2018 Lexus Es350: what breaks, and at what mileage
What breaks on the 2018 Lexus Es350
Only 7 defect reports have been filed with NHTSA about the 2018 Lexus Es350, which is too few to compute mileage percentiles or a risk score. The reports reported cruise control failure.
When each failure gets reported
Tick median reported mileage Solid middle half of reports Faint 10th to 90th percentile Colour how bad the failure is when it happens
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
Every reported failure mode
| Failure mode | System | Reports | With reading | 25th | Median | 75th | Per 1,000 | Typical repair | Severity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cruise control failure | adas | 1 | 1 | — | 100 | — | 0.0 | $200–$1,400 | High |
| Other engine problem | engine | 1 | 1 | — | 9k | — | 0.0 | $300–$4,000 | High |
| Other brake problem | brakes | 1 | 1 | — | 13k | — | 0.0 | $300–$1,800 | High |
| Other speed control problem | adas | 1 | 1 | — | 66k | — | 0.0 | $250–$2,000 | Critical |
| Other body or interior problem | body | 1 | 1 | — | 13k | — | 0.0 | $200–$2,000 | Moderate |
| Unclassified problem | other | 2 | 2 | — | 11k | — | 0.1 | — | 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.
What owners wrote
Verbatim from NHTSA complaint narratives, trimmed for length. The odometer reading is the one the owner gave.
Cruise control failure
Cruise control with distance following. This system when active and by design stops slowing the vehicle at an estimated 25 miles an hour. The operator is expecting the vehicle to come to a complete stop and it does not. This is a very serious safety issue and needs to be addressed immediately before rear end collisions become prominent regardless if documented in manuals. Since there are two types of this system the owner may not know with which one they have. So if you're coming up on stopped traffic and relying on the car to stop itself from say 65 70 miles an hour, the car slows to 25 MPH or so and suddenly and unexpectedly brakes release you're on your own with only 50 feet or so to bring the car to a complete panic stop. Incredibally dangerous. It should bring the car to a complete stop if necessary. Dates of occurance are various
Recalls on the 2018 model year
NHTSA has issued 2 recall campaigns covering the 2018 Lexus Es350, affecting an estimated 51,210 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 fuel system, gasoline:delivery:fuel pump. 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.
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP
1,525,742 vehicles 2020-11-04- Defect
- Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2018-2019 4Runner, 2019-2020 Avalon, 2019 Corolla Hatchback, 2017-2019 Highlander, 2018-2020 Camry, 2020 Corolla, 2018-2019 Land Cruiser, 2017-2020 Tacoma, 2019-2020 RAV4, 2019-2020 Sequoia, 2017-2020 Sienna, 2019-2020 Tundra, 2018-2020 Lexus ES350, 2017 Lexus GS200t, 2017-2019 Lexus GS350, 2019 Lexus GS300, 2018-2020 Lexus LC500h, 2019-2020 Lexus LS500, 2018-2019 Lexus GX460, 2017 Lexus IS200t, 2019 Lexus IS300, 2019 Lexus IS350, 2018-2020 Lexus LC500, 2018 Lexus LS500, 2019 Lexus LS500h, 2018-2019…
- Consequence
- If the fuel pump fails, the engine can stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel pump assembly with an improved one, free of charge. Owners of specific models were notified that remedy parts were available starting January 21, 2021. Owners of other models will be notified as remedy parts become available. Remedy parts should be available for all affected vehicles by late March 2021. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371 or Lexus customer service at 1-800-255-3987. Note: This recall is an expansion of recall 20V-012. Toyota's number for this recall is 20TA02. Lexus'…
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP
1,830,752 vehicles 2020-01-13- Defect
- Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) recalled certain 2018-2019 4Runner, Highlander, Camry, Land Cruiser, Sequoia, Sienna, Tacoma and Tundra, and Lexus RC 300, RC 350, GS 350, GX 460, IS 300, LC 500, LS 500, LX 570, RX 350L, and 2019 Toyota Avalon and Corolla, and certain Lexus NX 300, and ES 350 vehicles on January 13, 2020. On March 4, 2020, Toyota expanded the recall to include certain 2014-2015 Toyota 4Runner and Land Cruiser, 2018 Avalon, Corolla, 2014 FJ Cruiser, 2017 Sienna and Lexus 2018 ES 350, 2018-2019 GS 300, 2013-2014 GS350, 2014-2015 GX 460, IS…
- Consequence
- If the fuel pump fails, the engine can stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel pump, free of charge. The recall began May 4, 2020. 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 20TB02 and 20TA02 for Toyota vehicles and 20LB01 and 20LA01 for Lexus vehicles.
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.
Every year of the Lexus Es350
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 2013-2019 generation, 2015 Lexus Es350 scores best at 71 and 2017 Lexus Es350 worst at 80.
What the reports on file say
The complaints recorded against the 2018 Lexus Es350 are cruise control failure (1 report, around 100 miles), other engine problem (1 report, around 9k miles), other brake problem (1 report, around 13k miles), other speed control problem (1 report, around 66k miles) and other body or interior problem (1 report, around 13k miles). With a sample this size these are anecdotes rather than a pattern, and they are shown because somebody looking at this exact car would rather see them than nothing.
Why this page is short
A model year needs about 8 reports before percentiles mean anything, and this one does not have them. Complaint volume tracks how many cars were sold and how long they have been on the road, so a thin page usually means a rare car, a new car, or a car whose owners do not file.
Other years of the same model do have enough: 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014. The mechanical parts are often shared across those years, so their pages are the better guide to what this one is likely to do, with the caveat that a shared part is not a shared production line.
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