Owners have filed 25 complaints on the Lexus GS, covering 1998–2019. The system named most often is Steering (7 reports). Worst years by volume: 2016, 1999, 1998; cleanest: 2017, 2019, 2014. 3 reports describe a crash. On average the car was 10.5 years old when the problem happened.
What breaks on Lexus GS
Grouped by the system owners named — percentages are shares of all 25 GS complaints. Open any row for the full reports in owners' own words.
Steering 7 Read
Steering went out
When driving at highway speeds (65mph-75mph) the steering rack in Lexus gs350 (4th generation models) will seem “sticky” on “swooping turns”. A slight jerk is the only way to get out of this sticky feeling. The steering racks have been a major issue with these cars and seem fairly frequent to malfunction. I personally…
The system which has intermittent failure on my 2017 Lexus GS350 is the lane keeping assistance safety option. The system seems to work almost perfectly on straight highways. But highways with curves seem to fail at about a 50% rate and human intervention is quickly required. The car is available for inspection and…
Power Train 3 Read
Car parked in driveway; started engine, shifted into gear, and before I even accelerated, the engine roared and the car lunged forward. Lexus traveled approximmately 50 feet and crashed into the neighbor's concrete wall across the street. I was injured (broken ribs, etc.) and the car was totaled.When reporting…
In the process of making a u-turn on a private narrow street the automobile RPM jumped from an almost idle condition to over 3000 RPM. Every effort to brake the car and shift to neutral proved ineffective within the distance of approximately 30 feet. The automobile jumped the curb and struck a low garden wall forcing…
On July 29th at approximately 8:30pm, I got into my car after exiting the Meijer store and noticed the car making strange noises and was hard to get in gear. I park so I don’t have to back up, so I put the car in drive and it went fast in reverse, when it went forward, it went crazy and I ran into a tree island and…
Suspension 3 Read
Lower ball joint came apart or lose
Another lexus gs-300 owner filed this report on march 6, 2007: "we own a 1998 lexus, model gs 300. This saturday my wife was driving the lexus and the entire wheel assembly came off the vehicle due the failure of the lower ball joint. In reviewing recall information for lexus\toyota, it is very apparent there is an…
Failed brake actuator
Structure 2 Read
Vehicle is 2016 lexus GS350 showing clear coat failure on the roof on the edges. Door handles and black pillar cover are not both showing discoloration. The head light cover under both headlights have lost its color. A vehicle of this age should not be having paint failure like this. I contacted the lexus customer…
I was driving going home from the store and my lower ball joint failed and damage my wheels, fender and driver side door won't open all the way due to the damage on the fender. Thank god I wasn't in the freeway or with my kids when this happened
Visibility 1 Read
The contact owns a 2018 Lexus GS350. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the windshield cracked without impact. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the contact was informed that the failure was due to a defect in the windshield being glued on one side. The windshield had been repaired.…
Fuel/propulsion System 1 Read
During highway driving speeds low pressure fuel pump is showing symptoms of issues. Car will cut off while driving and requires 12V battery reset. Low pressure fuel pump will make noise similar to a “ humming “ noise from underneath rear seats of the vehicle. Lexus corporate is refusing to perform and include my 2016…
Latches/locks/linkages 1 Read
I own a 2001 lexus gs300. I bought it new. My complaint is about the design of the trunk lid. Every time you open it, it will not stay up in a wind or when parked on a hill. It has come down on my head more times than I can count. The last time was today in a wind. It cut my head. I have talked to the dealer about the…
Vehicle Speed Control 1 Read
The contact owns a 1999 Lexus GS400. The contact stated while driving at 1 mph, the vehicle accelerated independently. The brakes failed to engage while depressed on the brake pedal almost causing a collision. The contact informed the independent mechanic of the failure, but the vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired.…
GS 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Steering | — | — | |
| 2018 | Unknown Or Other | — | — | |
| 2017 | Steering,lane Departure | — | — | |
| 2016 | Fuel/propulsion System | — | — | |
| 2015 | Power Train,vehicle Speed Control,fuel/propulsion System | 1 | — | |
| 2014 | Steering | — | — | |
| 2001 | Latches/locks/linkages | 1 | — | |
| 1999 | Power Train,air Bags,structure,engine | 1 | — | |
| 1998 | Power Train,vehicle Speed Control,service Brakes | — | — |
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 | 23 |
| Average complaints per series | 1.1 |
| Worst single series | 2 complaints |
| Average age at failure | 10.5 years |
A model average of 1.1 hides a worst series at 2. 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 GS?
By complaint volume, 2016, 1999, 1998 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 GS years are the cleanest?
2017, 2019, 2014 have the fewest complaints on file. For recent years that can simply mean the cars are young.
How many complaints does the Lexus GS have?
25 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, covering 1998–2019. Of those, 3 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.