2004 Lexus GS300 Problems
Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component
Data refreshed
What this page shows
Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 2004 Lexus GS300, grouped by the component NHTSA recorded on the report. These are not confirmed defects, and they are not recalls. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a category with more reports in it is not evidence that a part is defective.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Reports by component
Ranked by how many owner reports name each component category
- Driver assistance240.0%
- Body & structure120.0%
- Brakes120.0%
- Seat belts120.0%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Each component in detail
What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words
Driver assistance
Reports naming forward-collision avoidance, lane keeping, back-over prevention, cruise control and related electronic driver-assistance systems.
From owner reports, verbatim
2004 LEXUS GS 300 HAS REPEATED PROBLEMS WITH ACCELERATOR WHEN PULLING OUT FROM A STOP OR ATTEMPTING TO INCREASE SPEED. AFTER PUSHING ON PEDAL THE CAR BEGINS TO MOVE THEN STOPS ACCELERATING. THEN SURGES AS PEDAL CONTINUES TO BE PRESSED DOWN. I HAVE REPORTED THE PROBLEM SEVERAL TIMES TO DEALERSHIP ONLY TO BE TOLD THAT TOYOTA IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM BUT THERE IS NO RESOLUTION AFTER 5 YEARS. SEVERAL TIMES I HAVE ATTEMPTED TO PULL OUT FROM A STOP SIGN AS ONE NORMALLY WOULD THEN FORCED TO PUSH THE ACCELERATOR TO THE FLOOR IN AN ATTEMPT TO GET THE VEHICLE MOVING TO AVOID AN ACCIDENT. THIS IS A REPEATING EVENT AND I AM FORCED TO PULL THE EFI FUSE EVERY 5000 MILES WHICH SEEMS TO REDUCE THE EFFECT TEMPORARILY. LEXUS IS/HAS BEEN AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM SINCE THERE WAS 6K MILES ON THE VEHICLE WHICH NOW HAS 60K MILES AND IS OUT OF WARRANTY. I AM OVERLY CAUTIOUS AND FEARFUL WHEN DRIVING THE VEHICLE. IF I NEED TO ACCELERATE TO MERGE INTO TRAFFIC OR JUST NORMAL DRIVING, THE VEHICLE WILL NOT RESPOND BY ACCELERATING. AND I'M ALSO CONCERNED IF THIS IS AN EARLY SYMPTOM THAT TOYOTA IS HAVING WITH RUNAWAY VEHICLE ACCELERATION. THE LEXUS DEALERSHIP ATTRIBUTED THE PROBLEM TO THE ECM AND DRIVE BY WIRE MECHANISM TOYOTA HAS EMPLOYED IN THIS VEHICLE. *TR
I HAD MY GAS PEDAL STICK TWICE ON MY LEXUS GS 300 YEAR 2004. THE FIRST TIME I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT WAS GOING ON. I WAS IN MY DRIVEWAY WHEN IT HAPPEN AND I PUT MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE AND SHIFTED INTO NUETRAL. THE SECOND TIME IT HAPPENED I NOTICED THE FACTORY FLOOR MAT WAS JAMMED INTO THE GAS PEDAL. BOTH TIMES I WAS ABLE TO APPLY THE BRAKES TO HOLD THE VEHICLE IN PLACE AND SHIFT TO NEUTRAL. REPORTED THIS TO THE DEALER BUT THEY CLAIMED THEY HAD NO REPORTS OF GAS PEDAL STICKING FOR THE GS 300. *TR
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Body & structure
Reports naming the vehicle structure, frame, body panels, doors, hood and trim.
From owner reports, verbatim
HELLO I WAS ON THE 10 FREEWAY WEST AND THERE WAS A TRUCK THAT HAD PARTS FLYING OFF AND MY CAR WAS DAMAGED. I TOOK THE LICENSE PLATE # DOWN . THE TRUCKING CO WAS AREOLLA TRUCKING COMPANY. I WANT JUSTICE SERVED BUT I CAN'T FIND THE TRUCKING CO ON THE INTERNET AND I CAN'T LOOK UP THE LICENSE PLATE # FOR FREE. PLEASE HELP ME. *TR
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Brakes
Reports naming service brakes, the antilock braking system, brake hoses, master cylinders or the parking brake.
From owner reports, verbatim
I WAS DRIVING MY VEHICLE HOME WHEN THE BRAKE LIGHT AND THE VCS ON AND OFF LIGHT CAME ON AND AN ALARM TYPE NOISE STARTED,AS I PULLED INTO MY PARKING SPACE I FOUND I HAD NO BRAKES AT ALL, INCLUDING MY EMERGENCY BRAKE. I HAD TO LET MY CAR HIT THE PARKING CURB TO STOP IT, AND THROW MY CAR INTO PARK. HAD THIS HAPPENED SECONDS BEFORE COMING DOWN THE MAIN ROAD, I COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED, OR KILLED SOMEONE ELSE. I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO MY MECHANIC WHO CONFIRMED I HAD FULL BRAKE FLUID, BUT THE ACTUATOR FAILED. I HAVE TO REPLACE THE ENTIRE ABS SYSTEM. I RESEARCHED ON FOUND A RECALL FOR THIS EVENT, JUST NOT FOR MY MODEL. I CONTACTED LEXUS AND WAS TOLD I COULD TAKE IT TO THE DEALER (AND PAY THOUSANDS MORE THAN I AM ALREADY WITH MY MECHANIC) AND THEY WOULD SUBMIT THE BILL TO LEXUS TO SEE IF THEY "WANTED" TO "CONSIDER" A REIMBURSEMENT. NOT THAT THEY WANTED TO SEE THE CAR, NO CONCERN FOR THE SAFETY OF THE DRIVING PUBLIC AT ALL. I FOUND SEVERAL OTHER LEXUS DRIVERS POSTING SIMILAR INCIDENTS FOR OTHER MODELS ALSO NOT INVOLVED IN LEXUS' BRAKE ACTUATOR RECALL. THIS IS A VERY SERIOUS HAZARD TO THE PUBLIC AND LEXUS NEEDS TO ACT ON IT!!!
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Seat belts
Reports naming seat belts, buckles, retractors and pretensioners.
From owner reports, verbatim
PASSENGER SEAT BELT IS LOCKED AND CANNOT BE USED. I READ ON REPAIR PAL THAT THIS WAS A RECALL ON 4-21-2006, HOWEVER IT IS NOT COMING UP AS A RECALL. I NEED IT FIXED AND WAS HOPING TO HAVE IT DONE AS A RECALL SO I AM NOT FINANCIALLY RESPONSIBLE. LIMITED INCOME AND I HAVE A CHILD THAT NEEDS TO OCCUPY THAT SEAT. ADVISE PLEASE.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
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.
Elsewhere on this vehicle
Data sources
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation — owner-reported complaints and the components recorded on them
Data on this page last refreshed .