2008 Lexus ES350: complaints, problems and recalls

THIS IS PROBABLY NOT THE CORRECT FORUM FOR THIS BUT THE COMPLAINT THAT I HAVE IS WITH THE NEW CARS AND THE HID HEADLIGHTS. I HAVE READ AND HEARD OLDER FOLKS SAY "THEY ARE GREAT, I CAN FINALLY SEE AT NIGHT" BUT THE ISSUE IS THEY ARE SO BRIGHT THAT WHEN ON A TWO LANE ROAD OR WHEN THE GROUND IS WET THE ONCOMING DRIVER HAS TO LOOK AWAY BECAUSE THOSE LIGHTS ARE BLINDING. HOW SAFE IS THAT TO TAKE YOUR EYES OFF OF THE ROAD AND NOT LOOKING AT ONCOMING TRAFFIC BECAUSE YOUR BLINDED? THOSE NEW LIGHTS NEED TO BE OUTLAWED FOR THE SAFETY OF ALL DRIVERS. …

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10216963 at NHTSA ↗

FRONT PASSENGER SEAT AIRBAG SENSOR DOES NOT CONSISTENTLY DETECT THE PRESENCE OF A 100 POUND ADULT WOMEN IN THE SEAT. LED INDICATOR ON THE DASHBOARD DISPLAYS "PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF" EVEN WHEN A 100 LB ADULT PERSON IS IN THE PASSENGER SEAT. DEALER SAYS SYSTEM OPERATING NORMALLY. TOYOTA IS UNRESPONSIVE. *TR

Owner-reported narrative. 400 miles reported. Look up ODI 10221249 at NHTSA ↗

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 LEXUS ES350. ON MARCH 27, 2008, WHILE DRIVING 5 MPH, THE CONTACT HEARD A HIGH PITCHED SOUND COMING FROM THE ENGINE. A SECOND LATER, SHE HEARD A ROARING NOISE LIKE THAT OF A ROCKET SHIP COMING FROM THE ENGINE. THE VEHICLE IMMEDIATELY ACCELERATED ON ITS OWN AND STOPPED WHEN IT CRASHED INTO A TREE. THE VEHICLE IS CURRENTLY AT THE COLLISION SHOP. THE INSURANCE COMPANY DID NOT PROVIDE A REPORT FOR THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED SERIOUS INJURIES TO HER LEGS. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE FAILURE MI…

Owner-reported narrative. 4,242 miles reported. Look up ODI 10226913 at NHTSA ↗

PASSENGER AIRBAG LIGHT KEEP SWITCHING FROM ON TO OFF AND OFF TO ON. WE BROUGHT IT IN TWICE INTO LEXUS TO HAVE THEM FIX THE PROBLEM, BUT THEY KEEP SAYING THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH IT. I KNOW THEY HAD PROBLEMS WITH THE 2007 LEXUS ES 350. MY 2008 IS HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM. ALL I'M ASKING THEM IS TO HAVE FIX THE PROBLEM, BEFORE ANY ACCIDENT HAPPEN. MY HUSBAND AND I CARPOOL EVERYDAY TO WORK, AND WE ARE SO AFRAID THAT IF THERE IS AN ACCIDENT, THE AIRBAG MIGHT NOT DEPLOY BECAUSE OF THE SENSOR PROBLEM AND TURNING THE AIRBAG OFF. *TR

Owner-reported narrative. 811 miles reported. Look up ODI 10236343 at NHTSA ↗

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 LEXUS ES350. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE IS EQUIPPED WITH KEYLESS ENTRY AND A PUSH BUTTON IGNITION. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS STOPPED, SHE PRESSED THE IGNITION BUTTON AND THE VEHICLE SHUT OFF WHILE STILL IN THE DRIVE GEAR. THE CONTACT WAS CONCERNED WITH THE VEHICLE SHUTTING OFF WHILE IN DRIVE MODE. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE LESS THAN 4,700. UPDATED 11/07/08 *BF UPDATED 11/07/08. *JB

