Owners have filed 41 complaints on the Lexus IS, covering 2014–2021. The system named most often is Electrical System (7 reports). Worst years by volume: 2014, 2015, 2017; cleanest: 2016, 2019, 2021. 1 reports describe a crash. On average the car was 8.0 years old when the problem happened.
What breaks on Lexus IS
Grouped by the system owners named — percentages are shares of all 41 IS complaints. Open any row for the full reports in owners' own words.
Electrical System 7 Read
The vehicle is experiencing a failure of the dual-zone HVAC system where the passenger side consistently blows hot air while the driver side is set to cold. This indicates a failure of the HVAC blend door actuator (servo motor), which is a known issue for this model year. This failure poses a safety risk as it can…
The contact owns a 2017 Lexus IS 200t. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked in the rain, water leaked into the dashboard causing the headlights to fail. The contact took the vehicle to an independent mechanic, and it was determined to be a manufacturing defect. The vehicle was not repaired. The…
Driver side headlights and high beam have gone dim, reduced to a yellow haze. This creates a hazard by reducing visibility when driving. This increases risk of accidents due to dimly let roadway. I have had the lens professional cleaned and there is no oxidation which may reduce light output. I have checked the…
Fuel/propulsion System 7 Read
I was driving my vehicle and then the entire car shut off going about 50 MPH causing the car to immediately stall. Nothing eventually worked making me have to push my car onto the side of the highway. Replaced the alternator and battery. Eventually got my car scanned and the issue I’m having is a fueling system…
I have been having problems with hard starts, rough idle, engine dying. My vehicle is experiencing all the same reported issues as a recall issued for a fuel pump on my make/model. My VIN however, is not covered under the recall. I've contacted Lexus and they said that if enough people complained that they could make…
Car keeps randomly dying out while driving sometimes it comes back on sometimes It has to pull over and start the car again has a lean code pretty sure its the fuel pump noticed they have a recall on other is200t for fuel pump issues believe mine should Definitely been part of the recall it's very dangerous when it…
Engine 6 Read
This vehicle has a recurring, safety-critical defect involving intermittent engine misfires, flashing MILs, reduced engine power, sudden loss of acceleration, and noticeable engine shaking. Despite multiple repair attempts and extended diagnostics by a dealership, with manufacturer technical assistance, the defect…
New engine
I own a 2017 Lexus IS 200t that is experiencing fuel pump failure. Although I checked my VIN and confirmed there are no open recalls listed, the symptoms match the known fuel pump issues affecting other Lexus vehicles from similar model years. The only reason my vehicle is not included is because my VIN falls outside…
Steering 5 Read
Vehicle steering wheel gets slightly stuck around 70+ mph on highway. Possible issue with the EPS, steering rack, 4 pin point connecter. Lexus isn’t able to diagnose it
It was regular morning on memorial day and I had not used the car all weekend since I really dont drive unless it to and back from work. I started the engine like would any other day and the car began to shake out of nowhere. The check engine went off, the yield sign went off and the traction control went off. I…
When driving on the highway for about 45 mins the steering will feel sticky or “lock up” and make changing lanes very hard. The steering wheel will be hard to move, and you have to “break free” which causes a very sharp lane change that you have to recorrect. This is not safe, others have reported the same issues on…
Tires 2 Read
On Saturday 3/14/26, while driving on Florida's Turnpike at highway speed, without interior dashboard warning lamps or other warning symptoms both rear tires failed simultaneously & disintegrated creating a potentially catastrophic driving hazard for those with me inside the car as well as others on the Turnpike. This…
225/40R18 front and 255/35R18 rear on 2 separate incidents. Both times slow leaks lead to finding tires separating. Called Bridgestone and they assured me of no known issues with tires which I'm now finding extremely hard to believe. This has to be a safety issue at the very least. The attached photos should prove my…
Latches/locks/linkages 2 Read
All four (4) door actuators stopped working or work intermittently. This is a known issue with both front and rear driver and passenger doors. Automobile doors will not open
Opened hood latch and the mechanism seizes and won’t relatch or close completely causing hood open warning light and chime during driving. Not able to drive on highway for fear of high speed could cause safety risk if hood unlatches. Had to return to dealer to repair at cost
Structure 2 Read
The paint is cracking and peeling off. Car is in great shape otherwise and has been kept clean and well maintained. Unsure why the paint is coming off
I've owned my 2014 Lexus IS 250 for over 10 years. I've almost always kept my car covered in a garage at work and at home, and I've never had a problem with the dashboard until now. Just last month (October 2025), my dashboard started melting and getting extremely shiny and sticky during the day - so much so that I…
Power Train 1 Read
I am filing this updated complaint to supplement my prior complaint (NHTSA ID No. XXX, filed January 27, 2026) regarding a recurring, safety-critical engine defect in my 2020 Lexus IS300 RWD, 8AR-FTS engine. DEFECT: Three documented misfire events over seven weeks. The second (12/11/2025) and third (1/17/2026) each…
IS 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 | Unknown Or Other | 1 | — | |
| 2020 | Engine,fuel/propulsion System | — | — | |
| 2019 | Tires | — | — | |
| 2018 | Engine | — | — | |
| 2017 | Electrical System,engine,fuel/propulsion System | — | — | |
| 2016 | Fuel/propulsion System | — | — | |
| 2015 | Electrical System | — | — | |
| 2014 | Electrical System | — | — |
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 | 33 |
| Average complaints per series | 1.2 |
| Worst single series | 5 complaints |
| Average age at failure | 8.0 years |
A model average of 1.2 hides a worst series at 5. 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
- The original window sticker and factory options
- Full research report as a PDF for the pre-purchase inspection
- No ads, on every page
- No ads, no tracking — and much more
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 IS?
By complaint volume, 2014, 2015, 2017 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 IS years are the cleanest?
2016, 2019, 2021 have the fewest complaints on file. For recent years that can simply mean the cars are young.
How many complaints does the Lexus IS have?
41 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, covering 2014–2021. Of those, 1 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.