2009 Lexus ES350 problems
Owners have filed 154 complaints with NHTSA about the 2009 Lexus ES350. Air bags is the most reported problem area, at 66% of complaints. After that come cruise control (16%) and brakes (3%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 154 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Air bags 66% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 20 and 2
- Injuries and deaths
- 17 and 5
- Typical mileage
- 20,000 miles 50 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 | 22 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 15 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 9 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 2 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 2 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 0 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 0 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 0 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 0 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Among the 50 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 20,000 miles. For air bags specifically, the median reported mileage is about 43,000 miles (11 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 20 complaints mention a crash; 2 complaints mention a fire; 17 injuries reported; 5 deaths reported. Its complaints are more severe on average than those of 86% 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 2009 ranks 5th most-complained-about out of 10 model years of the Lexus ES350 with enough data (51 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 5 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.
On the evening of december 13, 2010, victim left his car running in his garage. The car has a "smart key" which is a remote key-fob. This means that he does not have to turn a key to turn the ignition on and off. Instead, the car turns on and off by pressing the same button on the dash board. He must have forgotten to turn the car off. He then went to sleep and suffered carbon monoxide poisoning during the night. He was found unconscious on the floor the next morning. The car was still running.
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 lexus es350. The contact stated that while parked the she noticed flames coming from the front drivers side door. The contact used a piece of clothing to put out the fire. The fire department was called to the scene and a report was filed. The contact sustained burns to her left wrist and hand. As a result, the contact had to undergo surgery. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The cause of the fire was unknown. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not available.
Failure of airbags to deploy in a head-on collision on october 24, 2009 involving my 2009 lexus es 350. Damage estimates from the involved insurance company total over $15,000.00 for all frontal damage which intrudes into the engine compartment. Estimates which are over $15000.00 indicate that the airbag sensors are being replaced, but there is no charge indicated for the sensor replacement which lexus is probably doing at no charge.
When I was going to park my car in the box in front of the hotel room, I touched the accelerator slightly to advance the two meters distant to be properly parked, then the accelerator run in high speed the brakes did not respond. To reduce the impact, I turned the wheel to the right and crashed into the hotel wall. People from lexus is making an investigation. The question is how confident is that investigation. The car was check the day before for 15,000 miles check.
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 lexus es350. The contact stated that when driving approximately 50-55 MPH with the headlights in activation, the headlights would fail sporadically. The contact tried pushing on the lever for the high beams and but the high beam headlights were also unresponsive. The vehicle was taken to a dealer for diagnosis. After diagnosis they advised the contact that the light bulbs failed and needed to be replaced. The headlight bulbs were replaced. The manufacturer was not contacted.