2001 Lexus IS: what breaks, and at what mileage
What breaks on the 2001 Lexus IS
Only 1 defect report has been filed with NHTSA about the 2001 Lexus IS, which is too few to compute mileage percentiles or a risk score. The report reported radiator or coolant leak.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Radiator or coolant leak | cooling | 1 | 1 | — | 140k | — | 33.3 | $350–$1,900 | High |
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.
Radiator or coolant leak
Tl*- the contact has a 2001 lexus is300 that was parked on the side of the road when another vehicle struck the contact's vehicle while parked. The contacts vehicle got jammed into a pole causing it to damage the front of the vehicle. When the contact started vehicle to move it off of the street, the contact noticed red fluid coming out the vehicle, as well as, something that penetrated a radiator hose. The harness balance broke and apparently flew into the hose. The transmission line snap and a pulley from the front of the engine cracked. The failure and current mileage were both 140000. The contact can provide police report if needed.
Recalls on the 2001 model year
NHTSA has issued 1 recall campaign covering the 2001 Lexus IS, affecting an estimated 30 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 exterior lighting. 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.
Recalls also distort complaint counts. Publicity about a campaign reminds owners that complaining is possible, so reports for a recalled component often spike after the recall rather than before it.
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
16,270 vehicles 2009-04-07- Defect
- Sabersport is recalling 16,270 combination corner and bumper lamp assemblies of various part numbers sold for use as aftermarket equipment for various passenger vehicles. These headlamps fail to conform to the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 108, "lamps, reflective devices, and associated equipment." these lamps do not contain the required amber side reflectors.
- Consequence
- Decreased lighting visibility may result in a vehicle crash.
- Remedy
- Sabersport will notify owners and offer a full refund for the noncompliant combination lamps. The safety recall began on may 11, 2009. Owners may contact sabersport at 1-909-598-7589.
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 IS
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.
What the reports on file say
The complaints recorded against the 2001 Lexus IS are radiator or coolant leak (1 report, around 140k 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: 2002, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011. 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