the latest on February 28, 2026. Of these, 38 describe a crash and 2 a fire, and together they report 28 injuries and 3 deaths.
Is the 2004 Lexus RX330 a reliable vehicle?
Its Safety Index is 10 out of 100 (grade F: far more problems than a typical Lexus RX330 year, for its age). The index weighs complaints, crashes, fires, injuries, deaths and recalls against how long the vehicle has been on the road, compared with the same model's other years. It is not a measure of every repair - read the complaints and owner experiences, and have any used vehicle inspected before you buy.
Which Lexus RX330 years have the most complaints?
2004 (327), 2005 (192), 2006 (99). See every Lexus RX330 year compared.
What should I do if my 2004 Lexus RX330 has a problem?
If it is a safety problem, stop driving it if it is unsafe and contact your dealer. Report it to NHTSA at nhtsa.gov/report-a-safety-problem - enough reports start investigations and recalls - and share your experience here so other owners know what to look for.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) complaints and recalls, checked . Complaints are owners' own reports and are not verified. How we use the data