2006 Lexus IS 250: complaints, problems and recalls

BRAND NEW 2006 LEXUS IS250 RWD STARTED TO PULL TO THE RIGHT 2 WEEKS AFTER PURCHASE. DEALER TRIED ALIGNMENT BUT IT DIDN'T SOLVE THE PROBLEM. TIRE PRESSURE AND WHEELS ALIGNMENT ARE OK. *NM

Owner-reported narrative. 600 miles reported. Look up ODI 10144926 at NHTSA ↗

I PURCHASED A 2006 IS 250 IN OCTOBER, 2005. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN DRIVEN FOR 2,500 MILES. AFTER THE ENGINE WARMS UP, SMOKE AND A BURNED SMELL COME FROM THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. THE FIRST TIME I BROUGHT THE PROBLEM TO THE DEALERS ATTENTION I WAS TOLD THAT EVERYTHING WAS NORMAL. I BROUGHT THE VEHICLE IN A SECOND TIME AND IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT OIL WAS LEAKING FROM THE PASSENGER'S SIDE VALVE COVER ONTO THE HOT EXHAUST MANIFOLD CAUSING THE OIL TO SMOKE AND BURN. THE VEHICLE IS NOW AT THE DEALERS SERVICE DEPARTMENT AND I AM BEING TOLD THAT THEY …

Owner-reported narrative. 1,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10147149 at NHTSA ↗

DT*: THE CONTACT DISCOVERED ON A SUNNY DAY IN MARCH, WHILE WASHING THE VEHICLE, THERE WERE WHITE SPOTS COVERING THE ENTIRE VEHICLE INCLUDING THE HEADLIGHT COVERS AND WINDSHIELD. UPON INSPECTION, BY THE DEALER, IT WAS DETERMINED THE WINDSHIELD, HEAD LIGHT COVERS AND ALL EXTERIOR WINDOWS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. ALL EXTERIOR PANELS NEED TO BE GROUND DOWN TO THE METAL AND A CORROSIVE PROTECTOR HAS TO BE APPLIED BEFORE THE VEHICLE IS REPAINTED. THE DEALER FELT A CORROSIVE ROAD MATERIAL MAY HAVE CAUSED THE PROBLEM, ALTHOUGH THE VEHICLE HAS NEVER B…

Owner-reported narrative. 1,400 miles reported. Look up ODI 10156726 at NHTSA ↗

THIS COMPLAINT IS FOR LEXUS DEALERSHIP IN ROSEVILLE CALIFORNIA. I TOOK MY 2006 IS 250 IN DUE TO I RECEIVED A SAFETY RECALL NOTICE FROM LEXUS FOR FRONT SEAT BELTS (SEAT BELTS LOCKING UP). THEY ORDERED THE PARTS BACK IN MAY 06, UNTIL NOW IT HASN'T CAME IN. I CHECKED ON THE STATUS A MONTH AGO AND THE DEALERSHIP TOLD ME THEY LOST ALL THE ORDER INFORMATION (WITHOUT NOTIFYING ME) AND HAD TO ORDER IT AGAIN. ITS BEEN ALMOST 3 MONTHS AND I STILL DON'T HAVE MY NEW SEAT BELTS I AM SUBMITTING THIS COMPLAINT BECAUSE I BELIEVED THE DEALERSHIP HAS FAILED TO R…

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10164328 at NHTSA ↗

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING ANY SPEED ON VARIOUS ROAD CONDITIONS, THE FRONT BRAKES SQUEALED AT A VERY HIGH PITCH EVERY TIME THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED. THIS OCCURRED AT SPEEDS OF 55 MPH. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP WHO DETERMINED IT WAS A DESIGN PROBLEM. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AS WELL, WHO COINCIDED WITH THE DEALERSHIP. THE CONTACT EXPRESSED CONCERN BECAUSE A NOISE LIKE THE ONE PRESENTED BY THE VEHICLE COULD INVOLVE SAFETY RISKS. *AK UPDATED 10/4/2006 - *NM

Owner-reported narrative. 11 miles reported. Look up ODI 10166733 at NHTSA ↗

I BOUGHT MY NEW CAR A IS250 LEXUS ON OCT 26, 2005. AFTER 11K MILES OR SO, MY BRAKE MAKES LOUD AND CONSISTENT SQUEAKING NOISE. I TALKED TO THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER MANY TIMES, BUT THEY FAILED TO RESOLVE THE ISSUE, AND STATE THAT IT'S NORMAL. I THINK THIS IS VERY SERIOUS FOR CONSUMER, BECAUSE IT MIGHT FAIL SOMEDAY AND WE DON'T EVEN KNOW IT, BUT LEXUS CONTINUE TO REFUSE TO FIX THE PROBLEMS BY SAYING IT'S NORMAL FOR SUCH CAR. AS FOR THE ISSUE, I THINK IT'S LIFE THREATENING FOR WHAT IT IS USE FOR. *JB

