This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
The dashboard melted again, I had the TSB in 2017 to replace the dash. It is now again melted and obstructs your view by shining onto to the front windshield, obstructing the front view of the driver can cause impairment of vision and could lead to collision. The rear view mirror has black corrosion on it making it impossible to see clearly in the rearview and also obstructing your view which could cause an accident due to limited visibility when changing lanes. Sometimes when driving or parking the power steering locks the steering wheel in place intermittently, could not get it to happen at dealer but happened before and is a severe road hazard( Shows P/S in red on dash) dash lights VSC and traction control intermittently light up and go away. Obviously it is a hazard if the steering locks up when driving. Lexus oem alloy wheels chipping, not a hazard but cosmetic and disappointing.
Power steering stopped working while backing out of a parking space in a parking garage in tampa, fl. It happened without a sound and without warning, and hasn't worked ever since.
Steering wheel Is hard to turn while driving/ parking and sometimes freezes on the highway in a run as if something Is holding on to it like a magnet, and you have to pull on it real hard to get it back under control. I thought my car was the only car doing it but when I went on lexusfourms I've seen that there was many car with the same issue stating that Lexus rack and pinion Is faulty and will cause you to crash if your not used to
The contact owns a 2007 Lexus Is 250. While driving various speeds or while the vehicle was stopped, the power steering suddenly seized. The contact stated that the failure occurred often. Sometimes, the power steering would resume normal operation when the vehicle was turned off and restarted. On other occasions, the vehicle had to be towed home. When it was towed, it took approximately 24 hours before the power steering would return to normal. The contact called ourisman Lexus of rockville (located at 15501 frederick rd, rockville, md 20855, 855-821-1390) where it was diagnosed that the ECU and the alternator needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure persisted. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated that there were no recalls because there were not enough complaints regarding the failure. The manufacturer was contacted and provided case numbers: 1802260181 and 1812061696. The contact was referred to NHTSA. The approximate failure mileage was 230,000.
The power steering goes out leaving driving a serious hazard. I have read this Is not uncommon in this model. Also, I was informed that it could lock up completely. This Is a serious safety issue yet there Is not a recall. The car Is in motion when this happens on both city and highway.
- Maryville, TN, USA
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The steering system lock and I cannot steer the car. It says P/S on the dash panel. I have searched the internet and other consumers are having the same issues, this is very dangerous and scary. I was backing out of a parking space and the steering lost power and locked 11I could not drive my car.
There's a loud rubbing sound when I turn my wheel left or right when driving my car. I took it to a shop that only works on Toyota and Honda. They quoted me $3000 to fix it. I couldn't reemeber what part exactly they were going to fix. I was more stunned than listening at that point. I certainly did not want to spend the money I don't have to get this taken care of. But it has been progressively getting worse. I was making a left hand turn on a busy street, and the steering wheel locked up. I almost slammed into a car in the lane next to me. I had to restart my car and apologise profusely to the driver that I almost wrecked into. I called the dealer and asked if there was a recall they knew of with the steering wheel. He said there wasn't. it's pretty dangerous to be driving this car. It's a shame to me that such a luxurious brand name would have this huge problem with something major like steering, and not have any type of answer as to why this electrical steering Is having this issue. I did get comfort knowing that I'm not the only customer upset at Lexus for this...
While driving with my 4 year old in the car the power steering just stopped working at 45 mph. I was able to manhandle the steering to a safe place. However, this could have been tragic if my wife was driving this car.
