2008 Lexus Es350: what breaks, and at what mileage
What breaks on the 2008 Lexus Es350
On the 2008 Lexus Es350, the failure owners report most often is airbag inflator rupture, with 128 reports on file. The earliest to appear is other speed control problem, reported by a median of 20,000 miles. Overall it scores 70 out of 100, high risk for a 2008.
High risk for a 2008 — 135th riskiest of the 356 2008 vehicles we can rate. 276 owner reports; fleet size estimated from this year's own recall paperwork.
What owners report breaking
Owners have reported 26 named failure modes on the 2008 Lexus Es350, and the three most-reported carry 63% of everything filed, so the trouble here is concentrated rather than scattered.
Airbag inflator rupture leads with 128 reports and about 1.1 per 1,000 vehicles.
Other speed control problem follows with 33 reports, usually reported between 12k to 30,000 miles.
Other body or interior problem follows with 12 reports, usually reported between 48k to 65,000 miles.
By system, the reports fall mostly into airbag (136), adas (37) and body (12).
The mileage the reports cluster at
93 of the reports on the 2008 Lexus Es350 came with an odometer reading, and half of those were filed before 40,000 miles.
Cumulatively, 58% by 50,000 miles, 85% by 100,000 miles and 95% by 150,000 miles of the dated reports had been filed.
The busiest stretch is between 0 and 10,000 miles, which alone holds 20% of the dated reports.
47% of the dated reports were filed below 36,000 miles, which is early enough that a fair number of these cars were still under a factory warranty when the owner complained.
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 26. 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 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
What happens when these parts fail
Across the named modes, 26 mention a crash, 1 a fire and 15 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 6.33, 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: airbag inflator rupture at $0–$0, other speed control problem at $250–$2,000, other body or interior problem at $200–$2,000 and other visibility problem at $150–$1,400. Dealer labour, a seized bolt or a part that is no longer made can push any of these past the top of its range.
4% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airbag inflator rupture | airbag | 128 | 6 | — | 99k | — | 1.1 | $0–$0 | Critical |
| Other speed control problem | adas | 33 | 25 | 12k | 19k | 30k | 0.3 | $250–$2,000 | Critical |
| Other body or interior problem | body | 12 | 9 | 48k | 55k | 65k | 0.1 | $200–$2,000 | Moderate |
| Other visibility problem | glass | 7 | 6 | — | 60k | — | 0.1 | $150–$1,400 | Moderate |
| Other electrical problem | electrical | 5 | 4 | — | 57k | — | 0.0 | $250–$2,000 | Moderate |
| Other brake problem | brakes | 5 | 5 | — | 22k | — | 0.0 | $300–$1,800 | High |
| Instrument cluster or gauge failure | infotainment | 4 | 3 | — | 92k | — | 0.0 | $350–$1,400 | Moderate |
| Other engine problem | engine | 4 | 4 | — | 44k | — | 0.0 | $300–$4,000 | High |
| Airbag failed to deploy in a crash | airbag | 3 | 2 | — | 36k | — | 0.0 | $1,000–$5,000 | Critical |
| Airbag warning light or occupant sensor fault | airbag | 3 | 2 | — | 606 | — | 0.0 | $300–$1,600 | High |
| Cruise control failure | adas | 3 | 3 | — | 9k | — | 0.0 | $200–$1,400 | High |
| Other steering problem | steering | 3 | 3 | — | 14k | — | 0.0 | $350–$2,400 | High |
| Radiator or coolant leak | cooling | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $350–$1,900 | High |
| Ignition switch, key fob or immobilizer failure | electrical | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $250–$1,500 | High |
| Seat belt or retractor failure | airbag | 2 | 1 | — | 58k | — | 0.0 | $200–$900 | High |
| Headlight failure or clouding | lighting | 2 | 1 | — | 14k | — | 0.0 | $150–$1,800 | Moderate |
| Head gasket failure | engine | 1 | 1 | — | 90k | — | 0.0 | $1,400–$4,000 | Critical |
| Oil leak | engine | 1 | 1 | — | 83k | — | 0.0 | $250–$2,200 | Moderate |
| Water pump failure | cooling | 1 | 1 | — | 85k | — | 0.0 | $500–$2,200 | High |
| Alternator or charging system failure | electrical | 1 | 1 | — | 28k | — | 0.0 | $450–$1,600 | High |
| ABS module or sensor failure | brakes | 1 | 1 | — | 19k | — | 0.0 | $500–$2,400 | High |
| Tire pressure monitor failure | wheels | 1 | 1 | — | 49k | — | 0.0 | $80–$600 | Low |
| Other powertrain problem | transmission | 1 | 1 | — | 7k | — | 0.0 | $400–$4,500 | High |
| Other suspension problem | suspension | 1 | 1 | — | 8k | — | 0.0 | $350–$2,000 | Moderate |
| Other lighting problem | lighting | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $120–$1,200 | Moderate |
| Other driver assistance problem | adas | 1 | 1 | — | 22k | — | 0.0 | $250–$1,800 | High |
| Unclassified problem | other | 48 | 10 | 45k | 97k | 134k | 0.4 | — | Moderate |
Rate per 1,000 uses a fleet-size estimate derived from recall paperwork for this exact model year. It is a lower bound. 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 2008 Lexus Es350 draws about 2.4 per 1,000 vehicles, which puts it in the 78th percentile of complaint rates among 2008 vehicles we can rate.
