Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data
Data refreshed
Our database contains 21 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2003 Lexus IS 300, most frequently naming the body & structure, driver assistance and airbags categories. 56 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.
When owners filed reports about this model year
| Month | Complaints filed | Cumulative |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 2003 | 1 | 1 |
| Dec 2003 | 1 | 2 |
| Mar 2004 | 1 | 3 |
| Feb 2006 | 1 | 4 |
| Dec 2006 | 1 | 5 |
| Feb 2008 | 1 | 6 |
| Aug 2008 | 1 | 7 |
| Nov 2009 | 1 | 8 |
| Feb 2010 | 1 | 9 |
| Jul 2011 | 1 | 10 |
| Mar 2013 | 1 | 11 |
| Sep 2013 | 2 | 13 |
| Jul 2014 | 1 | 14 |
| Sep 2014 | 1 | 15 |
| Jan 2015 | 1 | 16 |
| Jul 2015 | 2 | 18 |
| Aug 2015 | 1 | 19 |
| Oct 2015 | 1 | 20 |
| Feb 2016 | 1 | 21 |
Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
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.
Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words
VEHICLE WAS CAUGHT ON A FLASH FLOOD JULY 2015. WAS TAKEN TO LEXUS OF SAN DIEGO IN SEPT ON CLAIM AS FRONT RIGHT SIDE SQUEALING/SQUEAKING WHILE DRIVING OR TURNING RIGHT. LEXUS OF SAN DIEGO KEPT VEHICLE FOR 30DAYS WITH NO OUTCOME INSPECTION WRITE TO INSURANCE COMPANY. BRUSHED OFF COMPMAINT. WHOKE DRIVING VEHICLE IN JAN 2016 CONTOL ARM SNAPPED.
THE BRAKES FAILED AT 143,840 MILES. THE BRAKES FAILURE OCCURRED WHILE DRIVING THE CAR ON A BUSY CITY STREET. AFTER INSPECTION BY A MECHANIC AT FIRESTONE AUTO CARE..IT WAS DETERMINED THAT A NOTICEABLE INTERNAL LEAK WAS COMING FROM POWER BRAKE BOOSTER. IT WAS ALSO DETERMINED THAT THE MASTER CYLINDER AND POWER BRAKE BOOSTER MUST BE REPLACED.
DASH IS MELTING AND IS STICKING TO ANYTHING THAT IS RUB UP AGAINST IT. BODY PARTS, CAR WASH TOWEL, GROCERY. I SEEL RECALL ON ALL OTHER MODEL REGARDING THIS ISSUE. EXCEPT THIS PARTICULAR MODEL 2003 LEXUS IS300. I BELIEVE IT SHOULD EXTEND TO THIS YEAR AND MODEL AS WELL. NO DASH SHOULD BE MELTING AWAY WITH HEAT!
DASH IS MELTING AND IS STICKING TO ANYTHING THAT IS RUB UP AGAINST IT. BODY PARTS, CAR WASH TOWEL, GROCERY. I SEEL RECALL ON ALL OTHER MODEL REGARDING THIS ISSUE. EXCEPT THIS PARTICULAR MODEL 2003 LEXUS IS300. I BELIEVE IT SHOULD EXTEND TO THIS YEAR AND MODEL AS WELL. NO DASH SHOULD BE MELTING AWAY WITH HEAT! AND OWNER SHOULD NOT BE RESPONSIBLE FOR POORLY BUILT PARTS!!!!
DASH IS PEELING ALONG WITH THE CENTER CONSOLE. THE PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG IS ALSO START TO DISCOLOR AND PEEL. THE PEELING IS MORE LIKE STARTING TO GUM UP OR BECOME STICKY.
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 LEXUS IS 300. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE DASHBOARD AND CENTER CONSOLE WERE MELTING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 85,000. UPDATED 4/6/15*CN THE CONSUMER ALSO STATED THE POWER STEERING WAS LEAKING DUE TO A FAULTY RACK AND PINION. UPDATED 04/28/15*JB
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 LEXUS IS300. THE CONTACT STATED THAT DASHBOARD WAS MELTING. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 80,000.
THE DASHBOARD IS IN VERY POOR CONDITION WITH A STICKY AND MELTING APPEARANCE. I COMPLAINED TO LEXUS OF TOYOTA AND WAS TOLD THAT THE WARRANTY WOULD NOT COVER TO REPLACE OR FIX THE PROBLEM. CONSIDERING THAT I DID NOT HAVE MONEY TO REPLACE THIS WITH MY OWN FUNDS, I DID NOT PURSUE IT. *JS
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.
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.
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.
STEERING
TSB: OBSOLETE NOTICE June 23, 2020: This bulletin is now obsolete. Please see 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.
Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model
| Year | Complaints | Recalls | Investigations | Issue Index |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2023 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2022 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2021 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2020 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2019 | 7 | 2 | 0 | — |
| 2018 | 6 | 1 | 1 | — |
| 2017 | 2 | 0 | 1 | — |
| 2016 | 3 | 0 | 1 | — |
| 2015 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2014 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2013 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2012 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2011 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2010 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2009 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2008 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2007 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2006 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2005 | 4 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2004 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 38.1 |
| 2003Viewing | 21 | 0 | 0 | 41.7 |
| 2002 | 28 | 0 | 0 | 36.4 |
| 2001 | 27 | 1 | 0 | 49.7 |
| 2000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1999 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1998 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
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.