NHTSA has received 34 owner complaints about the 2019 Lexus ES, or 4.4 per year on the road — far fewer complaints than typical for a vehicle of its age (complaint index 0.10, where 1.00 is the average of all tracked vehicles). Among the 76 model-year 2019 vehicles we track, it ranks #5 for fewest complaints per year. Against other Lexus models its rate is 43% lower; against other Luxury sedans it is 14% 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
Complaints filed between 2019-02-13 and 2025-07-24. Median delay from incident to filing: 26 days.
34Complaints
4.4Complaints per year on the road
0.1Complaint index vs. all tracked vehicles
1Recalls
17.6%Share involving a crash or fire
0Last 12 months
Analysis
The previous model year (2018) drew 0.6 complaints per year, fewer than this one. The following model year (2020) drew 3.6 per year, fewer than this one. In its first two years on the road the 2019 model collected 15 complaints, 81% lower than the average vehicle of the same model year.
The most common problem area is Fuel system (32.4% of complaints), followed by Engine (23.5%) and Brakes (11.8%). Fuel system complaints are 7.5 times as common here as across all tracked vehicles. Within Fuel system reports, owners most often mention “fuel”, “recall”, “pump”, “system gasoline” and “remedy”. 6 reports (17.6%) describe a crash or fire; owners mention 6 injuries and 0 deaths.
Half of the reported incidents happened within 20 months of the model year's start; the busiest period was the second year (32% of incidents). 0 complaints were filed in the last 12 months.
NHTSA lists 1 safety recall for this model year. 3% of the complaints fall in component areas that a recall addresses. 1 NHTSA defect investigation covers this model year; the most recent is “Pedestrian alert sounds” (opened 2023-01-27, closed 2023-08-07).
Complaint index
vs. all tracked vehicles0.1
vs. other Lexus models0.57
vs. other 2019 models0.1
vs. other Luxury sedans0.86
Complaints in first 2 years on the road · vs. same-year average (15)0.19
Which component or system experienced a failure or malfunction, and is it available for inspection upon request? The Pre-collagen system and emergency braking system failed.
Brakes · 2023-08-02 · ODI 11536140 · Crash
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
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!
Fuel system · 2025-07-24 · ODI 11675800
Driving car experienced a loud thump. Lost all engine power. Pulled to side of road. Had a hybrid system unavailable warning. Called a tow. Checked oil level to find it below the low mark. Car left a huge puddle of oil when loaded. Got to dealership.
Engine · 2025-03-07 · ODI 11646961
I bought a 2019 Lexus ES350 F Sport in October 2023 with 41,000 miles. Almost a year later to the day I went to a touchless car wash and now have excessive condensation in both headlights. Lexus shows these lights at $2500 a piece, plus labor to install.
Lighting · 2024-10-06 · ODI 11618299
Excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length. The ODI number is NHTSA's record identifier.
AIR BAGS:KNEE BOLSTER Campaign 19V288000 · 2019-04-10
Summary: 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.
Risk: In the event of a crash, there is an increased risk of injury if the knee air bag does not deploy properly.
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.
DP22005 · 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…
Frequently asked questions
How many complaints were filed for the 2019 Lexus ES?
34 complaints were filed with NHTSA for the 2019 Lexus ES, or about 4.4 per year on the road.
What is the most common problem reported for the 2019 Lexus ES?
The most common category is Fuel system, accounting for 32.4% of complaints.
Does the 2019 Lexus ES have any recalls?
NHTSA lists 1 safety recall(s) for this model year. 1 NHTSA defect investigation covers this model year; the most recent is “Pedestrian alert sounds” (opened 2023-01-27, closed 2023-08-07).
Is the 2019 Lexus ES still generating complaints?
0 complaints were filed in the last 12 months.
How does the 2019 Lexus ES compare with similar vehicles?
NHTSA has received 34 owner complaints about the 2019 Lexus ES, or 4.4 per year on the road — far fewer complaints than typical for a vehicle of its age (complaint index 0.10, where 1.00 is the average of all tracked vehicles). Among the 76 model-year 2019 vehicles we track, it ranks #5 for fewest complaints per year. Against other Lexus models its rate is 43% lower; against other Luxury sedans it is 14% lower.