RoadVitals

2002 Lexus IS 300

Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data

Data refreshed

Owner complaintsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
28
Latest Mar 26, 2019
Safety recallsA safety recall is issued when a manufacturer or NHTSA determines that a vehicle has a safety-related defect or does not comply with a federal motor vehicle safety standard. Recall repairs are free. Whether a specific vehicle is covered depends on its VIN — a recall listed for a model year does not necessarily apply to every vehicle of that year.
0
InvestigationsNHTSA opens an investigation to examine whether a safety defect may exist. An open investigation is not a determination that a defect exists, and many investigations close without a recall. Investigations can, however, lead to one.
0
Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
3
1 injuries, 0 deaths reported

Overview

Our database contains 28 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2002 Lexus IS 300, most frequently naming the driver assistance, transmission and body & structure categories. 62 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.

What owners report

Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded

  • Driver assistance722.6%
  • Transmission516.1%
  • Body & structure412.9%
  • Brakes412.9%
  • Suspension39.7%
  • Tires & wheels39.7%
  • Visibility13.2%
  • Engine13.2%

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

No recalls in our database for this model year

That does not guarantee a specific vehicle is unaffected — recalls are issued against VINs, and new campaigns are announced regularly. Check a VIN on NHTSA.gov.

Recent owner complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words

Filed Mar 26, 2019

MELTING DASHBOARD AND AROUND THE GEAR SHIFT AND LEXUS WILL NOT DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT. POOR CUSTOMER SERVICE FOR A SO CALLED "LUXURY" BRAND. I HAD SOME PAPER ACTUALLY STICK TO THE PLASTIC AROUND THE GEAR SHIFT AND WHEN I WENT TO PICK IT UP I HAD TO PEEL IT OFF THEN I TRIED CLEAN IT OFF WITH JUST WATER AND A RAG AND IT LEFT MARKS. I WANT SOMETHING DONE BY LEXUS. A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE HAVING THIS SAME PROBLEM SO WHY ISN'T LEXUS DOING ANYTHING ABOUT IT? I WANT SOMETHING DONE! MY DASH AND PLASTIC AROUND THE GEAR SHIFT NEED TO BE REPLACED AND IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR. I JUST FOUND THIS SITE THAT'S WHY I'M JUST NOW REPORTING IT BUT THIS HAS BEEN A PROBLEM SINCE ABOUT 2014. LEXUS SHOULD OWN UP TO THEIR MISTAKES AND FIX THEM. I WILL KEEP CALLING AND KEEP GOING TO THE DEALERSHIP UNTIL SOMETHING IS DONE!

NHTSA ID
11191756
Incident
Jan 3, 2004
BrakesDriver assistance
Filed May 20, 2016

BRAKE,TRAC OFF,VSC,ABS LIGHT ARE ON

NHTSA ID
10865919
Incident
May 13, 2016
Mileage
127,500 mi
Filed Apr 26, 2016

DASHBOARD IS MELTING ON MY 2002 IS300. THIS IS A SAFETY HAZARD CAUSING GLARE ON WINDSHIELD. ALSO THE STICKY BLACK DASH GETS ON OUR SKIN AND LIKELY HAS HARMFUL CHEMICALS THAT IS BEING ABSORBED IN OUR BODIES. LEXUS REFUSES TO REPAIR THIS KNOWN DEFECT AND MY VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. I ALWAYS THOUGHT LEXUS WAS THE TOP BRAND FOR RELIABILITY AND QUALITY. MY VIEWPOINT OF LEXUS BRAND HAS CHANGED AFTER THIS AND I CAN NO LONGER CONSIDER BUYING LEXUS IN FUTURE. VERY DISAPPOINTED IN THEIR POOR QUALITY CONTROL AND REFUSAL TO STAND BY THEIR BRAND.

NHTSA ID
10861558
Incident
Jan 1, 2010
Filed May 13, 2015

LIKE MOST LEXUS IS300 OWNERS, MY CAR EXHIBITS THE "MELTING" DASHBOARD ISSUE. MY MAIN CONCERN IS THE MELTING MATERIAL COULD BE RELEASING CHEMICALS THAT IS ORDERLESS/TOXIC. LEXUS IS REFUSING THE REPAIR THE ISSUE OUT OF THEIR OWN POCKETS.

NHTSA ID
10716315
Incident
May 13, 2015
Body & structure
Filed Aug 19, 2014

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 LEXUS IS 300. WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH, A GLARE APPEARED ON THE WINDSHIELD THAT AFFECTED THE CONTACT'S VISIBILITY. THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE DASHBOARD WAS MELTING AND A STICKY RESIDUE COVERED ITS SURFACE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 144,500.

