AI DamageLexus ES300: problems, complaints, bulletins
Summary for the Lexus ES300 across 16 model years: 688 owner complaints and 0 NHTSA service bulletins, plus repair videos. Pick a year for details.
Model years
What fails most often
- 1 Vehicle speed control 22% of all complaints
- 2 Powertrain 17% of all complaints
- 3 Air bags 11% of all complaints
- 4 Electrical system 10% of all complaints
- 5 Engine and cooling 10% of all complaints
- 6 Service brakes 8% of all complaints
- 7 Seat belts 5% of all complaints
- 8 Visibility 5% of all complaints
- Vehicle speed control: 149 complaints (22% of all), 81 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Powertrain: 118 complaints (17% of all), 4 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Air bags: 73 complaints (11% of all), 49 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Electrical system: 71 complaints (10% of all), 4 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Engine and cooling: 71 complaints (10% of all), 2 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 688 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vehicle speed control | 149 | 81 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 118 | 4 | 0 |
| Air bags | 73 | 49 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 71 | 4 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 71 | 2 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 58 | 22 | 0 |
| Seat belts | 33 | 12 | 0 |
| Visibility | 31 | 8 | 0 |
| Tires | 28 | 1 | 0 |
| Fuel system | 25 | 3 | 0 |
| Steering | 24 | 6 | 0 |
| Suspension | 19 | 2 | 0 |
| Exterior lighting | 16 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure | 15 | 1 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 lexus es300. While the contact was stopped in traffic, the vehicle was rear ended at 45 mph by another vehicle. Both the front driver and passenger seats collapsed. As a result, the rear passengers sustained traumatic brain injuries that required medical attention.
The air bags failed to deploy. The passenger sustained fractured bones that required medical attention. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a dealer and deemed destroyed. The manufacturer was not notified. The vin was unknown. The failure mileage was 100,000.
The air bags did not deploy. The car stopped after the gear lever was moved to park. This experience was frightening and is a very serious and dangerous safety hazard. This happened around 6:30pm in northern california, cupertino city, on a bright sunny day.
The airbags did not deploy. Something is not right here. He bought the car at a lexus dealership, performance lexus of lincoln. They worked on his car in may...total was over $2000.00.
Steering wheel airbag (one of several that deployed in this total loss accident) did not prevent owner from physically striking the steering wheel even though he was utilizing the seat belt.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 lexus es330. The contact stated that while stopped with the brake pedal depressed, the vehicle accelerated and crashed into a wooden wall. The contact was not injured. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated that an engineer would inspect the vehicle.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
What to check before buying
- Vehicle speed control. Accelerator pedal, cruise control, throttle codes.
- Powertrain. Shift quality under load, harsh shifts, transmission codes, CV joints.
- Air bags. Check the SRS light, stored codes and airbag/curtain status after any impact.
- Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
Other models of this make
Read also
Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-05.