2007 Lexus ES: what breaks, and at what mileage
What breaks on the 2007 Lexus ES
On the 2007 Lexus ES, the failure owners report most often is other body or interior problem, and the reports cluster around 75,000 miles. Across every failure mode on this year, half the dated reports were filed before 75,000 miles. Overall it scores 65 out of 100, high risk for a 2007.
High risk for a 2007 — 259th riskiest of the 365 2007 vehicles we can rate. 164 owner reports; fleet size borrowed from other years of the same model.
What owners report breaking
Owners have reported 23 named failure modes on the 2007 Lexus ES, and the three most-reported carry 44% of everything filed.
Other body or interior problem leads with 30 reports, about 3.0 per 1,000 vehicles and with the middle half of reports between 50k to 95,000 miles.
Airbag inflator rupture follows with 26 reports, median 15,000 miles.
Other visibility problem follows with 16 reports, usually reported between 65k to 115,000 miles.
By system, the reports fall mostly into body (36), airbag (27) and glass (16).
When these failures get reported
71 of the reports on the 2007 Lexus ES came with an odometer reading, and half of those were filed before 75,000 miles.
Cumulatively, 20% by 50,000 miles, 65% by 100,000 miles and 83% by 150,000 miles of the dated reports had been filed, with 5 filed above the top of the chart.
The busiest stretch is between 70,000 and 80,000 miles, which alone holds 15% of the dated reports.
14% of the dated reports were filed below 36,000 miles.
Tick median reported mileage Solid middle half of reports Faint 10th to 90th percentile Colour how bad the failure is when it happens
Showing the 12 most-reported failure modes of 23. The full list is in the table below.
How reports accumulate
Every report with an odometer reading, cumulative, from 0 to 200,000 miles. A further 5 reports came in above that, which is why the line stops short of the top. A curve that climbs early is a car with early problems, whatever its total.
- Line share of reports filed by that mileage
- Dashed the median reported mileage
Severity, and what it costs
Across the named modes, 16 mention a crash, 1 a fire and 7 an injury. Those are the words owners used in their own complaints, and NHTSA does not verify them, but they are the closest thing in this data to a measure of what a failure actually did.
The average severity weight across every report on this year is 4.37, where a stalled engine or a failed airbag weighs many times more than a rattling trim panel, and a figure this high means the reports are dominated by failures with safety consequences rather than annoyances. The weighting is set out in full on the methodology page.
What the top failures cost to put right, as editorial estimates for an independent US shop rather than figures from NHTSA: other body or interior problem at $200–$2,000, airbag inflator rupture at $0–$0, other visibility problem at $150–$1,400 and other engine problem at $300–$4,000. Dealer labour, a seized bolt or a part that is no longer made can push any of these past the top of its range.
11% of the reports on this year sit in the engine, transmission, drivetrain or cooling systems — the four where a repair bill is usually four figures.
Every reported failure mode
| Failure mode | System | Reports | With reading | 25th | Median | 75th | Per 1,000 | Typical repair | Severity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Other body or interior problem | body | 30 | 18 | 50k | 75k | 93k | 3.0 | $200–$2,000 | Moderate |
| Airbag inflator rupture | airbag | 26 | 3 | — | 16k | — | 2.6 | $0–$0 | Critical |
| Other visibility problem | glass | 16 | 8 | 65k | 78k | 114k | 1.6 | $150–$1,400 | Moderate |
| Other engine problem | engine | 8 | 3 | — | 150k | — | 0.8 | $300–$4,000 | High |
| Other powertrain problem | transmission | 5 | 2 | — | 125k | — | 0.5 | $400–$4,500 | High |
| Other electrical problem | electrical | 5 | 2 | — | 75k | — | 0.5 | $250–$2,000 | Moderate |
| Other brake problem | brakes | 4 | 2 | — | 110k | — | 0.4 | $300–$1,800 | High |
| Window regulator or power window failure | body | 3 | 3 | — | 29k | — | 0.3 | $250–$900 | Moderate |
| Sunroof failure or glass breakage | body | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.3 | $700–$4,500 | High |
| Headlight failure or clouding | lighting | 3 | 1 | — | 55k | — | 0.3 | $150–$1,800 | Moderate |
| Other fuel system problem | fuel | 3 | 1 | — | 51k | — | 0.3 | $300–$2,200 | High |
| Other driver assistance problem | adas | 3 | 1 | — | 70k | — | 0.3 | $250–$1,800 | High |
| Misfire or rough idle | engine | 2 | 2 | — | 54k | — | 0.2 | $250–$1,600 | Moderate |
| Other steering problem | steering | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.2 | $350–$2,400 | High |
| Other lighting problem | lighting | 2 | 2 | — | 70k | — | 0.2 | $120–$1,200 | Moderate |
| Other speed control problem | adas | 2 | 2 | — | 50k | — | 0.2 | $250–$2,000 | Critical |
| Timing chain, belt or tensioner failure | engine | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.1 | $1,200–$4,500 | Critical |
| No-start or intermittent start failure | engine | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.1 | $200–$1,800 | Moderate |
