- The problem
- The secondary hood latch mechanism has a narrow clearance between internal parts which, over time, accumulate dust or other foreign matter and cause the latch to not engage properly.
- The risk
- If this occurs and the primary latch is not properly engaged, the hood could open suddenly without warning, blocking the vision of the driver, which could cause an accident.
- The fix
- Lexus dealers will replace the secondary hood latch.
Vehicle safety record
1992 Lexus ES300 Problems, complaints & recalls
Owners have filed 37 complaints about the 1992 Lexus ES300 with NHTSA, most often about the transmission & drivetrain (9) and the body, doors & structure (7). Those complaints describe 4 crashes, 1 fire and 9 injuries. It is covered by 1 recall, the latest in February 1994 for the latch. For comparison, the 1991 has 3 and the 1993 has 43.
NHTSA data checked
CAbout as many problems as a typical ES300 year, for its age
#74 most complained-about 1992 vehicle
- Complaints
- 37
- Recalls
- 1
- Crashes
- 4
- Fires
- 1
- Injuries
- 9
- Deaths
- 0
Most common 1992 Lexus ES300 problems
Share of all 37 complaints. One complaint can name more than one area. Tap an area for its complaints and recalls.
1992 Lexus ES300 recalls 1
Recall repairs are free. Your dealer fixes them whether or not you bought the car there - check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see if yours is done. What to do
What owners say
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37 complaints about the 1992 Lexus ES300
Newest first, as filed with NHTSA by owners. Page 1 of 2.
Car was going 35 mph on a straight, dry, paved, flat street when the airbag spontaneously deployed without warning resulting in facial abrasions and sudden hearing loss in both ears which continues to this day. Toyota maintains car was old and out of warranty. Car was initially taken to a lexus specialist who began to investigate moisture on floor of backseat. I advised him to stop and so vehicle was partially disassembled at time of subsequent field technical specialist's inspection. Lexus has remained unresponsive in light of above explanation. Car cannot be repaired and we are forced to drive car without an airbag. Hearing loss remains in spite of expensive new hearing aids.
Airbag deployed without cause while going approx 30 mph on a flat dry paved road. *Tr
Tl* the contact owns a 1992 lexus es300. While driving at 35 mph, the driver swerved and the air bags deployed and exploded, emitting a smokey substance. As a result, the driver sustained face and ear injuries that required medical attention. A police report was not filed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 141,800.
Driving northbound from gilroy on the 101 freeway, I was in the second lane from the right shoulder when the hood sprung open blinding my view and scaring the crap out of passengers and i. I started to immediately pull to the left shoulder of the freeway even though I had no visual of what was in from of my view, the surrounding cars immediately took notice of my fully extended white hood due to it was standing straight up in the air, the windshield instantly shattered outwards and the car had to be towed home, windshield replaced, the hood was a used hood that in not safe for use if accident the hood would slice my head off. A lot of parts are still damaged from the incident. *Tr
Tl*the contact owns a 1992 lexus es 300. The contact was driving approximately 35 mph, the front hood released in an open position without warning. Immediately, the sun roof glass shattered. There was no personal injury. The vehicle has not been diagnosed for the malfunction at this time. The failure mileage was 142366.
Driving down the road at about 55-60 mph when the hood suddenly popped open damaging the hood and windshield. *Tr
When I purchased my vehicle I noticed that the speedometer was acting a little funny. After about two weeks the speedometer no longer gave an accurate reading and also noticed that the mileage was slow. I compared a few distances and the car's speedometer only recorded half of the actual mileage traveled. The lights on the needles are flickering and the gas light needle is completely out. It is very hard to know at what speed I am traveling, as well as even know if I have enough fuel, without turning on the cabin light. This speedometer issue has become a real problem, I can't control my speed and I am constantly distracted. *Jb
Nhtsa recall campaign 04v039000 concerning hood latch. Consumer was driving at 60 mph on the highway when the hood flew up, broke the windshield. Vehicle was drivable. Consumer was later advised by the insurance company that there was a recall for the hood latch. Consumer made contact with the manufacturer, and was told there was no recall for the vehicle. *Ak
Bought this car used, and what seemed to be very good condition with up to date maintenance records. I have had this car three months. All but about 1 week has been in the shop.. The instrament lights went out completely $1000 to fix,,, joke... The power steering pump amd sensors went out causing the radiator to fail caused the car to severly overheat,, caused the transmission to fail and the electrical harness failed to the fuel injector controls causing carbon buildup in the fuel injectors, in my opinion this is the biggest peice of junk I have ever owned.*Ak
The consumer was unable to read the speedometer, because of the color in the back ground. *Jb the consumer stated the fluorescent material dried out the instrument panel*ts *jb
The needles on the vehicle's tachometer and speedometer are beginning to fade. Dealership only offered to pay 20% of the repair cost. *Mr *cb there was a 90 car accident due to fog/clouds, and trucks. *Scc
Illumination of the speedometer needle has failed. Consumer can not discern vehicle's speed when driving.*Ak
The lights , check engine and the temperature gauges I felt do not work properly. The engine was getting hot and overheating, cutting out dying and the check engine light never came on. Then the temp guage never bobbled or moved until the car tried to die at 45 mph. Then it bobbled, just slightly then went back to normal. The radiator was fried dried. And the piston rings are fried and toast and I had absolutely no warning. I had the car towed to the shop, they changed the radiator and advised me of the...
