2004 Lexus GX470 Problems

What owners report

Owners of the 2004 GX470 most often report a dashboard that cracks, bubbles and sometimes turns sticky or shiny, and many also raise questions about the side curtain airbags tied to an open recall. Driveshaft and transmission clunking, occasional unintended acceleration reports, and frame rust are the other recurring themes in the complaints.

1. 1
   Body and structure

   Cracked, bubbling or sticky dashboard

   • 16 complaints (25%)
   • median 90,000 mi at 9.0 yrs old (11 state mileage)
   • filed 2013–2021

   Owners describe cracks that start small, often on the passenger side above the airbag, then spread across the whole dash over a few years; some report bubbling, splitting or a shiny, sticky surface that glares in sunlight. Several say the vehicle was garaged and well kept. Complaints mention dealers declining repairs after warranty, or offering patch work, and one owner was told a customer support program had expired. Reported from low mileage up to about 120,000 miles, with several owners saying cracks appeared after a few years of ownership.

   7 related service bulletins

   What to check: Inspect the whole dash top, especially above the passenger airbag, for hairline cracks, bubbles or a tacky finish, and ask whether any dashboard warranty enhancement work was ever done.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “My vehicle was purchased from a local Lexus dealership in january 2008 and since then has been garaged during the day at my office and garaged overnight in my building's enclosed parking structure. The vehicle rarely sat in the sun for extended periods of time, but in november 2012, cracks on the passenger side dash began appearing. They were razor thin and by the end of 2013, the entire passenger side dash was covered in cracks, directly above the air bag. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10644097, filed 2014-10, 100,360 miles

   “After a short time of buying my wife's GX470, a small crack appeared in the dash on the passenger side airbag location. At the time we didn't think much about it as my wife stated it was more like a line in the dash. Through the years of ownership theses cracks have grown, and now the entire dash is cracked all the way across. We have taken our vehicle to the dealership after it was out of factory warranty and they state that now there is nothing they can do. We take exceptional care of her car and always park it in the garage. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10568319, filed 2014-03, 6,000 miles
2. 2
   Air bags

   Side curtain airbag recall parts unavailable

   • 10 complaints (15%)
   • median 110,680 mi at 11.1 yrs old (2 state mileage, few)
   • filed 2014–2018

   Many owners describe receiving notice of the side curtain-shield airbag recall but being told the parts to complete the repair were not available, sometimes for months. A few connect the recall to their cracked dash, saying they were told the airbag module or dashboard part could not be supplied. One owner reports the passenger curtain airbag deploying while the vehicle was parked and not running. Mostly described in complaints filed from 2016 through 2019, with vehicle mileage ranging from about 10,000 to over 120,000 miles.

   Recall 16V0650001 related service bulletin

   What to check: Ask the dealer to confirm by VIN whether recall 16V065000 has actually been completed, and get the repair order rather than relying on the notice alone.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “There was a recall on my vehicle. The dashboard is all cracked but my problem is that I drive my kids and there is a recall problem with side curtain-shield-airbags (csas) which deploy from the roof rails in the event of certain types of crashes. I had call 2 different Lexus and the headquaters and they all them me different things. I just want the dashboard and airbags to be fix as this is a family bag.”

   NHTSA complaint #11155696, filed 2018-12

   “The car has been subject to 2 recalls. First, a recall for the self-destructing dashboard and for the curtain shield airbags. The company has refused to provide me with the part in order to proceed to a replacement of the affected parts.”

   NHTSA complaint #11064316, filed 2018-01, 121,000 miles
3. 3
   Vehicle speed control

   Sudden unintended acceleration or stuck throttle

   • 6 complaints (9%)
   • median 51,172 mi at 6.5 yrs old (3 state mileage, few)
   • 5 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2006–2016

   Complaints describe the vehicle accelerating hard without the driver pressing the pedal, typically at low speed while turning into a driveway or parking space, in a few cases after the pedal felt stuck. Owners report collisions with parked cars and that dealers could not reproduce the problem afterward. Reports span low mileage up to about 75,000 miles, with most describing the event at low speed during a turn or parking maneuver.

   What to check: Check that the accelerator pedal returns freely and sits at the correct height, and take a low-speed test drive that includes turning and parking to judge throttle response.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “My wife was driving our SUV and was attempting to park it in a bank parking lot in niles, il. The SUV accelerated suddenly without my wife pressing the gas pedal causing her to drive over a green space, hit a sign on bank's property, drive over a large bush and a wire fence at an adjacent park and finally stop after repeatedly pressing the brake pedal. We towed the car to the Lexus dealership and from there to a body shop. We had the car for 8 years and this is the first time that this issue occurred. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10480321, filed 2012-10, 60,237 miles

   “My Lexus gx 470 has accelerated uncontrollably since jan7, 2010 (first occurrence) and last occurrence march 12, 2010 . It generally occurs at light throttle from a stop and turning left at intersections and is compounded by a loss of electronic stability control also on wet pavement. Thus far, I have been able to react quickly enough to keep speeds under 60 MPH. My wife and daughter have not been so fortunate and will not drive in and /or be a passenger in the vehicle. I'm handicapped and had a service dog who was killed in one of the crashes. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10319195, filed 2010-03, 31,542 miles
4. 4
   Transmission and drivetrain

   Driveshaft clunk or thump when stopping or accelerating

   • 5 complaints (8%)
   • median 80,000 mi at 5.3 yrs old (3 state mileage, few)
   • filed 2004–2015

   Owners describe a thump or clunk felt through the driveline when coming to a stop or pulling away, often compared to being bumped from behind. Several say the dealer adjusted or replaced driveshaft parts, and some report the noise returned or that no fix was available at the time. Others note vibration at speed traced to the driveshaft. Often reported under about 40,000 miles, including some very low-mileage vehicles, with a few reports past 100,000 miles.

   2 related service bulletins

   What to check: Test drive from a stop and listen for a clunk or lurch just before and after stopping, and ask whether the driveshaft has been replaced or serviced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “There is a vibration while driving from the driveshaft of my 2004 Lexus GX470. Lexus is aware of the problem and states many of the 2004s have the same problem. They replaced parts on 12/7/04 and told me it did not fix the problem and Lexus claims they are not able to fix all of these problems. They claim they are working on a solution to repair it but have not figured one out yet. I was on a Lexus owners web site and many others have the same problem. Are they waiting for it to become a safety issue?!!! …”

   NHTSA complaint #10102422, filed 2004-12, 16,000 miles

   “Driveshaft and brake/roto problems with Lexus GX470. Drive shaft thump has occurred since I have owned the vehicle (march 2004). Dealer tried to fix it in august 2004 without success. Problem has gotten worse and I was told yesterday that after only 15,000 miles, I had excessive wear out of both front and rear brake pads and rotors.”

   NHTSA complaint #10116423, filed 2005-04
5. 5
   Body and structure

   Frame and underbody rust

   • 9 complaints (14%)
   • median 97,438 mi at 10.6 yrs old (4 state mileage, few)
   • filed 2004–2019

   Owners report rust-through on the frame and transmission support found during inspection, along with rusted shocks, suspension parts, radiator and rims. Complaints say the rest of the frame looked sound and that the vehicle was otherwise well maintained, and several note that repairs were declined or quoted above the vehicle's value. Mostly reported between about 100,000 and 130,000 miles, plus one vehicle with the problem reported without a stated mileage.

   1 related service bulletin

   What to check: Have an independent shop put it on a lift and probe the frame rails and transmission crossmember for rust-through before buying, particularly on vehicles used in salt-belt states.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Vehicle failed inspection due to rust hole in frame and transmission support. The mechanic said that the rest of the frame is in good condition which leads me to believe that it must be a defect with materials used for the frame, I would expect same type of damage to the rest of the frame. The car was well maintained, and it is in great condition otherwise, after close to 103,000 miles. This may be related to the toyota frame rust issues that were reported since, to my knowledge the gx shares the same frame as other toyota suvs/trucks. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11186563, filed 2019-03, 102,877 miles

   “My GX470 2004 has rust on frame, shocks and suspension. Have been told that they will not make any repairs because they will cost more than vehicle. Lexus should really consider these frames from dana ohio in the recalls as the others. Over the years I have had the radiator, emergency brake and rims all rust out and replaced as well and the vehicle is not even in snow or beach areas. These vehicles also have the seat belt issue which makes the airbag light stay on. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11194294, filed 2019-04

Buying note. A pre-purchase inspection that focuses on the frame underside and the dashboard surface covers the two most commonly reported problems. Ask for written confirmation that the side curtain airbag recall work was completed, and check for driveline clunk on the test drive.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 59 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.