| Complete transmission failure | transmission | 1 | 1 | — | 147k | — | 0.1 | $2,800–$8,000 | Critical |
| Airbag warning light or occupant sensor fault | airbag | 1 | 1 | — | 140k | — | 0.1 | $300–$1,600 | High |
| Automatic braking for no reason | adas | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.1 | $0–$1,500 | Critical |
| Exhaust leak or fumes in the cabin | emissions | 1 | 1 | — | 104k | — | 0.1 | $250–$2,000 | High |
| Other suspension problem | suspension | 1 | 1 | — | 250k | — | 0.1 | $350–$2,000 | Moderate |
| Unclassified problem | other | 40 | 17 | 70k | 83k | 143k | 3.9 | — | Moderate |
This year had no usable recall paperwork, so the fleet-size estimate is the median of other years of the same model. Repair costs are typical independent-shop ranges for the failure, not figures from these reports.
How often, against how many were built
Scaled by an estimate of how many of these cars exist, the 2007 Lexus ES draws about 16 per 1,000 vehicles, which puts it in the 90th percentile of complaint rates among 2007 vehicles we can rate.
That denominator is the weakest number on the page and it is fair to say so plainly. This year had no usable recall paperwork, so the fleet-size estimate is the median of other years of the same model.
The working figure is 10,142 vehicles. If the true number is twice that, every rate on this page is half what it says; the ranking against other 2007 vehicles, which is what the risk score uses, is far more robust than the rate itself.
What owners wrote
Verbatim from NHTSA complaint narratives, trimmed for length. The odometer reading is the one the owner gave.
Other body or interior problem
Tl* the contact owns a 2007 lexus es. The contact stated that while parked, the dashboard became extremely hot and caused a glare on the windshield, obstructing the contact's visibility. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 40,000.
While we driving down the turnpike heading into philadelphia, my wife tried to roll down her windows and then back up. As she did, the glass came off its track and almost popped out of the door. We were going about 70 MPH. At this speed, that window may have come off and flown off our car, hitting another car. This would have been potentially fatal. The only reason it did not fly off, was my wife grabbed on to it while I pulled over immediately. *tr
Airbag inflator rupture
Takata recall as of today, 1/8/17, the recall status from lexus is still "recall incomplete. Remedy not yet available" according to the NHTSA-takata airbag inflator expansion phases/zones, I am in zone a. Given the date of my car, I would say any degradation expected has occurred and leaves me in danger daily. In the meantime, I am riding almost daily in the passenger seat where the airbag could could cause me serious damage or death. How long does the NHTSA allow manufacturers to go without remedies? What recourse do I have, other than me riding in the back seat when my husband drives? Surely they are not still manufacturing cars with the same defaults, so why can't they replace mine with one that they currently use in their vehicles?
Takata recall. Recall notice came some months ago. Was told by dealer on 5/28/17 that it would take until september -- after the summer when I need the car most -- before it can be fixed. Totally unacceptable.
Other visibility problem
While we were driving our 2007 es350 in a high way in december 2011, the passenger-side front window glass suddenly fell off from the track, and we should have stopped the car right away. After replacing it with a "newly-designed" oem glass in a toyota dealer service dept (it was out of warranty, so we paid $600 for the replacement), the driver-side front window glass also fell off in february 2012, and we couldn't drive the car until the glass was replaced in the same dept. Once one (or both) of the front window glasses falls off, it is very dangerous to drive the car in a high speed. And, we believe the original window-glass design has a defect and that is why lexus re-designed the glass (please look at the tsb below). I don't understand why lexus doesn't recall it for the driving safety. References: [1] lexus, "front window popping noise (tsb l-sb-0003-09)", jan 2009, http://www.clublexus.com/forums/attachments/es350/183277d1282320117-friends-2007-lexus-es350-passenger-window-fell-out-l-sb-0003-09.pdf. [2] club lexus (lexus owners' forum), "friend's 2007 lexus es350 passenger window fell out.", june 2008 to current…
While parked, I let the front passenger window down. When letting the window up I heard a loud pop and the window tipped down in the front leaving a large gap. I was able to get it back in place manually. Took it to the lexus dealership for service. Was told one of the plastic clips on the glass had broken and the window would have to be replaced. The warranty had expired so the total cost including the window tint was $646.67. I was told this is a recurring problem. I read if taken to a glass repair shop, there is a permanent fix. *tr
How it ranks in the 2007 field
The score at the top of the page, placed among its peers. The zones are the same thresholds the scorer applies, read out of the scorer itself, so the picture and the band word cannot disagree.
