2013 Lexus Es problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Service Brakes (7) · Vehicle Speed Control (5) · Electrical System (5)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Lexus Es model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
Safety recalls (0)
No recalls on record for this model year (campaigns announced since 2010).
Service bulletins (48)
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
Electrical System 2025-06-13 · L-SB-0043-23 Rev1 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
the air conditioning dye injection tool kit has been developed to aid in identifying the location of air conditioning refrigerant leaks. the procedures outlined in this service bulletin aid in locating, inspecting, and repairing refrigerant leaks.
Structure:body 2025-02-07 · L-SB-0017-19 Rev1 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
some 2010 – 2026 model year lexus vehicles may exhibit paint stains after the removal of rapgard™. the paint stains may appear to be under the clear coat but are usually under wrinkles in the rapgard™. the wrinkles may trap water and cause the paint to stain from the trapped moisture, especially on
Structure:body 2025-02-07 · L-SB-0017-19 Rev1 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
some 2010 – 2026 model year lexus vehicles may exhibit paint stains after the removal of rapgard™. the paint stains may appear to be under the clear coat but are usually under wrinkles in the rapgard™. the wrinkles may trap water and cause the paint to stain from the trapped moisture, especially on
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
Showing the 6 most recent of 48 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-10-01 · Service Brakes“brake master cylinder need to be replaced due to internal malfunction. if not replaced, the master cylinder may fail and i could face a safety issue in the form of brake pedal or brake failure. the problem has been confirmed by lexus southwest houston who performed diagnostic and found code c1391 to be present. the dealer cannot initiate goodwill r…”
2026-07-09 · Electrical System:instrument Panel:speedometer/Odometer · 199,000 mi“odometer fraud. the contact purchased a 2013 lexus es350. it was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. the vehicle was a private sale on facebook marketplace. at the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 127,000; however, a carfax vehicle history reported the mileage at 199,000.…”
2026-02-02 · Service Brakes“ lexus of sarasota fl confirmed a faulty brake actuators causing brake , skid control and abs light to come on which created an immediate and extremely dangerous driving situation as i was on an interstate highway driving at 70 mph. it’s been confirmed that multiply lexus models and years have had numerous brake actuator . multiple failures have …”
2026-01-16 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic · 130,000 mi“the contact owns a 2013 lexus es 300h. the contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle jerked abnormally. the service abs, brakes, and hazard warning lights were illuminated. the vehicle was taken to a local independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed; however, no cause for the failure was determined. an appointment with…”
2025-09-12 · Forward Collision Avoidance: Warnings · 💥 crash“nhtsa campaign id: 15v728000, report date: 11/3/ 2015, vehicles affected: 30,812 consequence: a vehicle that unexpectedly brakes increases the risk of a crash. what to do: remedy parts for a permanent fix for this issue are not yet available. on 11/18, 2015, toyota sent owners an interim notification and dealers will temporarily disable the pcs. …”
2025-09-04 · Structure:body“lexus recall 2010-2015 models because pain is peaking. my car is a 2913 es 350 and the paint is pealing but lexus do not want to fix it. it is the same problem as the recall lexus because paint is peaking. what can i do or what can you do…”
2025-08-19 · Service Brakes“as a dominos delivery driver, i am constantly braking in neighborhoods, on main roads, highways, parking lots, you name it. it’s important for me as a safe driver to be able to rely on my vehicle to perform properly. recently, i’ve had multiple failures to stop as the code “c1391” has come up and has intermittently shut off proper control of my bra…”
2025-01-14 · Service Brakes“brakes malfunctioned almost resulted in a life threatening car accident. car is at the lexus dealership for repair. the have confirmed problem. yes there were warning lights moments before needing the brakes and it not working whn pushed.…”
2024-09-07 · Service Brakes“while driving on the highway electronic brake boost suddenly failed, leading to brake malfunction. this is common malfunction of this model. this leads to potentially hazardous situation when in emergency or even regular traffic breaking car would not break as expected.…”
2024-07-22 · Visibility/Wiper“roughly 6-12 months ago the dashboard on my lexus started to melt and become sticky, creating a glare on my windshield and impeding my ability to see the road causing dangerous situations. both daytime and nighttime driving have been affected by this defect. i’ve contacted the local dealership, but they confirmed that no recalls are available and t…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.