The electric power steering stopped working several weeks ago, after a normal start-up and driving for about 20 minutes. This could have caused a fatal accident, luckily I was driving instead of my wife who usually drives this car. This car has an electronic steering system, not the normal system which uses power steering fluid. When this first occurred I was barely able to drive it back to my house where it sat for a couple of days. Thereafter, with the steering still not working, the car was taken to the dealer (tom williams Lexus of birmingham, al). The dealer checked the car out and held it for several days. Their 'repair' was to replace the car's power steering ECU. They had to order the ECU and that took a few more days. They replaced the power steering ECU but the steering still did not work. They then call me and tell me that further repairs are needed. They said that the power steering rack needed to be replaced, calibrated and realigned($4500). This all seems very odd to me. Even after paying out of pocket for the repair, I'm scared out of my mind to allow my wife and kids back in that car. It was literally impossible to turn the wheel when the steering went out. There was a steering campaign several years ago (9lc), but the dealer told me that my VIN is not in the range of cars needing repair. I can understand that older high mileage cars sometimes need repair, but the steering system should never fail. After reading other complaints on the NHTSA website and user forums, I understand that this problem exists with many other Lexus IS250 and IS350 vehicles. I contacted Lexus customer care and they said they would look into offering some out of warranty assistance. After several days of waiting on their response, I called Lexus back and they said they decided not to offer any assistance. We own a LS460 and this IS250 and now, we don't trust Lexus vehicles.
I have a problem of power steering today, the red light P/S appears and I found that it's hard to turn my car wheel either to left or right. I have check with a local repair shop and learn from the technician that nothing wrong with the alternator and the problem might come from the faulty crankshaft pulley. I also learn from online that Toyota will inspect recalled vehicles and replace the crankshaft pulley if necessary at no charge, but my Lexus dealer in westminster ca 92683 verify that the power steering recall is not for my car model. Please check the case and let me know what to do to gain the power steering recall benefit as others who have the same problem but with different car model. Thanks for your time!
November 2015: I own a 2007 Is 250 with approximately 240,000 miles. I am the original owner and the car is totally stock. The electric power steering stopped working several days ago. This was upon start-up after sitting for about 90 minutes, not while driving. This car uses an electronic steering system, not the normal system which uses power steering fluid. I was unable to drive it, so the car was first towed to my house where it sat for a couple of days. Thereafter, with the steering still not working, the car was towed to the dealer (meade Lexus of southfield Michigan). The dealer checked the car out and held if for several days. Their 'repair' was to unplug the car's computer and plug it back in. Now the steering works. They tell me that no further repair is necessary. This all seems very odd to me. I'm scared out of my mind to allow my kid back in the car (18 year old new driver). It was literally impossible to turn the wheel when the steering went out. There was a steering campaign several years ago (9lc), but the dealer told me that my VIN is not in the range of cars needing repair. I can understand that older high mileage cars sometimes need repair, but the steering system should never fail. After reading other complaints on the NHTSA website and user forums, I understand that this problem exists with other Lexus IS250 and IS350 vehicles. I am unsure how to proceed, because I fear that the car is unfit to drive.
Put car into drive out of parking space and steering was locked. Shortly after a few feet the steering wheel unlocked then experienced noticeable gradual increase in steering effort at low speeds when turning the steering wheel to complete left and right turns along with a rubbing sound. No warning or service lights!? ssc-9-lc
As I just exited the highway and pulled into the parking lot of my work, the steering wheel suddenly froze. I was about to park in an open spot, so the speed of the car was very low. As I was reversing into the spot, the steering wheel jammed and would not turn. I tried shutting down and restarting many times but the wheel was stuck, and required enormous amount of power to turn ever so slightly. The car was towed to the Lexus dealer. They were also unable to turn, and upon their review, they said that there was a leak in timing cover, which accumulated over time and went into the harness of the ECU and burned the ECU, which in-turn jammed your steering. There was no physical leaks on the bottom, and the dealer also confirmed that but said it was an internal leak, you would not see it on the floor. The car Is still at the shop and only after replacing the ECU they will check for steering assembly. The explanation provided by them Is not very adequate and if it Is true then there seems to be a serious flaw in design that any unseen leak from timing cover could cause your steering to freeze unexpectedly, while your vehicle Is in motion.
