1998 Lexus ES300 Air bags Problems
- Complaints
- 9about this part
- Share
- 17%of 52 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 82,330miles
- Trend
- Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.
NHTSA recorded 9 complaints about the air bags of the 1998 Lexus ES300, 17% of the 52 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 82,330 miles. 6 of these say a crash was involved, 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.
“My 1998 Lexus hit a cement wall and the air bag did not deploy. I called and wrote to Lexus headquarters three times and they never responded. I want to hear from Lexus about this problem.”
NHTSA complaint #10376579, filed 2011-01, 60,000 miles“Air bag, driver's and passenger's, failed to deploy in a frontal collision that destroyed vehicle. Driver was only person in car and from the seat/lap belt suffered sever bruising on torso, abdomen and thighs. Left knee badly bruised from contact with steering column. The seat/lap belt did not fail. The car was a 1998 Lexus ES300 with approximately 157,000 miles and in excellent condition. Had the air bags deployed, I believe I would have still had some bruising but the bruising would have been less severe and less painful and had shorter recovery time. …”
NHTSA complaint #10247267, filed 2008-10, 157,000 miles“The srs (safety restraint system) flashing light on the dashboard continues to come on. We do not know if our airbags or seltbelts would work in an actual collision. The automobile has been in for repair of this problem 5 times. They have replaced all kinds of things, but nothing has fixed the problem. Are we safe?”
NHTSA complaint #754941, filed 2001-11“The contact owns a 1998 Lexus ES300. The contact was driving approximately 45-50 MPH when another vehicle side swiped his vehicle, causing him to lose control of the vehicle and crash into a cement wall. The front air bags did not deploy. The contact sustained injuries to the neck and shoulder and was transported to the hospital via ambulance. A police report was available. The vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer was contacted and they advised that the legal department would contact him. The VIN was unavailable. The failure and current mileage was 68,000. Updated 09/19/11”
NHTSA complaint #10378612, filed 2011-01, 68,000 miles“Vehicle was involved in an accident; vehicle was broadsided on passenger's side at approximately 35mph or more. Passenger was forced over to driver's side because seat belt did not lock properly, and both air bags failed to deploy. Vehicle at dealer at this tim.; seeking help from NHTSA in this matter.”
NHTSA complaint #848453, filed 1999-09Related service bulletins
- 10131964Jan 16, 2014Lexus vehicles are equipped with Supplemental Restraint Systems (SRS), including various airbags and in some models, seat belt pre-tensioners, to help reduce the risk of injury…
- 10132074Nov 10, 2013Beginning in 1998, Lexus introduced side airbags as optional equipment. Lexus does NOT recommend replacement of original seat covers with non-Lexus leather or other seat cover…
- 10133923Jan 16, 2013Lexus vehicles are equipped with SRS, including various airbags and in some models, seat belt pre-tensioners, to help reduce the risk of injury in a collision. If a customer…
Air bags: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 1 | 20% |
| 2003 | 13 | 11% |
| 2002 | 9 | 6% |
| 2001 | 3 | 10% |
| 2000 | 5 | 9% |
| 1999 | 2 | 7% |
| 1998 | 9 | 17% |
| 1997 | 3 | 7% |
| 1996 | 6 | 16% |
| 1995 | 4 | 11% |
| 1994 | 3 | 8% |
| 1993 | 8 | 19% |
| 1992 | 6 | 16% |
Other parts of the 1998 Lexus ES300
6 complaintsEngine cooling
5 complaintsFuel system
5 complaintsVehicle speed control
5 complaintsBrakes
4 complaintsElectrical system
4 complaintsSeats
4 complaintsOther or unknown
3 complaintsTires
3 complaintsWheels
3 complaintsEquipment
2 complaintsSuspension
2 complaints
← All problems reported for the 1998 Lexus ES300
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 31, 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