2018 Lexus ES problems, complaints & recalls

Far fewer Too few recent reports to judge

NHTSA has received 15 owner complaints about the 2018 Lexus ES, or 1.7 per year on the road — far fewer complaints than typical (complaint index 0.04, where 1.00 is the average of all tracked vehicles). Among the 76 model-year 2018 vehicles we track, it ranks #2 of 76 by complaints per year (#1 = fewest). Against other Lexus models its rate is 77% lower; against other Luxury sedans it is 65% lower.

Counts are normalized by time on the road, not by sales volume: a popular model generates more reports than a rare one, and complaints are not verified individually. How we count

Limited data: fewer than 30 complaints, so shares and indexes are unstable.

Complaints filed between 2017-11-29 and 2025-12-02. Median delay from incident to filing: 22 days.

15Complaints

1.7Complaints per year on the road

0.04Complaint index vs. all tracked vehicles

2Recalls

20.0%Share involving a crash or fire

1Last 12 months

Analysis

The following model year (2019) drew 4.4 per year, more than this one. In its first two years on the road the 2018 model collected 6 complaints, 93% lower than the average vehicle of the same model year.

The most common problem area is Engine (20.0% of complaints), followed by Airbags & seat belts (20.0%) and Unspecified or other (13.3%). 3 reports (20.0%) describe a crash or fire; owners mention 4 injuries and 0 deaths.

Half of the reported incidents happened within 23 months of the model year's start; the busiest period was the first year (40% of incidents). 1 complaint was filed in the last 12 months.

NHTSA lists 2 safety recalls for this model year. 1 NHTSA investigation covers this model year; the most recent is “Pedestrian alert sounds” (defect petition, opened 2023-01-27, closed 2023-08-07).

Complaint index

vs. all tracked vehicles0.04
vs. other Lexus models0.23
vs. other 2018 models0.04
vs. other Luxury sedans0.35
Complaints in first 2 years on the road · vs. same-year average (6)0.07
#2 of 76 · 2018Rankings ›

1.00 means the same rate as the comparison group. 2.00 means twice as many complaints per year on the road.

Other model years

20181.7 per year0.04
20194.4 per year0.11
20203.5 per year0.09
20216.0 per year0.15
20223.3 per year0.08
20233.2 per year0.08
20243.2 per year0.08
20252.8 per year0.07

Lexus ES problems, complaints & recalls by model year ›

What owners complain about

Engine3 · 20.0% · 0.9×
Airbags & seat belts3 · 20.0% · 5.27×
Unspecified or other2 · 13.3% · 1.48×
Other2 · 13.3% · 7.2×
Transmission / powertrain1 · 6.7% · 0.57×
Brakes1 · 6.7% · 1.11×
Fuel system1 · 6.7% · 1.55×
Wheels, tires & suspension1 · 6.7% · 2.67×

vs. all vehicles: 1.00 = All-vehicle average

Problem areas: Airbags & seat belts

When complaints were filed

Crashes reported: 3
Fires reported: 0
Injuries: 4
Deaths: 0

Vehicle age at incident

<1 yr40.0%
1–2 yrs13.3%
2–3 yrs13.3%
3–5 yrs0.0%
5+ yrs33.3%

Median age at incident: 23 months

What owners report

On 7/25/25, I was rear-ended while driving my 2018 Lexus ES 300h with my child in the front seat. Despite the force of impact and resulting injuries, none of the airbags deployed.

Airbags & seat belts · 2025-07-28 · ODI 11676540 · Crash
I was at a stoplight and there were a couple vehicles in front of me. The light was red. I was a car length and a half away from the vehicle directly in front of me.

Brakes · 2020-10-08 · ODI 11363483 · Crash
The contact owns a 2018 Lexus ES 350. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle jerked abnormally. The driver was able to drive to the residence.

Transmission / powertrain · 2025-12-02 · ODI 11702496
This has occurred since I purchased the vehicle new. Might happen a couple of times per month. If I slightly back off from acceleration just for a split second and then decide that I can proceed, when I go back to accelerating, the engine will have no power…

Fuel system · 2023-09-22 · ODI 11545990
The Heat Shield on Exhaust becomes loose, rattles and comes off while driving. Danger to to other drives behind me. See the number of complaints over here - [link]

Engine · 2023-08-07 · ODI 11536846

Excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length. The ODI number is NHTSA's record identifier.

