2012 Lexus ES problems
The 2012 Lexus ES has 36 complaints on file with NHTSA. The largest share (53%) concerns air bags. Next are electrical system (14%) and body & structure (11%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 36 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Air bags 53% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 6 and 2
- Injuries and deaths
- 11 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 63,000 miles 16 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 2 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 3 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 2 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 5 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 1 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 0 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 3 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 0 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 0 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Of the 16 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 62,000 miles.
Safety-related details: 6 complaints mention a crash; 2 complaints mention a fire; 11 injuries reported. Its complaints are more severe on average than those of 97% of model years in our database.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2012 ranks 6th most-complained-about out of 12 model years of the Lexus ES with enough data (19 complaints in that window).
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
I had a 2012 lexus es 350 and had problems with it. The first problem occurred when I was parking. I was angle parking and had my foot on the brake when the car jumped into a brick wall. Four air bags exploded in my face and rendered me unconscious. I was taken to the hospital in an ambulance. I could hardly walk and my legs were extremely swollen and I had many other bruises. The second incident was that the passenger seat of the car went on fire and burnt the seat.
Takata recall or takata issues - I was involved in an accident in my 2012 lexus es 350. I was hit from behind by another vehicle (2005 jeep liberty) at about 45MPH and my front airbags did not deploy. I read the owners manual which indicated that if hit from behind the front airbags do not deploy with the exception of front collisions.
I have called the number provided on the letter that notified me of the recall to make arrangements. I was told the new air bags are not available yet and in the meantime, I can rent a car (not a lexus) through enterprise rent a car. That is not acceptable. I bought a lexus and since my car is not safe to drive until the air bag is replaced, I should have a comparable car to drive.
The contact owns a 2012 Lexus ES350. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the reflection from the melted dashboard reflected onto the windshield. In addition, the contact’s vision was impaired while driving. The vehicle was taken to the dealer several times, but no assistance was provided. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 65,000.