RoadVitals

2008 Lotus Exige S

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.
1
Latest Aug 20, 2015
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.
0

Overview

Our database contains 1 NHTSA owner-reported complaint for the 2008 Lotus Exige S, most frequently naming the engine category. 10 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

  • Engine1100.0%

Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.

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

Engine
Filed Aug 20, 2015

RADIATOR COOLING FINS ARE METAL, BUT EACH SIDE HAS A RECTANGULAR PLASTIC TUBING THAT ALLOWS WATER TO FLOW UP AND DOWN EACH SIDE OF THE RADIATOR. AT 16,200 MILES, THE PLASTIC PORTION OF THE RADIATOR ON THE DRIVER SIDE CATASTROPHICALLY FAILED, RESULTING IN A 6 INCH CRACK IN THE PLASTIC PORTION, SPRAYING RADIATOR FLUID ALL OVER THE WINDSHIELD, UNEXPECTEDLY. (I HAVE A PICTURE OF THE CRACK, IF THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL.) FROM REVIEWS OF THE LOTUSTALK.COM FORUM, IT IS APPARENT THAT THIS RADIATOR IS CRACKING IN A SIMILAR FASHION, REGULARLY AND AT LOW MILEAGE, REQUIRING OWNERS TO REPLACE THE RADIATOR (MY COST WAS APPROXIMATELY $1,700 IN PARTS AND LABOR). SEVERAL OWNERS ARE NOTED TO BE REPLACING THE PLASTIC RADIATOR WITH AN ALL METAL UNIT, AT THEIR COST, PRIOR TO ANY FAILURES, FOR FEAR OF THE PLASTIC RADIATOR CRACKING ON THEM, AS HAS HAPPENED TO SO MANY OTHERS. I CONTACTED LOTUS TO SEEK ASSISTANCE WITH THE PARTS AND/OR LABOR AND DESPITE DOCUMENTING THE FREQUENCY THAT THIS IS OCCURRING, THEY REFUSED TO PROVIDE ANY ASSISTANCE, ONLY NOTING THAT THE VEHICLE IS BEYOND THE 3 YEAR / 36,000 MILE WARRANTY. RADIATORS ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO FAIL AT 16,000 MILES - THE OEM PART IS CLEARLY A DEFECTIVE DESIGN AND LOTUS SHOULD MAKE THEM RIGHT; OWNERS SHOULD NOT HAVE TO PAY $1,700 TO HAVE A RADIATOR THAT WILL LAST BEYOND 16,000 MILES.

NHTSA ID
10750098
Incident
Jul 19, 2015
Mileage
16,200 mi

Manufacturer communications

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

sb_2022_01_Lotus

POWER TRAIN

Standard information required and procedures to be followed when reporting ECU & TCU faults. There is often insufficient, or inconsistent information received from dealers when reporting ECU & TCU related faults, this can lead to unacceptable delays in repairing vehicles.

sb_2021_06_DTC

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

There is often inconsistent or insufficient information received from dealers when reporting ECU and TCU related faults. This bulletin aims to standardise the information when filing a claim to After Sales.

TSB_2020_03

EQUIPMENT ADAPTIVE/MOBILITY; EQUIPMENT:APPLIANCE:AIR CONDITIONER

Air conditioning compressors failing due to oil starvation. TSB reminds dealers of correct replacement and running-in procedures.

sb_2020_01

ENGINE; EQUIPMENT:OTHER:OWNERS/SERVICE/OTHER MANUAL

Any unauthorised modifications, including fitment of non-approved after-market air filter resulting in generation of diagnostic trouble codes (DTC’s) P0101 & P1109. We have had several instances where DTC’s P0101 & P1109 had been set and the car recovered into the dealer, only for them to find that the original equipment engine air intake filter had been substituted for a non-approved after-market type (applicable to both dry and oil coated types).

SB-2013-17

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:POWER ASSIST:HYDRAULIC:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS

LOTUS: INFORMATION PROVIDED REGARDING THE INSPECTION OF ALL BRAKE PIPE/HOSE, ON SOME VEHICLES, BASED ON SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE AND THE POSITIONING OF PIPE/HOSE. MODELS ELISE, EXIGE, EVORA, EUROPA. NO YEARS LISTED. *PE

SB-2011

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM:HOSES/LINES/PIPING/FITTINGS

LOTUS CARS: THE PROCEDURE TO RETROFIT AN OIL COOLER TRANSFER HOSE IN MODELS ELISE/EXIGE. *RM

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

Lotus Exige S by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
2009000—
2008Viewing100—
2007710—

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.