2003 Lexus Lx470: what breaks, and at what mileage
What breaks on the 2003 Lexus Lx470
On the 2003 Lexus Lx470, the failure owners report most often is master cylinder or brake booster failure, with 3 reports on file. Across every failure mode on this year, half the dated reports were filed before 155,000 miles. Overall it scores 58 out of 100, elevated risk for a 2003.
Elevated risk for a 2003 — 323rd riskiest of the 330 2003 vehicles we can rate. 24 owner reports; fleet size estimated from this year's own recall paperwork.
What owners report breaking
Owners have reported 13 named failure modes on the 2003 Lexus Lx470, and the three most-reported carry 38% of everything filed.
Master cylinder or brake booster failure leads with 3 reports and about 0.2 per 1,000 vehicles.
Steering column or shaft failure follows with 3 reports, median 170,000 miles.
Other steering problem follows with 3 reports, median 130,000 miles.
By system, the reports fall mostly into steering (6), brakes (5) and engine (3).
When these failures get reported
15 of the reports on the 2003 Lexus Lx470 came with an odometer reading, and half of those were filed before 155,000 miles.
Cumulatively, 7% by 50,000 miles, 27% by 100,000 miles and 47% by 150,000 miles of the dated reports had been filed, with 4 filed above the top of the chart.
The busiest stretch is between 70,000 and 80,000 miles, which alone holds 13% of the dated reports.
7% of the dated reports were filed below 36,000 miles, so this is mostly a story about older, higher-mileage cars.
Tick median reported mileage Solid middle half of reports Faint 10th to 90th percentile Colour how bad the failure is when it happens
Showing the 12 most-reported failure modes of 13. The full list is in the table below.
How reports accumulate
Every report with an odometer reading, cumulative, from 0 to 200,000 miles. A further 4 reports came in above that, which is why the line stops short of the top. A curve that climbs early is a car with early problems, whatever its total.
- Line share of reports filed by that mileage
- Dashed the median reported mileage
Severity, and what it costs
The average severity weight across every report on this year is 4.54, where a stalled engine or a failed airbag weighs many times more than a rattling trim panel, and a figure this high means the reports are dominated by failures with safety consequences rather than annoyances. The weighting is set out in full on the methodology page.
What the top failures cost to put right, as editorial estimates for an independent US shop rather than figures from NHTSA: master cylinder or brake booster failure at $450–$2,200, steering column or shaft failure at $600–$2,500, other steering problem at $350–$2,400 and misfire or rough idle at $250–$1,600. Dealer labour, a seized bolt or a part that is no longer made can push any of these past the top of its range.
13% of the reports on this year sit in the engine, transmission, drivetrain or cooling systems — the four where a repair bill is usually four figures.
Every reported failure mode
| Failure mode | System | Reports | With reading | 25th | Median | 75th | Per 1,000 | Typical repair | Severity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Master cylinder or brake booster failure | brakes | 3 | 3 | — | 155k | — | 0.2 | $450–$2,200 | Critical |
| Steering column or shaft failure | steering | 3 | 2 | — | 170k | — | 0.2 | $600–$2,500 | Critical |
| Other steering problem | steering | 3 | 3 | — | 129k | — | 0.2 | $350–$2,400 | High |
| Misfire or rough idle | engine | 2 | 2 | — | 260k | — | 0.1 | $250–$1,600 | Moderate |
| Fuel tank, filler or EVAP failure | fuel | 2 | 2 | — | 101k | — | 0.1 | $250–$1,800 | Moderate |
| Other brake problem | brakes | 2 | 1 | — | 91k | — | 0.1 | $300–$1,800 | High |
| Engine bay fire | engine | 1 | 1 | — | 260k | — | 0.1 | $4,000–$20,000 | Critical |
| Instrument cluster or gauge failure | infotainment | 1 | 1 | — | 76k | — | 0.1 | $350–$1,400 | Moderate |
| Child seat anchor or tether failure | airbag | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.1 | $150–$700 | High |
| Other electrical problem | electrical | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.1 | $250–$2,000 | Moderate |
| Other lighting problem | lighting | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.1 | $120–$1,200 | Moderate |
| Other visibility problem | glass | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.1 | $150–$1,400 | Moderate |
| Other body or interior problem | body | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.1 | $200–$2,000 | Moderate |
| Unclassified problem | other | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.1 | — | Moderate |
Rate per 1,000 uses a fleet-size estimate derived from recall paperwork for this exact model year. It is a lower bound. Repair costs are typical independent-shop ranges for the failure, not figures from these reports.
How often, against how many were built
Scaled by an estimate of how many of these cars exist, the 2003 Lexus Lx470 draws about 1.3 per 1,000 vehicles, which puts it in the 74th percentile of complaint rates among 2003 vehicles we can rate.
