Owners have filed 70 complaints on the Lexus ES, covering 1997–2021. The system named most often is Air Bags (36 reports). Worst years by volume: 2021, 2020, 2016; cleanest: 1997, 2017, 2014. 9 reports describe a crash. On average the car was 5.3 years old when the problem happened.
What breaks on Lexus ES
Grouped by the system owners named — percentages are shares of all 70 ES complaints. Open any row for the full reports in owners' own words.
Air Bags 36 Read
On 7/25/25, I was rear-ended while driving my 2018 Lexus ES 300h with my child in the front seat. Despite the force of impact and resulting injuries, none of the airbags deployed. Moments after the crash, a “SRS Airbag System Malfunction” message appeared on my dashboard. That message is now gone, but airbag and…
The contact owned a 2015 Lexus ES350. The contact stated while driving at 60 MPH during heavy rain weather conditions, the vehicle was hydroplaned, control of the vehicle was lost, and crashed into the concrete median. The contact heads impacted the steering wheel and the vehicle ricocheted off the concrete median and…
1. I was involved in a car accident on Aug 28, 2024 when I was about to go around a curve in the road. A vehicle coming at breakneck speed and well over the posted speed limit, lost control, went over the double yellow lines and crashed into the left driver side of my Lexus. I was the driver and my left knee got…
Service Brakes 6 Read
The contact owns a 2020 Lexus ES 350. The contact stated that while his father was driving at 35-37 MPH down a hill, he applied the brake pedal, but the brakes failed to respond. The contact continued to pump the brake pedal. The driver moved the gear shifter, attempting to slow down the vehicle. The driver crashed…
The contact owned a 2016 Lexus ES. The contact stated while at a stop sign, the brake pedal was depressed; however, the brakes failed to engage and the vehicle unintentionally accelerated which caused the front driver's side of the vehicle to crash into another vehicle. There was severe cosmetic damage however, no…
I was driving on a freeway. I had my adaptive cruise control turned on. The car in front of me slowed down. My adaptive cruise control did not slow me down so I applied the breaks. The breaks did not work. The breaks did not slow me down or stop me. My pre-collision system did not activate. I collided with the rear…
Steering 4 Read
The contact owns a 2021 Lexus ES. While the contact's wife was driving at unknown speeds, the messages stating "vehicle notification system, a malfunction in the vehicle notification system has been detected, contact dealer", and "notification system malfunction visit your dealer" were displayed. The contact stated…
On May 13, 2026, while traveling at approximately 31 mph under normal driving conditions, a critical right-front suspension or steering component suddenly suffered a catastrophic structural failure on its own. This spontaneous mechanical failure caused the vehicle to immediately and violently veer to the right,…
Power steering malfunction with red steering wheel sign Car doesnot turn either side Power steering low Visit your dealer
Power Train 3 Read
The contact owns a 2018 Lexus ES 350. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle jerked abnormally. The driver was able to drive to the residence. Upon test-driving the vehicle, the contact noticed that the vehicle was hesitating and jerking. The contact stated that the…
In April 2022, the timing cover seal on my 2016 Lexus ES 350 was replaced due to a leak. This was completed under warranty at approximately 84,785 miles. In February 2025, less than three years and roughly 56,000 miles later, I was informed by the same Lexus dealership during a routine service that the exact same…
Rear noise while driving many other drivers have the same question. When the car goes over pot holes I makes a sound similar to golf / bowing bowln hitting each other
Engine 2 Read
The front timing chain cover on the engine was leaking at 53k miles. This is a 2GR-FKS engine. We have had the car for 19k miles, and bought it as a Certified Pre-Owned. We're looking at spending over 10% of the purchase price of the car on a repair, after barely having it for three years
I have purchased two Lexus ES350s--a 2007 and a 2017. Both cars have been serviced at Lexus of Atlanta and both have had transmission failure. On August 28, 2025, after my car passed emissions and had just been serviced a month prior at the dealership, my car abruptly jumped and stalled, and the "Traction Control"…
Electrical System 2 Read
• Frequent Battery Replacements: My vehicle is now on its third battery within a five-year lifespan. The previous owner replaced the battery two years ago when the vehicle was only two years old, and I recently had to replace it again. • Unacceptable Battery Lifespan: No vehicle should require a new battery every two…
The contact owns a 2015 Lexus ES 350. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the contact noticed that the infotainment system was displaying a blank screen, and the contact heard an abnormal sound. No warning light was illuminated. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer…
Tires 2 Read
27 r
The contact owns a 2016 Lexus ES350 equipped with General Tires, Tire Line: ReliaTrek, Tire Size: 225/45/R18, DOT Number: VY4FWJ85. The contact stated that while driving 60 MPH, the vehicle was vibrating abnormally. The contact pulled over and called Roadside Assistance. The Roadside Assistance technician made the…
Structure 2 Read
The Heat Shield on Exhaust becomes loose, rattles and comes off while driving. Danger to to other drives behind me. See the number of complaints over here - https://www.clublexus.com/forums/rx-3rd-gen-2010-2015/863952-exhaust-heat-shield-loose-and-rattling.html
The paint is cracking and it is rusting
ES years to avoid — and the clean ones
Complaints per model year. More reports usually means more cars on the road as well as more trouble, so read the crash and fire columns alongside the count.
| Model year | Complaints | Top system | Crashes | Fires |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Air Bags | 1 | — | |
| 2020 | Air Bags | 3 | — | |
| 2018 | Air Bags,seat Belts | 1 | — | |
| 2017 | Engine | — | — | |
| 2016 | Power Train,unknown Or Other,engine | 2 | — | |
| 2015 | Air Bags | 2 | — | |
| 2014 | Service Brakes | — | — | |
| 1997 | Power Train | — | — |
The same model year, different builds
Every complaint carries the first 11 characters of the VIN — plant, year, body and engine. That is a production series, and complaints are spread across them very unevenly.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Distinct production series | 61 |
| Average complaints per series | 1.1 |
| Worst single series | 3 complaints |
| Average age at failure | 5.3 years |
A model average of 1.1 hides a worst series at 3. Enter a VIN above to see the numbers for that exact build instead of the model as a whole.
Owners reported these. Find out if yours is one of them.
- Complaints matched to the exact production run, not just the model
- What the car is worth given what tends to fail on it
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How we count
Every figure here comes from complaints owners filed with NHTSA — 1,100,006 of them, covering 1,982 models built between 1981 and 2026.
A complaint is an unverified report: someone wrote down what happened to their car. It is not a confirmed defect and not a recall. What makes the volume useful is the pattern — when thousands of owners of the same build describe the same failure, that is a signal no marketing brochure will give you.
Two things we do that the source does not. First, we compute the age of the car at the moment of failure from the incident date and the model year. Second, we group complaints by the first 11 characters of the VIN — the production series — so a bad plant run does not disappear into a model-wide average.
Frequently asked questions
What are the worst years for the ES?
By complaint volume, 2021, 2020, 2016 drew the most owner reports. Bear in mind that popular years put more cars on the road, so check the crash and fire columns too.
Which ES years are the cleanest?
1997, 2017, 2014 have the fewest complaints on file. For recent years that can simply mean the cars are young.
How many complaints does the Lexus ES have?
70 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, covering 1997–2021. Of those, 9 describe a crash and 0 a fire.
Are these complaints verified?
No. They are unverified reports from owners. NHTSA publishes them as filed and investigates only a fraction. The value is in the pattern, not in any single report.
Can I check complaints for one specific car?
Yes — enter its VIN above. We match the first 11 characters, which identify the plant, year, body and engine, so you get complaints on that exact production series rather than the whole model.