FaultScore

Lexus IS 250 engine problems

72 of the 938 complaints filed about the Lexus IS 250 are about the engine — 8% of everything owners reported. The worst model year for it is 2006.

72

Complaints

8%

Share of all complaints

3

Crashes

2

Fires

Engine & Cooling complaints by model year

2006 IS 250 30 41.7%

Median failure at 89,653 miles

2007 IS 250 18 25.0%

Median failure at 52,500 miles

2008 IS 250 15 20.8%

Median failure at 70,000 miles

2009 IS 250 1 1.4%

Median failure at 65,000 miles

2010 IS 250 1 1.4%

Median failure at 48,000 miles

2012 IS 250 2 2.8%

Median failure at 35,000 miles

2013 IS 250 1 1.4%

Median failure at 40,000 miles

2014 IS 250 3 4.2%

Median failure at 42,000 miles

2015 IS 250 1 1.4%

Median failure at 4,000 miles

What owners said

2014 Lexus IS 250 at 69,000 miles Albrightsville, PA

ENGINE

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 LEXUS IS250. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT AN UNDISCLOSED SPEED, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITH THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC AND WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE FUEL PUMP FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED AND WAS NOT TAKEN TO A DEALER FOR A DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 69,000.

NHTSA complaint #11328450 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2012 Lexus IS 250 at 1 miles Hutto, TX Crash 1 injured

ENGINE

TAKATABRANTAKATA RECALL MY VEHICLE WAS REAR ENDED AT 34 TO 50 MILES AN HOUR. THE VEHICLE BEHIND ME IMPACTED ME SO HARD THAT IT PUSHED ME INTO THE VEHICLE IN FRONT OF ME AND IN TURN SHE HIT THE VEHICLE IN FRONT OF HER. THERE WAS DAMAGED TO THE FRONT AND SIDE PANELS OF MY CAR AS WELL. THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. I SUSTAINED AND SUFFERED INJURIES. THIS OCCURRED ON A BUSY CITY STREET WHILE AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT.

NHTSA complaint #11234294 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2006 Lexus IS 250 Ontario, CA

ENGINE

SOLENOIDS IN MY CAR IS CAUSING MY CAR TO GO INTO LIMP MODE DUE TO THE FACT THAT LEXUS STATES TRANSMISSION FLUID NEVER NEEDS TO BE CHANGED IS NOW HAVING ME BUYING A NEW TRANSMISSION BECAUSE THE SOLENOIDS ARE BAD AND IS STUCK IN 3RD GEAR.

NHTSA complaint #11219165 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2008 Lexus IS 250 at 70,000 miles West Milford, NJ

ENGINE

ENGINE CONSUMES ABOUT A QUART OF OIL EVERY THOUSAND MILES. TAIL PIPES FULL OF CARBON. SOMETIMES RUNS ROUGH

NHTSA complaint #11218921 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2007 Lexus IS 250 at 160,000 miles Coral Springs, FL

ENGINE

THE TRANSMISSION SLIPS ON REVERSE. IT DOES NOT TRAVERSE UNLESS I DRIVEN 30 MINUTES AND GOING 40 AMD HIGHER, THE RPMS START AT 4K THEN 5K AMD KEEPS GETTING HIGHER. THE ENGINES WANTS TO STALL FROM TIME TO TIME. THE SUSPENSION IS HARD, EVEN AFTER CHANGING THE SHOCKS

NHTSA complaint #11183325 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2006 Lexus IS 250 at 135,000 miles LA Mirada, CA

ENGINE

HI WHEN I AM DRIVING A STRONG ODOR COMES INTO CAB SMELLS LIKE ROTTEN EGGS AND FUEL ITS VERY OVER POWERING WHILE DRIVING I HAVE TALKED TO MECHANICS AND THEY CANT FIGURE OUT WHAT IT IS OR WHERE IT COMES FROM. I HAVE READ ON FORUMS AND IT IS A COMMON ISSUE WITH THIS MODEL

NHTSA complaint #11181440 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2006 Lexus IS 250 Timberlake, NC

ENGINE

THE TRANSMISSION ON MY CAR HAS ISSUES JERKING WHEN IN GEAR AND STOPPING WHEN IN USE. I TOOK MY CAR TO A CERTIFIED LEXUS DEALER AND THEY COULD NOT REPAIR IT. I'M SURE BECAUSE IT WAS NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY. I TOOK IT TO A TRANSMISSION MACHANIC AND I BOUGHT A 2006 IS250 USED TRANSMISSION FROM A CAR THAT WAS TOTALED THAT HAD LESS MILES AND WAS TOTALED BECAUSE THE FRAME WAS BENT BECAUSE IT WAS REAR ENDED. IN LESS THAN A YEAR SAME PROBLEM TRANSMISSION AGAIN! I SPENT $4500 THE FIRST GO AROUND I COULDN'T AFFORD THAT AGAIN. I HAD TO BUY ANOTHER CAR FOR WHAT I PAID TO REPAIR THE LEXUS. I'VE CHECKED FOR RECALLS YEAH MY DASH HAS MELTED AND ALL OF THE OTHER RECALLS! I CAN'T GET THOSE CORRECTED!! I'M STARTING A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT!!! I'VE SPENT TO MUCH MONEY ON A HIGH CLASS TOYOTA THAT HAS MORE PROBLEMS THAN ITS WORTH!!!!

