The second generation of the Lexus GX460 has been basically hanging around since the late 2000s, getting only a facelift back in the year 2014. If you are new to the automotive world, just know that the GX460 is based on Toyota's indestructible Land Cruiser series of SUVs, this time around on the smaller one named Prado. All the luxury and in-your-face designs you see are backed up by some seriously reliable (but dated) hardware. The recall and complaint numbers on this SUV have always been on the lower side all its life. You could call the low sales number a reason for this, but even if it was high, we don’t expect the complaints to shoot up. The Lexus GX460 might not be the most attractive or exciting package around for an asking base price of $50,780, but in the company of SUVs like the Land Rover Discovery, the BMW X5, and the Audi Q7, longevity is something that it could easily vouch for. So does the Lexus GX460 have issues? Let’s take a look.
2016 Lexus GX460 User Complaints and Problems
Mechanical Complaints
- Service brakes issues- The brakes on the 2016 Lexus GX460 tend to release for a fraction of a second even if the pedal has been completely depressed. Owners complain about the vehicle lurching forwards unexpectedly when this happens only nearly missing other cars when stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic. Even though the dealer is made aware of the issues, no solutions could be brought up as the issue couldn’t be replicated a second time.
Electric System complaints
- Navigation screen issues- The radio-navigation system on the 2016 Lexus GX460 has been reported to go into repeated reboot cycles when the USB ports are in use by a device. Some owners report that it comes to normal function when the vehicle is restarted while others are forced to disconnect battery terminals. A software update was released to fix this issue as well as various other software niggles with the media unit.
Structural complaints
- Air suspension problems- Not a widespread issue, but the rear height control air suspension on the Lexus GX460 is susceptible to a few issues. Balancing issues, leaks, and compressor failure are some known problems and repairs do easily cost over $1,000. Well-maintained vehicles have a low chance of this ever happening but it definitely is something rather expensive to watch out for.
Safety Complaints
- Airbags- Airbag issues and warning lights are pretty common on the Lexus GX460, especially on vehicles that have received a previous recall. The units are known to malfunction and even have one reported instance of injury due to faulty airbag deployment. Two recalls (IDs- 19V471000 and 19V005000) have been initiated in the following years to rectify this issue,
2016 Lexus GX460 Recalls
|
S. No |
Date |
NHTSA ID |
Issues Noticed |
Additional Remarks |
Remedy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
17th October 2019 |
19V741000 |
The front airbag inflator may explode. |
The driver or passenger frontal airbag inflators were previously replaced under a prior recall using inflators of the same design. The inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature, and temperature cycling, which can result in serious injury to the occupants. |
Toyota will notify the owners. Depending on the vehicle model, dealers will replace the front driver inflator, front passenger airbag inflator, the airbag assembly, or the front passenger airbag sub-assembly and inflator. The recall began on November 20, 2019. |
|
2 |
9th January 2019 |
19V005000 |
The front airbag inflator may explode. |
vehicles are equipped with airbag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal airbag modules, used as original equipment or replacement equipment (such as after a vehicle crash necessitating replacement of the original airbags), that may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling, which can result in serious injury to the occupants. |
Toyota will notify the owners. Depending on the vehicle model, dealers will replace the front passenger airbag inflator, or replace the airbag assembly. The recall on began February 15, 2019. |
Should you buy a used 2016 Lexus GX460?
If we just purely base it on the price, we would have a hard time recommending the Lexus GX460 over some of its modern and well-mannered competitors. But since we are talking about reliability and related aspects, we’re confident that there is pretty much nothing that can beat this Lexus say apart from the Toyota which it is based upon. Recall numbers are mostly non-existent if you consider the airbag fault as not an isolated issue for this specific vehicle. Even though the rankings for this SUV do fall to nearly the back of the pack, it still has a special place in everyone’s heart for even existing as that tough and indestructible luxury SUV.