Owner-reported narrative. 4,700 miles reported. Look up ODI 10245664 at NHTSA ↗

ON NOVEMBER 5, 2008 I WAS DRIVING ON A FREEWAY IN MY 2008 LEXUS ES 350 WITH THE CRUISE CONTROL ON. I GAVE THE CAR A LITTLE EXTRA GAS TO PASS ANOTHER CAR AND THE CAR JUST TOOK OFF. I TRIED TO DISENGAGE THE ACCELERATOR BY TRYING TO TURN OFF THE CRUISE CONTROL SWITCH AS WELL AS TAPPING ON THE BRAKE PEDAL, BUT IT WOULD NOT DISENGAGE. I TRIED TO TURN OFF THE ENGINE BY PUSHING THE KEYLESS IGNITION BUTTON, BUT IT WOULD NOT TURN OFF. I CHECKED THE FLOOR TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE WASN'T ANYTHING ON THE ACCELERATOR, AND THERE WASN'T. I THEN PUT THE CAR I…

Owner-reported narrative. 8,890 miles reported. Look up ODI 10252860 at NHTSA ↗

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 LEXUS ES350. WHILE DRIVING ON A DARK ROAD AT APPROXIMATELY 30-45 MPH, THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS WERE NOT PROVIDING THE NORMAL LIGHTING COVERAGE. HE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER AND INFORMED THEM THAT THE HEADLIGHTS NEEDED ADJUSTING. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE HEADLIGHTS WERE ADJUSTED CORRECTLY BY THE FACTORY AND NOTHING MORE COULD BE DONE. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 13,612 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 14,000.

Owner-reported narrative. 13,612 miles reported. Look up ODI 10255895 at NHTSA ↗

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 LEXUS ES350. WHILE DRIVING 40 MPH, THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE WAS STRUCK ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE BY ANOTHER VEHICLE. THE SIDE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. THE FRONT DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR WAS SEVERELY DAMAGED, WHICH SHOULD HAVE ACTIVATED THE AIR BAGS. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED A BLACK EYE AND HEAD INJURY DUE TO STRIKING THE EXTERIOR SIDE MIRROR. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A SHOP FOR REPAIRS. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 1,300.

Owner-reported narrative. 1,300 miles reported. Look up ODI 10269954 at NHTSA ↗

Reported: 2009-10-05 (October 5, 2009)

TOYOTA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2004-2010 PASSENGER VEHICLES. THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL CAN GET STUCK IN THE WIDE OPEN POSITION DUE TO ITS BEING TRAPPED BY AN UNSECURED OR INCOMPATIBLE DRIVER'S FLOOR MAT.

Consequence: A STUCK OPEN ACCELERATOR PEDAL MAY RESULT IN VERY HIGH VEHICLE SPEEDS AND MAKE IT DIFFICULT TO STOP THE VEHICLE, WHICH COULD CAUSE A CRASH, SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH.

Remedy: TOYOTA FILED AN AMENDED DEFECT REPORT ON NOVEMBER 25, 2009, STATING THAT DEALERS WILL MODIFY THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL AND, ON CERTAIN VEHICLES, ALTER THE SHAPE OF THE FLOOR SURFACE UNDER THE PEDAL. THESE CHANGES ADDRESS THE RISK OF PEDAL ENTRAPMENT DUE TO INTERFERENCE WITH THE FLOOR MAT. REDESIGNED ACCELERATOR PEDALS WILL BECOME AVAILABLE BEGINNING IN APRIL 2010 AND DEALERS WILL REPLACE ANY MODIFIED PEDAL WITH THE NEW PEDAL IF DESIRED. ALSO, DEALERS WILL REPLACE ANY GENUINE TOYOTA OR LEXUS ALL-WEATHER FLOOR MATS WITH REDESIGNED ALL-WEATHER MATS, OR REPURCHASE THE PREVIOUS MATS FROM OWNERS WHO DO NOT WANT THE NEW ONES. ADDITIONALLY, SOFTWARE MODIFICATIONS WILL BE INSTALLED ON CAMRY, AVALON AND LEXUS ES 350, IS 350 AND IS 250 MODELS THAT WILL ENSURE THAT THE BRAKE OVERRIDES THE ACCELERATOR IN THE EVENT BOTH BRAKE AND ACCELERATOR PEDALS ARE APPLIED. TOYOTA WILL BEGIN MAILING LETTERS TO OWNERS ON DECEMBER 31, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT TOYOTA AT 1-800-331-4331, LEXUS AT 1-800-255-3987.

