Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government
holds on this vehicle.
34
Complaints
7
Crashes
0
Fires
7
Injuries
0
Deaths
Owners of the 2019 Lexus ES have filed 34
safety complaints with NHTSA
between September 2019 and May 2026.
The most complained-about system is the fuel and propulsion system,
named in 12 of them
(35%). The typical failure was reported at 11,000 miles, the median
across the 11 complaints that gave an
odometer reading.
NHTSA has issued 1 recall covering this
vehicle.
Recalls (1)
AIR BAGS:KNEE BOLSTER
19V288000 · April 10, 2019
The defect
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2019 Lexus ES vehicles. These vehicles are equipped with a driver knee air bag assembly mounted to the lower instrument panel (IP) that may have been improperly installed, possibly affecting the deployment of the knee air bag in the event of a crash.
The risk
In the event of a crash, there is an increased risk of injury if the knee air bag does not deploy properly.
The remedy
Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the driver knee air bag assembly, if necessary, free of charge. The recall began May 8, 2019. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-255-3987. Toyota's numbers for this recall are KLD and KLE.
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing · up to 564 vehicles across all model years covered
What owners report
Complaints naming each system. One complaint can name several, so these add
up to more than 34.
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 12 35%
ENGINE 9 26%
AIR BAGS 6 18%
POWER TRAIN 5 15%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 4 12%
SERVICE BRAKES 4 12%
STRUCTURE 3 9%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 3 9%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 2 6%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 2 6%
BACK OVER PREVENTION 1 3%
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 1 3%
When the complaints arrived
By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures
happened. They peaked in 2020 at 9.
2019 to 2026, the last of them a part year
In owners' own words
Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the
people who filed them, not findings of fault.
AIR BAGS
4 injured · crash · towed
none of the air bags deployed when my car was T-Bone at the driver door when the other car ran the red light. The other car air bags deployed and appears to be total loss My lexus EX300h has been repair but is available for inspection
NHTSA complaint 11524227. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
AIR BAGS
2 injured · crash · 100,000 miles
The contact owns a 2019 Lexus ES 350. The contact stated that while driving at 20-25 MPH, another vehicle entered his lane, and the contact collided with the other vehicle's front passenger's side. The air bags did not deploy. The contact suffered injuries to his right leg and arm. The contact's son suffered injuries to his chin and right knee. The contact and his son later received medical care and physical therapy. A police report was filed. The vehicle was able to be driven away from the crash site. The vehicle was currently in the body shop for repairs. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.
NHTSA complaint 11663879. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
AIR BAGS
1 injured · crash · towed · 3,636 miles
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2019 LEXUS ES. WHILE PULLING INTO A PARKING SPOT, THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO DEPRESS THE BRAKE PEDAL AND IT TRAVELED TO THE FLOORBOARD. THE VEHICLE CRASHED INTO THE SIDE OF A BUILDING. THE VEHICLE CONTINUED TO COAST FORWARD DESPITE PUMPING THE BRAKE PEDAL. THE CONTACT PLACED THE VEHICLE IN REVERSE TO MOVE THE VEHICLE FROM THE SIDE OF THE BUILDING. AFTERWARDS, THE CONTACT QUICKLY SHIFTED THE GEAR INTO PARK AND TURNED OFF THE VEHICLE. THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. THE CONTACT RECEIVED BRUISES ON TO THE CHEST. MEDICAL ATTENTION WAS NOT RECEIVED. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A COLLISION CENTER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE PARKING BRAKE ASSIST FAILED …
NHTSA complaint 11258618, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
AIR BAGS
crash · towed · 18,400 miles
The contact's wife owns a 2019 Lexus ES350. The contact stated that while attempting to park in between two vehicles with his foot on the brake pedal, the vehicle independently accelerated without warning. The vehicle jumped the parking barrier and hit stanchion which caused the vehicle to stop. The airbags did not deploy and the vehicle's electrical warning sensors also failed to operate as needed. No injuries were reported at the scene. Both fire and police reported immediately to the scene and a police report was filed. Due to the failure, the vehicle was towed to a dealer and the contact was given a loaner vehicle. The manufacturer was also notified of the failure and the contact agreed …
NHTSA complaint 11424038, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
ENGINE
Vehicle suddenly stalled in traffic, check engine light illuminated and lost power.
NHTSA complaint 11738226. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
AIR BAGS
I've had my car for 3 years now and it randomly decided to throw a SRS airbag malfunction warning that will not go away. I know most of the last gen es350 had airbag recalls but the 2019 model year really didn't and I think its something similar. The car runs fine but the fact that my airbags wont deploy because of this warning makes it very unsafe.
NHTSA complaint 11734498. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA
58,968 miles
The contact owns a 2019 Lexus ES 300H. The contact stated that while starting and operating the vehicle, the display screen frequently failed to operate as intended. The contact stated that occasionally the display screen activated as needed but intermittently the screen was black. The failure occurred consistently whenever the vehicle was turned off for longer than two hours. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V744000 (BACK OVER PREVENTION); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The dealer was notified of the failure, but the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 58,968.
NHTSA complaint 11733443. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
POWER TRAIN
I am reporting a potential transmission issue with my 2019 Lexus ES 350. At around 70,000 miles, the vehicle began developing a whining noise at low speeds when the accelerator pedal is depressed. The noise has persisted and appears to be gradually worsening. The symptoms match numerous complaints I have seen from other owners regarding premature failure of the UA80 transmission, particularly the whining sound during low-speed acceleration. This issue began approximately one year ago and raises concerns about a possible widespread defect affecting this transmission model. I want Lexus to repair my vehicle free of charge as it appears to be a manufacturing defect.
NHTSA complaint 11722597. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
SUSPENSION
The component that failed is the Under Engine Cross Member. This is available for inspection. My safety was put at risk due to the Cross Member being bent so much that is didn't screw back in correctly, thus could have caused the engine to have fallen out of the car or worse. The problem was reproduced at Hendrick Lexus Kansas City. This concern was confirmed by the Technician along with a video. The vehicle was supposed to had been inspected the first time at Park Lexus to certify it as a Certified Pre Owned by Lexus, 200 point inspection. After a week of me owning the car, I sent it back to Parker Lexus for a rattling noise coming from the drivers side area. Parker Lexus said everything …
NHTSA complaint 11707180, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Vehicle hesitates when gas pedal pressed; creating hazard to cross intersections, merging into traffic. In order to have car respond, hard press on gas pedal required, which creates another dangerous situation of unexpected leap! While no recalls are shown, 2 reports [XXX] are shown on NHTSA recall site. Owners of this vehicle report same problem for all model years, and indicate dealers cannot fix/do not fix. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint 11675800. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
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.
G
Compiled and maintained by guarledes Independent developer and analyst