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What 35 owners told NHTSA about the 2014 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 (35)Crash / fire / injury (7)Electrical system (9)Airbags (8)Suspension (4)Body & structure (3)Engine (3)Speed control (3)Steering (3)Brakes (2)Fuel system (2)Equipment (1)

7 of 35 complaints match · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

Jun 22, 2021Speed controlCrash

When parking the car at a shopping mall, the car suddenly accelerated and jumped the curb. It finally stopped when it hit a stopped bus. Two teenage passengers were in the vehicle. The driver does not believe the accelerator was pressed enough to cause the vehicle to accelerate in the manner it did.

NHTSA ODI 11421859

Jun 9, 2020Fuel systemCrash

MAJOR FUEL LEAK ON 2 FUEL INJECTORS. POTENTIAL FIRE HAZARD COULD HAVE HAPPENED IF NOT TOWED TO MY LOCAL MECHANIC. MINOR CRASH HAPPENED DUE TO SOME HEADACHE. THE VEHICLE HAS 90,300MILES ON IT AND WAS SERVICED PER THE MANUFACTURER'S RECOMMENDATION. BASED ON RESEARCH THIS IS PERSISTENT WITH SOME LEXUS MODELS. *TR

NHTSA ODI 11327963

Mar 14, 2019AirbagsCrash1 injury

IMPACT WITH CONCRETE PILLAR. CAR WAS A TOTAL LOSS. DRIVER SUFFERED HEAD INJURY LEADING TO SEIZURE AND THREE BROKEN VERTEBRAE. AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY.

NHTSA ODI 11186960

Sep 8, 2017SteeringAirbagsBrakesCrash

I HAD A CAR ACCIDENT DUE TO THE BREAK NOT WORKING CAR ACCIDENTS CAUSED BY MECHANICAL FAILURE THE AIRBAG DIDN'T EVEN WORK

NHTSA ODI 11022355

Nov 18, 2015AirbagsCrash1 injury

TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2014 LEXUS IS 250. WHILE DRIVING AT 40 MPH, ANOTHER VEHICLE CRASHED HEAD ON INTO THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE. THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED A FRACTURED RIB, HIP, ANKLE AND HEAD INJURIES THAT REQUIRED MEDICAL ATTENTION. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE THE VEHICLE WAS DEEMED DESTROYED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED TO THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 28,000.

NHTSA ODI 10794736

Dec 14, 2014Body & structureSpeed controlBrakesCrash

ON DEC. 2, 2014, I WAS ENTERING A WALGREEN'S PARKING LOT IN MY LEASED 2014 LEXUS IS 250, WHICH I HAD OWNED FOR ONLY 4 MONTHS WITH 1740 MILES. MOVING AT 5MPH OR LESS, I TURNED THE WHEEL TO ENTER A PARKING SPACE, WHEN THE CAR SUDDENLY ACCELERATED AND TOOK OFF. I PRESSED THE BRAKES TO THE FLOOR AND NOTHING HAPPENED. THE CAR JUMPED UP OVER A PLANTED MEDIAN FILLED WITH BUSHES, TREES AND A PHONE POLE. THE FRONT TIRES BECAME LODGED IN MUD AND THAT STOPPED THE CAR. I MISSED THE TELEPHONE POLE BY LESS THAN 1 FOOT. LUCKILY, I HAD AN INDIVIDUAL WITNESS THE ENTIRE EPISODE. I TELEPHONED LEXUS EMERGENCY SERVICES AND LEXUS CUSTOMER RELATIONS IMMEDIATELY. THE CAR HAD TO BE REMOVED FROM THE MEDIAN BY A TOW COMPANY AND WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP WHERE PURCHASED. AFTER EXAMINING THE CAR FROM DEC. 3-DEC. 10, THE DEALERSHIP CLAIMS THERE IS BODY DAMAGE BUT NO MECHANICAL PROBLEM WITH THE CAR. THE DEALER CALLED ON DEC. 10 SAYING THE CAR WAS READY TO BE PICKED UP. I NOTED INACCURATE DATA IN THE SERVICE REPORT FROM WHAT I TOLD THE SERVICE MANAGER ORIGINALLY, AND I WAS GIVEN NO INFORMATION AS TO FOLLOW-UP ON THIS MATTER. I WAS SIMPLY TOLD THAT LEXUS CORPORATE HAD BEEN OUT TO SEE THE UNDERSIDE DAMAGE TO THE VEHICLE.(FRONT BUMPER, PAINT, CRACKS ON BASE OF BUMPER), AND THAT I WOULD HEAR FROM THEM IN 10 DAYS. I CALLED LEXUS CORPORATE AND WAS TOLD THAT THE MATTER IS NOW IN THE LEGAL DEPT. AND THAT IT WOULD BE FAR MORE THAN 10 DAYS FOR A RESPONSE. RATHER, I COULD EXPECT A CALL IN 4/6 WEEKS OR LONGER. I AM NOW DRIVING A LEASED VEHICLE THAT I AM VERY SCARED TO OPERATE, NOT KNOWING WHEN A SIMILAR INCIDENT COULD OCCUR WHERE I COULD BE KILLED OR INJURE OR KILL SOMEONE ELSE. LEXUS, PARTICULARLY THE DEALERSHIP, APPEARS TO BE WANTING TO DISTANCE THEMSELVES AS FAR FROM POSSIBLE FROM FINDING A SUITABLE RESOLUTION. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10664153

Sep 30, 2014Speed controlEngineFire

WITHOUT WARNING, THE VEHICLE STOPPED ACCELERATING AS I WAS DRIVING SO I PULLED OFF THE ROAD ONTO THE SHOULDER. ONCE THE CAR STOPPED, SMOKE BEGAN TO COME THROUGH THE VENTS SO I EXITED THE VEHICLE. SEVERAL MINUTES LATER I COULD SEE FLAMES COMING FROM UNDER THE HOOD. BEFORE THE FIRE DEPARTMENT COULD MAKE IT TO THE SCENE, THE ENTIRE FRONT END OF THE CAR BURNED COMPLETELY. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT SAID THEY WERE GOING TO CLASSIFY IT AS A "MECHANICAL FAILURE". *TR

NHTSA ODI 10640227

Working with the data? Download all 35 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 2014 Lexus IS 250 verdict →