2002 Lexus IS 300 Recalls, Ratings & Complaints

Incident: January 3, 2004 · Filed: March 26, 2019

MELTING DASHBOARD AND AROUND THE GEAR SHIFT AND LEXUS WILL NOT DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT. POOR CUSTOMER SERVICE FOR A SO CALLED "LUXURY" BRAND. I HAD SOME PAPER ACTUALLY STICK TO THE PLASTIC AROUND THE GEAR SHIFT AND WHEN I WENT TO PICK IT UP I HAD TO PEEL IT OFF THEN I TRIED CLEAN IT OFF WITH JUST WATER AND A RAG AND IT LEFT MARKS. I WANT SOMETHING DONE BY LEXUS. A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE HAVING THIS SAME PROBLEM SO WHY ISN'T LEXUS DOING ANYTHING ABOUT IT? I WANT SOMETHING DONE! MY DASH AND PLASTIC AROUND THE GEAR SHIFT NEED TO BE REPLACED AND IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR. I JUST FOUND THIS SITE THAT'S WHY I'M JUST NOW REPORTING IT BUT THIS HAS BEEN A PROBLEM SINCE ABOUT 2014. LEXUS SHOULD OWN UP TO THEIR MISTAKES AND FIX THEM. I WILL KEEP CALLING AND KEEP GOING TO THE DEALERSHIP UNTIL SOMETHING IS DONE!

Incident: May 13, 2016 · Filed: May 20, 2016

BRAKE,TRAC OFF,VSC,ABS LIGHT ARE ON

Incident: January 1, 2010 · Filed: April 26, 2016

DASHBOARD IS MELTING ON MY 2002 IS300. THIS IS A SAFETY HAZARD CAUSING GLARE ON WINDSHIELD. ALSO THE STICKY BLACK DASH GETS ON OUR SKIN AND LIKELY HAS HARMFUL CHEMICALS THAT IS BEING ABSORBED IN OUR BODIES. LEXUS REFUSES TO REPAIR THIS KNOWN DEFECT AND MY VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. I ALWAYS THOUGHT LEXUS WAS THE TOP BRAND FOR RELIABILITY AND QUALITY. MY VIEWPOINT OF LEXUS BRAND HAS CHANGED AFTER THIS AND I CAN NO LONGER CONSIDER BUYING LEXUS IN FUTURE. VERY DISAPPOINTED IN THEIR POOR QUALITY CONTROL AND REFUSAL TO STAND BY THEIR BRAND.

Incident: May 13, 2015 · Filed: May 13, 2015

LIKE MOST LEXUS IS300 OWNERS, MY CAR EXHIBITS THE "MELTING" DASHBOARD ISSUE. MY MAIN CONCERN IS THE MELTING MATERIAL COULD BE RELEASING CHEMICALS THAT IS ORDERLESS/TOXIC. LEXUS IS REFUSING THE REPAIR THE ISSUE OUT OF THEIR OWN POCKETS.

Incident: June 15, 2013 · Filed: August 19, 2014

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 LEXUS IS 300. WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH, A GLARE APPEARED ON THE WINDSHIELD THAT AFFECTED THE CONTACT'S VISIBILITY. THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE DASHBOARD WAS MELTING AND A STICKY RESIDUE COVERED ITS SURFACE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 144,500.

Incident: March 1, 2014 · Filed: May 24, 2014

I PUT $3000 ON 2002 LEXUS AND HAD IT FOR THREE DAYS WHEN MY 6 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER AND MYSELF WAS HEADING ONTO COMMERCIAL TURNPIKE SOUTH. I WAS APPROACHING LIGHT ON CORNER OF 441 AND COMMERCIAL WHEN MY BRAKES JUST GAVE OUT ON ME COMPLETELY AND I QUICKLY RESPONDED AND PULLED UP EMERGENCY BRAKE AND TURNED INTO GAS STATION TO HAVE IT TOWED TO MECHANIC AND WHICH IT WAS PUT ON MACHINE AND DETAILED EVERYTHING THAT WAS WRONG WITH CAR INCLUDING THE MALFUNCTION ON THE ABS SYSTEM WHICH CONTROLS BRAKES AND STEERING. I WAS SAVED BY NOT GETTING ONTO TURNPIKE AND MY QUICK MANEUVERING TO EMERGENCY BRAKES WHICH HELPED VERY LITTLE. MY PEDAL WENT COMPLETELY TO THE FLOOR. I CALLED AND TOLD MOSCHE WHICH WAS THE GUY I SIGNED CONTRACT WITH AND TOLD HIM TO COME AND GET THIS CAR AND I WANT MY MONEY BACK. HE TOLD ME NO REFUNDS AND I FOUND OUT WITHIN THREE DAYS I SHOULD OF GOTTEN MY REFUND BACK. THEY TOOK MY CAR BACK AFTER I FIXED IT AND PAID OVER $500 FOR AND WILL NOT GIVE ME ANOTHER CAR NOR MY MONEY BACK.. THEY ROBBED AND LIE AND SHOULD NOT BE SELLING DANGEROUS CARS WITH KNOWLEDGE OF NO BRAKES. I WAS TOLD TO COME GET THE CAR A WEEK AFTER BECAUSE OF THEM PUTTING BRAKES ON THEM SO THEY HAD KNOWLEDGE OF SOMETHING WRONG WITH BRAKE SYSTEM AND FAILED TO TELL ME.. *TR

