Owners filed 39 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the seat belts › front › buckle assembly. It has been recalled 1 time.
| Component | Reports | Crashes | Fires | Injuries | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seat Belts › Front › Buckle Assembly | 6 | 2 | 0 | 2 | |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| Electrical System | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Visibility › Glass, Side/Rear | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Tires | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Suspension › Front | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Steering › Steering Wheel/Handle Bar | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| Seat Belts › Front › Anchorage | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Power Train › Automatic Transmission | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Defect. VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. THE STEERING WHEEL SET NUT MAY NOT HAVE BEEN SUFFICIENTLY TIGHTENED CAUSING STEERING VIBRATION AND LOOSENESS.
Risk. THIS CAN RESULT IN A LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL.
Remedy. DEALERS WILL TIGHTEN THE STEERING WHEEL SET NUT.
2004 LEXUS ES330-CAR HESITATES WHEN ATTEMPTING TO ACCELERATE. VERY UNSAFE WHEN TRYING TO MERGE INTO HIGHWAY TRAFFIC. ALMOST HAD SERIOUS ACCIDENT BECAUSE OF THIS PROBLEM. COMPUTER CHIP FOR TRANSMISSION HAS BEEN REPLACED THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO FIX PROBLEM. USED PREMIUM GAS AS SUGGESTED BY MECHANIC- NOTHING HELPED. *TR
1994 LEXUS ES300 INSTRUMENT PANEL (SPEEDOMETER,TACHOMETER,FUEL,AND TEMP),NEEDLES HAVE GONE OUT AND IMPOSSIBLE TO READ GAUGES AT NIGHT OR IN LOW LIGHT CONDITIONS. *TR
BOUGHT LEXUS ES300 IN 1994. KEPT FOR CAR FOR 5 YEARS. EVEN BRAND NEW IT WOULD OCCASIONALLY LUNGE FORWARD WHEN MY FOOT WAS ON THE BRAKE. REPORTED THE PROBLEM TO DEALERSHIP OVER AND OVER; WROTE LETTERS; KEPT COMPLAINING ABOUT THIS SPORADIC LUNGING FORWARD OF THE CAR BUT I WAS NOT EVEN TAKEN SERIOUSLY. AT A STOP LIGHT I WOULD HAVE TO STAY 10+ FEET BEHIND THE CAR IN FRONT JUST IN CASE MY LEXUS LUNGED FORWARD EVEN WITH MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE. I FINALLY GOT RID OF THIS CAR SINCE I FELT IT WAS A NOT SAFE AND THE DEALERSHIP NOR THE COMPANY TOOK ME SERIOUS ABOUT THIS RACING OF THE ENGINE AND THE LUNGING FORWARD. *TR
1994 LEXUS ES300. ELECTROLUMINESCENT GAUGES FOR SPEEDOMETER AND TACHOMETER FAIL TO ILLUMINATE. THIS MAKES IT VERY DIFFICULT OR IMPOSSIBLE (ESPECIALLY WITH GLARE OR AT NIGHT) TO DETERMINE RPM'S OR SPEED. A SEARCH ON THE WEB WILL SHOW THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM AMONG 1992 - 1996 ES300'S. IT IS A SAFETY HAZARD AND IS SOMETHING THAT SHOULD BE REVIEWED. *TR
DRIVER'S SEATBELT ASSEMBLY REPEATEDLY UNLATCHES ARBITRARILY POSING SERIOUS SAFETY CONCERN. HAS OCCURRED WHILE VEHICLE IS STATIONARY AND IN MOTION. FLOW LEXUS OF KERNERSVILLE, NC, REFUSES TO MAKE COMPLIMENTARY REPAIR.*AK
FRONT SEAT BELT MAY NOT LATCH PROPERLY AND CAN UN-LATCH ITSELF. HAS OCCURRED OCCASIONALLY WITHOUT WARNING SINCE THE ORIGINAL INCIDENT DATE. *JB
PASSENGER'S SIDE SEAT BELT WILL EXTEND OUTWARD, BUT WILL NOT RETRACT BACK IN PLACE. CONSUMER TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER, AND MECHANIC REPLACED THE SEAT BELT MECHANISM. *AK
CONSUMER STATES THAT THE BATTERY IS LEAKING ACID THROUGH POSITIVE POST. CONSUMER STATES THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD SHUT OFF WITHOUT WARNING. DEALER NOTIFIED.*AK
WHILE BACKING UP THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED INTO A CHAIN FENCE THEN THE GEAR CHANGED AND THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED FORWARD INTO A WALL. *NLM *SCC