I have an 07 IS250. The steering makes a scraping noise, very loud while in park and turning wheel in either direction. Sounds similar to my wife's sonogram session at doctors office. Steering is a little stiffer and slightly locks in place while driving. I took to a Lexus dealership and was told that it needed a new electronic steering column assembly. $2500! really" is this connected to the steering recall back in 2009" help
Driving on the highway all of a sudden the power steering shuts off. The steering gets very stiff and barely manage to get safely to side of the road. (a driver with less arm strength would most likely cause accident due to stiffness of steering) when pulled to side of the road and vehicle is turned off then turned on again. The steering works properly again. While it does this the "P/S" light on dash comes on. Also the vehicles hid lights go out while driving. When turned off and on again. They continue to work.
Vehicle owner observed noise that appeared to be coming from the steering assembly. At low speeds such as backing up, with large steering motion, noise Is most pronounced. When driving the vehicle, at any speed, vehicle tends to "skip" and "jump" to the right or left, as if steering becomes loose and jerks one direction or the other. Noise and motion has been getting progressively worse since the incident date. On or about 2/18/13, owner brought the vehicle to a local repair shop for diagnosis. That shop confirmed the noise, but stated it needed to be brought to the dealership. Owner brought the vehicle to the Lexus dealership on 2/22/13. Dealer stated that the electronic steering assembly has failed, need to replace the rack and steering servomotors which comes as one part, being LE44200-53151 electric link assembly. This Is a part that Is sealed and could not be maintained by either the owner or any repair shop. Cost to replace the assembly Is $4472.17 including labor, materials and tax. Owner believes this Is an exorbitant amount, and represents about 20 - 25% of the vehicle value. The failure of this part Is a manufacturing defect, the vehicle owner should bear no responsibility to replace this part. Owner has been unsuccessful in getting the Lexus dealership or manufacturer to provide relief to the owner to make the necessary repairs. Other than possibly the brakes, steering Is the most important function of a vehicle, it should remain functional for the life of the car. Internet search has shown that other Lexus vehicles of this vintage have experienced similar problems, dealership claims there are no recalls for my specific vehicle. It appears that a faulty part has been installed in this vehicle, dealership and manufacturer need to take responsibility for this. This issue could result in total steering loss, which Is an extreme safety issue.
There appears to be a design defect relative to the clearance of the front tires with the wheel wells. I was driving on the freeway and suddenly heard a loud thumping which I assumed was the tires because as I slowed, the noise slowed and then stopped. I got to my destination only a few minutes away and checked the tires to find that the furthest interior 1 inch of tire tread of my right tire had been ripped off and exposed a portion of the steel radial. The remainder of the tread of the right tire was in tact, and had about 1/4 inch of tread, indicating to me that the tires were not worn down at all. I had 33,000 miles on the car, nearly all freeway. I believe that the tires make contact with the inside of the wheel wells when you attempt to turn as tight as possible, as in making a U-turn. I base this on my recalling making sharp U-turns and hearing a rubbing/grinding sound coming from the tires. I went to the Lexus dealership in glendale, ca, and informed the service department of my belief and showed them the tires. They stated that the tires were not drivable (which was obvious) but that it was just normal wear-and-tear. I then showed them the remaining tread on the tires and their excuse was that the alignment must be off and causing that part of the tire to wear quicker. They rejected my demand that they replace the tires on grounds that the car had a design defect. I was forced to buy replacement tires at my expense.
Complaints regarding 2007 Lexus Is 250: 1. steering wheel sticks when turning to the right. This occurs 3-5 times per week and has almost caused several accidents and collisions. 2. when applying pressure on the brake, the car jumps forward and accelerates. This occurs 2-5 times per month. This has nearly caused me to rear end other cars on several occasions. 3. car flutters and stalls when reversing. ( car is an automatic) car also flutters when stopped at a red light or stop sign. Car does this when its hot or cold. This occurs 5-10 times per month. I have taken my car to the Lexus dealership several times for the above issues, and they have done nothing. These issue occur very frequently and the dealer seems to not be able to "find" any problems. I have received a recall notice for an acceleration issue, and was instructed to remove my floor mat. Nothing else has been done and the dealer has been no help. I am concerned that these issues will harm or even kill myself or my family and or another driver or family on the road.
- Rancho Cucamonga, CA, USA
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- Clinton Township, MI, USA