That denominator is the weakest number on the page and it is fair to say so plainly. Rate per 1,000 uses a fleet-size estimate derived from recall paperwork for this exact model year. It is a lower bound.
The working figure is 113,975 vehicles. If the true number is twice that, every rate on this page is half what it says; the ranking against other 2008 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.
Airbag inflator rupture
"takata recall" - we live in florida and drove the vehicle to denver, colorado on june 28, 2016 arriving july 1, 2016. We received the notice (forwarded via us mail to our address in denver) regarding the airbag recall on or around july 25, 2016. We contacted lexus immediately thereafter and was told a case manager would call us back within 2-3 business days. We received a call on or around august 1, 2016 and spoke with a case manager, "zandra". She reiterated the information found in the notice and informed us that a rental vehicle could be made available if needed and we would be reimbursed for this vehicle. We informed zandra that since we were in colorado at this time, it would be impossible to drive the car without someone in the passenger seat during this time and we did not want to drive this car home with this current recall in place. Zandra did not give us any other option for us at this time. We again called the lexus customer assistance (800-255-3987) on august 4, 2016 and spoke to "michael". We informed michael of our previous conversation with zandra and requested we speak to her. We informed michael of our situation…
Takata recall. I am filing this complaint because the amount of time taken by takata and lexus is in excess of the amount of time that should be allowed for this kind of safety matter. I submitted a written request to the dealer, westside lexus, houston, tx. And have made several phone calls, including one today, in october, 2016 I was informed that the replacement might be available in december, 2016 or january, 2017. Today, I was told that they could not give me a date and it was in the government's hands as to when takata would send the parts to them for the replacement. I live in a hot and humid area of the u.s. Where an earlier safety incident is likely to occur. I am requesting governmental assistance to rectify this matter as soon as possible. The problem was not due to any fault on my part it was a manufacturing mistake with fatal consequences. Takata has installed thousands of new airbags in new toyota and lexus vehicles but has not provided a replacement for my model to the dealer. It is now 8 months since the recall was made. I am requesting the government require priority for distribution to dealers for replacement or…
Other speed control problem
Tl*the contact owns a 2008 lexus es350. On march 27, 2008, while driving 5 MPH, the contact heard a high pitched sound coming from the engine. A second later, she heard a roaring noise like that of a rocket ship coming from the engine. The vehicle immediately accelerated on its own and stopped when it crashed into a tree. The vehicle is currently at the collision shop. The insurance company did not provide a report for the cause of the failure. The contact sustained serious injuries to her legs. A police report was filed. The failure mileage was 4,242. Consumer sent in additional information on 06/26/08. *kb the repair shop stated the cause of the crash was the electronic wire accelerator. Updated 06/26/08
Tl*the contact owns a 2008 es350 lexus. While driving 60 MPH all of a sudden the vehicle accelerated without touching the accelerator pedal. The consumer applied the brakes; however, the vehicle would not stop. The consumer was forced to shift gears into neutral to stop the vehicle; although, the vehicle stopped the engine was still revving. The contact had to engage the accelerator pedal a couple of times since it was stuck in place. The dealer could not duplicate the failure. Within the last three to four weeks the failure has happens 3 to 4 times and has become progressively worse. The dealer will make another attempt to diagnose the failure and the manufacturer was notified of the acceleration problem. The failure and current mileage was 6000. Updated 11/10/09 *bf while driving, the accelerator pedal became stuck and would not return to its position. The consumer had to place the vehicle in neutral to stop it. Updated 11/10/09 updated 11/10/09 *cn updated 11/13/09.*jb the consumer stated the floor mats were not the cause, because they were in the trunk of the car. Updated 11/17/09.*jb
Other body or interior problem
