No one wants to experience a scare while driving. It’s unnerving and makes you want to avoid that vehicle after that. A few people who own 2019 Lexus RX 350 SUVs experienced scary situations while driving due to dangerous fuel system problems. Here’s what was going on.

Fuel system problems in the 2019 Lexus RX 350

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is a U.S. government agency that handles vehicle safety. CarComplaints.com, which also accepts owner-submitted vehicle complaints, has organized 14 complaints submitted to the NHTSA about fuel system problems in the 2019 Lexus RX.

These dangerous problems were given a 9.1 severity rating, which means the problems are “really awful.” Owners didn’t mention any crashes or injuries, but the issues did start happening at the very low average mileage of 1,879 miles.

What owners had to say

Some of the owners who experienced problems with the fuel pump in their 2019 Lexus RX 350 dealt with stalling while driving or a rough ride. A California owner said in January 2020, “On Jan 13, 2020, Lexus announced that my 2019 RX350 has a low-pressure fuel pump that could fail resulting in an increase in the risk of a crash. Lexus has informed me that a fix is not available. I left the car at the dealer on Jan. 27, 2020. The car is still there after 6 weeks. There is still not [a] fix to the problem and I will not let my wife drive this car with this issue. Any suggestions?”

A lessee in Florida experienced stalling and hadn’t known about the recalls. The driver said, “I have exactly 2800 miles on my car. I am not able to use it because the service department at Lexus does not have a remedy available to fix the low-pressure fuel pump and they do not know when they will have it. I want to drive a vehicle that is safe not one that increases the risk of having a crash.”

Many of the owners expressed concerns about safety and felt unable to risk driving their vehicles until some kind of repairs had been done.

Recalls on the 2019 Lexus RX 350

There have been several fuel system-related recalls on the 2019 Lexus RX 350, as well as for a large number of other Toyota and Lexus vehicles. The first recall from January 2020 notified owners that the fuel pump might fail, causing the engine to stall and increasing the risk of a crash, said the NHTSA. Dealers were to replace the fuel pumps, free of charge, starting in May 2020. A number of owners were notified of the recall, but parts then weren’t available in a reasonable time to have the repairs made.

A first recall affected the fuel pumps in 2018 and 2019 Lexus RX 350 vehicles, while a second one from November 2020 affected 2019 and 2020 Lexus RX 350 vehicles. A class-action lawsuit from 2020 alleges that Toyota and Lexus have known about the fuel pump problems since 2013 and haven’t repaired all the affected models.

The most recent recall for the 2019 Lexus RX 350 is that the transport hook may not have been removed before the vehicle was sold. If there were a rear-end crash, the transport hook could damage the fuel filler pipe and increase the risk of a fire. Lexus dealers will inspect the vehicles and remove any transport hooks that were left behind.

The 2019 Lexus RX 350

Despite its recalls, the 2019 Lexus RX 350 received a No. 1 rating from U.S. News in the luxury midsize SUV category. Its reliability was predicted to be excellent. It also offers quick acceleration, a comfortable ride, and a nice interior.

It has a powerful 295-hp 3.5-liter V6 engine but still has good fuel efficiency. It comes standard with synthetic leather upholstery, a leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob, a power tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel, and 10-way power-adjustable front seats. Leather upholstery and additional comfort features are available.

On the negative side, the 2019 Lexus RX 350’s handling is “dull,” and the available Remote Touch infotainment controller is “frustrating,” according to U.S. News. It’s controlled with something like a laptop touchpad. The standard infotainment system is controlled with a rotary knob and is easy to use. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are not available features, although it has Amazon Alexa compatibility. Its cargo space is also on the small side.

The 2019 Lexus RX 350 is a highly rated SUV, although not a perfect one. Some owners did experience dangerous situations due to fuel system problems. With recalls in place, hopefully, all owners have their SUVs repaired and their faith in the vehicles restored.