2013 Lexus Ls problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Service Brakes (5) · Engine (1)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Lexus Ls 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 (16)
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 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
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
Showing the 6 most recent of 16 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-10-13 · Service Brakes“after retrieving my vehicle from the lexus dealership following diagnostic service, i drove the car home with no electrical issues. all hub electronics, displays, and interior systems functioned normally during the entire drive. the next morning, while the vehicle was parked, turned off, and untouched overnight, the brake actuator pump began runni…”
2025-12-22 · Service Brakes“my abs brake system warning lights all came on a few days ago, giving me error codes c1253 and c1256. these codes pertain to a manufacturers defect with lexus, wherein lexus generated a customer convenience program that said any ls460 that is less than 10 yrs old or less than 150k miles can be brought to any dealer and have this brake system replac…”
2025-01-27 · Engine“losing 2qts of oil every 2000 miles. manufacture say this is normal. i have low engine oil level warning light and have to put 2 quarts of oil in the engine…”
2024-09-16 · Service Brakes“the abs system failed. mechanic stated it was the abs actuator. left front wheel locks up when brakes are applied with force. safety is jeopardized since the abs system no longer works. cannot bring vehicle to safe stop in an emergency braking situation. the problem was reproduced by an independent service center. the vehicle had not …”
2024-08-12 · Service Brakes“for 2 years now i’ve been getting intermittent abs and traction light come on. it never showed a code when a scanner was plugged in. every now and then the light would come on when i start the car. as soon as i drive it’s gone. now i have the brake icon on too and my brakes are very weird with it grabbing really hard at times and slow to release. i…”
2023-10-11 · Service Brakes“i am detailing an alarming and persistent issue with unexpected brake activation on my 2013 lexus ls 460. over a span of time, the vehicle's brakes have been activated spontaneously on four different occasions, putting me and my passengers in potential danger. incident descriptions: 1. location: i-69 southbound, near huntington. - scenario: al…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.