Owners have filed 33 complaints with NHTSA about this car, most about the fuel system, airbags, and engine. The 9 checks below target those problems, in the order you would do them at the car.
2019Tick items off on your phone at the car, or print it. Ticks stay on this device.
0/9 checked
2019 Lexus ES: inspection sheet
Before you go, or before you touch the car0/2
Engine off, key in hand0/1
Ask the seller not to warm the car up first0/1
At least 20 minutes, with some highway0/5
These checks are specific to this model year. For tires, body panels, fluids, and the other basics every used car needs, use the general inspection guide.
These years share the 2019's design and most of its parts, so their problems are the ones to look for on this car too.
Worth adding to your 2019 checks
Worth adding to your 2019 checks
Worth adding to your 2019 checks
EPA figures for each version of the 2019 Lexus ES. Use them to confirm you are looking at the version that was advertised, and as a yardstick on the test drive.
| Version | Drive | EPA rating |
|---|---|---|
| 3.5L 6-cylGas | FWD | 26 mpg |
| 2.5L 4-cylHybrid | FWD | 44 mpg |
NHTSA complaints for the 2019 Lexus ES, grouped by the part owners named. Open a row to read what goes wrong.
Stalling and weak throttle response are the main complaints. Drivers describe pressing the gas at a stop or while merging and getting no response, then a sudden lunge when they press harder. Some cars stall at lights and will not restart until the engine is cycled. Most reports tie this to a low-pressure fuel pump and say dealers had no parts or remedy, leaving owners waiting for months or driving loaners. Owners call a stall in traffic or at highway speed a serious crash risk.
These complaints are about a recall repair delay, not breakdowns. Owners received fuel system recall notices, but dealers confirmed the replacement parts were not available and could not say when they would arrive. None of these owners reported an actual failure. Several say the wait went past a reasonable time, and one dealer told an owner the car was not safe to drive, so it sat in the garage until parts came in.
Airbags failing to deploy in a crash is the common complaint, including a hard side impact at the driver door. Three of the four reports involve crashes, with five people injured in total. In two of those crashes the trouble started elsewhere: a brake pedal that sank to the floor while parking, and a car that surged forward with the driver's foot on the brake. The fourth complaint is about a long wait for a fuel pump recall remedy, not the airbags.
Stalling and failure to move from a stop show up most often. Drivers press the accelerator at a stop sign or light and the car does not go, or it stalls when pulling into traffic. One car stalled in a driveway. Dealers often just run diagnostics. The most severe report describes a hybrid that lost all power after a loud thump at 128k miles, with oil pouring out and a seized engine. Stalling in traffic creates real collision risk.
Unintended or failed braking drives these complaints, and two of the three involve crashes. The pre-collision and automatic emergency braking systems are blamed for braking hard on their own, in one case on a highway, causing a spin across lanes into the median. Another driver saw an error message, the car did not stop, and it rear-ended the vehicle ahead. Automatic braking also kicks in while reversing into parking spaces. One car had vibration and a bumping noise braking from 55 mph at about 2,000 miles.
Sudden loss of power when accelerating is the core problem. Drivers floor the pedal during a turn and the car barely creeps along, or it hesitates, then downshifts hard and surges toward the car ahead. Others say the car revs as if in neutral while in Drive or Reverse and only moves again after being shut off and restarted. Reports start within the first year of ownership, often at intersections where hesitation puts the car in the path of oncoming traffic.
Loss of control at highway speed is the only detailed report. The car drifted left at 60-65 mph with no lane departure warning, the steering felt tight, and neither braking nor steering seemed to respond. The automatic braking did not engage, the car hit a concrete barrier, spun, and the airbags did not deploy. Afterward the car would not start. The second complaint in this category gives no usable detail.
Two very different faults appear. In one, the emergency SOS calling module gets stuck in a loop and calls the call center every few minutes while driving, which pulls the driver's attention off the road. In the other, brake, check engine, power steering, parking support brake, and pre-collision warnings all light up at once and the car slows to a stop even with the gas pedal floored. An earlier episode cleared after the owner cleaned the sensors.
Excerpts from complaints ES owners filed with NHTSA, as written. Listen for the same symptoms on your test drive.
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
Filed with NHTSA, May 2023
While at a stop sign or light, I have experienced on at least five separate occasions where I press the accelerator and the vehicle does not move. I took it in to the Lexus dealer last year and have set up another appointment again next Monday September 27. There response is that they will put it on their diagnostic machine.
Filed with NHTSA, September 2021
I was attempting to stop at an intersection. I pressed the brake pedal and an error message came up on the info screen and the car failed to stop. I ended up crashing into the rear of the vehicle in front of me.
Filed with NHTSA, September 2022
Complaints for this year next to the average for the other model years, area by area.
The 2019 has the most owner complaints of the 7 ES years we cover, about 3.2 times the average of the others. Newer years have had less time to collect complaints, so compare like with like.
Redesigns and mid-cycle updates change what can go wrong.
The 2019 is the seventh model year of the ES's sixth generation (2013–2023).
It includes the 2016 update.
What changed for 2016
Recall repairs are free at any Lexus dealer, but the seller may never have had them done. Check each campaign number against the VIN.
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.
Fix: 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.
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.
Fix: 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.
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.
Fix: 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.
Cars shoppers compare with the Lexus ES, with their own 2019 checklists.
2019 owner complaints, side by side