Incident: April 1, 2008 · Filed: April 7, 2010

ACCELERATOR FAILURE: TWICE THAT I CAN CLEARLY REMEMBER. FIRST TIME HAPPENED IN 2003 AFTER GENTLE DEPRESSION OF THE GAS PEDAL, IT SEEMED TO PUSH ITSELF FURTHER AND WAS STUCK INTO THE FLOOR RESULTING IN UNCONTROLLED, MAX ACCELERATION...THIS WAS MENTIONED TO THE DEALER WHEN I TOOK IT FOR SERVICE (RAY CATENA LEXUS, LARCHMONT, NY). AFTER THAT, IT DIDN'T HAPPEN UNTIL THE SPRING OF 2008 WHERE I WAS ON THE I95 ON MY WAY TO WORK, IN RUSH HOUR WHEN THE CAR SUDDENLY WENT FROM ABOUT 40MPH TO 70 OR 80. I MANAGED TO WEAVE AROUND TRAFFIC AND DROVE ON THE SHOULDER WHILE PRESSING FULL FORCE ON THE BRAKE PEDAL, PULLED ON THE EMERGENCY BRAKE AND WAS FINALLY ABLE TO GET THE CAR IN PARK. AFTER THAT OCCURRED, I WAS FOLLOWED OFF HE HIGHWAY BY THE HELP TRUCK, TOOK MY CAR TO A LOCAL MECHANIC FOR INSPECTION AND NOTHING WAS FOUND...I IMMEDIATELY MADE AN APPT WITH THE DEALER BUT HAD TO WAIT UNTIL THE NEXT DAY FOR SERVICE. IN THE MEANTIME, IT HAPPENED TWICE MORE ON THE HIGHWAY BUT I WAS CAUTIOUS AND STAYED AWAY FROM CARS AND CLOSE TO THE SHOULDER. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER AND WAS CHARGED $100 TO LOOK AT IT (LEXUS OF GREENWICH, CT), WAS TOLD THAT IT WAS THE FLOOR MAT. INTERESTINGLY ENOUGH, THIS HASN'T HAPPENED AGAIN AND I STILL HAVE THE CAR BUT I AM VERY WORRIED THAT IT MIGHT. *TR

Incident: March 15, 2008 · Filed: February 16, 2010

ACCELERATOR FAILURE IN A LEXUS IS300 ABOUT TWO YEARS MY DAUGHTER GOT ON A CAR ACCIDENT AT THAT TIME SHE MENTIONED THAT HER ACCELERATOR GOT STUCK. THERE HAS BEE A FEW TIME THAT I FELT THAT THE ACCELERATOR GOT STUCK WHILE DRIVING MY CAR ALSO. I CALLED THE DEALER AND THE LEXUS COMPANY FOR THE LAST 6 MONTHS AND ALL THEY SAID IS THAT MY CAR IS NOT INVOLVE IN THE RECALL. THAT DON'T MEAN THAT MY CAR IS NOT DEFECTIVE, OR THERE NEED TO BE A FATAL ACCIDENT FOR THEM TO TAKE ACTION. *TR