Reported: 2016-05-23 (May 23, 2016)

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2008-2011 Scion xB and Lexus IS F, 2009-2011 Toyota Corolla and Corolla Matrix, 2006-2011 Toyota Yaris, Lexus IS250 and Lexus IS350, 2010-2011 Toyota 4Runner, Lexus IS250C, Lexus IS350C and Lexus GX460, 2011 Sienna, 2007-2011 Lexus ES350, and 2009-2010 Pontiac Vibe vehicles, originally sold, or ever registered, in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands, or "Zone A." Additionally, unless included in "Zone A" above, Toyota is recalling certain model year 2008 Scion xB and Lexus IS F, 2007-2008 Toyota Yaris, 2006-2008 Lexus IS250 and Lexus IS350 and 2007-2008 Lexus ES350 vehicles, originally sold, or ever registered, in Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, or "Zone B." Vehicles of these model years and models that were not originally sold or ever registered in either Zones A or B are not subject to this safety recall. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules, and used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the front air bags, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.

Consequence: An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Remedy: Toyota will notify the Toyota and Lexus owners. General Motors will contact the Pontiac owners. Depending on the model, dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator or the air bag assembly, free of charge. The recall began on December 6, 2016. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's numbers for interim notification for this campaign are G1P (Toyota Zone A), G1R (Toyota Zone B), G2G (Lexus Zone A), and G2H (Lexus Zone B). Toyota's numbers for final remedy for this campaign are G0P (Toyota Zone A), G0R (Toyota Zone B), GLG (Lexus Zone A), and GLH (Lexus Zone B).

Reported: 2017-01-09 (January 9, 2017)

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2012 Toyota 4Runner, Corolla, Corolla Matrix, Sienna, Yaris, Scion xB, Lexus ES350, GX460, IS-F, IS250, IS350, IS250C, IS350C, and Lexus LFA vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands, or "Zone A." Additionally, unless included in "Zone A" above, Toyota is recalling certain 2009 Toyota Corolla, Corolla Matrix, Yaris, Yaris HB, Scion xB, Pontiac Vibe, Lexus, ES350, IS250, IS350, and IS-F vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, or "Zone B." Additionally, unless included in "Zone A" or "Zone B" above, Toyota is recalling certain 2006-2008 Lexus IS250 and IS350, 2007-2008 Lexus ES350, Toyota Yaris, Yaris HB, and 2008 Lexus IS-F and Scion xB vehicles originally sold, or ever registered in Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger frontal air bag, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.

Consequence: An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Remedy: Toyota will notify the Toyota, Scion and Lexus owners. General Motors will contact the Pontiac owners. Depending on the model, dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator or the air bag assembly, free of charge. The recall began on February 1, 2017. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331, or Pontiac customer service at 1-800-762-2737. Toyota's numbers for final remedy for this campaign are G0P (Toyota Zone A), G0R (Toyota Zone B), H0A (Toyota Zone C), GLG (Lexus Zone A), GLH (Lexus Zone B) and HLA (Lexus Zone C).

Reported: 2019-10-17 (October 17, 2019)

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2010-2016 4Runner, 2003-2006 Tundra, 2003-2013 Corolla, 2009-2010 Corolla Matrix, 2004-2005 RAV4, 2002-2007 Sequoia, 2011-2013 Sienna, 2008-2012 Scion xB, 2008-2009 Lexus IS-F, 2007-2012 Yaris and Lexus ES350, 2010-2017 Lexus GX460, 2002-2010 Lexus SC430, 2006-2012 Lexus IS250 and IS350 and 2010-2015 Lexus IS250C and IS350C vehicles. These vehicles had their driver or passenger frontal air bag inflators previously replaced under a prior recall using inflators of the same design. The inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.

Consequence: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Remedy: Toyota will notify owners. Depending on the vehicle model, dealers will replace the front driver inflator, front passenger airbag inflator, the airbag assembly, or the front passenger airbag sub-assembly and inflator. The recall began November 20, 2019. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371 or Lexus customer service at 1-800-255-3987. Toyota's numbers for this recall are J0A, J0B, and J0C. Lexus' numbers for this recall are JLI, JLJ, and JLK.