RoadVitals

2008 Lotus Exige S Problems

Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component

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.
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Latest Aug 20, 2015
Components namedHow many of our component categories appear on at least one report for this model year. One report can name several.
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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.
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What this page shows

Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 2008 Lotus Exige S, 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

  • 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.

Each component in detail

What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words

Engine

Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components.

1
report

From owner reports, verbatim

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 · filed Aug 20, 2015

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

Data on this page last refreshed .