What breaks most · 1995 to 2019 model years
Lexus GS problems by year
Owners have filed 156 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Lexus GS across model years 1995 to 2019. Three years stand out: 2006 for engine complaints, 2007 for engine complaints and 2013 for steering complaints. The quietest years are 1996, 2002 and 2005.
- Years to check closely: 2006, 2007, 2013
- Fewest complaints: 1996, 2002, 2005
- Complaints on file
- 1561995 to 2019, all trims
- Worst year
- 200644 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 141 fires · 12 injuries · 1 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 101kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 19Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 1 | 0 | Electrical system (1) | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | Body and structure (1) | |
| 4 | 0 | 1 | Brakes (3) | |
| 4 | 1 | 1 | Body and structure (2) | |
| 3 | 1 | 1 | Suspension (1) | |
| 1 | 0 | 1 | Engine (1) | |
| 4 | 0 | 1 | Wheels (1) | |
| 2 | 0 | 1 | Electrical system (1) | |
| 1 | 0 | 1 | Unknown or other (1) | |
| 44 | 2 | 6 | Engine (9) | |
| 25 | 2 | 2 | Engine (5) | |
| 15 | 0 | 0 | Engine (4) | |
| 2 | 0 | 0 | Engine (1) | |
| 10 | 2 | 0 | Unknown or other (3) | |
| 3 | 1 | 0 | Speed control and throttle (1) | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | Unknown or other (1) | |
| 19 | 3 | 0 | Steering (5) | |
| 3 | 0 | 0 | Steering (2) | |
| 3 | 1 | 0 | Steering (2) | |
| 5 | 0 | 1 | Unknown or other (2) | |
| 1 | 0 | 1 | Lane departure system (1) | |
| 2 | 0 | 1 | Unknown or other (1) | |
| 1 | 0 | 1 | Steering (1) |
What fails on the 2006 Lexus GS
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EngineEngine gaskets and seals | 20% |
9 | 0 | Shop all engine parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Wipers and visibilityWiper motors and blades | 18% |
8 | 0 | Shop all wipers and visibility parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 14% |
6 | 0 | Shop all electrical system parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Exterior lightingHeadlights, tail lights and bulbs | 14% |
6 | 0 | Shop all exterior lighting parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Unknown or other | 11% |
5 | 1 | — |
| Fuel systemFuel pumps and injectors | 11% |
5 | 0 | Shop all fuel system parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 7% |
3 | 0 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Stability controlABS and wheel speed sensors | 7% |
3 | 0 | Shop all stability control parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
-
Vehicle idling rough when coming to a stop. Consuming oil at high rate. Car has actually stopped running while driving. I have been attempting to have this issue resolved with the dealer and lexus since the vehicle was purchased.
-
Because of the design, the rings stick causing oil consumption and engine wear. It smokes when driven. This affects these vehicles approximately years 06 - 11. They revamped the engine after 11 to fix the problem. They should repair our engines
-
Notchy steering feel at highway speed. The steering exhibit an intermittent non-binding, notchy steering feeling and/or steering wheel does not self-center condition when driving at highway speeds. Life threatening. Veers to left or right and needs quick correction.
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 6, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Lexus GS years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2006, 2007, 2013 carry the most filings on the Lexus GS. The 2006 alone has 44 complaints, led by engine.
What is the most common Lexus GS problem?
On the 2006 model year, the most-reported component is engine with 9 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Lexus GS problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Lexus GS complaints that include mileage is about 101,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.