AI Damage2013 Lexus ES300: common problems
Owners of the 2013 Lexus ES300 filed 5 complaints with NHTSA, most often about service brakes and visibility. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 5
- involving a crash
- 2
What fails most often
- 1 Service brakes 40% of all complaints
- 2 Visibility 40% of all complaints
- 3 Air bags 20% of all complaints
- 4 Exterior lighting 20% of all complaints
- 5 Seat belts 20% of all complaints
- 6 Vehicle speed control 20% of all complaints
- Service brakes: 2 complaints (40% of all), 2 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Visibility: 2 complaints (40% of all).
- Air bags: 1 complaints (20% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Exterior lighting: 1 complaints (20% of all).
- Seat belts: 1 complaints (20% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 5 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Service brakes | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Visibility | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Air bags | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Exterior lighting | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Seat belts | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 1 | 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.
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.
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 2013 lexus es300 hybrid. The contact stated that lights and other objects that were viewed through the windshield were extremely distorted and caused severe eye strain. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who stated that the distortion was normal.
Moon roof exploded outward with a extremely loud noise causing me to pull over on the side of the road thinking I had major damage to the vehicle. As soon as I got out of the vehicle, I noticed the damage to the moon roof which had shattered in an outward direction.
The contact stated that while driving approximately 40 mph, the headlights appeared dim and made driving at night difficult for the contact. The vehicle was taken to dealer where it was advised that the windshield needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
Comparison
By complaint count this model year ranks 14,282 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 39% most complained about).
On average one model year of the ES300 has 43 complaints (16 years in the data). This year has 5, below average.
What to check before buying
- Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
- Visibility. Wipers, mirrors, defrosters, cracked glass.
- Air bags. Check the SRS light, stored codes and airbag/curtain status after any impact.
- Exterior lighting. Headlamps, leveling, sensors and mounts after a frontal hit.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 2013 Lexus ES300?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: service brakes, visibility, air bags. Total complaints: 5. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: airbags did not deploy (20%), headlights and tail lights (20%), seat belts (20%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2013 Lexus ES300?
NHTSA lists 0 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.
Should I buy a 2013 Lexus ES300 from a US auction?
Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.
Other 2013 models
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.