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2009 Lexus ES350Problems, recalls & complaints

NHTSA has logged 145 owner complaints about the 2009 Lexus ES350, most often about the air bags. It is covered by 5 safety recalls, and for recall 19V-741 the manufacturer reports only 65% of affected cars repaired.

2009 Lexus ES350
47
CarFlaw IndexSolid year1.1× the ES350 median · #3 of 11 years by complaints
Safety recalls5Lowest repair rate 65%Owner complaints14527 with a crash, fire or injuryTypical failure mileage43kAir bags, median miles

Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer recall reports, through October 17, 2019. Updated daily. Photo: SsmIntrigue, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Complaints by system

Where the 2009 Lexus ES350 has problems

145 complaints grouped by the system owners reported.

Box size = number of complaints naming that system. Darker = larger share. One complaint can name more than one system.
Complaints by system
SystemComplaintsCrash, fire or injury
Air bags1015
Vehicle speed control2411
Electrical system51
Structure52
Service brakes, hydraulic41
Fuel system, gasoline30
Exterior lighting20
Visibility20
Visibility/wiper20
4 other systems41

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Complaints are submitted by the public and are not verified by NHTSA.

5 recalls

2009 Lexus ES350 recalls and how many were fixed

Each ring shows the share of affected cars repaired, from the manufacturer’s latest quarterly report to NHTSA. Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.

65%repaired · 2021 Q3

Driver side: inflator module

Recall 19V-741 · Oct 17, 2019 · 928,220 vehicles · 600,429 repaired

Risk. An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

77%repaired · 2021 Q3

Passenger side: inflator module

Recall 18V-024 · Jan 9, 2018 · 628,018 vehicles · 481,268 repaired

Risk. An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

74%repaired · 2021 Q3

Passenger side: inflator module

Recall 17V-006 · Jan 9, 2017 · 577,875 vehicles · 427,891 repaired

Risk. An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

72%repaired · 2021 Q3

Passenger side: inflator module

Recall 16V-340 · May 23, 2016 · 1,754,517 vehicles · 1,269,624 repaired

Risk. An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

Show 1 more recall
–no report yet

Vehicle speed control: accelerator pedal

Recall 09V-388 · Oct 5, 2009 · 4,445,056 vehicles

Risk. 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…

Problem, fix and repair progress →

Recalls apply to specific cars. To see whether a recall is still open on yours, enter the 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with Lexus.

Best & worst years

2009 vs. every other ES350 year

Bars show complaints per model year. Colors show the CarFlaw verdict: complaints weighted for crashes, fires and injuries, adjusted for years on the road and compared with the ES350 median. How we score

'07'08'09'10'11'12'13'14'15'16'17'18'19'20'21'22'23
  • Avoid
  • Caution
  • Solid
  • Best
  • Not rated
NHTSA crash tests

2009 Lexus ES350 safety ratings

2009 Lexus ES350 w/SAB in NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program. Photos are from NHTSA's crash tests.

2009 Lexus ES350 frontal crash test, NHTSA
Frontal crashNot rated
2009 Lexus ES350 side barrier test, NHTSA
Side barrierNot rated
  • Stability control: Standard
  • Forward collision warning: Optional
  • Lane departure warning: No
2 investigations

NHTSA defect investigations

Federal investigations that included the 2009 Lexus ES350, and the recalls they led to.

  1. Low-speed surgingDP15005 · closed Aug 19, 2015
    No recall
  2. Desiccated Air Bag Inflator RuptureEA21002 · still open
    Open
In owners' words

What ES350 owners report

Recent air bags complaints filed with NHTSA, shortened. Personal details are removed.

TAKATA AIR BAG RECALL; RECEIVED NOTICE OF RECALL IN FEBRUARY, 2017; AS OF 3/19/2018, WE HAVE HAD NO CORRESPONDENCE TO SCHEDULE REPAIR
Complaint 11080301 · Mar 19, 2018
FAULTY AIRBAG HARNESS WIRRING. DEAR SIR OR MADAM, THIS IS TO REPORT THAT 2007-2012 IS 250, IS 350 AND ES 350 HAS FAULTY AIRBAG WIRING HARNESS WHICH DISABLES THE AIRBAGS. CLUBLEXUS.COM HAS RECEIVED HUNDREDS OF COMPLAINTS REGARDING THIS. THE REPAIRS WILL ONLY BE DONE OR CORRECT IF THE VEHICLE IS…
Complaint 11073588 · Feb 19, 2018 · 39,000 miles
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 LEXUS ES350. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 17V006000 (AIR BAGS); HOWEVER, THE PART TO DO THE REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. LEN STOLER LEXUS IN…
Complaint 11055731 · Dec 20, 2017

Own a 2009 ES350?

Decode your VIN to see the recalls for your exact car, then confirm open recalls with NHTSA.