2002 Lexus ES300 Problems

What owners report

Owners of the 2002 ES300 most often describe two related drivability complaints: unintended acceleration or surging at very low speeds and during parking maneuvers, and hesitant or harsh transmission behavior that shows up as a delay before the car responds or a lurch between low gears. Reports of the surge come at both very low mileage and past 90,000 miles, while transmission complaints are most common in the first few thousand miles after purchase. A smaller group of complaints covers brake vibration, airbag non-deployment in crashes, and engine-bay fires.

1. 1
   Vehicle speed control

   Unintended acceleration or surge at low speed and when

   • 38 complaints (25%)
   • median 59,000 mi at 6.7 yrs old (26 state mileage)
   • 26 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2002–2013

   Complaints describe the car picking up speed on its own while pulling into a parking space, backing up, exiting a garage, or creeping in stop-and-go traffic, often with the driver's foot on or near the brake. Several owners say braking did not stop the car until heavy pedal force was applied, and some report impacts with parked cars, buildings, trees and garage doors. Owners who took the car in for inspection report that the dealer found nothing wrong with the accelerator pedal or electronics, or said the vehicle operated as designed. A few describe the same behavior while cruise control was engaged. Scattered across the sample from near-new mileage up to about 92,000 miles, most often in parking-lot and slow-speed maneuvers.

   What to check: During a test drive, try slow parking-lot maneuvers and light throttle from a near stop; ask whether any throttle-body, pedal or engine control software service was ever performed, and request the service history for throttle-related work.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I had pulled into my garage. I had my foot on the brake and lifted it a little to inch forward to my mark ( to allow for the garage door to close) when the car just surged forward! Fortunately I applied the brake hard, since my foot was by the brake, but I banged into the garage wall and did damage to the car and the wall.”

   NHTSA complaint #10132725, filed 2005-08, 74,500 miles

   “My experience happened on july 14, 2009. I was easing into my parking place at the college where I teach, going about zero miles per hour, when all of a sudden I was plummeted into a tree less that five feet in front of me so hard that it totaled my 2002 Lexus. The forward movement felt like an airplane in takeoff mode.”

   NHTSA complaint #10297240, filed 2009-12, 96,000 miles
2. 2
   Transmission and drivetrain

   Transmission hesitation and harsh low-gear shifting

   • 44 complaints (29%)
   • median 5,554 mi at 1.7 yrs old (26 state mileage)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2002–2014

   Complaints describe a delay of a second or more after pressing the accelerator, followed by a sudden engagement or lurch, plus jerking and stuttering between first and second gears at slow speeds. Owners frequently say the dealer reflashed or reprogrammed the transmission or engine control software and that the behavior returned or only improved briefly. Several reports state the dealer described the behavior as normal for the model, and some describe the car briefly slipping out of gear with engine speed rising before it re-engages. Often noticed within the first few thousand miles of new ownership, and reported again by owners past 70,000 to 150,000 miles.

   4 related service bulletins

   What to check: Drive the car slowly in stop-and-go conditions and from a rolling stop to a turn, and accelerate gently out of first and second gear; ask whether any transmission or engine control software updates were applied and whether the fluid has been serviced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “My 2002 Lexus ES300 has been jerking and shifting very hard on acceleration. It seems to have more of a problem when I accelerate slowly in the lower gears. It jerks very noticeably. I was told it was just the nature of the car, but it has been getting much worse over the course of the last year. It also hesitates when stepping on the gas after deceleration.”

   NHTSA complaint #10489419, filed 2012-12, 150,001 miles

   “The flaws and failures of the transmission in my 2002 Lexus ES300 were noticeable within 500 miles of driving the new car off the lot. I now have 47,000 miles on the car and Lexus has performed re-programming of the transmission logic. However, that has not helped. It seems that as I drive more mileage the problem of the transmission not knowing what gear to be in is becoming worse. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10135396, filed 2005-09, 500 miles
3. 3
   Engine cooling

   Engine compartment and fuel-line fires

   Mentioned in 7 of 60 sampled complaints

   A small number of complaints describe a hesitation or near-stall followed by a fuel smell, smoke from under the hood and flames that destroyed the vehicle; others describe flames under the car while driving at highway speed with no prior warning. Owners report that the manufacturer inspected the vehicles in some cases and said the cause could not be determined. This is a low-frequency report in the sample but the most severe outcome described. Reported between roughly 20,000 and 236,000 miles, both in traffic and at highway speed.

   What to check: Inspect fuel lines and the injector area for weeping or fuel odor, and have any check-engine codes for throttle position sensor faults (P2121/P2128) diagnosed rather than ignored.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I was driving my 2002 Lexus e300 on rte95 in providence r.I. I was in the middle lane traveling at the speed of the traffic--65mph. Suddenly t check engine warning light came on and without warning when I stepped on the gas pedal there was no response. I was in the midst of heavy traffic losing speed rapidly. Fortunately I was able to coast to the edge of the road . The chip which feeds gas to the engine failed.”

   NHTSA complaint #10308747, filed 2010-02, 73,000 miles

   “On 1/8/15 at approx. 9:30 am, I was driving to work south on hwy 95 near exit 67 . Suddenly, other drivers were frantically waving at me to pull over onto the shoulder of the highway. What they saw ( and which I couldn't), was that there were flames under my car. I pulled over and got out of the car. Within seconds ( not even a full minute), the entire car was engulfed in flames and soon became a complete and total charred mess. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10676182, filed 2015-01, 180,000 miles
4. 4
   Brakes

   Brake pedal vibration and warped rotors

   • 7 complaints (5%)
   • median 30,000 mi at 3.2 yrs old (6 state mileage, few)
   • 3 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2003–2011

   Owners describe a shimmy or vibration through the steering wheel and pedal when braking, usually at moderate speeds. One owner reports repeated rotor resurfacing and replacement under warranty with the vibration returning, and says the dealer offered free rotors but expected the owner to pay for pads and labor. Another describes loss of control in light rain while exiting onto a ramp. Mostly reported between roughly 18,000 and 68,000 miles.

   Recall 01V3710002 related service bulletins

   What to check: Brake firmly from highway speed on the test drive and feel for steering-wheel shake; ask for rotor and pad service records and check for any outstanding brake-related recall work.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “During the initial warranty 50k miles, the dealership has resurfaced and replaced the rotors 4 times on my 2002 es 300 Lexus and now the rotors are warped for the fifth time. The problem is when braking, there is a very noticable vibration in the wheels, which if not repaired could cause a major accident and cause injury and even be fatal to me or others. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10127010, filed 2005-06, 67,533 miles

   “When pulling into a parking space traveling at less then 10 miles per hour, the car suddenly accelerated, proceeded forward hitting another parked car head on. The vehicle then jumped a curb and hit a second car. When attempting to stop the car using the brakes, the brake pedal was depressed but the car did not stop. In addition the air bag failed to deploy. Significant damage was done to two other vehicles beside mine. Updated 7/3/12”

   NHTSA complaint #10032815, filed 2003-08, 17,000 miles

Buying note. A pre-purchase inspection that includes a slow-speed and stop-and-go test drive, a brake check at highway speed, and a scan for stored engine and transmission codes will tell you more about this model year than mileage alone. Ask for service records on transmission software updates and throttle-related repairs, and confirm any open safety recall work was completed.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.