Lexus ES reliability by year
4 recall campaigns and 71 owner complaints across 11 model years. Year-by-year sample sizes are too thin to call a best/worst yet — but the per-year breakdown still surfaces what to watch for.
Worst model years to avoid → — the single year to avoid for every model line we track, ranked side by side.
At-a-glance: every year color-coded
Each cell shows the last two digits of the model year and its 0–10 reliability score from NHTSA data. Click any year to see the full record. ★ best year · ✕ year to avoid.
Year-by-year reliability 11 model years · newest first
Per-year recall counts add up to 8, more than the 4 campaigns above, because a single NHTSA campaign often covers several model years and is counted once in each.
Common trouble spots across the ES aggregated across 11 model years
Common questions
What's the best year to buy a Lexus ES?
Sample sizes across years are too thin to make a confident best-year call for this model right now. Check the year-by-year list below — recalls and complaint counts per year are still useful even when the rollup verdict isn't.
Which Lexus ES year should I avoid?
Not enough year-by-year data to call out a worst year confidently. Review the year-by-year breakdown for recall counts and complaint volumes.
Which years of the Lexus ES should I avoid?
No Lexus ES model year currently rises to an "avoid" or "high-risk" verdict on the NHTSA data — either the record is clean or sample sizes are still too thin for a confident call. The year-by-year breakdown below shows what's on file regardless.
How many years of the Lexus ES are tracked?
11 model years (2014 through 2025) with NHTSA records on file. Total across the lineup: 4 distinct recall campaigns and 71 owner complaints. Those campaigns land on 8 model-year entries in total, because one campaign often covers several years at once — which is why per-year recall counts add up to more than the campaign count.
What's the most-reported problem on the Lexus ES?
airbags is the most-reported category — 33 complaints across 2 model years. Average shop repair runs about $1,100.