Scores are ranked within the model year, never across years, because an older car has had longer to accumulate reports.
- Left fewer and less serious reports
- Right more, or worse
- Marker this vehicle
Better and worse years of the same car
High risk for a 2007 — 259th riskiest of the 365 2007 vehicles we can rate. Because the ranking is against the same model year only, age cancels out of it.
Across the 14 model years of this car that carry enough reports to score, 2021 comes out best at 52 and 2019 worst at 86, with 2007 itself at 65.
If the model year is negotiable, 2021 scores lower than 2007 by a margin worth acting on. Same body, same engines, different luck — usually a supplier change or a mid-cycle fix, which the complaint data can show but never explain.
Within the 2006–2013 generation specifically, 2010 is the strongest year at 63 and 2011 the weakest at 71.
Scores compare each year against other cars of the same model year, so a low number on an older car is a real result and not an artefact of age.
Shorter is better. Years with too few reports to score are shown without a bar rather than as a zero, because no data is not good news.
Within the 2006-2013 generation, 2010 Lexus ES scores best at 63 and 2011 Lexus ES worst at 71.
What the numbers say to check
The mileages below are where the first quarter of reports for each mode had already been filed, which makes them the point at which a fault is worth looking for rather than the point at which it happens: other body or interior problem from about 50k and other visibility problem from about 65k.
On a 2007 Lexus ES with more miles than that on it, the useful question to put to a seller or a mechanic is whether other body or interior problem has been dealt with, and if so with what parts and at whose expense. A car that has already had the repair is in a different position from one that has not.
None of this is a diagnosis. It is a list of what other owners of the same model year reported, ordered by when they reported it, which is a good place to point an inspection and a poor place to stop.
What this page cannot tell you
164 owner reports; fleet size borrowed from other years of the same model. Every count on this page is therefore a floor: it is the number of owners who went to the trouble of filing with a federal agency, which is a small and self-selected fraction of the owners who had the fault.
Of those 164 reports, 71 carried an odometer reading, so the mileages here describe 43% of the sample rather than all of it. Owners also round: readings pile up on multiples of ten thousand, which is why this site publishes "about 90,000 miles" and not "91,438".
Named failure modes come from matching phrases in the complaint text, so a badly worded complaint can land in the wrong bucket. The effect washes out across hundreds of reports and does not wash out across five.
And nothing here predicts what one car will do. These are other people's complaints, filed years apart, on cars maintained by strangers. Read the page as a map of where this model year has previously gone wrong, then have the specific car in front of you inspected.
Questions this page answers
What are the most common problems with the 2007 Lexus ES?
The most-reported failures are other body or interior problem (30 reports, median 75,000 miles), airbag inflator rupture (26 reports, median 15,000 miles) and other visibility problem (16 reports, median 80,000 miles). Counts come from owner complaints filed with NHTSA, which are voluntary, so they show what owners bothered to report rather than every fault that occurred.
At what mileage do 2007 Lexus ES problems start?
Other body or interior problem is the earliest failure mode to show up, with a median reported mileage of 75,000 miles and a quarter of reports before 50,000 miles. Across all failure modes on this year, the median report sits at 75,000 miles.
Is the 2007 Lexus ES reliable?
It scores 65 out of 100 on our risk index, which is high — 259th riskiest of the 365 2007 vehicles we can rate. The score is a comparison against other 2007 vehicles, not a prediction about any individual car, and it is built from complaint rates, severity and how early failures appear.
Which year of the Lexus ES is best?
Within the 2006–2013 generation, 2010 scores best at 63 out of 100 and 2011 worst at 71. Same body, same engines, different luck.
Where this comes from. Every figure above is computed from NHTSA owner complaints and recall records for this exact make, model and year. Complaints are voluntary and self-selected, so treat counts as a floor. The methodology page writes out each formula, and the same numbers are available as JSON.
What breaks at my mileage Compare with another car
Source Owner complaints and recall records published by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, model years 1996–2027 Figures rebuilt Published by AtWhatMileage How every figure is computed