2008 Lexus Es problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Air Bags (36) · Structure:body (4) · Visibility/Wiper (3)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Lexus Es model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
🛣️ Complaints by mileage
20 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (0)
No recalls on record for this model year (campaigns announced since 2010).
Service bulletins (45)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Structure:body 2025-12-15 · L-SB-0030-24 Rev2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
some 2005 – 2026 lexus vehicles that have undergone water intrusion may exhibit a condition in which a musty odor is present. follow the procedures in this bulletin to remediate the odor and address this condition. the purpose of this service bulletin is to provide general guidelines and procedures
Structure:body 2024-07-29 · L-SB-0030-24 Rev1 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
some 2005 – 2024 lexus vehicles that have undergone water intrusion may exhibit a condition in which a musty odor is present. follow the procedures in this bulletin to remediate the odor and address this condition. the purpose of this service bulletin is to provide general guidelines and procedures
Structure:body 2024-07-29 · L-SB-0030-24 Rev1 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
some 2005 – 2024 lexus vehicles that have undergone water intrusion may exhibit a condition in which a musty odor is present. follow the procedures in this bulletin to remediate the odor and address this condition. the purpose of this service bulletin is to provide general guidelines and procedures
Structure:body 2024-06-21 · L-SB-0030-24 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
some 2005 – 2024 lexus vehicles that have undergone water intrusion may exhibit a condition in which a musty smell is present. follow the procedures in this bulletin to remediate the odor and address this condition. the purpose of this service bulletin is to provide general guidelines and procedures
Structure:body 2024-06-21 · L-SB-0030-24 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
some 2005 – 2024 lexus vehicles that have undergone water intrusion may exhibit a condition in which a musty smell is present. follow the procedures in this bulletin to remediate the odor and address this condition. the purpose of this service bulletin is to provide general guidelines and procedures
Structure:body 2024-04-19 · L-SB-0023-24 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
to prevent brake rotor rust from forming during transportation and storage, wheel film will be used instead of a cardboard type of anti-rust cover. the purpose of the wheel film is to shield the disc brake rotor from weather elements and initial rust before the vehicle is delivered to the customer.
Showing the 6 most recent of 45 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-05-01 · Visibility/Wiper“vehicle: 2008 lexus es 350 issue description: the dashboard in my vehicle is melting and becoming sticky, causing a reflective glare on the windshield during daylight driving. this significantly impacts visibility and creates a potential safety hazard. the condition worsens with heat and sun exposure. the glare can be severe enough to interfere w…”
2025-11-03 · Electrical System:instrument Panel:speedometer/Odometer · 245,000 mi“odometer fraud. the contact purchased a 2008 lexus es 350. the contact discovered a mileage discrepancy after the purchase. the vehicle was a private sale. at the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 153,000. however, a subsequent carfax report revealed that the actual mileage was 245,000.…”
2025-09-05 · Suspension“the front control arms, their bushings and ball joints are failing. my car only has 125k miles on it, but it drifts and bounces around as if there is no struts at all. it is very scary to drive, it feels like something terrible is about to happen like a wheel snapping off and causing accident. i took it to several mechanics. they say it will cost $…”
2025-04-01 · Air Bags · 💥 crash“the contact owned a 2008 lexus es350. the contact stated that while driving approximately 30 - 40 mph, the air bags suddenly deployed independently. the contact stated that his view was obstructed due to the air bag deployment, and he briefly lost control the vehicle and the vehicle came to a complete stop after crashing into a light pole. the rema…”
2024-07-05 · Unknown Or Other“ the dashboard of the vehicle has deteriorated causing an extreme shiny surface all over. this can be seen at even given time of inspection. a recall was released to do this issue but when the lexus newport news, va dealership was contacted, the response was this vehicle was not included. during this time the vehicle was already in the need of the …”
2024-06-10 · Tires:sidewall“i purchased and had installed 4 - nokian tyres one 215/55/17 on [xxx]. i brought my car to my lexus dealer on [xxx] for routine car maintenance. when inspected, all four tires had a circumferential crack on the interior side wall. they were deep and went virtually around the entire tire. i was told not to drive the car and replace the tires imm…”
2024-02-12 · Engine“vvti oil line ruptured this was part of a limited service campaign by lexus and i believe my vehicle's vin was incorrectly excluded.…”
2023-12-19 · Unknown Or Other“i am not writing about my car. i am writing about many other cars coming toward me at night with very bright headlights. there ought to be a law against multiple headlights, very bright headlights, headlights that shine directly into the eyes of oncoming vehicles. what is being done about this? i would like a reply to my concern. i live on an …”
2023-08-30 · Unknown Or Other“dash board is melting needs to be recalled …”
2023-05-29 · Visibility/Wiper“urgent: my dash has melted on my-2008 lexus es 350- i cannot see to drive, my visibilty it totally obstructed w my 2008 lexus es 350 with actual 35, 000 miles, that i cannot drive ((ever)) it sits in the garage. because too dangerous to drive melting dash it totally blocks my view of any road, due to shining reflection of melting dash is all you c…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.