2002 Lexus ES300 problems
The 2002 Lexus ES300 has 194 complaints on file with NHTSA. The largest share (26%) concerns cruise control. After that come transmission (22%) and brakes (8%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 194 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Cruise control 26% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 50 and 6
- Injuries and deaths
- 33 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 32,000 miles 111 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 | 44 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 15 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 14 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 13 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 10 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 2 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 4 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 6 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 0 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 1 |
| 200k+ miles | 2 |
What the data shows
Among the 111 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 32,000 miles. For cruise control specifically, the median reported mileage is about 40,000 miles (35 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 50 complaints mention a crash; 6 complaints mention a fire; 33 injuries reported. Its complaints are more severe on average than those of 93% 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 2002 ranks 1st most-complained-about out of 12 model years of the Lexus ES300 with enough data (120 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 2 safety recall campaigns.
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.
Non deployal of side airbags on lexus es 300. Model year 2002. My son was hit square in the drivers door and incurred significant damage to the vehicle. The oncoming vehicle that hit him had its airbags fully deploy. The side curtain airbags in my 2002 es 300 should have deployed and failed to do so. There was approximately $8000 worth of damage to the vehicle. The whole of the drivers side was completely smashed.
Dt*: the consumer stated while driving at 30 MPH, in wet conditions a vehicle turned in front of him without warning. This caused the consumer to broadside the other vehicle with his front end. The brakes were suddenly applied and the airbags did not deploy. All of the occupants were wearing seat belts, but the shoulder straps did not catch, causing minor injuries. There was a police report taken at the scene. The vehicle was towed to a salvage yard and the insurance company deemed the vehicle totaled.
When backing out of a parking space the car went into a high acceleration. I rear ended two cars that were directly behind me. If there was anyone walking behind I would have killed them. I believe there is a throttle control problem.
When accelerating or decelerating vehicle shifted violently. Dealer stated they knew about the problem, but could not find a solution at this time.