YearToAvoid

2012 Lexus ES350 Problems, Recalls & Reliability

Verdict

Avoid

Complaint Index

85/100

#3 most-complained of 14 ES350 years

The 2012 Lexus ES350 has a Complaint Index of 85 and ranks 3rd worst of 14 model years, earning an Avoid verdict. Airbags dominate complaints (77 of 89, 87% share) tied to three Takata-related recalls, with median failure mileage around 40,000.

Complaints
89
Recalls
3
Crashes / fires
3 / 2
Injuries / deaths
3 / 0
NHTSA overall rating
3 / 5 ★
EPA combined MPG
22
19 city / 27 hwy

Top 2012 Lexus ES350 problems

NHTSA owner complaints by component group. Groups with 15+ complaints have their own page.

  1. Airbags77 (87%)
  2. Structure & Body5 (6%)
  3. Electrical System2 (2%)
  4. Engine2 (2%)
  5. Brakes1 (1%)
  6. Other1 (1%)
  7. Seat Belts1 (1%)
  8. Steering1 (1%)
  9. Suspension, Wheels & Tires1 (1%)

What owners report

  • Owners report airbags failing to deploy in crashes, including a case where the driver-side knee airbag caused burns and injuries requiring surgery.
  • Some describe receiving Takata recall notices but being unable to get replacement parts for the passenger airbag inflator.
  • One owner reported the accelerator traveling to the floor abnormally at low speed, leading to a crash into a wall.
  • Another reported brake failure and wheel seizure after being cut off at 55 mph, with airbags failing to deploy in the resulting crash.
  • A seat heater reportedly caused smoke and a burn hole in the seat cushion after activation.
  • One owner described the dashboard melting and becoming sticky at 79,000 miles, with no repair program available.
2012 Lexus ES350 complaints: complaints filed per month12Jan 2013Aug 2015Mar 2017Jul 2017Nov 2017Apr 2018Aug 2020
91 complaints filed with NHTSA from Jan 2013 to Oct 2021; peak Aug 2017 (12).

2012 Lexus ES350 recalls

3 NHTSA recall campaigns list this model year.

  1. NHTSA 19V741000Oct 17, 2019Airbags928,220 vehicles

    Air bags:frontal:driver side:inflator module

    Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2010-2016 4Runner, 2003-2006 Tundra, 2003-2013 Corolla, 2009-2010 Corolla Matrix, 2004-2005 RAV4, 2002-2007 Sequoia, 2011-2013 Sienna, 2008-2012 Scion xB, 2008-2009 Lexus IS-F, 2007-2012 Yaris and Lexus ES350, 2010-2017 Lexus GX460, 2002-2010 Lexus SC430, 2006-2012 Lexus IS250 and IS350 and 2010-2015 Lexus IS250C and IS350C vehicles. These vehicles had their driver or passenger frontal air bag inflators previously replaced under a prior recall using inflators of the same design. The inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.

    Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

    Remedy: Toyota will notify owners. Depending on the vehicle model, dealers will replace the front driver inflator, front passenger airbag inflator, the airbag assembly, or the front passenger airbag sub-assembly and inflator. The recall began November 20, 2019. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371 or Lexus customer service at 1-800-255-3987. Toyota's numbers for this recall are J0A, J0B, and J0C. Lexus' numbers for this recall are JLI, JLJ, and JLK.

  2. NHTSA 19V005000Jan 9, 2019Airbags1,299,448 vehicles

    Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module

    Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2014-2016 Toyota 4Runner, 2014-2015 Scion xB, Lexus IS350C, IS250C, 2014 Toyota Sienna, Lexus IS-F, and 2014-2017 Lexus GX460 vehicles sold, or ever registered in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands or "Zone A." Toyota is also recalling certain 2011-2013 Toyota Corolla, Corolla Matrix, Lexus IS250, IS350, 2011-2016 4Runner, 2011-2015 Scion xB, Lexus IS350C, IS250C, 2011-2014 Toyota Sienna, Lexus IS-F, 2011-2017 Lexus GX460, and 2011-2012 Lexus ES350 vehicles ever registered in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia or "Zone B." Toyota is also recalling certain 2010-2013 Toyota Corolla, Corolla Matrix, Lexus IS350, 2010-2016 4Runner, 2010-2013 Lexus IS250, 2010-2015 Scion xB, Lexus IS350C, IS250C, 2010-2017 Lexus GX460, 2010-2014 Lexus IS-F, and 2010-2012 Lexus ES350 vehicles ever registered in the states of Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming or "Zone C." These vehicles are equipped with air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules, used as original equipment or replacement equipment (such as after a vehicle crash necessitating replacement of the original air bags), that may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.

    Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

    Remedy: Toyota will notify owners. Depending on the vehicle model, dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator, or replace the air bag assembly. The recall began February 15, 2019. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's numbers for this recall are "Zone A" Toyota: G0P, Lexus: GLG; "Zone B" Toyota: G0R, Lexus GLH; "Zone C" Toyota: H0A, and Lexus: HLA.

  3. NHTSA 17V006000Jan 9, 2017Airbags577,875 vehicles

    Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module

    Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2012 Toyota 4Runner, Corolla, Corolla Matrix, Sienna, Yaris, Scion xB, Lexus ES350, GX460, IS-F, IS250, IS350, IS250C, IS350C, and Lexus LFA vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands, or "Zone A." Additionally, unless included in "Zone A" above, Toyota is recalling certain 2009 Toyota Corolla, Corolla Matrix, Yaris, Yaris HB, Scion xB, Pontiac Vibe, Lexus, ES350, IS250, IS350, and IS-F vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, or "Zone B." Additionally, unless included in "Zone A" or "Zone B" above, Toyota is recalling certain 2006-2008 Lexus IS250 and IS350, 2007-2008 Lexus ES350, Toyota Yaris, Yaris HB, and 2008 Lexus IS-F and Scion xB vehicles originally sold, or ever registered in Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger frontal air bag, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.

    Risk: An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

    Remedy: Toyota will notify the Toyota, Scion and Lexus owners. General Motors will contact the Pontiac owners. Depending on the model, dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator or the air bag assembly, free of charge. The recall began on February 1, 2017. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331, or Pontiac customer service at 1-800-762-2737. Toyota's numbers for final remedy for this campaign are G0P (Toyota Zone A), G0R (Toyota Zone B), H0A (Toyota Zone C), GLG (Lexus Zone A), GLH (Lexus Zone B) and HLA (Lexus Zone C).

2012 Lexus ES350 fuel economy and fuel cost

City
19 MPG
Highway
27 MPG
Combined
22 MPG
Annual fuel cost (EPA)
$2,950
15,000 mi/yr
Fuel
Regular
Current regular gas
$4.32/gal
national avg.

EPA figures; median across configurations of this model year. Estimate your own cost with the fuel cost calculator.

2012 compared with other ES350 years

Complaint Index by model year (0 = fewest issues, 100 = most)0255075100’10’11’12’13’14’15’16’17’18’19’20’21’22’23
Complaint Index: 0 = fewest issues, 100 = most, relative to other years of this model. Avoid Caution Good Best
YearVerdictIndexComplaintsRecallsMPG
2010Avoid100136422
2011Avoid92153322
2012Avoid8589322
2013Caution6923124
2014Caution5428124

All Lexus ES350 years: best and worst →

Frequently asked questions

Should I avoid the 2012 Lexus ES350?
NHTSA data gives the 2012 ES350 a Complaint Index of 85, ranking it 3rd worst among the 14 model years tracked, so it carries an Avoid verdict relative to other ES350 years.
What is the most common problem with the 2012 Lexus ES350?
Airbags account for 77 of 89 complaints (87% share), the top problem area, with a median failure mileage of 40,000.
Does the 2012 Lexus ES350 have a Takata airbag recall?
Yes. NHTSA lists recall 17V006000 along with 19V005000 and 19V741000, all related to Takata airbag inflators covering the 2012 ES350.
How does the 2012 ES350 compare to other years?
The 2010 model has the highest Complaint Index at 100, and 2011 is at 92, both also rated Avoid, while 2012's index of 85 still places it among the worse years.
What is the fuel economy of the 2012 Lexus ES350?
The 2012 ES350 gets 22 mpg combined (19 city / 27 highway), with an estimated annual fuel cost of $2,950.

Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation complaint and recall databases; U.S. EPA fuel economy data; NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.

Data updated Sep 24, 2026. Read the methodology and data sources. The Complaint Index is based on NHTSA owner complaints and recalls; it is not a reliability rating.