2008 Lexus LS

Typical pattern

1.7% of complaints about the 2008 Lexus LS came in the first year, which is unremarkable for a 2008 vehicle — around the middle of the 262 model-years on record. The median complaint arrives at 12.4 yr in service. The most-reported system is service brakes (17 complaints), typically at 12.6 yr or about 124,000 miles.

Complaints: 59
Median age at failure: 12.4 yr
Median mileage: 87,000 n=32
Crash / fire / tow: 6.8% of reports
Safety recalls: 1

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

09V020000 2009-01-16

Engine cooling

TOYOTA IS RECALLING 214,570 MY 2006-2008 LEXUS IS, MY 2006-2007 GS AND MY 2007-2008 LS PASSENGER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH ALUMINUM FUEL DELIVERY PIPES (FUEL RAILS). ETHANOL FUELS WITH A LOW MOISTURE CONTENT WILL CORRODE THE INTERNAL SURFACE OF THE FUEL RAILS. AS THIS CONDITION PROGRESSES, THE ENGINE MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LIGHT MAY ILLUMINATE.

OVER TIME, THE CORROSION MAY CREATE A PINHOLE RESULTING IN FUEL LEAKAGE. FUEL LEAKAGE, IN THE PRESENCE OF AN IGNITION SOURCE, COULD RESULT IN A FIRE.

In owners’ own words

Service brakes 51,000 mi 6.7 yr in service

LEXUS HAS A FAULTY BRAKE ACTUATOR DESIGN. IT'S MAKING CLUNKING REPETITIVE NOISES WHEN BRAKES ARE DEPRESSED. LEXUS KNOWS OF THIS FAULTY DESIGN BUT REFUSES TO REPLACE BECAUSE THEY SAY IT'S NOT A SAFETY ISSUE. THE NOISE ALONE WILL DRIVE YOU CRAZY. LEXUS OF NAPERVILLE, IL WANTS TO CHARGE ME $3000.00 TO REPLACE THIS COMPONENT. IF THEY DO NOT RECTIFY THIS PROBLEM I WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER LEXUS AGAIN. GUARANTEE. *TR

Service brakes 80,000 mi 8.8 yr in service

LEXUS ADMITS THAT THE ABS BRAKE ACCUMULATOR IS SUSPECT TO INTERNAL LEAKS WHICH CAN LEAD TO LACK OF BRAKING ABILITY. HUGE SAFETY ISSUE.

Service brakes 152,473 mi 9.7 yr in service

WHILE DRIVING THE CAR, CAR WARNINGS ON MY INSTRUMENT PANEL BEGAN FLASHING STATING "CHECK ABS", "CHECK VSC", "CHECK BRAKE SYSTEM", AND "STOP THE VEHICLE IN A SAFE PLACE IMMEDIATELY. CONTACT A DEALER".

Other LS 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.

2008 Lexus LS

When each system is reported — middle 50% of complaints

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

In owners’ own words

Other LS model years

How to read this