Lexus ES

374 complaints across 12 scored model years and 4 recall campaigns.

Which years to avoid

Ownership label · Lexus ES Full report

Grade 2010–2021

2013 vs model median 2.8×

Model median3× median

Speed Control 10

Lights & Visibility 7

Body & Interior 6

Avoid

2013 · 2019

Best

2018 · 2020

Year by year

Severity-weighted complaints filed in each model year’s first 60 months on the road, so every year is measured over an identical window.

Severity-weighted complaint volume and grade by model year for the Lexus ES
Year	vs median	Reports	Grade
2010	1.07×	30	C
2011	1.40×	21	C
2012	0.78×	12	B
2013	2.78×	57	F
2014	1.06×	19	B
2015	0.83×	25	B
2016	0.98×	29	B
2017	1.02×	23	B
2018	0.55×	11	A
2019	2.48×	49	F
2020	0.56×	10	B
2021	0.98×	35	B
2022 P	0.68×	20	B
2023 P	0.70×	15	B

P — provisional. These years have not completed 60 months on the road, so their totals are incomplete and they are excluded from the verdict.

Recalls

4 campaigns on record.

Recall campaigns, largest first
Campaign	Component	Model years	Units affected
25V744000	BACK OVER PREVENTION:DISPLAY FUNCTION	2023	1,024,407
23V865000	AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION	2020, 2021	999,901
24V124000	BACK OVER PREVENTION:DISPLAY FUNCTION	2023	18,616
19V288000	AIR BAGS:KNEE BOLSTER	2019	564

Others in Midsize Cars

Same body and size class. Each grade describes that model against its own history — these are not ranked against each other.

Other models in the same segment
Model	Years to avoid	Grade
Acura TL	2012	C
Acura TLX	20152020	C
Acura TSX	2010	C
Alfa Romeo Giulia	2017	C
Audi A4	none flagged	B
Audi A4 Allroad	2013	C
Audi A5	none flagged	C
Audi S4	none flagged	B

How this was calculated

Every model year is scored over an identical window: complaints filed with NHTSA during the first 60 months after that model year went on sale. Without this, older cars look worse purely because they have had longer to accumulate reports.

Limitations. Complaints are unverified reports submitted voluntarily by owners; they are allegations, not findings, and reporting rates vary between models. Model years with fewer than 60 months on the road are marked provisional and excluded from verdicts. Cross-model comparison is withheld pending production-volume data.

Full methodology · Sources · Data vintage August 9, 2026

Working 2013 ES

Complaints in window: 57
Severity-weighted: 124.5
Model median (weighted): 45
vs model median: 2.78×
Recall campaigns (weighted): 0
Open investigations: 0

Score 30.5 F