⌘K
Home›Lexus›RC›2016
Lexus · Compact car

2016 Lexus RC

Gas
Subcompact Cars
4 EPA-rated configurations
Data refreshed 2026-09-11
A
Safety Signal
92 / 100 from the NHTSA recall record
RecallsNHTSA campaigns1
Complaintsowner reports to NHTSA3
Crash ratingNHTSA overall—
Fuel economybest combined, EPA26 mpg
2025202420232022202120202019201820172016

The 2016 Lexus RC is sold in the U.S. as a gas compact car with 4 EPA-rated configurations. The most efficient version, the RC 200t, is EPA-rated at 26 mpg combined. NHTSA lists 1 recall campaign for this model year, which gives it a Safety Signal grade of A. Owners have filed 3 complaints, most often about the service brakes.

Specs & fuel economy

Source: EPA fueleconomy.gov
ConfigurationPowertrainDriveEngine / motorCityHwyCombAnnual fuel*
RC 200tGasRWD2.0L 4-cyl turbo223226$3,000
RC 350GasRWD3.5L 6-cyl192822$3,500
RC 300 AWDGasAWD3.5L 6-cyl192621$3,700
RC 350 AWDGasAWD3.5L 6-cyl192621$3,700

*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year at EPA reference fuel and electricity prices. fueleconomy.gov record ids: 37132, 37134, 37133, 37135.

Factory warranty running out?

The 2016 Lexus RC is in the years where transmission, electronics and drivetrain repairs land on the owner. Compare extended-coverage quotes in about two minutes.

Compare coverage →

Affiliate disclosure: some links on this page are affiliate links. If you request a quote or buy through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Nothing on this page changes because of it.

Recalls (1)

Source: NHTSA recall database
▲high

Fuel System, Gasoline

26LB05/26LA05
9,139 vehicles
ProblemToyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2015-2022 Lexus RC, 2016-2020 GS, and 2022 IS vehicles. The low-pressure fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail.RiskFuel pump failure can cause an engine stall, increasing the risk of a crash.FixDealers will replace the fuel pump assembly, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed June 5, 2026. Additional letters will be sent once the final remedy is available. Owners may contact Toyota's customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's numbers for this recall are 26LB05 and 26LA05.
NHTSA campaign 26V222000reported Apr 8, 2026Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing

NHTSA defect investigations

Air Bags:Frontal:Passenger Side:Inflator Module — Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture open

From 2000 through 2017, Takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("PSAN") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004L. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade, causing the propellant to burn too quickly when ignited. The rapid burning can cause the inflator to rupture during deployment, potentially causing serious or even fatal injury to vehicle occupants. See 2016 Blomquist Report at www.nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.gov/files/documents/expert_report-hrblomquist.pdf.Consequently, all frontal inflators using propellant 2004 that do not contain a "desiccant" (a substa

Opened Sep 17, 2021 · action EA21002

Owner complaints

Source: NHTSA complaint database
3complaints filed

0 involved a crash · 1 a fire · 0 injuries · 0 deaths reported

Filed per year: 2017: 1 · 2018: 1 · 2020: 1

Most-cited components

Unspecified2
Service Brakes1
Vehicle Speed Control1
Latches/Locks/Linkages1

Complaint counts are raw owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many were sold. Use them to spot patterns, not to rank.

Crash ratings

Source: NHTSA NCAP

NHTSA has not published 5-Star crash ratings for this model year.

Other RC model years

A

2025 Lexus RC

0 recalls · 1 complaints

A

2024 Lexus RC

0 recalls · 0 complaints

A

2023 Lexus RC

0 recalls · 0 complaints

B

2022 Lexus RC

2 recalls · 1 complaints

B

2021 Lexus RC

2 recalls · 0 complaints

B

2020 Lexus RC

2 recalls · 2 complaints

C

2019 Lexus RC

3 recalls · 4 complaints

D

2018 Lexus RC

3 recalls · 2 complaints

C

2017 Lexus RC

3 recalls · 9 complaints

Sources & method

Safety Signal starts every model-year at 100 and subtracts points per open NHTSA recall campaign by severity: critical 15 (fire risk, park-outside or do-not-drive advisories), high 8 (brakes, steering, airbags, loss of drive power, structure, battery), moderate 6, minor 3 (software, labels, lighting fixed by an update). Floor 35. A ≥ 90, B ≥ 80, C ≥ 70, D ≥ 60, otherwise F. Complaint counts and NHTSA crash ratings are shown separately and are not blended into the grade.

EPA figures come from fueleconomy.gov vehicle records. Recalls, complaints, investigations and crash ratings come from NHTSA's public flat files, refreshed weekly.

JSON for this page · API