2004 Lexus IS: what breaks, and at what mileage
What breaks on the 2004 Lexus IS
On the 2004 Lexus IS, the failure owners report most often is other body or interior problem, with 3 reports on file. Across every failure mode on this year, half the dated reports were filed before 75,000 miles.
What breaks on the 2004 Lexus IS
Owners have reported 2 named failure modes on the 2004 Lexus IS, and the three most-reported carry 33% of everything filed, which is an unusually even spread for one model year.
Other body or interior problem leads with 3 reports and about 100 per 1,000 vehicles.
Other wheel or tire problem follows with 1 report, median 105,000 miles.
By system, the reports fall mostly into body (3) and wheels (1).
The mileage the reports cluster at
10 of the reports on the 2004 Lexus IS came with an odometer reading, and half of those were filed before 75,000 miles.
Cumulatively, 20% by 50,000 miles and 60% by 100,000 miles of the dated reports had been filed.
The busiest stretch is between 70,000 and 80,000 miles, which alone holds 30% of the dated reports.
0% of the dated reports were filed below 36,000 miles, so this is mostly a story about older, higher-mileage cars.
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
- Dashed the median reported mileage
How bad it is when it goes
The average severity weight across every report on this year is 3.83, 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 and other wheel or tire problem at $200–$1,500. Dealer labour, a seized bolt or a part that is no longer made can push any of these past the top of its range.
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 | 3 | 2 | — | 70k | — | 100.0 | $200–$2,000 | Moderate |
| Other wheel or tire problem | wheels | 1 | 1 | — | 103k | — | 33.3 | $200–$1,500 | High |
| Unclassified problem | other | 8 | 7 | — | 70k | — | 266.7 | — | 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 2004 Lexus IS draws about 400 per 1,000 vehicles, which puts it in the 99th percentile of complaint rates among 2004 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 30 vehicles. If the true number is twice that, every rate on this page is half what it says; the ranking against other 2004 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
The dashboard on my 2004 lexus is300 is melting; feels sticky to the tough, fingerprints can occur, scratches very easily, as time goes by it becomes less and less attractive, have to be extremely careful with it, and while cleaning it. I contacted lexus and there is no remediation on their part. *tr
My dashboard is melting. The plastic is sticky and leaves a black film on anything that touches it including fingers and clothing. The black residue is very difficult to get off once it is on something. Just washing hands multiple times with soap and water is not enough to remove it. *tr
Other wheel or tire problem
There is a dangerous pothole eastbound on lie near fresh meadows exit. Due to heavy traffic, the pothole was unavoidable as we were less than 20 feet between the car ahead of us. The pothole was on the middle lane. It resulted in a flat, a tow, and a brand new tire replacement.
Recalls on the 2004 model year
NHTSA has issued 1 recall campaign covering the 2004 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.
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.
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.
Better and worse years of the same car
Across the 11 model years of this car that carry enough reports to score, 2007 comes out best at 55 and 2012 worst at 79.
Within the 2002–2005 generation specifically, 2002 is the strongest year at 63 and 2003 the weakest at 77.
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 2002-2005 generation, 2002 Lexus IS scores best at 63 and 2003 Lexus IS worst at 77.
Where these figures stop being useful
12 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 12 reports, 10 carried an odometer reading, so the mileages here describe 83% 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 2004 Lexus IS?
The most-reported failures are other body or interior problem (3 reports, median 70,000 miles) and other wheel or tire problem (1 report, median 105,000 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.
Which year of the Lexus IS is best?
Within the 2002–2005 generation, 2002 scores best at 63 out of 100 and 2003 worst at 77. 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