Owner-reported narrative. 11,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10167371 at NHTSA ↗

ACCELERATOR PEDAL STUCK DOWN GOING AT A SPEED OF LESS THAN 5 MILES AN HOUR WHILE TURNING OUT OF A PARKING LOT. FOOT BRAKE AND EMERGENCY BRAKE WERE APPLIED BUT THE CAR WOULD NOT STOP WHICH RESULTED IN AN ACCIDENT. WHEN MY CAR HIT THE OTHER CAR, THE ACCELERATOR POPPED BACK UP. *JB

Owner-reported narrative. 4,800 miles reported. Look up ODI 10169969 at NHTSA ↗

WIFE WAS DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE WITH THE CRUISE ON DOING ABOUT 65 MPH, AND SHE DECIDED TO PASS A TRUCK. SHE ACCELLERATED SLIGHTLY, AND THE CAR SUDDENLY "FLOORED" TO OVER 90 MPH AND THE RPM'S WENT ALL THE WAY UP. SHE TRUNED OFF THE CRUISE, BUT IT WOULDN'T SLOW DOWN. SHE TRIED TO BRAKE, BUT THE ENGINE WAS STILL REVING AT THE HIGHEST SPEED. SHE FORCED HERSELF OFF INTO THE GRASSY MEDIAN AND SAT ON THE BRAKE UNTIL SHE COULD JAM THE TRANSMISSION INTO PARK AND TURN OFF THE ENGINE. VEH TOWED TO LEXUS DEALER. TECH COULDN'T FIGURE OUT WHAT WAS C…

Owner-reported narrative. 5,310 miles reported. Look up ODI 10171756 at NHTSA ↗

Reported: 2005-12-19 (December 19, 2005)

ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, THERE IS A POSSIBILITY THAT THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL MAY TEMPORARILY BECOME STUCK IN THE PARTIALLY DEPRESSED POSITION DUE TO INADEQUATE CLEARANCE BETWEEN THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL LINKAGE AND A PLASTIC PAD EMBEDDED INTO THE VEHICLE'S CARPET.

Consequence: THIS CONDITION MAY INTERFERE WITH THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL RETURNING TO THE IDLE POSITION, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.

Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE CLEARANCE OF THE ACCELERATION PEDAL AND CARPET, REPLACE THE PEDAL ASSEMBLY WITH A REVISED ASSEMBLY, AND MODIFY THE CARPET FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON DECEMBER 27, 2005. OWNERS MAY CONTACT LEXUS AT 1-800-255-3987.

Reported: 2013-01-30 (January 30, 2013)

Toyota is recalling certain model year 2006-2012 Lexus IS250 and IS350 vehicles manufactured August 23, 2005, through October 5, 2011; 2010-2012 Lexus IS250C and IS350C vehicles manufactured April 10, 2009, through October 6, 2011; and 2008-2011 Lexus IS-F vehicles manufactured December 14, 2007, through July 10, 2011. The nuts that fasten the wiper arms may be insufficiently torqued such that if the wiper arms are restricted by an external load, such as a buildup of heavy snow, one or both of the wipers may become inoperative.

Consequence: Inoperative wipers could reduce driver visibility and increase the risk of a vehicle crash.

Remedy: Toyota will notify owners, and Lexus dealers will install new wiper arm nuts, free of charge. An interim letter was mailed to owners on April 4, 2013. Owners may contact Toyota at 1-800-331-4331.

Reported: 2014-10-15 (October 15, 2014)

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2007-2010 Lexus LS vehicles manufactured May 9, 2006, to July 20, 2010, 2006-2011 Lexus GS vehicles manufactured January 6, 2005, to September 10, 2010, and 2006-2011 Lexus IS vehicles manufactured August 30, 2005, to September 10, 2010. Due to anti-corrosion plating remnants, fuel may leak from where the fuel pressure sensor is attached to the fuel delivery pipe.

Consequence: A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source increases the risk of a fire.

Remedy: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will clean and reseal the fuel pressure sensor mounting area, free of charge. The recall began March 3, 2015. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331.

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.