1996 Lexus ES300 Engine Problems
- Complaints
- 1about this part
- Share
- 3%of 37 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 158,000miles
- Trend
- Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.
NHTSA recorded 1 complaints about the engine of the 1996 Lexus ES300, 3% of the 37 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 158,000 miles. 1 a fire, according to the filers.
Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“Car exploded and started fire in the garage after the car had been parked for approximately 20 minutes. Got home from work and stop at grocery store. Parked car in garage and brought in some groceries. About 10 - 15 minutes later went out to get paper products (tp and paper towels) out of trunk. There was nothing out of the ordinary, no smoke, no fire, no noise. Went in side put away everything and started to cook. Heard loud explosion noise. Went to the garage and opened the door. Hot, heavy black smoke and chemical odor came pouring into the house. I could see flames to the left. …”
NHTSA complaint #10491604, filed 2013-01, 158,000 milesEngine: other model years
Other parts of the 1996 Lexus ES300
11 complaintsAir bags
6 complaintsElectrical system
5 complaintsSteering
5 complaintsSuspension
3 complaintsFuel system
2 complaintsSeat belts
2 complaintsVehicle speed control
2 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
2 complaintsLatches, locks and linkages
1 complaintsSeats
1 complaints
← All problems reported for the 1996 Lexus ES300
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 27, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.
To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology