2022 Lexus NX Problems: 10 Known Issues

On the 2022 Lexus NX A25A-FXS 2.5L PHEV (NX 450h+), the NX 450h+ plug-in hybrid uses a DC-DC converter to step the high-voltage traction pack down to the 12-volt system. A supplier damaged the electric current rectifying module inside that converter during production, and the damaged module can short circuit. When it does, current from the 12-volt battery keeps flowing through the shorted module and generates enough heat to damage components outside the converter housing and create a fire risk. Toyota's interim guidance was unusually specific and unusually serious: owners were told not to charge the vehicle when ambient temperature was at or expected to fall below 41F (5C), because cold-weather charging loads aggravated the fault. The campaign spans the RAV4 Prime and the NX 450h+ together (43,442 vehicles across both), with the NX share being a small fraction. This is strictly a PHEV issue - the NX 250, NX 350 and NX 350h do not have this converter and are not covered.

On the 2022-2025 Lexus NX, second-generation NX owners across the NX 250, NX 350, NX 350h and NX 450h+ report the 12-volt battery going flat after the vehicle sits for a few days, sometimes on cars only months old. The pattern owners and dealer service writers describe is that the Lexus connected-services app repeatedly polls the vehicle, which wakes the DCM and downstream ECUs while the car is asleep, so the 12-volt battery never fully rests. On the AZ20 the consequence is worse than a normal no-start because the NX uses an electronic door release: with a dead 12-volt battery the car can lock occupants out or in until the mechanical override is used. A second, separate contributor is that the 12-volt battery is not charged in ACC/Aux mode on the hybrids - only in READY - so owners who sit listening to the audio system with the car on but not in READY drain the battery without realizing it. This is an owner-documented pattern with dealer acknowledgement, not an NHTSA recall; no US safety campaign covers it.

On the 2022 Lexus NX, on 2022 Lexus NX 250 and NX 350 models, the Skid Control ECU inside the Brake Actuator Assembly can falsely detect an overcurrent condition at the Electronic Parking Brake actuator and drop into a failsafe mode. In that state the EPB will not engage. Because the AZ20 NX has no mechanical handbrake lever - the parking brake is entirely electronic - the driver loses the only parking brake the vehicle has, and a car left on a grade can roll away. This is a software/logic calibration fault in the brake ECU, not a worn caliper motor, so it can strike a low-mileage vehicle without warning. Note this campaign covers the gasoline-only NX 250 and NX 350; it is a distinct campaign from the hybrid-specific brake and stability actions on the same platform, so confirm the VIN rather than assuming it applies to an NX 350h or 450h+.

On the 2022 Lexus NX, certain early-build 2022 Lexus NX vehicles (AZ20, all four powertrains) left the plant with spot-welds omitted between body panels in the front shock absorber mounting area. Toyota's filing states that with welds missing, the remaining welds and surrounding sheet metal can weaken and crack over time, and the front shock absorber can ultimately separate from its mounting point, causing an abrupt loss of vehicle control. Roughly 4,215 units were recalled and Lexus estimated only about 1% actually had the defect, but the failure mode is a structural one on a brand-new platform. Lexus also placed a sales hold on affected dealer inventory. This is an assembly-line escape on the very first AZ20 production run, not a wear item, so it will not appear as a gradual complaint pattern - it presents suddenly as a clunk or handling change from the front corner.

On the 2022-2026 Lexus NX, on NX vehicles equipped with the Panoramic View Monitor system, a software error can make the rearview camera freeze on a stale image or display a blank screen when the vehicle is shifted into reverse. A frozen image is arguably worse than a blank one, because it shows the driver a plausible but out-of-date view of what is behind the vehicle. Either way the vehicle fails to comply with FMVSS 111, Rear Visibility. NHTSA campaign 25V744000 covers 2022-2026 Toyota, Lexus, and Subaru Solterra vehicles with the PVM system; owner letters were mailed January 2, 2026, and the Lexus campaign number is 25LB06.

On the 2022-2025 Lexus NX, the rearview camera image may fail to display when the vehicle is placed in reverse, leaving the driver without the rear view the vehicle is required to provide and putting the car out of compliance with FMVSS 111, Rear Visibility. This is a separate defect from the Panoramic View Monitor software fault covered by campaign 25V744000, and the remedy differs: here the dealer updates the rearview camera software or replaces the camera itself, depending on what the inspection finds. NHTSA campaign 26V162000 covers 2022-2025 NX350 and NX250 along with 2023-2026 RX350 and 2024-2026 TX350. Owner letters were mailed May 15, 2026.

On the 2022 Lexus NX, a Skid Control ECU software defect on 2022 Lexus NX vehicles leaves the Vehicle Stability Control system switched off after an ignition cycle if the driver had previously disabled VSC. Normally VSC re-arms automatically at every restart precisely because drivers forget they turned it off. With this defect the car silently restarts with stability control still disabled, so the driver believes the electronic safety net is active when it is not. The risk is highest in exactly the conditions the NX is bought for - wet or snowy roads - because the failure is invisible until the vehicle actually loses traction. This campaign was filed the same day as the spot-weld recall (22V238000) but is a completely separate defect with a separate remedy, and it covers the NX 450h+ plug-in hybrid as well as the gasoline and conventional-hybrid variants.

On the 2022-2025 Lexus NX, the second-generation NX with the eCVT hybrid and Direct Shift CVT exhibits a droning noise and rubber band sensation during moderate acceleration. The CVT holds the engine at high RPM while vehicle speed increases gradually, creating a disconnected feeling between throttle input and vehicle response that many owners find unpleasant.

On the 2022-2023 Lexus NX T24A-FTS 2.4L turbo, nX 350 owners report a pronounced clunk or harsh driveline engagement immediately after shifting out of Park into Drive or Reverse on the 8-speed automatic paired with the T24A-FTS 2.4 turbo. Some owners also describe having to press the brake pedal unusually hard before the shifter will move out of Park. Lexus addressed the harsh engagement with technical service bulletin L-SB-0040-23, whose remedy is recalibrated software for both the engine control and transmission control modules - confirming this is a launch-period calibration problem in the new TNGA-K powertrain, not mechanical damage. It is worth separating this from the mechanical clunking some NX 350 owners describe from the brake system, which is a different complaint with a different cause. This applies to the gasoline turbo NX 350 with the geared 8-speed automatic; it does not apply to the NX 350h or NX 450h+, which use an eCVT and have no torque converter shift to be harsh.

On the 2022-2025 Lexus NX, the AZ20 NX introduced Lexus's e-Latch system, replacing the mechanical door handle with an electronic button that signals a motor in the latch assembly. Owners of 2022-2025 NX models report the exterior handle button becoming unresponsive, most commonly in freezing weather: water enters the handle assembly, freezes around the internal switch, and physically blocks it, so pressing the button does nothing and the door cannot be opened from outside. Failures also occur intermittently outside of cold weather from switch and wiring faults within the handle. The related occupant-egress concern is that on a vehicle with a flat 12-volt battery the electronic release is dead altogether, and the mechanical backup - pulling the interior handle a second time - is not obvious to most occupants or to a first responder. NHTSA has signaled it will look at rulemaking for electronic door handles and mandatory physical redundancy, but there is no US safety recall for the NX handle.