We lease a 2008 lexus es-350 while riding on rte 9 in monmouth county, the car suddenly accelerated - I was traveling at approx. 50mph when it happened-- I tried to hit the brakes, but then car kept on accelerating- I then reached down while still driving, and forcibly removed the floor pad from the floor around the accelerator--the car immediately stopped accelerating and slowed down since then, I have driven the car with no problem- but I have not replaced the floor mat. *tr
I bought one lexus (toyota) es 350 last november with about 3,500 miles (currently 8,200miles). Recently, I found front wheel on the right side could not be recovered to straight position (steering also). I took my car to lexus dealer in peoria, il, but they talked me that the issues happen because your car hit holes or curbs. I want to ask who can tell me that their cars never hit holes or curbs, if issues happen as long as your car hits holes or curbs. I think issues happen when a strong outside force was added to the objects such tire or rim or body, but this time not any damage in tire, rim or body, how come only inside damage happen first. I have very strong engineering background, I would like to ask lexus (toyota) how big outside force will LED to this damage, and if and what the outside damage happen when same strength force is added tire, rim or body. I think lexus (toyota) shrink their responsibility such as they have done. My wife drives a new bmw about 4 years, but nothing happen even though hit many holes or curbs. Lexus is luxury car, not a toy. We define a car as a luxury car, not only interior, but also in safety…
Recalls on the 2008 model year
NHTSA has issued 5 recall campaigns covering the 2008 Lexus Es350, affecting an estimated 190,356 vehicles. A recall is a different kind of evidence from a complaint: it is the regulator and the manufacturer agreeing that something has to be fixed, and the fix is free for as long as the car exists.
The campaigns cover air bags:frontal:driver side:inflator module, air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module and vehicle speed control:accelerator pedal. Whether the work was actually done on the car in front of you is a question only the VIN can answer, and the manufacturer or NHTSA will answer it free.
One caution about reading these together: a recall usually raises the complaint count for the same part, because owners who read about it go and file. The mileages stay informative; the counts get noisy.
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
928,220 vehicles 2019-10-17- Defect
- Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2010-2016 4Runner, 2003-2006 Tundra, 2003-2013 Corolla, 2009-2010 Corolla Matrix, 2004-2005 RAV4, 2002-2007 Sequoia, 2011-2013 Sienna, 2008-2012 Scion xB, 2008-2009 Lexus IS-F, 2007-2012 Yaris and Lexus ES350, 2010-2017 Lexus GX460, 2002-2010 Lexus SC430, 2006-2012 Lexus IS250 and IS350 and 2010-2015 Lexus IS250C and IS350C vehicles. These vehicles had their driver or passenger frontal air bag inflators previously replaced under a prior recall using inflators of the same design. The inflators may…
- Consequence
- An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
- Remedy
- Toyota will notify owners. Depending on the vehicle model, dealers will replace the front driver inflator, front passenger airbag inflator, the airbag assembly, or the front passenger airbag sub-assembly and inflator. The recall began November 20, 2019. 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 J0A, J0B, and J0C. Lexus' numbers for this recall are JLI, JLJ, and JLK.
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
577,875 vehicles 2017-01-09- Defect
- Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2012 Toyota 4Runner, Corolla, Corolla Matrix, Sienna, Yaris, Scion xB, Lexus ES350, GX460, IS-F, IS250, IS350, IS250C, IS350C, and Lexus LFA vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands, or "Zone A." Additionally, unless included in "Zone A" above, Toyota is recalling certain 2009 Toyota Corolla, Corolla…
- Consequence
- An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
- Remedy
- Toyota will notify the Toyota, Scion and Lexus owners. General Motors will contact the Pontiac owners. Depending on the model, dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator or the air bag assembly, free of charge. The recall began on February 1, 2017. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331, or Pontiac customer service at 1-800-762-2737. Toyota's numbers for final remedy for this campaign are G0P (Toyota Zone A), G0R (Toyota Zone B), H0A (Toyota Zone C), GLG (Lexus Zone A), GLH (Lexus Zone B) and HLA (Lexus Zone C).
