What breaks most · 1999 to 2025 model years
Lexus IS problems by year
Owners have filed 591 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Lexus IS across model years 1999 to 2025. Three years stand out: 2006 for body and structure complaints, 2007 for body and structure complaints and 2008 for body and structure complaints. The quietest years are 1999, 2001 and 2016.
- Years to check closely: 2006, 2007, 2008
- Fewest complaints: 1999, 2001, 2016
- Complaints on file
- 5911999 to 2025, all trims
- Worst year
- 2006143 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 415 fires · 31 injuries · 1 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 79kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 23Across 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 1 | Unknown or other (1) | |
| 1 | 1 | 1 | Engine and cooling (1) | |
| 12 | 1 | 1 | Body and structure (5) | |
| 12 | 5 | 1 | Air bags (4) | |
| 10 | 1 | 1 | Unknown or other (5) | |
| 12 | 2 | 1 | Body and structure (5) | |
| 143 | 3 | 7 | Body and structure (43) | |
| 122 | 6 | 3 | Body and structure (46) | |
| 102 | 4 | 3 | Unknown or other (24) | |
| 40 | 4 | 2 | Speed control and throttle (10) | |
| 40 | 7 | 1 | Air bags (16) | |
| 15 | 0 | 0 | Air bags (7) | |
| 18 | 3 | 0 | Air bags (8) | |
| 9 | 2 | 0 | Wipers and visibility (3) | |
| 12 | 1 | 0 | Unknown or other (3) | |
| 9 | 0 | 0 | Electrical system (3) | |
| 2 | 0 | 0 | Fuel system (2) | |
| 9 | 0 | 0 | Fuel system (6) | |
| 3 | 0 | 0 | Unknown or other (1) | |
| 2 | 0 | 0 | Tires (1) | |
| 4 | 0 | 0 | Engine (2) | |
| 2 | 1 | 0 | Unknown or other (2) | |
| 4 | 0 | 1 | Fuel system (2) | |
| 5 | 0 | 0 | Visibility (1) | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | Visibility (1) | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | Body and structure (1) |
What fails on the 2006 Lexus IS
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Body and structureDoors, latches and body hardware | 30% |
43 | 0 | Shop body and structure parts for the 2006 Lexus IS |
| Air bags | 18% |
26 | 2 | Check recalls for air bags on NHTSA.gov |
| Wipers and visibilityWiper motors and blades | 18% |
26 | 0 | Shop all wipers and visibility parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Unknown or other | 17% |
24 | 0 | — |
| EngineEngine gaskets and seals | 11% |
16 | 0 | Shop engine parts for the 2006 Lexus IS |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 8% |
11 | 0 | Shop electrical system parts for the 2006 Lexus IS |
| SteeringPower steering pumps, racks and hoses | 6% |
8 | 1 | Shop all steering parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 5% |
7 | 0 | Shop all powertrain and transmission 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.
-
My dash and door panels are sticky and crumbling to pieces. Also, my door handles aren't working on the car. Every time I open the door the handles are stuck on the driver and passenger side. Also, my floor mats are constantly wet and I'm not sure why. I don't want it to get worst and build mold or start to rust.
-
Engine is consuming too much oil regularly. I have to fill in a quart every 600 miles or so. Interior panels are melting
-
The dashboard is melting and makes a glare on the windshield making it hard to see the dashboard is melting and sticky also on the door panels I almost crashed when I couldn’t see due to the glare of the melting dashboard reflecting on the windshield
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 IS years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2006, 2007, 2008 carry the most filings on the Lexus IS. The 2006 alone has 143 complaints, led by body and structure.
What is the most common Lexus IS problem?
On the 2006 model year, the most-reported component is body and structure with 43 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Lexus IS problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Lexus IS complaints that include mileage is about 79,000 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.