NHTSA vehicle safety data

2021 Lexus ES Recalls & Complaints

The 2021 Lexus ES has 1 NHTSA recall campaign and 28 owner complaints on file as of November 3, 2026. Recall repairs are usually free at an authorized Lexus dealer.

NHTSA also files the 2021 Lexus ES separately as ES Hybrid — 1 recall campaign.

NHTSA recall and complaint data for the 2021 Lexus ES. Recall data is refreshed daily from NHTSA.

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2021 Lexus ES owner complaints

Owners have filed 28 complaints with NHTSA about the 2021 Lexus ES, describing incidents dated August 5, 2023 to July 28, 2026.

Most-cited components

Air Bags 25 complaints
Steering 2 complaints
Service Brakes 1 complaint
Unknown or Other 1 complaint

Of the 28 complaints on file, 1 reports a crash; across all 28 complaints, owners report 1 injury (owner-reported, not verified by NHTSA).

Newest complaints

ODI #11753522 · Filed July 29, 2026
On or July 28, 2026, I experienced a safety incident involving the driver’s side power window on my 2021 Lexus ES. The vehicle was running, and I reached through the driver’s side window to retrieve an item being handed to me. Without me pressing or activating the window switch, the driver’s window…
ODI #11705688 · Filed December 17, 2025
The contact owns a 2021 Lexus ES-300H. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V865000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time…
ODI #11696345 · Filed October 29, 2025
Still no parts for fix

Read all 28 complaints

OCS Sensors May Short Circuit

NHTSA #23V865000 · Air Bags — Sensor — Occupant Classification · NHTSA notice

Reported December 20, 2023 · Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing

Potentially affected: 999,901 vehicles

Repair completion: 61.97% (latest rate the manufacturer reported to NHTSA; dataset updated November 3, 2026)

Manufacturer campaign 23TA15, 23LA03 · Owners notified October 31, 2024

Defect description

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Avalon, Avalon Hybrid, Corolla, Highlander, Highlander Hybrid, RAV4, RAV4 Hybrid, Lexus ES350, Lexus RX350, Lexus RX450H, 2021 Sienna Hybrid, Lexus ES250, 2020-2022 Camry, Camry Hybrid, and ES300H vehicles. A short circuit may develop in the Occupant Classification System (OCS) sensor, preventing the front passenger air bag from deploying.

Safety consequence

An air bag that does not deploy during a crash increases the risk of injury.

Manufacturer remedy

Dealers will inspect and replace the sensor as necessary, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed in February 2024. Some final remedy owner letters were mailed October 31, 2024. Letters will continue to be mailed in phases through January 2026. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is 23TB15/23TA15 Lexus 23LB03/23LA03.

Notes

Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.nhtsa.gov.

try.vin has no NCAP crash-test rating on file for the 2021 Lexus ES. NHTSA rates some vehicles by body style — pickups by cab, vans by roof height — so check nhtsa.gov/ratings.

28 owner complaints have been filed with NHTSA for the 2021 Lexus ES.

Unknown or Other

ODI #11753522

1 injury

Incident: July 28, 2026 · Filed: July 29, 2026

On or July 28, 2026, I experienced a safety incident involving the driver’s side power window on my 2021 Lexus ES. The vehicle was running, and I reached through the driver’s side window to retrieve an item being handed to me. Without me pressing or activating the window switch, the driver’s window unexpectedly quickly closed on my arm. It trapped my right forearm. I could not get my arm out for several minutes and attempted to open the window with both the switch and manually using all my force from my upper body to try to free my right arm. The associate also tried to push the window back open but it would not budge. I had also tried opened the driver’s door to see if that would cause the window to release. Nothing I could do would budge the window open for me to pull free and the force was very strong against my arm. I finally freed my arm and the window closed quickly on both hands at my knuckles before I could pull them out. Which I also had to struggle against with great force.That's how fast the window was going. I did think I was going to loose my hand. The incident resulted in injury to my right arm. Based on my understanding, the power window did not stop or reverse as I would have expected from the vehicle’s anti-pinch safety feature. This unexpected window movement created a risk of serious injury. I am concerned that this may indicate a defect in the power window system or its safety features. I am submitting this report so the incident can be documented and investigated to determine whether other vehicles may have the same issue.

Air Bags

ODI #11705688

Incident: December 17, 2025 · Filed: December 17, 2025

The contact owns a 2021 Lexus ES-300H. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V865000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.

Air Bags

ODI #11696345

Incident: October 29, 2025 · Filed: October 29, 2025

Still no parts for fix

Air Bags

ODI #11690558

Incident: December 20, 2023 · Filed: September 30, 2025

The contact owns a 2021 Lexus ES 300H. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V865000 (Air Bags). The contact called the dealer for over a year for parts availability updates and was informed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not notified of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.

Air Bags

ODI #11670339

Incident: December 15, 2023 · Filed: June 30, 2025

Recall on my vehicle has been out for 1.5 years. Dealer states no parts yet & that I should be fine. But I don’t feel safe if my passenger air bag won’t deploy in any emergency.

Air Bags

ODI #11667413

Incident: December 20, 2023 · Filed: June 17, 2025

The contact owns a 2021 Lexus ES250. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V865000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was contacted. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

Air Bags

ODI #11660590

Incident: May 13, 2025 · Filed: May 13, 2025

The contact owns a 2021 Lexus ES350. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V865000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

Air Bags

ODI #11655075

Incident: April 16, 2025 · Filed: April 16, 2025

The contact owns a 2021 Lexus ES 300H. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V865000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

Air Bags

ODI #11653468

Incident: April 8, 2025 · Filed: April 8, 2025

AIR BAG RECALL IN DECEMBER 2023 STILL NO REMEDY AVAILABLE !

Air Bags

ODI #11651071

Incident: March 27, 2025 · Filed: March 27, 2025

The contact owns a 2021 Lexus ES300H. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V865000 (AIR BAGS); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

Other Lexus ES model years

Check your 2021 Lexus ES VIN

Not every recall applies to every VIN in a given year. Enter the 17-character VIN from your Lexus ES at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see whether your specific vehicle has an unrepaired recall.

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