Home · 2012 Lexus IS 250 · Complaints

What 36 owners told NHTSA about the 2012 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 (36)Crash / fire / injury (7)Airbags (21)Body & structure (5)Brakes (5)Electrical system (5)Speed control (5)Engine (3)Fuel system (2)Visibility & wipers (2)Electronic Stability Control (esc) (1)Lights (1)

5 of 36 complaints match · Electrical system · clear filters

Aug 8, 2022Electrical systemSpeed controlBrakes

The contact owns a 2012 Lexus IS250. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the brake inadvertently activated without the brake pedal being depressed. The vehicle also experienced unintended acceleration without the accelerator pedal being depressed. The cause of the failure was not determined. The contact indicated that the failure occurred after the cell phone was hacked and was concern the vehicle security was also compromised and hacked. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The local dealer was not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 137,000.

NHTSA ODI 11478126

Jan 11, 2020Electrical systemLightsAirbags

THE TOP CONVERTIBLE MOTOR GOT BROKEN ABOUT TWO YEARS AFTER I BOUGHT IT SO I WENT BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP AND LUCKILY IT WAS UNDER WARRANTY SO THEY REPLACE IT BUT NOW THE ONE THEY PUT ON THAT TIME NOW IT'S BROKEN AGAIN AND THEY WANT TO CHARGE ME TO GET FIXED.

NHTSA ODI 11298620

May 21, 2019Electrical system

DOOR LOCKS NOT WORKING PROPERLY. BOTH FRONT DOOR ACTUATORS NEED TO BE REPLACED WHICH WE WERE TOLD IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS MODEL. THIS HAS BEEN UNSAFE FOR OUR TEENAGE DRIVER HAVING TO CRAWL THROUGH BACK DOORS TO UNLOCK HER VEHICLE ESPECIALLY AT NIGHT.

NHTSA ODI 11208972

Aug 27, 2018Electrical systemBrakesEngineCrash

UNINTENDED ACCELERATION WHILE INCHING INTO PARKING SPACE AT VERY SLOW RATE OF SPEED. ENGINE RACED UNEXPECTEDLY AND CAR JUMPED CURB WITH ALL 4 TIRES, ACROSS A SMALL MEDIAN, AND DOWN ANOTHER CURB WITH 3 TIRES, STRIKING A PARKED CAR, WHICH STOPPED FORWARD MOTION.

NHTSA ODI 11122773

Jun 30, 2018Electrical system

THIS IS THE THIRD LEXUS I HAVE HAD THAT THE AUTOMATIC DOOR LOCKS DON'T WORK. ALL 4 ACTUATORS ARE BAD AFTER I EVEN HAD ONE REPLACED. I HAVE HAD THIS HAPPEN I ALL THREE LEXUS' THAT I HAVE OWNED. I HAVE TALKED TO LEXUS ABOUT THIS AND THE SERVICE PEOPLE SAY THAT THEY SEE MORE THAN THEY SHOULD GO. BAD BOY. LEXUS/TOYOTA DOES NOT THINK IT'S A PROBLEM. THIS BECOMES A SAFETY HAZARD LOCKING THE DOORS MANUALLY AND HAVING TO OPEN ONE DOOR WITH A KEY AND REACH AROUND AND OPEN THE OTHERS AS NEEDED. SPECIALLY WITH ALL THE CRIME AROUND US. I WOULD LIKE TO SEE EITHER TOYOTA OR LEXUS STEP UP AND ADMIT THEY HAVE A PROBLEM AND FIX THEM.

NHTSA ODI 11104861

Working with the data? Download all 36 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 2012 Lexus IS 250 verdict →