NHTSA complaint #11166771 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2009 Lexus IS 250 at 65,000 miles SAN Jose, CA

ENGINE

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 LEXUS IS 250. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 20 MPH, THE CHECK ENGINE AND TRACTION CONTROL INDICATORS ILLUMINATED AND THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT PROPERLY ACCELERATE. THE FAILURE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER AND LOCAL DEALER WERE NOT NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 65,000.

NHTSA complaint #11140414 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2012 Lexus IS 250 at 70,000 miles Brookside, NJ Crash

ENGINE

UNINTENDED ACCELERATION WHILE INCHING INTO PARKING SPACE AT VERY SLOW RATE OF SPEED. ENGINE RACED UNEXPECTEDLY AND CAR JUMPED CURB WITH ALL 4 TIRES, ACROSS A SMALL MEDIAN, AND DOWN ANOTHER CURB WITH 3 TIRES, STRIKING A PARKED CAR, WHICH STOPPED FORWARD MOTION.

NHTSA complaint #11122773 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2013 Lexus IS 250 at 40,000 miles Palmdale, CA

ENGINE

THE ENGINE COULD STALL IN THE MIDDLE OF DRIVING BECAUSE OF MISFIRE. MY LEXUS 250 ONLY 40K MILEAGE AND ALWAYS DO PROPER MAINTENANCE TO THE ENGINE EVERY 3000 MILE. I DO RESEARCH THAT LEXUS IS 250 CAUSE CARBON BUILD UP BECAUSE OF THE WRONG DESIGN OF THE DIRECT INJECTION. HERE'S THE YOUTUBE LINK: HTTPS://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=YTQUQFLAWR8. I BROUGHT THE CAR TO LEXUS DEALER, THEY WON'T ADMITTED, INSTEAD THEY BLAME ME USING A WRONG FUEL. BEFORE I USED 91OCTANE SHELL, THEN I SWITCH TO 91OCTANE CHEVRON. STILL HAS THE PROBLEM. THEY SHOULD RECALL FOR THIS MATTER, BECAUSE IT'S ABOUT SAFETY AND THE ENGINE COULD SUDDENLY STALL IN THE MIDDLE OF DRIVING.

NHTSA complaint #11114087 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2006 Lexus IS 250 at 100,000 miles Livermore, CA

ENGINE

AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION. WHEN SLOWING TO A STOP OR ANYTIME (EVERYTIME) THE CAR NEEDS TO AUTO DOWNSHIFT FROM 2ND TO 1ST THE CAR HARD SHIFTS AND THE ENTIRE CAR JERKS REALLY HARD CAUSING ALMOST WHIPLASH. THIS IS A WIDELY DISCUSSED ISSUE WITH IS AND GS MODELS ON MANY FORUMS. NEW ECU UNITS NEEDED EACH TIME COSTING THOUSANDS.

NHTSA complaint #11111358 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2006 Lexus IS 250 at 118,000 miles Kissimmee, FL

ENGINE

RATTLING SOUND AT STARTUP

NHTSA complaint #11100072 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2006 Lexus IS 250 at 125,350 miles Wasco, CA

ENGINE

VSC AND ENGINE LIGHT ARE ON. INSIDE OF CAR SMELLS LIKE EXHAUST IS COMING THROUGH. STEERING SEEMS TO BE IMPAIRED

NHTSA complaint #11041586 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2007 Lexus IS 250 Albertville, AL

ENGINE

CAMSHAFT GEAR GONE BAD AT ONLY 85,000 AND LEXUS IS AWARE OF AND DOES NOTHING TO DO A RECALL. THIS IS A 3000,00 FIX.

NHTSA complaint #11022682 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2006 Lexus IS 250 at 110 miles Schenectady, NY

