Home · 2011 Lexus IS 250 · Complaints

What 49 owners told NHTSA about the 2011 Lexus IS 250

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (49)Crash / fire / injury (5)Airbags (33)Brakes (3)Engine (3)Speed control (3)Steering (3)Body & structure (2)Transmission & drivetrain (2)Visibility & wipers (2)Electrical system (1)Electronic Stability Control (esc) (1)

3 of 49 complaints match · Steering · clear filters

Sep 21, 2020Steering

FIRST STARTED WITH STEERING GETTING STUCK A BIT WHILE CHANGING LANES NOW THE ELECTRIC RACK AND PINION MAKES NOISE STEERING LEFT AND RIGHT WHILE PARKING IN AND OUT ALSO WHILE DRIVING.

NHTSA ODI 11360278

Oct 13, 2011SteeringElectronic Stability Control (esc)

DROVE OVER GRAVEL ON ROAD, THEN STEERING COLUMN FROZE UP. WHEN BROUGHT TO LEXUS THEY SAID ALL THE ELECTRICAL STEERING COMPONENTS ARE BROKE. MY INSURANCE CO. SAID PARTS ARE MADE OF PLASTIC, AND WOULD TAKE A MINOR OCCURRENCE TO CAUSE BREAKAGE TO THESE NECESSARY PARTS. INSURANCE CO. SAYS IT SHE BE UNDER WARRANTY (I HAVE LESS THEN 3,000 MILES), BUT LEXUS SAYS NO! *TR

NHTSA ODI 10430021

Aug 6, 2011SteeringSuspensionBrakes

INTERMITTENT PROBLEM - CAR OCCASIONALLY PULLS TO EITHER SIDE, RIGHT OR LEFT, WHEN APPLYING BRAKES. A VIDEO RECORDING OF THE LATEST INCIDENT, WHICH OCCURRED ON 7/29/11, SHOWING THE STEERING WHEEL SPINNING 90 DEGREES TO THE LEFT WHEN BRAKES WERE APPLIED AT A SPEED OF APPROXIMATELY 10 MPH WHILE DRIVING ON THE GRAND CENTRAL PARKWAY IN QUEENS, NEW YORK IS AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST. THE PROBLEM WAS REPORTED TO LEXUS CORPORATE AND BROUGHT TO LEXUS OF QUEENS (NEW YORK CITY) FOR CORRECTION ON 7/19/11. SINCE THE TECHNICIAN WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM, IT WAS DETERMINED THAT, "VEHICLE IS OPERATING AS DESIGNED." I CAN NOT, WITH COMPLETE CERTAINTY, STATE THAT THE BRAKES ARE CAUSING THE PROBLEM. HOWEVER, AN ASE-CERTIFIED MASTER TECHNICIAN, WHEN THE PROBLEM WAS DESCRIBED TO HIM OFFERED HIS OPINION. HE WROTE, "WHEN A VEHICLE PULLS EITHER WAY THE POSSIBLE PROBLEMS ARE NO FLUID PRESSURE GETTING TO OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE PULLING, A FROZEN OR STICKING CALIPER OR PARTLY COLLAPSED FLEX HOSE ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE PULLING. THE ABS AND/OR TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM MIGHT NOT BE ALLOWING PRESSURE TO THE BRAKE CALIPER. THERE ALSO COULD BE AIR TRAPPED IN THE SYSTEM." ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTATION WILL BE MAILED TO NHTSA. UPDATED 08-29-11 *BF UPDATED 10/17/11 UPDATED 02/07/12 THE CONSUMER STATED THE BRAKE PULLING HAPPENS ABOUT EVERY 195 MILES. UPDATED 05/12/2012 *JS

NHTSA ODI 10418821

Working with the data? Download all 49 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 26, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2011 Lexus IS 250 verdict →