That denominator is the weakest number on the page and it is fair to say so plainly. Rate per 1,000 uses a fleet-size estimate derived from recall paperwork for this exact model year. It is a lower bound.
The working figure is 17,800 vehicles. If the true number is twice that, every rate on this page is half what it says; the ranking against other 2003 vehicles, which is what the risk score uses, is far more robust than the rate itself.
What owners wrote
Verbatim from NHTSA complaint narratives, trimmed for length. The odometer reading is the one the owner gave.
Master cylinder or brake booster failure
We experienced a complete loss of the hydraulic braking system on our lexus lx 470 SUV while driving the vehicle. Shortly after the initial repair (grounding wire?) the system again failed. The system was again repaired by the dealership, with subsequent loss of the braking system for a third time almost resulting in a serious accident (children on board). The dealership called in the factory technician who diagnosed a problem with the actuator?as of this time the brakes are still not working even after repair of the actuator. This vehicle is a death trap waiting to happen. I was reading some technical bulletins and understand that some lexus suvs have had a problem with the brake booster. This is a life or death issue. Vehicles like this need to be recalled. *tr
I started the car up after dinner. About 2 minutes later four warnings lights related to the braking system went off (ABS vtrac brake vsc) followed by a long warning buzz and then a complete lost of braking power from the pedal and the handbrake. I was able to come to a complete stop and then tried to restart the vehicle to remedy the problem. It did not solve the problem and so for safety reason I called for a tow to the closest lexus dealership. The dealer at first told me I have to replace the brake master cylinder which costs about $3000 plus tax. However 30 minutes later they called me back and told me now the car is working fine after they've driven it for about 5 miles and couldn't replicate the symptoms. So I went to the dealer and picked up the vehicle. About three days later, the same thing happened away while I was going about 15mph. At first the four lights went on, and then the long buzz. The car still had some brake power which I managed to drive it back into my garage when the brake power then lost completely. I think with vehicle like this, especially weighing about 3 tons, there should be a backup system which…
Steering column or shaft failure
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 lexus lx470. The contact stated that the horn and gps did not function. In addition, some of the warning indicators did not illuminate. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the gps computer system needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the steering column was damaged due to a remedy of NHTSA campaign number: 10v346000 (steering). The spiral cable needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 170,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 lexus lx470. The contact stated that the horn and gps did not function. In addition, some of the warning indicators did not illuminate. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the gps computer system needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the steering column was damaged due to a remedy of NHTSA campaign number: 10v346000 (steering). The spiral cable needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 170,000.
Other steering problem
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 lexus lx470. The contact took the vehicle to an authorized dealer for recall 10v346000 (steering: gear: shaft pitman). After the repairs, the contact began to experience issues with the steering. The steering failed at times and the vgrs light illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken back to an authorized dealer who stated that only recall repairs had been performed. The contact called the manufacturer who sent two representatives to inspect the vehicles. The representatives stated that the vehicle was performing normally after they repaired it again (did not say what was repaired). The vehicle somehow slipped off the lift while at the dealer, hit the ground and bounced four times. The failure mileage was 129,299 and the current mileage was 130,000.
I was driving my lexus lx 470 to church on sunday october 26, 2014. While driving around 45 miles per hour, my vehicle's steering wheel suddenly turn 90 degrees to the right and the vehicle pulled over the cub. I was scared to death and nervous but luckily slammed on the breaks on time. The truck stopped and there was no accident because I was on the right lane and no other vehicle was beside me. After recovering from the shock, I looked at the dashboard and saw a red light with "vgrs" illuminated. I called home and told my husband the situation. He asked me to stay put and brought me our second car. He took the lexus home and started to research the problem. He found several complaint online about the same problem and realized that lexus company new about the problem but chose not to do anything about it. To be sure, he took the truck to our family mechanic who later confirmed the problem and the fact that lexus new about it for years 2003 to 2007. Our mechanic said that the lexus company had the same problem on their ls model and generated a recall for it. But for some reason we cannot explain, lexus company decided not to…
Recalls on the 2003 model year
NHTSA has issued 3 recall campaigns covering the 2003 Lexus Lx470, affecting an estimated 35,055 vehicles. A recall is a different kind of evidence from a complaint: it is the regulator and the manufacturer agreeing that something has to be fixed, and the fix is free for as long as the car exists.
The campaigns cover air bags:side/window, steering:gear box:shaft pitman and exterior lighting:headlights. Whether the work was actually done on the car in front of you is a question only the VIN can answer, and the manufacturer or NHTSA will answer it free.
One caution about reading these together: a recall usually raises the complaint count for the same part, because owners who read about it go and file. The mileages stay informative; the counts get noisy.
