When I first bought the new Lexus GX550 last year, July 2024, at Lexus of Seattle, the dealership sale team and management knew that there was a dent on the driver side panel, forward of the driver door, but chose not to let me know at the beginning. After finishing the sale process and ready to drive the vehicle out of the dealership, I had noticed that there was a dent at noted location. At that time, the sale team and management admitted that they knew about the damage but forgot about it. I took the photos of the damage and elevated to the general manager.
Back to the electrical malfunction issues. The first incident happened back in April. The computer’s software malfunctions and failures, caused various systems in my Lexus to shut down, the dashboard instrumentation was turned off, almost everything shut down completely including the head up display (HUD). The only things left on were the speed digital number/meter, odometer, digital fuel meter and some driving assists remained functional. I contacted the dealership, Lexus of Seattle, to report the issue before driving my car to the dealership. I spoke with a technician for couple minutes then I reset all the connections including deleting my vehicle profile and factory resetting my personal phone (iPhone 16 Pro Max). After the reset, everything seems to be working again. No action has been taken from Lexus of Seattle to perform any type of diagnostic or inspection at the time.
The second incident happened on August 5th, around 11:00pm, and lasted about 15 minutes. Similar to the first incident, a recurring issue has been observed where the vehicle’s dashboard instrumentation or infotainment system shut down while driving, very much everything turned off completely including the head up display. The only things left on were the speed digital number/meter, odometer, digital fuel meter and some driving assists remained functional. Additionally, this time, some areas and buttons of the multimedia screen have been flashing. This type of issue could indicate a problem with the vehicle’s electrical system, potentially stemming from the battery, alternator, wiring, or the instrument cluster itself.
When I got home, I reset my personal phone, reset the multimedia system, disconnected and cleared the CarPlay, cleared my profile from the vehicle. Turned off the engine and waited for over 5 minutes then turned back on but nothing happened. I have done this several times, but these actions did not resolve the issue. The next morning, everything went back to normal when I started the engine. I contacted my dealership, Lexus of Seattle, and scheduled to bring my vehicle in for diagnostics and inspections. I brought my vehicle to the dealership, spent almost an hour talking to a technician. Again, no action has been taken from Lexus of Seattle to perform any type of diagnostic or inspection at the time.
The third incident happened on August 15th, similar to the second incident, but the different is this time, everything was flashing. The Lexus application on my phone interfered with my phone itself, I couldn’t use the camera to record what happened. I ended up resetting my personal phone, reset the multimedia system, disconnected and cleared the CarPlay, cleared my profile from the vehicle.
This is very frustrating and disappointing, especially after investing a significant amount of money in a brand-new Lexus. Lexus should stand behind its own name to ensure producing a Quality product. This is my first Lexus and also first experience in my 29 years of driving. Given that the problem persists, I am seeking for Lexus further action with professional assistance to help correcting the issue. Continuing to drive with an intermittent electrical issue or malfunctioning electrical system could be unsafe, as it could potentially lead to a complete loss of power and affect vehicle control.
I’ve scheduled another service appointment, and I took my vehicle to Lexus of Seattle earlier today around 1:00pm for diagnostics and inspections. I’ve found out the nothing has been documented or reported in the dealership system when pulling up my account and vehicle history at the dealership. This is unprofessional and unacceptable service.
My vehicle has been in the Lexus of Seattle dealership service department for almost a month due to electrical systems failure and malfunctioning, Lexus has agreed to replace the dashboard instrumentation. On 09/13/202, I have received a call with message from Lexus of Seattle stating that my vehicle is done and ready for pickup. I contacted the service manager at 11:13am and told him that I am not available to pick up my vehicle on the weekend due to family and personal reasons, I told the service manager that I will pick up my vehicle on Monday and he told me that don’t worry, it would be fine. At 3:40pm, I have received a text message from the same manager stating that if I am using a loaner vehicle, I need to plan to return it within 24 hours to avoid late fees. What kind of service is this…? They should know that people are busy with their work and life, and we cannot just sitting around waiting for the dealership to contact us. If Lexus really designs a Quality vehicle, I don’t have to go through all these fiascos.
Here is my personal point of view on the new Lexus GX550. Don’t make the same mistake as mine, you will regret that. Beside the big multimedia screen, the vehicle just looks like you’re taking a Toyota 4 Runner and put in 3 rows of seats in, cheap interior materials and nothing special. According to the dealership, The new GX has gears shifting error and has not been corrected on addressed for almost two years. Now with the dashboard instrumentation and multimedia unit electrical systems failure and malfunctioning, Lexus only offers a replacement for it, still there is no solution on correcting their software issue. With that amount of money, you should consider looking at other luxury lines like Porsche, Mercedes Benz, BMW etc…
According to Google AI, common issues with the Lexus GX 550 include harsh transmission downshifts, particularly from second to first gear, hood flutter which is a visual wobble of the hood at highway speeds, and noisy or squeaking brakes at low speeds. Other concerns mentioned by owners are poor fuel economy, lack of cabin storage, and a fragile windshield that can easily crack.