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transmission problem which I knew nothing of and the piston rings. If I just replace the piston rings, in about a 3 months I will have to do the bottom half of the engine. I can not afford to do that. The idiot lights and gauges should have been recalled. Dt
Vehicle stalls whenever consumer decelerates while going down a hill. Contacted dealer. *Ak
During oil change mechanic noticed hood latch was failing, there is a recall but this vehicle not affected due to vin. *Ak
Consumer was stopped in middle of street while trying to make a turn and consumer was hit from back at about 60 mph. Vehicle was totaled. Seat belt failed during collision, and driver sustained injuries. Sent a letter to t manufacturer. *Ak
This is a safty issue and a recall should be issued for the speedo assy.
The electrochromic display lighting that lights up the speedometer have failed, there is no way to know what speed you are traveling at night. Also the odometer had an electrical short @82,500 miles, smoke from the odometer short caused driver to panic, and could have resulted in a serious accident. The car was taken to a local mechanic, and I was told there were no other electrical problems, but to replace the speedometer and odometer would cost at least $2,000. I think this is a safety problem, and that I should not have to absorb all of this cost. I would like to make a formal complaint to nhtsa about this. Thank you very much... Chris hall. *Ak
Consumer was driving at 20 mph and vehicle started smoking under the hood. Consumer called the lexus dealer, and was told to bring it in to the nearest lexus dealer. Consumer got on the freeway and the vehicle broke down. Consumer was able to coast down the ramp and was pushed a block away. Fire department was called because of the amount of smoke coming from it. Consumer wasn't sure if vehicle was on fire. Dealer told consumer that after reaching so many miles the same thing happened to other es300's . Also, radiator cap blew out. *Ak
Recall 94v039 000/hood assembly:latches: hood unlatched while traveling on the highway at 45 mph, causing hood to fly over windshield and damage windshield, also, damages was done to the roof and fender. Dealer notifed, and informed consumer that vehicle was not covered under recall due to vin. *Ak
Speedometer is unreadable at night and barely readable in the daytime due to failure of the speedometer (and tachometer) lights and backlights *ak
The instrumentation cluster on the es300, which includes the speedometer and odometer, uses lighted needles and gauges. The lighting for the needles and the gauges intermittently dims or goes out. This can be a bit frightening and somewhat dangerous when operating the vehicle - especially at night. While the vehicle was still under warranty we contacted the lexus warranty company and a dealer. They said they would not cover the part and that it would cost just under $1000.00 To replace. We have done some...
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research on this problem and it appears (even via this web site) that this is a common safety problem amoung the lexus es300 models. Please let us know what else we can do to get lexus to fix what is clearly a defect in craftmanship and design and certainly poses a safety hazard. Thank you.
Was driving vehicle & noticed temperature gauge indicating hot. Took vehicle in for service. Had no indication a problem with engine head gaskets. Had no leaking nor was vehicle overheating. Took to dealer & was informed the engine head gasket was cracked. Ak
Lexus uses electroluminescent needles on dashboards. These needles indicate speed and other functions. When the needles fail, the speedometer and other gauges cannot be read. Lexus indicated this is not an infrequent occurence. No accident resulted, but the system is unsafe in that the vehicle operator cannot read the instrument panel. This is an instrument panel failure, and is not related to maintenance of the vehicle.
Defective airbag system on driver's side deployed suddendly when pulling at driveway at approximatley 5-10 mph, causing chemicals burns and bruises. *Ak
Lexus ES300: every year compared
All ES300 years1992 Lexus ES300 vs rivals
| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Grade | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 Lexus ES300 | 37 | 1 | C | |
| 1992 Lexus SC400 | 30 | 1 | F | Compare |
| 1992 Lexus SC300 | 10 | 0 | F | Compare |
| 1992 Lexus LS400 | 8 | 0 | A | Compare |
| 1992 Lexus Lexus | 5 | 0 | F | Compare |
| 1992 Lexus ES250 | 1 | 0 | C | Compare |
More sales usually means more complaints, so compare similar vehicles of the same year. The grade compares each vehicle with its own model's other years.
Questions about the 1992 Lexus ES300
Does the 1992 Lexus ES300 have any recalls?
Yes - NHTSA lists 1 recall for the 1992 Lexus ES300: latch (February 1994). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see whether yours has been fixed.
What are the most common problems with the 1992 Lexus ES300?
By the complaints owners filed with NHTSA, the most common problem areas are the transmission & drivetrain (9), body, doors & structure (7), airbags (6).
How many complaints has the 1992 Lexus ES300 had?
37 complaints have been filed with NHTSA, the first on July 5, 1995 and the latest on December 27, 2015. Of these, 4 describe a crash and 1 a fire, and together they report 9 injuries and 0 deaths.
Is the 1992 Lexus ES300 a reliable vehicle?
Its Safety Index is 56 out of 100 (grade C: about as many problems as a typical Lexus ES300 year, for its age). The index weighs complaints, crashes, fires, injuries, deaths and recalls against how long the vehicle has been on the road, compared with the same model's other years. It is not a measure of every repair - read the complaints and owner experiences, and have any used vehicle inspected before you buy.
Which Lexus ES300 years have the most complaints?
2002 (185), 2003 (140), 2000 (63). See every Lexus ES300 year compared.
What should I do if my 1992 Lexus ES300 has a problem?
If it is a safety problem, stop driving it if it is unsafe and contact your dealer. Report it to NHTSA at nhtsa.gov/report-a-safety-problem - enough reports start investigations and recalls - and share your experience here so other owners know what to look for.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) complaints and recalls, checked . Complaints are owners' own reports and are not verified. How we use the data