2012 Lexus ES350

No clear pattern

0% of complaints about the 2012 Lexus ES350 arrived in its first year of service. That is an unusual figure for a 2012 vehicle, but with only 94 complaints on record the sample is too small to call it a pattern — the margin of error covers the range where ordinary vehicles sit. The figures below are reported without a verdict. The most-reported system is air bags (79 complaints), typically at 5.4 yr or about 15,000 miles.

Complaints: 94
Median age at failure: 5.4 yr
Median mileage: 40,000 n=19
Crash / fire / tow: 9.6% of reports
Safety recalls: 3

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

19V741000 2019-10-17

Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2010-2016 4Runner, 2003-2006 Tundra, 2003-2013 Corolla, 2009-2010 Corolla Matrix, 2004-2005 RAV4, 2002-2007 Sequoia, 2011-2013 Sienna, 2008-2012 Scion xB, 2008-2009 Lexus IS-F, 2007-2012 Yaris and Lexus ES350, 2010-2017 Lexus GX460, 2002-2010 Lexus SC430, 2006-2012 Lexus IS250 and IS350 and 2010-2015 Lexus IS250C and IS350C vehicles. These vehicles had their driver or passenger frontal air bag inflators previously replaced under a prior recall using inflators of the same design. The inflators may explode due to propella

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

19V005000 2019-01-09

Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2014-2016 Toyota 4Runner, 2014-2015 Scion xB, Lexus IS350C, IS250C, 2014 Toyota Sienna, Lexus IS-F, and 2014-2017 Lexus GX460 vehicles sold, or ever registered in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands or "Zone A." Toyota is also recalling certain 2011-2013 Toyota Corolla, Corolla Matrix, Lexus IS250, IS350, 2011-2016 4Runner, 2011-2015 Scion xB, Lex

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

17V006000 2017-01-09

Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2012 Toyota 4Runner, Corolla, Corolla Matrix, Sienna, Yaris, Scion xB, Lexus ES350, GX460, IS-F, IS250, IS350, IS250C, IS350C, and Lexus LFA vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands, or "Zone A." Additionally, unless included in "Zone A" above, Toyota is recalling certain 2009 Toyota Corolla, Corolla Matrix, Yaris, Yaris

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

In owners’ own words

Air bags mileage not reported 5.3 yr in service

TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 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. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. VIN TOOL CONFIRMS PARTS NOT AVAILABLE.

Air bags mileage not reported 5.4 yr in service

TAKATA RECALL- YOUR DATABASE IS NOT UP TO DATE; I RECIEVED A RECALL LETTER FROM LEXUS AT BEGINNING OF THIS WEEK. I AM TRYING TO GET A RENTAL WHILE WE WAIT (MONTHS? YEARS? ) FOR THE PASSENGER SIDE (AS THE LETTER STATES, DOES NOT SAY THE DRIVERS SIDE)- WHAY IS THE BEST MAKE MODEL ETC FOR US TO GET? WE WERE TOLD TAKATA IS BEING USED TO REPALCE THE DEFECTIVE ONES! ISN'T THIS NOT RIGHT? LOVE TO KNOW MODELS. MALES THAT DON'T USE TAKATA.!

Air bags mileage not reported 5.5 yr in service

TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 17V006000 (AIR BAGS) HOWEVER, THE PART FOR THE RECALL REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED ANY FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. VIN TOOL CONFIRMS REMEDY NOT YET AVAILABLE.

Other ES350 model years

How to read this

This is what owners reported, not a reliability rating. People file with NHTSA about alarming failures, not routine ones, and complaint volume tracks how many cars were sold.
Failure ages come from the incident date on each complaint, populated on about 83% of records. Mileage is shown where reported — NHTSA’s 2021 system change cut mileage capture to roughly 15%, so it thins out sharply after MY2020.
Every rank compares this vehicle only against others of the same model year. A 2025 car has not had time to accumulate five-year failures, so comparing early-failure share across years is meaningless.
Fourteen make-months distorted by media storms and mass recalls — Toyota in February 2010 ran 11× normal volume across 33 models — are excluded.
Recalls are manufacturer actions and authoritative; complaints are not. A recall listed here may already have been performed on any individual car. Check a specific VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

2012 Lexus ES350

When each system is reported — middle 50% of complaints

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

In owners’ own words

Other ES350 model years

How to read this