Lexus ES300 Years to Avoid, Problems & Recalls

Which Lexus ES300 years should you avoid?

Going by 681 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the Lexus ES300 years to avoid are 2003, 1996 and 2002.

2003116 complaints, 2.8× a typical ES300 year, most often about the throttle and acceleration; and 2.8× the usual share of fires, crashes and deaths for a car of its age (4 fires, 43 crashes, 2 deaths).
19964.7× the usual share of fires, crashes and deaths for a car of its age (3 fires, 9 crashes, 3 deaths).
2002153 complaints, 3.7× a typical ES300 year, most often about the transmission.

How this is worked out: each year is compared with a typical year of the same model, which takes most of the difference in sales out of it, and its share of serious failures is compared with every other car of the same model year, because older cars were complained about differently. A year needs 25 complaints to be judged at all. Complaints are unverified owner reports. Full method →

Year	Complaints	Recalls	Fires	Crashes	Most reported	Status
2013	5	0	—	2	Visibility/Wiper	Routine
2006	3	0	—	1	Exterior Lighting	Routine
2005	1	0	—	1	Vehicle Speed Control	Routine
2003Avoid	116	0	4	43	Vehicle Speed Control	Fatalities reported
2002Avoid	153	2	5	37	Vehicle Speed Control	Routine
2001	29	0	1	11	Vehicle Speed Control › Accelerator Pedal	Routine
2000	56	0	1	17	Vehicle Speed Control	Routine
1999	27	0	—	4	Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine › Gasoline	Routine
1998	52	1	1	13	Air Bags › Frontal	Routine
1997	45	2	2	6	Vehicle Speed Control	Fatalities reported
1996Avoid	37	1	3	9	Engine and Engine Cooling	Fatalities reported
1995	38	1	2	5	Vehicle Speed Control	Routine
1994	39	1	—	6	Seat Belts › Front › Buckle Assembly	Routine
1993	43	0	4	5	Air Bags › Frontal	Fatalities reported
1992	37	1	1	4	Air Bags › Frontal	Routine

Year

Complaints

Relative volume

Recalls

Fires

Crashes

Most reported

Status

2013

—

Visibility/Wiper

Routine