2009 Lexus ES350: complaints, problems and recalls

IN A GROCERY STORE PARKING LOT, HAD TO SWING WIDE TO AVOID A TRUCK TURNING INTO A ROW OF PARKED CARS. IN DOING SO, THE RIGHT FRONT TIRE RAN OVER THE LAST FOOT OF A ROUNDED CURB ISLAND AT ABOUT A WALKING SPEED. THE SIDEWALL OF THE TIRE EXPERIENCED A 2 INCH L SHAPED BLOWOUT. THIS TIRE WAS ON A NEW CAR WITH LESS THAN 1200 MILES. I HAVE NEVER IN 50 YEARS HAD A TIRE HAVE THIS TYPE OF BLOWOUT WITH SUCH A LOW SPEED CURB ROLLOVER. THERE WAS NOTHING IN THIS AREA TO CAUSE A PUNCTURE. *TR

Owner-reported narrative. 1,200 miles reported. Look up ODI 10261835 at NHTSA ↗

LEXUS ES 350 HAD UNCONTROLLED ACCELERATOR CAUSING SPEEDS IN EXCESS OF 90 MILES PER HOUR UNTIL CAR WAS FORCED OUT OF GEAR. WITHOUT ATTEMPTS TO ACCELERATE THE CAR TOOK OVER AND SPED OUT OF CONTROL. CRUISE CONTROL WAS NOT ENGAGED AND BRAKES WOULD NOT SLOW THE VEHICLE. I CALLED 911 AND THEY TOLD ME TO PUT THE CAR IN NEUTRAL WHICH CAUSED THE RPMS TO RACE OUT OF CONTROL. THE CAR THEN WENT INTO REVERSE BY ITSELF UNTIL I SLAMMED IT INTO PARK. THE DEALER CAME AND PICKED UP THE CAR AS IT WAS UNSAFE TO DRIVE. FORTUNATELY THIS OCCURRED ON THE FREEWAY…

Owner-reported narrative. 500 miles reported. Look up ODI 10281605 at NHTSA ↗

ON AUGUST 28, 2009, FOUR OCCUPANTS OF A 2009 LEXUS ES350 TRAGICALLY AND UNNECESSARILY DIED IN SANTE, CALIFORNIA IN SAN DIEGO COUNTY FOLLOWING A HIGH SPEED LOSS OF CONTROL AND ROLLOVER EVENT. THE VEHICLE IN QUESTION WAS A LOANER CAR FROM BOB BAKER LEXUS IN EL CAJON, CALIFORNIA. DRIVER OF THE VEHICLE, 45, A 19 YEAR VETERAN OF THE CALIFORNIA HIGHWAY PATROL. THE DRIVER HAD OBTAINED THE VEHICLE THAT DAY AFTER DROPPING OFF HIS LEXUS FOR SERVICE. WITNESSES REPORT THAT THE OFFICER WAS MANEUVERING THE LEXUS IN AND OUT OF TRAFFIC AT HIGH RATES OF SPE…

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10284881 at NHTSA ↗

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 LEXUS ES350. HE WAS CONCERNED BECAUSE THE PUSH SWITCH STARTER BUTTON DOES NOT ALLOW THE DRIVER TO TURN THE ENGINE OFF IN THE EVENT OF AN EMERGENCY. HE HAS NOT HAD A FAILURE WITH THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 2000.

Owner-reported narrative. 2,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10286098 at NHTSA ↗

TL*THE CONTACT LEASED A 2009 LEXUS ES350. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 TO 40 MPH ON THE HIGHWAY, THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED 80 TO 90 MPH. HE ATTEMPTED TO ENGAGE THE BRAKE PEDAL AND THE EMERGENCY BRAKE TO STOP THE VEHICLE AND WAS UNSUCCESSFUL. HE ALSO PRESSED THE ON/OFF BUTTON, SHIFT THE VEHICLE IN REVERSE AND WAS UNABLE TO STOP THE VEHICLE. HE WAS ABLE TO DRIVE WITH MINIMAL CONTROL TO AN EMERGENCY LANE WHERE HE WAS ABLE TO SHIFT THE VEHICLE INTO REVERSE THEN IMMEDIATELY TO PARK; HOWEVER, THE TRANSMISSION BEGAN SMOKING AND THE VEHICLE SLOWED DOWN…

Owner-reported narrative. 11,890 miles reported. Look up ODI 10286278 at NHTSA ↗

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 LEXUS ES350. AT A STOP SIGN HE SLIGHTLY RELEASED THE BRAKE AND SLIGHTLY PRESSED THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL, BUT THE VEHICLE HAD SUDDENLY LURCHED FORWARD. HE WAS ABLE TO SAFELY AVOID A CRASH. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN DIAGNOSED BY THE DEALERSHIP. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 8780.

Owner-reported narrative. 8,780 miles reported. Look up ODI 10291458 at NHTSA ↗

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. THIS MEANS THAT THE DAMAGE OF $15,000.00 ARE FOR PARTS AND WORK OTHER THAN THAT INVOLVING THE FRONT AIRBAG SE…

Owner-reported narrative. 3,449 miles reported. Look up ODI 10292324 at NHTSA ↗

2009 LEXUS ES-350 HAD SUDDEN ACCELERATION WHICH WAS OUT OF CONTROL IN MAY 2009. I HAD BROUGHT THIS CAR BACK TO LEXUS DEALERSHIP AT SOUTHFILED, MI WHO SAID IT WAS NOT AN ISSUE. *TR

Owner-reported narrative. 45,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10301809 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: 2018-01-09 (January 9, 2018)

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2013 Scion xB, Toyota Corolla, Corolla Matrix, Sienna, 4Runner, Lexus IS250, IS350, IS250C, IS350C, IS-F, and GX460 vehicles sold, ever registered, in the states of AL, CA, FL, GA, HI, LA, MS, SC, TX, PR, AS, GU, the MP (Saipan), and the U.S. VI or "Zone A." Toyota is also recalling certain 2010 Scion xB, Toyota Corolla, Corolla Matrix, Yaris, 4Runner, Lexus IS250, IS350, IS250C, IS350C, ES350, IS-F, GX460, and Pontiac Vibe vehicles sold, ever registered, in the states of AZ, AR, DE, DC, IL, IN, KS, KY, MD, MO, NE, NV, NJ, NM, NC, OH, OK, PA, TN, VA, and WV or "Zone B." Toyota is also recalling certain 2009 Scion xB, Toyota Corolla, Corolla Matrix, Yaris, Lexus IS250, IS350, ES350, IS-F, and Pontiac Vibe vehicles ever registered in the states of AK, CO, CT, ID, IA, ME, MA, MI, MN, MT, NH, NY, ND, OR, RI, SD, UT, VT, WA, WI, and WY or "Zone C." 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 explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity 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 the Toyota, Scion and Lexus owners. General Motors will contact the Pontiac owners. Depending on the vehicle model, dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator, or replace the air bag assembly. The recall began on January 29, 2018. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331, or Pontiac customer service at 1-800-762-2737. Toyota's numbers for this recall are "Zone A" Toyota: G0P, Lexus: GLG; "Zone B" Toyota: G0R, Lexus GLH; "Zone C" Toyota: H0A, and Lexus: HLA.

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.