ENGINE

THE CAR WAS SHAKING AND WOULD NOT EXCELERATE OVER 40MPH. IT WAS BROUGHT IN TO LEXUS OF POHANKA IN DECEMBER OF 2016. THEY PERFORMED A TOP ENGINE CLEAN. THE CAR STARTED HAVING THE SAME ISSUES IN THE BEGINNING OF 2017. I CALLED LEXUS CUSTOMER SERVICE AND OPENED A CASE AS I WAS TOLD THERE WAS A RECALL ON A MANUFACTURING DEFECT OF THE PISTONS. I HAD PAID $1500.00 FOR THE WORK PERFORMED. I WAS TOLD A SHOULD HAVE RECEIVED A LETTER IN REGARD TO THIS PROBLEM. LEXUS WAS CALLING IT A CUSTOMER SUPPORT PROGRAM. I NEVER RECEIVED THE LETTER BUT REPEATEDLY ASK LE US TO REIMBURSE ME AND SOLVE THE PISTON MISFIRE. I HAVE ALL OF MY EMAILS TO SUPPORT MY CASE. LEXUS STOPPED REPLYING TO THEM. THE CAR AT THIS POINT IS STILL SHAKING AND THE ENGINE LIGHT IS FLASHING. WE HAVE BEEN INSTRUCTED BY LEXUS IN THE PAST NOT TO DRIVE WHEN LIGHT IS FLASHING. AT THIS TIME I DO NOT KNOW WHERE TO TURN. ANY HELP WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED. I AM AWARE THAT MANY OF THESE MODELS AND OTHERS HAVE HAD THE WORK PERFORMED OR NEW ENGINES.

NHTSA complaint #11015089 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2006 Lexus IS 250 at 40,000 miles ST. Louis, MO Fire

ENGINE

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 LEXUS IS 250. WHILE THE CONTACT'S DAUGHTER WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 20 MPH, THE CHECK ENGINE AND VEHICLE STABILITY CONTROL INDICATORS ILLUMINATED, AS WELL AS OTHER UNKNOWN WARNING INDICATORS. THE VEHICLE LOST POWER AND BEGAN TO EMIT A BURNING ODOR FROM UNDER THE HOOD. THE DRIVER EXAMINED THE VEHICLE AND NOTICED FLUID UNDERNEATH THE VEHICLE. THE LEXUS OF MILWAUKEE DEALER DIAGNOSED THAT THE FUEL RAIL ON ONE SIDE OF THE ENGINE FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND OPENED CASE NUMBER: 170731228. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE VEHICLE HAD RECEIVED A RECALL REPAIR FOR A CORRODED FUEL RAIL IN 2010. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 40,000.

NHTSA complaint #11012307 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2006 Lexus IS 250 at 158,000 miles St.petersburg, FL 1 injured

ENGINE

TAKATA RECALL, CAR RADITOR HOSE BUSTED WITHOUT ANY NOTICE WHILE HOOD WAS OPEN WHICH CAUSE BURN TO PASSENGER, LET THE CAR SIT FOR AN OVER AN HOUR BEFORE THE CAR WAS BROUGHT TO AN SHOP WHERE THE CAR WAS TESTED AN HEAD GASKET WAS BLOWED

NHTSA complaint #11003849 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2007 Lexus IS 250 at 30,000 miles Maple Grove, MN

ENGINE

LEXUS IS250 CRANK LOUD NOISE SOUNDS LIKE THE CAR IS GOING TO EXPLODE. LEXUS IS AWARE OF A CAMSHAFT GEAR PROBLEM AND HAS RECALLED SAME OR SIMILAR PARTS IN OTHER LEXUS MODEL VEHICLES DUE TO SAFETY ISSUES. THEY ALSO HAVE AN UPDATED PART AVAILABLE TO REMEDY THIS PROBLEM BUT REFUSE A RECALL IN THIS MODEL

NHTSA complaint #10992781 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2008 Lexus IS 250 at 74,000 miles Jennings, LA

ENGINE

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 LEXUS IS 250. WITHIN LESS THAN TWO DAYS OF OWNING THE VEHICLE, THERE WAS A FAILURE WITH THE RADIATOR CAP AND CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURE. THE TEMPERATURE GAUGE FLUCTUATED HIGHLY. THE DEALER REPLACED THE RADIATOR CAP AND PROVIDED NO SOLUTION FOR THE ENGINE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS EXCLUDED FROM NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBERS: 10V309000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING) AND 09V020000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING). AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC REPLACED THE ENGINE ASSEMBLY DUE TO THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS AWARE THAT THEY ISSUED TWO RECALLS, BUT THEY PROVIDED NO SOLUTION TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 74,000.

NHTSA complaint #10984688 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2008 Lexus IS 250 at 26,000 miles Marreto, LA

ENGINE

TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 LEXUS IS 250. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE HESITATED WHEN THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED FROM A STOP POSITION. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED WITH CARBON BUILD UP. THERE WAS NO REPAIR SOLUTION. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALER SEVERAL YEARS LATER AND THE MOTOR WAS REBUILT. THE VEHICLE HAD SEVERAL TOP CARBON CLEAN OUTS, BUT THE ISSUE PERSISTED. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT THE DASHBOARD AND THE INNER DOOR PANELS WERE MELTING. THE FAILURES MADE IT DIFFICULT TO SEE OUT THE WIDOW DUE TO A GLARE COMING THROUGH THE WINDSHIELD. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 16V340000 (AIR BAGS); HOWEVER, THE PART TO DO THE REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 26,000.

NHTSA complaint #10948622 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Other Lexus IS 250 problems