STEERING: STEERING WHEEL/HANDLE BAR
1994 Lexus ES300
Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data
Data refreshed
Overview
Our database contains 39 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 1994 Lexus ES300, most frequently naming the seat belts, suspension and brakes categories. 1 safety recall has been issued covering this model year; and 30 manufacturer communications are on file.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Complaint activity over time
When owners filed reports about this model year
View as table
| Month | Complaints filed | Cumulative |
|---|---|---|
| Feb 1995 | 1 | 1 |
| Jun 1995 | 1 | 2 |
| Aug 1995 | 1 | 3 |
| Oct 1995 | 1 | 4 |
| Nov 1995 | 1 | 5 |
| Mar 1996 | 2 | 7 |
| Nov 1996 | 1 | 8 |
| Jun 1997 | 1 | 9 |
| Mar 1998 | 1 | 10 |
| Apr 1998 | 1 | 11 |
| Oct 1998 | 3 | 14 |
| Sep 1999 | 3 | 17 |
| Feb 2000 | 1 | 18 |
| Mar 2000 | 1 | 19 |
| Jul 2000 | 1 | 20 |
| Sep 2000 | 1 | 21 |
| Jun 2001 | 1 | 22 |
| Jul 2001 | 3 | 25 |
| Aug 2001 | 1 | 26 |
| Nov 2001 | 1 | 27 |
| Jan 2002 | 1 | 28 |
| Jul 2002 | 1 | 29 |
| Aug 2002 | 1 | 30 |
| Apr 2003 | 1 | 31 |
| Jun 2003 | 1 | 32 |
| Dec 2003 | 1 | 33 |
| Jan 2004 | 1 | 34 |
| Dec 2004 | 1 | 35 |
| Aug 2009 | 1 | 36 |
| Feb 2010 | 1 | 37 |
| Apr 2010 | 1 | 38 |
| Jun 2010 | 1 | 39 |
What owners report
Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded
- Seat belts919.6%
- Suspension48.7%
- Brakes48.7%
- Driver assistance48.7%
- Electrical48.7%
- Airbags36.5%
- Steering36.5%
- Tires & wheels36.5%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Safety recalls
1 campaign cover this model year
Recalls apply to specific vehicles, not to every vehicle of a model year. Check your VIN with NHTSA or your manufacturer's dealer to confirm whether a recall affects your vehicle.
Check a VIN on NHTSA.govRecent owner complaints
Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words
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
- NHTSA ID
- 10339990
- Incident
- Jun 10, 2010
- Mileage
- 64,000 mi
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
- NHTSA ID
- 10324629
- Incident
- Apr 8, 2010
- Mileage
- 222,054 mi
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
- NHTSA ID
- 10304767
- Incident
- Feb 20, 1994
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
- NHTSA ID
- 10280573
- Incident
- Aug 16, 2007
- Mileage
- 110,000 mi
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
- NHTSA ID
- 10104842
- Incident
- Dec 30, 2004
- Mileage
- 110,000 mi
FRONT SEAT BELT MAY NOT LATCH PROPERLY AND CAN UN-LATCH ITSELF. HAS OCCURRED OCCASIONALLY WITHOUT WARNING SINCE THE ORIGINAL INCIDENT DATE. *JB
- NHTSA ID
- 10056255
- Incident
- Jun 19, 2003
- Mileage
- 100,000 mi
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
- NHTSA ID
- 10051801
- Incident
- Dec 18, 2003
CONSUMER STATES THAT THE BATTERY IS LEAKING ACID THROUGH POSITIVE POST. CONSUMER STATES THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD SHUT OFF WITHOUT WARNING. DEALER NOTIFIED.*AK
- NHTSA ID
- 10026170
- Incident
- Jun 2, 2003
Manufacturer communications
A bulletin sent by a manufacturer to its dealers. Not a recall, and repairs are not necessarily free.
EQUIPMENT
Lexus Safety Recall and Service Campaign - Technician Certification Requirements 4.13.2022
EQUIPMENT:OTHER:OWNERS/SERVICE/OTHER MANUAL; TIRES; WHEELS
POL: This consolidated Tire Warranty Guide contains the complete warranty terms for all brands of ground and spare tires currently in use by Lexus. This information must be kept near the point of vehicle sale and be available to any customer that requests it. Customers can find this information on the Owner?s section of Lexus.com. Dealers can locate a copy of this guide on the Claims Processing & Resource Center in Dealer Daily as well.
EQUIPMENT
Safety Recall and Service Campaign - Technician Certification Requirements
EQUIPMENT
TSB: SUPERSESSION NOTICE The information contained in this bulletin supersedes Service Bulletin Nos. L-SB-0048-08, PG007-07, PG016-01, PG015-01, PG004-97, PG003-97, PG003-93, PG002-90, L-SB-0048-08, PG007-07, PG016-01, PG015-01, PG004-97, PG003-97, PG003 93, and PG002-90. The aforementioned bulletins are obsolete, and any printed versions should be discarded. Replacement certification labels (the vinyl label installed on the driver door or door post) and VIN plates (the metal plate riveted to dashboard) (see Figure 1) for most 1990 ? 2020 model year vehicles may be available provided the requests meet the criteria listed in this Service Bulletin.
EQUIPMENT
TSB: OBSOLETE NOTICE April 06, 2020: This bulletin is now obsolete. Please see L-SB-0008-20. Replacement Certification Labels and VIN Plates
EQUIPMENT:OTHER:OWNERS/SERVICE/OTHER MANUAL
TSB: Replacement Certification Labels. OBSOLETE NOTICE November 28, 2017: This bulletin is now obsolete. Please see L-SB-0179-17.
Manufacturers file copies of the bulletins they send to dealers with NHTSA. These often describe diagnostic or repair procedures for a known condition. They are not recalls: repairs described in a bulletin are usually only free if the vehicle is still under warranty or the manufacturer has extended coverage.
Compare model years
Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers. Older model years have had longer for reports to accumulate.