2002 Lexus GS300

Fatalities reported

Owners filed 13 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the vehicle speed control. No safety recall has been issued.

What fails
ComponentReportsCrashesFiresInjuries
Vehicle Speed Control3
000
Vehicle Speed Control › Accelerator Pedal2
000
Tires › Tread/Belt1
000
Tires1
000
Suspension › Front1
000
Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Foundation Components › Disc › Rotor1
000
Seat Belts1
000
Power Train › Automatic Transmission1
000
Electrical System › Wiring › Fuses and Circuit Breakers1
000
Air Bags › Frontal1
100

What owners reported

Newest filings
Seat Belts
Filed May 21, 2015GA

DRIVER SIDE SEAT BELT FEED BROKEN LOOSE.

Tires
Filed Nov 13, 2013105,000 milesKY

GOODYEAR ASSURANCE TIRE: INNER SIDEWALL BLOWOUT WHILE PARKED. NO EXTERNAL CAUSE. TIRE IS 80,000 MILE TIRE WARRANTY, WITH 40,000 MILES USED AND HAS 6/32 TREAD DEPTH REMAINING. MAY BE A STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING DEFECT. *TR

Power Train › Automatic Transmission
Filed Mar 17, 20105,000 milesAL

SUDDEN ACCELERATION AFTER TURNING A CORNER. I SLOWED DOWN TO TURN A CORNER TO APPROXIMATELY 10-15 MPH AND AFTER NEGOTIATING THE TURN ACCELERATED MODERATELY TO ABOUT 20-25 MPH. AT THAT INSTANT THE MOTOR STARTED TO RACE. THE CAR ACCELERATED RAPIDLY IN A FEW SECONDS TO APPROXIMATELY 35-40 MPH. I APPLIED THE BRAKES AND GOT THE CAR TO SLOW DOWN TO 20-25 MPH. WHEN THE BRAKE WAS RELEASED THE ENGINE STARTED TO RACE AGAIN AT AN ACCELERATING RATE. I THE DECIDED TO ABORT THE ACCELERATION AND STOP THE CAR THIS TIME BY THROWING THE SHIFT INTO "PARK." WHEN I ATTEMPTED TO DO THAT THE AUTOMATIC SHIFT WENT ONLY AS FAR AS NEUTRAL. I QUICKLY REALIZED THAT BEING IN NEUTRAL WAS OK AND APPLIED THE BRAKE AND PULLED OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND CALLED THE DEALER. THE DEALER PICKED UP THE CAR. THE DEALER TOLD ME IT WAS/MUST HAVE BEEN CAUSED BY THE FLOORMAT SLIDING UNDER THE ACCELERATOR. I DID NOT BELIEVE THAT BECAUSE THE FLOORMAT IF IT GOT UNDER THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WOULD HAVE CAUSED A CONSTANT ACCELERATION. IN BOTH CASES THE CAR ACCELERATED AT AN ACCELERATING RATE. I ASKED THE DEALER TO CALL LEXUS TO SEE WHAT THEY SAID ABOUT THIS. EVENTUALLY WHEN I SPOKE TO THEM THEY TOLD ME LEXUS CONFIRMED THEIR DIAGNOSIS. THEY KNEW OF NO OTHER CAUSE FOR THE PROBLEM. *TR

Vehicle Speed Control
Filed Feb 23, 201040,000 milesDE

UNCONTROLLED EXCESSIVE ENGINE SPEED UP THIS HAS HAPPENED A FEW TIMES ON TWO OCCASIONS THERE WAS HIGH WIND FROM LEFT TO RIGHT IN COLD WEATHER. I WONDER IF THE ELECTRONIC CONTROL WAS FOOLED. WHEN I COMPLAINED TO THE DEALER THEY TOLD ME IT MUST BE THAT I WAS NOT USED TO A ELECTRONIC GAS PEDAL!!! *TR

Suspension › Front
Filed Jan 10, 200965,000 milesVA

LOWER BALL JOINTS ON LEXUS GS300 ARE VERY WEAK AND SUBJECT TO BREAK AND CAUSE SERIOUS INJURY OR DAMAGE TO THE CAR. *TR

Vehicle Speed Control › Accelerator Pedal
Filed Dec 21, 200420,000 milesAZ

VEHICLE EXPERIENCED HESITATION WHILE DRIVING TO THE INTERSECTION, AND VEHICLE WILL NOT GO FORWARD WITH ANY POWER. CONSUMER PRESSED THE ACCELERATOR, BUT THE VEHICLE WILL NOT MOVE WITH ANY FORCE. CONSUMER TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER, BUT RECEIVED NO ASSISTANCE. *AK

Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Foundation Components › Disc › Rotor
Filed Jul 6, 200412,000 milesNY

WHEN DEPRESSING THE BRAKES THE STEERING WHEEL AND BRAKE PEDAL PULSATED AND THE VEHICLE SHOOK. THE FAULTY BRAKES CAUSED EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE. CONSUMER TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION. THE TECHNICIAN DETERMINED THAT THE FRONT ROTORS WERE WARPED. *AK *NM

Vehicle Speed Control › Accelerator Pedal
Filed Apr 19, 2004TN

WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED. CONSUMER APPLIED THE BRAKES AND VEHICLE JERKED. VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION, AND MECHANIC WAS NOT ABLE TO DUPLICATE OR RESOLVE THE PROBLEM. *AK

Vehicle Speed Control
Filed Apr 8, 200423,000 milesCT

WHEN PRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL, THE VEHICLE WOULD INTERMITTENTLY LURCH FORWARD. THE DEALER COULD NOT DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM. *AK *SC *JB

Vehicle Speed Control
Filed Mar 19, 2004PA

WHEN DRIVING AT LOW SPEEDS VEHICLE SURGED FORWARD. CONSUMER HAD VEHICLE TOWED TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION, AND MECHANIC WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. *AK

Tires › Tread/Belt
Filed Aug 3, 20035,000 milesCA

LEXUS GS300/2002. DUNLOP SPORT TIRES 5000 MILES ONLY. LEFT REAR TIRE.SEPARATED FROM THE REST OF THE TIRE. TOTAL DESTRUCTION OF TIRE, PLUS NEW WHEEL/DISC.INVESTIGATION BY LEXUS SHOWED LARGE PUNCTURE HOLE ON TIRE. BUT TIRE DID NOT DEFLATE IT EXPLODED APART?*AK

Air Bags › FrontalCrash1 killed
Filed Sep 23, 2002WI

CONSUMER STATES WHILE HIS SON WAS DRIVING, THE VEHICLE WENT OFF THE ROAD AND HIT A POLE, FRONT AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY AND DRIVER DIED, DEALER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED.*JB

Electrical System › Wiring › Fuses and Circuit Breakers
Filed Feb 1, 2002MD

WHILE DRIVING AND WITHOUT ANY INDICATION HEADLIGHTS SHORT OUT, CAUSING POOR VISIBILITY. DEALER HAS BEEN CONTACTED. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK

13 of 13 complaints, reproduced as filed.

Across model years

Worst on record: 2006
YearComplaintsRecallsFiresDeathsAssessment
20190200Routine
20180100Routine
20141000Routine
20131000Routine
20070100Routine
2006124210Routine
20052000Routine
20046000Routine
200312010Routine
2002 — this page13001Fatalities reported
200117000Routine
200035020Routine
199938000Routine
199860110Routine
19970100Routine
19962100Routine
19959100Routine
19946100Routine
19937100Routine

Compare every GS300 year →

Reading this record

1 death reported in complaints filed with NHTSA.

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.

Most recent recall on file: none. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.