WHILE CAR WAS RUNNING BATTERY EXPLODED.*AK CONSUMER HAD DRIVEN THE VEHICLE AND PARKED IN A PARKING LOT. THE VEHICLE SAT FOR ABOUT 30 MINUTES BEFORE CONSUMER ATTEMPTED TO START THE VEHICLE AGAIN. CONSUMER INSERTED THE KEY AND HWEN TURNING THE IGNITION THE BATTERY EXPLODED CREATING FUMES AND SMOKE. ALL THE ELECTRICAL POWER WAS GONE. THE DEALER MADE THE NECESSARY REPAIRS. A FEW DAYS LATER THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. *JG
SEATBELT WILL NOT RETRACT, CAUSING IT TO FAIL IN THE EVENT OF A VEHICLE CRASH. CAUSE UNKNOWN. DEALER NOTIFIED.*AK CONSUMER STATES THE ENTIRE SEAT BELT ASSEMBLY HAD TO BE REPLACED. *JB
THE 4 INCH PIECE THAT CONNECTS THE RR ARM ASSEMBLY STRIPPED, CAUSING THE WHEEL TO BUCKLE INWARD - THE PIECE HAD TO BE WELDED TOGETHER JUST TO PULL TO CAR INTO THE GARAGE.*AK
WHILE PULLING INTO A PARKING SPACE TRAVELING LESS THAN 5 MPH, ENGINE ACCELERATED UNEXPECTEDLY, AND CRASHED INTO A CONCRETE WALL AT AN UNKNOWN SPEED. BOTH FRONTAL AIR BAGS DEPLOYED, AND CONSUMER SUSTAINED NO INJURIES. INSURANCE COMPANY CATEGORIZED VEHICLE AS A TOTAL LOSS, AND NO DETERMINATION HAS BEEN MADE AS TO CAUSE OF PROBLEM. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION / DOCUMENTATION.*AK
DEALERSHIP SENT CONSUMER RECALL 99V307000 NOTICE. VIBRATION WAS FELT INSIDE OF VEHICLE. *AK
WHILE DRIVING AT APPROX 25-30 MPH LEFT REAR WINDOW SHATTERED FOR UNKNOWN REASON. DEALER NOTIFIED, AND WAS UNWILLING TO ASSIST WITH THIS MATTER. FEEL FREE TO PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK
EXCESSIVE SMOKING AND ENGINE RUNNIG ROUGHLY. *AK
HAD A SIDE BLOWOUT ( RIPPED 180 DEGREES ON THE SIDE WHERE THE SIDEWALL IS), OR THE WHEEL AXLE HAD COLLAPSED. ALSO THE NUT TO STEERING WHEEL (DUE TO RECALL) LOCKED TIGHTER AT ABOUT 1000 PRIOR TO ACCIDENT.
THE PLASTIC LENS COVERS ARE SO OPAGUE AS TO MAKE SEEING AT NIGHT DIFFICULT AND NO OTHER JAPANESES CAR HAS THAT PROBLEM, AT LEAT THE HONDA. DANGEROUS TO DRIVE AND NOW IT IS BARELY ABLE TO RELFECT LIGHT, DEALER WANTS $1000 PLLUS LABOR TO RREPLACE WHLE UNITS!!
FRONT AXLE BROKE, CAR FLIPPED OVER
THE DRIVER'S SIDE SEATBELT WOULD ARBITRARILY UNBUCKLE. IT WOULD HAPPEN WHILE THE CAR WAS STATIONERY OR MOVING. IT DID NOT SEEM TO BE PROMPTED BY A SUDDEN STOP OR A BUMP. AFTER IT WOULD UNSNAP, I WOULD REBUCKLE AND TRY TO PULL THE BUCKLE UNDONE, BUT I COULD NOT PULL IT OPEN. *AK
20 of 39 complaints, reproduced as filed.
| Year | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Deaths | Assessment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 2006 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 2005 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 2003 | 116 | 0 | 4 | 2 | Fatalities reported |
| 2002 | 153 | 2 | 5 | 0 | Routine |
| 2001 | 29 | 0 | 1 | 0 | Routine |
| 2000 | 56 | 0 | 1 | 0 | Routine |
| 1999 | 27 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 1998 | 52 | 1 | 1 | 0 | Routine |
| 1997 | 45 | 2 | 2 | 1 | Fatalities reported |
| 1996 | 37 | 1 | 3 | 3 | Fatalities reported |
| 1995 | 38 | 1 | 2 | 0 | Routine |
| 1994 — this page | 39 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 1993 | 43 | 0 | 4 | 1 | Fatalities reported |
| 1992 | 37 | 1 | 1 | 0 | Routine |
No unusual pattern of severe incidents in the complaint record.
Complaint counts track how many cars were sold and how long they have been on the road as much as they track quality. A common model from 2013 has had a decade to accumulate reports; a rare one from last year has not. The signal worth weighing is in the severity columns, in whether the same component keeps appearing, and in whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.
Recall repairs are free for as long as the recall stands. Check whether a specific car still has open work at NHTSA's VIN lookup.
Most recent recall on file: Nov 1, 1999. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.