Lexus · NHTSA safety record

2014 Lexus ES Hybrid

Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.

Complaints

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Owners of the 2014 Lexus ES Hybrid have filed 10 safety complaints with NHTSA between January 2016 and January 2020. The most complained-about system is the electrical system, named in 3 of them (30%). The typical failure was reported at 52,200 miles, the median across the 5 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

No recall campaign was matched to this year, make and model. That is not the same as a clean vehicle: recalls are issued against production ranges, and the only reliable check is your own VIN.

Defect investigations (1)

An investigation means NHTSA has decided a pattern is worth examining. A preliminary evaluation is often closed with no action; an engineering analysis is the stage that usually precedes a recall.

Pedestrian alert sounds

DP22005

Closed defect petition · opened January 27, 2023 · closed August 7, 2023 · led to recall 22V063000

the electrical system

NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles. The standard applies to hybrid and electric vehicles that have a gross vehicle weight rating of 4,536 KG or less or are defined as low-speed vehicles. The standard became fully applicable to all such vehicles manufactured on or after March 1, 2021.On January 27, 2023, NHTSA opened Defect Petition (DP) 22-005 to evaluate the subject matter described in the petition. On June 24, 2023 and as supplemented on June 25, 2023, the petitioner notified NHTSA he was withdrawing his petition. The petitioner indicated that, based on his review of data, there is no justification for asserting potential benefits that could be derived from actions sought by my petition. Based on the petitioner's withdrawal, DP22-005 is closed. Closure of this DP does not represent a determination by NHTSA regarding the subject matter of the petition.

What owners report

Complaints naming each system. One complaint can name several, so these add up to more than 10.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 3 30%

UNKNOWN OR OTHER 2 20%

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 2 20%

ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 1 10%

ENGINE 1 10%

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 1 10%

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 10%

SERVICE BRAKES 1 10%

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC 1 10%

STRUCTURE 1 10%

VISIBILITY/WIPER 1 10%

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2018 at 4.

2016 to 2020

In owners' own words

Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.

STRUCTURE:BODY Filed February 12, 2019

1 injured · 52,200 miles

MY CAR HAS SPOILER BUILD ON ITS TRUNK LID WHICH CAUSED THE TRUNK LID TO COME DOWN DURING MINOR WIND CAUSING SERIOUS BODY INJURY RESULTING IN MULTIPLE STICHES. FROM THE EXAMINATION OF THE VEHICLE, IT WAS FOUND THAT LEXUS DID NOT LEAVE AIR VENT BETWEEN THE SPOILER AND SURFACE IF THE TRUNK LID CREATING AN AIR POCKET RESULTING IN SMASHING DOWN THE LID AT EXTREME HIGH SPEED. THIS INCIDENT HAPPENED WHEN VEHICLE WAS PARKED IN PARKING LOT AND I WAS FILLING THE TRUNK WITH PURCHASED GROCERIES. FROM THE AIRFLOW TEST WE PERFORMED IT WAS CLEAR THAT LEXUS DID NOT LEAVE AIR VENT TO PURGE THE AIR OUT, PROVIDE TRUNK LID MORE STABILITY TO STAY OPEN. ITS ALSO VISIBLE THE TRUNK LID HAS WEAK HINGES THAT HOLD

NHTSA complaint 11176617, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC Filed November 1, 2018

crash · 40,600 miles

WHEN I WAS PULLING OUT OF A PARKING SPOT IN REVERSE THE BRAKE WAS FIGHTING ME SO IT KEPT GOING INTO A CONCRETE PILLAR THEN WHEN I SHIFTED IT INTO DRIVE IT DID IT AGAIN AND NOW MATTER HOW HARD I PRESSED THE BRAKE IT COULDN'T OF STOPPED TILL IT RAN INTO A FENCE NOT FAR IN FRONT OF THE CAR WHEN IT HIT THE CONCRETE PILLAR. I QUICKLY TURNED IT OFF AND BACK ON THEN IT RESPONDED ACCORDLY THEN. IT WAS LIKE THE ABS WAS FIGHTING ME WHEN I WAS PRESSING THE BRAKE AND NOT ALLOWING ME BRAKE TO BE PRESSED TO SLOW/STOP THE CAR BOTH FIRST IN REVERSE THEN FORWARD TO PULL AWAY FROM THE CRASH.

