2006 Lexus GS300 Problems

What owners report

Owners of the 2006 GS300 report most often about headlights that switch off on their own while driving, usually fixed briefly by cycling the light switch. Engine oil consumption and jerky or harsh shifting also appear regularly at higher mileage, and a smaller but consistent group of complaints describes power steering assist dropping out while the car is moving.

1. 1
   Exterior lighting

   Headlights turn off by themselves while driving

   • 26 complaints (21%)
   • median 75,000 mi at 5.1 yrs old (19 state mileage)
   • filed 2008–2017

   Complaints describe one or both low-beam headlights cutting out intermittently at night, sometimes after several minutes of driving and sometimes at random. Owners say switching the lights off and back on brings them back, at least for a while, and that bulb replacement did not resolve it. Several owners report dealers could not reproduce the fault and either suggested replacing the whole headlamp assembly or said diagnosis was not possible until the light stayed off. Some owners also mention the HID beams being aimed noticeably low. Reported from as little as a few hundred miles up to roughly 150,000 miles, with many complaints clustering between 45,000 and 90,000 miles.

   What to check: Drive the car at night and watch whether either headlight drops out; if it does, note whether cycling the switch restores it. Ask whether the headlamp assemblies or ballasts have been replaced and whether the aim has been checked.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The driver and passenger front headlamps turn off intermittently. They can be turned on again by switching them on and off. This is happens for no apparent reason, in dry or wet conditions. I replaced the passenger side headlamp assembly which was turning off very frequently. I am considering replacing the driver side headlamp assembly , as well, since this is getting worse.”

   NHTSA complaint #10324421, filed 2010-04, 95,000 miles

   “Either driver's or passenger's or both side headlight will turn off by itself. I have notice a slight flicked few months back but barely noticeable. I turn it off and on and it comes back on.....after 5 min of driving, it will turn off again randomly. The bulbs are fine. This is very very dangerous in a rural area where there are very little street lighting. Dealer won't do anything.”

   NHTSA complaint #10461406, filed 2012-06, 55,620 miles
2. 2
   Engine

   Engine burns oil between changes

   • 20 complaints (16%)
   • median 97,000 mi at 9.1 yrs old (15 state mileage)
   • 3 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2006–2019

   Owners describe the engine using large amounts of oil between scheduled changes, in some cases several quarts over a few thousand miles, with no visible leaks. Complaints link the consumption to fouled plugs, misfire codes and rough or sluggish running, and some report a fuel smell in the oil with a check-engine light. Owners say dealers confirmed internal oil burning and quoted engine or ring work; one complaint mentions a customer support program for the condition. Mostly reported well past 90,000 miles, though a few complaints describe it earlier in the car's life.

   3 related service bulletins

   What to check: Check the dipstick level and look for a fuel smell in the oil, and ask for oil-change records showing how much oil was added between services. A service bulletin covers misfire and rough-running diagnosis on this engine.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “On february 9, 2006, the fourth occurrence occurred. Each time, there was a strong smell of sulfur in the car with the windows closed. A day or a few days later, the check engine light went on (check vsc).I am concerned that there may also be carbon monoxide in the car at the same time. The dealer/service manager indicates that there is fuel in the engine oil. I do not know if it is safe to operate a brand new vehicle with fuel in the engine oil. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10151072, filed 2006-02, 330 miles

   “I purchased my vehicle (used) in 2014. I have experienced a rebuilt transmission ($4200), new alternator and now I'm currently experience oil consumption. My car is burning oil at-at-a rapid pace. I have replaced my oil two times in two months. My mechanic has informed me that it's the engine (manufacturer issue) and it is due to carbon build up due to a standard for this make, model and year. It's burning alot of oil that is causing the build up in the engine. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11184607, filed 2019-03, 45 miles
3. 3
   Steering

   Power steering assist cuts out while driving

   • 14 complaints (11%)
   • median 72,294 mi at 7.9 yrs old (12 state mileage)
   • 4 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2009–2019

   Complaints describe the power steering suddenly quitting with little warning, leaving the wheel very hard to turn, in some cases with the steering warning light on. Owners report this at parking-lot speeds and at road speed, and several say a dealer quoted a substantial repair and that their vehicle was outside a related campaign. Others describe the wheel briefly locking or binding mid-turn, and grinding noises from the steering column. Reported from about 24,000 miles to 180,000 miles, with several complaints between 100,000 and 140,000 miles.

