Home · 2013 Lexus IS 250 · Complaints

What 13 owners told NHTSA about the 2013 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 (13)Crash / fire / injury (3)Visibility & wipers (4)Airbags (3)Engine (3)Wheels (2)Body & structure (1)Fuel system (1)Seats (1)Speed control (1)Steering (1)Suspension (1)

3 of 13 complaints match · Engine · clear filters

Apr 22, 2020Engine

VALLEY PLATE LEAK DUE TO THE FACT THAT TOYOTA/LEXUS UTILIZED THE IMPROPER SEALANT AND USED THE IMPROPER AMOUNT, LEADING TO THE HEAT EXCHANGER LEAKING COOLANT ONCE THE ORIGINAL, INADEQUATE SEALANT BEGINS TO DISENTEGRATE. THIS COULD CAUSE A CONDITION WHERE THE ENGINE COULD FAIL AND SOMEONE COULD GET HURT. FURTHERMORE, ALL ISFS WILL EVENTUALLY HAVE A CRACKED RH MANIFOLD ON THE #8 RUNNER. THIS CAN CAUSE A FIRE HAZARD IN ADDITION TO CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING.

NHTSA ODI 11321929

Apr 8, 2020EngineVisibility & wipers

EXHAUST HEADER LEAK, AUDIBLE TICKING SOUND ONCE WARMED UP IN DRIVE

NHTSA ODI 11320477

Jul 27, 2018Engine

THE ENGINE COULD STALL IN THE MIDDLE OF DRIVING BECAUSE OF MISFIRE. MY LEXUS 250 ONLY 40K MILEAGE AND ALWAYS DO PROPER MAINTENANCE TO THE ENGINE EVERY 3000 MILE. I DO RESEARCH THAT LEXUS IS 250 CAUSE CARBON BUILD UP BECAUSE OF THE WRONG DESIGN OF THE DIRECT INJECTION. HERE'S THE YOUTUBE LINK: HTTPS://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=YTQUQFLAWR8. I BROUGHT THE CAR TO LEXUS DEALER, THEY WON'T ADMITTED, INSTEAD THEY BLAME ME USING A WRONG FUEL. BEFORE I USED 91OCTANE SHELL, THEN I SWITCH TO 91OCTANE CHEVRON. STILL HAS THE PROBLEM. THEY SHOULD RECALL FOR THIS MATTER, BECAUSE IT'S ABOUT SAFETY AND THE ENGINE COULD SUDDENLY STALL IN THE MIDDLE OF DRIVING.

NHTSA ODI 11114087

Working with the data? Download all 13 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 2013 Lexus IS 250 verdict →