There are 1 owner-reported electrical system complaints for the 2023 Lexus RZin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
When the passenger side radiant heat is on, it makes a toxic smell that smells like plastic or glue melting. It has happened in our RZ and also in a loaner RZ (VIN [XXX] ). Lexus has done nothing that we are aware of to ensure that this smell is not affecting passenger side airbags or the integrity of the cars. They’re also hiding in their notes that they have experienced the smell. I took the Service Manager Jon Howell on a drive in both cars and he smelled the melting smell and agreed he understood why I was describing it as melted hot glue or plastic. However, those drives are not documented in the service notes. I am concerned this is a flaw in the car for which the impact of safety is unknown. Further testing must be done to ensure these cars are safe after the radiant heat is used and the smell has occurred. The smell is constant any and all times the radiant heat is engaged. We have experienced the smell at least ten times in our car. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on May 4, 2026