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
1,754,517 vehicles 2016-05-23- Defect
- Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2008-2011 Scion xB and Lexus IS F, 2009-2011 Toyota Corolla and Corolla Matrix, 2006-2011 Toyota Yaris, Lexus IS250 and Lexus IS350, 2010-2011 Toyota 4Runner, Lexus IS250C, Lexus IS350C and Lexus GX460, 2011 Sienna, 2007-2011 Lexus ES350, and 2009-2010 Pontiac Vibe vehicles, originally sold, or ever registered, in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S…
- Consequence
- An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
- Remedy
- Toyota will notify the Toyota and Lexus owners. General Motors will contact the Pontiac owners. Depending on the model, dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator or the air bag assembly, free of charge. The recall began on December 6, 2016. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's numbers for interim notification for this campaign are G1P (Toyota Zone A), G1R (Toyota Zone B), G2G (Lexus Zone A), and G2H (Lexus Zone B). Toyota's numbers for final remedy for this campaign are G0P (Toyota Zone A), G0R (Toyota Zone B), GLG…
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDAL
4,445,056 vehicles 2009-10-05- Defect
- Toyota is recalling certain model year 2004-2010 passenger vehicles. The accelerator pedal can get stuck in the wide open position due to its being trapped by an unsecured or incompatible driver's floor mat.
- Consequence
- A stuck open accelerator pedal may result in very high vehicle speeds and make it difficult to stop the vehicle, which could cause a crash, serious injury or death.
- Remedy
- Toyota filed an amended defect report on november 25, 2009, stating that dealers will modify the accelerator pedal and, on certain vehicles, alter the shape of the floor surface under the pedal. These changes address the risk of pedal entrapment due to interference with the floor mat. Redesigned accelerator pedals will become available beginning in april 2010 and dealers will replace any modified pedal with the new pedal if desired. Also, dealers will replace any genuine toyota or lexus all-weather floor mats with redesigned all-weather mats, or repurchase the previous…
EQUIPMENT
55,000 vehicles 2007-09-26- Defect
- Certain all weather floor mats (awfm) specifically sold as an optional accessory for use on the 2007 and 2008 model year lexus es350 and toyota camry vehicles. The awfm includes two grommet holes and retaining hooks (clips) to secure the mat to the vehicle's carpet. If the awfm is not secured by itself or if it is placed on top of an existing carpeting floor mat, the mat could move forward during the vehicle usage and it may interfere with the accelerator pedal.
- Consequence
- The accelerator pedal may temporarily become stuck in a partially depressed position when returning to the idle position. If this condition occurs, it may increase the possibility of a crash.
- Remedy
- Toyota will notify owners of all 2007 and 2008 lexus es350 and toyota camry vehicles about the recall even though not all of these owners will have purchased the all weather mats. If the owner had not purchased the mats, they are not affected by the recall. This letter will advise owners when replacement mats will be available or how to return the all weather floor mat set to obtain a refund. A second letter will be sent after mats are available requesting owners to return their mats to a lexus or toyota dealer for exchange of the driver's side mat. The first letter is…
Recall work is free at a franchised dealer regardless of the car's age. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before assuming it was done.
How it ranks in the 2008 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 2008 — 135th riskiest of the 356 2008 vehicles we can rate. Because the ranking is against the same model year only, age cancels out of it.
Across the 11 model years of this car that carry enough reports to score, 2008 comes out best at 70 and 2017 worst at 80, with 2008 itself at 70.
No other year of this model scores meaningfully better than 2008, so if this generation is what you want, the year is not the lever.
Within the 2007–2012 generation specifically, 2008 is the strongest year at 70 and 2010 the weakest at 74.
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 2007-2012 generation, 2008 Lexus Es350 scores best at 70 and 2010 Lexus Es350 worst at 74.
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 speed control problem from about 12k and other body or interior problem from about 48k.
On a 2008 Lexus Es350 with more miles than that on it, the useful question to put to a seller or a mechanic is whether other speed control 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.
Treat it as where to point the inspection, not as a prediction. A well-maintained example can sail past every mileage on this page, and a neglected one can fail well before the first of them.
The limits of complaint data
276 owner reports; fleet size estimated from this year's own recall paperwork. 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 276 reports, 93 carried an odometer reading, so the mileages here describe 34% 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".
The failure modes are assigned by software reading the owner's own words, which is accurate in bulk and wrong in individual cases. A mode with a handful of reports may contain a misfiled one.
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 2008 Lexus Es350?
The most-reported failures are airbag inflator rupture (128 reports, median 100,000 miles), other speed control problem (33 reports, median 20,000 miles) and other body or interior problem (12 reports, median 55,000 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 2008 Lexus Es350 problems start?
Other speed control problem is the earliest failure mode to show up, with a median reported mileage of 20,000 miles and a quarter of reports before 12,500 miles. Across all failure modes on this year, the median report sits at 40,000 miles.
Is the 2008 Lexus Es350 reliable?
It scores 70 out of 100 on our risk index, which is high — 135th riskiest of the 356 2008 vehicles we can rate. The score is a comparison against other 2008 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 Es350 is best?
Within the 2007–2012 generation, 2008 scores best at 70 out of 100 and 2010 worst at 74. 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