No-start or intermittent start failure on the 2017 Lexus Rx350
Only 3 reports for this mode came with an odometer reading, which is too few for percentiles to mean anything. The page is here because someone linked to it; treat the figures as anecdotes, and see the full report for this year instead.
When no-start or intermittent start failure gets reported
There are 3 reports of no-start or intermittent start failure on the 2017 Lexus Rx350, 3 with a mileage attached. That is too few to place the failure on the odometer with any confidence.
A part like this is normally expected to survive 88,000 miles. It is the 7th most-reported problem on this model year.
The whole distribution
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | — | 2,000 miles | — | — |
Read the 10th percentile as “one report in ten arrived this early”. Exact figures are shown in this table because it is the table of record; everywhere else on the site they are rounded to the precision the sample can carry.
What a percentile can and cannot tell you here
These five numbers describe the readings owners gave, in order. The median is the middle one: half the reports arrived below it. The 10th and 90th are the edges of the bulk of the distribution, and the distance between them is the part worth reading. A tight spread — say 70,000 to 95,000 miles — points at something that wears out on a schedule, and the schedule is knowable. A wide one, 20,000 to 190,000, points at a fault that hits some cars and never troubles others, which means the mileage on the listing in front of you tells you very little about your odds.
What these figures are not is a survival curve. Every reading here comes from a car whose owner filed a complaint, so the sample contains only failures: it cannot say what share of the fleet made it past 150,000 miles untouched, because those owners had nothing to report. Nor is the mileage the moment of failure — it is the odometer reading as recalled at the time of filing, which may be weeks later and is sometimes rounded to the nearest ten thousand by the person typing it.
Percentiles are shown at all only once 8 readings exist for the vehicle and mode. Below that the middle of a handful of numbers is noise wearing a decimal point, so the figures are withheld rather than dressed up.
What happens, and what it costs
Putting it right typically runs $200–$1,800 at an independent US shop. That range is an editorial estimate held in this site's failure-mode catalogue, not a figure from NHTSA, and it is a repair cost rather than a diagnosis cost.
The same failure, every year of the Lexus Rx350
If one year stands out to the left, that is the year to avoid; if the whole line sits at a similar mileage, this is wear rather than a defect in one production run.
Tick median reported mileage Solid middle half of reports Faint 10th to 90th percentile Colour how bad the failure is when it happens
What owners wrote
Verbatim from NHTSA complaint narratives, trimmed for length. The mileage is the one the owner gave.
In order to start the car, the brake must be pressed. However, if the car sits without use for several days, the brake pedal cannot be pressed down and the car will not start. A warning light indicates that "brake power is low, stop in a safe place". Attached is a picture of the warning light. The car can generally be subsequently started by either waiting several minutes or exerting a lot of pressure on the brake pedal, and the warning light disappears. I've had many conversations with lexus service and lexus corporate office. They've said that this condition exists with "every 2016-2018 rx 350" and is not unique to my car. They've also said this condition cannot be repaired, despite the fact that the warning light indicates it is dangerous to drive the car. Lexus confirmed that despite the fact the condition occurs after the car has sat for a period of time, it is not a battery issue and likely occurs because of pressure lost in the brake system. Although I question lexus' statements that this condition exists with every car, it is disconcerting that they cannot or will not fix a condition that may be dangerous to continue…
In order to start the car, the brake must be pressed. However, if the car sits without use for several days, the brake pedal cannot be pressed down and the car will not start. A warning light indicates that "brake power is low, stop in a safe place". Attached is a picture of the warning light. The car can generally be subsequently started by either waiting several minutes or exerting a lot of pressure on the brake pedal, and the warning light disappears. I've had many conversations with lexus service and lexus corporate office. They've said that this condition exists with "every 2016-2018 rx 350" and is not unique to my car. They've also said this condition cannot be repaired, despite the fact that the warning light indicates it is dangerous to drive the car. Lexus confirmed that despite the fact the condition occurs after the car has sat for a period of time, it is not a battery issue and likely occurs because of pressure lost in the brake system. Although I question lexus' statements that this condition exists with every car, it is disconcerting that they cannot or will not fix a condition that may be dangerous to continue…
I purchased the new car in september 2017. On november 17, 2017, at approximately 1,500 miles, after the car was sitting in the garage for 2 days, it would not start--the message on the console stated "brake power low stop in a safe place." the car was towed to the dealer where the brake power booster was replaced. On february 3, 2018, at approximately, 2,893 miles the same event occurred after the car sat in the garage for two days and the car was towed to the dealer again. The service consultant stated "there seems to be an issue with pressure in the brake system". The service consultant stated lexus is aware of the issue, but a fix has not been found. The consultant stated the workaround is to depress the brake pedal as hard as you can, wait for the ignition key symbol to show on the console and then press the ignition key. On february 16, 2018, I received a text from the dealership that there was a software upgrade out for the low brake pressure. I returned the car to the dealer. On 2/21/2018, I received a text from the dealer stating the car is ready for pickup. The workorder simply stated "technician performed tsb#…
Also reported on the 2017 Lexus Rx350
Other fuel system problem
Other brake problem
Other speed control problem
Other engine problem
Other powertrain problem
Other driver assistance problem
How far this goes
This page is kept out of search results because 3 reports is not enough to publish percentiles from. It stays reachable because somebody looking at this exact car would rather see the reports than be told there are none.
Complaints are voluntary, so 3 is a floor and not a count of affected cars. Mileages are typed in by owners and cluster on round numbers. And the mode itself is assigned by software reading the complaint text, which is reliable in bulk and fallible one report at a time.
Questions this page answers
At what mileage does no-start or intermittent start failure happen on the 2017 Lexus Rx350?
Across 3 owner reports that included an odometer reading, half were filed by 2,000 miles. A quarter were filed before — and a quarter after —. These are the mileages owners reported when they complained, not a prediction for any individual car.
How common is no-start or intermittent start failure on the 2017 Lexus Rx350?
3 reports have been filed with NHTSA, about 0.1 per 1,000 vehicles. Complaints are voluntary, so this is a floor rather than a count of affected cars.
What this is and is not. These are the mileages at which owners chose to complain to a federal agency, which is not the same as the mileage at which the part fails on every car. It skews toward failures that happened outside warranty, cost real money, or frightened someone. It is still the only public dataset that carries failure mileage at all, and the shape of a few hundred readings is informative even when a single one is not. Methodology · JSON · this failure on other cars
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