Transmission Issues
Hood Flutter
Brakes
Back to the electrical malfunction issues. The first incident happened back in April. The computer’s software malfunctions and failures, caused various systems in my Lexus to shut down, the dashboard instrumentation was turned off, almost everything shut down completely including the head up display (HUD). The only things left on were the speed digital number/meter, odometer, digital fuel meter and some driving assists remained functional. I contacted the dealership, Lexus of Seattle, to report the issue before driving my car to the dealership. I spoke with a technician for couple minutes then I reset all the connections including deleting my vehicle profile and factory resetting my personal phone (iPhone 16 Pro Max). After the reset, everything seems to be working again. No action has been taken from Lexus of Seattle to perform any type of diagnostic or inspection at the time.
The second incident happened on August 5th, around 11:00pm, and lasted about 15 minutes. Similar to the first incident, a recurring issue has been observed where the vehicle’s dashboard instrumentation or infotainment system shut down while driving, very much everything turned off completely including the head up display. The only things left on were the speed digital number/meter, odometer, digital fuel meter and some driving assists remained functional. Additionally, this time, some areas and buttons of the multimedia screen have been flashing. This type of issue could indicate a problem with the vehicle’s electrical system, potentially stemming from the battery, alternator, wiring, or the instrument cluster itself.
When I got home, I reset my personal phone, reset the multimedia system, disconnected and cleared the CarPlay, cleared my profile from the vehicle. Turned off the engine and waited for over 5 minutes then turned back on but nothing happened. I have done this several times, but these actions did not resolve the issue. The next morning, everything went back to normal when I started the engine. I contacted my dealership, Lexus of Seattle, and scheduled to bring my vehicle in for diagnostics and inspections. I brought my vehicle to the dealership, spent almost an hour talking to a technician. Again, no action has been taken from Lexus of Seattle to perform any type of diagnostic or inspection at the time.
The third incident happened on August 15th, similar to the second incident, but the different is this time, everything was flashing. The Lexus application on my phone interfered with my phone itself, I couldn’t use the camera to record what happened. I ended up resetting my personal phone, reset the multimedia system, disconnected and cleared the CarPlay, cleared my profile from the vehicle.
This is very frustrating and disappointing, especially after investing a significant amount of money in a brand-new Lexus. Lexus should stand behind its own name to ensure producing a Quality product. This is my first Lexus and also first experience in my 29 years of driving. Given that the problem persists, I am seeking for Lexus further action with professional assistance to help correcting the issue. Continuing to drive with an intermittent electrical issue or malfunctioning electrical system could be unsafe, as it could potentially lead to a complete loss of power and affect vehicle control.
I’ve scheduled another service appointment, and I took my vehicle to Lexus of Seattle earlier today around 1:00pm for diagnostics and inspections. I’ve found out the nothing has been documented or reported in the dealership system when pulling up my account and vehicle history at the dealership. This is unprofessional and unacceptable service.
My vehicle has been in the Lexus of Seattle dealership service department for almost a month due to electrical systems failure and malfunctioning, Lexus has agreed to replace the dashboard instrumentation. On 09/13/202, I have received a call with message from Lexus of Seattle stating that my vehicle is done and ready for pickup. I contacted the service manager at 11:13am and told him that I am not available to pick up my vehicle on the weekend due to family and personal reasons, I told the service manager that I will pick up my vehicle on Monday and he told me that don’t worry, it would be fine. At 3:40pm, I have received a text message from the same manager stating that if I am using a loaner vehicle, I need to plan to return it within 24 hours to avoid late fees. What kind of service is this…? They should know that people are busy with their work and life, and we cannot just sitting around waiting for the dealership to contact us. If Lexus really designs a Quality vehicle, I don’t have to go through all these fiascos.
Here is my personal point of view on the new Lexus GX550. Don’t make the same mistake as mine, you will regret that. Beside the big multimedia screen, the vehicle just looks like you’re taking a Toyota 4 Runner and put in 3 rows of seats in, cheap interior materials and nothing special. According to the dealership, The new GX has gears shifting error and has not been corrected on addressed for almost two years. Now with the dashboard instrumentation and multimedia unit electrical systems failure and malfunctioning, Lexus only offers a replacement for it, still there is no solution on correcting their software issue. With that amount of money, you should consider looking at other luxury lines like Porsche, Mercedes Benz, BMW etc…
According to Google AI, common issues with the Lexus GX 550 include harsh transmission downshifts, particularly from second to first gear, hood flutter which is a visual wobble of the hood at highway speeds, and noisy or squeaking brakes at low speeds. Other concerns mentioned by owners are poor fuel economy, lack of cabin storage, and a fragile windshield that can easily crack.
Transmission Issues
- Harsh Downshifts:
- Luggish Upshifts:
- Temporary Fixes:
Hood Flutter
- Visible Movement:
- Dealership Fixes:
Brakes
- Squeaking at Low Speeds: Owners have reported noisy or squeaking brakes, particularly at very low speeds or when reversing.
- Fuel Economy: The GX 550 is noted for having poor gas mileage.
- Cabin Storage: There is a lack of storage space within the cabin, with some owners using the cup holder for their sunglasses.
- Windshield Fragility: Some owners have found the windshield to be fragile, with a tendency to crack easily from rock chips.
- Lumbar Support: The lumbar support in the seats may deflate quickly after being set.
- Lift-gate Lock Button: The lock button on the lift-gate doesn't always work correctly.