NHTSA complaint 11144604. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM Filed June 4, 2019

crash

CPSC: THE CONSUMER STATED THAT THE SMART RIDE DEVICE CAUSED THE LIGHTS ON HIS DASHBOARD TO MALFUNCTION (ABS LIGHT, BRAKE LIGHT, ETC.). WHICH CAUSED HIM TO HAVE AN ACCIDENT IN HIS CAR. *DT *JS

NHTSA complaint 11217960. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES Filed July 9, 2019

crash

THE CAR HAD A MIND OF IT'S OWN WHEN I WAS BACKING OUT A PARKING SPOT IT WOULDN'T ALLOW ME TO PRESS DOWN THE BRAKE(LIKE THE ABS WAS FIGHTING ME) TO STOP BEFORE IT SHORTLY CRASHED INTO A CONCRETE PILLAR AND THEN WHEN I PUT IT IN DRIVE IT TOOK OFF ON ME AND CRASHED/STOPPED INTO A FENCE AGAIN WOULDN'T PRESS DOWN THE BRAKE TO ALLOW ME TO STOP IT BEFORE IT CRASHED INTO A GUARD RAILING/FENCE. I QUICKLY TURNED IT OFF AND BACK ON BEFORE TRYING TO BACK OUT OF THE CRASH AND IT ACTED FINE AFTER THAT. MY DEDUCTIBLE SOME HOW WAS $2,500 SO I'VE YET TO FIX IT BECAUSE OF THE OUTRAGEOUS PRICE SINCE THE ACCIDENT THE END OF OCTOBER OF 2018(TODAY'S DATE 7-9-2019) SINCE LEXUS WOULDN'T FOLLOW UP ON THIS WHEN I

NHTSA complaint 11230510, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

VISIBILITY/WIPER Filed January 22, 2020

117,000 miles

DRIVING ON HIGHWAY, 60MPH. FRIDAY JAN 17TH, 2020. 5PM. COLD OUT. HEAR LOUD SOUND LIKE GUN SHOT. STARTLED ME. THOUGHT TIRE BLEW SO PULLED TO SHOULDER ON HIGHWAY. TIRES WERE FINE AND WAS LIKE WHAT THE HECK. GOT BACK IN CAR STARTED TO GET BACK ON HIGHWAY AND HEARD NOISE ABOVE MY HEAD. LOOKED UP SLIDING DOOR TO SUNROOF VIBRATING. SLIDE OPEN A BIT AND SUNROOF GLASS WAS GONE. PULLED BACK OVER AND GOT OUT AND LOOKED. GLASS JUST EXPLODED AND BIG HOLE, SEE PICS. NOTHING FELL ON IT OR HIT IT. NEXT DAY SHOPPED VAC THE GLASS AND NOW WAITING TO GET FIXED.

NHTSA complaint 11301182. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER Filed September 14, 2018

EVERY TIME I TURN ON THE AC SMELL STINKS . EVEN I REPLACED ALL AIR FILTERS. I HEARD TOYOTA CAMRY HAD SAME ISSUES

NHTSA complaint 11129470. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Lexus ES Hybrid

Model year	Complaints	Recalls	Deaths
2013	8	0	—

Other 2014 Lexus models

IS 250 35 ES350 28 CT 19 GS 350 16 IS 350 14 LS460 8

Every Lexus on this site — 88 vehicles, 116 recall campaigns and 1 open investigation .

If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. What each state asks for , read from the statutes.

Where these numbers come from

Complaints: NHTSA's ODI complaint file , published August 20, 2026. One complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts them.
Recalls: NHTSA's recall campaign API , most recent campaign filed August 12, 2026.
Investigations: NHTSA's ODI investigation file , published 2026-08-19.

A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.

Compiled and maintained by guarledes
Independent developer and analyst