NHTSA ID
10626445
Incident
Jun 15, 2013
Mileage
144,500 mi
Brakes
Filed May 24, 2014

I PUT $3000 ON 2002 LEXUS AND HAD IT FOR THREE DAYS WHEN MY 6 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER AND MYSELF WAS HEADING ONTO COMMERCIAL TURNPIKE SOUTH. I WAS APPROACHING LIGHT ON CORNER OF 441 AND COMMERCIAL WHEN MY BRAKES JUST GAVE OUT ON ME COMPLETELY AND I QUICKLY RESPONDED AND PULLED UP EMERGENCY BRAKE AND TURNED INTO GAS STATION TO HAVE IT TOWED TO MECHANIC AND WHICH IT WAS PUT ON MACHINE AND DETAILED EVERYTHING THAT WAS WRONG WITH CAR INCLUDING THE MALFUNCTION ON THE ABS SYSTEM WHICH CONTROLS BRAKES AND STEERING. I WAS SAVED BY NOT GETTING ONTO TURNPIKE AND MY QUICK MANEUVERING TO EMERGENCY BRAKES WHICH HELPED VERY LITTLE. MY PEDAL WENT COMPLETELY TO THE FLOOR. I CALLED AND TOLD MOSCHE WHICH WAS THE GUY I SIGNED CONTRACT WITH AND TOLD HIM TO COME AND GET THIS CAR AND I WANT MY MONEY BACK. HE TOLD ME NO REFUNDS AND I FOUND OUT WITHIN THREE DAYS I SHOULD OF GOTTEN MY REFUND BACK. THEY TOOK MY CAR BACK AFTER I FIXED IT AND PAID OVER $500 FOR AND WILL NOT GIVE ME ANOTHER CAR NOR MY MONEY BACK.. THEY ROBBED AND LIE AND SHOULD NOT BE SELLING DANGEROUS CARS WITH KNOWLEDGE OF NO BRAKES. I WAS TOLD TO COME GET THE CAR A WEEK AFTER BECAUSE OF THEM PUTTING BRAKES ON THEM SO THEY HAD KNOWLEDGE OF SOMETHING WRONG WITH BRAKE SYSTEM AND FAILED TO TELL ME.. *TR

NHTSA ID
10593815
Incident
Mar 1, 2014
Mileage
150,000 mi
Driver assistance
Filed Apr 7, 2010

ACCELERATOR FAILURE: TWICE THAT I CAN CLEARLY REMEMBER. FIRST TIME HAPPENED IN 2003 AFTER GENTLE DEPRESSION OF THE GAS PEDAL, IT SEEMED TO PUSH ITSELF FURTHER AND WAS STUCK INTO THE FLOOR RESULTING IN UNCONTROLLED, MAX ACCELERATION...THIS WAS MENTIONED TO THE DEALER WHEN I TOOK IT FOR SERVICE (RAY CATENA LEXUS, LARCHMONT, NY). AFTER THAT, IT DIDN'T HAPPEN UNTIL THE SPRING OF 2008 WHERE I WAS ON THE I95 ON MY WAY TO WORK, IN RUSH HOUR WHEN THE CAR SUDDENLY WENT FROM ABOUT 40MPH TO 70 OR 80. I MANAGED TO WEAVE AROUND TRAFFIC AND DROVE ON THE SHOULDER WHILE PRESSING FULL FORCE ON THE BRAKE PEDAL, PULLED ON THE EMERGENCY BRAKE AND WAS FINALLY ABLE TO GET THE CAR IN PARK. AFTER THAT OCCURRED, I WAS FOLLOWED OFF HE HIGHWAY BY THE HELP TRUCK, TOOK MY CAR TO A LOCAL MECHANIC FOR INSPECTION AND NOTHING WAS FOUND...I IMMEDIATELY MADE AN APPT WITH THE DEALER BUT HAD TO WAIT UNTIL THE NEXT DAY FOR SERVICE. IN THE MEANTIME, IT HAPPENED TWICE MORE ON THE HIGHWAY BUT I WAS CAUTIOUS AND STAYED AWAY FROM CARS AND CLOSE TO THE SHOULDER. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER AND WAS CHARGED $100 TO LOOK AT IT (LEXUS OF GREENWICH, CT), WAS TOLD THAT IT WAS THE FLOOR MAT. INTERESTINGLY ENOUGH, THIS HASN'T HAPPENED AGAIN AND I STILL HAVE THE CAR BUT I AM VERY WORRIED THAT IT MIGHT. *TR