AIR BAGS:SIDE/WINDOW
320,409 vehicles 2016-02-05- Defect
- Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2003-2006 Toyota Land Cruiser and Lexus LX470, 2005-2006 Toyota Tundra and Sequoia, 2004-2006 Toyota 4Runner and Lexus GX470 vehicles equipped with side curtain-shield-air bags. The affected vehicles have an air bag control module that may be improperly programmed, causing the side curtain-shield-air bags to deploy inadvertently.
- Consequence
- If the side curtain-shield-air bags deploy unexpectedly, it can increase the risk of occupant injury.
- Remedy
- Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the air bag control module with one that has improved programming, free of charge. The recall began on December 1, 2016. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-271-9371. Toyota's number for this recall is G0C and GLB.
STEERING:GEAR BOX:SHAFT PITMAN
39,159 vehicles 2010-07-29- Defect
- Toyota is recalling certain model year 2003-2007 lexus lx470 vehicles. The construction of the steering shaft is such that the snap ring on the shaft may disengage when the vehicle experiences an unusually severe impact to the front wheels. If the snap ring becomes disengaged and the steering wheel is then repeatedly turned to the locked position, over time the steering shaft may become disconnected.
- Consequence
- This could result in loss of steering control increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the snap ring with a newly designed one and install an additional component which will prevent separation of the steering shaft. This service will be performed free of charge. The safety recall began on august 23, 2010. Owners may contact lexus at 1-800-255-3987.
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS
75,395 vehicles 2004-09-08- Defect
- Certain sport utility vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 108, "lamps, reflective devices, and associated equipment." the daytime running lights do not meet luminous intensity standard.
- Consequence
- This condition could blind the driver of a vehicle driving in the opposite direction, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will install a resistor, which will decrease the luminous intensity of the drl. Owner notification began june june 10, 2005. Owners should contact lexus at 1-800-255-3987.
Recall work is free at a franchised dealer regardless of the car's age. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before assuming it was done.
How it ranks in the 2003 field
The score at the top of the page, placed among its peers. The zones are the same thresholds the scorer applies, read out of the scorer itself, so the picture and the band word cannot disagree.
Scores are ranked within the model year, never across years, because an older car has had longer to accumulate reports.
- Left fewer and less serious reports
- Right more, or worse
- Marker this vehicle
Better and worse years of the same car
Elevated risk for a 2003 — 323rd riskiest of the 330 2003 vehicles we can rate. Every score on this site is a rank inside its own model year, which is what makes a 2004 and a 2019 comparable at all.
Within the 1998–2003 generation specifically, 2000 is the strongest year at 57 and 2003 the weakest at 58.
Scores compare each year against other cars of the same model year, so a low number on an older car is a real result and not an artefact of age.
Shorter is better. Years with too few reports to score are shown without a bar rather than as a zero, because no data is not good news.
Within the 1998-2003 generation, 2000 Lexus Lx470 scores best at 57 and 2003 Lexus Lx470 worst at 58.
Where these figures stop being useful
24 owner reports; fleet size estimated from this year's own recall paperwork. Every count on this page is therefore a floor: it is the number of owners who went to the trouble of filing with a federal agency, which is a small and self-selected fraction of the owners who had the fault.
Of those 24 reports, 15 carried an odometer reading, so the mileages here describe 63% of the sample rather than all of it. Owners also round: readings pile up on multiples of ten thousand, which is why this site publishes "about 90,000 miles" and not "91,438".
The failure modes are assigned by software reading the owner's own words, which is accurate in bulk and wrong in individual cases. A mode with a handful of reports may contain a misfiled one.
And nothing here predicts what one car will do. These are other people's complaints, filed years apart, on cars maintained by strangers. Read the page as a map of where this model year has previously gone wrong, then have the specific car in front of you inspected.
Questions this page answers
What are the most common problems with the 2003 Lexus Lx470?
The most-reported failures are master cylinder or brake booster failure (3 reports, median 155,000 miles), steering column or shaft failure (3 reports, median 170,000 miles) and other steering problem (3 reports, median 130,000 miles). Counts come from owner complaints filed with NHTSA, which are voluntary, so they show what owners bothered to report rather than every fault that occurred.
Is the 2003 Lexus Lx470 reliable?
It scores 58 out of 100 on our risk index, which is elevated — 323rd riskiest of the 330 2003 vehicles we can rate. The score is a comparison against other 2003 vehicles, not a prediction about any individual car, and it is built from complaint rates, severity and how early failures appear.
Which year of the Lexus Lx470 is best?
Within the 1998–2003 generation, 2000 scores best at 57 out of 100 and 2003 worst at 58. Same body, same engines, different luck.
Where this comes from. Every figure above is computed from NHTSA owner complaints and recall records for this exact make, model and year. Complaints are voluntary and self-selected, so treat counts as a floor. The methodology page writes out each formula, and the same numbers are available as JSON.
What breaks at my mileage Compare with another car
Source Owner complaints and recall records published by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, model years 1996–2027 Figures rebuilt Published by AtWhatMileage How every figure is computed