Toyota has been consistent when it comes to pushing out cars under its Lexus brand while extra care is given to the ES Series sedans since it was the first offering from the brand to sport the Lexus badge. The ES 350, being an entry-level luxury sedan, inherits the excellent reliability trait from Toyota but in the last couple of model years, the sedan has been perishing due to the ongoing airbag inflator rupture issue. The 2012 Lexus ES 350 has faced 111 official complaints along with three recalls. Among the complaints, the maximum number of the reports are against the airbag issues while the sedan has been recalled three times due to similar airbag issues as well. The NHTSA did initiate an investigation against the sedan for the airbag inflator rupture issue too and the last year’s model also shares a similar fate as well. In its class, the Lexus ES 350 goes up against the Cadillac CTS, the Lincoln MKZ, and the Buick LaCrosse.
Lexus ES350 user complaints and problems
Safety problems
- Airbag inflation issues: A few cases of faulty airbag deployment were reported against the 2012 Lexus ES 350. In a couple of cases, the airbags exploded upon impact and caused significant injuries to the drivers. In another case, the airbag shroud caused injuries to the owner’s leg by cutting it. A lot of owners further complained that they did not receive the replacement parts for the faulty airbags installed in their vehicles even though the vehicles were included under the issued recalls.
- Brake failure: The brakes of the vehicle failed while driving. While the owner was parking the car by pressing the brake pedal, the car suddenly accelerated and the brakes failed completely, causing the car to crash.
- Broken switchable seat belt retractor: One owner complains about this particular issue. In the report, it mentions that the switchable seat belt retractor on the rear seats of the car was broken while in the manual book it was stated there was ALR for all the three seatbelts at the rear seats.
Miscellaneous problems
- Melting of the dashboard: Some cases of dashboard melting were reported by the owners. After owning the vehicles for some time, the dashboards of the cars started to melt in some places. One owner insisted the dealership check for any faulty or overheating of wirings under the dashboard but was denied the service.
2012 Lexus ES350 recalls
|
S.No. |
Recall Date |
NHTSA Campaign ID |
Issues noticed |
Additional remarks |
Remedy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
January 9, 2017 |
17V006000 |
Passenger Frontal Airbag Inflator May Rupture |
An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death. |
Toyota will notify the Toyota, Scion, and Lexus owners. General Motors will contact the Pontiac owners. Depending on the model, dealers will replace the passenger frontal airbag inflator or the airbag assembly, free of charge. The recall began on February 1, 2017. |
|
2 |
January 9, 2019 |
19V005000 |
Passenger Frontal Airbag Inflator May Explode |
An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death. |
Toyota will notify the owners. Depending on the vehicle model, dealers will replace the front passenger airbag inflator, or replace the airbag assembly. The recall began on February 15, 2019. |
|
3 |
October 17, 2019 |
19V741000 |
Frontal Airbag Inflators May Explode |
An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death. |
Toyota will notify the owners. Depending on the vehicle model, dealers will replace the front driver inflator, front passenger airbag inflator, the airbag assembly, or the front passenger airbag sub-assembly and inflator. The recall began on November 20, 2019. |
Should you buy a used Lexus ES350?
The Lexus ES 350 focuses more on comfort and driving experience rather than on performance and handling. As a result, the sedan offers a plush ride along with an opulent cabin with premium materials all throughout the interior. In the reliability department too, the sedan is pretty commendable and is only let down a bit by the faulty airbag modules along with a few dashboard melting issues in the case of the current model. Getting a used Lexus ES 350 would make a great purchase but do make sure to inspect the model for the airbag problems and ensure the dashboard is in good shape.
