2019 Lexus ES: problems, recalls and reliability
1 recall and 34 owner complaints on record; the weakest area is fuel/propulsion system (25% of complaints).
Data updated weekly · latest recall Apr 2019
All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.
Common problems
Computed from 34 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“I've had my car for 3 years now and it randomly decided to throw a SRS airbag malfunction warning that will not go away. I know most of the last gen es350 had airbag recalls but the 2019 model year really didn't and I think its something similar. The car runs fine but the fact that my airbags wont deploy because of this warning makes it very unsafe.”Owner report · Air Bags · Apr 2026
“The contact owns a 2019 Lexus ES 350. The contact stated that while driving at 20-25 MPH, another vehicle entered his lane, and the contact collided with the other vehicle's front passenger's side. The air bags did not deploy. The contact suffered injuries to his right leg and arm. The contact's son suffered injuries to his chin and right knee. The contact and his son later received medical care and physical therapy. A police report was filed. The vehicle was able to be driven away from the crash site. The vehicle was currently in the body shop for repairs. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.”Owner report · Air Bags · May 2025
“Driving car experienced a loud thump. Lost all engine power. Pulled to side of road. Had a hybrid system unavailable warning. Called a tow. Checked oil level to find it below the low mark. Car left a huge puddle of oil when loaded. Got to dealership. They found a hole in the engine block. Engine seized. Looms like it was the rod for the first cylinder. This issue sounds like what was the 2020 model years recall. My car had 128k on it all maintenance was completed on time, at the dealership. I regularly check oil level, and it was within normal range.”Owner report · Engine · Feb 2025
Show 7 more owner reports
“The contact owns a 2019 Lexus ES 300H. The contact stated that while starting and operating the vehicle, the display screen frequently failed to operate as intended. The contact stated that occasionally the display screen activated as needed but intermittently the screen was black. The failure occurred consistently whenever the vehicle was turned off for longer than two hours. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V744000 (BACK OVER PREVENTION); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The dealer was notified of the failure, but the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 58,968.”Owner report · Back Over Prevention · Jan 2025
“I am reporting a potential transmission issue with my 2019 Lexus ES 350. At around 70,000 miles, the vehicle began developing a whining noise at low speeds when the accelerator pedal is depressed. The noise has persisted and appears to be gradually worsening. The symptoms match numerous complaints I have seen from other owners regarding premature failure of the UA80 transmission, particularly the whining sound during low-speed acceleration. This issue began approximately one year ago and raises concerns about a possible widespread defect affecting this transmission model. I want Lexus to repair my vehicle free of charge as it appears to be a manufacturing defect.”Owner report · Power Train · Jan 2025
“I bought a 2019 Lexus ES350 F Sport in October 2023 with 41,000 miles. Almost a year later to the day I went to a touchless car wash and now have excessive condensation in both headlights. Lexus shows these lights at $2500 a piece, plus labor to install. With modest investigating for a remedy I see I'm not alone in this predicament. Due to high cost of replacement I believe this warrants looking into whether it should be a recall or at least a safety bulletin as moisture in an electric environment will quickly become a major issue.”Owner report · Exterior Lighting · Sep 2024
“The DCM malfunctioning, its the SOS button in the car that call Lexus personnel in case of emergency. Its stuck in a loop and keeps calling the call center every 3 minutes or so. I've had to tell them it's not me and they report the malfunction and it call the next representative and same thing. It called the call center 15 times as I was driving (extremally distracting and almost ran a red) before getting to the dealership. I've seen the same complaint on a Lexus forum to a person in Florida.”Owner report · Electrical System · Dec 2023
“Vehicle hesitates when gas pedal pressed; creating hazard to cross intersections, merging into traffic. In order to have car respond, hard press on gas pedal required, which creates another dangerous situation of unexpected leap! While no recalls are shown, 2 reports [XXX] are shown on NHTSA recall site. Owners of this vehicle report same problem for all model years, and indicate dealers cannot fix/do not fix. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)”Owner report · Fuel/Propulsion System · Jul 2023
“I was attempting to stop at an intersection. I pressed the brake pedal and an error message came up on the info screen and the car failed to stop. I ended up crashing into the rear of the vehicle in front of me.”Owner report · Service Brakes · Sep 2022
“none of the air bags deployed when my car was T-Bone at the driver door when the other car ran the red light. The other car air bags deployed and appears to be total loss My lexus EX300h has been repair but is available for inspection”Owner report · Air Bags · Jul 2022
When filing, owners marked a crash in 7 of these complaints and injuries in 7 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.
Recalls - 1 campaign
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2019 Lexus ES vehicles. These vehicles are equipped with a driver knee air bag assembly mounted to the lower instrument panel (IP) that may have been improperly installed, possibly affecting the deployment of the knee air bag in the event of a crash.
Remedy: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the driver knee air bag assembly, if necessary, free of charge. The recall began May 8, 2019. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-255-3987. Toyota's numbers for this recall are KLD and KLE.
Specifications
Factory options offered for the 2019 model year, decoded from the NHTSA vPIC database. Individual vehicles have one of each.
How other years compare
Check your exact ES by VIN
Recalls and equipment differ between individual vehicles. Decode your VIN to see what applies to yours.
Open VIN decoderFrequently asked questions
Is the 2019 Lexus ES reliable?
NHTSA has 34 owner complaints and 1 recall campaign on record for the 2019 Lexus ES. The most complained-about area is fuel/propulsion system (25% of complaints).
At what mileage do 2019 Lexus ES problems usually appear?
Half of the complaints that mention mileage were filed at 12,500 miles or less.
Does the 2019 Lexus ES have open recalls?
1 recall campaign has been issued, the latest concerning air bags:knee bolster. Check your specific vehicle by VIN - recall repairs are free at franchised dealers.
Source: NHTSA recall campaigns and owner complaints (public domain). Counts reflect reports on file and are not a defect rate.