Segment peers · 2018 · Luxury sedans

Models	Complaints	Complaints per year on the road	Complaint index
2018 Lexus ES	15	1.7	0.04
2018 Audi A4	51	5.8	0.14
2018 BMW 3 Series	59	6.7	0.17
2018 Mercedes-Benz E-Class	68	7.7	0.19
2018 BMW 5 Series	80	9.1	0.23
2018 Mercedes-Benz C-Class	130	14.8	0.37

Safety recalls (2)

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP Campaign 20V682000 · 2020-11-04

Summary: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2018-2019 4Runner, 2019-2020 Avalon, 2019 Corolla Hatchback, 2017-2019 Highlander, 2018-2020 Camry, 2020 Corolla, 2018-2019 Land Cruiser, 2017-2020 Tacoma, 2019-2020 RAV4, 2019-2020 Sequoia, 2017-2020 Sienna, 2019-2020 Tundra, 2018-2020 Lexus ES350, 2017 Lexus GS200t, 2017-2019 Lexus GS350, 2019 Lexus GS300, 2018-2020 Lexus LC500h, 2019-2020 Lexus LS500, 2018-2019 Lexus GX460, 2017 Lexus IS200t, 2019 Lexus IS300, 2019 Lexus IS350, 2018-2020 Lexus LC500, 2018 Lexus LS500, 2019 Lexus LS500h, 2018-2019 Lexus LX570, 2017 Lexus RC200t, 2019 Lexus RC300, RC350, 2017 and 2019-2020 Lexus RX350, 2018-2020 RX350L, 2019 Lexus UX200, 2018-2019 Lexus NX300 vehicles. The low-pressure fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail.

Risk: If the fuel pump fails, the engine can stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel pump assembly with an improved one, free of charge. Owners of specific models were notified that remedy parts were available starting January 21, 2021. Owners of other models will be notified as remedy parts become available. Remedy parts should be available for all affected vehicles by late March 2021. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371 or Lexus customer service at 1-800-255-3987. Note: This recall is an expansion of recall 20V-012. Toyota's number for this recall is 20TA02. Lexus' number for this recall is 20LA01.

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP Campaign 20V012000 · 2020-01-13

Summary: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) recalled certain 2018-2019 4Runner, Highlander, Camry, Land Cruiser, Sequoia, Sienna, Tacoma and Tundra, and Lexus RC 300, RC 350, GS 350, GX 460, IS 300, LC 500, LS 500, LX 570, RX 350L, and 2019 Toyota Avalon and Corolla, and certain Lexus NX 300, and ES 350 vehicles on January 13, 2020. On March 4, 2020, Toyota expanded the recall to include certain 2014-2015 Toyota 4Runner and Land Cruiser, 2018 Avalon, Corolla, 2014 FJ Cruiser, 2017 Sienna and Lexus 2018 ES 350, 2018-2019 GS 300, 2013-2014 GS350, 2014-2015 GX 460, IS 350 and LX 570, 2014 IS F, 2018-2019 IS 350, LC 500H and LS 500H, 2013-2015 LS 460, 2015 NX 200T and RC350, 2017 RC 200T and RX 350. Toyota also removed the 2018-2019 Toyota 4Runner and Land Cruiser and 2018-2019 Lexus GX 460 and LX 570 and 2019 NX300 from inclusion in this recall. On March 19, 2020, Toyota expanded the recall to include 2015 Lexus GS350 vehicles. The low-pressure fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail.

Risk: If the fuel pump fails, the engine can stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel pump, free of charge. The recall began May 4, 2020. 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 20TB02 and 20TA02 for Toyota vehicles and 20LB01 and 20LA01 for Lexus vehicles.

How to check whether your car has an open recall ›

Investigations

Pedestrian alert sounds Closed

DP22005 · defect petition · ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:PROPULSION SYSTEM · Opened 2023-01-27 · Closed 2023-08-07 · Campaign 22V063000 · Model years: 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022

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 ele…