   What to check: Start the car and confirm the steering warning light behaves normally, then test for binding or heaviness at low speed. Ask whether the electric power steering unit has been replaced or any related campaign completed.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “This morning, 3/14/2017, while driving to work on a multi-lane city street, without any warning at all, I suddenly lost the power steering. Literally from one second to the next it was gone. Thankfully I was slowing down, moving into a turn lane so I was only moving about 10 MPH. It was extremely difficult to make it to the nearest parking lot.”

   NHTSA complaint #10965969, filed 2017-03, 180,000 miles

   “Started driving car out of driveway and power steering stopped working p/s light came on. Since it was a preown vehicle there was a recall on the eps electronic power steering but the recall was already done according to Lexus in 2009. If the recall was already done then why did my electronic power steering go out again? Since it is a known issue and had a recall it should be taken care of. Dealership is trying to charge me 2000 dollars. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10838615, filed 2016-02, 100,000 miles
4. 4
   Vehicle speed control

   Unintended acceleration or raised engine speed

   • 10 complaints (8%)
   • median 30,000 mi at 3.9 yrs old (9 state mileage, few)
   • 4 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2007–2015

   Complaints describe the car accelerating on its own or the engine revving high without throttle input, in some cases while parking or slowing toward a stop. One owner reports the floor mat catching the accelerator pedal, and the related recall addresses carpet-pad interference on all-wheel-drive cars. Other owners say dealers and the manufacturer could not find a fault, and one complaint describes the brakes feeling unresponsive during the event. Reported from very low mileage up to about 105,000 miles, with several complaints under 40,000 miles.

   Recall 11V115000

   What to check: Confirm the accelerator pedal recall work was completed, check that the floor mat is the correct secured type, and ask whether any throttle-body or pedal-sensor repairs have been done.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “A few months after I bought my 2006 Lexus GS300 in jan., 2006, I experienced the sudden acceleration of my car. I was passing a car and when I took my foot off of the gas pedal it continued to accelerate. I tried the brake but it seemed frozen..it didn't move at all. I quickly threw the car into neutral, and as I was about to hit the car in front of me, I shifted into park...it was the only way to get the car to stop. Then I turned the car off. The first time I attempted to start the car back up, it raced. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10279800, filed 2009-08, 26,000 miles

   “I slowed down to park the car and was steering my car into the parking opening. And as the car slowed down to almost a stop position, and all of a sudden just before it stopped, the car suddenly accelerated unintentionally with high speed and ran over the parking blocks and then over the raised island in front of me. Then it crashed into the cars parked on the opposite side of the raised island and then it stopped. In 2009 I experienced my vehicle started to shake often when it was idling when the vehicle was at complete stop position. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10383858, filed 2011-02, 35,800 miles
5. 5
   Transmission and drivetrain

   Harsh downshift or jerk when braking to a stop

   • 26 complaints (21%)
   • median 69,500 mi at 6.4 yrs old (22 state mileage)
   • 3 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2006–2019

   Owners describe a hard thump or jerk while slowing down, most often on the last downshift before stopping, and some say it feels like being hit from behind. Complaints attribute it to the electronic control module rather than the gearbox internals, and some report dealers misdiagnosing it as a transmission failure. Others mention the engine stalling or revving oddly and, in a few cases, repeated transmission replacement. Mostly reported between about 80,000 and 170,000 miles.

   4 related service bulletins

   What to check: Drive the car and slow to a complete stop several times, feeling for a clunk on the final downshift. Ask whether the ECU was reprogrammed or replaced and whether any transmission work has been done.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “When I go to apply the brakes or of I'm coasting slow, the car jerks twice(once while the car is slowing down, and a harder jerk right before the car stops) every Lexus forum I visited where people had 2006 Lexus GS300 awd's(with the same exact symptoms), they were mis-diagnosed being told it was their transmission, when in actuality it was their ecu that needed to be replaced. That is a computer failure, so I don't understand why there aren't recalls on this.”

   NHTSA complaint #10908780, filed 2016-09, 112,000 miles

   “I have a problem with my 2006 GS300 that I purchased new, I'm the original owner and have my car regularly serviced. Back in 2013 I had my transmission replaced by Lexus of westminster at about 80,000 miles, I was shocked when recently while driving my car starts to pull whenever I start braking whether I'm going slow or fast, I get an extra thump. I took my car to the Lexus of cerritos who stated I need my transmission replaced again. My car only has 169,000 miles on it. So that would make this the 3rd transmission. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11076584, filed 2018-03, 160,000 miles

Buying note. On a car this age, check the headlights at night, the oil level and consumption history, and the steering assist before buying, since these are the areas owners raise most. Ask for service records covering power steering, ECU or transmission work, and confirm any open recall has been performed.

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.