NHTSA ID
10324386
Incident
Apr 1, 2008
Mileage
10,000 mi
Driver assistance
Filed Feb 16, 2010
Crash reported

ACCELERATOR FAILURE IN A LEXUS IS300 ABOUT TWO YEARS MY DAUGHTER GOT ON A CAR ACCIDENT AT THAT TIME SHE MENTIONED THAT HER ACCELERATOR GOT STUCK. THERE HAS BEE A FEW TIME THAT I FELT THAT THE ACCELERATOR GOT STUCK WHILE DRIVING MY CAR ALSO. I CALLED THE DEALER AND THE LEXUS COMPANY FOR THE LAST 6 MONTHS AND ALL THEY SAID IS THAT MY CAR IS NOT INVOLVE IN THE RECALL. THAT DON'T MEAN THAT MY CAR IS NOT DEFECTIVE, OR THERE NEED TO BE A FATAL ACCIDENT FOR THEM TO TAKE ACTION. *TR

NHTSA ID
10310943
Incident
Mar 15, 2008
Mileage
86,000 mi

Manufacturer communications

A bulletin sent by a manufacturer to its dealers. Not a recall, and repairs are not necessarily free.

Safety Recall 22

EQUIPMENT

Lexus Safety Recall and Service Campaign - Technician Certification Requirements 4.13.2022

Lexus PRO19-02 -

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.

L-SB-0002-20 Rev

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:FLUID/LUBRICANT

TSB: Vehicles may display evidence of a fluid leak or fluid seep from powertrain components. This bulletin explains how to determine the differences between a fluid leak versus a fluid seep. Cases that are determined to be a ?leak? should be repaired accordingly and will be covered under warranty if applicable. Cases that are determined to be a ?seep? should be documented on the repair order and inspected at the next service interval. Follow the Repair Information in this bulletin to determine if the concern in question is a fluid leak or fluid seep and review the Repair Procedure section to address this condition.

L-SB-0002-20 Rev

ENGINE; POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION:LUBRICANT

TSB: Vehicles may display evidence of a fluid leak or fluid seep from powertrain components. This bulletin explains how to determine the differences between a fluid leak versus a fluid seep. Cases that are determined to be a ?leak? should be repaired accordingly and will be covered under warranty if applicable. Cases that are determined to be a ?seep? should be documented on the repair order and inspected at the next service interval. Follow the Repair Information in this bulletin to determine if the concern in question is a fluid leak or fluid seep and review the Repair Procedure section to address this condition.

L-SB-0174-08 Obs

STEERING

TSB: OBSOLETE NOTICE June 23, 2020: This bulletin is now obsolete. Please see L-SB-0023-20.

L-SB-0023-20

WHEELS

TSB: SUPERSESSION NOTICE The information contained in this bulletin supersedes Service Bulletin Nos. ST004-01, SU001-08, and L-SB-0174-08. The aforementioned bulletins are obsolete, and any printed versions should be discarded. Be sure to review the entire content of this service bulletin before proceeding. This Service Bulletin provides best practice procedures for vehicle pulling complaint, diagnosis, and repair for 2002 ? 2021 model year Lexus vehicles. This information supplements Repair Manual procedures when the symptoms are: ?Vehicle Pulling: The vehicle moves to the right or left when the driver holds the steering wheel while driving straight ahead without exerting steering effort. ?Steering Wheel Off Center: The vehicle travels straight, but the steering wheel is not pointed straight ahead. The vehicle is not pulling. Before repairing a vehicle pulling to one side, it is necessary to clearly identify the cause of the pulling condition. Frequently, pulling to one side is diagnosed as a wheel alignment concern. However, the actual cause may be related to the lateral force generated by the tires, vehicle damage, road crown or worn components. Performing a wheel alignment when tire force is the cause could result in the wheel alignment being set at a value outside of specifications. This could then cause other problems such as uneven tire wear, etc. A customer may notice a pull to the left when in the left lanes of travel and notice a pull to the right or no pull when traveling in the right lanes of travel on the very same section of roadway. This road crown effect is environmental and cannot be corrected with suspension adjustments or any other wheel or tire modification discussed in this bulletin.

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

Lexus IS 300 by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
2024000
2023000
2022100
2021100
2020200
2019720
2018611
2017201
2016301
2015000
2014000
2013000
2012000
2011000
2010000
2009000
2008000
2007000
2006100
2005400
2004190038.1
2003210041.7
2002Viewing280036.4
2001271049.7
2000000
1999000
1998000

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.