2010 Lexus IS: what breaks, and at what mileage
What breaks on the 2010 Lexus IS
On the 2010 Lexus IS, the failure owners report most often is airbag inflator rupture, with 12 reports on file. Across every failure mode on this year, half the dated reports were filed before 65,000 miles. Overall it scores 66 out of 100, high risk for a 2010.
High risk for a 2010 — 228th riskiest of the 275 2010 vehicles we can rate. 52 owner reports; fleet size estimated from this year's own recall paperwork.
What owners report breaking
Owners have reported 20 named failure modes on the 2010 Lexus IS, and the three most-reported carry 40% of everything filed.
Airbag inflator rupture leads with 12 reports and about 0.1 per 1,000 vehicles.
Other speed control problem follows with 5 reports, median 40,000 miles.
Other powertrain problem follows with 4 reports, median 25,000 miles.
By system, the reports fall mostly into airbag (13), adas (7) and transmission (4).
When these failures get reported
19 of the reports on the 2010 Lexus IS came with an odometer reading, and half of those were filed before 65,000 miles.
Cumulatively, 37% by 50,000 miles, 74% by 100,000 miles and 89% by 150,000 miles of the dated reports had been filed.
The busiest stretch is between 60,000 and 70,000 miles, which alone holds 26% of the dated reports.
37% 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 20. 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
How bad it is when it goes
Across the named modes, 10 mention a crash and 1 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 5.69, 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 powertrain problem at $400–$4,500 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.
17% 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 | 12 | 1 | — | 115k | — | 0.1 | $0–$0 | Critical |
| Other speed control problem | adas | 5 | 4 | — | 41k | — | 0.0 | $250–$2,000 | Critical |
| Other powertrain problem | transmission | 4 | 3 | — | 25k | — | 0.0 | $400–$4,500 | High |
| Other engine problem | engine | 3 | 1 | — | 81k | — | 0.0 | $300–$4,000 | High |
| Other electrical problem | electrical | 2 | 1 | — | 152k | — | 0.0 | $250–$2,000 | Moderate |
| Other steering problem | steering | 2 | 1 | — | 66k | — | 0.0 | $350–$2,400 | High |
| Misfire or rough idle | engine | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $250–$1,600 | Moderate |
| Radiator or coolant leak | cooling | 1 | 1 | — | 67k | — | 0.0 | $350–$1,900 | High |
| Fuel pump failure | fuel | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $600–$2,600 | High |
| Control module (ECM/PCM/BCM) failure | electrical | 1 | 1 | — | 200 | — | 0.0 | $700–$3,000 | High |
| Airbag warning light or occupant sensor fault | airbag | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $300–$1,600 | High |
| Cruise control failure | adas | 1 | 1 | — | 80k | — | 0.0 | $200–$1,400 | High |
| Alignment fault and uneven tire wear | suspension | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $150–$1,200 | Moderate |
| Tire pressure monitor failure | wheels | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $80–$600 | Low |
| Exhaust leak or fumes in the cabin | emissions | 1 | 1 | — | 67k | — | 0.0 | $250–$2,000 | High |
| Other brake problem | brakes | 1 | 1 | — | 17k | — | 0.0 | $300–$1,800 | High |
| Other wheel or tire problem | wheels | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $200–$1,500 | High |
| Other driver assistance problem | adas | 1 | 1 | — | 3k | — | 0.0 | $250–$1,800 | High |
| Other visibility problem | glass | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $150–$1,400 | Moderate |
| Other body or interior problem | body | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $200–$2,000 | Moderate |
| Unclassified problem | other | 10 | 2 | — | 108k | — | 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.
How often, against how many were built
Scaled by an estimate of how many of these cars exist, the 2010 Lexus IS draws about 0.5 per 1,000 vehicles, which puts it in the 77th percentile of complaint rates among 2010 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 2010 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; I want this taken care of! I just found out about the recall because I went to trade my car in for a new one. I cannot afford the new one now, but I drive my grandchildren around every day. No one told me about this and I am livid. I have my oil changed every 5,000 miles at the local lexus dealership so my information is definitely on file. Does someone have to die for lexus to take care of this??? The lawsuits you will be paying for will be far greater than if they just hire extra people to take care of all these cars.
