Home · 2018 Lexus Is300 · Complaints

What 6 owners told NHTSA about the 2018 Lexus Is300

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 (6)Crash / fire / injury (2)Fuel system (3)Body & structure (2)Engine (1)Speed control (1)Transmission & drivetrain (1)

Newest first · 6 complaints

Nov 7, 2022Fuel system

The contact owns a 2018 Lexus IS300. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle felt sluggish. The contact then heard an abnormal cranking noise underneath the hood of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the failure could not be duplicated. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that she recorded the noise then took the vehicle back to the dealer; however, the dealer informed her that the fuel injectors might need to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, while the accelerator pedal was depressed, the vehicle failed to accelerate as needed. The contact stated that additional pressure on the accelerator pedal was needed for the vehicle to perform as designed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was notified of a possible buy back. The failure mileage was approximately 15,000

NHTSA ODI 11492601

Apr 7, 2022Body & structure

I was driving down the highway at 70 mph and it was windy at the same time. Out of no where my sunroof window exploded shattering the glass. Luckily I usually keep the cover close. It sounded a gun shot that went off. There was nothing around me that would come down and break the window of the sunroof. It just happened out of no where.

NHTSA ODI 11460066

Jul 20, 2020Transmission & drivetrainCrash1 injury

2018 LEXUS IS 300. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO VEHICLE STALLING WHILE TRYING TO MAKE A U-TURN. *LD *JS

NHTSA ODI 11340152

Mar 17, 2020Fuel system

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 LEXUS IS 300. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 20V012000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE) HOWEVER, THE PART TO DO THE RECALL REPAIR WAS NOT YET AVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER HAD EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE CONTACT REACHED OUT TO LEXUS OF NORTH MIAMI LOCATED AT (14100 BISCAYNE BLVD, NORTH MIAMI, FL 33181) AND IT WAS CONFIRMED THAT THE PARTS WERE NOT AVAILABLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. VIN TOOL CONFIRMS PARTS NOT AVAILABLE.

NHTSA ODI 11318475

Nov 29, 2018Body & structure1 injury

DRIVING ON 285 EAST IN ATLANTA GA 11/29/2018 WHEN MY LEXUS IS 300 SUNROOF EXPLODED. ALL WINDOWS WERE CLOSED TEMPERATURE WAS 37 DEGREES. IT SOUND LIKE A GUN WENT OFF. GLASS FELL FROM THE ROOF AND PIECE OF THE GLASS WENT IN MY LEFT EYE. I MADE APPOINTMENT FOR THE EYE DOCTOR FOR 11/30/2018

NHTSA ODI 11154859

Nov 5, 2018Speed controlEngineFuel system

WHEN I ACCELERATE FROM A STOP OR WHILE MOVING ON A ROADWAY, THE ENGINE SEEMS TO STALL. I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT THE NORMAL TURBO SPOOLING STALL. IT LASTS FOR ABOUT 3 TO 5 FULL SECONDS. WHEN YOU NEED POWER TO PREVENT AN ACCIDENT, YOU CAN'T AFFORD THAT TIME LAG, AS IT COULD CAUSE YOUR DEATH. THE DEALER TOLD ME THAT LEXUS SAYS IT'S NORMAL, THEY ALL DO IT. I DON'T FEEL ANY MANUFACTURER WOULD DELIBERATELY BUILD AND SELL A VEHICLE THAT WOULD PUT THE OCCUPANTS IN DANGER OF POSSIBLE DEATH. THE DEALER PICKED UP THE CAR AND AFTER FIVE DAYS CALLED ME TO SAY NOTHING IS WRONG AND THEY CAN'T FIX THE PROBLEM BECAUSE LEXUS COMPANY SAYS IT'S NORMAL. AT THIS POINT I'M REFUSING TO DRIVE THE CAR, IT'S EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. I HAVE ONLY DRIVEN IT ABOUT 188 MILES SINCE BUYING IT ALMOST 1 MONTH AGO. I CALLED THE DEALER ABOUT MY CONCERN AFTER HAVING THE CAR ONLY 20 DAYS.

NHTSA ODI 11149541

Working with the data? Download all 6 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 22, 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 2018 Lexus Is300 verdict →