Incident: February 4, 2010 · Filed: February 4, 2010

I WOULD LIKE TO REPORT A PROBLEM WITH THE LEXUS IS300 MODELS 2001-2005. THERE IS SOME TYPE OF DEFECT IN THE FRAME OR FRONT ARM BUSHINGS THAT CAUSE EXCESSIVE WEAR ON THE FRONT INNER TIRES. DESPITE THE CAR BEING REGULARLY ALIGNED, UNEVEN AND EXCESSIVE TIRE WEAR CONTINUES TO OCCUR. TIRES WILL SOMETIMES LAST LESS THAN 8,000 MILES AND CAN WEAR DOWN TO THE STEEL IN THE INNER SIDES. THIS IS A COMMON OCCURRENCE AND COMPLAINT AMONG IS 300 OWNERS. AS FAR AS I KNOW, THERE HAS BEEN NO FIX FROM LEXUS AND CAN LEAD TO POTENTIAL BLOWOUTS ON THE FREEWAY DUE TO TIRE FAILURES. PLEASE ALSO SEE THIS MESSAGE THREAD DOCUMENTING SOME OF THE PROBLEMS: HTTP://MY.IS/FORUMS/F89/ALIGNMENT-WOES-STOCK-SUSPENSION-NEED-INPUT-390629/. *JB

Incident: August 13, 2009 · Filed: December 24, 2009

LEXUS IS300 2002 VEHICLE ROLLOVER ON FREEWAY. DEFECT THAT CAUSED THE CAR TO ROLL WAS FROM THE LEFT FRONT WHEEL/RIM BROKE IN HALF WHILE DRIVING. I WAS MERGING AND HEARD SOMETHING BREAK UNDER THE CAR. MY STEERING WHEEL TURNED A HARD RIGHT FORCEFUL AND WITHOUT MY CONTROL. I TRIED TO STRAIGHTEN THE STEERING WHEEL OUT FROM THIS INVOLUNTARY HARSH DIRECTION OF VEHICLE, IT WAS LOCKED UP. I TURNED COMPLETELY AROUND FACING TRAFFIC. ALL ATTEMPTS TO TURN THE STEERING COLUMN WOULD NOT ALLOW ME TO DO SO (COMPLETELY LOCKED POSITION). THE VEHICLE SPUN AND I HEARD AND FELT THE BACK END HIT SOMETHING. THE CAR CATAPULTED OVER A 8 FT. FENCE THAT SEPARATES THE ACCESS ROAD. THE CAR LANDED ON ITS ROOF. MY AIRBAGS NEVER DEPLOYED! IMPACT CRUSHED THE ROOF INTO THE GROUND I WAS SUSPENDED UPSIDE DOWN BY MY SEAT BELT. THE CAR ENGINE WAS STILL RUNNING. I ATTEMPTED TO UNLATCH MY SEAT BELT, IT TOOK A FEW ATTEMPTS. I COULD NOT FIND A DOOR HANDLE, OR WINDOW TO GET OUT. I TRIED FORCING THE DRIVERS DOOR OPEN. IT WOULD NOT MOVE, I WAS TRAPPED INSIDE THE UPSIDE DOWN VEHICLE. IN A PANIC, I FEARED THE CAR WOULD SPILL GASOLINE AND CATCH FIRE. I TURNED THE IGNITION OFF. I THEN REALIZED NO ONE STOPPED TO HELP...I FORCED MY BODY TO HIT THE DOOR OVER AND OVER, TO BREAK IT OPEN. I GOT THE SIDE MIRROR TO BREAK ALLOWING THE DOOR TO OPEN A FEW INCHES...JUST ENOUGH TO CRAWL OUT. I WENT BACK IN TO FIND MY PHONE AND CALL 911. AT THAT TIME A PERSON PULLED OVER. I FOUND MY PHONE AND FOR SOME REASON I DECIDED TO TAKE A PICTURE OF THE VEHICLE. I CAPTURED THE BROKEN WHEEL IN THE PICTURE. POLICE ASKED ME WHAT HAPPENED, I SAID OVER AND OVER "IT LOCKED UP"...MY PHONE BATTERY DIED RIGHT AFTER I TOOK THE PICTURE. I DIDN'T HAVE MEDICAL COVERAGE FOR EMERGENCY, SO I DIDN'T GO TO THE HOSPITAL. THE COP SAID, "PEOPLE DON'T WALK AWAY FROM THIS KIND OF ACCIDENT" HE ADVISED I GO WITH THE AMBULANCE, HOWEVER I COULDN'T AFFORD THE COST. I DIDN'T REALIZE I WAS INJURED, UNTIL LATER. NO ONE HAS EVER SEEN A WHEEL DO THAT. *TR