Other speed control problem
I purchased a lexus is350c on feb 12, 2010. On july 29, 2010 with a little over 9,000 miles on the vehicle, I was getting on the freeway at whipple headed north on 101, I accelerated really hard to avoid oncoming traffic. When I let up on the accelerator the car lost power! I couldn't accelerate or keep up with traffic. The engine was running like there were several cylinders not working. The antiskid and check engine light came on. I drove to the hillsdale shopping center and parked the car. When I restarted the car it ran ok. I drove the car directly to the lexus service department for a repair. The service department had the car for about a week but could not reproduce the problem. They returned the car to me with no solution to the problem. I am very concerned that this is a serious safety problem with lexus, toyota is sweeping under the carpet. I could have been killed if the other drivers had not been driving safely. When I spoke to lexus corporate they stated there was nothing they could do. *tr
Daily driver of the vehicle for two years was easing into a parking space and applying the brakes when vehicle surged forward over a curb eventually crashing into a tree. After the vehicle went over the curb it went through a chain link fence and down a steep embankment leading to a great deal of chaos and confusion as to whether the brakes continued to be applied, but the driver is confident that the brakes were being applied when the initial surge occurred. The driver's spouse experienced a similar event about a month earlier when driving about 2 MPH down a long driveway. In this instance the engine revved to a higher speed when the brakes were applied but the brakes did stop the car before the engine speed returned to normal. *tr
Other powertrain problem
This 2010 is250 was purchased new in october 2009 and has approximately 3,300 miles. On feb 19th, 2010 driver made a u-turn at low speed. After the completion of the turn the car started an uncommanded acceleration, causing it to spin to the right. The car then jumped a curb with the wheel still spinning and the bottom resting on the curb. Pushing and holding the start/stop button in the car finally cut the engine. Significant damage to the underside and left rear wheel of the car. This vehicle is unsafe to drive as uncommanded acceleration could have LED to serious injuries or death. Vehicle is currently located at south bay lexus in torrance ca. *tr
2008 lexus is250 AWD had pulled into a parking space on a slight incline and stopped. When the operator tried to put the vehicle into park the engine revved and car moved violently forward climbing an eight inch curb to hit a concrete column on the front of an office building. The driver had their foot off the gas and applied the brake to no effect, when the driver moved the gear shift into neutral the car returned to normal and the driver was able to back off the column in reverse and park the vehicle. Have turned the car over to lexus and a factory field representative is scheduled to examine. Car is at toyota knoxville body shop. *tr
Recalls on the 2010 model year
NHTSA has issued 1 recall campaign covering the 2010 Lexus IS, affecting an estimated 113,975 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 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.
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…
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 2010 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
Where 2010 sits in the model line
High risk for a 2010 — 228th riskiest of the 275 2010 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, 2007 comes out best at 55 and 2012 worst at 79, with 2010 itself at 66.
If the model year is negotiable, 2007, 2008, 2006 and 2009 score lower than 2010 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 2006–2012 generation specifically, 2007 is the strongest year at 55 and 2012 the weakest at 79.
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 2006-2012 generation, 2007 Lexus IS scores best at 55 and 2012 Lexus IS worst at 79.
The limits of complaint data
52 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 52 reports, 19 carried an odometer reading, so the mileages here describe 37% 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 2010 Lexus IS?
The most-reported failures are airbag inflator rupture (12 reports, median 115,000 miles), other speed control problem (5 reports, median 40,000 miles) and other powertrain problem (4 reports, median 25,000 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.
Is the 2010 Lexus IS reliable?
It scores 66 out of 100 on our risk index, which is high — 228th riskiest of the 275 2010 vehicles we can rate. The score is a comparison against other 2010 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 IS is best?
Within the 2006–2012 generation, 2007 scores best at 55 out of 100 and 2012 worst at 79. 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